Author's Note: For all those who wondered in Plagg and the Princess and Pay Attention, what would happen if Adrien came to the conclusion that Marinette was Hawk Moth...

It started after another Akuma attack.

This particular Akuma didn't exactly stand out to Adrien. Pretty much within the first five minutes after the attack Adrien had forgotten exactly what the Akuma did or called itself. They were beginning to get rather repetitive at this point. Once again someone got upset, became a clownish version of themselves, turned people into mindless slaves, and was defeated by Ladybug and Chat Noir after a few minor hiccups.

No what stood out to Adrien was what happened after the Akuma attack.

He had quickly de-transformed and dashed back out to rejoin Alya, Nino, and Marinette - the Akuma attack had occurred just as they were about to head to the cinema much to Adrien's never-ending bitter disappointment – only to find Alya and Nino stood alone with anxious expressions etched into their faces.

Adrien's heart froze for a moment as the worst scenarios rapidly rushed through his mind. Marinette got injured in the Akuma attack and was rushed to hospital, Marinette got fed up of Adrien disappearing and went home, Marinette suddenly came down with the plague and went to be quarantined, Marinette -

"Hey!" He called out to Alya and Nino breathlessly. He was determined to find out the truth and ensure Marinette was safe before he tried to rush to her rescue in a heroic manner only to find out it wasn't needed. "Where's Marinette?!"

Nino pulled a face as Alya stiffened. "We thought she was with you," Nino said worriedly, "where were you?"

"I, erm, ah, got turned into one of those popcorn minion things," Adrien lied feebly.

Nino grimaced at that. "Tough break, dude," he muttered sympathetically and, much to Adrien's relieve, immediately dropped the subject.

Alya, however, looked like she was on the verge of beating them both bloody with her phone. "That doesn't explain where Marinette is!" she snapped agitatedly. "If she wasn't with you, and she wasn't with us, where was she?!"

"Here!"

Adrien, Nino, and Alya turned to face Marinette so quickly that they probably all got whiplash. Adrien certainly felt something in his neck snap but the pain was nothing compared to the warm flood of relief and joy at seeing Marinette's uninjured body and carefree, sweet, smile as she rushed towards them.

"I'm here!"

Alya beat Adrien to Marinette as the red-headed girl smothered Marinette into rib-crushing embrace. "Girl, you got to stop doing that!" Alya scolded. "Every time an Akuma attacks you always disappear. I'm going to go grey before I get a chance to be an adult at this rate!"

For some reason the idea of Marinette vanishing every time there was an Akuma attack niggled and nagged at Adrien. He was sure that wasn't true. He had saved her from several Akumas himself many times before.

Ah, said a nasty little voice inside his head, but she always disappears not long after that, doesn't she?

Where on earth does Marinette go each time an Akuma attacks?

"Sorry," Marinette mumbled as she hugged Alya back tightly, "I got caught up in the crowd and then was turned into one of those popcorn minions."

That didn't ring quite true to Adrien either. He was sure she vanished before the crowd panicked and rushed to the exit. He remembered his own panic rising to his throat when he realised she wasn't by his side. It spurred him to transform more quickly so he could rescue her again.

"Just don't do it again," Alya squeezed Marinette once more before she pulled away to sternly plant her hands on her hips. "The Akuma almost took out Chat Noir's eye when he tripped over. That could have easily been you."

Adrien nearly spluttered indignantly at that. He hadn't tripped over! He had purposely (and rather gracefully, thank you very much!) lunged across to take that hit in order to defend his lady love!

"Chat Noir didn't trip over," Marinette frowned, "he had lunged to take the hit in order to protect Ladybug."

Adrien blinked at that as Alya's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?" they both asked in unison, Adrien in soft bewilderment while Alya sounded like she was the head of the Spanish Inquisition.

"Oh!" Marinette flushed brightly. "I, erm, ah, kinda, err, remember! Yeah," Marinette nodded eagerly, "I sort of still remember being a popcorn minion!"

Adrien frowned.

It's often been discussed that all those who got turned into minions of the Akuma never remembered what happened. So that meant Marinette was lying. But why would she lie? What did it matter if she tucked herself away in a corner for safety and happened to witness the battle?

Unless she had witnessed the battle as a participant...

And when he thought about it, this wasn't the first time Marinette had corrected Alya for something he knows she wasn't there for. She was always Chat Noir's biggest defender, and a stickler for accuracy, and always, always, right when she really shouldn't be.

And then he spotted Marinette squeeze her pink bag close to her. It was a small, little, thing that she carried with her always. He had no idea what she carried in there seeing as he had witnessed her pull out her purse from her school bag many times before but it must be something precious because he had seen her squeeze it close before and sometimes even talk to it when she thinks she alone.

And then it hit him.

That bag was the perfect size for a Kwami.

Marinette always jumped about ten feet into the air before she rapidly snaps the bag shut when someone catches her talking into it. She must be hiding a Kwami. A Kwami with a sweet tooth because the more Adrien thought about it the more he remembered incidences where Marinette hastily shovelled cookies into that bag by the dozen.

The pieces started to come together. Marinette always vanishes during an Akuma attack, she always knows what happened in battles when she wasn't there, and she had the perfect sized bag for Kwamis.

That would mean...that would mean...that would mean...

and then a final piece clicked into place, the cookies.

Butterflies liked sweet things, didn't they?

Adrien's eyes widened as his breath hitched in his throat and a strange mix of despair, disappointment, and a soul-crushing sensation akin to a broken heart suddenly washed over him.

Marinette was Hawk Moth.

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

"How could someone as sweet and nice like Marinette be Hawk Moth?!"

It was the tenth hundredth time Adrien had asked that as he paced up and down in his room and for the tenth hundredth time, Plagg was absolutely no help whatsoever as he laid back mid-air stuffing his face full of cheese.

Adrien had been playing it over and over in his mind.

Marinette was never there during Akuma battles apart from maybe at the beginning when he rescues her as Chat Noir, and yet she knows exactly what happened to the point she could correct both Adrien and Alya who were usually there as superhero and superhero blogger. She is never where she is supposed to be or claims to have been which has surely caused Adrien to lose at least one of his nine lives. Marinette also lies, all the time, and badly too about where she has been during Akuma attacks in a really, big, awkward, way that suggests that she has something major to hide. And then her bag! Her bag was the perfect Kwami size, and Adrien has witnessed her talking to the contents of that bag.

There was no doubt about it.

It was the only possible answer.

Marinette was Hawk Moth.

But WHY?!

"Plagg!" Adrien cried out irritably as Plagg failed to reply to him in a timely manner. "Answer the damn question!"

(Though Plagg had answered the last nine hundred and ninety nine times and felt he well and truly deserved another cheese break.)

Plagg glowered at Adrien as he slowly swallowed the piece of gooey cheese in his mouth and then, with a deliberate extra slowness, wiped his mouth clean.

"PLAGG!"

"All right, all right! Keep your fur on, Kid!" Plagg rolled his eyes. "Now then, are you really sure that's the ONLY conclusion, Kid?" Plagg said with exaggerated slowness. "That there might not be another reason why your Princess carries a Kwami sized bag. Any reason at all. Like maybe a red and bl-"

"NO!" Adrien barked.

It frustrated him to no end that Plagg didn't get the levity of this situation. Marinette, kind Marinette, sweet Marinette, compassionate Marinette, nice Marinette, the girl that was one of his first friends at school, the girl who gave him her lucky charm, the girl that helped him to the cinema to see his mother's film, the girl who kissed his cheek and left tingles for days, that girl was Hawk Moth. It was more devastating than the time Ladybug rejected him.

"All the evidence adds up," Adrien continued furiously, "this is the only logical explanation, Plagg!"

"Urgh!" Plagg groaned in disgust as he zoomed across the room to pick up another piece of cheese. "I always get the stupid ones," Plagg muttered darkly, "I bet Tiki never has to deal with this nonsense."

Adrien ignored Plagg's childish grumblings to go back to the problem at hand.

That the sweetest girl in Paris was also apparently the most evil villain in Paris.

It was mind-boggling!

"She's so nice!" Adrien sighed wistfully. "why would she want to hurt anyone?"

"Eh," Plagg shrugged uncaring, "I'm sure she wants to hurt that spoiled mayor's kid," he gazed thoughtfully at his cheese, "that snotty brat could try the patience of a saint. In fact, I'm pretty sure she has."

"Chloe?" Adrien frowned. "But she's gotten so much better now and Marinette has even defended her against the others! She threw Chloe a party and everything! Why would she keep making Akumas to hurt Chloe now?!"

"Sometimes when you start something it's hard to stop especially when it spirals out of control," Plagg said sagely, "I should know, do you really think I wanted to sink Atlantis, Kid?"

Adrien blinked at that.

For a brief moment he wanted to ask about Atlantis (because why wasn't he surprised that Plagg had managed to make an entire civilisation vanish into the ocean?!) but then he shook his head fiercely and focused on the more important topic at hand.

Saving Marinette Dupain-Cheng's soul from the corruption of her dark deeds as Hawk Moth.

"So Marinette needs someone to give her an excuse to stop?" he asked. "Someone who can persuade her to return to the light side for once and for all?"

Plagg rolled his eyes again at that. "Yeah, sure," he drawled out in a bored voice, "whatever Kid."

"Then there is only one thing left to do, in order to save Paris and Marinette, I must take one for the team," Adrien said solemnly as he balled his hands up into fists of determination. "I MUST SEDUCE HAWK MOTH!"

(Gabriel happened to have just been walking past Adrien's bedroom that exact moment and promptly froze in sheer horror. He could feel the icy coils of dread unfurl in his stomach as Adrien's voice echoed over and over again in his mind. Adrien fancied Hawk Moth. Adrien was planning to seduce Hawk Moth.

Adrien had no fucking clue that Hawk Moth was his own father.

Oh dear God!

Emilie was going to kill him for this!

After she resurrected him using the Miraculous because Gabriel was on the verge of screaming bloody blue murder before he threw himself off the Eiffel Tower. He just had to make his villain costume extremely classy and sexy with all the purple, didn't he?! He had to make his alter ego look so alluring that all teenagers with their wild hormones and experimenting sexualities would fall head over heels for him.

Gabriel slowly drifted back into his office as he tired to untangle to web of deceit, accidental incest, and what will be endless years of therapy to come that he had accidentally weaved himself into.

Nathalie glanced up from the paperwork to greet him when she instantly (as always) noticed something was amiss and frowned in concern. "Sir?" Nathalie asked worriedly. "Is there something troubling you? You look unnaturally pale."

"...Adrien has a crush on my evil alter ego," Gabriel said numbly, "and is currently plotting to seduce me."

There was a beat of silence and then -

"I would like to take the last three years of holiday that you owe me now," Nathalie said flatly, "this is way beyond my pay grade.")

"Why?!" Plagg cried out exasperatedly. "Why is that THE ONLY THING left to do?! Why can't you just ask her! Like a normal person!"

"If I just asked her then she would just deny it like a normal person," Adrien said pointedly, "but if I seduced her back to the light side then she would confide in me and let me help guide her into making the right decisions, like joining Ladybug and me in fighting crime instead of causing crime."

"Urgh!" Plagg threw his paws up in disgust. "You humans! Always thinking with your libidos!"

"I am not!" Adrien flushed. "I'm thinking with my brain on how to save all of Paris from a misguided person who could do a lot of good in the world if she used her powers for good instead of evil. There is nothing about this to do with my, erm, ah, you know."

"Whatever you say Kid," Plagg rolled his eyes, "but I know better. You know there are other ways to get this girl to kiss you than using some convoluted excuse of her being evil to make a seduction play on the poor thing."

"I'm not trying to get Marinette to kiss me!" Adrien shrieked. "I'm just going to use my smoulder to lure into the arms of the good guys."

"Uh-huh," Plagg said in flat disbelieve, "and if Marinette falls into your arms and kisses you because of your smoulder," he snickered at the word and Adrien felt his ears burn in humiliation, "then what?"

"Well then," Adrien said calmly in his most heroic voice, "that's just a risk I'm going to have to take."

"Pfft!" Plagg snorted. "All right, good luck to you Kid. I can't wait to see how Adrien tries to persuade 'Hawk Moth' to the side of good especially when he's lucky to get a certain Princess to talk to him without wanting to run in the opposite direction."

"Oh I'm not planning to do this as Adrien," Adrien smirked, "Marinette only sees Adrien as a friend at best and freaks out of sheer discomfort at worst. Adrien will never be able to seduce Marinette but Chat Noir however..."

Plagg's eyes widened in horror at that. "Oh no!" he said warningly. "Adrien, don't you dare-"

"Plagg!" Adrien called out as he held his fist up in the air. "Transform me!"

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

Paris was at it's most beautiful at night.

There was nothing Marinette loved more than to take in the lights of the city from her balcony. She always found it incredibly inspiring, the jewel tones and the warm glow inevitably led to her designing new gowns and suits for the perfect modern fairy tale romances.

She sighed dreamily as she imagined – for the billionth time – the gown she would wear if Adrien Agreste ever took her dancing like he did in her dreams. She could just picture it now to an intensity that she could almost feel Adrien's arms around her. The silk of her gown against her skin, the warmth of Adrien's closeness, his comforting scent within her nose, and the sparkle of his emerald green eyes was clearer than anything as he leaned in closer and closer towards her...

And then, Adrien's face morphed into Chat Noir's just as Marinette opened her eyes.

"Good evening," Chat purred out, "Purr-incess!"

Marinette blinked, and then blinked again, and then rubbed her eyes and blinked again for good measure. It took an embarrassingly long, solid, five seconds for it to finally sink in that Chat Noir was actually crouched onto the ledge of her balcony before her.

"GAH!"

Marinette jumped back, lost her footing, and instantly flailed backwards. Before she could fall onto her arse though, Chat darted forwards and caught her swiftly. Marinette suddenly felt dizzy and light-headed as she clutched tightly to Chat's strong, slim, arms as. He promptly swung her back to her feet and their faces were mere centimetres away from one another.

Marinette flushed instantaneously.

A beautiful, brilliant, grin spread across his face lighting his eyes up with a mischievous gleam that simultaneously drew her in and annoyed the crap out of her. "There's no need to go falling for me, Princess," he waggled his eyebrows in a saucy manner.

Marinette groaned.

Chat's grin merely widened as he stepped away only to pluck her hand up and press a light kiss against her knuckles. "May I say," he breathed against her skin, "that you look enchanting beneath the moonlight?"

Marinette blushed deeply at that. "Oh!" she gasped. "Oh, erm, ah, you, err...may?" she stammered out bewilderedly.

Chat has always been a bit of a flirt but he has never been this complimentary to Marinette before. It kinda of swept her off her feet a little bit as she couldn't help but feel incredibly flattered.

Chat's grin was smudge too much smug but Marinette hadn't the chance to become indignant over it when he suddenly pressed another butterfly kiss upon the top of her hand. "So kind, Princess," he murmured before he turned her wrist round and pressed a firmer, lingering, kiss against her pulse.

Her pulse treacherously leaped in response while her skin tingled and burned and her stomach somersaulted.

Oh, and there was that dizzy light-headedness again...

There was another light kiss, a little further up her arm, and another, and another, and another. By the time Chat Noir nuzzled the crook of her elbow common sense and logic was finally rebooted back into Marinette's brain and it fully sunk in just how uncharacteristic this was for Chat Noir.

He never took such liberties on Ladybug after all!

"Ch-Ch-Ch-Chat!" she stuttered out. "You didn't happen to come across a Akuma on your way here, did you?"

"Hmm?" Chat hummed against her skin (his lips were now against her forearm and, boy, did Marinette half regret that she wore tank tops to bed because there was nothing to protect her from getting flustered). "Akuma?" He repeated. "No Akuma. I just had an epiphany."

"An ep-ep-epiphany?!" Marinette cried out. "About me?"

To her disappointment, Chat Noir pulled away from her completely. The disappointment didn't linger though as he promptly stared at her with the most breath-taking, smouldering, gaze that instantly sent a shot of molten heat to spread throughout Marinette's poor, hapless, body. She suddenly felt like he could see into her very soul and liked it, and that both terrified and thrilled her simultaneously.

"I realised that I need you by my side," Chat said sincerely, "that I would not cope if I had to fight you in a battle."

Marinette had to bite her lip to prevent herself pointing out that he had already fought against her in battle before and it worked out all right. After all, her secret identity was supposed to be a secret.

"Silly Kitty," she murmured fondly instead, "as if that would ever happen."

She then held out her arms for a hug and lost all ability to breath once more when Chat suddenly crushed her against him. She buried her face against his shoulder as she soaked in his warmth and cheese-tinted scent and let the strange comforting sense of safety that his arms always induced in her wash over her.

"Let me help you, Marinette," Chat mumbled against her hair, "let me guide you back to what is right and good in the world. I know you can be the best and kindest person in the world."

Marinette frowned in bewilderment at this but before she could open her mouth to ask Chat Noir exactly what he had meant, Chat's lips descended upon her shoulder and her words died on her tongue as her breath caught in her throat once more.

"You're so sweet," Chat whispered against her skin, "and kind, and good, and clever, and creative, and so very beautiful both inside and out."

He punctured each word with another light kiss. Her shoulder was showered in them as he trailed his lips to her neck and placed a longer, more lingering, kiss against the hollow of her neck. Marinette moaned unwittingly as she melted against him and threw her head back to give him more to explore with those crafty, spine-tingling, lips of his.

Chat's lips climbed up her neck at a torturous slow pace as Marinette felt her eyes flutter to a close. "You don't have to do this alone," Chat murmured as he placed another light kiss against her chin, "I will be here for you every step of the way," he kissed along her jawline, "you don't have to hide any more," he pressed a firm, smacking, kiss where her ear met her cheek, "You can tell me anything," he reassured her and then – to her surprise and, more surprisingly, utter joy – pulled the lobe of her ear in for a light suck. "I already know your secret, Marinette!" he whispered loudly in her ear.

It felt like he had just chucked a bucket of ice cold water over her head.

Of course!

Of course he knew she was Ladybug! Why else would he be so attentive and flirtatious? He was never interested in Marinette like that before so why else would he start now unless he already knew?

The humiliation of it all hurt beyond comprehension.

She pushed him away before he could confuse her any more with his kissing antics. "How do you know?!" she snapped crossly. "How did you find out I was Ladybug?!"

Because she had been so very, painfully, careful with keeping her identity a secret. She had sneaked around, lied regardless to how slimy it made her feel, and manipulated the truth so no one could ever figure it out. She had now simultaneously let down both Tiki and Master Fu and she wanted to know how.

"Well, I put the pieces together like that you're always missing during an Akuma attack, and that your always know what happened despite that, and your bag is the perfect size for a Kwami, and – WAIT!" Chat cut himself off as his eyes widened. "Did you just say that you're Ladybug?!"

Marinette's eyes widened with horror as she realised he hadn't known she was Ladybug. She had just given her own identity away like a freaking moron!

"You're Ladybug?!" Chat repeated in, rather insulting, disbelief.

"Of course I'm Ladybug!" Marinette crossed her arms protectively. "Who else would I be?"

"Well, erm," Chat sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, "I kinda...erm...came to the conclusion that you were Hawk Moth!"

"HAWK MOTH?!" Marinette shrieked. "You thought I was Hawk Moth?!" She had never been so insulted in her life. Not even the time when everyone kept saying she was like Chloe because at least Chloe had proven to be a somewhat redeemable person and, you know, a girl. Hawk Moth has only ever proven himself to be evil and was clearly a man! Chat Noir thought she sounded like a man! "Wait!" she shook her head. "You thought I was Hawk Moth and your response was to kiss my neck?! How the heck is that appropriate hero behaviour?!"

"I was trying to seduce you back to the light side," Chat mumbled childishly, "I was taking one for the team by preventing a bloodthirsty battle that would destroy half of Paris."

"Take one for the team?" Marinette repeated numbly. Okay, she was wrong. Now she had never been so insulted in her life before! "Take one for the team!" she said again, angrily. "Kissing me is such a horrible experience that you have to TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM?!"

Chat, finally, realised exactly how his words could have been taken as his eyes widened in horror and he quickly back-peddled away from Marinette. Though not quickly enough to avoid her attempts to swat him repeatedly. "No, no, no!" he babbled. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant-"

"What?!" Marinette hissed viciously. "That I'm such a hideous monster that someone has to sacrifice themselves in order for me to be romanced?!"

"What?!" Chat yelped squeakily. "No! I was just trying to – Plagg!"

Marinette blinked rapidly as she was almost blinded by a bright greenish-white light. Chat Noir's transformation vanish to leave a terrified Adrien Agreste standing in her wake and a familiar, small, black cat floating before her.

"Meep!" she squeaked.

She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth before something even more embarrassing could pop out. Tears of anger, humiliation, and indignation stung in her eyes but she refused to give anyone the satisfaction of actually seeing her cry over a boy. She didn't need to add to it by accidentally babbling out an apology and forgiveness because she just realised the guy she had a crush about the size of a galaxy on was the same guy that kissed up her arm and neck mere moments ago.

He still thought she was Hawk Moth mere seconds ago!

His identity didn't change the fact that he thought seducing her was a noble sacrifice equal to the likes of Tony Stark flying a nuclear weapon up to space or Harry Potter dying for the whole wizardry world.

Something horrible but necessary.

"Don't speak, Kid," Plagg advised Adrien, "you'll only dig yourself into a deeper hole and that I'll never be able to pull you out of again."

"You...I...What?!"

"Whatever," Plagg rolled his eyes, "I told you that this was a bad idea but you didn't listen to me."

"No, you didn't!"

"Well I would have!" Plagg snapped irritably. "But you transformed before I got the chance. Now shut up and look pretty because I can guarantee nothing you can say will help right now. Leave the talking to me."

Adrien flushed indignantly at that but then he caught sight of Marinette's face. She didn't know what he saw there exactly, perhaps the angry hurt tears shimmering in her eyes or the fury flushed in her cheeks, or maybe even that slight, treacherous glimmer of hope that he actually liked her. Either way he immediately ducked his head down and stared at his shoes in shame.

Plagg, however, looked bored. "Hey Princess," he waved a paw at Marinette.

Marinette tried to smile. It might have come out like a grimace though she was so frazzled with emotions to try a proper smile. "Hi Plagg," she replied.

"Now, you know me, don't you Princess?" Plagg said confidently. "And you trust me, don't you? I mean I saved your life and everything. We're tight, you and me, and the Sugar Cube?"

Marinette actually smiled at this point. It might have made her nervous to know that Plagg had caused the extinction of the dinosaur race, and accidentally sunk Atlantis, and may or may not have caused the Black Death, but there was something insanely likeable and endearing about this Kwami and she couldn't hep but relax a little in his presence.

"Of course," she murmured, "I trust you."

"Good," Plagg nodded in satisfaction, "then you can trust me when I tell you that this kid here is a fucking idiot of epic proportions, and I mean, I had cheese that was smarter and more observant than this kid."

"Plagg!" Adrien barked.

Marinette giggled, feeling a great deal lighter and less angry than before all of a sudden, and Plagg merely smirked smugly as they both ignored Adrien.

"You have to remember that this is the guy that thought that snotty brat, who he had witnessed you rescue before, was you once. It is only natural that he'll put the clues together and come to the wrong conclusions," Plagg rolled his eyes, "and ignore anything that might suggest otherwise, like the fact that Hawk Moth as a voice of a middle-aged man."

Adrien flushed brightly at that. "Plagg!" he hissed in strangled embarrassment. "You're not helping!"

"Yes," Marinette said tightly as she levelled Adrien with her best, murderous, glare, "It's good to know that apparently I sound like a middle-aged man."

"I didn't mean that!" Adrien blurted out. "I forgot about that!"

"My point is!" Plagg said loudly before Marinette could lose her temper once more. "is that the Kid is stupid, and ridiculous, and thicker than two planks placed together, but that doesn't mean he meant it cruelly or wanted to hurt you. In fact, the truth is Princess," Plagg leaned in close to Marinette, "the Kid is madly besotted with to the point of nauseatingly icky-ness."

"W-w-w-what?!" Marinette stammered out.

"Plagg!" Adrien cried out, mortified.

"Oh yeah," Plagg nodded smugly, "Kid might be an idiot and not realise it but it's been nothing but Marinette this last year or so. He is always whinging and pouting about the fact that you, Marinette, don't spend enough time with him at school. He's always going on and on and on, and Cheese Almighty, on and on about how nice, and sweet, and clever, and brave, and creative Marinette Dupain-Cheng is. It's so annoying! It gets in the way of my cheese-eating."

"Plagg!"

"And, between you and me, the Kid sleep talks and the name he moans out the most in his sleep isn't Ladybug but Marinette."

"Plagg!"

Marinette couldn't help but feel hopeful at that. Adrien looked so embarrassed that she couldn't help but hope it was all true. "Really?" she asked timidly.

"Really," Plagg nodded emphatically. "So personally, I think that the Kid was so hell-bent on the thought of you being Hawk Moth and needing to be seduced back to the light side was just so he could have any excuse, no matter how flimsy and stupid, to have his chance to kiss his Princess."

"PLAGG!"

It only took one look to see Adrien's scarlet face to know without a single shred of doubt that Plagg was telling the truth.

Well...

Her Mum always did say that boys were slower than girls.

(And her Dad had always agreed with her Mum.)

"Silly Kitty," Marinette said fondly. Her insulted, angry, hurt, and embarrassed feelings had all evaporated in favour of a giddy and inexplicable joy. She could give Adrien a telling off later for jumping to such silly conclusions and making impulsive plans without consulting his partner, for now however... "Come here," she held out her arms.

Adrien stepped into them without hesitation and they embraced tightly as they breathed one another in. Marinette grinned as she screwed up her courage and placed her own teasing kiss against Adrien's neck.

"Now then," she murmured hotly, "it appears the seducer has become the seducee..."

"Urgh!" Plagg groaned in disgust. "I'm out of here before this gets any more gross. Try to remember Kiddies that Tiki and I will be in the bedroom gorging ourselves of cheese delights. So keep your pants on."

"PLAGG!"

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

Adrien fiddled the ring on his finger nervously.

He hovered anxiously outside of his father's office as he tried to dreg up enough courage to knock on the door. Nathalie had been strangely absent from breakfast this morning so he couldn't ask her to tell his father that Adrien was now dating.

Yes, that's right.

Dating.

After being thoroughly kissed by Marinette, and then a bit more kissing, and there might have been a bit more kissing after that, Adrien had managed to choke out some words resembling asking Marinette to be his girlfriend – and she said yes!

And now he had to tell his father and ask for time to be made in his timetable so he can actually date his girlfriend.

The thought made him giddy and terrified all at once.

He was deliriously happy that he had a girlfriend and that it was Marinette, his dearest and most beloved friend, and that she was also Ladybug the girl he dreamed of for so long. It was like Christmas, his mother coming home, and the best birthday all rolled into one and wrapped up in one of Marinette's baked goods for him to savour.

And yet, what if his father said no?

Worse, what if his father forbids their love?! What if Adrien and Marinette were destined to be star-crossed lovers for all eternity? Doomed to never hold hands in daylight, to never have those sweet tender moments of being a couple where others can see, to only take brief satisfaction in night time embraces on the balcony under the moonlight, and for it all to end with a double suicide to escape the constraints of -

"Oh for the love of cheese!" Plagg snapped. "Go in there and ask or I will!"

Startled and flustered, Adrien jumped forwards and hastily knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence, and then a strange thump, and then Adrien could have sworn he heard his father mutter curse words. Curious and determined to get this over and done with, Adrien cautiously opened the door and peered round.

(Plagg quickly zipped back beneath Adrien's shirt as he did so.)

Adrien bit his lip worriedly as he spotted his father hunched over the desk with his head buried into his arms. He hadn't seen his father this upset and tired since his mother vanished a good couple years ago.

"Father," Adrien called out timidly, "may I have a word?"

"A-A-Adrien?" his father stammered out as he lifted his head up. "Yes, yes," he jumped up onto his feet and rushed towards Adrien. There was a wild, crazed, look in his eyes that really worried Adrien. His father hadn't looked this insane since the Great Creative Block of 2010. "of course," he ushered Adrien into the office properly, "come in."

Adrien eyed his father with concern.

"Are you okay, Father?"

"Yes, yes," his father muttered distractedly as he ran a hand through his hair, "why wouldn't I be?"

Because if there was a word to describe his father right now and then it was unkept. His father was never unkept for a day of his life before. The once immaculate and perfectly put together Gabriel Agreste was rumpled, dishevelled, and, quite frankly, a great big mess. His father's hair stuck up in odd angles from being pulled at during stressful moments, his jumper was screwed up to about halfway his stomach while his shirts was half untucked and hanging loose to his thigh, and his glasses were hanging half off his face.

Nathalie would have never let father look like this even when his father couldn't get out of bed in the immediate aftermath of his mother's disappearance, Nathalie had ensured he looked immaculate without a single hair out of place.

Which begged the question...where was Nathalie?

Adrien sincerely hoped she hadn't gone missing too or their lives were about to implode on them. Adrien wasn't sure if he would be able to get to school on time or dressed in matching socks without Nathalie organising his life and he knew his father definitely wouldn't know where the coffee machine was without Nathalie telling him.

"Father..." Adrien said hesitatingly, "where's Nathalie?"

"She's taken a twelve week holiday in the Bahamas," his father muttered dully as he stared blankly down at his desk, "because there's only so much nonsense she can take and this definitely so over the line that it's only a dot in the distance."

"...erm," Adrien mumbled, "are you sure you're okay, Father?"

"I'm fine Adrien!" his father snapped sounding more like himself. "I'm a grown businessman with a successful international brand and a father of a upstanding young man. I do not need Nathalie to babysit me and I resent the implication."

Adrien nodded dubiously.

(It's just...he has never seen his father be without Nathalie and he wasn't actually sure his father could make it a day without Nathalie let alone twelve whole weeks. Adrien might have to look into moving in with Nino for the next three months, just to ensure he's fed.)

"Now Adrien I wanted to have a word with you," his father said in his most professional, no-nonsense, tone that he always used. "You're at that age now where you might find girls – or boys – attractive and that's okay," Adrien's eyes widened in horror as he realised his father picked now of all times to try and give him a sex talk! His cheeks burned with the humiliation of it. "but no matter how alluring you find a classy, sophisticated, well-dressed villain to be, you cannot-"

"I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"

Adrien hadn't meant to blurt it out like that but he was willing to do anything to derail his father from telling him the birds and the bees (or was it the cats and the bugs, now?) and get to the asking for permission to go on dates with Marinette part before his own head exploded and he will never get to taste his Princess's sweet lips again.

And boy, were they sweet!

"Wait," his father blinked bewilderedly, "what?"

"I said I have a girl...wait," Adrien blinked himself as his mind caught up with what his father actually just said. "what was that about classy, sophisticated, well-dressed villains?"

"NOTHING!" his father yelled. "I said nothing at all about villains, you have a girlfriend? Well it's about time, son, what is she like? Is she pretty? Smart? How did you two meet?" Adrien tried to answer his father's questions but he never got the chance as his father suddenly looped an arm round his shoulders and guided him back to the office door. "You know what never mind, you're young and beautiful, and the sun is shining, so why you don't you go out and kiss your girlfriend and forget all about older men dressed in purple? Bye, bye now."

And before Adrien could even blink, he found himself standing outside of his father's office as the door slammed into his face.

Adrien stared at the door utterly stunned at his father's out of character behaviour.

"Plagg," Adrien said numbly, "...is my father having a mental breakdown?"

"Indubitably," Plagg said flatly.

"Do you...do you think I ought to call someone who could help, you know, professionally?"

"You could," Plagg yawned, "or you could take advantage of the fact that there's no schedule to follow and just skip out and kiss your girlfriend, like your father told you to."

"You're right," Adrien grinned radiantly, "let's do that instead!"

(Gabriel, however, merely whimpered in despair as he tried to figure out how to turn his computer on without Nathalie. Now the crisis with Adrien was averted he was beginning to severely regret letting Nathalie take a twelve week holiday...)