Thank you everyone for your wonderful feedback. It keeps me going. :)

I've also been thinking about getting a beta reader. I've noticed I seem to be finding more and more typos in my drafts, and I don't have the time I'd like to go through and fix them all. If you or anyone you know is interested or would be a good fit, let me know, I'd appreciate it. :)

The Story So Far:
Adrien is officially dating Chloe, much to his distaste. She has told him that Chat Noir is no longer allowed to flirt with Ladybug, and Adrien meanwhile begins to detail his plan to free himself from Chloe's clutches. Chat Noir debates whether or not to tell Ladybug, for fear of causing her worry, but eventually tells her that he has to date Chloe to keep his identity secret. She takes the news with a strange reaction…

Chapter 4

Marinette paced in her room, slowly driving Tikki dizzy. Adrenaline flowed through her veins, and with no akuma to fight and Tikki too tired to transform, the young designer resorted to taking laps around the entire room, going up and down the stairs to her bed, and sitting for barely five seconds before getting up again to repeat the process. Her fingers cupped her chin in anxious thought and simultaneously scratched at her head as if the action would somehow make everything come together.

We were just taking our time before class. See, we're dating now.

If I don't want Chloe releasing my identity video, I have to date her.

That's what they had said. Chloe and Chat Noir. Except it hadn't been her black-clad partner on the bratty girl's arm that morning. It had been Adrien Agreste.

I have to date her.

We're dating now.

Chloe's telling the truth.

"ARUGH," Marinette screeched, finally coming to a stop in the center of the room and scaring poor Tikki. "Adrien can't be Chat Noir, he just can't but he is and I can't find any way to disprove it and it just can't be a coincidence oh my god he's been hitting on me for forever! What does that mean!? Adrien's in love with Ladybug, that's what it means! I should be overjoyed but…"

"But…" Tikki prompted, coming to float in front of her girl's anxious face.

Marinette's hands dropped to her sides. "I don't know what to think, Tikki," she whimpered. "This whole thing is nuts. Adrien likes me, but he likes the other me. And I like the other him… so does that mean I've been in love with Chat Noir this whole time?"

"I'm not sure," the kwami admitted, holding a tiny hand to Marinette's cheek. "But we do know that he's in trouble and needs our help."

"Marinette's, or Ladybug's?"

"Both," Tikki said firmly, ever Marinette's pillar of strength. "Right now, we need to be careful. Anything could set Chloe off and make her release the video."

Marinette steeled her emotions. "You're right, Tikki. Adrien or not, I'm not going to let Chat Noir deal with this on his own. We need a plan."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I said we need a plan, not that I have one."

Tikki seemed to ponder something. "Are you going to tell him that you figured him out?"

Marinette swallowed a lump in her throat. No, she couldn't possibly do that. He had enough on his plate as it was, being paraded around as Chloe's boyfriend, which was bad enough in and of itself, on top of the pressing anxiety of his impending catastrophe, every second aware that he could rub the glamourpuss's fur the wrong way. She couldn't possibly reveal to him now that not only had he unintentionally outed himself to Chloe, but to Ladybug as well. There was no way she was going to let it weigh on his mind that she knew who he was, a fact she would rather not know, and he didn't know who she was, the one thing he wanted most.

Tikki seemed to understand her girl's turmoil, and interpreted her silence as a negative. "We'll figure something out," the kwami comforted.

At that moment, Marinette's phone buzzed loudly against the wood of her desk. The designer eased her rapidly beating heart and collected the device, finding a message from Alya.

[Girl, you won't believe this.]

"Ten bucks says it's about Adrien," Marinette mumbled, typing out a reply.

[What won't I believe?]

A pause, then the phone began to ring, Alya having forgone texting in preference for a voice call.

"Hello?"

"GIRL," Alya's voice was loud in Marinette's ear. "I can't type it out right now. I just got a text from Nino who just got a text from Adrien that he's taking Chloe on a date to the amusement park this Saturday. We have to go and follow them!"

"WHAT?" Marinette screeched, then quickly regained control and cast a nervous look at her bedroom door. "When?"

"They're meeting outside the gate at ten am," Alya reported. "We're meeting Nino at nine just in case."

Marinette chewed her lip. It was tempting. Follow Adrien and Chloe on a date, figure out how to rescue him from the Queen Bee's clutches. But she didn't know if she would be able to even look her crush… partner… ugh, Adrien in the face without immediately seeing Chat Noir. Marinette wasn't sure if she was mentally prepared to see the humble boy who sat in front of her, dress him up in black, and see the flirty and confident cat.

"Why Nino?"

"Cause Adrien's his best friend, he's not going to let Adrien destroy himself by dating Chloe." Alya's voice grew firmer. "And neither are we. Chloe doesn't deserve him, you do. And I'm going to make him see just how amazing you are so he'll dump Chloe's sorry as—"

"I got it, I got it," Marinette quickly interrupted. If this conversation continued, she was afraid that she might let something slip regarding her latest discovery, and Alya would latch onto that like a vice and then they'd all be doomed. "I'll come."

"Great! Wear something inconspicuous."

Marinette hung up with a heavy weight on her chest.

Saturday came sooner than Marinette could anticipate. All through the week, she struggled to keep her eyes from wandering to Adrien, who now sat across the aisle by the windows, almost out of her line of sight. Even so, she could see how visibly uncomfortable Adrien was no matter how much he tried to hide it, and it made her angrier with every passing day. She wasn't sure if the other classmates could also detect Adrien's distress, but if they did they didn't mention it. Marinette was constantly called out by her teachers for not paying attention, but the designer couldn't care less. She could only see her trusted friend and partner in every movement, every shift, every twitch that Adrien made, and the poor girl didn't know how to cope.

So by the time Saturday rolled around, Marinette was stewing. She bid her parents an early goodbye and met Alya and Nino outside the park entrance at nine like they had agreed. The DJ and reporter both sported dark-colored clothing and baseball caps. Alya had her hair pulled into a ponytail and her eyes obscured by oversized sunglasses, while Nino opted for Ray Bans. Marinette was dressed more naturally, forgoing her usual attire for a light purple T-shirt and black jacket, denim shorts and comfortable tennis shoes. She had also pulled her hair into a ponytail under a baseball cap. Tikki was safely tucked into her jacket pocket.

Marinette, Alya, and Nino exchanged determined glances.

"What's the plan?" Alya asked Nino.

The DJ stared at her. "My plan was to follow your plan?"

"You mean you don't have a plan!? This was your idea!"

"Guys, Adrien's here!"

Marinette shushed her friends, and they ducked behind a sign displaying ticket prices. Adrien's limo had pulled up to the curb, the blonde stepping out of it with a lackadaisical expression on his face. A cold hand gripped Marinette's heart, knowing that he had no choice but to bring Chloe here. One part of her mind imagined herself on his arm as they walked through the front gate, laughing. Then Adrien melted away into Chat Noir, kneeling down to give her hand a kiss and glancing up at her through his green eyes. Marinette visibly shuddered, still not completely used to the idea of her crush and the flirty cat-boy being one and the same.

Adrien had made himself comfortable on a concrete wall, fiddling absentmindedly with his phone. Chloe arrived at ten thirty, an epitome of "fashionably late." The blackmailer wore white capris and a lace cardigan over a piercing yellow tank top that plunged dangerously across her chest. Uncomfortable looking flats adorned her feet, and Marinette's fashion-oriented eyes burned at the combination. Chloe had her hair pulled into its usual ponytail, sunglasses making her eyes seem twice as large.

"Adri-kins!" Chloe squealed when she caught sight of her prey, gravitating towards him with a look on her face that Marinette hated.

"Hey, Chloe," the boy greeted her, dully but politely.

"I want to go in the Haunted Mystery Tour first!" Chloe latched onto Adrien's arm, pressing herself so close to him it was almost as if she wanted to meld the two together permanently.

The two headed into the park, Marinette, Alya, and Nino trailing behind. To any unsuspecting eyes, Chloe and Adrien appeared to be any normal couple. They stood in lines, ate lunch together, and talked. Well, Chloe did most of the talking. Although she hated to admit it, Marinette would give Chloe a little credit for not being on her phone the entire time and actively tried to engage her uncooperative date.

And Marinette started to have fun, too. Though their main objective was observation, it meant that she and her to compatriots had to stand in line with the object of their investigation, albeit a few people behind or so. And though Marinette's heart clenched every time Chloe leaned in too close for her, and Adrien's, comfort, she eventually concluded that, after all, this was Chat Noir (god, she still wasn't used to that). Her partner could handle himself, and she had faith in him. What kind of faith, Marinette wasn't sure, but she knew that Chat Noir wouldn't give in easily to blackmail.

Nino and Alya sat together on a bench, each holding their stomachs and regretting their decision to eat before riding the Twisting Cyclone of Death. Nino even looked a little green. Marinette pulled her ball cap tighter across her forehead, peeking out from where she had hidden out behind a bush.

Adrien and Chloe moved away from the crowd of people. Or rather, Chloe dragged him, an annoyed expression on his face that didn't suit his handsome features. Marinette cast anxious glances between them and Alya and Nino, whose attentions were momentarily distracted from stomachaches by a street juggler and his flaming knives act. She didn't want to ditch her two friends, but she also couldn't afford to lose Adrien in the crowd. The decision weighed heavily on her conscious before she grit her teeth and bid a pained apology to her journalist friend.

An empty bathroom and a flash of red light later, Ladybug crawled through a window with the silent vow never to use public toilets again. From a well-disguised position on the roof, she could easily catch Chloe's bright blonde hair through the crowd, a reluctant Adrien trailing behind her. Ladybug watched from around a corner, staring intensely as she saw Chloe drag Adrien behind the sign that pointed in the direction of the next roller coaster, still there but practically invisible to anyone who wasn't looking for them. Unfortunately for Chloe, she had an angry Miraculous superhero on her tail with a frightening inclination for the wellbeing of her partner and friend.

Ladybug ran along a rooftop to get closer, lying flat on her stomach with her eyes just barely raised over the edge of the nearest building, happening to be an ice cream stand, to get a better look. What she saw made her grip the roof so hard; her Miraculous-strengthened fingers nearly cracked the tile.

Chloe had pulled Adrien as close to her body as she could, arms wrapped affectionately around the back of his neck and her eyes half-lidded in a seductive pose. She pressed her body closely against him, effectively backing him against the sign and thereby preventing any means of escape. Adrien looked incredibly uncomfortable with his situation, hands raised away from her body and his face tilted away from hers, eyes looking everywhere but his "girlfriend."

"Kiss me," Chloe demanded, rising on her tiptoes to be at eye level with him, purposefully pressing her breasts even further into his chest. Although a light flush colored his cheeks, Adrien showed no other sign that he was okay with Chloe's advancement, and that angered Ladybug even further. It was never okay to force yourself onto someone else when that someone was visibly uncomfortable. Never in Ladybug's career had she wished an akuma would appear until now.

Chloe wasn't happy with Adrien's avoidance, her expression darkening slightly as she put one hand against his cheek and forced him to look at her. "Kiss me, Adrien," she demanded again. "This is a romantic date, and you should have kissed me by now."

"But I don't want to."

"Kissing is part of a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship," Chloe said, her voice taking on a cheerfully threatening tone. "Do I need to remind you what happens if you don't do your part?"

Ladybug heard a small crack, and glanced down to see that she had actually gripped the tile with such force, a thin line had appeared in the dark green material. She had to put a stop to this. There was no way she was going to let her precious Adrien – her Chat Noir – go through this alone.

She could sense Tikki's protest, but she had to do something. As quietly as she could manage, Ladybug summoned her Lucky Charm. She held it tightly against her body to mask the bright light as much as possible, but she still drew some bystander's curious eyes. The hero quickly slid off the roof and cowered behind bushes, and the park goers moved on, probably disregarding it as a trick of the light.

Ladybug let out a breath and looked around, relieved she could still see and hear her two targets' conversation. Looking down, she realized her Lucky Charm had manifested into a large fluffy polka-dotted feather pillow.

Her first thought was to throw it at them as it was. But that wouldn't do much other than piss Chloe off and give Adrien a –

Ladybug's mouth dropped, her eyes shooting up as Adrien's form suddenly flashed a red and black polka-dotted pattern, along with her yo-yo and the pillow. She knew immediately what she had to do, and she already felt sick to her stomach at the idea of using her crush's weakness against him.

"Sorry, Adrien," Ladybug whispered, hoping the message would be well received.

Chloe was beginning to lean forward, both her hands now holding Adrien's face in place. Her eyes were shut gently, bright red lipstick puckered as she closed the distance between their lips. Adrien's face was screwed up in protest, eyes squeezed tightly and lips pulled back into a grimace, hands clenched tightly at his sides. The sight angered Ladybug even further, and she hoped Adrien would understand.

With a shout, Ladybug threw the pillow into the air, waiting until it was directly over the couple's heads before winding up her yo-yo and launching it. The yo-yo landed a direct hit on the pillow with a thump, releasing a flurry of feathers into the air, swirling around Chloe and Adrien light giant snowflakes.

As feathers graced the boy's cheeks, Adrien's eyes snapped open, a knowing expression dawning on his face. Chloe barely knew what hit her when Adrien suddenly let out a thundering sneeze… directly into her face.

Chloe let out a screech that put horror film protagonists to shame. Her tantrum drew the attention of security, calling in a disturbance on their coms as they made their way towards the screaming girl. Her hands trembled in midair as Adrien pulled himself from her grasp, struggling to keep his relieved expression under wraps between sneezes.

"Sorry, Chloe," Adrien mumbled through a stuffy nose, not sounding sorry at all. Ladybug hated that she'd had to induce his allergy like that, but it seemed like the only way to break up a terrifying scene. He'd forgive her later. She hoped.

"Ma'am, I'm going to need to ask you to cease your screaming," one of the security officers said as he approached with his partner.

"He sneezed in my face!" Chloe screeched. "Do you have any idea how long it took to get this makeup done!?"

The officer's partner glanced at Adrien, standing off to one side and rubbing his nose. "Sorry, officer," he said apologetically. "I'm allergic to feathers, and some birds must have flown overhead or something…"

None of them noticed the empty pillowcase draped across the sign above them.

Ladybug's earrings beeped, and she took off before anyone else could spot her. Once she'd transformed again, Marinette hustled to a pastry stall and stuffed a couple chocolate chip cookies into her purse. Tikki wasn't very happy that Marinette had used her Lucky Charm to break up a Chloe and Adrien kiss again, but the kwami understood how much it meant to the designer to keep her partner safe from gold-digging blackmailing girlfriends.

"Where'd you go, girl?" Alya asked once Marinette rejoined them. "The juggler act was over a couple minutes ago."

"Sorry, had to run to the bathroom," Marinette apologized quickly, smiling to ease the tension.

"Mari, we actually, uh…" Nino rubbed the back of his neck. "We actually kind of lost Adrien and Chloe…"

Marinette breathed heavily, pretending to be frustrated. "What were you doing!?"

Alya and Nino exchanged apologetic looks. Marinette couldn't force herself to stay mad at them for long, however, and hung her head. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Let's just go find them, okay?"

"No need, they're over there."

Alya's expert eyes spotted the duo being escorted in the direction of the security building by two blue-clad security officials. Chloe was still ranting and raving, the main object of the older men's focus. Adrien walked a little ways behind, looking sheepish and slightly apologetic, but Marinette could see the relieved flashes behind his eyes.

"Why are they being led away by security?" Nino asked as the three slinked closer.

"Probably something Chloe did," Alya reasoned.

You have no idea, Marinette thought.

Adrien and Chloe were released from security quickly, the girl mostly likely playing the "Do you know who I am!?" card. They departed the amusement park soon after, Adrien still suffering the lingering dregs of allergy and Chloe insisting on a shower. Marinette, Alya, and Nino split up soon after with mutual packs affirmations of success (with Marinette patting herself extra hard on the back for her expert pillow-throwing).

Marinette remained awake for well into the night, staring at the dark ceiling above her, lost in a dark swirl of rampant emotions as she drifted into a restless sleep.

Help with last moments of chapter from local asshole who is looking over my shoulder as I write this acknowledgement.

Again, if you or someone you know would be a good beta, please leave it in a review or a PM!

Reviews welcome, appreciated, and reciprocated!

Cheers,

1004-Angel