'Why the hell did you agree to this?' Plagg flew behind Adrien as he scrambled around his bedroom, using him as the first line of defence against a species he was reluctant to call a kwami.

'I thought it would help Ladybug out,' Adrien said, as he dived behind the couch.

Plagg squealed, following Adrien and hiding away. This 'kwami' - or what did Adrien call it? A kwogey? - was certifiably insane. Why his holder thought it was a good idea for him to babysit it for a whole day was beyond him. Far, far beyond!

'You owe me for this,' he hissed as he turned to look over the back of the sofa. The damn fox had disappeared. He couldn't have gone far. After all, there was no way something so young would have a good grasp on their powers. Though with the mischievous attitude of this little thing, Plagg was sure they were in for quite the next twenty-four hours.

Looking around Adrien's room, Plagg wondered when exactly the kwami was going to come in for an attack. It seemed Aniime had a very mischievous disposition, which would have been fine if they were staying put for the whole day.

But no. Instead, Plagg was going to be babysitting this pain in the backside for at least the next three hours while Adrien sucked face with Marinette. Why couldn't she have looked after it herself? She was the guardian and Tikki was the one who sneezed this little trouble maker out, so why did they have it?

'Duck!' Adrien shouted.

'Where?' Plagg responded, only to turn at the wrong moment and end up with a kwogey planting a cream pie right in his face. Where the hell had he gotten that from?

Using one of his numbs, Plagg grabbed Adrien's tee and wiped the cream from his face. He was certain the remnants were running down his cheeks like streaks of white paint, transforming him into a piece of artwork Banksy would be proud of.

'I'm sorry,' Adrien whispered, looking down at his tee before yanking his white overshirt off and waving it as a flag of surrender.

'We're coming out!' He slowly stood up, looking around for where the kwogey had gone, only to drop straight back down as it seemed the little feral thing had found another cream pie.

'What the hell were you thinking?' Plagg hissed.

'Obviously, I wasn't!' Adrien said. He rolled to the side and crawled over and into his closet.

Plagg flew in unpredictable zigzags over to where Adrien had bolted for cover, hoping to all things Miraculous, the small thing couldn't catch him.

'That damn thing is gonna mess up your date with Marinette, you know.'

Adrien shrugged. Shrugged!

'Do you not care about your identity at all?'

The smile that appeared on Adrien's face sent a chill down his spine. 'That's the beauty of it all. If he ruins the date, I get to reveal my identity to Marinette.'

'Really?!' Plagg said, flabbergasted Marinette would put their identities in danger so willingly.

'Yep! Ladybug said that it was OK. Just imagine Marinette's reaction when she realises she's been dating Chat Noir.' Adrien laughed so hard, Plagg was certain tears were about to stream down his cheeks.

'Oh, yeah!' Plagg said off-handedly. 'I'm sure she'll be glad to know you went chasing her in the same week with two different aliases'. I mean, no offence Adrien, but she really wanted Chat Noir, and you turned her down.'

Adrien froze, and Plagg couldn't help the smirk pulling the corner of his lips.

'You're right!' Adrien said. 'She is going to hate me. We can't let her find out.'

The noise of metal hitting the ground beyond the closet had them both moving to the doorway and sticking their heads out. The room was silent. Not a kwogey in sight. Maybe this was a chance for Plagg, with this slippery little eel, he could have an advantage in operation: identity reveal.

*****

Plagg sat alongside the tiny kwogey in Adrien's shirt pocket, examining his new partner in crime. It seemed little Miss Perfect Kwami (aka Tikki) had sneezed out her playful side. Aniime was nimble and full of mischief, and from the way the kwogey had been slurping up candy worms, perfect for what he had planned.

Adrien hadn't realised that he'd dropped a golden nugget of information - if the kwogey messed up the date, Adrien could reveal his identity to Marinette. Of course, Plagg wouldn't put himself on the line, but something that was only here for a short time? Yeah. It could take the blame. Plagg shivered in delight. He was going to end this square dance once and for all. He was so excited he'd only managed one piece of Camembert since they left the mansion.

The surrounding air filled with the delicious aroma of baked bread, croissants and tarts—they were in the boulangerie. Aniime's eyes widened and a chill of mischief ran down Plagg's spine as he watched the kwogey lick his lips. Oh, this was going to be good. A laugh bubbled inside him.

With precise precaution on his part, Plagg moved to peer out of Adrien's pocket, watching as Tom Dupain moved around the counters and ovens. 'Adrien. Son. Marinette's still in the back. Help yourself to anything whilst you wait. She'll be back in a minute.'

Marinette's burly beast of a father stopped just near the doorway and clapped his hands together, sending a cloud of flour up in the air. 'I just need to grab another bag of flour.'

'Oooooo...' Aniime shuffled forward, sticking his head out of Adrien's pocket and making a small purring noise.

As Tom vacated the room, Plagg and Aniime took the silent room as an invitation to escape.

Adrien looked down at them. 'Now, both of you on your best behaviour. Okay?'

'Sure.' Plagg attempted to salute, wishing he had fingers so he could cross them behind his back. It was time to see what this kwogey could really do.

Adrien didn't look convinced, and he couldn't really blame him. Plagg wasn't a good liar...maybe a master of manipulation, but not a liar. Perhaps he should ask that Lila chick for some tips.

The sound of chatter had Plagg floating back into his hiding spot...without their extra baggage.

'Where's Aniime?' Adrien whispered through the side of his mouth.

The door to the boulangerie opened again and Marinette stepped through the door, dressed in a black dress with a smile stretched over her face...and Aniime floating over her head.

Tom followed, placing the flour down delicately on the counter.

'You look, you're...wow!'

Aniime swooped down and studied the tie on the side with great interest. Then, with a flick of its tiny hand, he loosened the tie on the sack.

Oh, this was going to be very good!

As Adrien and Marinette were being blushing messes, Tom lifted the sack with a little more pizazz than needed.

The sack exploded, sending a cloud of flour into the air covering Tom, head to toe in a ghostly white, and as Plagg turned his head, he noticed Christmas season must be upon them as Adrien and Marinette were both coated in white powder too.

A few minutes later, Plagg was still trying to control his laughter as he tried to keep Aniime out of trouble and in Adrien's shirt.

After Marinette had changed and Adrien had swapped his overshirt for one of Tom's from fifteen years ago, they were on the way to the restaurant. All would have been fine, if it wasn't for Tikki's appearance alongside another small kwogey ... who seemed to be staring at him—or at least he thought it was staring at him. The small jaguar seemed to have eyes pointing in different directions.

'I'm so sorry,' Adrien said, opening the bakery door for Marinette and heading out onto the street. It seemed Aniime had gotten away with it, Tom taking most of the blame.

She giggled. 'It wasn't your fault, Adrien.'

The hearty chest slap made it clear he was aware whose fault it actually was

'Plagg,' his better half hissed.

'Yes, oh outstanding leader!' He took a dramatic bow that was met by a small tap to the back of the head.

'What the heckles do you think you're doing?'

'Heckles?' Plagg said, following it up with a snort, his little partner in crime laughing alongside him.

If Tikki wasn't already red, he was sure she would be now. 'Will you two stop? You're going to get me into trouble.'

'That's the whole point, Sugar Cube. Come on, Tikki, let's spice things up a little! Think about it: a little chaos, a little disaster, and boom — they'll have to reveal their identities! Ladybug and Chat Noir, out in the open! They'll thank us later!'

'Plagg, we're supposed to be responsible!' Tikki said. 'We can't just—'

Aggressively, Tikki grabbed Plagg and Aniime and pulled them down into Marinette's purse, Fuumble landing on their head behind them. The small kwami seemed to rebound off Marinette's phone before bouncing off the walls of the purse like a tiny ping-pong ball of doom.

'Come on, Teeks! For me?' He pulled his best kitten eyes and prayed that once again she would fall to his charm.

Tikki sighed. 'Okay, fine. But only small chaos.'

'Yes!" Plagg fist-pumped Tikki. He turned to Aniime, who had already unlocked Marinette's phone and was swapping the contact names around. 'Aniime, let's give these lovebirds a date they won't forget.'

The restaurant was a quaint little café, with outdoor seating perfect for a peaceful evening. Unfortunately, peace was about to become an extinct concept.

Marinette's purse started shaking the moment they sat down. 'Oh no,' she said, trying to hold it steady. Tikki had promised she'd keep a tight grip on Fuumble tonight. She couldn't allow the kwami to ruin this date. She'd been looking forward to it all week.

'Is everything okay?' Adrien asked. He raised an eyebrow and noticed where her hand was being tightly held against her purse.

'Uh, yeah! Just...nervous,' Marinette said. She laughed awkwardly.

Adrien took an interest in the menu, giving her the chance to check her bag. Fuumble took that moment to poke his head out of the purse, his tiny antenna sparking with electricity, and immediately he started gnawing on a butter knife.

'Oh no, not again!' She shoved Fuumble back into her purse, along with the knife, her entire face tingling.

'What was that?' Adrien asked, tilting his head.

'Uh... nothing!' she replied. 'I just, um, dropped a... breadstick'

Adrien bent down, moving under the table. She lifted her purse to her face and glared inside. Tikki and Fuumble smiled back at her with the innocent eyes of the devil.

'Is it ... inside your purse?'

Adrien's voice startled her, causing her to knee the table and yelp. 'I'll, I'll have a look. Sometimes I'm just so hungry I take breadsticks and think I've dropped them on the floor.'

He looked up at her over the table, and she could feel the beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow. Her purse started shaking again. It went flying out of her hands and ended up on the seat next to her.

Adrien looked under the table again, this time searching for any purse contents that had escaped. She was quite certain there was nothing there. Everything seemed to be in its place except... Fuumble was being wrestled back into her purse by a disgruntled Tikki.

Adrien's head shot up, colliding with the underside of the table and sending the cutlery rattling. Rubbing the top of his head, he settled himself back into his seat.

'Did... did you see that?' he said, a hand coming up to rub the back of his head. He surveyed the room, looking for something—or someone.

'See what?' Marinette asked, trying to block her purse from erupting again.

'I thought I saw a little...' Adrien trailed off.

Saw what? What had he seen? She felt the urge to pull out her purse again and check if Fuumble was still inside and if Tikki was doing what she had asked her to do.

Just as Adrien opened his mouth, the server arrived with their drinks. As he set the glasses down, and as Marinette went to reach it, the clasp snapped open; the kwogey flew out and did a spectacular face-plant into Adrien's water, splashing liquid everywhere before escaping somewhere behind him.

'AH!' Adrien yelped, standing up as cold water dripped down his shirt. 'What the—?'

'Uh... must've been a... fly?' Marinette said. The lies were getting more and more pathetic. She grabbed a napkin from the table and handed it over to him.

'A huge fly,' Adrien muttered. He grabbed the napkin with a quick thanks and began trying to mop up the mess.

Marinette looked behind Adrien at the dessert counter, where Fuumble was buzzing around like an over-caffeinated firefly.

*****

'You said "small chaos"!' Tikki hissed. All the magical creatures were gathered in Marinette's bag. It seemed Plagg had grossly undersold the chaos.

'This is small!' Plagg said between giggles. 'It's a tiny, kwami-sized disaster!' Plagg turned to his kwogey. 'Go for it, Aniime.'

Aniime grabbed a bread roll and catapulted it straight into Marinette's face. She gasped in surprise, flailing, and the bread roll ricocheted off her hand, smacking Adrien in the middle of his forehead.

'What a shot!' Plagg said.

'Ow!' Adrien rubbed his head, blinking in confusion. 'Why does it feel like Paris is out to get us tonight?'

'I have an idea,' Marinette squeaked, looking mortified. She covered her face with her hands, and Plagg could see they were so close to completing the mission. Just one more prank and the two would be out in the open.

'I'm just going to use the restroom.' She smiled at Adrien before standing up and heading away from the table, Plagg and Aniime morphing through the purse just in time.

'Go for the ultimate move,' he said, encouraging his new partner in crime.

Plagg took the moment to distract Adrien, whispering up to him from his place in Adrien's shirt. 'How's it going?' he asked, distracting Adrien away from Aniime grabbing the salt shaker and unfastening the lid.

Adrien sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. 'Yeah, it's been wonderful. So far I've had flour cover me, my drink soak me, and a bread roll attack me. I'm living the dream.'

Plagg snorted, which seemed to cause Adrien's cheeks to glow. 'What's the worst that can happen, kid? Just think about it. A couple more incidents and you can tell Marinette all about your double life. She'll be shocked then excited, and you can take her back to your cat-cave and make-out.'

'What's the catch?' Adrien asked.

*****

'No catch, just kisses... for you, of course! I don't want anyone kissing me.'

Adrien sighed, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

The sound of heels clacking on the floor had Plagg grabbing Aniime and pulling him back into Adrien's shirt pocket, ready to see what happened next.

Disgruntled by the evening's events, Marinette pushed open the door to the restroom and groaned. Tonight was horrible! Well, and truly horrible, and if this continued, she would end up having to reveal her identity to Adrien. The fear of him finding out the truth vibrated through her like a hyperactive squirrel in a room full of acorns.

She crouched down, looking for shadows occupying the stalls before releasing Tikki and Fuumble from her purse.

'I told you to keep him controlled,' Marinette huffed, grabbing the tube of lip gloss from her purse and looking into the mirror.

'I'm trying, but it's not that simple. He's quick, and clumsier than you,' Tikki said, flying up beside her.

'I don't see how that's possible, but that's beside the point. Come on, Tikki. I need your help. If this goes bad, I've got to tell Adrien, and he's going to hate it.'

Tikki stared at her, confused. 'Why would he hate it?'

'Because no one wants to date someone whose top priority will never be them. Adrien deserves more than a half-hearted girlfriend.'

Tikki let out a rather unflattering snort. 'Listen, Marinette, if there's one thing I know about Adrien, it's that he wouldn't mind in the slightest if you were Ladybug.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I know Adrien.'

Tikki muttered something under her breath before a crash in the stall pulled her attention. They turned to look, only to find the toilet roll holder half way down the toilet.

Replacing the lip gloss in her purse, Marinette took her phone and pulled up Alya's text chain.

Date is going terribly! Fuumble is a nightmare. Adrien's going to dump me after this. There's no way he'd want to stay with someone who carries around tiny magical creatures who can't control themselves!

Taking a deep breath, she placed her phone back into her purse and gripped the edges of the sink. It was time to go back.

With all the Ladybug confidence she could manage, Marinette sauntered her way back to the table, happy that Adrien had looked up to watch her. She slipped back into her seat, smiling back at the simple grin on his face. God, he was so beautiful.

'This looks good,' she said, reaching out and grabbing the salt shaker. Bringing it over her plate, she could have cried as the lid toppled off and the entire contents poured out onto her food.

'That is... a lot of salt,' Adrien said, staring at her now ruined dish.

Marinette was on the verge of breaking. 'Maybe... we should... go somewhere else?'

'I could just order you another meal.' Adrien went to raise a hand.

But Marinette reached over the table and pulled it down. 'No, it's fine. I - um - I'm not that hungry, anyway.'

He looked at her, before standing up and walking around to sit beside her, pulling his plate over too. 'How about we share?'

Marinette smiled. He was so sweet it melted her heart. 'Thank you.'

They were about to eat when Adrien suddenly stopped, rummaged in his pocket, and pulled out his phone. 'Sorry,' he said. 'I've got my phone on repeat and it keeps vibrating.'

Marinette watched as he looked at his phone. His face morphed, eyes widening and colour draining.

'A-Adrien...are you okay?' His hand shook as his eyes moved from the phone to her face. His hair drooped over one eye and his mouth opened to speak. But before he could, Fuumble burst out of her purse, flying directly into Adrien's hair, laughing wildly.

*****

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Adrien yelled, swatting at his head as it seemed something was nestling in his hair.

Before he knew it, he was on his feet, swatting over his head, trying to get rid of whatever was pulling the strands.

'Alright, alright!' Marinette finally cried, holding up her hands. She stood, grabbing Adrien's hand and led him out of the restaurant. He grabbed something from his pocket as they made their escape, throwing a bunch of euros down on the table.

Once outside, she pulled him around the corner and slammed him against the wall. She bit down on her lip hard to stop her from screaming, before choosing a different way to vocalise her instructions instead.

'I give up. I'm Ladybug!' she said.

She watched Adrien's face, preparing herself for him to break up with her there and then. He was silent. Not a single clue to what he was thinking or what he was going to say. The blood thundered in her ears and she was about to scream.

Slowly, he reached up. His hand wrapping around Fuumble and pulling him out of his hair. Adrien studied the kwogey before looking at Marinette. His lips pulled at the edges.

'And I'm Chat Noir!' Adrien admitted.

There was a long, stunned silence. Was he mocking her?

As if everything had finally clicked. Adrien studied her intently. "Wait. You're Ladybug?"

'You're Chat Noir?' Marinette gasped, equally stunned.

'WHAT?!' Both yelled in unison.

Tikki and Plagg flew out from their hiding spots, and high-fived.

'And finally...we're free!' Plagg announced excitedly, swooping around the two of them.

'You did this on purpose!' Marinette said. She pointed her finger at Plagg, the kwami shrugging in response.

'I saw an opportunity and took it. Is it a bad thing?'

Marinette looked at Adrien, his eyes the brightest she'd ever seen. She stepped towards him, his smile growing as she pushed her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck.

'No,' she said, watching tears pool in the bottom of Adrien's eyes. 'I don't think it is.'

She stretched up on her toes and closed her eyes, her lips ready to meet his - only for them to land on something a little less Adrien and a little more manic.

Opening her eyes, she noticed her lips connected to Aniime. Pulling away, she wiped her lips aggressively.

Adrien laughed. 'I can't wait for these two to be gone. But I can't deny, the outcome was pretty sweet.'

With a wide smile, Marinette wrapped an arm through Adrien's and rested her head against his shoulder. She couldn't deny it, either.

*****

Sixteen hours later and the kwoggies were still alive and kicking.

Su-Han rubbed a hand over his smooth head as the two chased each other around the rooftops. 'This is strong magic,' he said, ducking just in time to avoid a croissant being thrown across the rooftop.

'So, what do we do with them?' Chat Noir asked, using his baton to extend up and grab the kwogey.

'I'll take them to the Temple and make use of them. I'm sure they can help with training.' Su-Han took Aniime from Chat's hand before reaching out to Ladybug and taking the cage Fuumble was currently settled in.

He placed Aniime inside, who automatically went to annoy his brother. The two started up a rather annoying screaming competition.

Su-Han looked at the two kwoggies and chuckled. 'If your love makes this sort of Miraculous magic, I can't wait to see what your children will be like.'

Ladybug's mouth gaped open as Chat Noir fell from the rooftop, grasping onto the ledge and pulling himself back up.

Not saying another word, Su-Han made it off into the night, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir in a state of shock on the rooftop.

'Our children?' Ladybug squeaked out.

Chat Noir walked over and threw an arm across her shoulders. 'I always knew we'd be magic together.'

Ladybug snorted, pushing Chat Noir away and grabbing her yo-yo. 'We most certainly are, Kitty.'

As the two raced off into the setting sun, Su-Han watched them with a soft smile on his lips before examining the two new kwamis gnawing on the bars of the cage. They might not know it yet, but these two were going to go onto great things, all thanks to the power of love.