"I need cake over there! Presents are to be placed gently on the right hand side of the table. Fix those streamers, Nino. Alix, Kim, quit letting air out of the balloons. We need two-hundred. Pronto! Adrien, use the ladder and straiten the banners. Let's go people!" Marinette shouts, skimming quickly at the list clamped tightly into the pink clipboard in her hands.

"Don't you think you are turning this into a class president type situation?" Nino grumbles, at the bluenette, annoyed with having to work.

"She turns everything into a class president situation. Trust me, man," Adrien says, discreetly winking in the poor girls direction as she gives him the stink eye before glancing at the time on her phone.

"She's supposed to be here in an hour," Marinette sighs, rubbing profusely on her temples.

"Don't worry, Marinette! This is going to be the most well planned out and beautifully decorated birthday party ever! Especially with you being the decorator," Rose says, placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder, Juleka nodding quietly behind her.

"Thanks, guys." She watches as the others scurry about, finishing up the last few preparations, the magic of birthdays seeping into her bones. 

"All done, chief," Nino announces, once everything is positioned perfectly.

Marinette opens her mouth to reply when a massive crash and screams irrupt from the center of the city. Her body tenses, automatically locking eyes with the blond boy beside her. "Okay guys, nothing to worry about," she reassures the other students, gaining their attention. "I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will handle it. But in the mean time, Alya is arriving in less than a minute, so places everyone!" The teens scurry away in all directions to hide as requested.

Adrien grabs Marinette's shoulder, worried. "I'll take care of it. Alya is your best friend," he says, his voice low.

"No. Nino will notice you're gone. We'll switch off. One of us has to be here at all times or they'll get suspicious."

"Alright."

"Just lead the akuma toward the party. I'll keep an eye out."

"Okay, b-"

"Guys, she's here," Nino interrupts.       

The three of them look up to see a breathless Alya rounding the corner, and coming to a screeching stop in front of them. "This better be important, girl, because there's an akuma tearing up the main square, and I'm not missing a chance to get new footage of Ladybug and Chat Noir," she huffs, hunched over, hands on her knees. The bluenette exchanges a look with Adrien, both of them knowing he needs to get out of there.  "So, what's up?" she asks, straightening up.

Nino gives the cue, the whole class jumping out. "Surprise!"

Alya finches, hands flying over her mouth. "M. You did this?" she asks.

"Of course," Marinette beams, placing her fists proudly on her hips.

The red haired girl pulls her friend into a hug, a genuine smile on her lips. "I love you, girl. Don't you ever forget that." Both girls laugh, pulling away.

"This party better be perfect too, because Marinette wouldn't let anyone rest until it was to her liking," Nino warns.

"Nuh-uh!" she defends, crossing her arms before noticing Adrien rolling his eyes behind her, elbowing him in the gut.

"Hey!"

"Thanks so much you guys. I really love it. Honest. No sweat," Alya reassures her friends.

"You guys should go talk to the others. I going to check on the chef to see how the food is coming along," Adrien announces, pushing the group in that direction.

Marinette watches him dash off into the house, Chat Noir appearing on the rooftops of Paris a few moments later. The other students look up, pointing in awe. "Good luck, kitty," she whispers quietly to her self.

***

Marinette sighs heavily, holding a platter of cheeses and miniature sausages and dips. She stares absent minded at the sky as students pick off of her tray, willing a black cat to appear in the blueness above her. "No sweat girl. Ladybug can handle it," Alya encourages, patting her best friend on the shoulder.

"Lets hope Ladybug doesn't have to handle it."

"Huh?" the red head asks in confusion.

"Uh-uh. I mean.... Little Smokey?"

"Sure," Alya answers, chuckling lightly to herself.

Across the city, Chat Noir stands proudly above the most recent akumatized victim who calls herself Electronica. "Alright Sparky! Lets wrap this up! I've got places to be and faces to see. I know. Shocking!" He snorts, before dodging out of the way of one of her lightning blasts, not wanting to get electrocuted. "I've really got to get her back towards my house", he reminds himself. "Alright! Lets take this fight somewhere else. It's getting kind of dim."

"Whatever you say Chat Noir, but I will have your miraculous!" she shouts after him as he takes off for the Agreste Mansion.

"But you'll have to cat-ch me first!" he calls back, vaulting himself across buildings, weaving in and out of Electronica's blasts.

"Look! It's Chat Noir!" Kim announces, pointing a long finger into the sky. Marinette cuts off mid sentence from her conversation with Alya and Nino, taking this opportunity of everyone being distracted, to transform. She leaps gracefully on to a nearby apartment, matching strides with Chat Noir as he passes.

"Afternoon my lady!"

"Chaton," she responds, looking back at the akuma. "I've got five minutes before I have to be back to cut cake!" ladybug shouts over the sound of intaking of breaths and Electronica's warnings.

"It's already time for cake? The day sure does flash by!"

Ladybug shakes her head, refusing to comment on the pun. "Fill me in quickly."

"Okay. She shoots lightning from her hands-"

"Yeah. I can see that Captain Obvious."

"Right. Um.... Akuma is in her helmet. Don't touch it. learned that the hard way."

"Got it."

"Good. I've gotta bolt, but I'll be back soon!" " Chat adds before jumping down to the streets and darting out of sight.

***

Adrien screeches to a stop, all the other students still watching Ladybug sprinting along the rooftops, until she has shrunk away to a microscopic dot, and once again the party commences.

"Adrien? Where did Mari go?" Alya asks, the blond teen snapping out of his thoughts, wiping the love sick smile off his face from staring after his now invisible love.

"Huh? Oh. I think she went to the bathroom," he responds, his cool nature allowing his voice to remain steady through the small fib. Alya nods in agreement.

"Hey, man. Problems with the chef?" Nino asks, breaking into the conversation.

"Yeah. Short on staff today," Adrien replies, feeling his gut sink from the secrets weighing on his shoulders.

"Weird how Chat Noir just disappeared like that, huh?" Alya comments.

"I guess," Adrien, answers, feeling the sweat glands in his hands leaking out.

"Check out this vid I got of them running across the rooftops though," Alya says, flipping her phone over, having been completely amerced in it for the past two minutes. She presses the play button with her thumb, the video beginning on screen, it already posted to the Ladyblog.

"That's a really great angle, Alya," Adrien complements when it's finished, smiling innocently at the birthday girl.

"Thanks, Adrien. I'd show it to Mari, but she ran off. We are cutting cake in three."

"Um, no worries. I'll go find her. She's probably poking around somewhere. You know how she is. You guys get everyone ready for cake. I'll handle the baker's daughter," and with that, he's flying back into his house, and emerging on the rooftops once again, on a mission to track down his lady.

He finds her climbing off a tower of car tires, shouts and accusations coming from inside. He saunters over, slightly confused. "Oh, chaton. Thank goodness. My transformation is about to wear off. Electronica is secure. Just let me purify the akuma real quick," she says, removing her yo-yo from around her waist.

"No time my lady. Alya is expecting you to be cutting cake in twenty-nine seconds."

"Shoot. But the akuma?" she wails, torn between responsibilities.

"No worries Buginette. I've got it covered. That's what the jar is for. i think I can handle a little butterfly," Chat grins, before pushing Ladybug in the direction of his house. "I'll meet you in my room, and you can Miraculous Ladybug it, and blah blah blah."

"Alright, minou. Alright. I'm going," she sighs at his relenting, before placing a peck on his cheek and zipping away, their cheeks flaming red.

Marinette checks herself in Adrien's bathroom mirror before heading down the stairs and out to the celebration. "There you are, girl!" Alya shouts, grabbing the buenette's arm and dragging her over to the table, the moment she walks out the door. "Where have you been? Adrien went off looking for you, like seven minutes ago," the red head asks, slightly worried. "Is there something you're not telling me? You're not upset about anything are you?"

"No, Alya. I'm fine. Really. I just had to... use the restroom," the half-asian girl smiles, feigning innocence. Alya pushes her glasses up high on her nose, scrutinizing her friend closely.

"Alright, but you better go find Adrien before he works himself into a frenzy."

"Oh. He's with Nathalie. He said to start without him," Marinette tacks on, hoping he will return soon with the akuma, her fake smile widening for emphasis for Alya to believe her.

"Come on," Alya says, resuming her dragging toward the table, the chocolate cake waiting to be sliced and eaten.

Marinette clears her throat, preparing to speak over everyone. "It's time to sing happy birthday to the birthday girl! She turns sixteen today. Okay, um... Happy birthday to you...."

The rest of the classmates join in, Kim adding a cha cha cha after every line, and to everyone's surprise, Chloé sings along too, though more hesitant and through a nasaly sound of distaste, but singing non-the-less. Marinette slices the cake with the precision that only a baker's daughter could have.

"Hey, Marinette? Why is Chloé here in the first place?" Nino asks when she's handing him his slice.

"Would you rather annoying, rude Chloé who was invited to the party, or furious, out-to-get-revenge Chloé for being the only person not invited?"

"True," Nino agrees, stuffing his mouth with cake.

Marinette notices a black blur from the corner of her eye, smiling. "I'll be right back. 'Nother  bathroom break. I drank a ton of coke before the party," and before her friends can reply, she's dashing back inside, Alya and Nino sharing a confused look.

The bluenette takes the steps two at a time, gripping the rail as to not trip as she makes her way toward the flirtatious black cat waiting for her. She comes to a halt in front of his closed door, out of breath, reaching up to knock, only for a black gloved hand to yank her into the room before her knuckles even make contact with the wood.

"Did you get it?" she asks, following after him as he makes his way to the white couch laid out in front of the wall covered in long window panes.

"Of course, princess," he grins, bowing forward and holding the jar out to her as if she were truly royalty.

She giggles, grasping the jar in her hands, examining the fluttering insect. "Good job, kitty."

"Anything for you, my lady," he smiles cheekily, his eyes twinkling with mischief and the rush of excitement that only love and saving the world can bring.

Marinette places the jar in front of the couch, not wanting it to get kicked and shatter, before noticing the bright eyes trained on her. "What?" she asks curiously, him watching her every movement, every slow flit of her eyelashes as they cast long shadows on her lightly, pink, tainted cheeks.

Chat shakes his head slowly. "Nothing."

She gives a pointed, knowing look, a smile still on her lips, though. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten to spend much time together as we hoped. Our job always seems to get in the way of us just hanging out without someone throwing things at us."

The dark haired girl laughs, pulling him into a hug. "Not your fault, chaton."

"I know," he replies, wrapping his lanky arms around her, resting the side of his head against hers, eyes closed. "I know."

"Then what's wrong?" she presses, stroking his hair comfortingly.

"I don't know. It was just all the lying today. It was getting to me. We are supposed to be celebrating Alya's birthday, and all we did was fill our friend's heads with lies and disappear continuously."

"I know. I feel it too."

"When will it ever stop? When will it get any easier?"

"Never," Marinette responds solemnly, hugging him tightly.

***

Downstairs, Alya glances around for a certain blue haired girl and blond model, still failing to return to the party. Excusing herself from the conversation she's currently having with Rose and Juleka, she stalks over to the teen DJ, who's laughing with Kim, Max and Alix about a failed start in a track tournament Kim had.

"Nino," Alya hisses, trying to grab the boy's attention. "Nino!"

He fianlly turns, adjusting his red cap in the process. "What's up, Alya?" he asks, smiling.

"Have you seen Mari? She never came back from the bathroom."

"No. And my man, Adrien is no where to be found either. Maybe they wanted some aloe time?" he offers.

The red head shakes her head. "No. I don't think so. They both have been acting weird all day. And, I'm going to get to the bottom of it right now. It's my birthday, and I want to know what they are hiding."

"But, what if it's your birthday present?"

"No. They already gave it to me, remember? The signed poster of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Plus, I think Adrien would have told you if that were the case. Now, come on," she says, pulling him along by the arm behind her. "Where would they go?" Alya asks herself, not really looking for Nino to answer, wanting to figure it out for her self.

"My guess is Adrien's bedroom," Nino answers anyway, to her dismay.

After much shushing between the two, they climb silently up the white staircase, ducking low for affect, before sliding along the wall till they reach the outside of the blond model's room.

"We should really go," a soft, female voice says, it bouncing off the high pale walls of the room.  

Alya halts, putting a stern hand in front of Nino, ordering him to stop."Marinette," she mouthes, sinking to the floor, peering into the room. Nino darts to the other side, copying Alya's squatting position. But, they weren't prepared for who was occupying the room.

"Just a little longer, This is the most relaxed I've been all day," Chat Noir answers, his forehead pressed against the bluenette's.

"Chat Noir?" Alya whisper exclaims, too surprised for her own good. "What is Mari doing with him?"

Marinette giggles, opening her eyes to stare at Chat, his face calm, eyelids fluttered shut, slow breaths being pulled in through his slightly parted lips. "Je t'aime," she whispers, Chat's eyes finally peeling open.

"I love you too," he responds, cupping her cheek, and bringing his lips down to graze hers.

"Oh my gosh. This isn't happening," Alya breathes, a hand flying over her mouth at her friend's betrayal to the blond, who's room she's currently taking up residence in.

"Adrien's gonna be crushed. The poor dude."

Alya nods, not believing her eyes. Marinette wouldn't do this. Mrinette wouldn't cheat on Adrien. She loves him. She's heard her say it before. "What do we do?" she asks, horror-stricken.

"Take a picture," Nino replies instantly. "I left my phone on my DJ stand."

"No," Alya hisses, shocked he would even suggest such a thing. "She's my best friend. And I will not throw her under the bus wether I agree with her decisions or not," Alya spits, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, Adrien is my best friend. And this is the only way we are going to be able to get him to believe us. He's stubborn. We need proof. If it was Adrien in there kissing Ladybug, wouldn't you want Marinette to know the truth? It's not right to keep it a secret. It will eventually tare us all apart."

Alya sighs, squeezing her eyes shut, her gut telling her Nino was right. She finally nods, opening the camera app on her phone. "I'll do it. But only because it's the right thing to do. But, you owe me a hot fudge sunday after the party."

"Deal," Nino agrees.

Alya looks back at her friend with the black clad superhero, their lips locked, her hands tangled in his hair, his wrapped around her waist, the other under her jaw, pulling her up to him so he doesn't have to bend down so far. The way the move so slowly and deeply, the rose coloring on their cheeks, painting a delicate blush, and the turning up of their lip corners, shows how passionate they are together. In love. And it made Alya's heart hurt. But she didn't know if it was for Adrien, the fact that Marinette would have to chose one, or that she would have to be the one to make it a reality for all of them. She snaps the picture, burying her phone back in her pocket, nodding to Nino that it was done.

"You really have to go," Marinette says, breaking their moment.

"I know," Chat Noir answers, backing away some, heading to the window, balancing on the sill in which he probably entered from. "À bientôt." He kisses her forehead.

The pigtail-haired girl laughs, lightly pushing him out the window. "Go!"

He chuckles, leaping down and disappearing out of sight. Marinette stares out through the window for a few seconds, before turning back around, and staring across the room at nothing in particular, a love-struck smile plastered on her face, a finger to her lips where Chat's had been moments before.

Alya and Nino take this as their cue to leave, wanting to search out Adrien before Marinette has a chance. "Why would she do it?" Nino asks as they dash down the stairs.

"I don't know. Maybe once she obtained a model, she had to move on to someone better, like a superhero."

"Oh, like the green pastures blah blah saying."

"You mean the grass is always greener on the other side?" Alya corrects.

"Yeah."

When the pair reach the party again, they are glad to find Adrien Marinette-less, though a much too close Chloé is biding for his attention, the model wishing he was anywhere else. He notices the two, brushing Chloé off, and sauntering over to them.

"Where did you guys go?" he asks. "I've looked all over the place."

Nino shares a look with Alya before speaking up. "Actually, dude. We have something we need to tell you." Adrien's usual easy-going facade crumbles instantly, expecting they found him out with all the disappearing today. The cat's out of the bag. But, he chooses to hear them out first. He follows stiffly to a bench, the two towering over him. "Adrien, this isn't going to be easy to say, and I'm telling you this for your own good," Nino begins.

"I'm sorry. I'm confused. Is something wrong? Is it Marinette? Is she okay?" Adrien asks, trying to get to his feet to look for her. She was just supposed to Miraculous ladybug the akuma and set it free. He saw the light. What could possibly have happened in that short amount of time?

"Actually, man. Marinette is the problem," Nino continues.

"We are so sorry, Adrien," Alya speaks up, er face solemn and in pain.

"What? Marinette?"

"Adrien, she's cheating on you," Nino continues on, ignoring his friend's questions.

"It's true. We saw it with our own eyes."

"But, she would never do that. It's not her. Marinette is loyal and, and...I love her. I don't believe you. I can't. I wont. I refuse to," Adrien says, his voice gaining in volume.

"Show him the picture," Nino announces.

Alya opens her phone and produces it for Adrien's eyes to see. "We have proof," she adds, handing the phone over.

The blond looks at her hesitantly, before dragging his eyes down to the picture, but what he's met with is an image of him and Marinette kissing in his bedroom, it taken just moments ago. His skin pales a ghostly white, all the blood draining from his body.

"We're sorry, man,"Nino says, patting his shoulder.

'What am I supposed to do?' Adrien asks himself. 'The only way for them to not think Marinette is cheating on me with, well, me, is to tell them the truth.' Adrien hands the phone back to Alya in defeat, his limbs and mind numb.

"I'm so, so sorry, Adrien," she says, turning her phone off.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?' a tinkling voice pipes up. Nino and Alya's heads snap up at Marinette who's holding two slices of cake, offering one kindly to Adrien, knowing it's his favorite, and the fact that he hasn't had the chance to snag one for himself. He takes the paper plate silently. "What's wrong?" she asks, sensing the heavy air.

The blond glances nervously up at her, her other friends staring back, arms crossed. "Nino and Alya think you are cheating on me," he finally speaks up.

"What?! Me?" she chokes out. "Adrien. You know I would never do that to you. I promise. You're too important to me."

"I-"

"Adrien, man. You saw the picture," Nino cuts him off.

"Picture?" Marinette asks, her nerves and confusion growing, desperately wanting Adrien to believe her. Alya hands her phone over, the picture they showed Adrien on the screen. The bluenette's face pales drastically, feeling faint.This was worse. Much worse, and she finally understands her boyfriend's unease.

"See, Adrien. Look at her face. She was lying, man," Nino says.

"Marinette, please. We can't live like this. If we keep going down this road, things will just get more complicated."

She nods, plopping down on the bench beside him. "I know."

"Marinette. You have to chose one or the other. It's not right," Alya says, a worried expression on her face.

"I don't have to chose. I can have both," she responds, smiling at the boy next to her.

"What?" Alya asks, confused.

"The boy in the picture with Marinette is me. I'm Chat Noir," Adrien explains, holding up his hand with his miraculous on it.

"What? But, Chat noir is dating Ladybug...." Alya trails off, her eyes snapping to Marinette who's wearing a sheepish smile.

"Well that explains so much," Nino laughs, amused. The two teen heroes chuckle, releasing their unease, only to be thrown into a non stop round of questioning for the rest of the day.