Music glossary:

Andante - to go at a moderate, steady pace

~*~*~*~*~

Marinette was upset.

Not so much upset, really. More like... confused? Frustrated? And not even at Fu, necessarily. It wasn't his fault. But Fu was the messenger, and therefore, the undeserving recipient of her current mental ire.

With the critical 48 hours of Chat Noir's healing complete, she'd gone to visit Fu to discuss some of the concerns she had about her new partnership, along with some other pressing questions. The answers were... not quite what she expected (or wanted) to hear.

, Marinette, he'd said. You know Chat Noir's identity, he'd said. , I know you just want to protect him as a civilian. , don't try to figure it out yourself. If you find out too early, you'll absorb the negative effects from the misuse of his miraculous. , that is what happens with the Cat and Ladybug miraculouses. , that's why wielders must not know each others' identities; not until their souls and energies are perfectly in sync with each other. , Marinette, you are in perfect sync with each other. , I you don't like it. But that is how it must be. Have a nice day, Marinette. , I'm not kicking you out. I'm just... going to the spa to get rid of a sudden tension headache. Goodbye.

"Understood, Master," she'd said. And honestly, yes; she really did understand.

But she still didn't like it.

The conversation weighed heavily on her mind as she went about her daily chores, and she couldn't help but stomp around the house as she worked, a perpetual crinkle fixed between her eyebrows.

She just couldn't quite wrap her head around it. Negative effects? Truth be told, prior to this, she'd even almost suspected that Fu had exaggerated that aspect of the miraculouses, in order to keep her on the straight and narrow path and be responsible.

Such matters had been far from her mind while befriending Chat Noir. She'd never even thought to ask him about it. How long would these effects linger on, even after his change of heart and proper use of his miraculous?

More importantly, would the effects ever fully disappear? Fu said that every case was different. Sometimes the effects did fade. Other times, they did not; and in those cases, partners couldn't ever reveal their identities to each other. In rare instances, the wielders would even have to return their miraculouses to the guardians, because they would never be able to work in proper harmony with the other. Marinette shuddered. She didn't want to even consider that possibility.

In any case, Hawkmoth was suffering from such negative effects as well. What could his ailments be? Chat had mentioned that he seemed to be losing control of his akumas, and his judgment was becoming increasingly clouded. But was there more?

Frowning, she stuffed folded laundry into her dresser drawers with a bit more force than necessary. She quickly stood up when she was finished, yanking the laundry basket away with a huff as she headed towards her next task.

There was also another question, one she'd had even years ago, when she'd first become Ladybug. One she'd always been too shy to ask, always trusting in Fu's judgment, never questioning him because of his seniority and experience (respecting one's elders having been an integral part of her upbringing, particularly her mother's).

But now that she was older, she'd finally gathered enough courage to ask him: Why hadn't he revealed Chat's identity to her years ago? With enough luck, she might have been able to steal back his miraculous when he wasn't transformed while he was out of the house. So, why hadn't he told her?

Fu's answer had been remarkably simple: He'd wanted Chat to have a relatively normal life outside of the mask. He'd always held out hope that Chat would turn away from his unrighteous deeds on his own. Having people around him that treated him kindly and that he could trust would give him the courage to do so. If he didn't have that, he would have felt that he had nowhere to turn to, and no choice but to remain as he was.

Fu added that if she'd had any contact with Chat, either as herself or as Ladybug, she would have treated him differently, possibly with hostility. Marinette had wanted to deny it at first, but she knew he was right. She would have treated him differently. Probably would've avoided him, spoken to him harshly, given him dirty looks from across the street. She might have even tried to convince her friends that he wasn't a good person, much like her situation with Lila. Not that that had ever worked; that girl was just way too deceptive. After all these years, she'd given up on even trying. Without any concrete evidence, Marinette's claims that Lila was a rotten liar wouldn't convince anyone, except thankfully for Alya and Nino; but even they had been skeptical at first.

In any case, Marinette would have most likely become angry, cold, or maybe even embittered towards Chat if she wasn't able to retrieve his miraculous right away. And Chat would've responded with confusion, hurt, and resentment towards both her and Ladybug, permanently eliminating any chance to become partners.

The troubled girl sighed wearily, walking towards the downstairs bathroom with a basket full of supplies for their feline guest, still mulling over her earlier discussion. There just had to be other options she hadn't considered yet–

Still distracted, deliberating the myriad of possibilities and worrying over every potential outcome, Marinette swung the bathroom door open... only to be greeted by a tall, toned, and very much bare backside, whose modesty was barely concealed by a small towel wrapped around the waist. Rivulets of water coursed down the valleys and ripples of the lightly tanned skin, and her eyes couldn't help but follow them down their path, gracefully gliding from the tops of the broad shoulders, still rosy and glowing from the shower's hot water, and disappearing into the edges of the towel, which rode low along the hips. The shock of damp, golden hair gave Marinette the confirmation of who exactly the stranger in her bathroom was. Practically tripping over her feet, she slammed the door shut, a loud screech abruptly escaping her throat.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH, I AM SOOOO SORRY!!!" she yelled in between pants. "I thought the bathroom was empty!!! I was just gonna drop off some muscles— I mean toilets— I mean toiletries!!! I'll just... leave them here outside the door! SORRYAGAIN, BYE!!!"

Marinette sprinted all the way to her bedroom and plopped like a dead fish onto her chaise, letting out a long, shrill whine into the cushions. She flopped over onto her back, shoving a throw pillow onto her face, and considered smothering herself out of existence in order to avoid having to face Chat Noir ever again. Maybe she'd come back to Earth reincarnated as an actual ladybug, and she could flee from the city to go live in the country. Cannes was supposed to be nice this time of year.

Before her plans could come to fruition, specifically the one about becoming the insect she already felt like, she sluggishly removed the pillow from her face to get some air.

Only to be greeted by a small, floating... cat??

No, not a cat.

A kwami.

Chat Noir's kwami.

"Boo," he said flatly.

Marinette sat up, careful to not bump into the tiny god.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, although she suspected Plagg wasn't so much staring as sizing her up. Gauging her adequacy, perhaps? He'd worked alongside countless other Ladybugs these past few millennia, so the thought made her a bit nervous.

"You must be Plagg," she said, concealing her surprise.

"I see my reputation precedes me," Plagg replied with a showy twirl. "I am quite noteworthy."

Marinette's eyes crinkled in amusement. That wasn't quite was she'd been expecting.

She extended her hand with a smile. "Hi, I'm Marinette."

Plagg took her hand and turned it over, examining her palm. "Hmph, no Camembert?" he asked with obvious disappointment. "Introductions can wait. My stomach cannot."

Marinette snickered. She hadn't expected such an ornery attitude from a kwami; nevertheless, she decided she liked him already.

She tugged open her shirt pocket and said, "Hop in. Let's go fetch some from the kitchen."

Plagg approached the pocket and Tikki poked her little head out.

Marinette chuckled. "I'm sure you remember Tikki."

"Always a pleasure, Sugarcube," he bowed deeply with an exaggerated flourish that was so entirely Chat-like, she could definitely tell that their mannerisms had rubbed off on each other.

"Hello again, Stinky Sock," Tikki replied.

"Hey, Camembert is the most amazing fragrance known to man. It's a shame you're not enlightened enough to truly appreciate the beauty of fermented foods."

Tikki rolled her eyes, but nevertheless scooted over to let him in.

Upon reaching the kitchen and making sure the coast was clear, Marinette ushered the pair out of her pocket. She pulled out a plate and made her way to the refrigerator with Plagg hovering nearby, watching her curiously.

Marinette had anticipated that he'd be hungry, so she'd gone shopping that morning after visiting Fu, specifically to stock up on cheese. Even still, she had grossly underestimated just how ravenous the kwami would be; her eyes widened as the pile on the plate grew higher and higher.

Once finished, Marinette set it down on the countertop, trying to avoid thinking too hard about how all that food would fit inside his small body.

"Uhh, do you also want some crackers, or some fruit, or...?" she trailed off, unsure of how else to be of service.

"Nothing more is needed when you already have perfection," Plagg remarked before picking up a particularly pungent piece of cheese and taking a deep, long whiff.

Tikki's tiny features scrunched in distaste as she put some more distance between herself and the odorous meal.

Marinette stood beside them, not quite sure what to do with herself or what to say. Maybe Plagg could answer some questions without revealing too much.

Deciding to give it a try, she asked, "So... Plagg. What can you tell me about Hawkmoth? You don't have to go into any details. Just anything that you think would be helpful to know, so we can figure out a plan to defeat him?"

Plagg frowned, then followed up with an appalled grimace. "Seriously?! Right in front of my Camembert??" He harrumphed. "Let's talk about that jackass some other time. Believe it or not, I lose my appetite anytime I think about him."

"Fair enough," Marinette relented. She puckered her lips, deep in thought as she took a seat on the barstool nearby. "Oh, I know! What kinds of hobbies does Chat have? Maybe I can get him some supplies or other stuff that he likes, so he can relax and feel more at home."

"Hmm... Well, you already know he likes games, both videogames and tabletop," Plagg replied in between bites. "He likes to read. The classics, fantasy, sci-fi, fanfiction, comic books..." Another bite. "He spends a ridiculous amount of time writing poetry and short stories. Also..." Chomp. "Sappy movies... Anime." Gulp. "He's not a great singer, but that doesn't stop him from busting into song and dance numbers from his favorite musicals. He is a decent dancer though." Another gulp, punctuated with a smirk. "But I'm sure you already know that."

Marinette averted her gaze, a surge of tingles invading her entire body as she remembered that first night together. It felt like a lifetime ago, yet she remembered that evening full of dancing as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

Plagg gobbled up the last bit on the plate, then wiped his paws on the napkin Marinette had provided. He followed up with a mighty stretch of his small limbs, sighing in contentment.

Marinette's posture straightened upon seeing that he'd finished his meal. "We should head back to the bedroom. Chat will be looking for you soon." She hopped off the barstool and the trio made their way back towards Chat's bedroom.

Marinette grimaced as she placed her hand on the doorknob and let out a pathetic groan. "I better figure out what to say when I apologize for walking in on him."

They entered the bedroom and she shut the door behind them. She raised her eyebrows, looking hopefully at Plagg. "Do you think he'll be furious with me?"

Plagg shrugged off her concern. "Oh, puh-lease. I bet he'd actually be quite pleased that you got a good look at him half naked, if he knew who you really were."

Marinette could only splutter incoherently, her arms waving around like noodles. "WHAT?! WH-WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT??"

Plagg gave her a smug look and crossed his little arms. "I don't know if you've noticed, Bugaboo, but my boy is majorly crushing on ya."

"A-a crush...? On me? O-or rather, on Ladybug...?" Heat instantly rushed to her cheeks and all the way to the top of her ears. "I-I wasn't sure, he hasn't said anything about it, and, um..."

Plagg shrugged. "Kid's pretty insecure. Way more than when he first became Chat Noir, thanks to that no-good father of his." He sighed. "Simply put, he thinks you're way out of his league and that you'd never go for a guy like him."

Marinette sputtered, "Out of HIS league?? Have you SEEN him?!" She whipped her arm around, pointing it towards the bathroom door. "He's more chiseled than a Greek statue! He could be a model!"

"Yeah, yeah, he's the cat's pajamas, I know," Plagg scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, he's still sorting out his feelings, and definitely too afraid to say anything out loud." A teasing glint twinkled in his eyes. "You wouldn't happen to know what it's like to be too shy to confess to someone, would you?" he inquired slyly.

Marinette felt the heat travel down her neck and towards her back, and she pursed her lips in shame, having nothing to retort with.

"Plagg!" Tikki rebuked, whizzing in front of him. "Whether Marinette can confess to her own crush is no concern of yours!"

"He's right, though, Tikki," Marinette admitted. "I guess it's not always always totally obvious until you actually say it to them. I just... freeze every time I try to confess to Adri– t-to this guy. It's like I haven't progressed at all after all these years."

"Don't worry, little bug," the cat kwami reassured her. "Sometimes actions speak louder than words. I'm sure this mystery man knows you care about him." He rolled his eyes again and added, "Even if he's too oblivious to realize it's a romantic attraction."

Before Marinette could reply, they heard the bathroom door crack open.

"Plagg...?" a familiar soft voice called through the small opening.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Marinette whispered. "It was great meeting you, Plagg."

"Likewise. See ya!"

With that, Plagg zoomed towards the bathroom and phased through the door, and Marinette quietly snuck out.

Minutes later, a rather sheepish Chat Noir emerged from the bedroom. Their eyes met and he stiffened, his body gluing to the spot.

Marinette leaped out of the couch and rushed over to him, utterly mortified, body trembling, spewing out apology after apology without taking a breath in between, looking seconds away from bursting into tears from remorse.

Chat placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. "It's okay, Marinette, really! I guess I forgot to lock the door. I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to traumatize you or anything."

Marinette's eyes blew wide open. "Traumatize me?? No way, you are SO FINE!– Umm!!" Her hands shot up, waving back and forth. "What I mean is, I'm fine!!" She composed herself and continued, "Anyway, I just feel really bad about intruding and violating your privacy. So, please, please, pleeeaaase, is there a way I make it up to you?"

Chat was just about to reassure her again, but paused. He gave her a timid smile. "Actually, there is one thing... Could you teach me how to do laundry?"

~*~*~*~*~

(CONTINUED IN PART 2)