"Say, Chat... are you that excited?"

Chat Noir couldn't help but act out his habit of scratching at the back of his neck. "Is it that easy to tell?" he questioned with a hint of worry.

Ladybug let out an amused hum in response, indicating affirmance. Gracing her features was a soft smile; unseen by him due to the opaque strip of cloth currently hindering his vision.

"It is exciting, but..." He sighed. "...maybe a little nerve-wracking as well, to say the least."

Setting a soothing hand upon his shoulder, his partner promised, "Hey, there's no need to be nervous. I already told you, as long as you're only together in hidden places, Hawk Moth won't be able to use them against you. Besides, I could always cast an illusion to-"

"No, no! I'm not worried about that!" Adrien reassured, despite a split-second thought of worry flashing through his mind at her words. "Well, maybe a little bit, b-but I'm just... what if this whole thing doesn't go well? What if Marinette and Luka realise that they don't want me to be in any part of their relationship?"

Unprompted, a slight, sympathetic gasp escaped Ladybug's lips. "Oh, Kitty... is that what this is all about?"

She placed a hand atop of his head - ruffling the blond locks there for a few seconds.

She spoke on, "Trust me, you don't need to be worried in the slightest. I've met Luka and Marinette before, and I'm sure they won't reject you just like that. Even if they did, it'd be stupid on their behalf." Her voice lowered to a whisper, as if to hide her next sentence of, "If you ask me, I think you're the best partner a hero could ever ask for - no exceptions. They'd be missing out for sure."

There was reigning silence for several moments. Then, the upturning of Chat's lips. "Thanks, LB."

"No problem, Chaton."

It was then that the faint sound of footsteps reached both of their ears, seeming to be slowly walking up stairs and towards them. Ladybug reacted with a soft gasp of, "Oh! That's my cue!"

Her voice suddenly became closer to where he was stood. "I'll leave you to it, Chat. Make sure to have a good time!" she bid. "Go get 'em, Tiger." Those parting words were emphasised by a teasing pat to his left shoulder, causing a chuckle to bubble up within his chest.

His false cat ears twitched as the zing! of her iconic yo-yo string resounded nearby, then flicked to the side as they sensed incoming footsteps once again. They lasted for a few seconds more - around ten - but all at once halted right behind his figure. He fought off the urge to turn around.

Instead, his breath caught in his throat when nimble fingers began to unknot the blindfold wrapped around his head, gently and with care. They soon allowed for the cloth to drop, resting around the hollow of his neck.

Almost hesitantly, Chat Noir opened his eyes. His breath was taken away all at once.

Everything was so...familiar.

Chartreuse sclera blinked slowly in a cat-like manner. They glanced about in a curious haze, met with the sight of pink, white and orange petals scattered about the ground everywhere. Colourful candles lined the railings (of what he realised to be the Eiffel Tower's) surrounding him - lit with small, glowing flames.

The scent of flowers and faint smoke invaded his nostrils, and Chat allowed himself to grin from the imagery of gardens, grass and fields that he gained from it. There was also a strong aroma of flour, of bread, and as he glanced down he saw several baby pink boxes stacked together and all labelled with cursive Ms. They were from Marinette's parents' bakery.

It wasn't only the pastries that were familiar, but the sight as a whole. He could remember it clearly - from when André the ice-cream man had been akumatized months ago - and when he had invited Marinette in place of Ladybug on their intended 'date'. Yet, he pondered in confusion, the scene seemed somehow more familiar; more recent than even that.

However, his train of thought was suddenly halted by a light and airy voice from nearby. "Chat Noir?" it called, hushedly so as to not shock him a great deal.

He turned to its source.

Marinette met his wide-eyed gaze with a gentle smile. She was bundled up within a thick grey coat, that's hood rose up to her nose and surrounded it in warm, fluffy fur. It almost appeared to be hiding her within it - keeping her freckled face a secret from prying people. Around her neck was a pair of rouge earmuffs, presumably having been used to keep warm with the moderate breeze blowing atop the Eiffel Tower's highest balconies.

Beside Marinette, almost a head taller than her, was Luka - also adorning a coat to fend off the biting cold. In contrast, however, his denim coat was the ideal size for his form, fitting him perfectly and looking the exact same to his usual jacket; if it weren't for the unusual thickness of this particular one.

A kind smile was on Luka's face. Somehow, it was this that made his cheeks flush redder and hotter than they already were. Chat cleared his throat, managing to choke out a surprised, "H-Hi."

The duo both chuckled - their chests, or coats, shaking with the movement.

"Hello, Chat Noir."

"Hi, Chaton!"

It was quiet for an extended period of time, but then the designer's expression burst into realisation. "W-Well!" she exclaimed, kneeling down to flatten out one corner of the crimson picnic blanket that they were stood beside. "L-Let's get this picnic - or should I say date - started, shall we?"

The boys present nodded, both with equal blushes at the sudden surge of confidence that she had gotten. A few words were exchanged before they all sat down around the feast laid out in front of them. There were fruits, tarts, biscuits, and pastries galore. Chat's mouth began to water at the mere sight of them.

"Don't just stare!" Marinette giggled. "Eat up, c'mon!"

That he did.

The next hour or so consisted of pleasant conversation spoken between the three, through savouring bites of both butter and bread. The flavours simply melted upon Chat Noir's tongue; blending together to create an addicting and superfluous mixture of taste and texture. It was as if the last sixty minutes had passed in a beautiful haze, from his point of view.

"Phish if sho deficiousshh..." he sighed dreamily, his mouth stuffed with a grand record of twelve macaroons and a croissant or two. His eyes were almost sparkling with unshed tears of happiness.

"Feel free to keep the food, Kitty," Marinette offered, fondness in her tone. "I can tell you like them - me and Luka baked them all earlier today using the bakery's ovens for you. Here, take some for when you're back home."

"But... I couldn't possibly-"

"No. Buts."

She proceeded to gather a sizable collection of snacks (macaroons, croissants, and platelets of cheese, strangely enough) and place them neatly within one of the largest boxes at the picnic blanket. She shoved the box into his chest, and with a soft pat to his tummy, reasoned, "If you have so much now, you'll end up getting a stomach ache. Ask Chloe, she knows that from experience."

Throughout the whole span of the date, it had become obvious that Luka and Marinette had gradually begun to migrate towards Chat, from the opposite end of the blanket to his sides. Thus, it was easy for the bluenette to have reached over to poke at his suit - though it still caused him to blink twice, startled.

He glanced up to meet their kind eyes. Almost without thought, he started to say, "Thank you guys for inviting me on your date. T-This is actually the first official one I've been on, I can see why people go on them so often."

"Our date," Marinette lightly corrected, gesturing to all of them. "And we should be the ones thanking you instead for coming here in the first place."

Luka nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We were quite worried you wouldn't agree to it." He smiled down at Chat, carrying on gently, "I'm so glad you did."

Light pink dusted Adrien's features. He stuttered out, "A-About us..."

'Miraculous, porte-bonheur, lady magique et lady chance!'

"Ah!" Marinette yelped in surprise. In a swift movement to stop the blaring music from her phone, she pulled it out of one of her coat's pockets and took a glimpse at its screen. At the name displayed, an instantaneous blush flared across her cheeks. "It's K-Kagami! I better answer this before she becomes worried o-or anything. I'll be back in a bit."

She uncrossed her legs on the floor and stood up. With a click, she answered Kagami's phone call, whilst strolling away from where the duo was sat. That led to the both of them alone together.

Chat Noir glanced about awkwardly, nerves beginning to claw their way into him like those of a vulture. He pursed his lips, curling his body up the slightest bit so as to hide his anxious expression. There were dozens of thoughts beginning to plague his mind, shooting through it at a neck-breaking speed, however, Luka's voice succeeded in distracting him from them.

"I think I might know what you wanted to talk about just now," he rumbled with a knowing smile. He stood up in one fluid motion, slinging the guitar case that he had brought over his shoulder as he did so. "Come with me so we can together?"

A quick glance was given to Marinette's preoccupied figure a few feet away. Adrien nodded, though not without a second of hesitation. Straight away, Luka held out a hand for him to take, meeting his green eyes with kind eyes.

Fiery red burned his cheeks. Chat accepted the hand, and gripped it tightly as he pulled for enough leverage to stand up. The two proceeded to walk together with their fingers intertwined, seeking a better place for conversation.

The whole while, they were both silent in mutual understanding.