"Let me make sure I've got this straight. You're telling me that you're Adrien, and at the same time, you're also Chat Noir. You've been living with Marinette for the past month while she's been dating you, and nobody else has been able to see you."

Alya's finger darted back and forth between Adrien and Chat Noir as if trying to piece together the most intricate puzzle. Marinette felt even more perplexed and distressed than the famed 'morning after'. It had been two days since the wedding, and two days since the two guys in her life had become a Rubik's cube she couldn't solve.

"Yep, that's pretty much it," Marinette replied with a strained smile, her lips twitching as she tried to accept her new bizarre reality.

"May I just add, they were only platonic plus ones," Chat Noir interjected.

"Until two days ago," Adrien sniped back.

"I had her first," Chat Noir replied.

"I think you'll find I was there too —"

"Will you guys just stop it! All you do is argue," Marinette said, glaring between them. "We're never going to fix this!"

"He started it!" They spoke at the same time.

Alya stood up, a chuckle escaping her lips as she looked at Marinette. "This is some freaky shit!"

"You have no idea, Watch this." Marinette walked over to Chat Noir, pulling an arm back and punching him right in the gut. In a matter of seconds, Chat Noir and Adrien were both doubled over from the unprovoked attack.

Alya was bouncing on her seat. "Oh, that's so cool! I want to have a go!"

"I don't think so, Lois Lane." Chat Noir took a swift step backwards away from Alya and almost hid behind his civilian self.

Alya turned to Marinette. "So, originally you couldn't touch Chat Noir, but now you can?"

Marinette nodded in response, a little worried about where Alya was going with this.

"Have you thought about maybe having some 'fun' with both?"

"Alya, no!" Adrien suddenly exclaimed, looking at his leather-clad alter ego and screwing up his nose. "I have standards, you know!"

Chat Noir snorted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at himself. "You didn't have many when you—"

"I was in the privacy of my own room! It's not my fault you decided to spy on me!" Adrien turned to look Chat Noir in the eye, hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. All they ever seemed to do was try to 'out-buff' the other...and Marinette was growing tired of it.

"Can you two just quit it!" Marinette almost growled. She turned away from both of them and went to collapse on the sofa.

Alya followed slightly after, and from the grin on her friend's face, Alya hadn't finished ridiculing her just yet. "So, which one are you dating?"

"Oh my God!" Marinette slammed her hands to her face and threw herself back into the sofa, rocking the piece of furniture and suddenly feeling terrified she'd scratched Félix and Kagami's £10,000 floor. Leaning forwards, she peered over the edge and checked for any scrapes or other damage, relieved to see none.

"She won't go near either of us," Adrien explained, Alya looking between the two men and a Marinette who was obviously hiding.

Since returning to Kagami and Félix's place after their wedding, Marinette had found it increasingly difficult to interact with either Adrien or Chat Noir. An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach as she struggled to understand her new relationship—relationships?

Was she exclusively dating Adrien, or was she also in a relationship with Chat Noir? Or was it some unique combination of both? All she knew for certain was that she felt deeply unsettled, and as a result, she hadn't kissed either of them since the morning after the wedding.

Félix and Kagami had left London on their honeymoon, Marinette and Adrien being allowed to use their house as a base for the team while they were away. Marinette had been honest with them both, shocked to discover they knew who she was already. Not that they could pinpoint how or why.

"Come with me!" Alya grabbed her friend's hand and launched her down the corridor, thrusting her into a bedroom and slamming the door shut. "What the hell is wrong with you? You have number one and number two of Paris' top bachelors list trying to get in your pants and you're shying away! Come on, girl! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You can date both of them without cheating!"

Marinette shook her head, quite sure that wasn't on the agenda. "I don't think so. I'm almost certain they see each other as separate people."

"Who cares if they do? They are the same person! Maybe that's the issue!"

"Oh, we know that's an issue."

They stood in awkward silence for a while, Marinette glancing around the bedroom she had occupied the previous night. Adrien had escorted her to the door like a perfect gentleman, only to be abruptly shoved aside by a bounding Chat Noir, who was eager for a goodnight kiss. Marinette's gut instinct had urged her to just grab them both and initiate a passionate make-out session, but the sensible side of her brain had intervened, reminding her to sort out this confusing situation first and save the making out for later.

She mentally cursed that rational part of her brain, wishing it would take a vacation and leave her with these two amazing men—one amazing man? Even she was getting confused.

"You have a split personality too," Alya said. "Maybe you could be with Adrien as Marinette, then vault off into the night as Ladybug and make out with your partner... I mean, you have been pining for him since the day he left Paris."

This wasn't actually a bad idea, and could serve as a good cover...but Marinette was convinced that Lillie, Lila, or Chelsea (or whatever name she was going by) must have some sort of inside information on them. Chat Noir had shared what he'd overheard on the night of the wedding, but one thing they couldn't quite figure out was why she was targeting Gabriel Agreste and how she knew to stake out Adrien...or even Marinette herself.

Anxiously fiddling with her fingers, Marinette returned to the doorway. The rest of the team would be arriving soon, so she needed to stay focused and composed.

"Marinette!" Adrien called.

She took a deep breath and made her way out. It was now or never.

A swirl of blue materialised in the centre of the room, unfolding to reveal the rest of the heroes in their supersuits, led by Bunnyx and concluding with Pegasus. The entire team was assembled... Well, almost.

"The party's here!" Kim announced, or should she say 'King Monkey,' as he paused to appraise both Adrien and Chat Noir from head to toe.

The room filled with an array of costumes as the heroes positioned themselves, each doing a double take at her partner as they settled in...except Viperion.

Instead, he stepped forward, facing Adrien before turning his attention to Chat Noir and back again. "How? What?" He reached out toward Chat Noir with a finger poised to poke, only to have it swatted away by the hero.

"You don't just poke someone, dude! That's not cool!" Chat Noir retorted.

"I feel like I'm imagining things," Viperion said to no one in particular as he continued to look from one to the other.

"Tell me about it," Marinette mumbled, moving over to the windows and closing the shutters. They couldn't risk being spotted.

"Drop your transformations," she said, making her way to stand between Adrien and Chat Noir, a place which made her feel oddly at home.

Carapace looked at her, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow. "I don't think so, Marinette. The only person who can demand us to do such a thing is Ladybug."

Marinette was torn between annoyance and satisfaction as her team stood before her and denied the one thing she needed them to do. She knew these people and they knew her, yet it seemed they trusted Ladybug more.

"Tikki, spots on."

A symphony of gasps vibrated around the room, Chat Noir and Adrien both snickering by her sides.

'No ways' were paired with question after question, each and every person seemingly shocked by the new revelation.

"M'Lady, I don't think they can believe their eyes."

"You do realise you've just revealed yourself to Adrien Agreste," King Monkey said dimly, pointing over to the only person now in the room without a supersuit.

"Well actually...," Adrien started, only to be cut off by Ladybug.

"I trust him, so it's okay. Anyway, the reason —"

"You trust a dude that you've known for a month, yet none of us knew about you until now?" Carapace asked, his eyes firmly placed on Adrien with a glare that could turn him to dust.

"That's technically not true," Rena said, squinting a little at Nino.

The poor guy looked as though he'd just been slapped around the face. "What?! Since when have you known?"

Rena shrugged. "Since we were 14."

"Shit!" King Monkey announced. Viperion slowly raised his hand too.

"You knew too!" Carapace shrieked.

"Just think about my power, man. It was bound to happen," Viperion explained, the rest of the room sounding their approval.

"So you know them both?" Carapace suddenly said, hushing the room and drawing all eyes toward them.

"Well, yeah!" He gave an apologetic look to Adrien and Chat Noir, both shrugging in synchrony.

"Can we carry on now?" Ladybug asked, praying that Carapace had had enough of his question and answer time and was ready to move on with business, only for Luka to give Chat Noir an apologetic look.

"Sorry the snake got to her before you did."

All eyes ping-ponged between Chat Noir and Viperion, then zeroed in on her like a moth to a flame.

"Technically, I had her first," Chat Noir declared to the room. "Like first out of everyone. Seriously." He laughed. "Our first time was —"

"Hold up! Let's pump the brakes on the revelations, okay? Yes, I am Marinette, yes, I am..." She looked around the room as though checking no one else had snuck in, before whispering, "...Ladybug. And I've brought you all here today because there's some freaky shit going on and I'm out of ideas."

"I'm freaky," Adrien said before pointing to Chat Noir. "He's shit."

"Hey!"

"For the love of God, will you two stop it!" She could feel her temperature rising. She was on the verge of exploding or hurling one of them out the window.

"That's not what you said the other night," both Adrien and Chat Noir chimed in unison, exchanging a high-five.

"Keep your bedroom gossip to yourselves!" Pigella blurted out, her face flushing red.

Purple Tigress suddenly stood up, addressing her fellow Kitty Family. "There's no way Chat Noir is shit!"

"Thank you!" Chat Noir responded, looking relieved.

"Wait! Are you telling me Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been with both of them? A supermodel and a superhero? Nah! No way!" King Monkey exclaimed, pointing at the two guys.

"No! I mean — well — technically yes!" Marinette stammered.

"Not at the same time though," Adrien quickly interjected. "She's sleeping with me. Well, slept with me two nights ago, in Ireland. It was quite —"

"Spots off!" she shouted, cutting Adrien off and drawing everyone's attention. "Everyone drop your transformations right now, or I'm taking the Miraculouses back!"

As though being scolded by their principal, everyone began to revert to their civilian forms, heads hanging low and conversation well and truly halted. Only Viperion and Chat Noir remained.

Viperion rose from his seat, fixing his bracelet snugly around his wrist. "Second chance," he murmured, adjusting his Miraculous before turning his attention back to her.

"Can we talk for a moment—alone?" He glanced pointedly at the two men.

Almost certain she knew what was coming, Marinette found herself once again being ushered into her room, the door shut firmly behind.

"You need to leave," Luka said with an urgency she'd never heard.

"I'm not going anywhere. Listen, I know who he is, and he's that guy. Remember the London akuma incident? Chat Noir got zapped by some ray, and...yeah. He turned into this ghostly spirit that's been hanging out with me for a month. Then, when I...well, you know, with Adrien...it somehow brought Chat Noir back to corporeal form."

Standing before her with arms crossed and a raised eyebrow, Viperion looked sceptical. "Marinette, if you're in trouble, blink twice."

"For the love of all things Miraculous, I'm not in trouble! Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste."

"Yes, I know that! But they're both in that room. Both of them!"

Clutching her fists together, Marinette couldn't suppress the growl that escaped her throat, her nose scrunching up in frustration. Why did men always push her to the edge?

"That's why you're all here! Listen, Luka, I appreciate everything you've done, but my partner is existing in two bodies right now, and I don't know which one..." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. What was she trying to say? That she didn't know which one she loved? "I don't know how to reunite them."

He tilted his head, not condescendingly, but more out of genuine curiosity to understand her situation. "Fine, but I'm not de-transforming. If 'Chat Noir' tries anything, I want to be ready to handle him."

"Sure thing, Cobra Kai," Marinette quipped, moving past him and swinging open the followed a few steps behind. "Cobra Kai? I like it! Let's use it more often."

Desperate to restore some normalcy to her life, Marinette returned to her spot between Adrien and Chat Noir, taking a deep breath.

Meanwhile, Viperion positioned himself at the back of the room, his stance defensive as he kept a vigilant eye on her partner. Clearly, he didn't perceive Adrien as a threat.

"Is Chat Noir revealing too, or does he get special treatment? We all know he's your favourite," Carapace snapped, visibly agitated, though Marinette couldn't quite figure out why.

"Of course I'm the favourite! Seriously, what's the issue?" Chat Noir quipped, not missing a beat.

Alya walked over, perching on the arm of the chair beside her fiancé and running her fingers through his hair. "Don't mind him. He's just feeling a bit left out."

"I'm not!" Carapace defended himself, crossing his arms and reclining in his chair.

Marinette sighed, her shoulders dropping as the weight of eyes on her broke her down. "Alya's the only one I've told. Luka finding out was accidental, and, well, Adrien knows because..." Marinette inhaled deeply before exhaling along with her words, "Adrien knows because he is Chat Noir."

The room fell silent, everyone's eyes darting between the two men standing at the front. One looked like he belonged on the cover of Vogue, the other like he belonged on a dominatrix website—opposite in every way except their personalities. Both were kind, sweet, supportive, and protective, yet neither suffocated her, allowing her to grow with just the right amount of guidance.

Laughter erupted, the tension dissipating into what felt like a comedy routine. When had she become a comedian?

"I'm serious!" she insisted, eyeing both Chat Noir and Adrien, who appeared increasingly embarrassed.

"Come on, Marinette. They're both right there. How can that be? I know Adrien, and Chat Noir is not Adrien Agreste," Zoé Lee suddenly interjected, her presence emerging amidst the chaos. Marinette was utterly starstruck. Here she was, standing before Zoé Lee—her idol, the Miraculous holder chosen by her partner, the one she'd fangirled over and whose premiere she'd attended. It felt surreal.

"Oh, wow... I can't believe it," Marinette whispered in awe.

"Focus," Adrien whispered to her, nudging her arm to keep track of what was going on.

"Wait, she was Vesperia?" Marinette asked, surprised.

Adrien shrugged. "She was visiting Chloé. Since you said no to Chloé, I had to give it to someone else."

"I had to give it to someone else," Chat Noir chimed in, inserting himself between Marinette and Adrien. "Chloé had been a nightmare to Zoé that day! Took her to her dance club and made everyone hate her just as much as they hated Chloé," Chat Noir reminisced, exchanging a smirk with Adrien as they recalled the incident.

"Wait—you remembered something from when you weren't transformed," Marinette said, growing even more excited. "Does that mean your memories are starting to blend together?"

Adrien and Chat Noir glanced at each other and slowly nodded, both frowning as they realised the implications of their combined experiences.

Luka finally released his kwami and walked towards the others, finding a space on the wall beside Zoé.

"So, how are there two of you?" Juleka asked, the others chiming in with questions for both Chat Noir and Adrien.

"That's not the most pressing issue right now," Marinette interjected. "What we really need to focus on is our plan moving forward."

"Plan for what?" Luka inquired.

"We've located the butterfly Miraculous," Adrien explained, "but retrieving it will require all of your help."

Murmuring erupted, Marinette struggling to regain control of the crowd before she continued with her story.

"We know who has it!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos, instantly silencing the room once more.

"Who?" The question came almost in perfect chorus from the team seated in front of Marinette.

"Chelsea Jones," Adrien announced, but there was no recognition from anyone.

"Lillie Bardot," Chat Noir repeated next, with only Luka, Alya, and Kim showing signs of recognition at the name. But then Marinette dropped the bombshell.

"Lila Rossi."

The room exploded in uproar. People once again disbelieved Marinette, looking at her the way they had back in collège when she'd brought up how she believed Lila was lying.

"Marinette, come on! You're 23. It's time to stop lying about Lila!" Rose exclaimed, Mylène nodding in agreement.

"She's not lying," Chat Noir said firmly. "Just sit down and listen, will you! I saw her! I heard her talk to my father about it."

"What about your father?" Zoé asked, glancing at Adrien before quickly returning her focus to Chat Noir. Marinette could feel the tension emanating from him as he moved backwards, withdrawing from the limelight once again, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.

Standing up, Marinette moved to stand beside Chat Noir, allowing him to explain what he had heard at the wedding. Adrien appeared lost in thought, as if he had just uncovered a critical piece of the puzzle they had missed before—a pivotal clue in their ongoing mystery.

Marinette hadn't physically touched Adrien since their memorable night together, where she had felt more alive and loved than ever. Reaching out now, her hand trembled slightly as she gently took his in hers, seeking reassurance. She couldn't deny the relief she felt when he responded with a soft squeeze of understanding.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah, just... Why was she so certain my father knew who you were?" He stopped, his eyebrows pulling into a frown as he thought. "I can still see his face, Marinette. I can see everything Chat Noir saw. It was unsettling. My father seemed clueless. He looked at her like she was a psychopath. Félix and I joked about him being a villain, but we never truly believed it."

She considered this. If Gabriel Agreste knew she was Ladybug, it implied he recognised her true identity, yet their initial meeting showed no recognition in his eyes.

Maintaining a firm grasp on Adrien's hand, she focused on Chat Noir's narrative—a story of Lila's deceitful nature, her multiple personas, and her remarkable ability to manipulate and transform herself, reinventing her life like a chameleon changing colours, time and time again...

Like a butterfly.

"What if she knows more than we do?" Marinette suddenly stated, capturing everyone's attention. Chat Noir glanced briefly at her and Adrien's joined hands before turning away. But Marinette couldn't afford to dwell on their complicated romance now, not with so much else at stake. If they could unravel this mystery, perhaps all their problems would vanish.

Another reassuring squeeze of her hand drew Marinette's gaze to Adrien. "What if there are other universes? What if there have been other instances where my father was the villain? If he obtained both our Miraculouses, he could make the wish...and if he made the wish..."

"He could alter the reality we know," Chat Noir added, with Adrien nodding in agreement.

"What if it was Lila who made the wish?" Max stood up and approached the group, crossing over to their side. "What if she's the one manipulating reality?"

The room fell into a hushed silence, the weight of Max's words sinking in. The idea of Lila wielding such power sent a chill down Marinette's spine. Could this be the key to understanding the strange events unfolding around them?

"Do you really believe that? She was always such a model student," Mylène remarked, her voice tinged with scepticism.

Ivan stood and joined the group, his expression contemplative. "She always said the right things...but did we ever see proof?" he added.

The others shook their heads in unison. No, they hadn't.

"But what does this have to do with Chat Noir?" Nathaniel queried, confusion evident in his voice.

"A small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in significant differences in a later state," Max stated cryptically, already typing rapidly on his phone.

"Anyone care to explain in French?" Kim asked, scanning the room for answers, only to receive simultaneous responses from two matching voices.

"The Butterfly Effect."