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This was the last thing Adrien needed on a Monday morning.
He'd been up until some ridiculous hour because Monarch apparently loved akumatizing children with nightmares. He was currently running on coffee and sugar, and he knew that wherever his Lady was, she was in a similar state. This was probably why he'd ended up losing that ridiculous bet with Nino.
His best friend had insisted that Adrien wouldn't be able to name more superheroes than him. He'd thought it would be easy, since he was a superhero and had met most of them. Had he been awake, he might have stood a chance. In his current state…no way. His brain was all muddled and he'd gotten their names wrong.
'Okay, what do you want me to do?' he asked, dreading the answer. Finding out the forfeit before agreeing to the bet would have been the smart thing to do. Stupid Adrien, he reprimanded himself. It was probably going to be super humiliating.
'You're going to flirt with Marinette,' Nino informed him, a wicked grin taking up residence on his face. Adrien's expression softened.
'That's…not so bad.' Flirting with Marinette wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Since his feelings had been shifting lately, he'd been trying to let her know how special she was to him. Yes, that wouldn't be so bad at all.
'Oh, I'm not finished,' Nino continued, his grin getting wider. 'You're not going to be flirting as yourself. You're doing it as Cat Noir.'
Adrien's heart stopped.
'W-what?' he gasped.
'You heard me, dude. You're going to do your best Cat Noir impression and see how she reacts.'
'Ohh…an impression. Right. Of course.' Adrien's heart began to beat again as relief flooded through him.
'Why, what else did you think I meant?'
'Oh nothing.' For a mad moment, Adrien thought Nino had figured out his secret. But no…he only wanted Adrien to impersonate Cat Noir. That was…wait, no! That was terrible! If he did this, he might reveal himself to Marinette, putting her in danger! He'd flirted with Marinette as Cat Noir before. She might guess it was really him.
'Nino, I don't think I can do that.'
'Uh-uh. You're not backing out now. You promised.'
'But I…' Adrien began grabbing excuses out of the air, panicking. 'I don't know any good cat puns.'
'That's what the internet's for.'
'I…Marinette always seems so uncomfortable around me. Won't this just freak her out?'
'Somehow, I doubt it.' Nino's grin had transitioned into a knowing smirk.
Adrien gritted his teeth together. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
'How does a new DJ Booth sound to you? Or some fancy new headphones?'
Nino cackled.
'Bribery isn't going to work either, Mr. Moneybags. I can't believe you'd even try that on me.'
Adrien buried his face in his hands and groaned.
'If it's any consolation,' Nino said, putting an arm around him, 'Marinette looks too tired to pay you much attention.' He gestured to a window, through which they could see Marinette sitting at one of the library desks with her head resting on an open textbook. A coffee cup was on the table next to her. Apparently not even caffeine could keep her awake. She must have had a late night, too. Although, it couldn't have been as late as Adrien's.
He sighed, admitting defeat. A promise was a promise, after all.
'Okay, I'll get this over with before she wakes up.' He pushed open the library door and trudged miserably over to his sleeping classmate, hoping she wouldn't register what was going on. He pulled out the chair next to her and lowered himself into it, cringing at what he was about to do. Then he took a deep breath and switched flawlessly into Cat mode.
'Well hey there, little lady,' he began, stretching his arms up into the air and landing one strategically behind the back of Marinette's chair. 'How fur-tunate that I ran into you on this fine morning.'
Marinette's reply took the form of some unintelligible moaning.
'You know,' Adrien continued, 'I've been planning to find the prettiest girl and…whisker away. And I think I've found her.'
This time, his classmate spoke actual words. They were muffled by the soft dark hair falling over her face, but Adrien could still make them out even without his magically enhanced hearing.
'Ugggh. Go away, silly kitty. Can't you see I'm tired?'
Adrien froze, his eyes growing wide. She was so sleep-deprived that she thought he actually was Cat Noir! Which he was…but that was beside the point. She must have forgotten she was at school. Oh, well. Might as well keep it going.
'Silly? Moi? Paw-lease. Is that any way to talk to a su-purr-hero?'
'I mean it, Cat Noir. Go annoy someone else with your puns and let me rest. How are you even awake after last night?'
Adrien paused, frowning. But then he remembered – last night's akumas had been on the morning news. And a lot of people had been woken in the night by the ruckus they'd made.
'Oh, you know. We cats are used to being awake all night. And I thought you liked my puns?'
'Your puns aren't what bother me most. It's your timing. You always pick the worst moments.'
Adrien was now genuinely confused. He couldn't think of a time when his alter ego had annoyed Marinette with badly timed humour. Something definitely wasn't right here.
'Oh? When is it ever a bad time? My puns are su-purr-ior no matter when I make them.'
More moaning.
'Not during a battle, they're not.'
During a battle!?
Adrien narrowed his green eyes suspiciously. Why would Marinette have such a strong opinion about what he was like in battle? That didn't – or rather shouldn't – make sense. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had just found out – or was about to find out – something he wasn't meant to know. Maybe this was enough for one day. He'd fulfilled his end of Nino's stupid deal.
'Well, since you obviously want some purr-ivacy, I'll leave you in peace.'
'See you soon, Kitty-cat. Tonight, probably.'
'T-tonight?'
'Mmm-hmm. Just like we agreed.'
'Uhhhh…' Adrien's plans for that night involved patrol with his Lady. This could only mean…
No.
It couldn't be…
'Unless, of course, there's an akuma before that,' Marinette mumbled sleepily, confirming his suspicions. Adrien's world seemed to stand still. Oh, he had definitely found out something he shouldn't. Plagg was going to kill him. And so was Marinette when she woke up and realised what had happened.
'Remind me…where did we agree to meet exactly?' He had to be completely sure.
He could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke.
'Wherever André is, Kitty. I know you love ice-cream. I would have thought you'd remember that.'
He did remember. And he wouldn't be forgetting this in a hurry.
'See you tonight then…m'lady.'
'Yeah…tonight…' She slumped even further over the book and began to snore softly. Adrien didn't know whether to laugh or start freaking out. He was saved the trouble of deciding.
'Dude! How did it go?'
Nino's voice, and the door slamming shut behind him, were so loud that they woke the sleeping girl. She jerked awake, knocking over her coffee cup. Thankfully, it was empty.
'Gaahh! Wha…where am I?'
Adrien gave a little chuckle. It was funny to think his superhero partner was also his accident-prone friend. Joy swelled inside him. The two girls he loved were one and the same. Soon he'd be able to tell her. And once they were together, he'd buy Nino the DJ Booth and the headphones. And maybe he'd throw in a yacht for good measure.
'We're at school, Marinette. You fell asleep.'
'So…all of that…was a dream?'
'All of what?' Adrien asked innocently.
Marinette blinked the sleep out of her gorgeous bluebell eyes. She looked even more adorable when she'd just woken up.
'I wasn't talking in my sleep, was I?' she asked nervously.
'Oh…no. Not at all.' Of course, Adrien was going to have to come clean. But he couldn't say anything in front of Nino.
His best friend had his arms folded tightly against his chest.
'No fair! She thinks it was all a dream!' he whined.
'Tough,' said Adrien, getting up. 'I fulfilled my end of the bargain, fair and square.'
'What bargain?' asked Marinette, eyebrows knitting together.
'Oh…nothing. Don't you worry about it, Marinette.' He winked at her, forgetting that he wasn't still in Cat Noir mode. Marinette was looking worried…and suspicious. Time to get out of there.
'Well, it's time to get back to class,' he said, dragging Nino back towards the library door.
'No it isn't,' Nino protested.
'Yes it is,' Adrien insisted. He ushered Nino out, leaving a very bewildered Marinette frowning at them.
He'd been so worried about revealing his identity to her…he never would have guessed that it would happen the other way round! He resolved to tell her at patrol that night. It was the right thing to do.
But that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun.
Marinette was confused.
Very, very confused.
And worried.
She'd fallen asleep and dreamt up this imaginary conversation with Cat Noir. It had felt so real, like he was really there. Then she'd woken up, expecting to find her partner, but instead it had been Adrien, who had been a little too quick to insist that he hadn't heard anything. She hoped she hadn't addressed Adrien as Kitty and told him to go away. That would be embarrassing…not to mention dangerous. There was only one person who spoke to Cat Noir that way and that was Ladybug.
Also, Adrien and Nino had talked about some sort of bargain. What had that been about?
Trying to put it out of her mind, she did her homework, took a nap, then transformed into Ladybug and headed out to meet the real Cat Noir for patrol. It must have been a dream, she thought. There was no way her partner would forget about the prospect of getting ice-cream together. He loved desserts and he loved her. It was his idea of a dream come true.
He seemed to care more about her than the ice-cream, because he found her first. She had stopped on a rooftop to admire the view when he landed in front of her.
'Hi, Kitty,' she greeted him with a smile. In response, he flashed his most flirtatious grin at her, making alarm bells go off in her head. Was she about to receive another unwanted love confession?
'Well hey there, my lady,' he began, leaning on his staff. 'How fur-tunate that I ran into you on this fine evening.'
Ladybug rolled her eyes. She'd told him about this.
'Kitty…' She tried to inject a warning tone into her voice without sounding angry. The last thing she wanted was an argument. They were supposed to be a team, now more than ever.
'You know,' he continued, 'I've been planning to find the prettiest girl and…whisker away. And I think I've found her.'
Ladybug opened her mouth to tell him off…but the words died in her throat. She couldn't remember him ever using that particular pick-up line…and yet it sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before?
'Silly Kitty,' she said, shaking her head. 'When will you learn that that won't work on me?'
'Silly? Moi? Paw-lease. Is that any way to talk to a su-purr-hero?' He leaned in closer, his bright green eyes dancing merrily. Unless she was mistaken, he was trying his best not to laugh.
Something wasn't right. This felt like a conversation she'd had with him recently. Very recently, in fact. Maybe even…that same day. What if…
What if it wasn't a dream?
Only one way to find out.
'I mean it, Cat Noir,' she said slowly. 'Go annoy someone else with your puns. How are you…even awake after last night?' He gave a little nod, looking very pleased that she was playing along.
'Oh, you know. We cats are used to being awake all night. And I thought you liked my puns?'
That was enough. Ladybug had more important things on her mind than telling him just what she thought of his puns.
'Okay…what's going on, Cat Noir? Didn't…you say all this stuff to me earlier?'
'You got it, m'lady. Or should I say…Marinette.'
He burst out laughing at the look of pure horror on her face.
'W-w-what the…h-h-how do you know?' she stammered. 'How long have you known?'
'Since this morning, of course.'
'So it wasn't a dream?'
'No, m'lady. I was really there.'
'So that was you making all those ridiculous puns! But what were you doing at my school!?'
He chuckled.
'Bugaboo, I go to your school. I was right there when you woke up.'
The answer, of course, had been buried in the back of her mind all day. She hadn't dared entertain that thought in case it was too good to be true. But it was.
'…Adrien?'
'You got it.'
Ladybug was speechless. Maybe this was another dream and she'd wake up any second. She felt that she'd have to see him de-transform before she could believe that it really was Adrien under the catsuit. But it made sense. It all made sense.
She was now torn between feeling ecstatic that her crush was the boy who loved her so much...and angry at both him and herself for being so careless and blowing their covers. She planted her hands on her hips and glared sternly up at him.
'Would you like to explain to me why you were doing an impression of yourself?'
'Long story short, I lost a bet with Nino. He wanted me to flirt with you because he knows I have a crush on you. Which reminds me…I owe him a DJ Booth, some headphones, and a yacht.'
Ladybug had no idea what that last bit was about…nor did she care. What she'd just heard had made her heart nearly leap out of her chest.
'Wait, hold up. You have a crush on me?'
'Yep. And I guess he thought I wouldn't be very good at a Cat Noir impression and I'd embarrass myself. Little does he know.' A smirk played around his lips.
'Hang on, Kitty-cat. I thought your crush was on Ladybug-me?'
'Well…' He grinned sheepishly. 'Since you were the only one to believe me when I didn't want to go on that trip with Lila…I guess something changed. You were the only one who listened, who really understood. Since then, I haven't been able to get you off my mind.'
'So you fell for me twice?' Ladybug felt her anger subside a little. She really was the luckiest girl in the world.
'I did. You're just that irresistible.' He gave her that famous wink she knew so well. She folded her arms, trying to keep a smile from creeping its way onto her face.
'Flattery isn't going to make me forgive you, Cat Noir. First you reveal our identities and then you mess with my head. You've been a bad kitty.'
'Then what, Ladybug? How can I make it up to you?'
She pursed her lips thoughtfully – and then had an idea.
'You could kiss me,' she suggested casually, swallowing down a grin.
He looked stunned and delighted.
'Coming right up, m'lady!' He began to close in on her, puckering his lips. Just in time, she stepped backwards out of his reach.
'Not so fast, though. You have to catch me first.' She began to back away towards the edge of the roof, not taking her eyes off him.
'Oh, you want a game of cat and mouse, Marinette?' He prowled towards her, keeping their gazes locked. 'Sure, I'll catch you. And then we can go to André as a real couple?'
'Yes, Adrien. Oh, he'll love that. And then, I'll tell you a secret.' She couldn't wait for the look on his face when she told him he was the boy to whom her heart belonged.
'A secret? I'm intrigued.'
'But I'm not easy to catch, Kitty,' she warned him playfully.
'We'll see about that. A good cat always catches his mouse. Or in this case, his ladybug!'
He made a grab for her, but his claws closed on empty air as she tossed her yo-yo out to the side and swung neatly out of his reach.
'Missed me!' she taunted, before leaping away faster than the wind. She wasn't going to let him kiss her that easily, after the trouble he'd caused. But she was also glad it had happened. She could now begin her future with her wonderful boyfriend, who she never had to lie to again.