Chapter Text
Cat Noir paces on the rooftop of the Agreste Mansion. It's late evening and there’s a big cardboard box, large enough to fit a person, a pen and a few papers. Ladybug lands and looks around. Cat Noir freezes. “You came.” Ladybug says confused, “Of course I did. You said it was an emergency. I didn’t want to ghost you… again.” Cat Noir sits cross legged and gestures for her to sit down too. Ladybug sits.
“I want to propose a game,” he says.
“Oh no no no, kitty, the last time we played a game you almost revealed your identity to me.”
“But that’s what this game’s about,” Cat Noir smirks. Ladybug shakes her head and gets up. “Alright, enough, Cat. If you’re gonna tell me your identity then I have to leave.”
“No, wait, bugaboo! Listen. Please?”
Ladybug stops, turns to him and crosses her arms. “Fine. I’ll listen. But if you even try and do something fishy, I’m gonna lucky charm myself a pan and—“
“Yeah, yeah, m’lady, we don’t have to get to that part.” Cat Noir says. “So… should I start?”
“Yeah, fine. Go on.” She says, sitting back down.
“Okay. So, here’s the game. It’s like twenty questions, but you only have three. You can guess whatever you want about my identity, whatever. If you think you’ve got it, anytime between any question, even after one, then write it down on this paper. With your name too. Please write it down though, don’t want any spies figuring out our identity, heh. If it’s correct, I’ll read your name, then tear it up so no one can see. And if you get it wrong, I won’t ever mention this game, our identities or anything related to that unless you bring it up. Okay?”
Ladybug nods. “Okay.”
“So um… I’ll start asking the questions now. Oookay.” She says, laughing nervously.
Cat Noir nods.
“Alright um. Question 1. How old are you?”
“I’m fourteen.” He says.
Oh, he’s the same age as me, Ladybug thinks.
“Ok, next question. Are um… are your features like uh, hair and eyes and stuff the same, detransformed?” she asks.
“Yeah… I’m a blonde and I have green eyes.”
“I-I think I know who you are. But just to confirm,” she says, shakily, “Are your initials.. AA?”
Cat Noir nods with a smile, “They sure are. Do you… know me?”
Ladybug thinks for a beat. “Let’s see.” She writes it down on the paper. Adrien Agreste.
“If this is actually you, I’m gonna beat you up, okay?” She says. Her hands shake. She can only manage Mari and the rest of her initials.
Cat Noir takes the paper, laughs a little and tears it into pieces. Ladybug gasps. She starts crying and leaps forward into a hug.
“I.. brought the box in case you wanted to like, detransform or something.”
Ladybug wipes her eyes and punches him playfully. “You… argh. Seriously?”
“Seriously…” he says.
“Hi, Adrien,” she whispers.
“Hi, Mari.”
Bonus scene ———————————————————————————————————————
“So uh. We’re probably gonna be late to school,” Cat Noir jokes.
“I love that you brought a literal cardboard box, though. Why and how did you even think of that?” Ladybug says.
“Wanna actually use it though? I brought a macaroon Plagg was hiding. He told me your kwami likes sweets.”
“Aww,” Ladybug says, “Sure. Gimme!”
Cat Noir tosses her a moldy macaroon. “Here.”
“…it has mold on it.”
“Yeah. Why’d you think Plagg was hoarding it? He was waiting for it to turn into cheese somehow.”
Ladybug rolls her eyes. “I have a macaroon in my purse. Take it back, it’s weird and it smells like spoiled butter.”
She puts the box on her head and slides into it.
“Er,” she says, muffled, “Bit tight in here.”
Tikki, spots off!
She squeezes out of the box as Marinette and clutches her hair.
“Ow.”
Cat Noir laughs at her and helps her up.
“Hey, also. I have something to give you.”
Cat Noir raises an eyebrow, “What is it, buga—“
Bonk!
“Look, it was this mini pan I had!”
“Why did you bonk me?” Cat Noir says sadly.
“Because you did something bad and I made a promise to bonk you with a pan!”
Cat Noir frowns. He squeezes into the cardboard box and detransforms too. Except, he’s stuck. Marinette pulls him out.
“Double ow,” Adrien groans.
“We should probably get going now. Meet you at school?”
“Yeah. If I can recover from your pan bonking.” Adrien replies.
“Bye, then.”
“Yeah, bye, m’lady. Ooh, owie…” he groans.