Playing Cat AND Mouse?

by Origami Stars

AU. Adrien Agreste lives his double life as one of the superheroes of Paris, the mysterious Chat Noir. His life can get quite hectic with all his responsibilities as both Adrien and Chat, so what will happen when you throw a third life into the mix? You might get disaster. And a fair amount of identity confusion.

1. Playing Cat AND Mouse?

Playing Cat... AND Mouse?

AU. Adrien Agreste lives his double life as one of the superheroes of Paris, the mysterious Chat Noir. His life can get quite hectic with all his responsibilities as both Adrien and Chat, so what will happen when you throw a third life into the mix? You might get disaster. And a fair amount of identity confusion.

A/N: This was supposed to be a simple story. No more than maybe 3,000 words. Now look at it.

The concept of this fic came to me when I was half asleep and thinking about how ironic it would be if Chat Noir was (unknowingly) given the mouse miraculous and it spiraled from there. Enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE that this story was written before season three and should be considered an AU.

I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.

o0O0o

It was the time students had between classes, and Adrien, Marinette, Alya, and Nino were happily chatting and making plans to see a movie later in the week as they ate their lunch. They had just settled on Friday directly after school when the akuma alert went off, blaring down the halls as frightened students began to rush out of the school to get home. Alya immediately went off to film the akumatized victim for her blog while Marinette and Adrien both vanished to find 'hiding spots.' Nino was left to go chasing after his crazy girlfriend.

Not even a few minutes later, Ladybug and Chat Noir were on the scene, and what a scene it was! There was a huge traffic accident only a block from the school - several cars were piled up and a bus was flipped on its side. There were police cars on the sidewalks and the officers were trying their best to control the crowd and assess the injured. The superhero duo landed beside the chief officer and he glanced in their direction before doing a double take.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! Thank goodness you're here, have you handled the akuma? From what I've gathered, he's the one that caused this."

"We haven't caught him yet. Is there anything about him that you can tell us?"

"I didn't actually see him, I'm just telling you what some of the victims told me. He showed up in the middle of the road, scared some people, and vanished just as quick as he appeared. That's all I know."

"Thank you for your help, Officer. Come on, Chat."

They hopped along the rooftops, hoping to find the akumatized victim. Just as they were passing the Louvre, they heard a series of terrified screams and watched as Parisians burst through the front doors and fled in a panicked mob.

"Oh, good! We found him." Chat grinned as he and Ladybug dropped down and carefully approached.

Ladybug nodded. "He gets around quickly, how else could he have caused an accident like that? Or get here so fast?"

"So we could be dealing with super speed. Don't worry, LB, cats are very quick on their paws."

"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" A voice boomed from above. The heroes started and looked up to see a person-shaped shadow on the top of the Louvre. "I am Viewfinder! Give me your miraculous or I will cause destruction the likes of which you've never seen!"

"Hey! That's my turf!"

"Chat, he said his name was Viewfinder! That means the akuma is in a camera!"

"Good work, My Lady! What's the plan?"

"The last time we fought a camera-based akuma, every time he took a picture, people were captured."

"But no one disappeared this time! The people in traffic were still in their cars and we saw the civilians come out of the Louvre!"

"Viewfinder. Think! What does the name imply?"

"Well, viewfinders help the photographer focus the picture they want to take."

"Wait! Maybe he -"

"That's enough talking! Give me your miraculous!" Viewfinder screamed. He jumped from the top of the Louvre to land menacingly in front of the famous duo.

"Chat, you distract him while I go for the camera," Ladybug whispered to her partner.

"You got it, Mi'Lady." Chat twirled his staff to catch Viewfinder's attention. "Well, isn't this quite the development! You don't need to be so flashy to get our attention, I'm sure if we just talk it out, we'll be able to see the whole picture of your situation!" Chat flipped his staff over his shoulders and casually walked to the side, Viewfinder's gaze locked on to the ring of the Black Cat. Ladybug took the opportunity to stealthily sneak behind the victim.

"What are you talking about, you filthy alley cat?" Viewfinder stepped forward toward Chat. "Give me your miraculous!"

Ladybug tried to spot the camera she was sure held the akuma, but the only thing she saw were... binoculars? That was the only bulky object she could see; was the akuma in there? He was also wearing a bracelet, one that looked like it had been made by a child. It seemed to have some sort of charm on it - another possible object for the akuma to possess.

Chat pouted. "Hey, no need to be so negative! I 'shutter' to think about what could have caused you such distress!"

Ladybug figured if she just immobilized the possessed man, it would be easier to find the akuma.

A butterfly mask appeared over the victim's face. He whirled around and saw Ladybug winding up to throw her yo-yo. "Enough!" Viewfinder shouted again. "If you won't give your miraculous to me, I'll just take them!" He leapt backward so the heroes weren't surrounding him and Chat brought his staff down from his shoulders into a guarding position. Ladybug walked closer to Chat, still twirling her trusty yo-yo.

"Aww, that's too bad! I think we had a good shot at being friends!" Chat beamed at his lady's pun.

"Us? Friends? That's what you think." The mask appeared again and Viewfinder smirked.

"Chat, I couldn't find the camera!" Ladybug whispered as Hawkmoth continued to speak to the man through the psychic connection. "Just binoculars and a bracelet. I don't know where the akuma is."

"That's ok, My Lady. We'll find it," he whispered back. "We need to get him now while he's distracted."

"I'll go right, you take the left. Try to pin him for me." A curt nod and they were off, charging at Viewfinder with the intent to capture.

In a blink, the akumatized victim disappeared.

"What the...?" The pair slowed to a stop and looked around, weapons at the ready, but the akuma was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" All of a sudden, the screeches of a jewelry store's alarm system went off.

"There!" The two jumped into action, but when they arrived on the scene, Viewfinder was long gone. As were several thousand dollars worth of gems.

They caught up to him again when he tried to derail a train. And again when he almost took out a news chopper. And yet again when he tried to set fire to a random building. Each time they thwarted him, but it came at a cost. Every time they got close to him, he would vanish, only to reappear somewhere completely different.

And so it went, this elaborate - and rather destructive - game of cat and mouse, where no matter how the two heroes tried, they were never able to catch the akumatized victim, let alone corner him for more than a minute. Chat had already used Cataclysm to try and trap Viewfinder, but it was of no use, he was just too slippery. The superhero duo were at their wit's end when they finally realized how he was getting around so fast. They were coming up behind him, hoping to get the drop on him, when he plucked the binoculars from his hip, looked through them, and once again disappeared.

Chat turned to Ladybug with an eyebrow raised. "Do you think the akuma is in the binoculars and the name 'viewfinder' is just a red herring?" He paused. "Or maybe Hawkmoth is just an idiot and doesn't know the difference between a camera and a pair of binoculars."

Ladybug gave an unladylike snort at Chat's editorial comment, and nodded. "We saw him use the binoculars, so I'd say yes. It looks like his power involves teleporting to places he can see. The farther he can see, the farther he can go."

"That makes sense; what's the plan?"

"We need to cut off his line of sight. If he can't see where he's going, he can't get away.

But how are we going to even get to him? As soon as he sees us, he'll just disappear again. We need to figure out where he's going to be next so we can set up a trap for him."

"How do we do that? He's been all over the place with no rhyme or reason to it!"

"Hmm... Lucky Charm!" She threw her yo-yo up into the air and received a small gong. "What am I... wait! I know what this is for! We need to-" she was cut off by rapid beeping and she looked down at Chat's ring. "Well, first, you need to recharge. Meet me at the Eiffel Tower as soon as you can. We're going to need help with this one. I'm going to do some recruiting."

"You got it, Mi'Lady." With that, they took off in separate directions. Chat to his home, and Ladybug to Master Fu's. After detransforming in a deserted alleyway, Marinette made her way over to Master Fu's door and knocked. A few seconds went by before the door opened and a smiling Fu greeted her.

"Hello, Marinette. I wondered if you might come here. That akuma seems extra tricky."

"Yes, Master. We need help. Chat and I cannot stop Viewfinder on our own." Fu nodded and walked over to his record player. Putting in the special code, he pulled the Miracle Box out and slid it in front of Marinette.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely, such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once the mission is over you will retrieve the miraculous from them."

Marinette tapped her chin with her finger. "I need someone who can predict the victim's next move."

Master Fu nodded wisely and gestured to a grey bracelet. "The power to predict the future lies with the Mouse miraculous. Choose the host wisely, Marinette. With that power, the Mouse could be the Ladybug's downfall, simply by knowing how you will attack. They could even figure out your identity by hiding in a spot they predict you will detransform in."

"How long does the power last, Master?"

"Once Foresight is activated, the user will be able to predict the future for a few minutes before they immediately transform back. Be sure to pick someone you can trust with such power. Someone who is responsible and undeniably loyal."

"Thank you, Master." She took the miraculous from the box.

"You have someone in mind, Marinette?"

"Yes, I know exactly who to trust with this power."

"Be sure to return the miraculous to me once the akuma has been defeated."

"I will." She stood up, ready to leave when Master Fu held out a hand for her to stop. She did.

"One last thing, Marinette. While the Mouse's power is activated, the host will be vulnerable to attacks, as most of their attention will be looking for information on possible future outcomes."

"They'll be safe," she promised. "I'll make sure of it." Marinette left and transformed out of sight. She then made a beeline for the person she had chosen to help.

Meanwhile, Adrien was digging through the drawers in his room, trying to find some cheese for Plagg. "Of all the days you had to raid the stash!" he snapped at the kwami, "You know we don't get another shipment of Camembert until tomorrow! Why'd you go and eat it all? I told you to ration it out!"

"You should know by now that that puny amount can hardly feed me!"

"I buy fourteen kilos of it every other week! Father is already suspicious enough with all the packages we get and you are not helping things when you insist that I buy more!" He continued to dig through the cheese wrappers until... "A-ha! Looks like you missed some, you little pig!" Adrien straightened in triumph, holding the cheese up. Plagg made a noise of delight and gobbled it up.

"Are you ready to transform again?" Adrien asked after the kwami had finished.

"Eh, I suppose. If that's all the cheese you have. Fire away."

Adrien held out his fist and began, "Plagg-" Plagg suddenly gasped and zoomed inside Adrien's outer shirt. The boy looked toward his door in confusion. "Plagg?" The kwami didn't answer, but a knock at his window did instead. Whirling around, he did a double take as he realized that Ladybug was at his house. Not just at his house, but climbing through his open window.

"Adrien!"

"My L-! My goodness, you scared me!"

"I'm sorry I scared you, Adrien, but I need your help."

"With... what?"

"Defeating the akuma. Chat Noir and I cannot do this alone."

"O-oh! And you want my help?"

Nodding, Ladybug pulled out a miraculous box and Adrien's eyes went comically large. "Adrien Agreste, here is the Miraculous of the Mouse, which grants the power of foresight. You will use it for the greater good. Once the job is done, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Adrien stared at the box, completely gob smacked. Was she serious? Mind racing, Adrien didn't know what to do. He could accept the miraculous and be absent as Chat, or he could refuse and Ladybug would end up picking someone else to help them. He could make up some excuse and get the heck out of there to transform back into Chat Noir. Yeah, that could work. She would probably see him as a coward after that, but she needed Chat's help.

"Ladybug... I'm not sure this is a good idea."

She blinked in surprise. "How come?"

He should have seen this coming; of course she would want an explanation! His mind was already frazzled enough with her suddenly dropping into his room, let alone the added fact that she was giving him a miraculous. He reeled for an excuse. Any excuse.

"I've got a... er... fencing lesson! That I just remembered! And it's right now, in fact. I should go, you know, before I'm late!" Yep, nailed it.

Ladybug just raised an eyebrow.

Adrien kept his fake grin on his face a moment longer before his shoulders slumped in defeat. He could lie like a rug to his father, but he couldn't lie to Ladybug, at least when it came to her needing his help.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Adrien, it's me. You can tell me what's bothering you."

"It's just... I'm... not a hero, Ladybug. Besides, you've got Chat Noir and all those other heroes to help you. Why do you need me?"

"It's true I have other heroes available to help, but this particular akuma is tricky and we can't predict where he'll be next. That's why I picked the Mouse Miraculous with its power of predicting the future. We need that power to help the victim, Adrien, and with you wielding it, we can't lose."

He grasped desperately at any excuse he could. "But why me? I'm not like you! I'll just get in the way."

"Adrien. You may not have powers," Here, he looked away in shame. Yes I do, his mind whispered as she continued, "But I've seen you put your life in danger to protect innocent people. You've even saved me a few times! You are as much a hero as Chat and I are. You are strong and loyal and you always try and see the best in people. That is why I picked you to hold this Miraculous. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it."

"Ladybug, I'm sorry, but..." He paused as she gently turned his head to look at her. Her gloved fingers were warm against his chin.

"Adrien, I'm not going to force you to accept the Miraculous, but I need you to know that you are a hero, even if you don't think so. You're brave and you risk your life to save others. That's what makes you a hero, and you're doing it without a costume or magic jewelry."

"You would really trust me with this?"

"The only other person I would trust with this Miraculous is Chat Noir, but he already has one." Adrien inwardly snorted at the irony of the statement.

After debating with himself, it was really thanks to his inner mantra of can't let her down, can't let her down, can't let her down - the one that drove him to do his best every time he put on the mask, that made him decide. He would be able to help her as this new hero, and once he left to detransform, he could turn into Chat Noir and continue to help her. Adrien gave her a tiny nod to show that he accepted the responsibility. She handed him the box and he held it very gently in his hands.

"You can count on me, Ladybug." She inclined her head for him to open the box. Tentatively, he lifted the lid. He gasped as a bright flash of light flew up from inside and hovered just above the box.

"Hello," said a soft but calm voice. The floating light faded to reveal an adorable grey rodent with big ears. A rat. Wait, Ladybug said this was the Mouse Miraculous? A mouse, then.

"Hello. Excuse me for being rude, but what are you, exactly?"

"I'm what's known as a kwami. I grant you your superpowers," the kwami explained in her high, sweet voice.

"What's your name?" Adrien asked, holding out his hand for her to land on. She hesitated, sniffing at his skin. The mouse raised an eyebrow at his silver ring before she delicately sat on his palm. She looked up at him as he set the box down on a nearby table.

"I am Mullo."

"It's nice to meet you, Mullo." He carefully stroked her head and she closed her eyes in contentment.

"Are you ready to help, Adrien?" Ladybug asked.

Mullo drifted out of his palm as he plucked the bracelet from the box and attached it to his wrist. "Yes."

The kwami floated up to eye level and explained, "Just say 'Mullo, paws up!' and you'll transform."

He opened his mouth to say the magic words, but then paused, thinking back on his first transformation into Chat Noir. "Is there anything else I should know before I do that? If I say the words, you'll be gone, right? Or else Ladybug and Chat Noir would have tiny companions with them while they fought." He paused once again, thinking through his rushed explanation for being cautious. "Right?"

Mullo narrowed her eyes slightly, inquisitiveness in her stare. "To activate your special power, say 'Foresight' and you will be able to predict the most likely future outcome for about five minutes. You can focus on predicting the outcome on something specific, like where the victim will be or how your plan might turn out. Be warned, however, you will be vulnerable to attacks, as predicting the future requires intense focus. You will not be able to defend yourself. After that, you will change back immediately. Anything else?" she asked, not unkindly.

"No. I'm ready. I think. Thank you." Mullo just nodded her head in acknowledgement, waiting for him to say the words. He obeyed. "Mullo, paws up!"

The transformation was a lot different than he was used to. Transforming with Plagg made him feel wild and dangerous, like he could let loose his inner animal and just be free, at least for a few hours. With Mullo, there was still the associated rush of power and strength that came with being a superhero, but the transformation felt calmer, more controlled and less reckless. It felt... almost normal. He wouldn't be able to act the way he did as Chat Noir; that would give him away to Ladybug in a heartbeat, so shy and quiet Adrien Agreste it was. How fitting that she gave him the Mouse.

The suit was mostly grey, with black and a small amount of white and green breaking up the color around his wrists, sides, legs, and neck. He had soft, velvety ears perched in the same spot his cat ears normally went. Only these were slightly bigger, curved, and they curled in much more sharply at the base. A white sash looped around his waist and dangled down to his knee. There was a fencing foil at his hip, held in place by the sash. Excellent. He wondered if the kwami chose the weapon their host had based on the host's experiences. He would have to ask Master Fu about that. It was weird not having claws, but he would manage. He twisted around to try and see the suit from different angles. Satisfied, Adrien turned to Ladybug.

"Do I look ok?"

She nodded in excitement, a gentle pink marking her cheeks. "This Miraculous really suits you, Adrien."

He let out a bark of surprised laughter at her joke and smiled shyly at her. They just sort of stood there and stared at each other for a few seconds before Ladybug shook her head and spoke. "Are you ready to go?" It was his turn to nod and they were off. They jumped out Adrien's window, hopped up to the top of the building they were next to, and ran across the rooftops.

Ladybug had the Ladyblog open and was reading through the most recent akuma sightings when they came to a stop at the top of the Eiffel Tower. She gave him a rundown on the victim and his powers, as well as the failed attempts she and Chat had at catching him. Adrien thought about what he wanted to say next, hoping it wouldn't sound too much like what he would say if he was Chat.

When she was finished explaining, Adrien asked, "What is it that you want me to do, Ladybug? What's the plan?"

"We're going to have to set a trap for him, but we'll have to be quick, your power only lasts for a short time. We'll need Chat Noir. Have you seen him?"

"Uh... no, I haven't."

"Where could he be? Let me see if he's transformed." Adrien waited nervously as he watched his partner try and call his alter-ego. Or would it be his alter-alter-ego? Either way, Chat, not surprisingly, didn't pick up. "Alright, here's what we do, Adr- oh, wait! I shouldn't use your real name! Do you have a hero name in mind that we can use?"

"Oh! Uh... Um... How about... Mus?"

"Mus? What's that?"

He gave her the meaning as if he was reading it out of a textbook, "Mus is the Latin name, or rather the genus, for muroid rodents, which are typically mice." He paused at her odd look, and shrugged, "Don't ask me how I know that."

"Ooookay, Mus it is then!" She shook her head and smiled at him. "We need to set a trap. Where is that cat? He said he would be here!"

"Er... maybe he got held up?" Mus shrugged helplessly.

"We need Chat for my plan to work."

"What is your plan?" Ladybug gave up searching the horizon for her partner and gave Mus the rundown on her plan. He was so nervous, afraid he would somehow screw up (well, even worse than he already had by accepting the mouse miraculous) and Ladybug would hate him. As he listened to his Lady speak, however, he began to relax, comforted by her presence and her voice. You've done this a hundred plus times and have kept your identity secret through each one. So what if you have another identity now? You know what to do in these kinds of situations. Follow Ladybug's lead and do your best and the rest will work itself out.

He tilted his head at her when she was finished. "It sounds like you don't need Chat until we actually set the trap. I could use my power now and not only will I know where Viewfinder will be, but I'll know if Chat shows up! Since I'll transform back I can get out of your way so you don't have to protect me, and you and Chat can take down the akuma." And maybe I can pull this off without screwing everything up, he thought.

"But if you look specifically for Chat, you could figure out his identity! And I need both of you, remember. You won't get in the way, Adrien." She smiled at him shyly and he swore that his heart skipped a beat. He swallowed.

"...What should I do then? Try and find out where the akuma will be next, and... Not look for Chat?"

"Yes to the akuma part, but I only need to know when Chat will show up. Don't look for him, wait for him."

Mus nodded once more. "Ok. So... I just say the word to activate it?"

"That's right."

"Ok, um... Foresight!" Adrien's view of Paris was suddenly taken over by a tangle of glowing strings, all of them moving and twining every which way. There were so many, and they all went in different directions and had different outcomes - he saw some where he had refused the mouse miraculous and helped Ladybug only as Chat; they didn't defeat Viewfinder until late at night, when Ladybug cornered him in an office building and Chat Noir took out a power generator so it was too dark to see anything. He saw one where they were fighting a completely different victim with completely different powers, one where the day was completely normal, another one where Viewfinder, and by extension Hawkmoth, won. One where Ladybug and Chat Noir were killed. All the different possibility threads were glowing brighter and brighter until he could see nothing but white-hot light as they overwhelmed his mind with outcomes. They were fighting for his attention, shoving harshly at each other and wrapping their burning, blistering threads around his body and squeezing and squeezing and squeezing. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe; he was trapped, TRAPPED, TRAPPED-!

And then suddenly, he wasn't anymore. Gentle warmth replaced the feeling of fire along his body and the pressure eased away. A calm presence urged him to open his eyes and even though he was fearful of what he would see, he did. The strings were still there, but they were duller and more subdued in their movements, almost timid. The same presence urged him to seek out a thread, but he didn't know which one to pick - they all looked the same. 'Concentrate on what you want to know,' the presence whispered. Adrien did as he was told, thinking about where the akuma would be next, and one of the strings started to glow a little brighter, as if saying 'Me! I'm the one you want! Pick me!' He tugged at it gently, drawing it closer so he could see, and watched as fuzzy images slowly became clear.

Ladybug watched with curiosity as Adrien slipped into a trance-like state, eyes glazing as he looked into infinity. That curiosity turned quickly into concern as her friend grimaced and shuddered, closing his eyes and clutching his head. She reached towards him when he groaned in pain and placed a hand on his shoulder. That seemed to help, since he sat up again and opened his eyes. He stayed like that for a few minutes before he blinked and lost his transformation.

Blinking a few more times, Adrien looked around in slight confusion. "Ladybug?"

"I'm here. Are you ok, Adrien? You kinda started to freak out there."

"Yeah, it was just... overwhelming."

Mullo spoke up, "My apologies, I tried to help you sooner, but you were sucked into the flood of possibilities and I could not reach you. Thank you, Ladybug, you were able to anchor him to the present and allow me to guide him through the process."

"I'm glad I was able to help. I felt so useless. What did you see, Adrien?"

"In about half an hour, Viewfinder should be at a warehouse for a company that sells tech equipment. I think he wants to destroy it? I'm not really sure."

"And Chat?"

"It looked like he showed up at the warehouse a few minutes after you did."

"Ugh! That cat! I'll just message him the address." While Ladybug messaged Chat, Mullo landed on Adrien's shoulder and hunkered down into a sitting position.

"Are you ok?" he asked, stroking her head.

She leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. "I am hungry. Transformations require much energy."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Do you have any seeds? Or fruit, perhaps?"

"I'm sure I can find some. I'm surprised that you didn't want cheese."

Mullo shook her head. "Mice are lactose intolerant; we cannot eat cheese. The same goes for many of the small creatures that roam the earth. We prefer fruit. Or seeds. I enjoy seeds." Reflexively, she licked her lips.

Adrien snickered. "What kind of seeds?"

"Sunflower," she answered immediately.

He smiled at her. "I'll find you some sunflower seeds, then."

Ladybug walked back over to him, closing her yo-yo's phone feature. "Ok, the message is sent. In the meantime, let's get you suited back up."

Ladybug scooped Adrien up bridal style, both of them trying and failing not to blush, and flung her yo-yo into the distance. She and her friend zipped off to find the nearest grocery store. When they found one, Ladybug dropped into an alleyway and waited while Adrien ran into the store.

Adrien found the sunflower seeds after a bit - it took a while since he'd never been to a grocery store before. When he picked up a wheel of Camembert as well, Mullo poked her head from his shirt.

"You are purchasing Camembert?"

"I, uh... It's for... it's for..."

"It's for me." Plagg poked his own head from Adrien's pocket.

"Eep! Plagg! Get down!"

"It's ok, kid, there's no harm in her knowing. Who's she gonna tell? Kwamis look out for each other, especially if they have the same chosen."

"I... I guess you're right."

"I thought I smelled something odd on you. Of course it turns out to be the cat." She smiled good-naturedly at Plagg.

Adrien grinned at her awkwardly, "Heh, heh, uh... surprise?" his grin slipped into a sincere look. "Sorry for not telling you sooner, Mullo."

"I understand the need for discretion in normal circumstances, let alone when it comes to the identity of the Black Cat. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Mullo."

"Don't think you're off the hook with me yet, kid. What you did was stupid and reckless and we'll talk about it later. Right now, you've got a bigger problem on your hands. Ladybug wants Chat Noir and Mus to help her. How are you going to do that?"

He thought for a minute before he perked up, "Actually, I don't think it'll be as hard as you think." He paid for the seeds and the cheese before discretely slipping into the bathroom with said purchases. Thankfully, no one was in there. Adrien gave Mullo her seeds, which she nibbled on gratefully. "Plagg, claws out!" he whispered. The familiarity of transforming with Plagg made him smile and he reached behind him for his baton. Flipping it open to the phone feature but making sure it was only on voice call, he waited for Ladybug to pick up when he dialed her. Chat didn't have to wait long.

"Chat Noir! Where are you?"

"I'm on my way, My Lady, but go ahead and start without me. I ran into some complications but I'll try to be there soon. No guarantees, though."

"What kind of complications?"

"My kwami ate all of the cheese I had stashed for him, so I had to go across town to get the kind he likes. I shouldn't be more than a few minutes now that I'm transformed."

"And we only have a few minutes to catch Viewfinder. By the way, I recruited someone to help us. The Mouse Miraculous holder. He was the one who found out where to go to trap Viewfinder. He has future vision." After that new piece of information she didn't know he knew, Ladybug gave Chat Noir a quick rundown of her plan. There was a second of silence before Chat spoke.

"You said the holder of the Mouse Miraculous is helping us? And that he has future vision?"

"Yes."

"So did he foresqueak the future?" Ladybug hid a little snort behind her hand and he could almost hear her roll her eyes. "Did he have a hero name?"

"Yes, it's Mus, which is the scientific name for mice. I think he said it was the name of the species."

"Er- the genus." Chat corrected gently.

"What?"

"'Mus' is the genus, not the species. Genus is less specific than species, which is why it comes a step before."

"So... the further up the steps you go the less specific it is, and the further down you go the more specific it is?"

"Exactly!"

"Hmm, well thanks for the impromptu biology lesson, Kitty. See you soon."

He let out a hopelessly-in-love sigh as she hung up. "Mi'Ladybug is so smart."

"Focus, child."

"Right right right," he gently patted himself in the face with his hands to get his attention back on track. He detransformed and after taking care of a few other things, snuck back into the alley. Mullo munched away at her snack while Adrien and Ladybug waited.

When Mullo was finished, Adrien transformed back into Mus and he and Ladybug made their way to the technology warehouse and crouched on the roof.

"While you were in there, I got a call from Chat. He said that it might take a while because he ran into some complications, but he'll be here soon."

"Is he ok?"

"He's fine. Apparently his kwami ate all the cheese he had stashed away and he needed to go and buy more at some specialty shop all the way across town. Those two, jeez."

"They have a knack for finding trouble, huh?"

"They certainly have a way of keeping things interesting. Anyway," she started, pulling out her yo-yo to look at the Ladyblog, "it's time to set our trap, looks like the akuma has been sighted not too far from here." With that, they set their plan into motion. They crept inside the warehouse, moving around heaps of haphazardly stacked boxes until they reached the front of the building.

Trusting Chat to do his part of the plan when he arrived, Ladybug called upon her Lucky Charm. She received a red and black polka-dotted burlap bag. Perfect.

"Here, Adr- er, Mus. Take this and hide up in the rafters. I'll surprise him, Chat will do his thing and you drop in from above while he's distracted."

"You got it, Mi'Lady," he chirped, and hopped away to do his job. Ladybug gave his back a startled look.

Just then, he sounded exactly like... like...

Like Chat Noir.

Her eye twitched.

She had no time to think about it, though, because just then the door slammed open and hit the wall with a thunderous crash! The akuma stood in the doorway, having kicked the door open, and waltzed in like he owned the place. He had a gas can and a lighter. With a soft 'poink' he popped the top off of the gas can and went to tip the contents out. A yo-yo string wrapping around his hand halted his progress.

Snarling, he turned to look at the source of his interruption. "Ladybug! How did you..." A butterfly mask appeared over his face, "Never mind, give me your miraculous! You too, Chat Noir! I know you're here, come on out!"

"Chat Noir! Now!" Ladybug shouted, still holding the akumatized victim with her weapon.

She heard her partner yell, "Cataclysm!" and the distinct destruction that Chat's power caused spread from stacked box to stacked box, causing them to crumble and tumble into opaque clouds of ash. Viewfinder couldn't get away if he couldn't see.

She didn't even have to shout for Mus before he dropped from the rafters and shoved the polka-dotted burlap sack over Viewfinder's head. He hopped out of sight a moment later. Chat Noir then dashed forward through the thick cloud of ash and snatched the binoculars from the victim's hip. He threw them to Ladybug, who dropped them on the floor, shattering the lenses and freeing the akuma. She caught it in her yo-yo and purified it before freeing it and wishing it farewell. Ladybug snagged the burlap sack from the now de-akumatized victim's head and threw it in the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" All the things Viewfinder destroyed and stole were repaired and returned and Chat's Cataclysm was reversed; the ash floating around turned back into boxes full of stuff and no longer choked the air. Thick cracks in the walls and floor that she hadn't noticed before were repaired.

A little part of her brain noted that Chat's Cataclysm had been distinctly more powerful than usual and spread further than normal.

Chat Noir bounded up to Ladybug and smiled at her.

"Pound it!" they said in tandem, bumping their fists in their traditional salute. Chat turned to go when Ladybug stopped him.

"Wait, don't you want to meet our newest member?"

"Maybe later, Bugaboo. This cat's gotta scat before he transforms back."

"Alright, I'll see you later." She turned slightly, but watched him very carefully out of the corner of her eye as he leapt through the window. If he was who she thought he was... No. It couldn't possibly be him, she was just seeing similarities between the boy she had a huge crush on and the boy that she maybe, possibly, in some teeny tiny way, might also have a bit of a crush on. It didn't mean they were the same person.

Nodding to herself, she cupped a hand to her mouth and called up to the rafters, "Mus!" No reply. He must not have heard her. Not to be deterred, she tried again, "Mus?" Still nothing. She tried one last time, "Mus? Are you alright?"

"I'm here! I'm here, sorry Ladybug! I'll come down!" Well, you know what they say, the third time's the charm. True to his word, Mus hopped down from his perch and landed in front of Ladybug, sounding a little breathless.

Her eye twitched again.

"What were you doing up there?"

"Oh! Um... I uh... I kinda zoned out?" he looked away from her. He must have felt ashamed that he spaced out while 'on duty,' so to speak.

Ladybug forced a grin, trying to accept the perfectly reasonable explanation her brain gave her for why Adrien was acting the way he was. "Right. Well, let's get out of here. I'll need to get you home!"

With that, the two of them left the warehouse and jumped across the Paris rooftops. Ladybug couldn't help but notice how easily Adrien travelled. It was like he had done parkour across the rooftops a million times before. He was even adding an unnecessary amount of flair to his movements a first-timer wouldn't be comfortable with doing. She couldn't think of an innocent reason of why he would do that.

They came to a stop on the roof across from the Agreste mansion and Adrien spoke, "Paws down," and lost his transformation. He bade Mullo farewell and removed the bracelet, handing it to Ladybug with a little bow. "Thank you for choosing me to help you, Ladybug. I'm glad I could make a difference."

"You make good hero material." Was she really doing this? Was she really going to compromise his potential identity like this?

"Oh! Thank you, Ladybug. That means a lot, coming from you." He smiled shyly at her.

"I imagine it does. I'm sorry I don't tell you that more often." Yes. Yes, she was. She had always been impulsive when it came to split-second decisions. This, apparently, was one of those times. She could hear the alarm bells blaring warnings of 'secret identities must remain a secret!' and 'once you know you can never go back!' in her mind, but they were strangely distant. Easily waved off. She had to make sure, or else she would go insane with all the 'what if's.'

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," he said cautiously. She regarded him with intelligent eyes (and a racing heart).

"You have experience with being a hero, don't you?"

"What?!" His voice went into the upper registers in his surprise and he inwardly winced - he needed to calm down, she couldn't possibly be implying that she knew. Right? "Ha, ha! Ha! Nope! No experience here," he said, panicked, and Ladybug's heart soared the same time her stomach dropped. Her suspicions had been correct, then. "Just an ordinary kid with absolutely zero experience with hero stuff at all! I should - I should, ah, probably get going! Don't want to be late for my fencing recital! I-I mean, my piano tournament! Gah, I mean-"

"I know what you meant, Chat."

"Oh good, because I - wait!"

"Gotcha." Ladybug smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he squeaked.

"Hmm, let's see... you called me Mi'Lady, you seem to know exactly what to do and how to do it, you and Chat never appeared together - one of you was always out of sight while the other was with me, you both have weirdly specific knowledge of how to scientifically classify rodents... shall I go on?"

Adrien gulped, eyes darting around and heart racing with adrenaline. "Erm... that... proves... nothing?"

She just raised an eyebrow at him.

He wilted, his face the very image of misery. "I'm sorry Ladybug. I know you didn't want to know who I was... I promise I wasn't trying to give it away! I really was trying to keep my identities separate. You don't... Are you angry with me? Do... Do you hate me for giving away my identity?" He looked up at her through his eyelashes, terrified of what her answer might be.

"Kitty, why did you accept the miraculous I offered you?"

"I wanted to help you... and I didn't want to let you down. You asked for my help and I... I knew that I should have said no, but-but I didn't and that was selfish of me, but I thought... I thought that I could help you as both Chat Noir and Mus. I couldn't stand the thought of not being there for you when you needed me, even though I technically already was? You know, without you knowing that it was me. Helping you. As Chat Noir." He looked away. "I guess this means you need my ring back? Now that you know who I am?"

Plagg zipped out of Adrien's shirt, "Kid-!" he didn't have time to say anything else before Adrien slipped the ring off of his finger and Plagg disappeared. The boy scrunched his eyes closed and stuck out his fist, uncurling his fingers to reveal his beloved ring.

Ladybug smiled, though he couldn't see it. She stepped forward and reached out with both hands and gently curled his fingers back over his ring. When he opened his eyes, she was still holding his hand with her own. "Adrien. I'm SO glad it was you under the mask the whole time. I couldn't have asked for a better partner or friend. I'm not mad at you for giving away your identity, I promise. Put your ring back on."

Staring at her, he put the ring back on his finger. Plagg appeared again, looking grumpy but staying silent. He settled on Adrien's shoulder and decided to wait things out.

"You... you don't hate me." Adrien stated it in disbelief; almost to himself with how quietly he said it. He looked at her. "But I did the one thing you didn't want me to. Shouldn't... shouldn't you be angry?" He didn't want to hope; her reaction went against everything he had ever known. Father was always angry with him when he didn't do things right, why wasn't Ladybug?

"Adrien, did you walk up to me as your civilian self and say 'Hey it's me, Chat Noir!' and then transform? Did you do the opposite and tell me as Chat Noir that you were Adrien? Did you immediately accept Mullo when I offered her to you? No, no, and no. You tried to get out of it - though next time, Kitty, try and say that you're busy instead of inadequate, ok? That kind of self-consciousness is something we heroes will try and shoo away. Anyway, you tried to keep your identities separate even when you knew you could give yourself away in a heartbeat. It's only because we work so well together that you ended up giving yourself away. We're so comfortable with each other that you let your guard down, didn't you?"

Meekly, he nodded.

"I'm relieved you did, and that it's you, actually."

"Why?"

"Er... well because-because I... " Ladybug hesitated, looking away shyly and blushing before taking the plunge. She grabbed his hands. "Because I know you. Your civilian self, that is. I'm... I'm in your class. I sit behind you, Adrien."

Adrien blinked, before his eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe that he didn't see it before! The bluebell eyes, the shy demeanor that hid unbreakable determination and unparalleled leadership, the pigtails! How had he missed it? "Marinette?"

She nodded. Adrien sagged in relief.

"Oh, thank goodness." He brought their joined hands up and kissed her knuckles. Unable to help herself, Ladybug just grinned and grinned and grinned. "What do we do now, My Lady?" he asked, and Marinette's smile became a tad smug (even with her heart pounding with adrenalin and a rosy flush on her cheeks) when she tugged at Adrien's hand- the one she was still holding, and placed her own gentle kiss upon his knuckles.

"Let's recharge and then talk it out..." she paused and then winked at him, "My Kitty." Adrien's face went as red as his Lady's, and he couldn't help but smile.

o0O0o

The two transformed heroes were sitting at the top of the Eifel Tower that night. Their talk had gone well. It had been emotional, getting their worries and doubts off their chests, as well as their feelings on pretty much everything going on in their lives. It was bound to have been tough, but it had gone well. Right now they were chatting and swinging their legs over the edge and just basking in the glow of their newfound love.

Chat Noir spoke up. "Viewfinder. What a dumb name for an akuma based off of binoculars."

"What would you have called him?"

"Well, if he was a reporter, I'd've called him Telereporter."

Ladybug leaned her head against his shoulder, "Mmm. But he wasn't a reporter." Adrien rested his head against hers.

"Blink."

"Blink?"

"Yeah. Blink, and you'll miss him."

She snorted, "Next!"

"Bi-jaunt-ular? Like he's out on a jaunt or something? It incorporates the binoculars and his powers."

"It makes it seem like he's out for a Sunday stroll, not a mission of destruction."

"It's better than most of the names Hawkmoth has come up with."

She scrunched her face and made a so-so gesture with her hand, "Eh."

"It is!"

"Uh huh."

"Ok, Smarty-Spots, what would you name him?"

She thought for a second, "Destination Manifestation."

He blinked. "Not bad, but it's quite the mouthful, don't you think?"

"Better than 'Bi-jog-ular' or whatever it was that you said."

"I said 'Bi-jaunt-ular' but what you just said was equally bad and misleading."

"So you agree that yours was terrible?"

"Only the last one. I like my first two."

"Looking back, your first two were better than your last one. You were really reaching for that one, huh?"

"Eh, maybe a little."

"You goof."

"Your goof?" He asked.

Ladybug looked at their hands, clasped together and resting between them. "My goof," she confirmed.

They sat there thinking when Ladybug piped up, "So before you gave yourself away, how were you pulling off the whole 'one hero as two' thing?"

"Oh. Well... I got the kwamis to help. I switched between them a lot, but I also recorded myself saying a few things just in case and gave my phone to Plagg. He was hiding in the shadows, and when it was time, he hit the recording of me yelling 'Cataclysm' and used his own 'breath version' of his power to destroy the boxes."

"Hmm. That's why it seemed more powerful than usual. The destruction spread further than it normally does when you're the one controlling it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Master Fu said that he was very dangerous without a wielder. I think Plagg was the reason dinosaurs went extinct."

He gawked at her. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yep."

"Wow. I knew his power was dangerous..."

"Just not that dangerous, huh?"

"Yeah." They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, before, "Hey, what can Tikki do without a wielder?"

"I... I never thought about that. I'm really not sure. Maybe she can heal or create objects whenever she needs to? I'll ask her later."

"Yeah, later." And they continued to enjoy the other's warm presence and watch the world go by.

It wasn't until much, much later that Ladybug and Chat Noir reluctantly parted ways and headed to their respective homes for the night.

When Chat returned to his room, he detransformed and yawned, stretching before glancing at his kwami. Plagg motioned for his chosen to sit and then crossed his little arms, glaring at him.

Adrien sat on his couch, his shoulders hunkered and eyes looking away as Plagg stared him down. "Look, I know it was stupid, but she needed me-"

"No, kid. What she needed was a Chat Noir with a clear head. I can't believe you thought you could be two heroes at the same time! Did you even think? Or do you just enjoy being reckless?"

"No! I... I just wanted to help."

"You were already helping as Chat Noir."

"I know, but she just seemed so... sad when I said no. I can say no to her only so many times, you know?"

"That's not a good excuse, Adrien."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Plagg sighed. "She shouldn't have pushed you and you shouldn't have been such a reckless idiot."

"To be fair, I did give her the one reason that would make her try to convince me that I was a hero. It's my fault she thought I had crippling self-doubt when it came to these kinds of things. I also let my guard down. I'm just so used to working with her I didn't even realize that I was acting like Chat. She always puts me at ease. I should have seen that coming. You're right, I was an idiot."

"Well, I'm glad you see the error of your ways." Plagg fitted his chosen with an intense stare. "Don't try and pull something like that again, alright? I like mischief as much as the next kwami, but not the kind that puts your identity at risk. You're lucky it turned out the way it did. Now, where's my cheese?"

"You're right! I can't believe how lucky it was that Marinette turned out to be Ladybug! Marinette! My every day Ladybug is actually Ladybug! I can't believe I never noticed the similarities. She was right in front of me the whole time! Well, behind me in class, but that's beside the point! Oh my gosh, Plagg! Ladybug is in my class! Marinette! The sweetest, kindest, most amazingly fierce and awesome girl is in my class! She's so cool and so smart! She figured me out so quickly!" Adrien continued ranting about his Lady and his love for her and how he was so lucky that it was her and blah, blah, blah, while Plagg groaned and ignored him to look for food.

Meanwhile, Marinette was getting a lecture from her kwami as well.

...

Or, well... the kwami was trying to lecture her chosen. The girl was off in La La Land. Marinette heard the words "reckless" and "secret identities" and "danger" and "Hawkmoth" and "family and friends at risk" and "Marinette are you even listening?" but she was so caught up in the fact that her amazing, silly, kind, and loveable partner was also the boy she had a huge crush on that her brain was too busy freaking out about the revelation to pay much attention. Finally, realizing that the girl could not be reached at this time, Tikki gave up and decided to lecture her tomorrow when she had a clearer head.

A/N: 14 kilograms is about 30 pounds for those who are curious. That's a lot of cheese!

In regards to Mus's powers:

The mouse symbolizes attention- they notice the important things, big or small and are able to pick out what really matters and what is unimportant. They represent heightened awareness of their surroundings, which helps them detect danger (hence, foresight). The mouse also represents shyness and modesty, along with resourcefulness, so it makes sense that Marinette would pick Adrien for this miraculous.

I also wanted to share the names I considered and eventually scrapped for this particular akuma. This story was all about misdirection, so I went with something like a red herring. I also wanted to make fun of Hawkmoth.