Author's Note:

ChubbyUnicornMama gave me a review on Audio Breaker about Ladybug and Cat Noir needing to carry extra food because Hawk Moth had figured out how to force the heroes' powers to activate (forcing them to recharge often). We joked a little about some random Parisian being hit with the strong odor of camembert since Cat Noir needed to carry extra camembert during patrol. The first line of this story is hers.

I do not own any of these characters.


Summertime came to the city of Paris, and with it came the overwhelming aroma of pungent cheese... camembert to be precise.

Cat Noir looked down from the rooftops in dismay as he patrolled. With his night-vision he could see the pedestrians below moving away from him... almost forming a perfect bubble that seemed to move as he darted from place to place. It was like watching a herd of cattle move out of the way of a vehicle and then regroup after the vehicle had passed. Even the crowds regrouping in his wake would wave their hands in front of their noses trying to shoo away the lingering smell.

A few people seemed to not run away, but would lift their noses in the air and take a deep breath in through their nostrils, savoring the smell of what was obviously their favorite cheese. Well, at least Plagg's not the only one, Cat Noir would often think to himself as he spotted these one-off pedestrians.

Cat Noir finally landed on the same roof as Ladybug and snuck up behind her as she watched over the city. "Boo!"

"Hello Chaton," Ladybug replied dryly. "You do realize I could smell you coming... right?"

"I know... but it was worth a shot, My Lady." He leaned in and winked at Ladybug with a wide grin.

"You should've known... especially after that last akuma fight. That poor victim had been granted the power of super smell... you nearly killed the poor lady." Ladybug giggled and Cat Noir snorted at the memory.

"It made for a quick fight though. She practically threw her earrings at us... begging us to cleanse the akuma." Cat Noir plopped down beside Ladybug and grinned at her... the kind of grin that says, I'm sorry.

"I swear, the summer heat seems to make the odor of camembert 10 times stronger. You really need to talk Plagg into eating something less smelly."

"I've tried... but... he refuses."

"Him and this friend I know from school."

"I've noticed a few people seem to like the smell too. They always come out and sniff the sky as I pass by on my patrol. Everyone else just scatters until I'm gone." Cat Noir looked down and into the night... clearly put off by the negative attention he was attracting.

Ladybug placed her hand on his shoulder. "You'll never make me run away... no matter how badly you smell of camembert... But I might have to start wearing a clothes pin over my nose..." Ladybug let out a large laugh and nudged Cat Noir in the arm. Cat Noir's face fell again at the teasing remark and he pouted a little. "Oh come on... I'm just teasing and you know it. It's really not that clawful of a smell."

Cat Noir grinned a little at Ladybug's attempt to make a cat pun, but tried to hide it by turning his head away. After a few seconds, he turned back, still smiling widely, to see Ladybug smiling brightly back. "Thanks. I needed that."

"I would go to any lengths... even making a pun... to lift your spirits," Ladybug said in a singsong manner and Cat Noir smiled even brighter.


Just as Cat Noir was beginning to feel better, a voice from below rang out. "What is that smell. Dude! Adrien! Are you hiding around here or something?"

The duo looked over the edge to see Nino looking up. He gasped and then replied, "S-Sorry Dudes! I didn't realize you were out tonight. Is there an akuma?"

"Just patrol," Ladybug yelled back down.

"Gotcha. Sorry!" Nino scurried away towards Alya's apartment as the superheroes watched.

Ladybug turned back to Cat Noir who was suspiciously quiet. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

Cat Noir smiled a little, but was still nervous about Nino calling out for his alter-ego because of the smell. "I... I guess I remind him of his friend... Adrien? Was It?"

"Yeah... Adrien's the friend I was mentioning earlier that likes camembert." Ladybug's hand flew up covering her mouth at giving away such a big personal detail like a friend's name.

Cat Noir's eyes were wide and staring right at Ladybug when she turned to look at him. She was so embarrassed, she got up to leave and had her yoyo in her hand when Cat Noir yelled, "WAIT! S-Sorry... please wait. Don't go just because you made a mistake like that. It wasn't on purpose."

Ladybug hung her head. "We're not supposed to know... not know anything about the other that could give away our identities... and I... I just blew it. How could I!"

Cat Noir hopped up and got in front of Ladybug. He immediately noticed the tears streaming down her face. She pulled her arms up in defense, and instinctively started pounding on Cat Noir's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, whispering in her ear. "Shhh... Shhh... It's okay. Do you really think I could figure out your identity just by knowing two of your friends' names?"

Ladybug could barely breathe from crying so hard at her mistake... but somehow... she caught what he had said. "Two names? Does that mean you know the boy who was in the street?"

"Well, he was akumatized into the Bubbler... so... yeah, I do."

"Is your memory really that good?" Ladybug asked skeptically. "Do you really remember the names of all the akuma victims?"

Cat Noir thought as fast as he could and then decided to play it off. "Not all of them. But... some do stick with me."

"Kinda like me... just the victims I know personally... right?"

"Yeah, right." Cat Noir's eyes dilated and his face turned red at being tricked into confessing.

Ladybug forced herself out of his arms and stepped back, looking at him up and down suspiciously. She could tell he was disappointed with himself... almost as much as she'd been disappointed with herself. But he stood there... he stood there like a man waiting for his inevitable punishment... knowing there was nothing he could say or do to stop it from happening. Instead of screaming at him, she simply whispered very cautiously, "How do you know Nino?"

"Specifically... like in identity revealing specifics? Or... vaguely... as usual?"

"I'm scared of what I'm thinking right now... so, specifically would be best... even if... even if it means your identity is blown... because I have one specific person in my head that you might be and I need absolute proof before I go completely insane."

Cat Noir swallowed. He knew he couldn't just say he was Adrien... but that was what she needed to know... he was sure of it... she needed to know if he was Adrien or not. He could tell by the way she kept darting her eyes between him and the billboard of him just over his shoulder. He finally whispered, "Nino wasn't wrong."


Cat Noir stood there nervously for what seemed like an eternity. Ladybug was crouched in front of him, rocking back and forth, sobbing into her hands, and shaking her head violently side-to-side in disbelief. The longer he stood there watching her, the more he was certain she was disappointed it was him. His mind was so focused on his current situation he didn't have any room to think about how Ladybug obviously knew both him and Nino and that she was his friend... at least that's what she had called him earlier. He wasn't so sure of that now.

He had almost as much as he could take, so he turned around to leave... but the force of Ladybug wrapping her arms around him to stop him from leaving, coupled with her forward momentum from jumping up and grabbing him from a squatting position, caused him to tumble forward with her clung to his back. He turned his head to the side to try to speak, but she spoke first. "Don't go Adrien! Please, don't go!" Her words melted into his brain as he took in the fact that she called him by his real name. "Please," she begged, "I just need a few more minutes to get over the shock and to process everything."

Cat Noir laid his head sideways on the roof, Ladybug still clinging to him. He didn't say anything, but he didn't try to get up either. He laid there, finally allowing himself to think that maybe he was wrong. Maybe she wasn't disappointed. Maybe she really was just in shock and needed to process everything. If she did know him, he figured it would be quite the shock considering the differences in his two personalities.

Ladybug finally took a deep breath, stopping what had been tattered breathing next to Cat Noir's ears. She slowly got up, freeing him from his current position on the roof. She helped him up and gave him a half sniff and half giggle. "Sorry that took so long. There were a LOT of memories that had to be reconciled. That and... a lot of regrets about things I've said and done. A lot of things that would've ended differently if I had known... if I had only known."

"No regrets. Don't have a single one. You couldn't possibly have realized that I was Adrien. We're completely different."

Marinette sniffed again and then giggled. "Not as much as we thought... but mostly, unless you're around your friends."

"Are... are you my friend?"

"Yes... both in and out of our masks. And... I always will be. I just understand you so much better now. It must be freeing for you to be Cat Noir given your home life... that perfect image you have to keep up. That perfect image... I'm sorry to say... that blinded me from seeing the real you."

"What do we do now?"

"Now... now I'm afraid that my perfect image as Ladybug has blinded you from seeing the real me." Cat Noir was about to spout off his love for her no matter who she was and she quickly put a finger over his lips. "Before you say your usual line about loving me no matter who I am... consider this. We've been so close to each other almost every day and you've never shown any interest in my civilian self as anything more than a friend. For me... my civilian self is the real me and being Ladybug is like a job."

Cat Noir hung his head. It was true. He was so infatuated with Ladybug that if she was in his civilian life... he'd have friend-zoned her instantly. His heart sank at the revelation. Remorse was written all over his face, and Ladybug could see it. "I-I'm sorry. You're absolutely right. How... how can I fix this?"

"I first thought I'd have you guess... but then I realized I'd become more and more devastated as you guessed everyone but me."

"Are you really that different?"

"Mostly around you. But... you might've noticed some of my inner Ladybug coming out from time to time... just like your Cat Noir comes out sometimes."

"I can understand that. Being superheroes must've affected our civilian lives a little. I assume I know you from school... right? I mean... you know Nino, so... that's the most logical assumption."

"Yes. We go to the same school. But... we've done things together outside of school also." Ladybug bit her lower lip, hoping she both was and wasn't too specific. If she was... he'd know instantly. If she wasn't... that meant he had other female friends he hung out with outside of school.

"I believe I can rule out Alya... she's been akumatized and she's dating Nino... which is apparently where he was heading."

Ladybug nodded. Cat Noir was about to continue when someone from the street yelled out, "Close the window or put the cheese in the fridge!"

Cat Noir huffed and just shook his head. The reminder that they were not exactly alone made both teens' cheeks turn red. Cat Noir looked at Ladybug and gave her another I'm sorry grin. "Should be go back to my room?"

"No," Ladybug said without hesitating. "When you find out who I am, you might need to be alone. You can't do that if we're in your room."

"I hadn't thought of that. I'd say let's go back to your room, but..."

"You don't know where that is yet..."

"Right..."

"Too bad... you've been there on more than one occasion... as both Adrien and Cat Noir... in my room... in my house... met my parents, and other relatives... eaten with us."

Cat Noir scrunched his eyebrows as he thought. That was very specific and Ladybug was sure he was going to guess from those clues.

After a few more painfully silent seconds, Ladybug continued, "We got trapped together when Mylene was akumatized at school..." Several more seconds of silence. Ladybug had one last clue before she was going to give up and give Adrien a medallion inscribed with Most Oblivious Boy in the World. "We got trapped together in the hotel when the chef was akumatized over Chloe messing with his soup, and you wouldn't have even been there if it hadn't been to help me because Alya asked you to..."

Cat Noir looked up and deeply into Ladybug's eyes. Just given the last two clues there were only three people trapped in both locations: himself, Chloe ... who couldn't be Ladybug, and... "Marinette?"

Ladybug nodded.


It was now Ladybug's turn to stand and watch Cat Noir go through the same mental acrobatics she had just gone through less than half an hour before. Every time Adrien had ever called Marinette just a friend, a great friend, and an amazing friend replayed over and over in Cat Noir's mind. The time she had confessed to Cat Noir that she loved him... which now that he looked back on it must've been to throw him off from guessing she was Ladybug... The time he took her to the special rooftop dinner he had planned for Ladybug... and she kept apologizing as if his pain was her fault. The time at the zoo when he was in the bushes and had inadvertently said the words I love you Marinette when trying to get her and Nino together. Heroes Day... when he called her their Everyday Ladybug.

Cat Noir swallowed hard... the only sign to Ladybug that he was still alive as the thoughts raced around in his head. The time he and Marinette were going to play Cat Noir and Ladybug in Clara Nightingale's music video and they both hesitated when asked to put on the masks. The time they were running away from his bodyguard and he apologized because everyone was going to think she was his girlfriend. All the pictures of him on her walls when they were filming at her parent's bakery. All the times Plagg teased him about Marinette being more than a friend. All the times she'd stutter, flail, fall, and blush when she was around him, but not around other people. All the times Ladybug had saved him, and would stare a little bit longer than she ever seemed to stare at other civilians.

Adrien's face drained of all color. The time he asked her for advice about dating Kagami... Going after her when she fell at the ice rink... Going to the movies with her head wrapped in a towel, wearing swimming goggles, and in her pajamas... The time they were trapped by Dark Owl and had to detransform in front of each other and he held his eyes closed as requested, but was able to feel the touch of her ungloved hand on his ungloved hand... All of her crazy lucky charms that always seemed to work no matter how weird the plan was... The time they lost their memories and somehow fell in love enough to kiss before using the Miraculous Ladybugs to fix their memories.

As the color slowly began to return to Adrien's face and he reminded himself to breathe, he saw Ladybug watching him... lovingly. Regrets... she said she had regrets and that she would've done things differently if she had known. And now... he had regrets and he understood her completely. He would've done things differently if he had known also. "I-I'm so sorry. You were... absolutely right... I was too blinded by Ladybug to see you. Please... forgive me?"

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me." Ladybug smiled sweetly at him, with just a hint of shyness.

Cat Noir took her hand, "I forgive you. I understand now... I understand exactly what you meant by regrets." Cat Noir looked deeply into her eyes. "If I may..."

Ladybug nodded and leaned up to meet his lips. Their fingers interlaced as if it was the way they'd always done it and their grip tightened around each other's hand. After the kiss, with no lucky charm to throw and no memories to reclaim, she simply rested her head on his chest... listening to the pounding of his heart... a heart that she knew beat for all of her... just like her heart now beat for all of him.

The moment would've been perfect if the silence hadn't been interrupted by the sound of someone coughing frantically below and bellowing, "What is that?" A reminder that, if it wasn't for Plagg's love of camembert, the reveal wouldn't have happened… at least not tonight.

Ladybug looked up at Cat Noir, who just shrugged... ready to resign himself to a fate of smelling like camembert, warmed in the Parisian sun... As long as that fate included spending the rest of his life with her... all of her... he was just fine with such a fate as this.