So… I fell in the bottomless pit that is the Miraculous fandom two weeks ago, and I couldn't stop myself from writing a one-shot about these two dorks (totally avoiding other fics that need their writing)

This'll be a series of independent one-shots (I guess) of many ways they could find out who they are. I'll update it whenever I feel like it (sorry, this fic is just for the lolz) and I accept requests.

Any typos you notice, tell me (English's not my mother language, although I do my best), and I hope you like the story!

Ch. 1. The sewing kit

Marinette always carried a sewing kit with herself – it was a perk of wanting to be a designer, she supposed. It wouldn't be the first time her jacket ripped or a button got loose, and she couldn't stop her urge to fix it with thin threads and a silver needle until you could no longer see the flaw. After being stuck with that unwanted feeling too many times, it was a natural step to take.

The tiny pink case was tucked safely inside her purse, beside Tikki's bed, and inside she had everything she would need, from stitching up tiny holes to even make a simple dress if she had the fabric.

Few people knew she carried the sewing kit with herself. Alya was the first to find out, and she had suffered her wrath several times. There were times when she had been so caught up with her desire to get a footage of the favourite heroes of Paris that she hadn't noticed her shirt had stuck with a branch, making a hole in the fabric, or there was a steel grid on her way, and had made a mess of herself.

And boy, wasn't she scary when she found out. She scolded her all the time it took to fix the rip – not that it was that big to begin with, Marinette, you're exaggerating – and then some more, fumbling that she ought to take better care of her clothes, etcetera. It always ended with Alya promising her she would be more careful, not that she really meant it or Marinette believed it, but both of them let it go.

The other one who knew was Nino, and he would've preferred not to. One day he'd invited Alya and Marinette to watch him do a sick trick with his skate he'd learned not long ago, but he lost his footing and fell on his knees, scraping them and tearing his pants. Marinette hurried to where he'd fallen and he tried – with an embarrassed blush he was really trying to conceal – to reassure her he was fine, when he discovered that what had the girl's fixation wasn't his red knees but his torn pants.

And he learned a lesson the hard way: no matter what you do, don't, and I repeat, don't try to stop her from fixing your clothes. Because when he'd tried, Marinette threw him a hard look – she growled! – and when he squirmed, trying to stand up, she grabbed him from his jeans and almost undressed him.

He would never forget the scary face she wore until she fixed it, quickly regaining her sweet façade of the calm and shy girl. And Alya, much to his horror, would never forget his girly squeals, as she called them teasingly – but he didn't squeal, he was a man, goddamn it – he made while trying to escape from the evil grip of the stronger-than-she-looked girl.

However, it had been months since she had had to use her sewing set on anyone. But that changed one rainy morning of March, when none other than Adrien Agreste came to class with a loose button.

It hadn't been his fault to begin with. It was just that Plagg had taken a fixation of chewing his shirt buttons' inner stitching when he was hiding. Sure, he understood he must be bored his mind out half of the day, but it didn't mean he had to make him pay for it with his clothes. He had already ruined four shirts, and he was running out of excuses to explain to Natalie why he needed yet another one.

Because of his bad luck, in the car that morning Plagg had a field day, and one of the buttons was hanging dangerously without he even noticing.

When Marinette saw him first at class, she turned into the usual blabbering mess everyone was used to, but her designer eye soon found the imperfection and her face fell into a poker mask, making the boy cock his head in confusion.

Alya, who knew her friend too well, muttered under her breath something that sounded like an "Oh, no…", and Nino paled considerably, something that confused him. What was going on? Marinette was just rummaging inside her purse, so what was with the long fac-

The blue haired girl yanked him towards her rather forcefully, making him yelp, and he stared down at her too close face with wide eyes.

"Wh-what…?" he tried to ask, but she grabbed a fist of his white shirt and almost took it out from him, making him yelp once again. Nino made rushed signals behind her, telling him silently not to make a single move or so. What happened if he did, he didn't know.

And he wasn't really sure he wanted to find out.

Without loosening her grip on him, she opened the pink case she'd taken out seconds before and opened it with precision, letting him see its contents. There were some tiny reels of several colours, and needles of different sizes.

With one hand, she caught the white reel and a tiny needle, threaded it – quite expertly, if he had a say on it – and returned her focused eyes to the loose button, first removing the broken string that was left and then replacing it with white threads with a trained hand, quickly fixing his shirt.

She gave a content hum when she finished and checked the other buttons, making sure they were good to go. When she was satisfied, she patted the cloth slightly on his chest, straightening it absentmindedly when she raised her eyes. And saw the flushed face of Adrien looking back at her, eyes still wide and their noses almost touching.

"Gah!" She exclaimed, tumbling backwards. What the hell had she done?

Alya, who had been strangely silent, laughed and threw her arm on the suddenly too flustered girl. "Way to go, girl! Yet another person suffering Marinette's sewing wrath!"

"I-I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me." She stuttered looking at the blond, who recomposed quickly and looked down at his shirt.

"Wow Marinette! It's perfect." He beamed at her, what made her widen her eyes and blush furiously "I didn't notice the button was loose, thank you."

She seemed to calm down, and smiled happily at him, nodding in response. Nino chose this moment to sit down on his place and sighed. "Dude, you were lucky it was just a button. One time Marinette almost ripped my pants off because of a little tear."

"Yeah, and you wailed like a little girl in the process." Alya quipped

"I most certainly didn't!" Nino shouted, falling once again in a playful banter

Marinette ignored their best friends banter, in the process to place the reel and the needle back at their places, putting the kit inside her purse once again contently.

Adrien couldn't help to smile to himself. He couldn't have imagined she held this passion for her sewing. Sure, he knew she liked to design clothes on her free time and she had won that contest his father held, but she felt it with so much intensity he had been amazed.

He realised he didn't know much about the kind girl, and some part of him – the most playful and straight-forward, the one he associated with Chat Noir – craved to learn more about her. Who knew how many sides of her he hadn't seen yet?

Oh, he wanted to discover them all.

It had been a week from the 'Sewing incident', and Ladybug and Chat Noir were running from an Akuma throwing knives at them. He had been a butcher but had lost his shop because he couldn't pay the rent, hence the possession. And god, wasn't he annoying.

They lead him to the top of a roof, trying to make some space between them and the civilians in order to protect them from a stray attack, and when they were sure they were alone, they confronted the Akuma.

He swung his knife with confidence, chanting thins like "I'm gonna skin you!" or "I'll chop those superhero arms off your body!", and even with their enhanced resistance, the repetitive attacks were taking a toll on both of them.

It was then when Ladybug hesitated. Her yoyo slowed down, and the Butcher took that chance to step forward and try to slice her. And he would've succeeded, if it hadn't been for Chat Noir.

He rushed forward wielding his staff like a sword and intercepted the knife successfully, the loud clashing sound echoing in the night. The Butcher, however, didn't lose his resolve and stroke forward again, making Chat jump back in surprise, nearly avoiding getting his head chopped off but wincing in pain, as the knife got his arm instead and cut a deep wound.

"Chat!" Ladybug cried

Before the Butcher could attack again she threw her yoyo forward, hitting him in the face and making him stumble back a bit, enough for her to lunge forward and grab his hat, the item that had been possessed. He passed out at the same time she ripped off the cotton fabric, and she captured the Akuma without her usual cheerfulness, her eyes fixed on her bleeding companion.

As soon as she called her Miraculous Cure, she rushed to where he was slumped, searching frantically for the wound.

"My lady, I didn't know you were that worried about my wellbeing. It's really cute." He teased her

She glared at him "It's no time to joke around, Chat. Show me your arm."

He shrugged and did as she asked. The leather was torn and a bit dirty, but white skin and a thin pink mark was the only thing that could be seen under it.

"It's no big deal. It was just a scratch, and your superpowers kissed it better."

She huffed exasperated and ran her fingers on the still sensitive skin "Silly kitty, don't ever do that again, you hear me? I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"But it's my duty to protect you, bugaboo! Now, if I received my thank you kiss it would be purr-fect." He teased and leaned forward. She just smacked him in his face and pushed him away with a roll of her eyes.

She then looked once again to the wrecked suit, and the designer in her cried of despair. She couldn't leave it like this, her desire to fix the sturdy leather stronger than her need to keep every detail of her civilian life a secret, and she sighed in defeat.

Chat Noir, oblivious to her inner fight, stood up when his ring beeped once. He had five minutes before his transformation dropped. Ladybug's earrings echoed his warning.

"Well, my Lady, it seems that our time runs short yet again. It's time for this cat to go home. Au revoir."

"Wait!" She stopped him when he was about to jump off the building. He turned his head to look questioningly at her "It'll be just a minute."

To his surprise, she opened the yoyo hanging on her hip and began rummaging inside it.

"What, apart from being a weapon, a phone and an Akuma cleansing tool, this yoyo is a transdimensional purse too?"

Ladybug looked at him playfully and grinned. "Well kitty, you have a bell and a staff; I have a bigger on the inside weapon. It came with the whole superhero package."

Chat grinned saucily. "Someone watches her Doctor Who."

"I like the show." She shrugged her shoulders and muttered a 'Gotcha' soon afterward, taking out a too familiar pink case and opening it with ease, letting him look at the inside.

There were some too familiar reels, and four too familiar silver needles. She threaded the biggest one expertly and grabbed Chat's arm, not noticing the wide eyes on his face, and began sewing the sturdy fabric.

He looked at her silently looking intently as her tongue got caught between her teeth and her eyes gazed down in concentration, her hand magically fixing the ugly tear until the suit was as good as new. She then checked it for imperfections, and gave a too familiar content hum when she finished.

"There you are! As good as new." She released his arm, but he didn't make an attempt to remove it from her hands. In fact, he didn't say anything about it. "What, cat got your tongue?" she teased, but he didn't respond, worrying her slightly. She placed a hand on his shoulder "Chat, what's wrong?"

The action snapped Chat from his thinking and looked back at her, his eyes focused on her midnight hair, her deep blue eyes, and the soft freckles that escaped from under the confinement of the mask. She fidgeted nervously under his strong gaze, until the urgent beeping of their miraculous interrupted them.

"Oh, I-I have to go!" He exclaimed suddenly, stepping backwards "Bye!"

He leaped forward and jumped off the building, making her lose sight of him in mere seconds.

She put the sewing kit inside her yoyo and sighed. What was wrong with him? He was always the one suggesting to detransform together to discovered each other identities, so why was he running away today? And the way he was looking at her, almost as if…

Nah, she was probably overthinking it. Grabbing her faithful weapon, she swung off the rooftops of Paris until she arrived to the balcony of one certain bakery. She dropped her transformation before she went inside her room.

And all that time she was ignorant of a certain stray cat following her.

Adrien Agreste was stupid. Scratch that, he was more than stupid.

He paced inside his room muttering for himself, Plagg looking at him from where he was eating his camembert cheese. His usually styled hair was wild from him running his fingers through it repeatedly, making him look more like Chat than Adrien at the moment.

Plagg's patience was starting to run thin "What the hell is wrong with you now, boy? You're making me dizzy with all your pacing in circles."

"How could I be so stupid, Plagg? The signs were all there! How could I not see that Marinette…" He waved his hands, lost for words.

"… was Ladybug?" the blond boy nodded "I told you before, kid. It's the magic of the suit; it alters one's perception so you won't discover who the one behind the mask is."

"And how can I see it now? I-I see it when I look at the Ladyblog's pictures. Heck, I even see it every time I close my eyes."

The kwami shrugged "There's a difference between before and now, and that's that you are certain who she is. No perception filter is that strong."

"Gah!" He threw himself to his bead and covered his eyes with his left arm, the one Ladybu- Marinette had clutched to fix his suit hours ago. "How am I supposed to look at her tomorrow? She didn't want us to know our civilian forms, and I had to go and figure out didn't I? Not only that, but I also followed her like... like a…"

"A stalker?" Plagg aided, licking his paws.

Adrien uncovered his eyes to glare at the cat. "Plagg, you're not helping."

"What do you want me to say?" He threw his paws at the air in exasperation. "The only fact is that you know who she is and she doesn't, so there are two only possible outcomes. One, you tell her that you know and let her shout at you or whatever for figuring out; or two, you shut up and wait for her to be ready to tell you for herself. Pick the choice you want."

"God, she'll be really mad at me. She'll hate me for it."

"I doubt it. The girl's head over heels for you." Plagg mumbled, too low for him to hear. "Look," He said louder. "Whatever happens tomorrow won't change, even if you obsess about it like a mad man. Go to bed and sleep; you'll get in trouble if you look like a zombie tomorrow."

The boy paid him no mind and the kwami sighed. What had he done to be always stuck with the sappy ones? Well, he was the bringer of the bad luck, after all.

Floating, he went and turned off the lights, as his human hadn't made a move from his brooding position in the last five minutes, and he went to his bed, prying that the boy made up his mind and made a move on his bug, stopping his mopping for her. He already knew her identity, so it was a matter of time, right?

It wasn't.

The day after Adrien was a walking zombie. He stumbled and knocked out whatever was in his way, too distracted to notice it altogether, making Natalie frown at him. However, she allowed him to go to class – a horrible mistake, if Plagg had a say on it – and on the ride to his school, he kept on gazing outside the window.

Plagg tried to get his attention and talk him out of his stupor, but the boy didn't notice his ministrations or ignored them in purpose. He noticed him stiffen under him, and when he looked outside, he saw they had just passed the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

And then at class it didn't get better, oh no. Thankfully, Marinette hadn't arrived yet when they did, but he felt him getting stiff once again when the girl went in five minutes late – really, how many times could she come in late without earning a scolding? – and he followed her with his lingering gaze like a kicked puppy, only to turn to look at his knees when she looked at his direction.

Oh, this wasn't going well. Knowing him – and god, he did know him – he would get rigid and red every time he saw the girl, and he would end up doing something that would embarrass him. Then, he would have to listen to him brooding, and moping and brooding some more for being so stupid or whatever.

It had to stop, even if he had to intervene. But how to get both of them actually talking alone, and to themselves? Because if it was difficult for his boy now, it was even more difficult for the girl, as she seemed to lose all coherent thought when she was in front of him. The only time she was all confident in front of him was when she was Ladybug and when she sew that button the day before…

An imaginary lightbulb lightened up inside his head and he had to cover his mouth with his paws to cover his triumphant cry. The button! If he loosened a button again, she would stop to fix it, then they would talk to each other, then everything would get fixed! Oh boy, he was a genius. He deserved a whole wheel of Camembert all for himself.

So he did just that. He bit and munched the stitching of the button like a hyperactive hamster and watched smugly as the button got loose again twenty minutes before their lunch break started. Adrien didn't even notice.

The bell signalling for the end of the classes rang, and every student made their way outside. Adrien picked up his things robotically slower than usual, his head on the clouds, so Marinette finished before him. She threw him a glance from the corner of her eye and stopped suddenly, looking intently at Adrien's loose button.

Alya, noticing Marinette's behaviour, chuckled and grabbed Nino from the elbow. "Let's go to have something to eat; the kids have other matters in hand."

"Wait what?" He then noticed the still daydreaming boy and at the frozen girl. "Ooh I get you. We're going! See ya later, dude!"

The pair left giggling, not that any of them noticed.

Marinette lurched forward and grabbed his shirt yet again, not hearing his startled squeak. How come the button had undid so quickly? She had just fixed it the week before, it shouldn't be loosening up already! She grabbed it with her two hands, determined to find what she had made wrong before and fix it for good this time, when she felt something biting her.

She screeched and stumbled backwards, a black figure stuck on her finger. And god, it bit hard.

"Plagg!" Adrien shouted at him, snapping out of his reverie of her soft hands touching him and... Adrien, stop it. Returning to the main issue, what the hell was he doing!?

She stopped shaking her hand to look better at the still hanging figure. The creature blinked back at her with startling green eyes, he shook his tail, and after some seconds, he opened his mouth to release her finger. It had two tiny puncture wounds, and she resisted the urge to lick it.

"What was that for?" She exclaimed, glaring at the cat kwami.

"That was for grabbing me so forcefully, woman. What do you think I am, a plush you can constrict whatever you want? Did Tikki teach you that? It hurt like hell!"

She put her arms ajar, glaring at him. "Leave Tikki out of this! She's done nothing wrong! I didn't know you were hiding… in…"

Suddenly the situation dawned on her and she looked at the blond boy, who had been awfully quiet. He was looking at her intensely, as if he was cataloguing every detail of her, like…

Like Chat Noir the night before.

And that's when everything clicked. Every tiny similarity between them, those green eyes that twinkled in excitement, and the way his gleeful smile brightened up all his face. God, his bloody kwami floating in front of her should be prove enough.

"Chat…?" She whispered at him because she still couldn't wrap her mind around it. Because it was too good to be true.

Without dropping that intense gaze that made her weak on her knees, he grabbed her hand and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers. "Hello, Princess. Or should I say my Lady?"

He then grinned saucily at her, and she could swear she saw the black ears on his head and the mask on his face.

"How did you know…?" She asked, breathless.

"The sewing kit. It was the same one that you used to fix the button the other time."

Her eyes widened. "Oh god, I'm so stupid. I should've known."

"Not your fault. It was me who almost got himself skinned. Do you think he would've sold kitten meat at his shop?"

She hit him in the arm, hissing. "Don't ever joke about that! I'm still mad at you for getting in the way, you know?"

"I know." He sobered up again, making her shiver. "But as I told you yesterday, it's my duty to protect you from everything. You're more important that this stray cat."

"Don't say that." She pleaded, placing a hand on his cheek. "What would I do without you? We're a team, Chat."

"You would be as amazing as always."

She shook her head and smiled warmly at him. "No, I wouldn't. I need my silly kitty beside me."

He fidgeted on his feet, adverting his gaze to the floor. "Are you mad at me? You know, for finding out."

"No, it isn't your fault to begin with. It wasn't what I initially wanted, yes, but I can't find myself regretting how it turned out in the end."

"Glad to see that behind that ameowzing and sexy superhero was this hot stuff?" He joked with a flirty smile.

She groaned and rolled her eyes, dropping the hand on his cheek. "Not the puns! Anything but the puns!"

"You love them." He grinned at her. She looked back at him, trying with all her might not to smile in return and failing.

"Come on, Adrien, let's go. I don't know you, but I'm starving. I had this thing yesterday night and I ended up sleeping in, so I skipped breakfast."

She began walking towards the door, but he grabbed her hand to stop her. She looked back at him questioningly, and her breath caught in her throat at the look he was giving her yet again. God, if he kept doing things like that she was going to have a heart attack.

"One more thing before we go." He tugged her hand so she stood before him, and now he was the one who cupped her face with his hands, caressing her reddening cheeks absentmindedly with his thumbs. He had to say it before he lost his confidence, before they fell into their playful banter and never touched the subject again. He couldn't risk it.

"What is it?" she asked out of breath.

Her mind was a broken record of the words oh my god it's Adrien and Chat and he's holding me so close and oh my god, and her heart was about to burst out of her chest. The day had been a train wreck, but nothing, and it meant literally nothing, could have prepared her for what came next.

"I love you. Always have. Always will."

And he did. It was when he found out that Marinette was Ladybug the night before when he noticed that his heart was beating faster than before, and he couldn't get her out of his head. It was as if his hero crush was suddenly… more.

He understood now what moved Ladybug, the way she fought for what she believed was right either in his civilian or superhero form. Ladybug stood for what she really was but was too shy to express, just like Chat Noir was to him, and he couldn't help but to fall harder for her. The way her eyes filled with warmth every time he spoke to her – once again, either in his civilian or leather-wearing form – her teasing smile, her adorable reddening cheeks… god it was too much for him.

"… Y-you mean it?" She asked uncertain, biting her lip.

Would it be too soon if it's me who bites her lip instead? "I do." He answered with conviction

"But who of us do you l-love? The amazing and beautiful Ladybug or old plain Marinette?"

"Both." Her eyes widened at his simple response. "Both are part of who you are, and I love every bit. I want to know every part of you; what makes you laugh, what makes you cry, how you see the world and what makes you keep moving when everything seems awry. Is that alright?"

She nodded repeatedly, her eyes filling up with tears. She gave him a watery smile and he rested his forehead in hers, smiling content.

"Adrien. Chat. I love you too. Both of you."

He couldn't believe his heart could beat faster, but heck, it was. And there she was, looking at him with those big blue eyes and those soft pink cheeks covered with freckles and, oh god, he wanted to devour her. He leaned in, trying to capture her lips with his and she followed, and when they were about to touch someone coughing interrupted them.

"Not that I enjoy that both of you got your sappy love story, but could we go somewhere where I could puke? You guys are disgustingly sweet."

Adrien growled and glared at his kwami. "Plagg, shut up. Can't you read the mood?"

"Oh yeah, I do it just fine. That's why I don't want to see it. Couldn't you wait for me to be out of the room?"

"Then, if it is so revolting for you, go away."

"I can't. We're still at school and someone might see me."

He huffed and dropped his hands of her face in exasperation. "Then what do you want us to do?"

"Stop the kissy faces for once. And secondly, bug girl, could you free Tikki from inside your purse? I think that if she keeps pushing, she'll make a hole on the fabric."

"Oh, yeah!" She unclasped her purse and a red dot flew out of it, stopping at Adrien's face. She had black dots on her body and big blue eyes, and giggled when he saw him

"Hi, Chat. Nice to finally meet you." She waved a hand.

"The pleasure's mine." He smiled back, then looked at Marinette "See, you got the nice kwami and I got the rude one. My luck sure is bad."

"Hmm I don't know." She teased him. "I can't picture you wearing a red polka-dotted suit from head to toe. Maybe it's for Paris' sake."

They both headed to the door in order to leave the room. She grabbed his hand hesitantly and he intertwined their fingers, a soft smile on his face.

"I tell you what, it would fit me just nice, thank you very much. You, on the other hand, would look pawtastic in my tight suit." She rolled her eyes, but a soft smile adorned her face. "But my point still stands! He interrupted our first kiss! Who does that?"

"Actually… it's not our first kiss. And if Tikki had been out she would've squealed so high that our eardrums would've popped."

"Wait, what?" Not our first kiss?

"Yeah, really. You didn't hear her when I bought her a chocolate muffin for the first time. I swear even my neighbours did hear her."

He stopped her. "No, not that. What do you mean it isn't our first kiss?"

She looked at him confused, then her eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, right, you don't remember. It was during the Dark Cupid attack, when you intercepted the arrow for me – something you totally need to stop doing. You were about to use your Cataclysm on me and I ran out of options, so I-I kissed you. I'm glad it worked, to be honest."

He hummed. "Mm that's not fair, that you remember and I don't. Should fix it, shouldn't I?"

And without a warning, he spun her and cornered her between him and the locker, and captured her lips with his. When she gasped, he took his chance to bite that lip of hers that had distracted him before, taking his time to explore every inch of her mouth that he could.

She recovered from her surprise rather quickly and let her hands wander upwards, tugging lightly at his soft locks and god it felt so right please don't stop.

He ignored Plagg's disgusted cries of 'Gross!' and when they took apart he drank her dazed expression, making him chuckle. A part of him worried that they should hide their kwamis before someone saw them, but the biggest part (who was occupied watching the beautiful girl gasping for air in front of him) argued that the school had been deserted for fifteen minutes already.

"You okay, Princess?" He nuzzled her jaw with his nose.

"A-A warning… would be nice. Next time." She panted.

"Oh. Okay. Then, I'm going to kiss you again. Now."

She placed her hand on his nape to urge him down and he leaned in again, when Tikki called for them. "Marinette! Alya's coming!"

She cursed and grabbed the red kwami, quickly hiding her inside her purse. Adrien did the same and tucked Plagg inside his shirt, muffling his protests.

"God, guys." Alya puffed when she noticed them "What's taking you so long? And…" She stopped when she saw their faces. Something was going on. She looked down at the now gone button and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you fix his button this time?"

"I-I ran out of white thread, and then A-Adrien lost it. We were looking for it until now. Right?"

"Yep. Don't know where it could've been."

Alya looked at the floor. "It's on your feet, Mari."

Both of them looked down and faked a gasp. "Look at that! I must have been stepping on it. That's why we couldn't find it."

"After we looked for it so long…" He grinned at her.

"Yep. Well, I'll better go, I'm famished. Moreover, I have to feed this… stray cat that is coming to my room in… an hour? Yeah, an hour. Can't make him wait. Well, Adrien, I'm so sorry I couldn't fix your button."

"It's no problem." He nodded, keeping a neutral face.

"Bye Alya, bye Adrein! See you later!" The girl shouted behind her back as she rushed to the exit.

"What's wrong with her?" The future journalist asked, and he shrugged in reply. After a quick goodbye, he too rushed to the limousine, strangely eager to get home.

Moreover, an hour later a black cat did visit Marinette in her room.