Happy birthday, Yunyin! I know ladynoir is your favourite side of the lovesquare, so I thought I'd write a little something for you as a thank you for all the wonderful art you bless us with.


Care to Jog My Memory?

His lips had touched Ladybug's. Her lips had touched his. It was magic, wonderful, everything he could have dreamed of!

Except Adrien couldn't remember it. His first kiss was one big, tauntingly amazing blank in his head.

Sure, he'd seen the video during Nadja's interview, but that didn't mean he really understood how it had happened or what it had been like. Ladybug had insisted it meant nothing—just something she'd had to do to break Dark Cupid's control on him, but still. She had kissed him. Their lips had touched. And he'd found that video and watched it more than once. (Okay, more than a hundred times, but who was counting?) The point was that he had studied it enough to know the kiss had lasted longer than a second.

He wished so desperately he could remember it.

"I don't see why you're so worked up over a kiss," Plagg said, unpeeling the wrapper from his camembert. "Cheese is much better."

Adrien sighed and let his back slide down the wall, leaving him a lovesick puddle on the floor. "You don't understand."

"I don't want to either."

An alarm went off on his phone.

Adrien shot up, half slipping as he scrambled for the device. "Akuma alert!"

"Can't I just finish my—"

"Plagg, transform me!"

oOo

Ladybug smiled as he dropped down next to her in the park. "Good timing."

His gaze honed in on her lips. So soft. So lovely.

"Chat?"

He blinked and plastered on his most charming grin. "A hero always gets here at the perfect time. Now, what would my lady have her faithful knight do?"

She giggled and got her yoyo ready. "Just follow my lead, kitty."

As if he could refuse. He'd follow her anywhere.

oOo

"Good job!" she said, holding her fist out to him.

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Good job, my lady. You were amazing, as always."

Colour spilled out from under her mask, but only for a second. She slipped her hand free and pushed him back with a fingertip to his nose. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that flattery gets you nowhere?"

"I'm wounded." He placed his hand dramatically over his heart. "Here I am trying to give you a compliment and you doubt my sincerity."

"Maybe you should skip the hand kisses then."

"Impawssible. How am I to express my undying affection to you if I don't worship your hand with my kisses or—"

"Kitty," she said warningly.

His teeth flashed in a grin. "Bugaboo."

She pursed her lips and held his gaze for one second, two seconds, but by the third her mouth was quivering and sparks of laughter glinted in her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"Love makes us all fools."

It was meant to be a joke. It just came out a bit too lovesick. The faint widening of her eyes and the way she avoided his gaze suggested she'd noticed, too.

Heat crawled up his cheeks. Well, this was awkward.

He cleared his throat and spun his baton, propping it in front of him so he could lean on it in the way he'd practiced maybe a few too many times in the mirror. (Just to make sure it looked as suave as he hoped.) When all else failed, there was only one thing to do when suited up as Chat Noir: flirt, be cool, and scream on the inside like the flustered, lovesick kitten he was.

"So," he said, wiggling his eyebrows, "speaking of kisses—"

"No."

He blinked. "I haven't even said anything yet."

"I know what you're going to say and the answer is no. I'm not going to give you a goodbye kiss, a jog-your-memory kiss, a—"

He abandoned his suave pose. "But you're the only one who remembers it."

"It was barely a kiss!"

"It was on the lips, and it lasted at least three seconds."

Her nose scrunched. "How do you even know that?" She shook her head. "You know what, I don't want to know."

"It's not what you think." Okay, maybe it was—he'd definitely replayed and paused that video over and over and over, but still. "I just … I mean …"

She raised her eyebrow, waiting.

He bit his lip and stepped closer, hands clasped near his heart. "Bugaboo, my lady and most amazing partner, couldn't you take pity on this poor kitty just once?" He gave his best kitten eyes, making himself the picture of entreaty and innocence. "Just this one time?"

"Why do you even care so much?"

His cheeks burned hotter and he looked off to the side, mumbling.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I said it was my first kiss." His shoulders hunched and the tips of his human ears grew warm. "I just … I never thought I'd have my first kiss and not remember it. Of course I'm happy it was with you, but … but I don't even remember what—"

A hand grabbed his shoulder and then Ladybug's lips brushed his. It was a kiss of unexpected silk, stirring butterflies all through him.

She pulled back, lowering from her tiptoes to her normal height. "There," she said, her cheeks pinker than a rose. "Now you'll remember."

He blinked dazedly.

"Bye, Chat."

"Bu-buh …" He gave up getting any coherent words out and just settled for an awkward, dopy wave as she soared off on her yoyo.

Wow. So, that's what it felt like.