This is a sequel one-shot to another I wrote last year, "Moonlight." You don't need to read the first one, though I recommend it. All you really need to know is that Ladybug figured out his identity and instead of having a conversation about it, she gave him a cat pun sweater to let him know she knew. And it became much more awkward than necessary, because that's Marinette for you!


Adrien woke with this face buried in the cat sweater that Ladybug had gifted to him last night. Maybe "gifted" was the wrong word, but he wasn't sure what to call it when your best friend broke into your room in the dead of night, and then screamed nonsense and threw a present at your head when you accidentally caught her, before running away faster than a shadow.

The morning was beautiful and bright, and as Adrien bounded out of bed, he couldn't help holding the sweater up to examine it for the first time in full daylight.

A punning cat with big green googly eyes sat on a clashing background, surrounded by felt hearts and tiny bells that jingled when he shook them. It was offensively ugly. But it was soft and warm and a heartfelt gift from his Lady and he loved it.

What to do with it, though? If Father ever saw it, Adrien was sure he'd have it burned.

A shrill alarm broke through his thoughts and set his heart racing in anticipation. An early morning akuma. And just like that, he had an answer to his question. Adrien couldn't wear the sweater, but that wouldn't stop Chat Noir.

He transformed quickly and tugged it on. A perfect fit. He turned to the window and jumped into the open air.

Chat Noir faced the early morning light with a smile. Actually, that was an understatement. He practically vibrated with excitement as he looked down at himself. This sweater wasn't just a gift. It was a message, and Ladybug's meaning was clear: "I figured you out, you big dork. And also I love you."

Well, that last bit might have been wishful thinking. A little.

He landed in the middle of the park with a jingle. Ladybug was there, her back to him, bracing herself as she struggled to keep her grip on her yoyo. At the other end, all wrapped up in her string, was a giant, glowing… waffle man? Complete with dripping syrup, whipped cream, and decorative slices of strawberry on top, which cast a red hue over everything in the area.

It was an easy akuma. All he had to do was Cataclysm the syrup bottle – which was conveniently stuck to the waffle man's hand – and gaze adoringly at Ladybug. And he was proud to report that he excelled at both tasks.

Ladybug, however, looked like the walking dead. The harsh light of morning highlighted the bags under her eyes and the hollowness of her cheeks. She hadn't slept at all since he'd last seen her, had she?

He didn't want to speculate.

He tried not to speculate.

Was it regret? Was she nervous? Was she simply embarrassed? (But really, what if she was regretting everything?) The strawberry light disappeared when the akuma was cleansed, but Ladybug's blush didn't dim. In fact, when he asked for a fistbump, when he managed to catch her eye for the first time, the color on her cheeks deepened. Her whole face seemed to glow and she glanced away, down at their outstretched hands.

And then she turned to run.

They needed to talk, and he wasn't about to let her get out of it.

"Wait?" he asked, catching her wrist gently.

Ladybug already had her back to him, shoulders hunched, with one foot in the air. She set it down comically slowly.

"Thank you," he said to the back of her head, before ringing one of the little bells on his sweater so she knew what he was talking about. And then he felt stupid because of course she knew what he was talking about. There was a reason that she couldn't even look at him, that she must have been stressing over all night, and that she probably wasn't ready to talk about. And here he was, forcing her to discuss it.

She turned, wrinkling her nose at him. "Aren't you going to say 'thank mew' or something equally bad?"

Chat Noir's heart hammered in his throat. She was teasing him. She wasn't mad at him. "Is that permission?"

"No."

A soft wind rustled the grass in the empty park. Green leaves waved at them lazily. And still Ladybug stared at him, blushing.

Someone had to break the silence. Someone had to start this conversation. And they both knew Ladybug wasn't up for it.

"So," he began. "You know."

She nodded once.

"And you're… okay with it?" She'd given him a gift, and definitely a thoughtful one. She hadn't pulled her hand out of his yet, though he kept his grip loose. It should be a safe assumption. But his tone had much more uncertainty in it than the question alone implied.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, sounding genuinely surprised by the question. The tone gave him hope. Her actions were another story. All she could do was stare at the picture on his chest.

"Because you're looking into the fake cat's eyes instead of the real cat's."

Her blush became even deeper and wider, reaching all the way to her hairline and matching the color of her suit. "You're not a real cat, you know. You seem to forget that a lot." She slowly pulled out of his grasp.

Without something to hold on to, his hands felt suddenly empty, and he didn't know what to do with them. He settled for putting them on his hips. "You're avoiding the question."

And probably for good reason. She didn't want to talk about it. A traitorous part of him whispered that this was going to ruin their friendship, even with all the evidence to the contrary. And he was suddenly desperate for her answer. His empty arms wrapped around himself and he whispered, "Are we okay?"

She tilted her head to one side, eyes squinting up at him. "Of course we're okay. I love you."

She gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth faster than he could register what she'd said.

It hit him full force a split second later. She loved him? She loved him! His ears perked up (both the human and cat ones). His heart started to race. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ladybug beat him to it.

"I– I mean–" She waved her arms at him, like she was trying to distract him from her previous sentence. "I don't know why I– You. I. We should–" She pulled on her pigtails. "Love? We–"

All Chat Noir could do was stare at her, the most wonderful human being ever to exist, who was all things good and glorious and beautiful, who was the best and the smartest and bravest. And who was now panicking because she'd just told him the only thing he'd ever wanted to hear.

She hung her head in defeat. "I have no idea how to pretend that's not what I just said."

His hands hovered between them, not sure if now was the perfect time to grab her in a crushing hug or not. "Oh, please. Let's not pretend that didn't just happen."

She looked up and shot him a hesitant smile, whispered, "Okay," and then seemed to realize exactly what she'd said and buried her scarlet face in her hands.

The bells on his sleeves jingled as he finally reached for her, his fingers wrapping around her wrists and guiding her hidden face upward toward his. The tension rolled off her in waves as she waited for him to say something.

The sweater had been a heartfelt message of love after all. No wishful thinking involved.

"Hey, Ladybug?" When she didn't answer immediately, his tone turned teasing. "My Laaady!" He kissed the backs of her hands, right over where her mouth was. "I love mew, too." He kissed higher, on her nose. "You are purrrr-fect." And then he kissed the tips of her fingers resting on her forehead, just millimeters away from her bare skin. "I want to spend all my nine lives with you."

"I thought we agreed no bad cat puns?"

His plan was successful. Ladybug's beautiful, sparkling, poetry-inspiring eyes peeked between her fingers.

"I don't remember agreeing to that," he said.

A breeze stirred the leaves. The sunlight filtering through glittered all around them.

Chat Noir leaned in again, intent on placing one last, long kiss on the backs of her hands. Just before he reached her, Ladybug parted her hands and pressed her lips to his.


Shout out to galahadwilder for giving me a deadline so I could actually finish this thing finally!