I had a few requests to expand on this one shot, so here's an extra chapter - enjoy!

Bonus Chapter

A faint chemical scent had Chat Noir's nose twitching, moments before his eyelids blinked open. For some reason he was looking at the sky, well kind of. There was something sticky and stringy lying over his face, obscuring his vision through his mask. Why was he lying on the ground? His eyes widened, had he been struck by an akuma? Was he coated in some vicious projectile that would damage him in some way?

Shooting upright, Chat Noir scraped the sticky mess from his face and raised his fists, ready to fight. Voices surrounded him but there was no sign of panic or distress. Rising to his feet while he continued to scrape the colourful mess from his face, he discovered that it was silly string coating his costume. Chat Noir scrunched up his nose in confusion until he realised he was at a kids' party.

Scratching his scalp with a clawed finger, the superhero suddenly froze as he remembered why he'd passed out. Snapping around, his gaze locked onto his beautiful partner and his heart threatened to beat out of his ribcage. Ladybug had said she'd kiss him senseless if Adrien Agreste lay under Chat Noir's suit. His breathing became erratic. Surely that meant she knew. Why else would she challenge him to pose motionlessly for five minutes? It was a piece of cake for a professional model. And then her declaration for the next challenge, that couldn't be coincidence.

Grabbing his baton from his back, he extended it into a staff and used it as a crutch to keep himself upright. This extreme excitement had him dangerously close to hyperventilating. All the while, Ladybug seemed oblivious to his current emotional meltdown. Heck, she wasn't even looking in his direction. Instead she held a cup of lemonade in one hand while gesturing rapidly to Alya while chatting. Chat could see the part in the back of her hair more distinctly than her face.

It was Alya who noticed his return to the land of the conscious, as she peered around Ladybug's shoulder. "He's awake," the budding reporter shouted as she nudged Ladybug's arm.

Time slowed as Ladybug turned her blue gaze on her partner. Chat Noir instinctively positioned himself for her perusal, shoulders back, chest puffed up with a hand on his hip. All the while he tried to display his staff as though he were readying for battle rather than holding himself upright. His trembling knees were doing little to cement the image he was trying to convey.

The wobbling only increased as Ladybug's eyes made a leisurely trip down his body and it took all he had not to sprint over to her with arms wide open, ready for the impending embrace he longed for. But Ladybug's masked eyebrow arched in amusement and Chat Noir found himself looking down. His entire suit was covered in silly string. "Um, when did this happen?"

Ladybug shrugged, "About ten minutes ago."

"And you didn't come to my rescue?" Even the hurt in his voice was obvious to him as he pouted at her.

"I made sure they didn't put any up your nose, surely that counts for something."

Chat Noir crossed his sticky arms and threw her a glare that was more bluff than bravado. Then he recalled the reason for searching her out and his ire waned. Curiosity mingled with hope as he asked, "So, um, you said you want to kiss Adrien Agreste speechless, right?"

To his utter delight, Ladybug's face turned as red as her mask. "I said if you were Adrien Agreste under that black mask that I would."

It took everything Chat Noir had to fight back the impulse to grin and do a fist pump. She knew! She had to. Ladybug knew he was Adrien Agreste and she wanted to kiss him. Now he just had to work out how he could unmask himself without people realising what he was up to. But the party wasn't over yet. The birthday girls were jumping up and down excitedly as their mother carried a substantially large yellow minion shaped cake to the main table.

As the crowd surged forward, Chat Noir ensured that he remained by his lady's side. The back of his gloved hand brushed against hers as they walked and the familiar zing of attraction shot through him at the brief touch. He stole a glance at Ladybug from the corner of his eye but as usual she seemed unaffected by the contact. She had to be playing hard-to-get, nothing new there. It made him wonder if she'd respond differently if he were to do the same thing unmasked.

An idea struck him. "I'll be back in a minute," he told her. Ladybug merely nodded her head and kept her eyes on the cake which was being decorated with fancy candles.

Sneaking to the small unattended food tent, Chat Noir ducked inside and transformed back into Adrien, then he swaggered out as if he were meant to be there. Ladybug was exactly where he left her. Adrien sidled up to her. "I'm back."

Ladybug glanced at him and back to the cake, then she froze. Her head turned with extreme slowness and her blue eyes bulged as she took in his appearance.

"Hey bugaboo," he said with an innocent wave.

Her jaw dropped, "Shut up."

"Keen to kiss me speechless already, hmm?" Adrien quirked a mischievous eyebrow and dropped a shoulder to draw himself to her eye level. "Now, now, there are a lot of kids here. Kissing will have to wait until we're some place more private." He watched with delight as her face shifted from white to scarlet. Her respiration rivalled a startled rabbit. Adrien couldn't help adding, "Now who looks ready to faint?"

Focussing his attention back to the cake he felt gloved fingers grasp his shirt sleeve in a death grip. "Adrien?" she continued to gasp as if she were surprised it was him. Silly girl, what was she playing at? She already knew. He shook his head as a smile burst across his face. Though it dimmed when he noticed Alya reaching for her phone to film again.

Turning to his partner, Adrien gently pried her fingers from his clothing as she continued to stare at him like she'd been slapped. "I better switch back, Alya will wonder where Chat Noir went." He said with a teasing wink as he darted away. Glancing over his shoulder he was very pleased to see Ladybug watching his departure with mouth agape.

Hastily he ducked back in the food tent, transformed into Chat Noir and returned to his unnaturally still partner. This time when he bumped her gloved hand with his she wheezed. The hero pressed his teeth to his bottom lip but it did nothing to curb his smirk. "You okay, bugaboo?"

Ladybug made an incoherent noise Chat Noir interpreted as being in the affirmative. But just in case, he moved his hand to capture hers and interlaced their gloved fingers together. At her gulp, his eyes darted to hers and he wondered if she needed a reminder to breathe. "Are you asthmatic?"

Ladybug shook her head, but continued to suck in air in heavy bursts.

"Is everybody ready to sing happy birthday?" Alya called.

"Yeah!" they cried in unison.

Although Chat wasn't entirely certain that Ladybug was okay. He shifted to stand behind her, looping his arm over her head to keep their hands clasped together. Shuffling close, he whispered against her ear, "Lean into me if you feel lightheaded." His partner practically slumped against him to the point he had to hold her hip with his free hand to keep her upright. Did he need to call a doctor?

At the squeeze of his hand, Ladybug jolted back to life and began singing the birthday song in an overly loud voice. With a shrug, Chat Noir matched his partner's boisterous volume and rocked them both side to side in time to the beat of the song. She was acting weird.

As the cake was being cut, Chat Noir found himself evaluating his decision to reveal himself as Adrien under such circumstances. Had he completely freaked out his partner by being indiscrete? The back of Ladybug's head moved against his throat and her face tilted up as she glanced at him. Her fingers tightened on his and her left hand was suddenly clutching the outside of his thigh.

"Bee!" One of the kids yelled and suddenly Chat Noir understood Ladybug's anxiety.

"Just hold still, milady. The bee won't bother you if you don't bother it."

"Chat?" she croaked.

"Yeah?"

She blinked a couple of times as if trying to work out how to verbalise her thoughts. "Adrien…"

Chat Noir lifted both his masked eyebrows and looked from side to side. "Oh, he's not here right now," he said with feigned ignorance then threw her a brief smirk.

"But you-"

He spun her around and placed a finger on her lips, cutting her off. "I was covered in silly string. Not anymore," he said as he indicated to his pristine suit. Having transformed again meant he was now completely clean.

"Adri-" He covered her mouth with his hand to find Alya staring at them.

"She's had too much lemonade. I think it's time for us to leave. Thanks for inviting us!" Chat Noir said as he gave jovial wave and swept his partner against his side to vault away.

Several blocks later, Ladybug tugged on his cuff. "Stop."

Coming to rest on a flat-topped roof, Chat Noir released his partner. "What's up?"

"About the kissing…"

"Yes?" Chat Noir said with an interested arch of his masked eyebrows.

"Does now suit you?"

Chat Noir flashed a suave smile displaying his perfectly straight teeth. "I'm always willing and able." The words had barely left his mouth before Ladybug swept him into her arms, dipping him dramatically to snog him with a vigour which made him dizzy.

It was growing dark by the time she finally let him go and true to Ladybug's word, Chat Noir was too busy grinning like an idiot to speak.

When Chat Noir regains the ability to speak I'm sure he'll ask Ladybug about her identity. She'll be so blissfully happy that she kissed her crush I doubt she'd deny him the privilege.

Thanks for reading!