Lost and Found

Author's note: this story collection was partially inspired by theinkwell33, whose awesome series of reveal-themed one-shots I've been following. The idea for my own series of one-shots came about when I watched the 'Antibug' episode (one of my favourites!) and wondered 'did Marinette ever get her phone back? What if Chat Noir found it instead?' From there, I started wondering about random items in the Miraculous universe, thinking up ways different lost or misplaced items might lead Adrien and Marinette to discover who the other is.

I've got ideas for about a dozen more chapters. I don't know how often I'll update, since this first one-shot on its own is incredibly long - my one-shots are about the size of cannon balls! - but I'll try to knock over a new one every so often. Some will be more serious, some will be funny; some will feature prominent objects from the series, others items I might make up from scratch. It should be a pretty good mix!

I also have a full-length multi-chapter Miraculous story in the works, so if you like this fic, please check that one out as well! I love getting reviews, though I probably won't take requests or suggestions for this series - I've got too many ideas already! So sit back and read, I hope you enjoy! ~ W.J.

Chapter One: Phone

Set immediately after 'Antibug'. Marinette used a recording on her phone to distract Antibug long enough to save Chat Noir. In her rush to change into Ladybug, defeat the akuma and get back to school, she forgot to retrieve her phone - allowing Chat Noir to find it first!

Ladybug swung off the edge of the hotel roof.

Geez, what a day! She was glad the fight was over, and she could finally slip away. Not only had she had to fight two akuma in quick succession - one of which she had inadvertently caused! - but her transformation had run out right in the middle of it. Of course, right at that moment her partner had gotten himself into a fix, and she'd had to go rescue him without using her Miraculous.

She sighed tiredly as she mechanically leapt and tumbled over rooftops, her mind elsewhere. After everything that had happened, it was that particular incident that made her so relieved to get away. Having Chat Noir address her as 'my Lady' as she stood there out of costume, hauling him safely back onto the hotel balcony without the aid of super-strength, all while reporters paced below and helicopters circled overhead - that was easily one of the most nerve-wracking moments of her life!

She felt a bit guilty for avoiding Chat Noir like this - true, her Miraculous was about to run out, but she had still left rather abruptly. They were a team, and she trusted him, but... being so close to him when she was de-transformed had made her feel incredibly vulnerable. When she had explained the situation to him while she hastily untied him, he had promised not to turn around until she'd had time to hide. Terrified that she would come face-to-face with Antibug as soon as her diversion was discovered, she was grateful to him for luring the villain onto the roof, giving her time to transform. He really had her back, but...

It was no secret that he wanted to know who she was beneath the mask, and reveal who he was in turn - much to her dismay. She couldn't stop thinking about how easy it would have been for him to turn around and see her as herself, though she had told him not to. She didn't really think he would do that - still, it wasn't a situation she wanted to repeat again in a hurry!

At least it was all behind her now. She couldn't relax just yet, though; it was probably around lunchtime, meaning she would be due back at school soon. If she was lucky, she would have just enough time to race home and grab something to eat. With a grimace, she remembered that she had snuck out of Mrs Mendeleiev's class. Alya would be wondering where she had gone, she really ought to ring her and-

She skidded to a halt. The roof beneath her was a steep one; she had to snag the nearest chimney with her yoyo and anchor her feet on the slippery tiles to keep from sliding off. She stood stock-still, clinging to her line, an aghast expression on her face.

She had forgotten to go back and get her phone!

Her Miraculous beeped, reminding her that she only had two minutes left before her transformation ran out. It probably wasn't enough time to race back to the hotel, get her phone, and get away again without being seen - not with media crews still swarming the place!

With another sigh, she dove over the eaves in a controlled somersault, reeling off just enough slack from her string to reach the ground. Her earrings beeped again as her feet touched the pavement of a secluded alleyway. Her best option was to revert back to her ordinary self, grab something to eat - for herself and her kwami - from some place nearby, then head back to the hotel as Ladybug to retrieve her phone, all hopefully without anyone noticing her blunder.

She rubbed her head tiredly as she prepared to release her transformation. With everything else that had happened, this was the last thing she needed!

At least she knew that Chat Noir wouldn't still be hanging around - his Miraculous must be about to run out, too.

Chat Noir vaulted off the edge of the hotel roof.

Man, what a day! He had let two akuma get the better of him - one of them while his Lady had been depending on him! His shame at his inadequacy was tempered by the fact that he had helped her conceal her identity. Still, it had been so tempting, knowing that she stood behind him with her face uncovered, dressed in her civilian clothes; he could have so easily turned around, and seen-

He knew that cats were naturally curious, but he was disappointed in himself for even considering such a betrayal!

He had definitely had enough for the day. After watching Ladybug depart, he had wasted a whole precious minute while Chloe, freed from the akuma's influence and flattered by Ladybug's compliments, began to outline all the different ways she might help the duo with future opponents. He wouldn't wish Chloe's help on his worst enemy - then again, she certainly had helped Papillion out plenty, given how many akuma she had personally contributed to! That mouth of hers was quite a weapon; it had taken several attempts before he had managed to get away from her.

Hopefully, two akuma in one day was the limit; he had already missed enough school. It must be lunchtime by now, and he was more than ready to-

Huh...?

He leaned back slightly in mid-vault, stopping his forward momentum. Balancing expertly atop his extended staff, he retracted it, lowering himself directly onto the balcony below. When he had looked down to make sure he had a steady base to launch from, he had noticed something down there, glinting in the noon sunshine.

His feet softly hit the floor; he took a step forward and picked up the mysterious item, which had no logical reason for being there.

It was a discarded mobile phone.

Ladybug cursed roundly to herself.

She had released her transformation, then raced into the closest convenience store to buy more cookies for Tikki, and the first sandwich she had laid hands on; she had crammed it in her mouth without noticing what kind it was. Once Tikki had recovered, she had transformed again and swung back to the hotel, feeling harassed and time-poor, but confident that she had things under control. Soon, she could go back to her ordinary day-

... except that her phone was no longer where she had left it.

Her mind was instantly a whirl of possible scenarios, each more terrible than the last. What if some well-meaning hotel employing had picked it up? What if a journalist had pocketed it? What if Chloe had kept it?!

This was a disaster - it wasn't Ladybug's phone, but Marinette's! All anyone had to do was look through her stored data - text messages, contacts list, photo albums, anything - and there would be more than enough there to reveal who she was. She could just see the headlines now:

'Ladybug Loses It! Misplaced Phone Reveals Super-Heroine's Identity As Forgetful Girl!'

A Marinette-style panic attack threatened to overtake her, but she fought it down. Luckily she was still Ladybug, able to think it through calmly and logically. She hadn't used a Lucky Charm, so she wasn't seeing her 'lucky vision'; nevertheless, a flapping curtain just beyond the balcony caught her eye. Landing neatly on the window sill beside it, she saw exactly what she had hoped to see: a deserted hotel room, with a landline-phone sitting on the nightstand.

She stepped down into the room and strode over to it. With any luck, her phone had just been knocked aside or slipped under some patio furniture; if it was still nearby, she might hear it ringing.

Adrien stared at the phone in his hand as he absently chewed his food. Plagg was devouring a cheese plate, which Adrien had ordered for him and up-ended into his school bag when he thought no one was watching.

Once he had discovered the phone and made up his mind what to do with it, he hadn't had enough time to make it home or back to school before his transformation wore off. He'd decided to stay and eat lunch at the hotel's restaurant; since Alya's mother was head chef there, he had been meaning to try it out anyway. So far, though, he'd been far too distracted to pay any attention to his meal.

He knew he stood out here - lunching businessmen were the only other customers, so they were probably wondering how a school kid like him could afford to eat at a place like this. He had drawn disapproving stares when he had unlocked the phone to find a video open in its web browser; unwittingly hitting 'play', Ladybug's voice had loudly announced 'Chat Noir and I, we're a team!' to the surrounding tables.

That concluded what he had already suspected: this was Ladybug's phone!

She must have used it to distract Antibug, then left it behind when she went to rescue him. She apparently hadn't come back to collect it afterwards. Was she looking for it even now? He kind of wanted to go back up to the balcony, in case she was; but he couldn't do that as Adrien, and he had no hope of separating Plagg from his camembert anytime soon. He felt kind of bad for picking it up, but reasoned that it was better he had it than anyone else. What if Chloe had found it?

How could he get it back to her? Maybe later Plagg would agree to transform him again, and he could use the phone in Chat Noir's staff to call h-

He nearly jolted right out of his chair, as the phone suddenly started ringing in his hand.

He spent several long seconds frozen, undecided about what he should do. Should he answer it? What if it was Ladybug? What if it was someone else? What if he inadvertently found out who she was? What if she thought he stole her phone, or hated him for interfering? What if... What if he got kicked out of the restaurant? Diners around him were giving him filthy glares; he really should at least make the phone stop ringing. With a pounding heart, he hit 'answer'.

"Hello?"

Years of professionalism made him answer mechanically; he was used to fielding surprise requests for photo-shoots. His voice sounded a lot calmer than he felt.

"Hello...?" said a girl's voice down the line; he inhaled sharply. "Um, did you find my phone? I misplaced it, and would be very grateful to have it back. It, uh, it's an older model with not much value, but it's important to me. If you could please return it..."

He was momentarily stumped by the tentativeness of the voice on the other end. Listening carefully as she spoke on, though, he recognized it: the same directness, the same inflections, the same polite firmness as she reasoned with him. Yes, it was Ladybug.

For the second time that day, he was speaking to a de-transformed, unseen Ladybug.

He felt as if he had a large neon sign over his head that read 'I'm Chat Noir, and I'm speaking to my Lady!' Some restaurant patrons were still darting disgruntled looks his way. Hoping no one would think he was running out on his bill, he got up from the table and slipped into the restaurant's private back dining room. He was thankful to find it empty; he had a feeling he might need some privacy.

"S-sure," he replied. He had no idea why he was stuttering; suddenly, he felt like a humanoid bundle of nerves. "I-I'd be happy to return it to you, if you-"

"Great!" The relief in her voice was obvious; her pleased tone made his face feel strangely hot. What was in that food he had just eaten? His stomach felt like it was full of butterflies! "If you could bring it to the T-"

"Wait wait wait!" he all but yelled down the receiver, drowning her out; he was very glad that he had moved into a more secluded spot. It occurred to him, for the first time, that she didn't have a clue who he was - or that he knew who she was.

Geez, how to word this is a way that wouldn't freak her out...? The wary silence on the other end of the line was almost deafening...

"Um... m-maybe I could bring it to you, in a place that isn't too, uh, personal? I-I mean, we decided not to reveal who we are to each other... right, Buginette?"

He didn't have to pretend he was wearing his mask in order to purr out his pet name - one of his pet names - for her, in his accustomed manner. He was so, so glad that no one else was listening in; and he really, really hoped that she had recognized his voice!

There was no response for so long, he wondered if the reception had suddenly dropped out. At last, a hesitant voice slowly said: "...Chat Noir...?"

He grinned, forgetting that she couldn't see him. "At your service, my Lady."

There was another prolonged pause; it was finally broken by a startled gasp, a muffled clatter, and a beeping dial-tone. She had hung up on him.

He lowered the phone from his ear, ended the call at his end, stared blankly at the screen for a moment - and then began to laugh uncontrollably. So his Lady could get flustered! What a welcome discovery - her surprised reaction had been too cute!

He returned to his table and paid the bill, not caring that the other patrons stared at him when he left too many notes and didn't wait for his change. He had better uses for his time. He left the hotel and began the short walk to school - why did Chloe even bother taking a limo over this distance? - his mind fixed on the phone in his hand all the while.

"Well, are you even going to look at it?"

The insolent voice came from the level of his breast pocket, making him look down. Plagg was hovering just inside the folds of his shirt; he had drifted up to sit near his lapel, level with the phone, commanding a clear view of its screen. "This is the just chance you've been wanting, right? You always wanted to know who Ladybug is! With this, think of all the secrets you could-"

"I'm not doing that, Plagg," Adrien firmly interjected - as much to himself as to his kwami. "I'm not going to betray my partner like that. She wouldn't go poking through my things, and definitely wouldn't want me going through hers."

"Spoil-sport," Plagg muttered, ears drooping in disappointment. "You have the perfect excuse, too; you would only be finding out about her so you could return the phone to her. It's the perfect opportunity to-"

"No, I'm not doing it - under any circumstance," Adrien sternly declared. "I'll just hang onto it until I see her next. Unless she calls again, and wants me to-"

"You could at least call her back and make some arrangement," Plagg wheedled, not wanting to be deprived of entertainment.

Adrien shook his head. "That wouldn't do any good. It probably wasn't her number, she could have been calling from anywhere: a public phone, the mayor's office, an empty apartment, her place..."

Her place... some rosy, sweet-smelling place where his Lady lived, perched on a couch - a bed, even - as she spoke to him, personal items scattered around her, her face free from any mask, and... and so, so beautiful... The mental image was intoxicating; he lost his train of thought, until Plagg prodded him roughly.

"Well, if you're expecting a call from your Lady Luck, you might want to put her phone on silent."

Adrien came back to himself with a start, and immediately stopped walking; the school entrance was just ahead of him. Plagg had a very valid point. He didn't want to get into trouble for having a phone ring during class - and he definitely didn't want to have to explain to Ladybug that her phone had been confiscated by his teacher! He unlocked the phone's keypad, feeling guilty all the while.

It's alright, he tried to reassure himself, you're not snooping, just finding the mute button, then you won't look at another-

The home screen appeared, and he nearly dropped the phone. Its wallpaper display was a photo of Alya.

"Whoa!" Plagg left the cover of his shirt and zipped in for a closer look. "So Ladybug is friends with the reporter-girl?! Who'd've thought!"

Certainly not Adrien; he'd always thought that Ladybug was more exasperated than impressed by Alya's antics. But then, she had personally endorsed the Ladyblog, and given an exclusive interview. Perhaps a lot of Alya's content actually came straight from the bug's mouth?

"I-It's probably just a professional courtesy," Adrien argued. "So she can warn her to stay away from dangerous akuma and keep safe, you know? I doubt they're that friendly, or-"

"You don't think?" Plagg countered, eyeing him sceptically. "Well, Ladybug also has a text from Alya - how much friendlier can you get?"

Sure enough, when he looked down again, the screen informed Adrien that there was an unread text message from Alya, sent almost an hour ago. The first line was displayed: 'Hey where'd u go? U took off just when a-' The rest was cut off.

Adrien was stunned. Alya sent Ladybug texts? He was her partner, and even he didn't have that privilege, save when he used his staff's communications function to call her during missions. To think that all this time, Ladybug had been corresponding with Alya and hadn't told him...

"I wonder who else you both know?" Plagg mused aloud, gleefully swiping at the screen with his paw.

"Plagg! Don't-" Before Adrien could stop him, a photo of Alya and Marinette, smiling and making peace-signs for the camera, filled the screen.

"Oh-ho, so she knows your 'Princess' too?" Plagg chortled, loving the intrigue more with every new thing he learned.

"That's old news," Adrien said irritably, swatting the kwami back inside his shirt. "She told us to protect Marinette from the Evilstrator, remember?"

"But she has a photo of them both! That looks like she knows them both personally, doesn't it? What are the odds? She might even go to school with them b-"

Adrien abruptly drew his shirt closed, cutting Plagg off. He shut the photo gallery, put the phone on silent, and stuffed it in his bag, striding briskly towards school. He would worry about the phone later - he had half a day of school left to attend! Still, as he sat in his seat, half-heartedly listening to Nino's explanation of what he had missed from Mrs Mendeleiev's class - he'd claimed to his friend that he'd been called away on a sudden photo-shoot, a tired old excuse that still served him well - he couldn't help but repeat Plagg's words to himself over and over:

What if she goes to this school...?

He cast around, listening to the other voices in the room. She probably wasn't in his class, even if she was a student here; and he wasn't supposed to be snooping, but... now that he'd thought of it, he couldn't stop thinking about it, he just wanted to make sure...

He didn't have the benefit of Chat Noir's enhanced hearing, but his own ears were good enough to tune in and recognize the various voices he heard around him. Rose's slightly squeaky, gushing tone didn't match his Lady; nor did Juleka's husky under-breath mutter. Mylene's timid quaver wasn't right, either. He could hear Alix arguing with Kim up the back - surely his Lady wouldn't ever speak as harshly as that, even to Papillion! Chloe and Sabrina were absent, but neither of them could be Ladybug - not unless they could be in two places at once, and fighting themselves! The same was true for Alya - besides, surely she wouldn't dedicate a blog to herself! The only other feminine voice in his class belonged to Mrs Bustier, who, since the bell hadn't rung, wasn't present yet... and that was just ridiculous! That was everyone it could possibly be... no, wait, he had forgotten-

"Hey girl, where were you?" Alya called out as Marinette stumbled through the doorway, looking sweaty and dishevelled. "When you didn't come back to class I sent you a text, but-"

"Yeah, s-sorry," Marinette murmured, clambering past Adrien and sliding into her seat just behind him. "I didn't mean to take off without telling you. While I was in the bathroom, Maman called; she heard that Chloe was getting hassled by a super-villain and wanted to make sure I was okay. It was nearly lunch anyway, so I went straight home , since she was so worried. I figured you would skip out too, as soon as you heard the news."

"No way - Mendeleiev wouldn't let anyone else go out after you!"

Sitting in front of them and listening discreetly, Adrien ducked his shoulders in guilt. He must have excused himself just before Marinette did; Mrs Mendeleiev was strict and didn't allow too many people to take bathroom breaks at the same time during her class. Whoops...

"Did you hear all about the latest akuma?" Alya was asking her friend.

"Y-yeah, it was on the midday news. That's why I was almost late getting back, I was watching updates and lost track of time-"

"- and of your phone?" Alya teased. Adrien grinned; sometimes Alya doted on Marinette like a second mother - which was perhaps justifiable, given how absent-minded the girl could be. Once, she had accidentally wandered into the boy's bathroom while he was in there, and she-

"Wait, did you really lose your phone?"

Adrien tensed all over. Was he becoming obsessed? He must be so preoccupied with Ladybug's phone, he was seeing undue significance in everything. It meant absolutely nothing that Marinette had lost her phone as well! She seemed to forget or misplace things all the time, so losing a phone certainly wasn't unusual for her. It happened to the best of them; it had happened to him, and even to Ladybug...

He tried to stop listening. He turned sideways in his seat, nodding at Nino to show he was still paying attention to his rundown of Mendeleiev's homework. Nevertheless, Marinette's reply caught his attention against his will.

"Y-yeah... If you sent me a text, that's why I didn't reply. I think I left it at home, probably..."

"It didn't just slip into another compartment of your bag, did it?" Alya helpfully suggested. Adrien smiled ruefully to himself; he'd done that himself, and felt like such an idiot afterwards!

"N-no, I looked all through my bag, it must be-"

"Maybe your parents will find it at the bakery? I can call it and help them-"

"No, wait, don't-"

Adrien froze in place. He forgot to blink. He forgot to breathe. He didn't trust himself to move, to speak, to do anything but remain perfectly still. He was far too conscious that he could feel, through the leg of his jeans and the canvas of his bag, a phone vibrating against his right shin!

"Hmph, it's not in the classroom." As if from a long distance away, he heard Alya speaking; there was a slight clatter as she put her own phone back down on her desk.

"It's p-probably just at home, so... please, d-don't call it again, it'll only bother my parents!"

"Okay, as long as you think that's where it is. I hope some creep didn't steal it from you!"

"Y-yeah, me too."

He wished Marinette wouldn't stutter so much - she was doing it even more than usual. It was putting all kinds of strange thoughts in his head. If her phone was missing... and Alya had called it... and Ladybug's phone had started ringing in his bag... But surely that was just a coincidence... maybe Alya had just called the wrong number? 'L' and 'M' would be next to each other in her contacts list, so... yes, that was probably it... it couldn't be that... she couldn't be-

"Dude, are you alright?"

Adrien jumped when Nino tapped him lightly on the arm. "Wh- huh- wha-?!"

"Man, you were spaced out!" Nino gazed concernedly at him. "Are you okay? You look like someone just stuck you with a pin!"

"Y-y-yeah, I'm fine..." Thankfully, his mind tended to work on its own sometimes; he hastily cycled through his list of ready excuses, selecting something appropriate at random. "Just trying to remember my spoken-Mandarin vocab for my test this afternoon."

"Geez, your life, dude!" Nino spluttered, giving a pitying shake of his head.

At that moment the bell rang, saving Adrien from having to elaborate his lie any further - or from having to listen to any more of the girls' conversation. He was glad, because it was doing his head in! The more he listened, the more he was becoming convinced that Marinette - of all people, Marinette! - was actually Ladybug...

The afternoon lesson didn't help take his mind off things. The whole class was still distracted by having had not one, but two of its students possessed by akuma - Chloe and Sabrina were still conspicuously absent - so Mrs Bustier had a great deal of trouble getting everyone's minds back on task. At one point, she asked Alya to read aloud from the textbook; judging by the sounds of a phone-charm jangling and something hurriedly being stuffed into a zippered compartment, she had been reading news reports on her phone instead of paying attention. There was a busy rustling of pages directly over Adrien's head, then a slight scraping as a book was stealthily slid across the desk behind him. After a few false-starts, Alya began to read from the correct point.

Adrien somehow heard Marinette give her best friend an encouraging smile. Though he knew it wasn't directed at him, he felt himself turning bright red, from the roots of his hair right down to the back of his neck. He silently prayed that a hole would open beneath him and swallow him up before she noticed his blush. How could he have sat in front of her for so long, and not paid attention to that voice?! To think that she could be... that his beloved Lady might have been... that she could have been so close, sitting right behind him...! Just when he thought he might pass out at the thought of such an incredible possibility, the end bell rang. He began furtively packing his belonging into his bag, careful not to shove his heavy textbook on top of the phone. All the while, his ears were trained on the seats behind him.

"Nice save, Mari! I had no idea where I was supposed to read from, I would've gotten into so much trouble if she knew I was watching a video on my phone with the sound off! Thanks for shoving the right page underneath my nose!"

"Heh, no problem!" This was bad... he was noticing just how attractive her voice was! Soft, but so clear; polite, yet sure and steady... that was the voice he knew so well, that was her...

"Seriously, you're the best - you know that, right?"

"Ha, only if you're the best, too! You help me out all the time, don't you? You and me - we're a team!"

Thud!

Adrien involuntarily let go of his bag's strap, dumping it on the floor; he dove after it as if it were made of gold. He hoped hard as he could that the phone hadn't cracked against the floor through the bottom of his bag - he couldn't help it, he had nearly lost it when he heard those words, those exact words, that his Lady had used to describe him-!

There could be no mistaking it, not now - Marinette, it had been Marinette all along! His Lady, she was-

"Are you sure you're okay, dude?" Nino asked, hovering nervously at his elbow; he seemed to be half-considering calling a medic. Adrien wanted to scream out that no, he wasn't okay - and yes, actually he was more than okay, because he had found her, he'd finally found her; and it wasn't okay, because all this time she had been right behind him in class, and he-

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he forced himself to say. He tried to focus on Nino, though he could see Marinette walking out through the door over his best friend's shoulder. Marinette-! His Lady-! He realized Nino was still staring at him, and forced himself to regain some of his customary composure. What could he do now, anyway - run after Marinette, thrust her phone at her, blurt out that he knew her 'secret'? Not the best idea - and what he just might accidentally do, in his current frame of mind! "Hey, I'm really fine," he said with better conviction this time, clapping Nino on the shoulder. "Just a bit... preoccupied."

Nino grinned back at him, though he still looked a little doubtful. "With that crazy schedule of yours, I'm not surprised! You should have more fun, less work at your age - you seriously need to get out more!"

The words struck Adrien, seemingly unrelated though they were. Slowly, a coherent plan began to form in his shock-addled mind...

"Yeah... I think you're right..."

Since he didn't really have any Mandarin lessons that afternoon - and, miraculously, no photo-shoot either - he would get out later... as soon as he had been home long enough to convince Nathalie that he was diligently studying in his room...

"Why do you need me for this again?" Plagg grumbled, glowering up at him.

"I already explained what we're doing," Adrien replied, in his most appealing tone, trying not to let his impatience show.

The kwami huffed, tiny paws folded. "You're not supposed to use your powers for selfish reasons, you know."

"It's not selfish, I'll be doing it to help Ladybug. Marinette. Both- I mean, her." It felt odd, referring to them as the same person out loud; even though he was absolutely sure of it now. He glanced around cautiously, making sure the alley behind the bakery really was deserted. He was overly conscious of how much time had passed since they had first got here. From across the street, he had used his phone's camera to zoom in on an upstairs window above the bakery. He had seen Marinette in there, her head bent, frowning in concentration - such a familiar sight, now that he only realized it! - probably doing her homework. Oh yeah, she must have missed Mrs Mendeleiev's class, too!

He hoped she'd be there doing it for a while longer; his whole plan hinged on her being close enough to hear it...

"You're not supposed to use me to play messenger-boy," Plagg griped some more.

Adrien sighed in exasperation. This called for desperate measures; luckily, he had come prepared. "That's a shame," he said, in mock-disappointment. "I was willing to make it worth your while..." He held up a wedge of cheese he had been hiding - carefully double-wrapped in aluminium foil - in his jeans pocket.

Plagg's eyes went as large and round as wheels. "Is that...?" he asked, a spot of drool forming in the corner of his mouth.

"Special edition, vintage extra-aged, super-soft centre, awarded blue-ribbon status by the Parisian Fromage Association," Adrien smugly boasted. He knew he was terrible for manipulating his kwami like this - but it was for a good cause! "Do we have a deal?"

Plagg held out for a few agonized second, then inevitably crumbled. "Deal!" he declared, zipping toward the cheese so fast, he was momentarily a black blur. Adrien had to yank his fingers away to avoid getting them nibbled. "So good!" the kwami sighed between mouthfuls. "The richness, the creaminess - that subtle bite, that hint of tang! Who knew such perfection really existed..."

Adrien grinned with satisfaction: Stage One of his plan was complete. Plagg was happy; soon, he would be happy too - and, hopefully, so would Ladybug.

"Well, time to hold up your end of the bargain. Plagg, transform me!"

Marinette leaned her head in her hands, heaving a deep sigh. How could she possibly focus on the school work she'd missed when her mind was currently one constant, frantic clamour? She had somehow managed to make it through the rest of the school day - to her wry amusement, Alya had been even more distracted by the akuma attack than she was! - but now that she was released to her own devices, her thoughts were all on her lost phone. Now that she had the time to do something about it, she had no idea what to do - and it was driving her mad!

"Cheer up, Marinette," Tikki said, leaving behind a plate of fresh cookie-crumbs to nuzzle up against the girl's cheek. "I'm sure Chat Noir won't misuse your phone. It's better that he has it than anyone else. What if someone else had found it - like Chloe?"

Marinette shuddered at the thought. "I know, Tikki, but... I still can't help worrying. Not when he has something of mine that's so... personal. I mean, he's said before that he wants to know who I am. He may have good intentions, but Chat is only human; it's got to be some pretty strong temptation. What if he-"

She stopped abruptly in mind-sentence. She could hear a phone ringing somewhere, and the ringtone sounded very familiar...

On the opposite street corner, Adrien was trying to keep one eye on the bakery rooftop; he was otherwise watching his phone's call screen with bated breath.

"That's it?" Plagg asked incredulously from inside his shirt. He had just been released from Adrien's Miraculous and was making a show of smoothing down his fur again, unamused at having been used for such a simple errand. "You gave it back to her - just like that?"

"Yes," Adrien said in a low whisper, as he pressed the phone to his ear, listening to it ring with his heart in his mouth. He could hear the phone's high-pitched trill from across the street, so there was no way she could miss it. "It was my duty as her partner to return it to her." With that accomplished, now he was doing his second duty: apologizing to her for learning the truth. At least, he would do it, if she ever picked up...

Marinette rifled through the things on her desk, up-ended her bag onto the floor, tossed piles of clothes around - all in vain. How could her phone possibly be here? And if it was here, where exactly was it?!

She realized the sound was coming from above her and was slightly muffled, as if she was hearing it through a closed door. The hatch-!

She thrust the trap door open and climbed out onto the patio. There was her phone: sitting on the table, ringing loud and clear, rattling with each vibration. It must be about to ring out-!

She dove for it, having no time to look at the caller id as she hit 'answer'. She reluctantly held it up to her ear. "Hello...? Who is th-"

"Are you the rightful owner of this phone, Princess?" said a familiar voice. Marinette froze; she felt all the colour drain from her face. "I found it on a balcony," the voice went on, "so I thought I'd leave it on a balcony. It is yours, right?"

There was no mistaking that self-satisfied purr. Marinette forced her dry mouth to form words. The shock was wearing off - and she was starting to get angry. "This had better not be a prank call," she snapped into the speaker.

Adrien winced. She could see her, standing up there on the rooftop; from the set of her stance, he could tell she was mad. The hostility in her voice confirmed it.

"No, it's not," he said, with every ounce of sincerity he had. "I'm sorry, my Lady, but... please believe me when I say that I found out who you are entirely by accident. I found your phone, and was hanging onto it for safe-keeping, but I just happened to glance at the screen, and- well, let's just say there was enough for me to work it out. To work out that... that it's you, Marinette... that you're my Lady..."

Marinette scowled at his words - what on her phone's home screen could possibly be so revealing? - but was too dismayed to fire another barrage back at him.

"I guess... it's better that you found out over anyone else," she managed to say.

"Perhaps." Though it was a serious moment, Adrien couldn't help but smile. Bravely facing down a tough situation - that was just like his Lady!

She heard the smirk in his voice; her anger returned ten-fold. "Still, you did the wrong thing, Chaton. We made an agreement! By breaking it, you have betrayed my trust, intruded upon my personal life, jeopardized what we-"

Adrien pulled a pained expression - he had worried that it would be like this! Still, to think it was Marinette up there, scolding him just like his Lady-!

"I know, I know," he hastily intervened, "and I can't begin to apologize enough, Ladybug. Marinette."

She had opened her mouth to talk over the top of him, but as he said her name - her real name - she faltered. She really was upset with him, but he sounded so... so genuinely sorry. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Please say that you can forgive me...?" his voice timidly pleaded.

Marinette swallowed hard. She felt like screaming, kicking something, throwing her yoyo at the first poster of Chat Noir she saw- but deep down, she knew it hadn't been his fault. Not really.

"I guess I forgive you, Chaton," she said, once she'd taken a moment to calm down. "You didn't really do anything wrong - it was my fault for leaving the phone there in the first place. I'm glad that you found it, before somebody else could."

Adrien grinned from ear to ear. That was her, that was the Ladybug he knew and loved-! "Thank you, Buginette - though I don't really deserve your forgiveness. But I'm going to do all that I can to make it up to you."

"Make it up...? How-"

"It's unfair, my Lady. I did something you didn't want me to, and I can't undo it. I would if I could, but... the only thing I can do is try to make it right between us again. We're a team, you and I - and everyone on a team should be equal."

She chuckled a little; despite herself, his words were softening her. "There's no 'i' in 'team'?" she suggested.

Adrien laughed too; the playfulness in her voice reassured him. "No 'i' in 'team' - though I am in your neighbourhood right now."

"What-!" He heard her startled yelp from across the street; he had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling again. He supposed it was mostly nervous laughter.

"Yes, I delivered your phone to you, then stuck around for this. It's unfair, my Lady - I know who you are, but you don't know who I am. I don't want to have the advantage over you like this. Admit it, not knowing would start to get to you eventually; I'd be able to pick you out in a crowd, and you would have absolutely no idea if I was even there. You'd constantly be looking over your shoulder, and I wouldn't want to worry you like that."

He was right, that scenario did sound pretty awful! She was frankly touched that he was so concerned about her; she had expected him to be gloating over his precious knowledge. How well did she really know him? And what was he...?

"That's why I planned it like this, Marinette. I'm near your place right now - just across the street. In a moment, I'm going to walk around the corner, and you'll be able to see me. You don't have to look if you don't want to, but..." He was tempted to beg her to, but knew he couldn't; instead, he said: "...but this is a chance for us to be equals again. You can trust me to protect your secret identity; and I want to put my trust in you."

Marinette didn't reply. She really didn't know what to say. She stared mutely at Tikki, who had been hovering concernedly near her throughout the conversation. She didn't dare look out over the railing of her balcony... what if he was already-

"Are you ready, Ladybug?"

His use of her super-heroine name jolted her out of her stupor. This was her Chat Noir that was talking to her; he was reaching out to her. They were a team, and there was no way she would ever push him away. It was time to prove just how much she trusted him - and that he could trust in her.

"Ready, Chaton."

As her words reached him through the phone, he smiled, trying to conjure up a confidence he didn't feel. "Okay, here I come..."

He took a deep breath, steeling himself, letting herself prepare... and then stepped around the corner.

He thought that she might refuse to look; but then he spotted her face peering down at him. Marinette was confused at first - how did Adrien just happen to walk around the corner, at the same time Chat Noir said he would be there? - but then she realized that he was walking straight towards the bakery, smiling up at her, a phone pressed to his ear... and the real meaning clicked into place.

Everything seemed to come crashing to a halt around her. She was aware of nothing else, except Adrien walking towards her. He crossed the road and stopped at the edge of the curb, far enough away for him to still see her over the railing. She looked stunned.

"...A-Adrien...?" he heard her stutter over the phone, almost too softly for him to make out.

He grinned up at her, giving a little Chat-like salute. "Hello, Buginette."

She felt like she was sleep-walking. That was the only explanation; it had to be a dream. Looking for confirmation, she lowered her phone, finally looking at its screen for the first time since she had answered it. The display insistently blazed back at her startled eyes: 'Adrien calling', with his profile picture next to the phone icon.

Marinette stopped working. Her mind, possibly her heart and breath - even her fingers stopped working. The phone slipped from her grasp, tumbling over the edge of the balcony.

Adrien felt incredibly lucky; either he had built up fast reflexes from all those fencing lessons, or Chat Noir's instincts momentarily took over. He darted forward, catching the phone as it fell. He grasped it by the centre of its screen, accidentally ending the call. Just as well, he thought to himself, hanging up on his end, tucking both phones safely into his pockets. After all these phone-calls back and forth, he wanted to talk to her in person.

For the second time that day, he sidled down the alleyway behind the pastry shop. "Plagg-" he began.

The kwami drifted out of his shirt before he could continue, a morose expression on his face. "You'd better have the rest of that cheese ready for me when we get back," was all that he said.

Marinette leaned out over the railing as far as she dared. Tikki was perched beside her, looking over the edge as well.

"I think he caught it, Tikki, but where is he...? W-what if it hit him on the head? Can you see him down there? Maybe I should-"

"Looking for me, Princess?"

"Gah-!" Marinette whirled around as a clawed hand grazed her shoulder. She might not have been Ladybug right then, but she brought her hands up in a guard position nonetheless. Chat Noir hastily backed away, hands up-raised in a placating gesture. "Whoa! It's definitely you, my Lady!"

"Chat Noir?" Marinette said, uncertainly. She was studying him carefully as her heart pounded, looking at the black cat-suit for some trace of a familiar white shirt. "You... you're Adrien...?"

"Um, yeah, I..." In a moment, all Chat's usual bravado was gone. He glanced at the windows of the surrounding buildings, then stepped back into the shadow of the awning. There was a flash of green light, and then... Adrien stood there, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, in a gesture that was so characteristic of him - of both of them, she realized for the first time - there could be no mistake.

Plagg was hanging in the air beside him, wearing a sulky pout. Tikki tactfully intercepted him, guiding him to a remote corner where the two kwami could catch up together. Their Miraculous-holders needed plenty of space to sort themselves out.

Adrien felt trapped on the tiny balcony. He didn't know what to say or do next. He had planned to just respond to however Marinette reacted, but... for now, all she was doing was staring at him in obvious shock.

"Um, here..." he said, taking her phone from his pocket and holding it out to her. He attempted a breezy chuckle. "That's the second time I've brought it up here..." He gazed intently at her, looking for signs of life. No, not a blip. Was she scared? Angry at him? What should he do?

"Uh, I-I'd really like to apologize," he said, hoping that filling the silence might somehow hope. "I put Ladybug's phone in my bag after I found it, in case I had a chance to give it back to her. Um, to you. When Alya tried to call you, I couldn't help but notice that Ladybug's phone went off at the exact same time. I saw your photo on the home screen, but I swear I didn't look at anything else. I'm truly sorry, I never meant to-"

He was cut off by Marinette, who had suddenly rushed him. At first he feared that she was trying to throttle him; but after a moment, to his amazement, he realized that she was hugging him!

"Thank goodness," she said. Her face was half-pressed into the shoulder of his shirt, muffling her voice. "I had no idea who had my phone, w-who Chat Noir was, and I was so scared... I'm just so, so glad it turned out to be you... Adrien..."

Once he grasped the meaning her words, he smiled. He tentatively hugged her back, giving her shoulder a few comforting pats, since she seemed to need it. She stirred then, abruptly coming back to herself; she sprang away from him with a startled squawk. "S-s-sorry, I shouldn't have- I mean, that- I'm sorry, I-"

He chuckled uneasily. It was awkward, but... sort of funny. "T-that's fine. Do you mind, um... if I sit down? We should probably..."

"Y-yeah, sure..."

He sat down at the table, watching as she shakily lowered herself onto the other chair, as if she didn't trust the seat - or herself to find it. He really wanted to say something to set her at ease.

"You know, it was an accident, but... I'm glad I found out it was you, Marinette." She blinked at him as he said her name, but otherwise stared at him with the same stunned expression as before. "It might make things easier," he went on, hoping her trance was only temporary. "I often wondered where Ladybug was when an akuma attacked, if she was okay, whether I should wait for her or go ahead and tackle it as Chat Noir on my own. If I can ring you in future situations like that, it would help a lot."

If she had been thinking clearly, she should have known what was coming next. She had seen that same smug, calculating grin too many times not to realize what it signified: the coming of a pun. "It's good to know I can always call on my call-aborator."

He sat back with a satisfied smirk, waiting. She gave a slight twitch, as if she had just come awake; her eyebrows shot up in an arch look that he was so accustomed to. A disapproving smile quirked her lips up to one side. "So long as you don't call me up just to quote lines like that!" she reproachfully told him.

He beamed at her in delight, bowing as low as the table in front of him would allow. "I would never, my Lady - the best ones will be committed to texts, or even emails, depending on the length!"

She gave a slight huff, as unimpressed by his humour as ever. She was still looking at him, still smiling, still working things out - but at least she didn't seem upset. And he wasn't the least bit upset. From here, it could only get easier.

They began to talk - mostly about that day's akuma battle. Marrinette explained how her transformation had run out, what she had done while her kwami recovered. At that point, Tikki flitted over to properly introduce herself and apologize for keeping Ladybug. Adrien described his solo fight with Antibug, admitting hat he had held back a bit for Chloe's sake. Marinette wasn't disappointed in him, much to his relief. It made sense, considering their shared history; he had known Chloe since they were both children, and though they had since grown apart, he still looked out for her. Plagg interrupted to add his account of how pathetic his Miraculous-holder could be - making Adrien groan, Tikki gasp at his lack of tact, and Marinette giggle uncontrollably.

Listening to her peals of laughter, Adrien decided that perhaps tossing all of Plagg's cheese stash in the bin was unwarranted - perhaps.

By the time the two of them were comparing how many times they had each slipped into bathrooms to transform, they were chatting away comfortably, laughing together like old friends. Which, when they thought about it, was really what they were. Knowing that Adrien was just her goofy, gag-spouting Minou with the addition of a mask, Marinette found that she could talk to him more easily than she ever had. And for Adrien, finding out that his incredible, slightly-intimidating Ladybug was sweet, supportive Marinette out of costume allowed him to express himself freely in front of her, dropping any overt attempts to impress her. They spoke truthfully, candidly, always encouragingly to one other.

At last, as the sun dipped towards the horizon and the surrounding buildings cast shadows across their rooftop, Adrien reluctantly got up to leave; he had to be back before Nathalie summoned him for dinner.

"But we should talk like this again, Marinette," he said, having shushed Plagg's complaints at having to transform again with yet more promises of cheese. "It's good to be able to go over everything together. It's a lot less lonely like this."

"Yes," Marinette agreed, blushing slightly - Adrien wanted to talk to her! - but frowning at his words. "You know, you can talk to me whenever you need to, Chaton. Adrien." Still hadn't quite wrapped her head around this just yet! "Call me any time you want to discuss things, anything at all - I'll always listen."

He smiled brightly at her. She might have gone weak at the knees, if he hadn't immediately asked: "Even to the puns?"

She pulled an unimpressed face, though she still grinned at him. "Yes, even the puns."

His smile grew a little wider. "Thank you. And you, too; if there's ever anything troubling you, call me up straight away. You can-"

"I've already got your number!" she interjected - then immediately looked panicked, as if she had said something she shouldn't have. Seeing that he was regarding her curiously, she hastily amended: "Y-you called me b-before, so your number w-will be in my..."

"Oh, yeah, right..."

The funny thing was, when Adrien had caught her phone before, he could have sworn he'd seen a picture of himself on-screen just before it hung up, as if she'd already set his profile. But that wasn't possible; he hadn't had her number then, and surely she hadn't had his yet. He must have been mistaken; his inner narcissist, or something...

As he said good-bye to her, got a reluctant Plagg to transform him, and dashed towards home, he reminded himself to someday ask her to take a selfie with him - he definitely wanted one, just like hers and Alya's.

The next day, when they arrived at school, they studiously avoided speaking to each other. They hadn't called each other again, though they had exchanged several texts throughout the night, disrupting each other's attempts to catch up on Mrs Mendeleiev's work.

Through messages, they had mutually agreed that in order to avoid suspicion, they couldn't let on that they were anything other than classmates, so they must continue on at school as they always had. It was a bit ridiculous, considering how close they really were; separately and privately, they both resolved to extend their civilian relationship to something more than just 'classmates'.

They managed not to give themselves away as they walked into class and took their seats within minutes of each another, giving each other smiles that they hoped outwardly looked just polite. So many unspoken things passed between them as their eyes met.

It was incredible to think that this time on the previous day, they'd had no idea who the other was...

As they both unpacked their things and prepared for class, it dawned on them, at much the same time, that their discretion was unwarranted. The rest of the class' attention was riveted on Chloe and Sabrina, who were haltingly making attempts to reconcile, ignoring the dozen-or-so curious stares they were getting from all directions.

As she watched Chloe hand Sabrina a new brooch with a grudging smile, Marinette grinned to herself. It looked as if the pair's relationship had strengthened; as had another she could think of...

"I think those two will always be friends - in their own way," she said aloud, speaking to Alya beside her. Adrien noted that she seemed to pitch her voice a bit louder than necessary; she was making sure he heard her, secretly including him in the conversation.

"Yeah," Alya replied, with only a hint of scepticism in her voice. She then added: "In any case, I prefer our friendship!"

Adrien chuckled as the girls bumped fists behind him. Marinette certainly had a knack for friendships!

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Puzzled, he pulled it out and found a text from Marrinette. Attempting to look casual in case Nino decided to peer over his shoulder, he opened it, and read:

'Ours too, chaton.'

Grinning to himself, he half-turned in his chair, seeing her smile innocently back at him out of the corner of his eye. He hastily tapped out a reply; a faint buzz, then a hint of smothered laughter, told him that she had gotten it.

'Couldn't agree more, my lady.'

Author's note: for those who might be wondering, I'm from Australia, where 'mobile phone' is the common term we use for what some would call a 'cell phone'. Funnily enough, it's the same (though possibly pronounced differently) in French, so that's the word I chose to use for this story; hope it didn't confuse anyone.