Author's Note: I admire authors who write drabbles/one-shots for every day of MariChat May. Unfortunately I neighter have such a productive imagination nor time to do that.

So this May it's just one one-shot from me. Still, I hope you'll like my little contribution!

Mari, Chat and the Prank of Pranks

Neither of them remembered how it had actually started and after that crazy year it wasn't really that important. It turned out Marinette had quite a competitive streak in her, one that rivaled only Chat's own. Thus the ongoing prank contest that had begun somewhere around June last year.

When it was Chat's turn, he would sneak up on her at night and draw a mustache and a beard on her face with a waterproof mascara.

Marinette in turn would photoshop Chat's pictures giving him a squint, altering his hairdo (he always knew he would look great in pigtails or with purple hair) or changing the color of his eyes (he actually liked the pink ones).

To avenge that disgrace Chat would then release spiders in her room and wait on the balcony to savor all the squeals.

Mari would return the favor by gluing a sheet of paper to his back when he was leaving her place – and on the sheet she would write things like 'Leonardo DiCATrio' or 'Paw-lease, kick me'. Sometimes he didn't even realize she'd done it, until his pictures would appear on Ladyblog (because of course she hinted Alya every time).

If the pun was purrrticularly pawsome Chat felt generous enough to make the next prank a pleasant surprise. Like that time when he had filled Marinette's locker with thirty plush Chat Noirs. On the next occasion instead of plushies he used sweets, burying his unsuspecting girlfriend up to her neck in her favorite Ladybug jellies. He enjoyed pulling stunts like that in public the most – unbeknownst to Marinette he was able to watch her reaction from up close because she didn't have a clue as to Chat Noir's identity.

Some would say this was a strange custom, but it worked for Chat and Marinette. Somehow it was 'their thing', since there was a 'they' anyway. Oftentimes they would lie side by side on Mari's chaise arguing whose joke was better, chuckling and giggling and cuddling. And neither of them minded or felt offended. On the contrary they both could appreciate a particularly funny or inventive trick.

The 19th of May was supposed to be special. Last time Marinette told him she needed to confess something important, but asked for a few days to prepare herself mentally. It had to be big, because his girlfriend usually wasn't that nervous or agitated. Chat declared he would reciprocate with a secret of his own, the secret in fact. To his surprise Marinette agreed. There would be no more secrets between them, she would finally know who he was under the mask. They had set the date, kissed their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Yet with every passing day Adrien felt less and less comfortable about the whole ordeal. Would she be disappointed? Would she hate the fact that he was hiding in plain sight all those months? Would she feel betrayed that he knew her as his civilian self and never said a word? And after all those pranks at school he somehow grew even more certain that Marinette will hunt him down as soon as she knows who and how pulled off those stunts.

But then an "anonymous someone" leaked to the Ladyblog a very private and compromising photo of Chat Noir blissfully passed out in front of catnip pot and Adrien decided that if he was going down, he would make a hell of a last stand. And that he would make that "anonymous someone" pay by pulling off the prank of pranks on them.

The boy prepared meticulously. He acquired everything he needed, and what he couldn't borrow he ordered on the internet to cover his tracks. On the 18th of May he finally managed to complete his attire. He put it on, transformed and de-transformed in front of a mirror to see how it would look like. He made some adjustments. The trick was purely devilish, so unsurprisingly Plagg was 100% on board instead of scolding Adrien for misuse of his miraculous.

Finally came May 19th. Chat Noir stood in Marinette's room and watched her fidgeting and casting nervous glances at her purse. Apparently she was giving herself a pep talk, as his ears picked up various versions of 'you can do it' between her anxious sighs.

Outside Chat was a model case of composure, inside he was grinning sinfully. 'Are you okay, Princess?' he asked gently.

'Y-yeah, fine,' she mumbled. 'It's just harder than I imagined.'

That would be his cue. 'Would you like me to go first?' he ventured and almost backtracked seeing the relief on her face as she nodded wordlessly. Almost, because then the shameful photo popped into his mind pushing him of the edge.

'Ready?' he asked zeroing his gaze on Marinette. She paled and nodded once again.

'Plagg, claws in,' he called never taking his eyes of her as green light engulfed his body, replacing the black suit with an attire Marinette should recognize on the spot. And she did.

The green light went up from his feet – first revealing white shoes with black soles, then a white jean capris and a belt with a diamond-shaped bumps, going up to a white and black striped shirt and yellow blazer, a flower shaped necklace, and finally showing long blond hair tied into a high pony-tail, and white rimmed sunglasses on top of his head.

When the light disappeared Marinette swooned. She fell backwards, landing on her butt as her legs gave up, her eyes widened in horror.

'Chloe?' she whispered weakly.

Adrien touched his wig in a way he saw Chloe doing countless of times, when she checked her hairdo. He ran his hands over the striped shirt and the blazer to smooth them out. He cocked his hip out in an offensive way Chloe always did, when she wanted to intimidate someone. He pursed his lips into so familiar snooty pout and fluttered his lashes to demonstrate the fierce blue shadows on his eyelids.

He risked a glance at the flabbergasted Marinette still splayed on the floor, gaping at him with her mouth slightly opened.

Okay, on second thought maybe he overdid just a little bit. Or more than a little in fact.

'Marinette? Say something, please…' he whispered offering her a hand.

And then Marinette screamed. It started as a quiet squeal, but somehow grew into a full force shriek that must have scared all the bats in the neighborhood. It took a while before the ringing in his ears ceased.

'Um, better?' Adrien asked releasing a nervous chuckle.

He didn't get any response. Instead Marinette stood up, reached out and pulled the abominable wig from his head and smeared the eye-shadow from his face. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand to stop another squeal.

'Surprise?!' Adrien ventured channeling what little Chat he had left into his voice.

Marinette's eyes narrowed, her lips pursed into a thin line. And Adrien knew in an instant that he was a dead man walking. But he couldn't go back so he soldiered on.

'Soooooo, that was fun?' He suggested and was rewarded with a deeper frown.

'Yup.' He answered himself with a loud pop, as his girlfriend still didn't utter a single word.

'Um, wanna tell me your secret now?' he asked nonchalantly swinging his arms back and forth and rocking on his feet.

Marinette cocked a skeptical brow and never breaking eye contact she whispered. 'Tikki, spots on.'

He barely registered the flash of red light and Plagg's yowls beside him before the revelation hit him. Oh boy, he was soooo screwed.

AN: Hum hum. What do you say? I'd appreciate your comments :)

EDIT: The story somehow sprouted two bonus chapters!