*Note I do not own rights to Miraculous Ladybug or any characters.

Chapter 1

As the pair ran towards the latest akuma, or what they assumed was an akuma based on the screaming, a familiar conversation ensued.

"So, when do you think you'll tell me your true identity, M'lady?", Chat called as he propelled himself forward with his staff.

"Um... probably...NEVER!" She quipped, while slingshotting herself across the street with her yoyo.

"C'mon!", Chat complained, "we've known each other for five years, to the day".

He smiled, staring at his dear friend and the woman who had possessed his heart for the last lustrum. "She really is beautiful," he thought, "and kind, as well as responsible". He hoped he could tire her out with his incessent pestering. Chat promised himself he would find out who his Lady really was.

Silence filled the air long enough for Chat to grow uneasy. "Why wasn't Ladybug responding?" Chat pondered.

The silence was abruptly broken as the heroine spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "Chat, you know I think revealing our identities is a big mistake," Ladybug began, as she sailed onto the next rooftop.

Chat prepared to interject with an ultimatum. His mind rushed over the plan and he resolved to go through with it. Either his Lady would tell him her identity, or she would find out his. The obsidian-black clad hero flashed a mischievous grin. The plan to guilt trip his darling Ladybug into revealing herself would soon be underway.

As he opened his mouth to speak, Ladybug continued, "However, we are a team, and we wouldn't be a very good one if I forced you to do what I wanted."

Chat could feel his cheeks redden as she spoke. He was glad he hadn't started his ultimatum. "I should never have doubted my lady," he thought.

Once again, her voice penetrated his thoughts. "So how about we make a deal Chat?"

"You've got me interested now, M'lady, purrhaps you would like to explain more?" he said anxiously.

As the duo continued their exchange they could see the site of the akuma attacks. It still appeared to be a few minutes away. The noon sun shined brightly above them, urging them to hurry and finish their goal so they could enjoy some shade. That being the case, they continued their dialogue as they leapt from building to building.

"Have you ever played 20 questions?," Ladybug inquired.

"Sure, who hasn't?" was the response.

"Ok, well you can ask me any 20 yes or no questions, but only one per day. I will answer them to the best of my ability with a yes, no, or sometimes. I might even explain my answer, however that is my prerogative," the spot speckled superheroine suggested.

"And one more thing," she added, "if you don't know who I am after the 20th guess, you can't mention sharing identities again, deal?"

"Ooh, a challenge from my Ladybug, I gladly accept. I can't wait to know your real name," he shrieked in kitten-like excitement.

"Heads up! Akumatized grandma straight ahead!" Ladybug called to Chat Noir, as he stopped feet from what looked like an octogenarian armed with a tshirt cannon full of sweaters. Beyond her stood a horde of children each adorned with a hand knit sweater.

"I am AkuGrandma!" she shouted, "and with my army of grandchildren, I will never feel the plague of loneliness again!"

"Not so fast AkuGrandma! We've been stopping Akumas for five years, and we aren't planning on giving up now!"Ladybug declared as she launched herself skywards and using a disarming kick to render the Akuma incabable of ensnaring more children.

The sweater cannon clattered to the ground, and quickly found itself in Chat's curious paws. He gazed at it in wonder, before bashing it against his knee. It shattered into a collection of shards, but no butterfly appeared.

"Ladybug, the gun doesn't have an akuma in it!" Chat yelled across the road.

She scanned the grandma's figure looking for a memento that might hold one of the mind alteringly vicious little insects. Suddenly she saw a silver gleam of something dangling across the woman's neck. "Chat her locket is --"

She was cut off by the old woman's voice. "Grandchildren! Bring me their Miraculous!" she sneered.

Both heroes tenderly circumvented the outstretched hands of children, careful not to harm them. They found themselves tired out and from being chased in circles by the possesed crowd.

Chat Noir attempted to use his extended baton to pole vault himself at the akuma. He grinned triumphantly, only to be overcome by a swarm of juvenile minions standing on top of one another.

Ladybug yelled at the top of her lungs as she watched her partner being pulled into the writhing mass of minors. "CHAT HOLD ON!"

She hurled her yoyo, catching him by the ankle and pulled him towards her.

"Thanks M'lady," he said somewhat dazed, " I thought I was Meout of luck." He flashed her a toothy grin.

She couldn't help but smile back, relieved she had pulled him out before he had been trampled by the rambunctious stampede. Ladybug only allowed herself a moment of gratitide before refocusing of the task at hand.

As she considered the situation, Ladybug quickly began to form a plan.

"Ok," she signalled to her partner, " I have an idea."

"I'm all ears M'lady," he responded, his ears twitching as he spoke.

"Alright, as soon as I shout 'now', extend your pole and launch me up as high as you can" she ordered confidently.

She backed away from him, still avoiding the sweater wearing henchmen surrounding them.

With a running start, she latched onto Chat's shoulders, and gave the key word "Now!" She watched his baton elongate and in so doing it propelled them both into the air.

As they rose, the spotted heroine allowed herself a brief moment to note how toned and muscular Chat's muscles were. Time suddenly appeared to slow down. She could see his deltoids and traps clearly, accentuated in the skin-tight suit. "He is well built," she thought, "almost like a model."

As the word model entered her mind, she suddenly snapped back to her objective, while mentally reminding herself there was only room in her heart for Adrien.

"Focus," she mumbled to her self.

"What's that?" Chat asked, turning his head slightly towards her. His trapezius flexrd with the motion.

"Nothing," she responded, leaping off his shoulders as she reached the apex of their ascent.

Chat watched in awe as Ladybug climbed higher and higher into the sky. Then, as suddenly as as he saw her rise, he saw a red blur streaking downward. With his finely tuned cat eyes he could make out Ladybug, her foot extended. "No way," he thought. This looked like an action movie.

As Ladybug dove through the air, her foot swept within hair of AkuGrandma's face, her heel catching on the locket. The heel and locket continued toward the ground, and both stopped with the sound of a crack.

A small shadowy butterfly emerged from the broken locket and was instantly caught in Ladybug's yoyo. "Time to deevilize!" She proclaimed, knowing it was a catchphrase Parisians had come to appreciate. "Bye bye little butterfly, " she called as the winged insect fluttered away.

Chat Noir's mouth gaped ajar, and he subconciously muttered, "Just like an anime".

Ladybug heard him, and decided to have a little fun as she struck an exaggerated anime-esque pose and grinned "Normally I would use my catchphrase here, but I didnt need to use my lucky charm, and for once, it appears there isn't any damage either".

She cleared her throat and attempted her best announcer voice, "We leave the heroes as they have just defeated another akuma, leaving Hawkmoth once again embarrassed. Find out who they will battle next time on: Miraculous Ladybug".

She grinned even wider as her compatriot's cheeks flushed red. As Chat Noir swooned over his angelic partner, he wished he had some way go show his appreciation to her. Simultaneously, she walked toward the dazed woman.

Immediately his eyes lit up as he remembered his gift. He waited for Ladybug to check on the old woman, admiration for his Love painted across his countenance.

As she returned to him, he proudly instructed, "M'lady, follow me if you would". And with that they sailed back in the direction of her house. Chat began to slow down, as the pair neared her house.

Ladybug wondered if Chat already knew her identity.

"M'lady, we should be able to walk from here," he said, pulling out his baton to check the time.

Once they arrived at what seemed to be a random street she watched Chat enter an alleyway and return with a ladder and a roll of caution tape. She watched as he cordoned off the street, sighing as she realized they were not going to her family's bakery.

"Come on," he said, ushering her up the ladder he had just placed in the middle of the road. She climbed up, and watched him once again check the time. She saw the time change, followed by a smile from her feline-based hero-friend.

With one hand he leapt onto the other side of the ladder, staring into her eyes.

"Happy anniversary," Chat said, beaming,"We met right here with my baton between these two buildings and your yoyo tied to both our ankles."

He cleared his throat, "In fact, it is five years to the minute that I met one of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen, and one of the best friends a cat could wish for."

Again he smiled that make-a-girl-melt kind of smile and pulled a velvet rectangular box from behind his back.

"So I got you this to remember all the good times we've had, and all the good times that are yet to come."

Ladybug gasped as he opened the box to reveal a golden necklace, with the words "Paris's Greatest Hero" inscribed in a circular pendant. The back side wore a red background and was adorned with five spherical onyx stones. "A ladybug," she whispered, her eyes wide, touching her own earrings (which looked nearly identical).

"Yeah," Chat responded,"and the best part is if anyone asks you about it in your civilian life, you can just tell them the necklace motivates you to be a hero, just like Ladybug".

He chuckled,"Of course you won't tell them that you are doing a perfect job of that because you are Ladybug, so everyone will just think it is fan merchandise. No one will realize it is a custom crafted gold pendent with five precision cut onyx stones, and who knows how many tiny rubies inlaid in the back."

Ladybug again looked at the back of the pendant, noticing this time that it was a shimmering sea of red twinkles and not a soild background. She wondered how she could have missed it, and was instantly answered by a single drop hitting one of the ladder rungs. She was crying! She brushed the tears off her eyes, her vision returning and smiled.

"Thank you Chat, I wish I had something for you..." she trailed off, then smiled. "Actually, I can do this!" She said, and kissed him on the cheek.

After Chat finished putting the ladder and tape away, the duo decided to enjoy lunch on the top of a building. They sat on the edge of the structure, their feet hanging precariously off the high rise.

Chat wondered aloud as he munched on his sandwich,"Alright... I have 20 questions... and I get to ask M'lady one today... hmmm so many good choices. But so few questions."

He glanced at her, her half eaten sandwich laying dejectedly on the ground. She was still clutching her gift, engrossed by the intricate details.

Chat grinned as he thought up another scheme. He felt bad for taking advantage of his Lady, but he needed every advantage he could get.

"So..." he began nonchalantly, "Since you seem to really like your gift, could I have five extra questions?"

Ladybug looked up, snapping out of her trance and offered a genuine smile. "Chat, you have no clue what this means to me..." she paused for a second and her smile became a grin as dastardly as his. "And no you may not have any more questions. By the way you have 19 remaining."

Chat's smile faded as he realized what had happened. "Wait, no that doesn't count!" He pleaded.

"Sorry Kitty, but those are the rules," she said as she winked at him.

They finished their lunch laughing and bickering over the rules of the game, and Chat eventually conceded to his Lady's wishes.

"After all," he thought,"I am going to have to agree with her much more frequently after we're married."