Red Strings And Markers

t w e n t y

"It's simple, just three small words that will go right... here..." Plagg pointed across Adrien's forehead. "'World's. Biggest. Idiot'."

Adrien sighed.

"Classy little shit, aren't you?" Alya asked, eyeing the black cat kwami.

The three were in the library, Adrien effectively having skipped fencing practice because Alya caught onto him.

The bad thing is, instead of trying to fight it and make it seem that Alya was letting her obsessive Ladybug fanatic leak, he accidentally let it out. And there was no backing out of after he let it slip.

"Sorry, I just..." Adrien sighed, grabbing Plagg and sticking him into his bag, a wheel of Camembert following to keep him quiet.

"Camembert?" Alya rose an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "He likes cheese."

"Explains why under all that cologne you wear, there's the faintest smell of that horrible cheese." Alya rested her elbows on the table, bringing her fingertips to her temples. "I just... Can't believe it. It all makes a whole lot more sense now. Your sudden disappearances when there's an akuma attack. I mean, besides the magic making you appear different to the eye, it all adds up." Alya put her hands to her lips, thinking. "It's just... There's something different. Your hair."

"Oh, that." Adrien brought his hands up to his hair, running a hand through it and allowed some on his face, the look lacking the fake ears and black mask.

"Wow." Alya sat back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest. "Unbelievable. You're Chat Noir. And that... Thing makes you change into Chat Noir?"

Adrien nodded and Plagg floated onto the table again. "I'm not a thing! I'm a-"

Adrien cut him short and stuffed him back in his bag, looking at Alya. "Sorry, he's just a little upset I can't keep a secret."

"A little!" Came Plagg's muffled cry and he opened the bag. "You couldn't tell Ladybug that you're Chat Noir yet you can tell her after she barely caught on. You're hopeless."

"Plagg."

The kwami huffed, retreating into Adrien's schoolbag. Adrien looked over at Alya, who was looking at Adrien's bag thoughtfully.

"Ladybug doesn't know who you are?" She asked, not peeling her eyes away from Adrien's schoolbag.

"She doesn't."

"Do you know who she is?" Adrien remained silent, to the point that Alya had to look at him to make sure he heard her question.

"I do, but... She doesn't know I know." Adrien replied quietly.

Alya nodded slowly. "Are... Are you two connected by red strings?" Adrien nodded. "So can't she just write all over her arm and look around for the one with her same writing, couldn't she? I mean, you're both in Paris, it can't be too hard for her to find you."

"It's not as easy as you think, Alya." Adrien sighed.

"Why is that?"

Plagg reappeared this time, moving along lethargically to lay between Alya and Adrien.

"You see, we have the children keep their identities hidden. If they don't know who each other are, they won't get hurt, their families and friends won't get hurt either." Plagg explained.

"We?" Alya asked.

"Ladybug has a kwami that turns her into Ladybug." Adrien explained.

"I'm assuming she's much nicer that this one." Alya muttered, looking at the small black cat with an inflated tummy yawning on the table. "So how did you find out if she doesn't know?"