Over the years he'd worried about Ladybug. She'd taken on a lot when Fu handed over guardianship, and he hated that he couldn't be there for her as much as he wanted to. Yes, she had the girl she'd revealed herself to, and he hoped she was helping out as much as possible, but to see her now made him feel like someone had reached into his gut and pulled out his stomach.

She looked broken. Not just heartbroken, but everything broken. Like someone had grabbed her reality and torn it to pieces.

He tried to keep focus on his partner, to soothe her the way he always did. He was good at it, and it took his mind off the facts she'd just spilled. As he tried to help her through an impending panic attack, he couldn't stop his mind from spinning faster than Max Vestappen on his final lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.

She knew things only a select few knew.

She knew things he didn't want to reveal to the public.

She knew what his favourite colour was and why.

Though, the why was now debatable. He'd believed for four years that the scarf was made by his father for his birthday. Something special and something meaningful. Something that took time and commitment to make. Something that showed his father loved him...

His friend made it for him. It's been his favourite colour since.

The race car in his head was losing control, and he was sure he was about to crash. Chat Noir studied his partner's face. The quantum mask over her eyes flickered like a bad signal on TV. There was only one friend talented enough to make something like that, and now he knew it was from a friend. It didn't take a lot to figure it out.

She wasn't a crazed fan or a stalker. She was someone he knew, someone who knew him and cared about him enough to listen and learn.

He knew it was Marinette that had made the scarf for him and, for some reason, allowed him to believe it was from his father.

He thinks it's from his father and she never wanted to tell him about the mix up because it made him happy.

Marinette and Ladybug must be close friends for her to know this much, but the way the red around her eyes was trying to turn off made him think there was more to it, more than he had time to think about right now.

The crowd were going wild for his prick of a cousin, chanting his name and applauding like their lives depended on it. He hadn't answered one question right, but she had. Ladybug had known everything. She seemed so proud of herself for saying the answers before Kagami revealed, yet the disappointment grew with every wrong answer.

He looked at Ladybug again, the mask dropping for slightly longer this time, but before he could look any closer he felt a hand on his back and a hefty push up the stairs and onto the stage, the bright lights startling him, causing him to cover his eyes.

"Finally, the couple you've all been waiting for: Ladybug and Chat Noir." The wild cheers made him jump, his eyes unable to see anything in front of him except dark shadows. He stretched out to the side, searching for his partner's hand and sighing with relief when she'd slotted her smaller one into his.

"Are you ready?" the presenter said. Chat Noir nodded.

"To your cubicles then."

As they went to move, Chat Noir stopped and pulled Ladybug to him, pressing a long kiss to the side of her head.

"Pretend you're Marinette," he whispered, her body stilling.

"What?" she asked, her own lips skimming his ear and almost knocking him into next week.

"You know about Marinette, right? She's your friend. So please, answer the questions like you're her."

Slowly, he felt her nod. "Okay."

"Break it up lovebirds. That's not the show people have come to see."

Suddenly, he felt like he was about to be interviewed by Caesar Flickerman, moments away from entering the Hunger Games, not a holiday resort couple compatibility quiz.

"Sorry," Chat Noir laughed. "I can't seem to keep my hands off of her."

The crowd cheered and wolf whistled, and Chat Noir couldn't help but want to find Félix in the crowd and flip him the bird. He felt unbelievably calm, his head ready to get these questions right because he knew Marinette, and he knew Ladybug knew Marinette. The exact reason why was still slightly out of grasp, but he was sure, given time, he'd figure it all out.

He made his way towards his booth, stepping in and taking the whiteboard and pen from the shelf. He looked to the side, where the tall, golden heart shaped divide blocked his view of Ladybug.

"Okay, Chat Noir, your first question: what did your partner want to be when they were younger?"

Chat Noir took the lid off the pen and pushed it onto the end. He tapped it against his lower lip as he considered the many different jobs Marinette had been through. Interior designer, fashion designer, artist, painter...

His pen met his board as the idea struck him like lightning. It had been a rainy day and he'd been around Marinette's (as Chat Noir) to keep out of the storm. She'd fed him croissants and cakes, and told him all about...

"The knitting fairy," Chat Noir announced, holding up his board to show the audience.

"Ladybug?" The host asked and it felt like a lifetime waiting for her response.

Come on, LB!

"The knitting fairy."

The crowd erupted in cheers, and his heart did a little jump and twirl. One down and three to go.

"Question two: what is your partner's favourite game?"

He giggled, shaking his head. They could at least try and give them some hard ones. Quickly writing down the answer on the whiteboard.

This time they asked Ladybug to show her answer first. "Ultimate Mecha Strike 3."

The host hissed, before scrunching his nose up. "You do realise your partner has to have the exact same response. You've limited the chance of winning by writing a number."

"I know," she said, her voice filled with confidence. How he wished he could see her akuma butt-kicking face, there was no doubt she looked smug...just as she should be. "But we play it all the time. He's almost as good as me."

"Well, here goes nothing. Let's see what your partner says."

Chat Noir felt his lip twitch at the corner. Oh how he's going to love this reveal, the guy hosting was going to have a hissy fit. With a slow, dramatic spin, Chat Noir flipped the whiteboard around to reveal his answer. The host's expression dropped, and Chat Noir wanted to jump onto the chair and do a little dance.

"And 'almost' is a complete lie, I am better than her."

Her wonderful laughter danced around the divide. "In your dreams, Kitty Cat."

The presenter spoke. "Well, it seems that is another match."

"M'Lady knows me better than I do," Chat Noir chuckled. The crowd supported them with cheers and whoops, the enthusiasm only added to his confidence. Two questions to go. They've got this. They can get the last two questions correct and rub it straight into Félix and Kagami's face.

He heard her soft chuckle as the crowd died down again.

"Okay, question three, the last of our normal questions." The way normal was said, sent a shiver down Chat Noir's spine, he was quite sure the whole idea was for them to be the spectacle of the show, and not always in the entertaining way. He was starting to think they wanted to find a flaw in the power couple and he'd be damned if he'd let that happen.

A quick shuffle of his pen and board. and he was poised ready for the next question with a renewed sense of competitiveness. Bring it on!

"Question three: what is your partner's favourite piece of jewellery?"

He considered what jewellery Marinette wore. She didn't wear a lot. There were the plain black studs she never took out, then that was about it...apart from the other piece of jewellery he'd made for her. He knew she still had it. She wore it for exams and when she was feeling anxious. She said it was something she always kept with her, which made her feel better.

Hesitantly, he wrote down 'charm bracelet' on the board and tapped the pen on the corner of it. This had to be right, but then, maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought. Maybe she had a necklace she wore that was a gift for her 18th birthday, or maybe a ring from her parents.

This wait seemed longer—almost excruciating. It had to be right...it just had to be.

The host called out to his partner, "Ladybug?"

The area was quiet, all he could hear was the hard thumping of his blood rushing around in his ears and making his head swirl. Oh, man! He was going to faint over a stupid quiz.

"My charm bracelet."

It was as though his head was underwater and her words were mumbled. He thought he'd heard her, but he couldn't be sure? Did she...? Was she...?

"Chat Noir?"

He slowly lifted his board and twisted it around in his fingers.

"It's a match!" The audience roared with appreciation, and Chat Noir felt himself relax for all of thirty seconds.

The golden envelope containing the hard question suddenly appeared on the stage, transported by a woman wearing one of the shortest skirts he'd ever seen. She strutted on the stage like a Victoria's Secret model before turning and blowing him a kiss. Again, he was quite sure this had been showcased to try and put a divide between the super couple.

"Here is the moment you've all been waiting for. This is the golden question for Paris's own golden couple. If they get this correct, they head through to the finals in joint first position with Adrien Agreste and his lovely girlfriend, but if they get it wrong they will be demoted to position two. Are you both ready?"

Chat Noir nodded knowing full well his Lady was doing the same. He prayed the question wasn't ridiculously hard. After all, there was only so much he knew about both girls, and, as attentive as he was, sometimes his mind wandered to other things, such as pastries and places to curl up and sleep.

"Chat Noir," the host said, turning his body to face him. "What is Ladybug's most embarrassing moment?"

Well, that really was just a million dollar question! Asking Marinette which is her most embarrassing moment is equal to asking a parent which is their favourite child. She was prone to embarrassing situations, from the time she snuck into his house to the time she got stuck in the sliding doors in New York.

His mind ran through the many trials and tribulations of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, most seemingly involving him—in both forms. After all, who could forget two weeks ago when André the ice cream guy had outed her love for Adrien Agreste to him in Chat Noir form.

"We need a decision Chat Noir, even though you're a superhero we can't give you any extra benefits." The host started to laugh before turning to the crowd and encouraging them to join in—Caesar Flickerman he most certainly was.

Chat Noir laughed along without any humour, placing the nib of the pen to the board and willing a thought to take prime position in his head. This was a crap question! Undeniably shi—

Wait! Just hang on a second. London. When he went to London he had to get something that she really wanted. Something she really needed. Something that had turned the apples of her cheeks into the colour of the Wicked Queen's poisoned apple.

He rushed to write his answer as a clock ticking started to play over the speakers. He'd got this...he'd so gotten this! He'd just need to think of a valid reason as to why he knew it.

This had to be the answer though. There was no other moment which had as embarrassing an effect as this did.

"Okay, we need answers please. Chat Noir can you reveal what you have written?"

He breathed out, using the exhale as a calm to the chaos circling his stomach. This was going to either be epic or epically embarrassing for both of them.

"What?" The host snorted. "Does that say what I think it does?"

Stretching to rub at the back of his neck, Chat Noir let out a small laugh. "Um-yeah?"

"It seems Chat Noir believes Ladybug's most embarrassing moment was giving a prescription for constipation medicine to her crush...and he got it for her."

Everyone started laughing, and all of a sudden he felt like an idiot. If this was her most embarrassing moment...if this was Marinette, he had just shamed her in front of a crowd. He was ashamed of himself for taking this contest so seriously. His cheeks began to heat, and he looked down, an anxiety grabbing hold of his lungs and making it harder to breathe. That was until she revealed her own answer.

"Unfortunately," she started, her voice lighter than he expected to hear. The sudden noise from the audience had his heart beating against his ribcage. "He's correct." She giggled as the crowd once again cheered and applauded crazily. Some standing on their feet and chanting their name.

Ladynoir! Ladynoir! Ladynoir!

It was music to his ears. Springing from his seat, Chat Noir stepped forward at the same time as she did. He caught Félix's eye as he moved. Beat that, suckers!

Ladybug bounced forward to meet him centre stage and wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting up onto her toes and pressing a kiss onto his cheek. Then she said something which almost sent him into a cardiac arrest. "Grab my ass!"

Oh, he was a goner! He'd died and gone to heaven, because there was no way she'd just said that to him. "W-what?" he stuttered out.

"Come on! Grab my ass, it'll make it more believable!"

It would most certainly be believable because there was no way his body wouldn't respond to such a thing. So, of course, he had to make matters worse though. "You squeeze mine!" he whispered back.

"What? Just squeeze mine! Isn't that what men do?"

What men do? What men did she know?

"No!" he hissed back.

"Fine!" she said with an oomph which only came with Ladybug confidence. She was going to squeeze him, he could already feel her arms moving around.

"Don't. You. Dare!"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir everyone." The host announced them to the crowd, coming in between them to hold their hands up in the air.

Again, Chat Noir searched out the annoyed face of his cousin and raised an eyebrow.

Game on!