"And finally," Mrs. Bustier concluded, a smile growing on her face. "I've been informed to remind you that tomorrow is Superhero Day. You'll have the opportunity to dress up as one of our own superheroes- Ladybug or Chat Noir."

Cheers echoed through the classroom and Adrien suppressed a grin. He knew the number of people dressing up as Ladybug would be tremendous, but if even one person dressed as Chat Noir... No. Getting his hopes up just to have them let down was something Adrien had stopped a long time ago. Even for something as simple as Superhero Day.

He turned around to face Marinette, Alya, and Nino, their conversation shaking him out of his daze.

"Who are you dressing up as?" he asked, wondering if his guesses were correct.

Alya conspicuously shook the Ladybug charm on her phone, confirming Adrien's prediction. He turned to Nino.

"I don't know," Nino admitted. "On one hand, Ladybug is amazing. But, dude, Chat Noir's costume?" He held up a circle with his pointer finger and thumb, clucking his tongue. "That's incredible... Not to mention his powers and fighting skills."

Adrien bit his lip, warmth rising to his cheeks at the compliment. Not that Nino knew he was complimenting his best friend, but that seemed to make it feel even more genuine.

"Excuse me?" Alya interrupted, an intimidating eyebrow raised. "Ladybug's costume is the best. And, at the end of the day, she's the one who purifies the akuma."

"Well yeah, but Chat Noir never gets much credit for all he does. The dude can destroy anything he touches for heavens sake!"

Marinette and Adrien watched, eyes wide and traveling back and forth from Nino to Alya. Finally, Marinette opened her mouth and joined the conversation.

"Both of them do a lot," she reasoned. "I mean, Ladybug could never do what she does without Chat Noir and..."

"Chat Noir could never do what he does without Ladybug," Adrien finished, locking eyes with the flushed bluenette. "They're like... a dynamic duo!"

"Th- that they are," Marinette agreed, swallowing her stuttering. The two exchanged glances, understanding passing between them. After a moment too long, Adrien tore his eyes away from Marinette and turned back to Nino.

"I can help you with your costume if you want," he offered. "The leather for m- Chat's suit would be hard to get."

"Dude, that would be awesome!" Nino accepted. "But wait... you're not dressing up?"

"Oh I am," Adrien assured, a wide smile on his face. "I gotta agree with Alya, Ladybug is super cool. I already have her costume and her mask and some memorabilia and-" He took a deep breath to avoid his Chat side from showing. "Anyway, I'm dressing up as her."

Alya grinned. "Who knew you were such a big Ladybug fan, Mr. Model?" she teased. "You should help me with the Ladyblog."

Adrien gave a slight nod as Marinette quietly echoed, "Yeah, who knew?" Her previously flushed cheeks were now fire-engine red.

"I..." Adrien began, not knowing how to reply to the offer. "Maybe.

*~*~*~*~*

"Okay." Nino held out the costume, its leather and metal gleaming in the sunlight. "How do you dudes know so much detail about Chat's costume, Adrien and Marinette?"

"And Ladybug's!" Alya added, gesturing to her costume. "I mean I follow the super heroine 24/7 and even I don't know these small details!" She pointed to one of the seams. "Like, Adrien, how did you know this was a blanket stitch?! Just by looking at it!"

And feeling it. Adrien thought with a grin. Every time I hold my lady's hand.

Outside, he just shrugged. "They look pretty different from the other stitches," he lied. "And if you're asking me that, why not ask Marinette why she knows exactly where every single one of Chat's zippers are?"

And why she had gotten every single one right.

Marinette gave a shy smile. "I'm a designer!" she reminded them. "I notice these things."

"Right," Adrien agreed sarcastically. "Because any observer would know Chat has a zipper connected to his bell."

Marinette frowned, all shyness forgotten. "Well then how do you know?" she demanded. "For all you know, I could have made that up!"

"I..." Adrien faltered under Marinette's annoyed glare, one he had received from Ladybug many times. "You definitely did not make that up."

"Are you saying I'm not creative?!"

"No!" Adrien stomped his foot, feeling like a chided child. "You know what? Forget it."

"No," Marinette refused to relent. "If you're questioning my ideas, I might as well question yours. How do you know exactly where every spot is on Ladybug's outfit? Or that her yo-yo wraps around her waist? Or that her hair has red ribbons?"

"How do you know that?!" Adrien cried, exasperated. Marinette groaned.

Alya slapped her hand on the floor. "You guys! What's gotten into you?"

Both Marinette and Adrien burst into a speech of justification until Alya held her hand up to silence them.

"Who cares?" Nino asked. "We have good costumes, so why does it matter? So both of you know minute details about Ladybug and Chat Noir's costumes! Big deal."

Alya nodded. "Exactly. So finish your costumes and get over it. Honestly."

Adrien and Marinette stared at the floor, refusing to meet Alya and Nino's eyes. After a few moments, Alya and Nino burst out laughing.

"You both look like scolded puppies," Nino teased.

"I prefer cats," Adrien admitted.

Marinette shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing at the complex stitch she was making. "Cats are nothing but trouble."

"Hey! Cats are awesome!"

"Uh huh," Marinette murmured as Adrien began trimming a piece of the fabric. "Cats are just... Ugh. They make terrible puns and always call you 'milady' and are super cocky during a battle and kiss your hand every single time after."

Adrien almost cut off his finger.

"Ouch!" He held out a finger with beads of blood dripping down it, but ignored the pain. Dropping the fabric, he grabbed Marinette's arm and pulled her out of the room.

"You," he said, pointing with his uninjured finger, a grin spreading across his face. "I know why you knew Chat's costume so well."

"I- I have no idea what you're talking about," she stammered, panic evident in her voice. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "I'm just observant."

"Observant is one thing, but it doesn't take much to know all that if you're his partner." Adrien grinned at her shocked expression. "Good to see you... milady."