Hypothesis 3: Civilians do not have the sucking power to leave a hickey through a super suit.

Variant change: Who gives the hickey.

Test:

"You really think that we're only getting marked because we have some sort of super strength when it comes to sucking and biting?"

"Well it would make sense wouldn't it? Everything else is super," Ladybug said. She needed to get him to agree to this. It was the only way she was going to let her overactive imagination rest. If Chat agreed to go and find a 'random' civilian to do this 'experiment' she was just going to make sure Adrien knew she was up for it. Adrien liked doing things with his friends and she was quite certain he wouldn't ask Nino.

If Adrien knew Marinette was offering her body to be 'hickey-ed', she was hoping he'd turn up in super suit and allow her to leave specific marks in specific places which would then work towards her theory. So even though Chat thought it was to do with sucking strength, she actually had her own agenda.

Hypothesis: To find out if sucking Chat Noir on the collar bone would lead to Adrien Agreste having the same mark.

Oh my God! She was going to suck Adrien! This was huge! Well it will be, if she was right and Chat was Adrien. She'd forget the whole secret identity complication for now (she'd freak out about the consequences later). Instead she decided to focus on the fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng would finally get to taste Adrien Agreste.

I'm going to suck Adrien Agreste!

A wheezing sound startled her, only for her to turn her head and see Chat Noir choking on, what she could only presume was, air.

"You're going to what?"

Oh bother! She'd said that out loud. Her mind whirled in a frenzy as she thought quickly for an excuse, only to come up with the truth. Well done Marinette!

"Okay, so I want to propose another hypothesis based on my super strength theory. We each choose a civilian to try and hickey us through the suit," she said.

She watched him purse his lips, looking out at the light show currently being projected from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

"Keep talking." He looked at her suspiciously and she wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. This really was a stupidly brilliant idea!

She took a deep breath and steeled herself, this was it! The moment of truth. Look for any slight indication of identity; a neck rub, or an eyebrow tick, just something. "We each choose a civilian to leave a hickey through our supersuit."

"Should I use your Miraculous again?"

Ladybug pursed her lips wondering if she'd prefer Chat Noir or Mister Bug? It was quite the choice.

"We'll keep our own," she said, now knowing that if it came to a choice she wanted to hickey him in black, not spots.

"Okay, so we can just ask anyone?"

"Well within reason," she responded. "It needs to be someone you can trust, someone who isn't going to go blabbing to the media."

"Like, maybe someone who's a hero, or ex-hero?"

"Maybe? Or, I don't know, sweet sunshine celebrities?"

Chat burst out laughing, clutching a hold of his stomach as he rocked backwards and forwards. "Oh my God! You're going to ask Adrien Agreste!"

"And what's wrong with that?" She positioned her hands on her hips, glaring at her partner and pouting out her bottom lip.

"I'm starting to think this whole thing was so you'd just get a hickey from Adrien Agreste."

"Was not!"

"What's the big deal anyway? Does he turn you on or something?" The glint of mischief in his eyes did not go amiss. Did he know something too? Or was it more an inkling?

"None of your bee's wax."

"If I had the bee Miraculous that would make sense, but as I don't - what you just said was pointless."

She rolled her eyes. Once again he had to come up with a smart answer; cheeky but smart.

"Whatever. So say I did go for Adrien, do you think he'd accept?"

"Hell yeah!" Unfortunately Chat was a little too excited for her liking, and if she hadn't already had her suspicions then he'd just thrown her a pretty big clue.

"You're really that sure?" She raised an eyebrow at him as he nodded with so much force she thought his head was about to detach from his neck. This was too good. An absolute opportunity to mess around with him. She needed to think, and fast. "Or, I could ask that sculpture guy, you know, the one who created our statue. He seemed to like me, I'm sure he'd give it a try?"

"Absolutely not."

"XY then?"

"Pfft, I thought you had taste, M'Lady."

"I hear Jagged Stone has a son around our age." She could hear the growl vibrating in his chest. Okay, so this was cruel. The struck look on his face made her heart clench, time to take him out of his misery. "But none of those are Adrien. He's a dream."

"You think."

"I don't think so, Kitty Cat." She stood up from where they were seated and unhooked her yo-yo. "I know."

Grabbing hold of all the Ladybug confidence she possessed, she placed a hand to her mouth and blew a kiss in his direction. The movement knocking him backwards, flat onto his back. Giggling, she made her escape, hoping that tomorrow she could start putting her plan into action.

Findings:

Marinette, as usual, swung herself into the café like a hurricane attacking a village; aggressively and erratically. Her movement almost ended with her rotating herself straight out of the adjoining door and back onto the street. Sorting herself out, she brushed down the dress she'd spent three hours choosing that morning and channelled her inner Ladybug.

Keep cool! Keep cool! There is no solid proof yet that Adrien is Chat.

She turned around and locked eyes with the man himself and all the confidence she'd just psyched into herself deflated like a cheap ass balloon. She froze in shock as instead of his usual soft stare, his lips were pursed and eyes questioning.

Could it be possible that he knew? Or even worse not only did he know, but he knew that she knew too?

His eyes continued to quiz her, holding her stare as if challenging her to break away first. If he wanted to play a game then she would gladly challenge him for the win...except she couldn't. As she reached the table, eyes firmly still on Adrien, she caught her heel on the strap of someone's bag. With a yelp, she flew forward only saving herself by placing her hands on Adrien's shoulders, her face (and lips) millimetres from connecting with his.

They froze still as her blue seas met his green fields, the background sound fizzling away into an orchestral version of 'Unchained Melody' and pink bubbles surrounded around Adrien's head, followed by the growth of two perfectly formed cat ears.

"Yikes!" Moving herself away from him, she flung her arms around like an untrained ninja only to fall perfectly into her seat next to him, a second yelp sounding through her lips.

"Woah! Marinette, are you okay?"

"Meow!" The word left her mouth with zero consideration, her hands slamming tightly over her lips and restricting any others from escaping. What an absolute idiot!

•••••

Meow!

The words ran through Adrien's mind. There was no way that was just a coincidence. He knew the girl was prone to verbal diarrhoea and that it shouldn't shock him, but that was a little too close to home.

The two sat awkwardly, keeping their gazes away with pursed lips and in a truly uncomfortable silence. He didn't know how long they sat there...five minutes...ten minutes...a year? It seemed to stretch on forever until Nino and Alya came to join them.

This was more awkward than he could have ever expected. As soon as the couple moved close, Marinette sprung out of the chair and dragged Alya over to the counter. She couldn't have made it clearer that she wanted to get away from him.

His heart dropped as he watched the little mouse scurry away from the cat, quite ironic to think about really.

"Dude," Nino whispered, as he slid into the chair next to Adrien, "have you two had a fight or something?" Nino's voice shook Adrien from his thoughts, as he turned to face his friend, tearing his eyes from a frantically speaking Marinette.

"What? Me and Marinette, no of course not, never." He felt his cheeks heat after hearing her name. She really did have her (Lady Noire) claws in him.

"Your face is red?"

"It's just a warm day that's all. Don't you think it's hot in here?"

"No, not really. If anything I'm a little chilled. Have you got a fever or something?"

"Pfft, no. I'm just hot, it must be a model thing."

"Sure, man, just like needing a lot of showers!" Nino laughed, slamming a hand down on Adrien's shoulder. "Whatever you say."

Like a magnet, his eyes sought out Marinette, zoning in on her at the counter with Alya, bending and checking her shoe; her gorgeous ass pointing firmly in his direction. If Adrien was the sort of person who cursed he'd be on the verge of becoming a sailor right now.

He knew he should turn his head away, that it wasn't seen as being a 'good friend' to look at your 'just a friend's butt, however if it was also his Lady, not only was he being a crap friend but also doing something he was certain she'd string him up for. She would not at any point want Chat Noir ogling her ass.

But gah! It was such a nice ass.

A sharp pain vibrated around the back of his head followed by a whimper leaving his lips. "You're staring at Marinette's butt!" Nino hissed in his ear, Adrien only being able to whimper again by answer.

Grabbing hold of his top, Nino pulled Adrien back around to face him, elbow balancing on table and eyes burning with questions.

"Spill," he demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Adrien shifted a little, pushing himself further under the table to cover any signs of the effect of Marinette's butt.

"Marinette, you! What? Do you like her now? Are you finally admitting to yourself she's more than just a friend, because, dude, it's about time."

Adrien shook his head, before starting to nod, then whimpering again. "Help!" he squeaked out, only to be met by his friend slinging an arm around his shoulders.

"What can I do?"

"I need you to wingman for me, please Nino. I know I was crap when I did it for you, but please, I beg of you. I need your help with Marinette." Placing his palms together Adrien was almost ready to drop onto his knees and trade anything for help. He'd give him a kidney if he asked.

"What do you mean, you were a crap wingman? I may not have got the girl I thought I wanted, but I got a better one thanks to you."

"So you'll help me?"

A few minutes later, the girls returned to the table with drinks and treats all around, Marinette placing them down without eye contact and moving to her own seat.

He took a deep breath. He could do this!

Adrien was thrilled, yet surprised by Nino's willingness, maybe he was even more suited to Marinette than he originally thought. Now all he needed to do was get Marinette to relax a little, if she was anymore tense he swore she would crack.

Did she know?

"So, guys, what are your plans for the weekend?" Nino, thank the Lord for Nino, broke the awkward silence and started the conversation.

"We've got a date, remember Nino, don't tell me you've forgotten! We've had this planned for months, I've had to get a babysitter and everything. God! I do everything, and you can't even remember a damn thing!" Alya turned her body and glared at her boyfriend, Adrien was quite sure if this was aimed at him he would have wet his pants, the girl was a force to be reckoned with.

"You're such a married couple." Marinette laughed, picking up a macaron and loading it into her mouth.

Oh God! Her mouth. The mouth that had sucked his back multicoloured creating his own technicolour dreamcoat. Oh man, it was certainly a dream, and not only that, he was now staring at her again.

What was wrong with him? He needed to think of something to say, and quickly.

"Alya just wants another hickey, that's all. She likes to show them off with pride." The little angel situated in his brain began to slow clap. Well done Agreste, you idiot!

The small squeak next to him alerted his presence to the little mouse. He looked down to Marinette noticing her face had brightened up. The wonderful Marinette pink, hitting a full Ladybug red.

"That I do. You should try them sometime!" Alya laughed, turning her attention to Marinette. "What about you? Up to much?"

"Oh, I'm going to watch Kitty Section rehearse Saturday afternoon, but I don't have anything else planned. I might make some hickeys - I mean bickies - like yummy biscuits, because I like... biscuits." The whimper as she spoke did not go amiss and Adrien had to cover the smug smile caressing his face. Jackpot.

"I'm sure the bickies will deliver," Adrien said, Marinette swivelling around to glare at him. Though he wasn't sure, he thought her eyes read 'what do you know?' and when Ladybug gave you those eyes, there was nothing more to do than fear.

"Marinette, we've got to go. I told Alix we'd meet them at the Trocadéro."

Her eyes remained firmly on his as she stood up and moved away from the table. Three steps later, and she still hadn't removed her eyes from his only to misjudge her surroundings once again and trip over one of his feet. He watched as she spun like a ballerina on one leg before landing ever so gracefully in his lap.

It didn't end there though, because something like that he could save. He could just help her regain balance and stand her up, they could laugh it off and continue on their way. However, hello bad luck, because as soon as his Lady fell he went into hero mode, standing up and ready to break her fall, scooping her into his arms and cradling her to his chest.

And of course it didn't end there...

Every single person in the café was watching and many had their phones out.