"So, you two are the ones missing out, huh?"

"Are we suddenly ignoring every other person in the class?" Marinette asks. "You lot seem to forget that it's literally just you three who have a kwami based on you."

Alya beams.

"Yes, because we're-"

She stops.

"Wait, you're right."

Marinette blinks, suddenly wondering how she's managed to put her foot in it this time.

"That's really weird, actually."

"What's weird?" Adrien asks. They're sitting in class, waiting for Miss Bustier, listening to Alya analyse TP episodes and boast.

That happens a lot, actually.

"There are only five kwamis in TP, and three of us are in the same class."

"For entirely different reasons," Marinette says, feeling her stress level rise. "You got it because you are RenaRouge, and Chloe got it because she's well-known. Literally only Nino got it because they know him in real life."

"But if they knew Nino in real life," Alya says, "well enough to know he's Carapace and loves TP, they would probably know his girlfriend is RenaRouge."

"Well, isn't your ego the size of the moon?" Adrien scoffs. "I hate to break this to you, Alya, but Nino doesn't go around boasting about how his girlfriend is the number one fan of a webcomic."

There's a pause, and Marinette suddenly realises that this didn't sound like kind, sensitive Adrien at all.

It sounded like...

"Do you?" Adrien checks, suddenly worried, and Marinette pushes the thought out of her head. No way. Adrien is... Adrien.

She's never seen Adrien draw.

"But you've got to admit, it's weird," Alya persists, and Marinette is stressed again. "Like, what are the chances we'd all be in the same class?"

"How many schools are there in Paris?"

"Who said RenaRouge was Parisian?" Alya counters. "RenaRouge could have been anyone in the world, and Nino could have been in any class, and Chloe could have been at a snotty rich kid school, but we're all in the same class."

Alya glances at the class.

"Do you reckon they look like their profile pictures? LadyBug has dark hair. Juleka? Nah. But the only other person in this class who has dark hair is..."

Marinette.

The only other person in this class who has dark hair is Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

An intensely nervous Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"Have you been holding out on us, Marinette?" Alya teases, and Marinette laughs.

"With that logic, Adrien is ChatNoir!"

Adrien tenses up, and it's only years of modelling that can help him ease up.

"Chloe's blonde."

Marinette snorts.

"You're saying Chloe is ChatNoir?"

"She hates the guy," Adrien shrugs. "Perfect cover."

Luka is Viperion. Marinette knows Luka.

The puzzle pieces seem to be lining up, a perfect picture.

LadyBug wears her hair in small, bobbed pigtails. The pigtails that Marinette wears everyday.

Maybe, just maybe, he won't lose LadyBug with the end of TP. Maybe he's found her, just in time.

They're working it out.

Dammit, dammit, dammit, they're working it out.

She needs to fix this. She needs to fix this right now. She's written two seasons and she's halfway through the third. Half a season - she can hold out that long.

She just needs to convince every single reader of TP that she's not LadyBug.

She can do that, right?

Marinette frowns at her laptop screen, her brain running at triple the speed, before she has an idea.

LadyBug: hey, chatnoir?

He's going to ask her. There's no point waiting until it's too late. If LadyBug isn't Marinette, he can keep his eye out.

LadyBug: hey, chatnoir?

ChatNoir: hey, mlady

LadyBug: you up for another episode?

ChatNoir: sounds good

ChatNoir: can i ask u a question?

No. No, he can't. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.

LadyBug: can u wait til the end of my episode idea?

Maybe he could wait. It's not really a rush.

ChatNoir: np, go ahead

LadyBug: i know it's too late to add another kwami, but i think this girl deserves some recognition

ChatNoir: here we go again XD
LadyBug: her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Wait.

Her name is what?

ChatNoir: marinette dupain-cheng?

LadyBug: you probably know her at the girl chloe defended? the hat designer?

ChatNoir: yes. what did she do?

Surely LadyBug wouldn't dedicate a kwami to herself.

LadyBug: ok, you promise not to tell anyone?

He's curious at this point.

ChatNoir: on my life, lb

LadyBug: she doesn't know it, but she lied to renarouge to convince her away from suspecting my identity

LadyBug: if she hadn't, my identity would be revealed right now

Adrien blinks at the screen.

Marinette isn't LadyBug. She accidentally covered for someone else. Someone who is even closer than he thought.

ChatNoir: kwami-worthy! how are you going to do it?

LadyBug: kwamibuster. someone trapping the kwamis, and trixx can use an illusion to create a previously-unknown kwami

LadyBug: mouse! mullo

ChatNoir: awesome idea! we could even drop a hint too. kwamibuster could say something like "oh look a seventh kwami" and sitting w the trapped kwamis, wayzz mutters "eighth"

LadyBug: omg that's genius!!

It's only at the end of the episode that Adrien summons the courage to ask.

ChatNoir: just to rule it out - you aren't juleka couffaine, right?

LadyBug: nope. you're getting closer, but i don't think you'll get it

ChatNoir: are you sure?

LadyBug: your last guess was last season, and we've only got half a season left. stats say you won't get it XD

ChatNoir: don't hit me with logic

ChatNoir: see you, lb

LadyBug: see you

"LadyBug dedicated an episode to you!"

Marinette works hard to conceal a smile.

"Why?"

The message at the bottom of the page just said Mullo is dedicated to Marinette Dupain-Cheng (@Multimouse)

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, do you know LadyBug's identity?"

"No!" Marinette protests. "I don't know what I did!"

"You do!"

Adrien almost laughs, before he remembers that he doesn't know LadyBug's identity and stops laughing.

And, as LadyBug said, he's got less than half a season left to work it out.

[A/N: okay, so i forgot to update for 2wks and this one is late. who's surprised???? in other news i only have one more chapter written so guess what i'm going to be doing for the next 3wks]