Chapter Text
[He looks like her.]
The first person Adrien thinks of when he’s trying to figure out what Ladybug’s secret identity might be is Marinette. He can’t pinpoint why, but she reminds him of Ladybug. However, after some thought, her hair is too blue. There’s no way, even if each miraculous changes the user’s appearance, she just doesn’t look like Ladybug.
Where Adrien fails to figure out Ladybug’s identity though, he is able to start a list of possible candidates. Anyone with earrings, blue eyes, or dark hair goes on the list for now.
When he wakes up and starts prepping to investigate and find suspects, he has a brief thought wondering if his Mom liked to play detective too.
Plagg rolls his eyes when Adrien grabs a small notepad.
—
“Hey Nino, who do you know that has blue eyes?”
Blue eyes is the most common of the three traits. Someone having blue eyes doesn’t guarantee that they’re Ladybug, but he has a hard time believing that the miraculous will often change a user’s eye color. Hair color isn’t a hundred percent. Anyone could take off and put on earrings. Eye color is an easy start.
Though, he feels like he’d be able to recognize Ladybug’s pretty ocean blue eyes even out of the suit, but there seems to be a weird magic thing related to it similar to kwami’s. Maybe there’s a force of nature that makes it harder to recognize similarities between miraculous holders and their superhero forms.
Nino raises an eyebrow in curiosity, the orange headphones on his neck nearly fall off when he turns to face him.
“What for, dude?”
Oh you know, trying to find out my crush’s identity so I can confess and we can have a hamster and a cat-
Adrien thinks of a quick lie, “Research purposes, I’m learning about Punnett square stuff y’know genetics and all that.”
There’s no way he buys that.
He searches Nino’s expression to see if he will buy the lie and after a moment it’s obvious he’s not going to question further.
“Uh, off the top of my head: Rose, Marinette, Nathaniel, Alix, Sabrina, and Chloe.” He counts each person on his fingers as he lists them off.
Rose wears earrings occasionally doesn’t she? Guess that’s two out of three.
Despite none of the people Nino mentioned checking off each of the three boxes, Adrien adds each one onto his Ladybug list.
“Thanks Nino! I’m sure my project will really benefit from this. Okay bye!”
Nino makes a face, probably not completely sold on the Punnett Square lie, but he smiles anyways. “Of course dude.”
Contemplating it, Adrien takes mental notes throughout the day.
Rose’s eyes are too dark, they’re nice but he doesn’t feel the overwhelming feeling that Ladybug’s eyes give him. Alix’s have the same issue of not being a close enough shade of blue. Nathaniel’s, Sabrina’s, and Alix’s eyes are all too teal and not the same sea blue. Chloe’s eyes are a much more dull, dark blue and couldn’t possibly be Ladybug’s. Marinette’s eyes… well they’re the same color… but Ladybug’s eyes are sparkly and shine in the sunlight. Marinette’s eyes don’t really do that, so he adds her yet again to the list of no-go’s.
In a frustration, he crosses out the blue eyes section and decides to pursue people who wear earrings instead.
—
Kagami ties her shoes with her usual grace, eyes flicking over to him the more he scratches at his small notepad. Her pointed, observant amber-brown eyes tear through him until he feels obligated to face them.
“Adrien, is something up?” Her tone sounds as it usually does, neutral with a bit of intelligence, but it includes a touch of a concern that most people won’t catch. Her hands are still on her lap, awaiting a response to ease the growing concern in her expression.
She wouldn’t buy the Punnett Square lie.
Scratching his neck awkwardly, he shrugs. “I’m fine Kagami. Just focused on a.. personal project of sorts.”
She purses her lips and glances to the side. “If you don’t feel comfortable talking to me about it, you don’t have to… but I won’t judge you for whatever your distracting personal project is. Either way, it’s obviously a bigger deal than you’re saying. I think I broke my record for beating you today.”
His fingers hover over the empty earrings section of his chart. Turning the notepad over and setting it on his thigh, he smiles softly.
“Sorry for not being at my best today, but i-it’s not uncomfortable, I promise! I have a question to ask you actually, do you know anyone who wears earrings fairly consistently?”
Kagami tilts her head slightly in thought. “I wear earrings sometimes, but not often. From whom I’ve met of your school friends, that girl Juleka seems to wear earrings pretty often along with that nervous boy? Marc was it? I haven’t met that girl Lila, but I remember she was wearing earrings in pictures of her.”
Adrien thinks about Lila and almost laughs.
Definitely not.
“I appreciate the help Kagami, thank you.”
Her expression melts and she smiles genuinely. “Glad to be of assistance.”
A couple days of observation later end with Marc and Juleka both not crossed off completely yet. Both of them wear studs just like Ladybug.
So close, yet so far.
—
“Plagg, c’mon just tell me!”
Plagg gives a look and crosses his arms in disapproval. “You can’t bribe me with cheese, I’m not allowed to tell you.”
Adrien leans against his staircase railing, the cheese in his hand moving as his arm does. He watches Plagg’s big green eyes following the gross smelling thing. His ears twitch, in a manner that shows how hard Plagg seems to be resisting. A slight guilt enters Adrien’s system from the look.
He leans further against the railing until his grip on the cheese weakens and it falls out of his grasp. Plagg dives for it, hugging it like his lost child. He zooms off with the cheese, as if Adrien would try to take it from him.
Dead end there I guess.
The hope of being able to get a definitive hint or answer from Plagg was an unlikely dream anyways.
If only he didn’t have puppy dog eyes. There is no way he’s 100% cat.
His list is currently still unhelpful. Juleka and Marc don’t have blue eyes, but who knows if that’s a certain deciding factor.
“What if I never figure it out? Maybe I haven’t even met the real Ladybug?”
Plagg pauses between bites of cheese. “Ha, yeah sure.” He snickers a bit.
Wait. Wait a second.
“So I have met them, I knew it! You think you’re slick Plagg, but you’re not.”
He grins as Plagg freezes and just sits there with his cheese. “Fuck.”
Adrien rests his head in his hands victoriously. “Language.”
“I’m leaving, I prefer to eat my cheese in private.”
So the hunt continues then.
His phone dings before he can give much more thought to his list however. A couple of quick taps reveal the goofy selfie Nino took ages ago to set as his contact photo.
Nino: Hey Dude!
Nino: Couple of us are heading to Julekas to celebrate her birthday
Nino: Think your dad would let you come
Me: are we talking about the same dad?
Me: jokes aside im not sure
Me: im caught up in all my lessons but yknow how he is
I could sneak out. I’m ahead on my Chinese anyways.
Me: actually as a matter of fact yes
Me: ill be right over
Nino: Youre sneaking out arent you
Nino: If you need a ride i can text Luka hes at the store getting party poppers
Luka? Oh yeah that’s Juleka’s brother. And the guy Marinette brought when we hung out at the Ice Rink.
Me: its fine ill walk over
Me: see you soon!
Pocketing his phone, he scans his room for his sneakers. When he finds them, he slips them on. Plagg is beside him by the time he finishes tying his laces.
“Will there be cheese there?”
Adrien rolls his eyes with a smile and pockets a camembert. “No clue, but you have to come with. If there’s an akuma we gotta be ready for it.”
Plagg nods and dives into his inner jacket.
—
The boathouse looks a lot different than he remembers during the Music Festival. There’s purple lights attached to the side rails and black balloons attached to the masts. The usual clutter and mess is mostly gone, the ship being cleaner than he remembers. It’s still messier than any room in his house, but it’s not as much so. Purple and black streamers hang from the basketball hoop at the front of the ship in front of a banner that says “Happy Birthday Juleka!”
Nino spots him first.
“Hey Dude! You’re just in time, we haven’t done the cake since Luka isn’t back yet.” He wraps an arm around Adrien’s shoulder and guides him over to everyone else.
Rose is clinging to Juleka’s side, holding her hand with an extra bigger grin than usual.
Most of the class is here, even Marc came despite being in a different class, but based off him and Nathaniel’s hushed conversation they seem lost in, it’s obvious why. Chloe and Sabrina are the major missing class members along with Ivan who must’ve not been able to make it.
Juleka notices him after a moment and waves with a shy smile before being pulled back into whatever conversation is happening between her, Rose, and Mylène.
She couldn’t be Ladybug… Miraculous’ don’t change heights right? I swear she’s too tall…
He makes a mental note to cross her off the list.
I’m running out of people I’ve met before though…
Nino speaks beside him and it takes him a moment to realize that he’s not talking to him.
“Need help with that dude?”
Adrien glances over and notices who he’s yelling at and stops in his sights.
It’s Luka.
That on it’s own isn’t shocking because he’s aware Luka was coming back with party poppers. He isn't surprised Nino is offering to help him carry the bag of poppers. He’s not surprised about anything related to it at all.
Luka looks like Ladybug. Maybe with shorter hair, yes… but there’s way too many similarities.
The same shiny, sparkly ocean eyes that are insanely pretty and Adrien is having a crisis because he’s ninety-nine percent sure that those eyes are the same ones he’s dreamed about after saving Paris at least once a week.
The same studded earrings that could easily be the Ladybug miraculous and no one could even know.
The same fluffy dark hair that could easily be grown out with the help of some miraculous magic.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
He’s found his suspect.