Merlin flopped on his bed with his head still spinning like a top.
Kagami knew. Of course they knew, Merlin thought. Kagami was nothing if not the sharpest, most observant, and, more importantly, bluntest person he had ever met. It was a relief, in a way. Kagami was trustworthy enough and he didn't want to make a fool out of himself trying to hide it if they already knew.
But it was still a little annoying that Kagami of all people was the first to know. Not that Merlin didn't like Kagami - they had been invaluable to him in the past, both as a tentative friend and as a hero.
But a small, guilty part of him wanted his identity, and, by extension, Chat Noir's to be a secret between the two of them.
He wondered vaguely if Kagami also thought Adrien was Chat Noir. Or if they knew the hero's actual identity.
Still, it wasn't like he could ask them. They were, as he knew well, notoriously close lipped and trustworthy with secrets, especially secrets with such a bearing on the safety and balance of Paris. So it was unlikely they would tell him even if he asked.
Merlin rolled himself upright, a sudden idea striking him. He had been keeping his evidence on Adrien on various sticky notes spread throughout his room, having discarded the whiteboard he had been using at first.
Maybe making a list, preferably with some kind of color key, would make him feel better. And of course, lay his theory out for him in concrete letters. It would be very therapeutic to determine whether or not he had a solid case or was just grasping at straws.
Merlin flopped himself gracelessly into his new desk chair, the plush seat actually surprisingly comfortable, even after the heavenly surface of his bed. Part of him really really needed a nap.
But he needed to sort out his thoughts first or sleep would be an impossibility.
He clicked his pen, setting it thoughtfully on the paper, and began to write. The final list, a few minutes later, looked something like this.
Adrien is Chat Noir?
- Late to class after Akuma fights
- Same green eyes and gold hair - similar haircut
- Roughly the same height
- Adrien responds to nickname 'Kitty'
- Both know someone trans and is friends with them
- Both bisexual
- Both in high school
- Disappears during most Akuma Attacks
Merlin tapped his pen absently against the side of his lip, considering the list. It wasn't as long as he had expected and much of the evidence he had gathered was rather coincidental. But there was evidence and he really had no other suspects so to speak of.
Part of him almost wanted to ask Chat Noir outright. Chat had previously pushed so hard for a reveal that Merlin had ended up rather annoyed with him. He would probably just be honest if Merlin confronted him.
But then again, maybe not. After all, he had talked to Master Fu, the man who pushed the very hardest to prevent a reveal, lest Hawkmoth take advantage of that knowledge. And he had come across as much less bitter about not knowing the truth in recent months.
Merlin laughed at that thought, a little bitterly. It was really quite funny, how Chat had previously been the one burning with curiosity about their identities and now he was the one color coding lists in his bedroom when he really should be napping.
