When Lady Wi-Fi had Ladybug's hands locked to the wall, Hawk Moth told her to force Ladybug to use her Lucky Charm and time out, in order to see her identity. What if he had given her more sensible directions?

No Bars

"Who is Ladybug? Is she a superhero or a super-weirdo? How can we trust the girl when we have no idea who she really is? We have the right to know!" said Lady Wi-Fi.

Lady Wi-Fi tried to pull off the mask. Ladybug couldn't stop her, with her hands locked to the wall. Her face was pulled and stretched but the mask didn't come off.

"Why doesn't it come off?"

"Ummm... because it's magic?"

Chat Noir popped out of the service elevator. "You're out of minutes, Lady Wifi!"

"Oh, how romantic. Tomcat's come to save his love bug," said Lady Wi-Fi.

"I am not his love bug!" said Ladybug indignantly.

"We'll come back to that later," said Chat Noir.

Lady Wi-Fi sent icon after icon after him, finally knocking him into the freezer room and locking him in.

Ladybug saw a butterfly-shaped line of light around Lady Wi-Fi's eyes. Lady Wi-Fi nodded, and came toward Ladybug with an evil smirk.

"Now Hawk Moth will get what he wants and everyone will see who you really are."

"She's going to take my earrings!" Ladybug thought. "The whole world is going to see who I am, and my life as I know it will be over!"

There was one chance. Lady Wi-Fi was still holding her cell phone in her right hand as she got closer. Ladybug tried not to give herself away by looking at it. If Lady Wi-Fi realized what she was planning, she would back up and lock down her legs, too.

Lady Wi-Fi closed in without thinking about Ladybug's free legs, just as she had when she tried to pull off the mask. Ladybug gave a hard snap kick. The cell phone flew from Lady Wi-Fi's hand and smashed hard against the side wall of the kitchen. It broke, and the akuma butterfly flew out.

Lady Wi-Fi collapsed to the floor. She was covered with purple energy for a moment, and then transformed back into Alya. As usual, the akuma victim was stunned. She wouldn't get up until somebody roused her, or the Miraculous Ladybug charm fully fixed her.

Ladybug found that she still couldn't move her hands. The stop icons were still on, part of the akuma's magical damage. All the locks and pauses must still be up everywhere.

"Chat Noir, can you get yourself out of the freezer? I've stopped Lady Wi-Fi but I can't get my hands free."

"I c-can Cataclysm my way out, just give me a m-minute," said Chat Noir in a shivering voice.

"Please hurry. The Akuma butterfly is free. I don't want it to escape, or multiply and turn me into a frozen copy of Lady Wi-Fi."

"Found my ring," said Chat Noir. "Plagg, claws out! Cataclysm!"

The freezer door disintegrated. Chat ducked under the floating lock icon and came over to Ladybug. He was shivering, holding his arms around himself.

"That's quite a lock spell the broad cast on you. How are you going to catch the akuma with your hands like that?" asked Chat.

"I can't," said Ladybug. "You're going to have to take my earrings, turn into Ladybug, and do it yourself."

"What? But I'll see your face," said Chat Noir.

"That can't be helped," said Ladybug. "But you'll have to block that video icon up there, so only you see me and not the whole world."

Chat Noir found a tablecloth in one of the kitchen drawers. He tried to throw it over the icon, but it fell to the floor.

"It won't hold up the cloth. It's not solid," said Chat. "How about this?"

He extended his staff until it touched two walls. He put the cloth over that to form a curtain, blocking the view of the camera.

"No, think ahead," said Ladybug. You'll have to de-transform to use my powers. The staff will disappear, the curtain will fall, and everyone will see my face."

Chat nodded, took down his staff, and fastened the curtain to the ceiling with two kitchen skewers instead.

Chat came over to take the earrings, with a large towel in hand. "I'll put this over your face first."

"Chances are we don't know each other in regular life, but just in case you recognize me, don't say my name out loud. The audio is still on," said Ladybug.

Chat gently placed the towel over her head, reached under it, and removed the earrings. Marinette heard him give a gasp of recognition, but he didn't blurt out a name.

"He must know me well enough that my clothes gave me away," she thought.

Chat de-transformed and put on the earrings. (Fortunately they fastened by magic without any need for piercing.)

"Say: Tikki, spots on."

"Tikki, spots on."

"All right, I'm Manbug," he said a few seconds later.

"There are male ladybugs in the world, you know," said Marinette.

"I prefer to keep my dignity. I'm glad you can't see me in this spotted costume."

She guided him through the steps of capturing and purifying the akuma using the yo-yo.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," Manbug muttered sheepishly as he released the purified akuma.

"Now you need the Miraculous Ladybug charm," said Marinette.

"I don't have anything to throw into the air," said Manbug.

"Cast Lucky Charm first," said Marinette. "It doesn't matter what you get because Lady Wi-Fi is already defeated."

"Lucky Charm! I got a rubber ball."

"Good enough for a throw. We'd better cover Alya with another tablecloth or something first. I need to run before she sees me here."

"All right. Be prepared to run as soon as you have no bars. Miraculous Ladybug!"

As soon as she was freed from the lock icons, Marinette pulled off the towel and ran for the exit. She caught just a glimpse of her partner in his skin-tight spotted suit. It didn't matter if he got a look at her face, since she was sure he already knew who she was.

She hid in a nearby closet. Behind her she could hear Alya calling out, "Hey, where am I? Who put a cloth over me?"

After Alya left, Manbug came out of hiding also.

"M'Lady, where are you? I need to return your earrings. I'm not transformed. Come out, and you can see who I am."

"I'm in this closet," called Marinette. "Just open the door a crack and pass the earrings in. I won't look at you."

"It's only fair that you know who I am since I know who you are."

"No, I messed up and got myself captured. I'm at more risk now, but you don't have to be."

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Unless you get akumatized or fall under the spell of a villain who controls minds. Or blurt out my name when we're in the heat of combat."

"Not very likely. I'm pretty resistant to depression and there hasn't been a mind-controller yet. And I'll be careful not to use your real name."

"When Lady Wi-Fi was about to expose my identity to the world I realized how much it would mess up my life. It would be horrible. Paparazzi at my door, villains after my family all the time. We'd have to go into hiding. Of course I'd have to give up being Ladybug. I probably should give that up now, anyway."

"No! Don't give up. Someone has to fight the akumas and fix all the damage."

"You can keep the earrings and be Manbug."

"I couldn't do it alone. I need a partner."

"Then find someone else to be Ladybug."

"Don't put that on me. I don't know anyone I could trust like you. Maybe you know someone."

"Not really… I had someone in mind once before but I don't think it would work now." ("Now that Alya was just akumatized," she thought.)

"I'm going to leave the earrings outside the closet door. Think about it really hard before you give up. I need you to keep being Ladybug." His voice had desperation in it.

Marinette heard him walking away, and when she was sure he was gone, she came out. She picked up the earrings and put them back on.

"Tikki, what should I do? I messed up so badly this time. We're at risk now."

"We've always been at risk – this is not much worse. You are the chosen one for me," said the little kwami. "Don't give up."

"All right," said Marinette. "I'll keep going... for now."