As the latest akuma victim raged through the streets of Paris, all five miraculous holders landed on a secluded rooftop to plan their next move. Rena Rouge spoke up first,
"This akuma looks pretty bad, gang. What's the plan, Ladybug."
Everyone turned to face the group's de facto leader, except for Chloe.
"Excuse me, what did you call us?" Chloe asked, in her usual tone of mild disgust.
"You know, the gang," Rena gestured across the rooftop, "All of us. The miraculous holders."
Ladybug brushed off the odd exchange and dove straight into her game plan,
"Right, to take down this akuma, it's going to take all of our –"
"That won't do at all," Chloe interrupted, "I refuse to let such a prestigious team go by such a common sounding name."
Ladybug waved her arms between Chloe and the rest of the group,
"Hello! Is this really important right now? Let's go over the plan to save Paris."
Chloe showed no sign that she had heard, still gazing up and away in thought. Ladybug gave a grimace, and pressed on,
"As I was saying, Rena, you're up first with –"
"Oh, I've got an idea!" Chloe cut in, "but wait…" The apian hero put a finger to her pursed lips as her forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Chloe! I mean, Queen Bee, please –"
"Ladybug, are you bi?"
Ladybug froze. Her eyes shot wide and her mouth pressed down to a tiny, firm line as red spread across her face from under her mask. Chloe stared on ahead, nonchalantly. As Ladybug continued to sit in shocked silence, Chloe turned to the others,
"What about all of you? I definitely get the sense from you, Carapace."
"Who me," Carapace grinned, "Yeah, well actually, since you mention it, I definitely had a crush on my best bro." The turtle-themed hero cast a side-long glance at Rena Rouge beside him, before blurting, "Before dating my girlfriend! Of course."
Rena smiled slyly,
"I didn't say anything."
Ladybug spluttered into the side-tracked conversation,
"Why are we even discussing this? There's a – the akuma – We're supposed to be saving Paris!"
"It's for my name idea," Chloe explained calmly, "Cat Noir what about you?"
Cat Noir smirked devilishly, as if he had been waiting for the spotlight.
"As you all know, my heart belongs only to Ladybug."
Ladybug dropped her face into her open palm, shaking her head and whimpering, "the akuma-"
"But theoretically speaking," he continued, "even without a magic top or yo-yo, this cat swings both ways."
At that, Chloe dropped her own face into her palm. Ladybug peaked up from behind her hand, shooting a pleading glance at Rena Rouge. The vulpine heroine returned a sympathetic look.
"We might as well finish this, Ladybug. At this point, it seems like the fastest way to get back to saving Paris. And if you must know, Queen Bee, I'm quite bi and proud. In fact," Rena raised an open palm beside her mouth, "not to kiss and tell, but the night of the Sapotis attack I had been fooling around with my best girlfriend on my sister's couch."
Ladybug's face was now redder than ever. The color stretched clear down to the neck of her costume and up over both ears.
Carapace chimed in, "Hey, that was after we started dating."
"Of course, shell head." Rena knocked lightly on his hood, "I told you about that little 'date' before and after."
"Oh yeah. Sorry, dude. It totally slipped my mind."
Rena rolled her eyes. Chloe scoffed,
"I hardly needed confirmation from you. I've caught you staring at my precious Ladybug enough times."
"More like we've caught each other staring. I'd say." Rena retorted.
This brought a gentle blush to Chloe's face, and she turned away sharply with a faint hmpf.
Ladybug's face was buried deep in her hands at this point. But in the brief silence, she poked her eye out from between her fingers to find four expectant faces turned on her. Cat Noir smiled softly, and spoke first,
"It's alright guys. She doesn't have to say if she doesn't want to."
"Awwww," Chloe whined, "but we were just one away. And my whole idea is just ridiculous without Ladybug being bi, too."
Rena extended a hand and placed it lightly on Chloe's shoulder,
"C'mon Chl – uh – Queen Bee. You weren't always so out-and-proud yourself."
Chloe looked over at Ladybug, who was biting at a finger in clear anxiety. Then Chloe turned back to Rena,
"I guess you're right," she sighed, "If there's anyone I can be patient for, it's you, Ladybug."
"I'm bi, too!"
The words hung in the air, as if they had shape of their own and were now filling the rooftop with their size. Four miraculous holders stared at Ladybug, not breathing another word.
"I'm bi...too." She finally continued, putting on a brave face, "We have to keep our identities secret, but I can at least share that part of mine, with the people I most trust."
Cat Noir beamed back at Ladybug, ecstatic to finally share in a piece of who she was under the mask.
"Ok, Queen Bee, we did what you wanted." Ladybug turned to address Chloe, "Now share your team name and we can get back to…Where is she?"
The four baffled heroes looked all around the small rooftop but found no sign of their yellow companion. Overhead, the sound of a passing news chopper drew their attention upward. Queen Bee trailed from her top, which was wrapped around the landing skids of the helicopter. She shouted down as she passed overhead and toward the akuma,
"Bi Five! Let's move out!"
With this Chloe thrust a finger triumphantly forward, and Rena and Carapace sprang up,
"Yeah, dude! I like the sound of that," Carapace called as the two bounded after the trailing bee.
Ladybug shouted after the receding team,
"But wait! I never shared the plan!"
Cat Noir came up beside his partner, placing a hand gingerly on her back,
"It's ok, M'lady. We're pretty good on our feet." He winked and shot away on his extending pole. Ladybug sighed, thinking to herself,
I was not ready to deal with an akuma AND coming out today.
Suddenly, a realization struck her. She had come out to her four fellow heroes, and then Chloe had shouted that team name to all of Paris.
Oh no no no no.
She swung frantically after the group.
