"Get some rest, Marinette. You don't want to be late for school again." Tikki added. Marinette nodded and closed her eyes to try to sleep.
"Good morning, Purrincess." Chat's voice said from Marinette's window the next morning.
"Chat!" Marinette exclaimed, sitting up.
"I hope you didn't get too excited yesterday." He said.
"Yesterday?" Marinette asked.
"The akuma attack." He replied and Marinette felt the blood drain from her face and she became dizzy with worry. "I saw you near the mayhem. Figured I'd do a house call." He said as he slipped into her room.
"Right, the café." Marinette said. Chat nodded.
"Kinda looked like a double date. Should I be jealous?" He purred at her.
"A d-date with A-A-Adrien? Of course it wasn't. Just friends hanging out." Marinette said, her face flushing red as all of that blood rushed back.
"Just making sure, Princess." Chat said as he made his way over to her.
"Chat… Who are you? Beneath the mask?" She asked. She knew that she could never ask as Ladybug.
"Just a boy." He said.
"Anything you like to do?" She asked hesitantly.
"Lose Ultimate Mecha Strike III to pretty girls." He purred. Marinette's breath caught.
"Were you spying on me last night?" She asked. Chat gave her a mischievous smirk. Marinette shook her head. "Really, though who are you?" She asked.
"A friend." Chat smirked.
"Do I know you… When you're not Chat?" She asked.
"Why so many questions this morning, Princess?" The boy asked. Marinette gulped.
"No reason." She said. "D-do you know who Ladybug is?" She asked the question she really wanted to know.
Chat shrugged. "Cat's got my tongue on that one." He stated with a smile.
"You really don't know?" Marinette asked, biting her lip.
"Nope. For all I know, you could be Ladybug." He said, suddenly his face was inches from hers. "You know, you are both about the same height." he said in a teasing voice before patting her head with an open hand, making her scowl.
"Marinette, Alya's here. Get up so that you can go to school." Sabine shouted from the bottom of the stairs. There wasn't enough warning for Chat to get out of the room before Alya opened her best friend's door. Alya looked from Chat, frozen inches from Marinette, his hand still on the top of her head, to Marinette and back.
"Girl...why is Chat Noir in your bedroom?" Alya asked hesitantly.
"I was just...we were...he was…"
"Making sure that my Purrincess was Purrfectly fine." He said with a smirk and a wink.
"Right, I need to talk to you." Alya said, focusing on Marinette. "Alone" she added, shooting a bit of a glare at Chat.
"Even when Ladybug isn't around, you still don't want to interview me?" Chat asked. Alya raised an eyebrow. "Meowch" Chat said. "That's harsh." He added, still not moving. His hand was even still on top of Marinette's head.
"You can go. At any time." Alya said, crossing her arms. Chat widened his eyes in a pleading look and puffed out his lip. "Do you really want me to interview you that badly?" She asked. Chat nodded so vigorously the bell at his neck jingled. Alya sighed and rolled her eyes. "Meet me at the park at 5 pm." She said and then waved her hands.
"I'll be seeing you Purrincess." Chat said before leaving the room. Alya immediate turned and crossed her arms.
"What? Nothing is going on." Marinette said.
"Well of course not. You're too in love with Adrien to go after anyone else including Chat Noir." Alya said with a roll of her eyes.
"Well then, what's the big deal?" Marinette asked.
"Ladybug was unmasked last night." Alya said and Marinette's heart stopped. "No one got any pictures or videos of it happening, but people did see." Alya said.
"H-how do you know?" Marinette asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady.
"People contacted the Ladyblog. No one recognized her that messaged me." Alya said.
"How many people?" Marinette asked.
"So far four." Alya said. "They were all in a building next to the fight." She said.
"Why are you telling me? Instead of putting it on the Ladyblog?" Marinette asked.
"Because Ladybug needs to be more careful. I'm not going to post anything about her identity. Even if I had more of a scoop than a description of black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin." Alya said, staring at Marinette.
Marinette nodded. "We should probably get ready and go to school." She said after a moment. Alya nodded and left the room to give Marinette some privacy. Tikki immediately came out from behind Marinette's computer as Marinette pulled on her clothes for the day.
"Was I reckless Tikki?" Marinette asked before the Kwami could speak.
"Marinette, you did your best." Tikki said. "If anything, Chat Noir was reckless when he jumped in front of you." The Kwami added. Marinette nodded. "No one recognized you. You will be fine." she added as Marinette grabbed her purse. Tikki flew into the bag. "Don't be so hard on yourself." Tikki stated before Marinette clasped the purse shut.
Marinette joined Alya and they made their way to school. Marinette was almost to the door when she heard sirens going down the street. "I'll meet you in class. I have to use the restroom." Marinette said as she rushed through the building. She nearly ran directly into none other than Adrien as he appeared to be urgently making his way to the boy's room. "Sorry." Marinette managed to say as she scooted around him and into the bathroom. "Tikki, spots on." She said before the Kwami could say anything. She escaped through the window of the restroom a few moments before Chat Noir did the same out of the window for the boy's room.
Ladybug swung through the streets following the sound of the sirens. She swung onto the roof of a building next to the noise and was soon joined by her leather-clad partner. "I knew you were hot for me, M'lady, but not this hot." Chat said with a smirk as the two looked at the burning building across the street. Ladybug shook her head.
"We should see if we can help. There might be someone trapped in there." She said.
"This looks like something that the fire department should handle. Doesn't look like an akuma attack. We should stay out of it." Chat replied. Ladybug swung down to the authorities. "Or that." Chat said and followed.
"What can we do to help." Ladybug asked Officer Roger.
"We've evacuated the building. We're just working on putting the fire out." Roger replied.
"Any idea what started it?" Ladybug asked.
"I don't think it was an akuma." Roger replied. Ladybug nodded.
"Guess there's no reason for us to be here. We might as well bug out." Ladybug said, moving to leave.
"Wait, Ladybug." Chat said reaching out to her. "I wanted to talk to you." He said. A pit formed in Ladybug's stomach. Did he know? Did Plagg tell him?
"Yes?" She asked meekly.
"I... let's talk up there" Chat suggested, not wanting to be overheard. He extended his staff to get him up to the rooftop that they had previously been on. Ladybug followed him. Chat brushed a hand through his hair, his face growing serious.
"What is it?" Ladybug asked, terrified. Monsters? No problem. Akumatized vitcims? Bring 'm on. Chat possibly knowing who she was? No way.
"I know that you were unmasked yesterday. I don't remember it, but my Kwami told me. I still don't know who you are." He said, adding the last sentence quickly. "But I would like to know. Ladybug, I love you." He said. He had confessed his love for her two years ago. She still didn't quite believe him and figured that he was just flirting.
Ladybug frowned, remembering the conversation that she had with Tikki the night before. She could tell him. She could let him know that she was Marinette. She looked into Chat's vibrant green eyes, but couldn't bring herself to speak. "I can't." She finally stated after a long pause.
"I won't tell anyone. Cat's honor. We probably don't even know each other in our regular lives." He said, knowing it wasn't true. Plagg had been clear. Adrien knew Ladybug's alter ego.
"If I tell you, then you'll know and I just...won't be the same." Ladybug said. "I'm not a confident person, Chat. Not really." She said.
"You're talking to a kitty who took a year to tell you that he loves you." Chat stated.
"You really shouldn't say that. You don't love me. Even so, I have you beat. I've only recently been able to say complete sentences to the guy I like." Ladybug said.
"You like a guy?" Chat's face fell. Ladybug had never told him about her crush. Ladybug just nodded.
"Even when I see him like this I start being shy. And he doesn't even know who I am under the mask." She said, sitting down. "In fact, I'm late for a class that I have with him right now." She said. Chat sat next to her.
"What class?" He asked. Ladybug smirked.
"Not gonna happen Chat." She said.
"Why? Cat got your tongue?" He asked, playfully pushing her.
"Why do you want to know?" Ladybug asked with a smile, pushing back.
"I want to know everything about you, M'lady." Chat replied with a wink. Ladybug just shook her head. A puzzled expression then crossed his face. "Wait, so you mean that you're spending time with me over your crush?" He asked and then raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Ladybug just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Guess I should get back to him, shouldn't I?" She said standing.
"Ladybug, wait." Chat said and then thought quickly as she hesitated, yoyo in hand. "Can you tell me more about him? Your crush?" he asked, wanting to know who was so special that he couldn't compete. He could see Ladybug's face growing red.
"I...he's just amazing. He's kind and selfless and amazing and gorgeous." she said with a grin on her face. "He's got these amazing green eyes." She said. "But the best thing about him is that he's always trying to help people even though he is…" she trailed off about to mention that he was a famous model. "... ridiculously smart." She finished awkwardly.
"Ridiculously smart?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. He was homeschooled for a long time and he has tutors for extra lessons after school." She said.
'Homeschooled?' Chat thought. 'Still has tutors?' he continued realizing that she sounded almost like she was describing him.
"What's his name?" He asked.
"Why? So that you can pay him a visit? You gonna bring him a mostly dead mouse?" She asked.
"Just curious. For all I know, you have a crush on me." Chat said with a wink.
"I think I would know if I had a crush on you." Ladybug said. "I really should get back." She said. Chat's shoulders slumped.
"Oh, that girl Alya who writes the Ladyblog is set to interview me later at the park. You wanna drop by? I'm sure she'd appreciate it." He said.
"I'll do my best, kitty." Ladybug said as she threw her yoyo.
"It's at 5." Chat shouted after her before making his way back to school as well. He transformed back into himself when he got back into the bathroom, offering Plagg a piece of camembert from his bag.
"Kid, you've got it bad." Plagg said.
"In the pocket, Plagg." Adrien said, holding his over shirt open a bit.
"Nah, I'll go in the bag." Plagg said.
"Fine, but don't eat all the camembert again." Adrien stated. He then rushed to class to see that Marinette was missing. He quickly say down as Ms. Bustier purposely ignored his tardiness. She was used to his habit of being late.
"Where's Marinette?" He whispered to Nino who shrugged in response. Adrien looked to Alya when just shook her head.
A/N: Finally got done with Chapter 10 and started working on Chapter 11. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.