A/N: One last chapter after this and a featured kiss in this chapter!
"Chat!" Ladybug screamed. All the warmth in her body was sapped away like someone had just submerged her in ice water. Chat Noir fell to the floor with a hard crash, still screaming in pain. The CD hit the ground and Ladybug sprinted to her partner's side. "Chat Noir!"
He'd twisted around instinctively to protect the hand and forearm that was now solid white marble. Ladybug dropped to her knees beside him. Chat Noir didn't even realize she was there. He was still spitting pain riddled curses as he held his brutalized limb close to his body. "Talk to me Chat! Are you okay?" Ladybug begged desperately as she pulled him into her arms.
That had to be the dumbest question she'd ever asked. Of course he wasn't okay! His hand was completely stone! This was all her fault. Had he been closer to her, she could've pushed him out of the way. Ladybug pressed her eyes shut and buried her face in Chat Noir's shoulder. She should've done a better job holding Primadonna in place. How could she have possibly failed so utterly as a partner? Ladybug felt sick to her stomach. Every last fiber of her being was rolling over on itself. Chat Noir was hurt and it was all her fault. "I'm so, so, sor…"
"Damn! I don't know if I should say her aim was spectacular or completely miserable." Chat Noir laughed through his clenched jaw. He looked up at her. There was a smile on his face but his eyes watered at the corners. Chat Noir shifted carefully and Ladybug scrambled to help him sit up straight. That was when they both finally got a good look at his arm. He went completely still underneath her touch.
His entire hand, wrist, and forearm just below his elbow was solid, white, unmoving marble. It was insanely detailed, showing the folds in his costume and lines in his ring, but it was all still stone. Chat Noir's hand and fingers were still curled into the form he summoned 'Cataclysm' with. Hesitantly, he wrapped his finger around his stone wrist gingerly. He didn't flinch in pain… but he did start trembling. "Maybe this cat just got extremely lucky for once in his life." he whispered as he turned his stone arm over.
Ladybug choked on her disagreement. Lucky? He considered having part of his body turned into a sculpture lucky! Ladybug knew luck and this wasn't it! She had to fix this! Not just for everyone else that had been turned into a statue but for Chat Noir as well! She was going to rip Primadonna's shoes off her feet!
"It looks like I'm not going to be able to use Cataclysm this time around my lady." Chat Noir told her mournfully soft. Ladybug jerked to attention. The disheartened and disappointed look on Chat Noir's face pierced her right through the heart. This was her fault and she was going to fix it! "I'm sorry Ladybug."
The cord that was holding Ladybug's anger at herself together snapped. She crushed Chat Noir to her chest as tightly as she possibly could. How could he possibly think that he had any blame in all this? It was all on her!
"Well I couldn't allow him to just destroy the floor and jeopardize my dancing. Don't worry. It won't be a problem. I will get both their Miraculous." Primadonna said to the thin air beside her. Her mouth was turned down in a frown as she listened intently to something that Ladybug and Chat Noir couldn't hear. She said nothing for a moment before nodding and saying, "Of course Hawkmoth. It will be my pleasure."
She turned to face them once more. Ladybug couldn't help it. Her arms tightened around Chat Noir's shoulders protectively as Primadonna gazed down at them. A lump welled in Ladybug's throat. This was going to be downright ugly. "Can I possibly convince you to now give me your Miraculous?" Primadonna asked as she stretched her hand out to them. "You must see now that the resistance is fruitless. I will gladly return your arm to normal Chat Noir and leave you unharmed Ladybug. I have no grudge against you."
"As tempting as that offer is, we're going to have to go with no." Chat Noir growled. He pried himself away from Ladybug's grasp. Ladybug was quicker than he was though. She jumped to her feet and placed herself between Primadonna and Chat Noir. "Ladybug…" he whispered, voice tight.
Ladybug reached around and gripped his hand reassuringly. She'd have his back this time! Chat Noir shifted behind her. A shrill beep sounded in her ear. You need to hurry, Tikki's voice pushed. You don't have much time! She grit her teeth. No not much time left at all!
"Your Miraculous! You need to get out of here!" Chat Noir told her urgently.
"We're not finished here." Ladybug told him.
"Suit yourself. I was hoping that this would end differently." Primadonna gave a long sigh. Her arms rose in the air as she went up into pointe. It looked as though she was interested in finishing up their fight rather quickly. Ladybug readied her weapon. Chat Noir let out a very low, quiet hiss.
"That's enough Therese!" snapped a voice. Everyone whipped around to look.
Ladybug nearly dropped her weapon. Standing behind Primadonna was Angeline. She was close to the CD player and had the disk that Ladybug had summoned in her hand.
"Angeline! What are you doing here?" Ladybug gasped. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all! Chat Noir was cut off from using Cataclysm and was part stone! Ladybug was running out of time! Now there was a targeted civilian standing face to face with the akuma that wanted to turn her into a marble statue! This was not good at all.
"Angeline? My pet? Now this really is a surprise." Primadonna said. She twisted to face Angeline head on and tilted her head to the side. "I thought that Ladybug and Chat Noir would've kept you hidden away from me."
"Angeline, you need to get out of here… now!" Chat Noir told her. He stepped out from behind Ladybug. Angeline must have seen his hand because her eyes went wide momentarily before she met Primadonna's gaze evenly.
"I'm not going to hide from you." she told her. "Quite frankly this has gone far enough. I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else."
Primadonna drew back slightly in confusion, "You're surrendering?"
"No!" Ladybug yelled at the same time Chat Noir called, "Angeline, stop!"
"That's not what I'm saying Therese." Angeline ignored them.
"Primadonna!" she snapped angrily.
"Therese!" Angeline snapped right back, matching her tone for tone. She turned and hit a button on the stereo system. The CD player popped open.
"What are you doing Angeline?" Primadonna sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched Angeline slip the Lucky Charm CD into the player.
"Uhh…" Chat Noir raised his good hand into the air.
Ladybug pushed it down again. "Wait!"
"What are you talking about? I thought you had a plan for it?" whispered Chat Noir.
"I did and then it resulted in you being partially turned to stone. It's a Lucky Charm right? It works in ways that we don't always get at in the moment. Maybe…" Ladybug's voice trailed off. It was mostly due to the fact that her tongue was quickly becoming dry. Even as she said the words they sounded incredibly desperate to her. Time was ticking away as they sat there staring like lost children! There had to be something she could do and she needed to think of it quickly!
The strains of a familiar song floated through the dance studio. Ladybug immediately recognized the song. It was the same one that the two had danced to at the recital. Primadonna visibly jarred at the sound. "You want to turn me into stone?" Angeline said as she stepped away from the stereo. She spread her arms wide in invitation. "Be my guest!"
"Angeline! No!" yelled both Ladybug and Chat Noir. Ladybug wound up her weapon. Primadonna started to get into position.
The music changed and, suddenly, so did Angeline. Arms raised to her chest level, foot pointed in front of her, and an intense glare on her face. Primadonna froze in surprise. She wasn't the only one. Ladybug's jaw hit the ground. "That's unexpected." Chat Noir said in an equally shocked tone.
"You'll have to keep up with me though." Angeline told her simply. That was when Ladybug finally saw the shoes she was wearing. For the most part, Angeline still looked very much like she had when Ladybug and Chat Noir had left her. She was still in her leggings and her dance company warm up jacket. However, instead of a pair of tennis shoes, Angeline was wearing a pair white ballet flats that looked like they had been around for ages. Her eyebrow shot up as as Primadonna openly scoffed. A smug smile spread across her face as she asked, "You didn't think that I was going to let you turn me into a statue that easily, did you?"
Angeline locked eyes with Ladybug. It only lasted half a moment, not even long enough for Ladybug to draw a full breath. The implication in that fast glance was clear to her though. "She's going to use herself as a distraction!" she whispered so that only Chat Noir could hear her.
"A distraction?" he repeated. He looked between Primadonna and Angeline. "This looks more like it's coming down to an honest to God dance off."
As if to answer his question, Primadonna rolled up on to pointe and straight into an arabesque. Purple light shot from her hand as she extended it at the same time she lifted her leg. Angeline was already gone though. She took a spinning diagonal step and brought her own arm up theatrically. "This is really coming down to an honest to God dance off!" Chat Noir told her. "I thought those things only happened in movies!"
Ladybug fought to keep herself from pressing her hand to her face. Instead she focused on the more pressing issue. "Angeline is helping. We can't let it go to waste or worse…"
"Let her get turned into Primadonna's next masterpiece." Chat Noir finished for her.
Ladybug wasn't able to stop herself from staring at Chat Noir's stone hand. She couldn't mess up again. Angeline and Chat Noir were both counting on her. If Chat Noir were to get caught in Primadonna's crosshairs again then Ladybug would… Chat Noir shoved his hand behind his back abruptly when he realized that's what she was looking at. Ladybug shook her head to clear away the dark thoughts that started to creep into her brain. A plan! They needed a plan!
Angeline was doing an excellent job keeping Primadonna occupied. They had both fallen into time with the music. Whether or not it had been intentional on Primadonna's part Ladybug wasn't certain. Every time Primadonna went to attack, Angeline was moving or ducking away. Purple light was flying everywhere. Some beams hit the mirrors and went every which way. Not good when Angeline had enough to focus on without having to worry dodging the rebounding attacks. She nearly caught the tail end of one such reflected attack and stumbled sideways. "First and foremost, we've got to get rid of those mirrors!" Ladybug mumbled.
She raised her weapon, ready to lunge and strike. "Leave the mirrors to me! You take care of Primadonna and the akuma before your time runs out!" Chat Noir said, jumping in front of her.
Ladybug rounded on him. "Your hand! You can't use Cataclysm. Remember?" she snapped.
"You know, I don't always have to destroy things in the most dramatic way possible. I'm pretty good at making a mess without Superpowers." he pointed out. For added emphasis, Chat Noir reached behind him and pulled his staff from his holster. He gave it a little wave with a smirk crawling across his face. Ladybug stared at it for a moment blankly. A light bulb clicked on in Ladybug's brain.
"That's it!" she gasped!
"Uh… my staff?" he asked her in confusion.
Ladybug reached up and grabbed his wrist. "Earlier! You were swinging it at her feet. Trying to get her off balance and trip her up!" Ladybug reminded him as she shook his arm.
"Um, yeah. I was trying to buy you more time." Chat Noir nodded but clearly wasn't on the same page as her. That was perfectly alright. He didn't need to be because he'd already given her the idea that they were in dire need of! Ladybug felt like she could kiss him.
The thought passed through her head and all of a sudden she was blushing. Thankfully the heat of the battle going on behind them was able keep her from caring about it too much or spiraling into helplessness. Chat Noir was also too preoccupied to say anything about it. "I can do the same thing!" Ladybug told him as she held her weapon up in front of her. She pulled the string tight between her hands. "Only when she falls… I can keep her feet tied up!"
Understanding dawned on Chat Noir's face. "Bye bye pointe shoes!" he grinned.
"Exactly!" Ladybug nodded vigorously. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a streak of violet coming their way. She jumped forward and pushed Chat Noir down by the shoulders. They watched with equally stricken expressions as the light narrowly missed them and hit the wall instead. "Take care of the mirrors!"
"Right! Good luck with Primadonna my lady!"
Chat Noir sped off. He ducked under wayward beams of light as he went. Ladybug couldn't afford to watch or worry. Another beep trilled in her ear. Hurry! We don't have much time! Tikki's voice sounded urgent in Ladybug's mind. She set her jaw, raised her weapon, and watched Primadonna carefully.
Something had changed with the way that Primadonna and Angeline were dancing. They were closer… more intimate. Angeline had come in close to her, dancing as near to Primadonna as possible with zero care about how close some of Primadonna's attacks were coming to her. They were practically back to back at one point as they twisted around each other. Their steps were intricate and more often than not looked as though they were in danger of tripping over one another. They never did though. It was glaringly evident that they had danced together so much that they both knew the other's every movement and could react to it. Ladybug just really needed for Primadonna to put both her feet on the floor so she could lash them together!
The first crack of shattering glass jarred Primadonna's concentration. Little pieces of mirror rained down on the floor close to their feet. Primadonna was turning to look. However, before she could even fully rotate her body, Angeline hands had shot out and took her by the wrists firmly. Primadonna stumbled in surprise. She'd have fallen if not for Angeline's support. Angeline looked over her shoulder at Ladybug before casting her eyes down in a very pointed glance at Primadonna's feet. She'd guessed what was going through Ladybug's mind. It was like she was completely unphased by the purplish hue that her dance partner was glowing with.
Angeline redirected Primadonna's movement with a forward lunge. With a delicate nudge, Primadonna slipped into a deep arabesque that she never would've been able to complete herself. It was something that the pair had definitely practiced in the past because of how fluidly the two did it. They almost seemed to be of one mind as Angeline used her hands on Primadonna's wrists to fold their arms around each other and sway to the music. Then it happened.
Angeline slipped her hands to Primadonna's waist. The tips of Primadonna's feet touched the ground. Ladybug took aim and let her weapon fly. Primadonna's shriek drowned out the music as the string snared around her feet. One last streak of purple light shot out from her. Chat Noir yelped and took cover right as he smashed the final mirror. It would've ricocheted right into him had he not gotten rid of the final mirror. Angeline's hands wrapped around Primadonna and broke her fall. They both stumbled to the ground. "Hurry Ladybug!" called Angeline as she held tight to Primadonna.
She didn't need to be told twice! Ladybug raced forward, ignoring Primadonna's angry screams. Chat Noir beat her to Primadonna though. He used his clawed glove to slice right through the ribbons on Primadonna's pointe shoes. "Catch!" he said as he tossed them through the air at her.
"No!" yelled Primadonna. Angeline cried out as Primadonna elbowed her in the face. It was too late though. Ladybug caught them on the downward arc and threw them to the ground, hard. She brought her foot down on top of them as hard as she possibly could.
Crack!
Ladybug's foot collapsed over top of the flattened shoes. Black satin hung limply out to the side as a single black butterfly pulled itself from the wreckage. With a flick, Ladybug untangled her weapon from Primadonna's feet already pulling forth Tikki's magic as she did so. "Alright akuma! You've caused enough problems for the night!" Ladybug called as she flung her weapon and encompassed the akuma. "Gottcha!"
Pure white light flashed through the dance studio and illuminated it. Ladybug watched as the snowy butterfly fluttered away. She gave a sigh, stepping back and waving, "Bye bye little butterfly."
The music that had been playing died away and the stereo gave a little click. It appeared as though there was no other song on the CD to play. Ladybug crossed the room. "Time to put things back in order." she smiled as she grabbed the CD out of the stereo. She tossed it into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Red light washed over the room. Glass rose back into the air and on to the wall again as the mirrors reformed. Shots of red flew from the room, tearing past Ladybug as they went to find other things that had been damaged. Chat Noir let out a gasp as the red light twined itself around him. His hair floated in the air as it swirled over his outstretched, petrified hand. It cleared and Ladybug nearly cried from relief. Chat Noir was back to normal and completely unscathed! He flexed his hand experimentally, turning it over to examine it closely. He threw a dazzlingly bright smile that made Ladybug's heart jump into her throat. Chat Noir gave her a double thumbs up to demonstrate that he could once more use both hands. Ladybug didn't have the heart to stomp down the butterflies in her stomach this time. She felt a little entitled to them now!
The last of the red light twisted around Primadonna. Angeline let go of her in surprise and scrambled backwards to give her space. The possessed form melted away and young woman with dark hair and a beautiful white ballet costume remained in her place. It took Ladybug less than a second to recognize her. It was Angeline's dance partner from the recital. "Therese!" breathed Angeline, not quite believing what she was watching in front of her.
"A… Angeline… Angeline? Where are we? The last thing I remember is…" stammered Therese as she looked around with wide eyed confusion.
Angeline cut her off. "Oh thank God! I'm so sorry Therese!"
She threw herself at Therese, wrapping her up in a tight hug. Therese let out a little startled gasp. Tears were streaming down Angeline's face as she shook against Therese's chest. Therese ran her hands over Angeline's head, down her face, and over her cheekbones. "Oh don't cry my pet." she murmured as she pressed two light kisses on to Angeline's brow.
"I should've told you sooner! I didn't want to upset you. I was scared of everything changing so quickly between us! It has to though. There's no other way because I can't keep dancing. That doesn't mean I want to leave you though! I'm not done being your partner. I'm so sorry Therese! Please forgive me!" cried Angeline.
Therese laughed lightly, "Only if you can forgive me for whatever hurt I might have caused you. I'm ready to be reasonable. Let's… let's talk about this."
"Like we should've done before tonight." nodded Angeline.
"Yes," agreed Therese.
Angeline lifted her head and pressed her lips to Therese's. Therese smiled as she tipped her head, hands cradling Angeline's neck and head firmly. Ladybug's jaw dropped and all she could do was watch as the pair deepened their kiss. She twisted around, putting her back to the couple, and felt heat surge in her face. How had she not realized this before? Chat Noir still staring at them like a gawking little kid. "Chat!" she hissed, reaching out and smacking him. "Privacy!"
Chat Noir went from his normal hue to stark white and then to bright red. The rapid fire color change was almost as quick as how fast he turned around. "Did you know they were a couple?" Ladybug asked him as she tried very pointedly not to stare at them.
"Of course not!" Chat Noir told her quickly, "Did you?"
"No!" she snapped back in a hushed tone. "I wondered whether or not 'friends' was a loose term when Angeline said that was what they were. Apparently it is, just not in the way I thought it was…"
A mischievous light glinted through Chat Noir's eyes. "I guess they're just a couple of gals being pals."
He said it oh so innocently. However, the way he flashed a cheshire grin at her made it clear that he knew exactly what he was saying. Ladybug could literally feel herself turning the same color as her suit. "Shut. Up!" she growled.
Chat Noir had the gall to snicker at her. A third high pitched beep from her Miraculous cut him off immediately. "Your Miraculous!" he gasped, eyes going wide as he pointed at her ears. "Your time is almost up!"
"Huh?" Ladybug said eloquently. She touched her Miraculous. Chat Noir lunged forward, grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her forward.
"We have to get you out of here!" he told her emphatically. Ladybug gave a startled yelp as he dragged her from the dance studio. He didn't even give her a chance to say goodbye to Therese and Angeline. They were so tied up in one another that they didn't care at all that she and Chat Noir were running from the room. They'd been so close to losing such a strong relationship over a few fears. A knife cut straight through to her core as Chat Noir's firm grasp on her wrist reminded her just how close he actually was.
Her earrings beeped again. Chat Noir kicked up the speed. Ladybug had to quickly fight to catch up with him so that he didn't pull her arm out of socket. He pulled her out the door of the studio and around the corner of the building. He let go of her hand. Ladybug just barely kept herself from stumbling forward. "You still have some time. You can make it down a side street without anyone seeing you. Your identity will be safe. I won't follow you I promise." Chat Noir told her as he peered down the alley way.
Ladybug froze. Chat Noir still felt the need to reassure her that he wouldn't cross the line and violate her trust. He'd asked once, that was all. After she'd told him that she didn't want to reveal her identity Chat Noir had dropped the subject without another word about it. Never! Not even once! Now here he was, swearing to safeguard her secret. He was so sweet and kind. He never once asked her for more than she wanted to give. There was no doubt in her mind that he truly and deeply cared about her.
"Ladybug?" Chat Noir's voice drew her attention. He was staring at her in confusion and chewing on his bottom lip. His tail seemed to lash from side to side as he spun around to check their surroundings for onlookers.
She cared about him too. Insanely so! How many times had they saved each other's skin? Too many to count. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she would do anything she had to keep him safe. Ladybug had once nearly revealed her identity to him a few months ago when Wavemaster had kidnapped her to keep him from running headfirst into danger when she couldn't protect him. When it hadn't panned out Ladybug had thought it was a blessing. She'd been so scared about how Chat Noir would've reacted if he'd known that Marinette was his partner. She'd breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she'd dodged a bullet. Now, though, Ladybug found herself wondering if maybe… maybe she'd missed a chance.
Change was scary. She had a balance with Chat Noir. They were two parts of the same whole. If Ladybug was painfully honest with herself she was terrified of shattering the balance that they had. Who knew what would happen if she told him who she was and that she wanted to spend more time with him outside of the mask. If they were to date and something were to go wrong between them, then their balance would be gone. Completely ruined.
Or maybe it wouldn't. Maybe they'd date and it wouldn't work out. Maybe they'd still be able to be friends and work together to save Paris. Chat Noir wasn't the kind of person to let emotions get in the way of keeping people safe. It was completely unfair of her to just make that assumption.
Or maybe… maybe they'd date and they'd make a good couple.
You need to make a decision, Tikki's voice told her gently. She was right. Ladybug needed to make a decision. Continue to live in the safe little space she and Chat Noir had created or break the glass and fly. Stay the same or risk a change. Ladybug's throat started to swell shut. It was utterly terrifying.
She'd already been rejected by Adrien. She had no idea what she would do if Chat Noir rejected her too when he realized that she was just plain Marinette. Then again, she was making another assumption. It was almost like she anticipated a horrible, crushing rejection. It was unfair to think that way about Chat Noir. It was unfair to not even give him the chance.
A lump formed in Ladybug's throat. Just like that she had made her decision.
"Chat I… can I ask… I need to tell you something?" she asked him quietly.
"Right now?" he questioned her. The disbelief colored his voice. "You're about to change back. Whatever it is can wait!"
"No, it really can't." Ladybug told him as she pulled him into the alley way. Needless to say, it did nothing for his confusion. She kept a hold of his hand. It reassured her that he didn't try to pull it away from her or turn around. "I really need to tell you this before I lose my nerve."
"Ladybug I'm not sure what you're talking about. If you don't leave now then you're risking your secret identity…" Chat Noir's voice trailed away. He finally figured out what she was getting at. "Oh. Oh. Oh! Ladybug you don't have to!"
She squeezed his wrists, "I want to."
Something flickered over Chat Noir's face. Shock. Surprise. Disbelief. His jaw hung open as Chat Noir processed her words. Seconds ticked by and they felt like an eternity. "You don't have to reveal your identity to me if you don't want to. You know I would never push you to do something like that but…"
Ladybug paused. The words stuck in her throat. "My lady?" prompted Chat Noir.
"But I was thinking that maybe… maybe you'd like to do something like we did tonight again. Not the whole save Paris and purify akumas thing. We do that almost every night. I mean like going to see recitals or movies or just even hang out and get coffee if you wanted to. Except… maybe they could be more like, you know, dates?"
Her words sounded very small at the end, practically a squeak. Had Chat Noir not been transformed then she doubted he would've even been able to hear her. "You… you're asking me out?" he repeated with a still hanging jaw.
"Only if you wanted to. You can change your mind after you know who I am. Just in case you aren't interested." she whispered. Oh God! Ladybug hoped he wouldn't change his mind after he saw it was only Marinette underneath the mask. She forcibly mentally kicked the thoughts out of her head. She trusted Chat Noir. Ladybug wouldn't assume that he would.
"Ladybug I would never." promised Chat Noir. His vehemence poured through every word in the phrase. The butterflies in her chest rose right along with her hope.
She started to say something. Ladybug had her mouth open and the words forming on her tongue. Before she could get them out though, a final beep filled the quiet air around her. Ladybug took a deep breath to steady her nerves as red and white light twisted around her body. Tikki emerged from her earrings and fell into her waiting hands. Tikki gave a small supportive smile before heading into the purse hanging at her side to give them some privacy. Marinette looked up at Chat Noir with a wobbly smile on her lips.
"Hi," Marinette waved awkwardly. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng but I guess you pretty much already know that seeing as how you've met me before. With, um, Evillustrator and Gamer and… well you know, Wavemaster. I don't think I ever thanked you properly for the whole Wavemaster incident. I was going to tell you then but everything just happened so fast and my friend Alya managed to get me my Miraculous and Tikki in time to transform and help you so it just never really worked out I suppose. I wanted to tell you now though because I really care about you and you've always been such a good friend to me. I love spending time with you and you were there to comfort me when Adrien turned me down. And I'm totally babbling now so I'm just going to ask you if you wanted to go out with me on an official date and shut up…"
The torrent of words left Marinette's mouth almost immediately as she thought of them. She had a hard time looking Chat Noir in the eye as she spoke. Wow! It reminded her of how she'd sounded when Adrien had informed her that he knew about her crush on him. Marinette worked up the courage to meet Chat Noir's glance.
Immediately she regretted it.
Chat Noir was frozen in front of her. Not only was his jaw hanging open like it had been moments earlier but his eyes were as wide. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. There was no doubt about it, Chat Noir was utterly frozen. He might as well have been a marble statue courtesy of Primadonna. Silence stretched between them. It was agonizing. Please say something, Marinette begged silently. Her smile felt even more frail now. "So what… what do you say?"
"Mar… Marinette?" he choked out. He sounded like someone was strangling him. "I… I don't… I don't understand."
A stab of pain killed the butterflies in her chest. Sharp and fierce. Just as much so as when Adrien had told her he liked someone else. It was happening again. Chat Noir hadn't said a word but his hesitation and non-answer was answer enough. He obviously wasn't interested seeing that his amazing and miraculous Ladybug was a little girl he'd had to protect on multiple occasions. Not anything close to the girl he'd been expecting.
"Nevermind," Marinette shook her head, backing away a pace. "You aren't interested. It's okay. I understand. Don't worry about it. I'll see you on patrol tomorrow night."
Her voice broke somewhere in the middle of the rush of words. She spun on her heel and ran for the opposite end of the alley. All Marinette wanted to do was put as much distance between her and Chat Noir. "Marinette?" called Tikki as she stuck her head out of the bag.
"My la…" Chat Noir called after but stopped halfway through and changed his words, "Marinette! Wait!"
She ignored him though. Marinette didn't need an explanation. She didn't want one. There was no way she could bear one. All Marinette wanted was some space to breathe. "Let's go home Tikki." she whispered as she pressed her hand on top of her beloved kwami and friend.
Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited!
HallowThorn: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it and think the pacing and characters work well. Keeping characters in character while writing fanfiction is something that I sometimes struggle with!
ForeverAFairyTailLover159: *clears throat and says in the ancestor voice from Mulan* FairyTailLover! Awaken! The new chapter is here and Chat Noir's fate is revealed... sort of...
thekageofthenight: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
CeruleanDreamCat: Yeah, the cliffhangers are kind of a jerk move on my part. I try not to throw so many of them into a story. Of course in this one I managed to have two. I once read somewhere that cliffhangers were one of the quickest ways to keep readers interested and to have them come back to the story when you updated. I think there is a little merit to that statement so long as an author doesn't overuse that method.
XaoOfTheMists: There was a hint in the last response and I think you missed it lol. She stashed it in her bra like several girls do when they don't have pockets.
Momijifan Low-Ki: Statue no, traumatized... quite possibly. Lol.
Q-A the Authoress: Yes, calling out your plans right in front of the bad guy never seems to be a good idea. It tends to lead to horrible things. I like a good pun, but I hate writing them. I suck at puns. I have to look up puns just about every time I need one (or four) in a story.
Aiko (anon reviewer): Yeah the last chapter was much shorter than the others. I anticipated that it would be. Sometimes it's a decision between a short chapter or a super long one. I've ran into that a couple of times while writing longer fanfictions.
NitenGale: Have you been reading my drafts in Google Docs lol? You're pretty spot on with your predictions. Then again, maybe I'm just super predictable haha :)