Marinette cursed the irony of her Lady luck.
She never thought that the akuma would execute a city-wide attack by flooding it through indoors.
Her clothes were entirely drenched, her things were soakey wet, her body was cold and clammy, and for sure her crush was suffering the same demise
Stupid her for joking mentally that the smoke detector got activated due to the sizzling hotness of her seatmate – in which she concurred by the way, yet still denied in the face of her partner - but her logical mind told her otherwise.
She was used of handling abnormal phenomena superhero-wise, so a showering classroom was nothing to be puzzled about. She knew it outright that it was caused by an akuma.
An akuma God knows where.
The teenagers immediately ran towards the window and witnessed how the water gushed out from the buildings enough to submerge the Parisian streets. There were several rescue teams in rift boats, scooping those panicking people while screaming for help.
Some of them were even calling Ladybug and Chat Noir's names.
"I need to go now." She muttered as she headed towards the door, only to be stopped by a hand.
Adrien's dripping wet locks only gave him a strong semblance of his alter-ego. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Uhm...downstairs?" she lied. "They might need some assistance."
"I'm coming with you."
"WHAT?!"
"What 'What'?" he was slightly offended, more when she gave him an incredulous look. "You might need a helping hand."
"Bu – but - how you're – you just – just - urgh, FINE!" she grunted with a desire to smack her partner's civilian self for his naivety.
She just gave them both an opportunity to slip out and transformed, but he threw it all out to the gutter!
Stupid cat!
Adrien followed his seething classmate as they moved along and rushed downstairs, only to stop when they realized that the entire floor was totally immersed with water. They tried another route and got the same scenario.
It was a dead-end for both of them.
"Let's try the upper floors. There might be some people who got trapped there." the blonde suggested.
The raven-haired agreed. "I'll check the library while you on the faculty office."
"We'll go together."
"WHY!?"
"What 'Why'?" he scowled, and this time he was seriously offended. "Don't tell me you want me to leave you alone."
"YES!" was her rapid answer, then cringed. "NO! Uh, no - that's not my point."
He crossed his arms.
"We can cover the places faster if we separate ways." she convinced him but no avail. "And we can finish it in a shorter time."
He simply shook his head. "There's an akuma on the loose, Marinette. It'll be dangerous for someone to be left alone."
"Not unless Chat Noir's there to save the day." she reasoned out.
"But Ladybug always saves the day." he retorted.
"She never did it without Chat Noir's assistance."
"She did it more than once, all without Chat Noir's assistance."
Marinette froze, completely shocked with disbelief.
"Take it back."
"Take back what?"
"What you said about Ladybug." she uttered again. "Take it back."
"What's wrong with what I said about Ladybug? They're all true anyways, and she's -"
"I told you to take it back!"
Adrien was startled when she suddenly grabbed his collar and faced him squarely. "That Ladybug can do anything without Chat Noir!"
The petite girl was obviously fuming with anger.
How she wished she could tell him that both were partners, that Ladybug couldn't operate well without Chat, that she would be deemed useless without him. She could also enumerate various things that Chat Noir did not only for Ladybug but also to every citizen of Paris.
However, she didn't.
Because telling him everything was like giving out her identity.
Thus she just glared at him in silence.
Adrien flinched, not because of the intensity of her bluebell eyes, but because of an oddly familiar sensation.
There was a mixture of fury and sadness swarming on her orbs, but with some nostalgic emotions he had seen before but couldn't pinpoint where...or who.
With her midnight dark bangs hovering on her lids, he couldn't help but imagine them as spotty red. Then he saw some likeness both attitude and appearance-wise...
She was like his Lady who would go batshit crazy whenever someone insulted her partner's reputation.
He made his Princess mad because he downgraded his other persona, and got offended on his behalf.
Now he wasn't sure whether to be touched being Chat Noir, or be scared on her being Adrien Agreste.
"I'm sorry." he murmured, pressing his forehead on her crown. "I take it back."
That contact brought her back to reality.
Realizing the closeness of their bodies, and the embarrassing stunt she pulled out, Marinette jerked him away.
"Oh my God, I'm so – I'm so sorry!" she stammered, flailing her arms in the air as she stepped further. "I didn't mean to do that! An immaturity on my part to blurt those words - "
"No, I'm the one who must apologize." he cut her off, and about to add something funny but the creaking sound stopped him.
Both froze on their position.
I need to transform, Marinette thought as her danger sense rose. Now.
As the girl made another step forward, the creaking sound increased more, and became louder after she tried to move again.
She decided to stop.
Bluebell eyes met green ones, and there they saw a similar pang of anxiety.
"Adrien?" she asked, still unmoved. "Do you know how to swim?"
He didn't like the tone of her voice. "Yes. Why?"
"Nothing. I just want to rule out drowning."
She averted her gaze, then tilted her head a bit to see the water current that was flowing out steadily from the opposite wing.
Adrien was scared – not for himself but for his classmate. He couldn't read her mind, but not her body gestures.
"Marinette." the boy growled. "Are you planning on jumping from here down there?"
"I can swim." she answered confidently
"Don't you dare."
Her protective Kitty was showing again, she though as she gave him a neutral expression.
"This floor will collapse if I move further, you know that. The only option we have here is to jump on the safer side - which is downstairs."
"If you're trying to pull that stupid stunt you made in your balcony - "
"Then call for some help, Adrien." she interjected, then sighed when his angered expression softened. "I'm not going to leave here. I promise."
Please take this as a hint to leave and transform, so that I can transform as well.
Unfortunately, mental telepathy wasn't part of their repertoire.
"No!" he declared with firm conviction. "I'm not leaving you!"
She groaned. "Both of us will get stuck - "
"I said I'm not leaving you!" he snapped her, much to her frustrations. "Are you taking my presence for granted?!"
"Of course not! What I mean is..."
She trailed off when she saw the switch on his expression, especially when he adjusted himself towards the wall, with his right foot pivoted behind.
His green eyes narrowed, and even without the magical mask, she could see the determination, like a feral animal looming towards its prey.
She knew that stance. She knew it damn well.
He had used it before with Ladybug, and now he was trying to pull that ludicrous stunt with Marinette.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no!" she shrieked with mortification. "Don't you dare strutting here, Adrien Agreste!"
"Who says strutting?"
He didn't.
In fact, he leaped.
Marinette braced herself for the impact, but surprised when Adrien aimed for her waist, which reflexively made her arms wrapped his neck.
The momentum had them landed on the other side of the wing, barely slammed on the railings, and unceremoniously dropped on a not-so-dry surface.
She shuffled underneath him for breather, in which he grumpily complied. Another creaking sound made the two gaped towards their previous location, which timely collapsed and fell down into rubbles.
"Wow."
Still pinning her down, Adrien scrambled a meter away with a profused blush. "I'm sorry! Are you hurt?"
Marinette sat up and stared at him. Just stared at him with a gobsmacked expression.
"Oh my God! Did I give you concussions? Bone fracture?" he crawled back with panic. "Please, answer me Marinette. Hey."
Her mind was a reeling mess, so she shook her head as an answer. He sighed with relief.
"Can you stand?" he asked when she calmed down, earning a nod.
He stood up and offered her a hand. Once she balanced herself, she squeaked. "Thanks."
"Please don't say that again."
"Why can't I say my thanks to - "
"Leaving you. Please don't say that." he voiced glumly. "I don't want to abandon those people who are precious to me."
When she met his sad, bleary green eyes, that point she knew she was getting unfair. She was horrible.
Horrible for putting him in a bind while she was selfishly thinking about their identity. That unlike her, he was a selfless, strong and brave hero who wouldn't think twice in saving lives, with or without the aid of his Miraculous.
Horrible for pitting him into that terrifying situation, by letting him choose between his secret and his morality.
Worst of all, she was horrible because she stupidly chose the former.
Tikki might be silent inside her purse, but she knew that her kwami would give her an hourly sermon regarding on her indecisive actions.
"Sorry." she bowed with shame. "I'll never say that again."
"We've been saying 'sorry' for several times today." he chuckled, and when she looked up, he immediately reached her. "Let's look for a safer place."
Marinette felt guilty on how he cautiously held her hand, as if he didn't want to let her go. But when she tugged him, he paused.
"Why?" she asked. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because you're a friend whom I treasured most for the world." he answered with sincerity. "So that's why I - "
"You too."
"Huh?"
"You. You're also my friend, a best friend whom I treasured most for the world." she told him. "Which was why I refused to reveal ourselves because one of us might be spared in the event Hawkmoth turned the odds against his favor. But then, I knew you would be a one slick Kitty."
Adrien's face paled.
"Wa - what are you talking about?"
His confusion was answered by a warm hug.
"I'm glad it's you, Adrien." she murmured, and when she met his eyes, he was a goner. "I guess the cat was out from the bag."
"You - you...really? REALLY?!"
She turned around, trying to cover the pooling tears caused by his disappointments and pending rejection.
She must not let her personal feelings mix with her job, and damn well she had to set her priorities straight.
Marinette knew she was Ladybug for a reason.
"Tikki." she called. "Spots on!"