Steam followed a towel-clad Marinette into her room. She unsheathed the towel wrapped around her head and took a great big sigh.
Humming to herself, she got herself dressed and immediately plopped down onto her bed, not having even bothered to tie her hair up yet.
Tikki flew over to her, having patiently waited until Marinette was fully clothed before emerging from her spot.
"Wow, Marinette. That's gotta be your fifth shower today," she noted.
"And I still don't think I got all the cheese out of my hair…" Marinette groaned, running her fingers through her silky, blue hair. "Why did Hawkmoth have to choose something so goopy for an akuma?"
She reached her arm over to pick up her phone from the nightstand, and checked her texts.
"Still nothing back from Alya," Marinette sighed. "I wish I could find out what's up with her. I bumped into her yesterday, and she seemed fine? And then I saw her and Nino at the diner while Chat and I were fighting the akuma, and she looked happy there too. So why is she still not talking to me? I really think I must've said something wrong at the dinner date."
"Maybe it's like your dad said," Tikki tried to assure her. "Maybe you should just… give her some space for a while, and see what happens."
"I guess…" Marinette sat up, huddling her knees together. "I just don't understand what's been going on with my friends lately. Everyone's acting so weird all of a sudden, it almost feels like I'm on another planet."
Tikki smiled sympathetically. Looking around the room for something to cheer her friend up, she noticed something: a push notification on Marinette's computer. She flew over to look at it.
"Hey, Marinette, look at this! Alya posted an update on her blog!"
"So?" she answered despondently.
"Sooooo, it's probably going to be about how you saved everyone from the monster yesterday! Don't you think hearing your best friend talk about how great you are would cheer you up?"
Marinette sighed. "I suppose so. Even though I know she's actually talking about Ladybug, not me."
Begrudgingly, she got up and sat down at her computer. She clicked the notification, which opened up the Ladyblog website, and took her to a video that began playing.
Alya was reporting, microphone in hand, while standing on the street corner where Ladybug and Chat Noir had had their cheesy confrontation.
"Ladybug and Chat Noir stopped another akuma yesterday, this time in the form of a… giant… cheese monster!" Alya proclaimed.
"I was there, and I still find that hard to believe," Marinette chuckled.
"We owe so much to these great heroes," Ala continued, smiling softly. "Ladybug and Chat Noir are always there to save us from evil. Think of how many lives every day are saved thanks to their noble efforts."
"She's being very sweet today," Tikki noticed.
"She looks a lot happier," Marinette agreed. "I wonder if she's gotten over whatever it was that was bugging her." She looked down at her phone once again, still worried over the lack of response.
"Especially Ladybug."
Marinette looked back up at the screen.
"I don't know what I'd do knowing she wasn't always there. Always right behind you, ready to help. She's always right under our noses," said Alya, looking down to the ground with a smile.
"More than you would think," Marinette remarked.
"But how much under our noses?" Alya now adopted a quizzical look. "Any one of us could know the real Ladybug and not even know it, right? I've tried for so long to discover who that amazing girl really is under the mask…"
Marinette's eyes gradually widened as she sat up straight, not sure what was about to come next.
"Well you know what I think? I think that Ladybug's real identity…"
Marinette gulped.
"…is and should always be a mystery."
Marinette let herself fall back, a huge wave of relief sweeping over her.
"It doesn't matter who's under that mask. Ladybug will always be my hero, and best friend... to the whole city!"
And then, Alya made a familiar gesture. She closed one eye, winking at the camera… and then blew a kiss between her fingers. Marinette paused the video.
"Wow. Did you see that little kiss she did at the end there?" Tikki noted. "That looks just like that secret friendship sign you two hav-"
She turned around, only to see Marinette's empty chair spinning in place. A small gust trailed in the doorway, the bedroom door having been swung open.
"…Marinette?"
"Especially Ladybug. I don't know what I'd do knowing she wasn't always there. Always right behind you, ready to help. She's always right under our noses."
Adrien scoffed. He was watching the same video on his triple-screen monitor from the comfort of his large and expansive bedroom.
"Well, okay. Sure. I mean, Ladybug is very amazing, she's not wrong about that…"
"Heh, the mind of an aloof teenager," Plagg mused, eating cheese on the desk next to him. "Doesn't know whether to be in love with her or jealous of all the glory she gets…"
"Hey, I'm just saying, she could have spent a little bit longer talking about how awesome Chat Noir is, too."
"Clearly, you're so awesome that it doesn't even need to be said."
"Wow. A compliment. That's rare coming from you," Adrien mused.
Alya's video had kept on going underneath their conversation.
"It doesn't matter who's under that mask. Ladybug will always be my hero, and best friend... to the whole city!"
Adrien watched, and then raised his eyebrows, as he saw Alya make a strange yet vaguely familiar gesture on-camera.
"Huh? What was that kiss thing she did at the end?" he wondered, gazing more closely. "And… where have I seen that before? That almost looked like-"
Alya cleared her throat. "Anyway, now that that's out of the way, I'd like to get to mentioning the other brains of the bunch, the fearsome Chat Noir!"
"That's more like it," Adrien said coyly.
"Speaking of Chat Noir, don't forget! He's got a meet-and-greet scheduled in the park today. Fans can come to meet Chat Noir in person and have their Chat Noir posters and merchandise signed…"
"Wait… The signing?" Then he gasped. A flash of eyes went over to his wall calendar to reveal… yup. Today's date was circled. "Oh, no! I completely forgot about that!"
Adrien stood up with a jolt, trying not to panic.
"I can't believe I almost let my adoring public down! Ahhh, I'm so stupid! Plagg, claws- OWW!"
He lifted his arm up, to see Plagg's teeth clamped down on his forearm.
"Sorry" uttered Plagg's muffled voice. "You really should've showered better. That cheesy smell is really confusing."
"I'll deal with that later, Plagg," said Adrien, pulling him off. "Come on, let's go meet our fans before they start a riot."
Tikki flew all over Paris, doing her best to make sure she wasn't seen as she scoped out the city to find Marinette. As she flew closer to the park, she heard a familiar sound of nervous breathing.
She looked over to a tree by the fountain, and saw her friend huddling up under it, breathing a thousand breaths a minute.
"Oh. There you are, Marinette. I've been looking all over for-"
But before she could finish, Marinette clutched her with both hands and started shaking her.
"She knows, Tikki!" she burst out. "Alya knows! She somehow found out I'm Ladybug!"
"Calm down, Marinette!" Tikki shouted.
But the poor girl wouldn't stop hyperventilating. Tikki looked at her with concern, and took a sigh of remorse.
"I knew this would probably happen sooner or later," she stated.
"What do you mean!?"
"I've worked with lots of girls who donned the mask of Ladybug over the years, Marinette. And usually, whenever someone did find out, it was almost always either their best friend or a close family member. And, well… Alya does has a whole blog about you. In some ways, it was only a matter of time."
"I must've slipped up or… something," Marinette fretted, knuckles between her teeth as her eyes darted around. "She probably saw me transform, or finally did the math and realized we both have blue hair. No wonder she's avoided me so much lately! I don't know how I stayed safe from her prying eyes for so long."
Tikki blinked at her a few times.
"You know Alya wouldn't just skin you alive if she knew you were Ladybug, right?"
"Right… I know."
"Marinette, I think this is a blessing in disguise. I've seen how much it hurts for you to keep this a secret from the people you love."
Marinette thought about this, but still began to look guilty.
"It's my responsibility to keep my identity hidden, isn't it? I wasn't supposed to let anybody find out."
"It is," Tikki nodded. "Unless it falls completely out of your hands, of course. Which… like I said, it does sometimes," she said matter-of-factly. "Then we have no choice but to confront the matter."
Tears were beginning to fall down Marinette's face. Tikki wiped them away.
"Just trust me, Marinette. Y'know, oftentimes, when those other Ladybugs' friends found out, they became commendable allies. Can I let you in on a secret?"
Marinette nodded softly.
"One time, one of the previous Ladybugs had a friend whose trust and loyalty proved to be so strong, my master actually chose them to become a Miraculous holder themselves!" she whispered.
Marinette let out a heavy gasp, and her brain began to rattle.
"Are you saying Alya might one day beco-"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Marinette. It was just a one-time thing."
"Right, right, of course." Feeling surer of her feelings, Marinette stood up. "But you're right, Tikki. If Alya really has figured me out, I should probably go find her and come clean."
"That's my girl!" Tikki cheered.
Together, they began to march out of the park, determined yet uncertain. As Marinette thought about something else however, she stopped in her tracks and turned to Tikki with an accusing look.
"Wait a minute… you didn't let her catch you, did you?"
Tikki shook her head. "Of course not, Marinette. Us Kwamis are masters of stealth. I'd never be dumb enough to let Alya catch me sleeping in your locker or something."
Somewhere else in the park, unbeknownst to Marinette and Tikki, a vendor stand was set up near the carousel. Many young people were gathered around to meet their black-masked hero, who was in the midst of handing out signatures.
"To Chloé Bourgeois, many happy returns… Chat Noir."
Chat Noir handed the autographed leaflet over to Chloé Bourgeois, who stood at the front of the line enthusiastically.
"Oh. My gosh. Thank you so much. I mean, not that it matters as much coming from Ladybug's sidekick. But hey, whatever works," she laughed.
Chat gave a polite smile in return. As Adrien Agreste, he'd had many years of practice taking his childhood friend's back-handed compliments in stride.
"By the way…" Chloé said, leaning in close. "You didn't happen to know if Ladybug got that letter I sent to her last month, do you kitty-cat?" she asked alluringly.
"Huh? Oh yeah, uhh… She did," he recalled. "And, she… appreciated it. But unfortunately, we just don't have any openings to join our superhero team right now."
"Awww, poo!" she grunted. She slipped a note out of her jacket, and grabbed Chat's pen to write something on it. "Well okay, I'll tell you what? Here's my phone number if you ever change your mind and decide to add someone valuable to your roster!"
"Oh, I don't need that, I already ha- errr, I mean… Yeah! I'd appreciate having your number."
She handed the slip to him, and then flocked away, squealing to herself. Chat let his smile slip as he watched her leave.
"Glad I didn't tell her just how colorful Ladybug's response was…" he muttered, almost chuckling to himself in reminisce.
Nino whistled casually, only a couple of spots away from meeting who he now knew to be his best friend that he saw every day. But with a professional headshot of Chat Noir in his hand, he smiled deviously to himself. On top of that, he happened to be wearing the exact Chat Noir shirt that had made Adrien just as excited before.
Eventually, he found himself at the front, where Chat greeted him in excitement.
"Well, hello there, loyal fan!" he buttered up. "Might I say, that's an awesome shirt you've got there!"
"Heh, thanks!" Nino giggled. He handed the photo over to Chat.
"And who will I be making this bad boy out to, hmm?" Chat asked, flittering his eyebrows.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I'd like you to make this one out to my super pal, Adrien!"
"Yes, sir! To Ni- Ahh-!" He had already begun writing an N, which he had to halt and then scribble out. "I'm sorry, did you say Adrien? As in… Adrien Agreste?"
"Mm-hm. Yeah. I know it don't look it, but he and I are actually really tight, and I just know he'd love to have a poster signed out to his hero!"
Chat Noir stared at him incredulously, but nonetheless smiled politely.
"Uhh yeah, okay. That makes sense, I guess."
"Except if I ever wanted my own autograph, I could get it pretty easily…" he thought to himself.
"To… Adrien! You're the cat's meow. Your pal, Chat Noir!" he signed off, trying as best he could to disguise how weird he felt. He finished it off with a drawing of a pawprint.
"Wow, totally awesome!" Nino expressed, seemingly slack-jawed. "Thank you so much, Chat Noir! Oh man, I'd love to show this to Adrien right away! I wonder where I could find him…"
He pulled out his phone, apparently ready to try dialing his friend. Chat went wide-eyed, and waved his hand to get Nino's attention away from calling him.
"Hey, uh… you know what? I, umm, I remember reading somewhere that… Adrien Agreste loves to hang out by the boat docks! Maybe that's where you'll find him."
"Really?" Nino replied. "Huh. I've never heard him say anything about liking boats."
"Well… sometimes, you just never know!" Chat coaxed, laughing nervously. "Why don't you, uhh- try heading there to look for him? And uhhh, if you don't see him right away, maybe just wait an hour or two?"
"Ummm, well okay. I guess it's worth a shot. Thanks, Cat Bro!" Nino yelled, running off.
"Now I just gotta deal with this crowd as quick as I can…"
"Hey, all you cool cats! Uhh…" Thinking fast, he pretended to look over at his Miraculous. "Beep beep beep! Uh-oh, you hear that? My power's about to run out soon, so I'm gonna have to wrap this signing up! Why don't you all remain in a single file line and I'll try to breeze through-"
Before he could speak any further, all the fans that were still in line immediately huddled up to the front, all waving their photos and trinkets in Chat's face, begging for a signing.
"Ohhh, me and my fat mouth…" he groaned to himself.
With superhero speed, he managed to imprint himself on all the merch that was surrounding him, and then hopped away from the stand.
"Alright, sorry to leave you guys and gals pawing for more, but… gotta bounce!"
Chat sped away from the scene as his fans yelped and pined after him.
Nino meanwhile, had been hiding behind a bush the whole time.
"Hook, line, and sinker," he said, smirking to himself. He reached into the bush and dug out a Turbo Scooter he'd kept stashed within.
"I just hope this thing will be able to get me there so I can beat him to the pier…"
As he walked the scooter to the sidewalk, he was surprised to see Chat leap above him and jump across rooftops towards the harbor.
"Aw man, he's so fast!" Nino bemoaned. "I didn't know he would say to meet at the harbor of all places. Now, I'm never gonna catch him…"
As he got on the scooter and fastened on his helmet, Nino gripped hard and took position for a speedy ride through the town… until a limousine suddenly pulled up next to him. Adrien's limo.
The tinted window rolled down to reveal Adrien's bodyguard and chauffeur, who didn't seem to have a name but whom Nino sometimes liked to call "the Gorilla" because of his unique hairstyle. He eyed Nino, stone-faced as he always was.
"Hey, kid," he said gruffly. "Heard you need to meet Adrien by the docks. Need a ride?"
Nino stared back at him, feeling very confused.
"Suuure…?"
"Hop in."
Nino got into the car and sat in silence, deciding not to ask any questions.
The bell rang as the door to the Dupain-Chengs' bakery opened up. Tom Dupain, well in the middle of preparing a big order, looked up to see who it was.
"Hey, Mr. Dupain. Ummm, is Marinette around?" asked Alya.
"Oh hi, Alya!" he said, waving. "Sorry to say, you just missed her. She left about an hour ago. Seemed to be in an awful hurry about something."
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
Alya looked around the bakery, eyed her best friend's father… and then began to stare down at the floor.
"…Something wrong?" Tom asked.
"Oh, I'm just… thinking." She closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked back up at Mr. Dupain. "I kind of just did something that might make Marinette upset. And I kind of did it without asking her or giving her a heads-up about it…" She started to look remorseful. "I'm starting to worry that she might get really mad or afraid, and not want to talk to me anymore over it…"
Tom Dupain took in what she said, and smiled back at her.
"I shouldn't think so. I've known Marinette her whole life," he chuckled. "She doesn't stay mad at anyone for very long, not even that girl Chloé she's always fretting about."
Alya laughed.
"You know, she always speaks the whole world of you, Alya. You really make her day sometimes. You're her best friend. And like you said in your podcast thing-y, she's a friend and a loyal hero to everyone. So, don't worry. I think you two are still gonna be fine friends."
Alya smiled. "Thank you, sir."
Alya turned to leave, but then a sudden realization made her halt.
"Wait a minute." Alya went wide-eyed. "Did Marinette's father just say…?"
She turned back around, but Mr. Dupain had gone back into the kitchen. Alya put a hand to her forehead.
"Alright. One revelation at a time, Alya..."
