Hello again everyone! Sorry this update took longer than normal, I just really needed to get myself sorted. I've been busy with an assignment and I've been a bit of an emotional wreck this past week and didn't really get much chance to sit down properly and write. Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, reading them made me so happy. Also thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favourites and followed it.
Chapter Twenty: Exposed Secrets
Marinette could feel her already miserable mood sinking even lower as she walked home from school. Her study date – well it wasn't really a date – with Adrien hadn't exactly gone as she had hoped. Instead, as usual, she had just ended up humiliating herself. Adrien had remained fairly quiet with her for most of the time, focusing only on their work instead of talking to her casually like they had before…before…Marinette wanted to hit herself. Hit herself and then crawl into a deep, dark hole and never come out. She wanted to hide away in shame for all eternity. Once again, she had moved in to try and kiss him without thinking. What on earth must Adrien think of her? No wonder he was behaving so weirdly with her. He must think she's some creepy and obsessed weirdo. He was just putting up with her to be polite. Marinette should've known.
Drowning even more in her own ocean of embarrassment and misery, Marinette made her way inside the apartment. Her parents must have closed the bakery early today as the door was locked and no one was around. Marinette didn't think much of it though, sometimes her parents had closed by the time she got home from school. Dragging her feet up the stairs, Marinette was just about to put her key into the front door when she froze at what sounded like her parents arguing inside.
"Sabine, honey, I just don't think this is the answer." She heard her father almost beg.
"There's nothing else we can do, Tom!" Her mother sounded incredibly panicked. "The plan failed. Emilie is gone and now it's up to me to do what's right in order to protect her."
"She found us before and she'll find us again." Tom explained. "What do you want us to do? Be on the run forever?"
Marinette frowned. Okay, now it really felt like her parents were up to something. Being on the run? What could they possibly be talking about? Marinette could feel her heartbeat quickening in her chest as she leaned closer to the door so she could listen better. It sounded like one of them was pacing. Her mother perhaps? The footsteps were pretty light.
"Well if you have any better ideas, Tom!"
"Okay, calm down, I know you're frightened." Tom tried his best to reassure his wife.
"Frightened? Tom, I'm absolutely petrified. I thought we were done with all of this. Emilie told us she would sort it all for us but look where that got her. All of this…it brings it all back…I…I…"
"Oh Sabine." It sounded like her father got up and Marinette barely managed to contain her gasp at what sounded like her mother beginning to cry.
"I can't go through all this again. I can't lose her."
"I know, ssssh, I can't bear that thought either." Her father sounded like he too was close to tears.
"We can't let that witch get near her."
Marinette pulled away from the door slightly in confusion. Now it sounded like her mother was talking gibberish. Can't let who get near who? Whatever her parents were talking about, it sounded incredibly important. So, why hadn't Marinette been told about all of this? Why were her parents keeping secrets from her? The very possibility that they had indeed been keeping secrets from her pained her. She always thought she could trust her parents. Yet here they were. Talking amongst themselves, clearly up to something. Shaking her head as tears of betrayal formed in her eyes, Marinette leaned closer again to listen some more.
"I still think we should tell her the truth. That way we don't have to worry about her being manipulated and then maybe she can stop her. Like you said if she is La –"
Sabine gasped, "Don't say it, don't say it."
Tom sighed. "If she is – you know – then surely she can stop her."
"We can't take that risk." Sabine let out another sob. "If that much has come true then surely that means the rest could also happen. I vowed to protect her and that's what I'm going to do. I don't care what it takes. If I have to lay down my own life, then I will."
"I would do that in a heartbeat too."
They both remained silent for a few minutes.
"When are you going to tell her?" Tom asked.
Sabine sniffed, sounding slightly calmer than before. "Closer to the time. I can't risk anyone knowing. Now we should stop talking about this now; Marinette will be home any minute."
"Right."
Marinette sighed and backed away from the door as she heard her parents move to sit on the couch. The muffled sounds of the TV reached her ears and all Marinette could do was remain frozen. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think. The entire world around her felt like it was spinning and all she could do was stare straight ahead, her blue eyes wide and unblinking with pure panic. What were her parents up to? How could they be up to something? They were Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng. Two of the most normal and loving parents in the world. Always so sweet and innocent and Marinette loved and adored them with every fibre of her being.
How was Marinette going to play this now? She wasn't sure what to do. Should she confront them? Doing that wouldn't likely get her very far. Her parents seemed dead set on keeping whatever it was they were up to a secret from her. Would she have to go snooping again? That didn't exactly turn up any results. It seemed that all Marinette could do for now was act natural while she figured out a way to find out what was going on if her parents didn't tell her in the meantime, which seemed highly unlikely. Her parents were clearly scared of something and when Marinette found out what it was, she was going to do her utmost to protect them. She was Ladybug after all. If she could protect all of Paris then she could and would protect her parents.
With her plan set, Marinette took a deep breath and with a shaky hand, unlocked the front door and slowly walked inside. She shut and locked the door behind her and peaked into the living room where her parents were acting as if nothing just happened. They both looked up and smiled at her as she entered and Marinette smiled shakily back.
"Hello dear, how was school?" Sabine asked.
"Errr, yeah, great."
Marinette was starting to feel really awkward. Having just heard what she had, she really didn't know what to say to them right now without screaming and crying and begging for them to tell her what was going on and what had them both so scared. The latter fact meant that it had to be something incredibly serious and not knowing terrified Marinette beyond belief. Despite her parents also admitting how scared they were, they certainly didn't look it right now. How long had they been keeping this important secret from her? How long had they been carrying out this happy and normal façade? Memories of her whole entire life engulfed Marinette, overwhelming her, as she examined every detail of her life to try and pick out any change in her parents. Any hint that they had been hiding something from her. There was none. Either this was something recent that had occurred or Marinette's parents were actually scarily good liars and actors unlike Marinette had previous thought. The latter thought scared Marinette to death.
"Bet you have a decent pile of homework." Her dad chuckled, bringing Marinette back down to the real world with a jolt.
"Errr yeah, I have. So…" Marinette began edging her way towards the stairs. "I'm just gunna go do that right now. I think it's best if I'm not disturbed."
"Sure." Her dad smiled at her while her mother looked away.
Marinette gave her parents one last wide, awkward smile before she darted up the stairs and closed the hatch that led into her bedroom behind her. Marinette let out a deep breath and flopped down onto the floor and stared up at her ceiling. Tikki flew out of her purse and gazed at Marinette with a confused expression.
"What was all that about with your parents?"
Marinette sighed before frowning. "I don't know. But I'm more convinced than ever that they're hiding something from me."
"I think I'm actually inclined to agree," Tikki sounded slightly nervous, "Though it can't be anything that bad, I mean, this is your parents we're talking about."
"Is it?" Marinette asked miserably before heaving herself off the floor and moving to sit down on her desk chair. She dropped her backpack next to her and held her head in her hands. "Because I'm starting to feel like I don't know them anymore. They've been acting so weird lately."
"I'm sure it's not something to worry too much about." Tikki tried to reassure her, sitting down on Marinette's shoulder and giving her cheek a quick pat.
"Maybe…" Marinette agreed. "But something has clearly frightened them and I want to find out what it is."
"Yes, but we have more important things to worry about right now," Tikki reminded her, "Are you going to talk to Chat Noir tonight about your dreams?"
Marinette slouched down and buried her head in her arms. It made it slightly difficult for her to breathe, but she figured that was a good thing right now. If she passed out then she wouldn't have to deal with all this right now. She knew it had to be done though. She promised Chat that she wouldn't keep anything from him again. The thought of telling him about all of this sent a shameful shudder up her spine. She was probably going to sound absolutely crazy to Chat. But if Tikki thought that it meant something, then she needed to keep Chat Noir in the loop. If he knew, then maybe they could both figure it out together and make sure they didn't fall out like Tikki was worried was going to happen. This would hopefully at least give Tikki some peace of mind. It might relieve some of her own stress too to have someone else in the know. If she couldn't talk to Master Fu, then maybe Chat Noir was the next best thing.
"I guess." Marinette finally answered Tikki's question. "What if he thinks I'm crazy though?"
Tikki shook her heard. "He won't, Chat's not like that and you know it."
"You're right." Marinette sighed as she picked up Chat Noir's finished scarf. Despite everything she had done to him lately, he continued to be so good to her. That thought put a small smile on her face and made her feel slightly better about telling him. Tikki was right; Chat Noir would take her seriously. However, that still didn't stop Marinette's nerves entirely and her hand shook slightly as she picked up some shiny gold wrapping paper and placed the scarf inside. Marinette delicately wrapped the scarf up before tying a dark green ribbon around it. Marinette really hoped that he liked it. It wasn't much, but it was the least she could do to thank him for putting up with her weirdness lately. He truly was the best partner that any ladybug could ever ask for. He was so sweet and caring and…Marinette violently shook her head which earned her a confused glance from Tikki.
"I suppose I better get this out of the way." Marinette tried her best to smile despite her nerves. Tikki smiled back and floated up, ready for Marinette to say the words. Marinette quickly transformed into Ladybug and gripped the small present tightly in her hands as she climbed up to her balcony. The evenings were getting chillier and chillier and the cold autumn breeze felt sharp against Ladybug's exposed skin. Luckily her suit protected her from most of the chilly evening air. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves down some more, Ladybug unhooked her yo-yo from around her waist and swung it towards the nearest building. She carried herself through the air, trying to ignore the feeling of her heart pounding away in her chest. It's okay Ladybug, she chanted to herself over and over in her head, you can do this; it's just Chat.
Ladybug quickly reached their usual meeting place for their evening patrols around the city. She sat herself down on one of the chimneys and placed the small present beside her and began waiting. She was starting to wish that she hadn't shown up so early; it left her alone with her thoughts. Images from her dreams began assaulting every inch of her mind once again, each one felt like a violent punch to the head. The memories of all of the blood and the orange eyes cause Ladybug to begin trembling slightly. Ladybug even found herself looking around, beginning to feel paranoid, not convinced by Tikki's theory that the holder of the peacock miraculous was gone. Tikki believed that these were just memories that she was experiencing. That she had somehow met the peacock miraculous holder at some point in her life. But…surely Ladybug would have remembered something like that? It didn't make any sense. And who was that woman on the mountain and the man in the house?
Feeling herself beginning to hyperventilate slightly, Ladybug got up and began pacing the roof. One, two, three, four, she counted each step that she took in a futile attempt to somehow distract her mind. However, each small pause she took between the numbers allowed flashes of memories of her dreams to seep through, startling her every single time. Ladybug quickened in her pacing to try and stop this. Onetwothreefourfivesixseven…
"Hey, Ladybug!"
"AHHH!" Ladybug screamed and jumped into the air, feeling like her heart was trying to lurch right out of her chest.
"Whoa, relax, it's only me." Chat Noir reassured her, staring at her in concern. His hands were held in the air as if to reach out and touch her, though he also looked unsure as to whether that would be the right thing to do. Despite Ladybug visibly relaxing once she knew it was only Chat Noir, he still looked at her with a very concerned expression.
"Sorry about that." Ladybug apologised awkwardly while rubbing the back of her head.
"Are you okay?" Chat asked.
"Y-Yeah, just feeling a little bit jumpy." She explained, her nerves increasing now that she knew she had to explain everything to him right this minute. Chat didn't seem too convinced by her response, his face forming into a suspicious frown and he folded his arms across his chest.
"I thought we agreed no more secrets."
"I know…" Ladybug sighed, "And actually, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about tonight."
"Oh?" Chat seemed intrigued.
Ladybug bit her lip, pressing her teeth almost painfully hard against it before she forced herself to sit down. A lump formed in her throat in an anxious attempt to stop her from speaking, but Ladybug forced herself to swallow it down. As nervous as she was, she couldn't run from this any longer. She had to tell Chat. It was for the best and it was only fair. Patting the space next to her, Ladybug averted her eyes, unable to look Chat Noir in the eye as he sat down next to her and watched her worriedly and curiously. Ladybug wrecked her brain, trying to find the right words and figure out where to even begin in explaining all of this weirdness. Chat Noir was patient with her though, letting her speak when she was ready. In the meantime, he just watched her which, admittedly, made Ladybug a little uncomfortable. She knew that deep down, Chat Noir was dying to know what was going on, but he was being patient…for her sake. That thought melted Ladybug slightly and helped in giving her the courage to speak.
"It's a little hard to explain," Ladybug began, "But lately I keep having these really weird dreams, most of them nightmares."
"Okay?"
"And they're awful Chat." Ladybug began choking up slightly as she recalled all of the horrible nightmares she had had these past few weeks. "I can't even begin to describe them, but at first they mainly involved me and you." Ladybug wasn't sure she could bring herself to admit to the dreams in which she had kissed him. She was sure she could get away with omitting that tiny little detail. After all, it was the other stuff that was most important. It was getting darker and darker out as the sun began to set over the horizon and Ladybug watched out of the corner of her eye as Chat Noir's green eyes glowed, continuing to watch her and wait for her to continue speaking.
"At first, I had a dream in which you killed me. You sneaked up behind me and stabbed me in the back." Ladybug abruptly forced out at last.
Chat Noir gasped, his expression morphing into one of pure horror and disbelief.
"And in dreams after that, we would end up fighting and trying to take each other's miraculous." Ladybug continued to explain, fighting back tears. "But recently, they've developed into something more serious. At first, I just chalked them up to normal nightmares, but lately, things have escalated. In my dreams, I keep having these visions. First, I saw a woman, alone and bleeding on a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm. Then I was in this dark void, following a trail of blood and the sound of a crying baby. It lead me to a small house where a man was lying dead in the middle of the room and that's when you appeared to take my miraculous. But worst of all, I keep seeing this pair of glowing orange eyes and blue and orange feathers keep appearing too."
"Orange eyes and feathers?" Chat asked in confusion.
Ladybug nodded. "My qwami told me that these are all signature signs of the peacock miraculous. My qwami is convinced that I must have come across the holder of the peacock miraculous at some point in my life, but I thought I would have remembered something like that. But when my qwami told me the power the peacock miraculous possessed, I'm convinced that this holder is evil and is out there somewhere and is after me."
Chat gasped, "So whoever possesses the peacock miraculous...can invade dreams?"
"Not just that," Ladybug explained, "They can invade your entire mind and control you. The dreams are getting even more sinister because if I get an injury in my dream," Ladybug pulled up her bangs to show off the bump on her head, "I wake up with the same injury."
Chat Noir froze at the sight of Ladybug's bump. It looked like he was internally panicking and Ladybug sighed as she let her hair fall back down to cover her forehead once again.
"I know, it's pretty scary. I just…I don't know what to do. My qwami won't let me go speak to Master Fu over the fact that it might bring up something awful that happened to Master Fu years ago."
Chat Noir unfroze, though he still looked terrified. "Yeah, my qwami told me something about that too. He wouldn't go into much detail though."
"No, mine neither." Ladybug sighed. "So, I feel stuck essentially. There's something going on, something to do with the peacock miraculous holder and there's nothing I can do."
"You think the peacock miraculous holder is out there and poses a threat?" Chat asked, looking around the city.
Ladybug shrugged. "Possibly. My qwami seems to think that the dreams are bad omens relating to me and you though."
"Huh?"
Ladybug looked away sadly. "My qwami told me this story about a past ladybug she had. She and that particular Chat Noir were best friends but over time they grew to hate each other. That ladybug kept having dreams in which her and Chat Noir harmed or killed each other. One day, their miraculous were confiscated by the guardians and that's when their fighting came to a head. Because Ladybug and Chat Noir were so unbalanced, they torn a hole in the fabric of the universe and they both got dragged in, suffering a fate worse than death. Because I'm experiencing a similar thing, my qwami is worried about what this means for us."
Chat Noir remained quiet. Ladybug peaked at him out of the corner of her eyes to see him staring down in a state of complete shock. She knew it was a lot to take in so she gave Chat time to process everything she had just said. All the while it was becoming harder and harder for Ladybug to hold back the terrified sobs that were trying to claw their way out of her chest. She couldn't let them escape though. She was Ladybug. She had to remain strong and show no fear. Ladybug was too busy trying to fight back her fear and tears that she hadn't noticed that Chat Noir had finally looked up.
"Ladybug?" He questioned, his voice full of concern again.
"I-I'm fine." Ladybug insisted, looking away and feeling ashamed over Chat Noir seeing her like this. However, Ladybug jumped slightly when she felt a leather clad hand gently grip her cheek and turn her head back around to face Chat. He offered her a small smile, despite the fear that was clearly dancing around behind his eyes.
"Ladybug I could never hate you…and I certainly could never bring myself to harm you." He reassured her, his voice quiet and gentle like a lullaby. It succeeded in calming Ladybug down slightly and she subtly leaned into his touch, yearning for any form of comfort right now. Chat took that as a sign to scoot closer towards her and he hesitantly wrapped an arm around her shoulder, watching Ladybug's body language carefully in case her overstepped her boundaries by mistake. However, Ladybug smiled gratefully and rested her head against his chest. She could hear Chat's heart pounding erratically in his chest and Ladybug nearly asked if he was okay, but figured he was just scared by what she had told him.
"I know that," Ladybug sighed, "And I could never hate or harm you either."
"Good to know," Chat chuckled, "Because, and don't tell anyone I told you, but that whole nine lives thing is a myth."
Ladybug smirked and gave Chat a gentle and playful elbow in the ribs. He jokingly recoiled before chuckling again and embracing her tighter. Despite how weird things had been with Chat Noir lately, Ladybug was extremely grateful for the comforting hug right now. She really needed one. Already she could feel herself beginning to relax slightly, feeling relieved that Chat Noir was now in the know and didn't think she was crazy. That was a huge weight off her back.
"So, you haven't been having any of these dreams?" Ladybug asked.
"No," Chat said, "Unless you count the one I had when we were both under the spell of Dreamscape."
"What happened?" Ladybug asked. She guessed that explained part of why Chat Noir had been acting so strange afterwards. She knew he must've had a nightmare, but she wasn't aware that it was similar to what she had experienced.
Chat sighed. "Pretty much just like the one that you had. You were trying to steal my miraculous."
"Strange, because I had almost the exact same dream while captured by Dreamscape." Ladybug mused, frowning deep in thought. "So, it was just the one?"
"Yes, just the one."
"Then what could this mean? If it's just me that seems to be having them?" Ladybug felt herself beginning to panic again.
"Hey, it's okay," Chat Noir gently reassured her as he began slowly stroking her hair. "We'll figure it out together. I would never hurt you so I don't understand how it could be a bad omen. If it's the peacock miraculous then we'll find them and defeat them."
"We can't even find and defeat Hawkmoth." Ladybug grumbled.
"We'll do that too. These things just take time."
Ladybug sighed. "You're right. I shouldn't be so negative, I'm sorry."
"Don't be; it sounds like you've had a lot to deal with." Chat smiled. "Thank you for telling me. And hey, at least we'll have something to distract ourselves with next weekend."
"Huh?"
"The party, duh."
"Oh yeah…that."
Chat Noir shifted to look down at her. "You mean you're not going?"
Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Do we really need the distraction while we have all of this hanging over us? I'm not really one for fancy parties anyway, least of all when we're both possibly in danger. Chat, we need to focus right now, not attend some silly party."
"I thought it would do us both good though." Chat explained. "We need to give ourselves some rest so we can think about things properly and with a clear mind."
"I don't know, Chat."
"Oh please come, LB. It'll be so much fun." Chat Noir begged like small, excited child. "For me?"
Ladybug groaned. "Alright, fine." She was finding it increasingly difficult to say no to Chat Noir after the way she had treated him lately. If a party would help cheer him up, then she would relent. She would just have to keep on her toes while they were there. If the peacock miraculous holder knew they would both be there, then maybe they would show up and expose themselves and prove Ladybug right. Tikki had said she was sure Hawkmoth possessed the peacock miraculous, but Ladybug wasn't too sure. She certainly wasn't going to leave it all to chance.
"Yes!" Chat Noir rejoiced and squeezed her tightly.
Ladybug rolled her eyes and hugged him awkwardly back, already wishing that the next weekend was over and done with. She loved parties, sure. Just not when they were hosted by any member of the Bourgeois family. No doubt Chloé would be hanging off the both of them all night. But if it made Chat happy and possibly help them solve this mystery then Ladybug figured she was attending whether she wanted to or not. The thought of doing things to make Chat Noir happy made Ladybug remember something.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Ladybug pulled away from Chat Noir and headed back towards the chimney she had stashed his present. She could feel Chat's eyes watching her curiously as Ladybug reached down towards the small, golden paper wrapped present she had stashed away. With his present now in hand, Ladybug headed back over with a nervous smile on her face. Chat Noir eyed the present in her hand before looking back up at her with a confused expression on his face. Ladybug shyly handed it over, feeling her cheeks turn slightly pink.
"A little something for you," Ladybug explained, "It's not much, I just wanted to say thank you and sorry I guess. You've been a great partner to me and I've treated you so badly lately." Ladybug forced herself to stop rambling as Chat Noir slowly extended his hand out to take the present from her. He stared at it like it was the most holy and sacred thing in the world which caused Ladybug to raise an amused eyebrow. Chat Noir continued to stare at it before he began to slowly tear at the wrapping paper, revealing what was inside. He gasped as he caught sight of it, running his fingers across the scarf.
"I hope it's okay and it feels alright." Ladybug began feeling nervous. "I'm a little rusty when it comes to making scarfs."
"W-wait…you made this?" Chat gasped.
"Y-yeah."
Ladybug watched as Chat Noir froze as he continued to stare at the scarf. He stopped running his fingers over the green wool and so many expressions zoomed across his face that Ladybug had a difficult time catching them all: horror, confusion, fear and more confusion. The sight made Ladybug even more nervous.
"You don't like it." Ladybug sighed. "I'm sorry, I should have made sure I knew your tastes before making you something."
"N-no!" Chat quickly stopped her panicked rambling. "I-it's beautiful, I really love it."
"Really?"
"Yes!" Chat Noir beamed at her, though there was still in underlying fear and confusion that remained present in his eyes. Ladybug wasn't sure why though. Had their conversation about everything finally sunk in and he was worried about what was going to happen too? Surely if that was the case, he would tell her, right? Or was he trying to be strong for her sake after witnessing her nearly break down over the whole thing. That thought pained Ladybug. She didn't want him to feel that he had to do that. Looking around, Ladybug realised how dark it had now gotten and the thought of the pile of homework on her desk soon taunted her. She had told Chat everything that he needed to know. Now they both just needed to be careful and watch out. With pretty much everything out in the open and knowing she had Chat Noir on side, Ladybug felt much better. Not completely better, but just enough that it felt like a huge weight had been lifted and she could at least breathe properly again.
"Thanks for being there for me today, Chat," Ladybug offered him a small smile as he continued to stare down at the scarf, "I should probably get going now; it's getting late."
Chat didn't respond and Ladybug frowned.
"Chat?"
Still no response.
"Chat!" Ladybug snapped her fingers and Chat Noir jumped, looking back up at her with a sheepish smile that looked forced. "Are you okay?" She asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm great." He gulped. "Just amazed at this gift."
"Right." Ladybug replied, not convinced. She wished she could stay longer and quiz Chat, but she was in enough trouble at school for not completing her homework. She couldn't risk getting a possible detention when an akuma could attack at any moment. Making an excuse to sneak out of class was much easier than trying to sneak out of detention where the teachers watched you like a hawk. She could just ask Chat what his weird behaviour was all about the next time she saw him.
"As long as you're sure." Ladybug added, taking a few steps towards the edge of the roof, regarding Chat Noir suspiciously.
"I'm fine, trust me." He replied, once again his smile looked fake. "I guess I'll see you soon then."
"Yeah." Ladybug did her best to smile, despite Chat's odd behaviour. "Bug out."
Swinging her yo-yo, Ladybug glided between the buildings of the city of Paris, the night air now even colder against her exposed skin. She put Chat's weird behaviour to the back of her mind and focused on getting home and maybe talking to Tikki about that fact that Chat Noir hadn't been having these dreams. Surely that must mean it wasn't a bad omen then? If it was, then Ladybug would have thought that Chat Noir would be having those dreams too. Instead, he had claimed to have just had the one. What did that mean? So many unanswered questioned were buzzing around in her head that she ignored the fact that her instincts were suddenly on high alert.
Ladybug gracefully landed back on her balcony, her yo-yo loyally flying back towards her before she hooked it back around her waist where it belonged. It felt good to be home and feel more relaxed now that her talk with Chat Noir was over with. Sure, she was still terrified over the whole thing, but she felt better knowing that her trusted partner was going to be right by her side through the whole ordeal now. Together, just like he had said, they would figure this out.
With a relieved smile on her face, Ladybug uttered the words to release her transformation. "Spots off." She said and within a second she was Marinette again. The cold air instantly hit her and Marinette began shivering as Tikki reappeared and hovered in front of her.
"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" Tikki smiled and Marinette shook her head.
"No, but, Chat Noir said he had only had the one dream. What does this mean, Tikki? Does this still mean that this is all a bad omen?" Marinette asked.
Tikki sighed. "I don't know, Marinette. Last time, the previous Chat Noir also had bad nightmares just like the previous Ladybug. For this Chat Noir to have just the one, I don't know what that entails."
Marinette shivered more violently, both from fear and from the cold breeze suddenly picking up around her.
"Let's get you inside." Tikki said and Marinette nodded, opening up the trap door that led down into her bedroom and dropped down into it, quickly closing the door behind her.
Unbeknownst to Marinette, a figure had been watching her from behind the chimney of the building opposite her apartment. Stepping out from his hiding spot, his expression filled with fear and horror, Chat Noir gazed down at the small bakery below him; the home of Marinette…the home of his lady.
Oh dear. What do you guys think of that? Sorry again if this chapter was a little on the slow side, I hate writing filler, but it's all necessary. Naturally a lot of known information had to be repeated for Chat Noir's sake. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Not too sure when my next update will be, but hopefully the gap won't be as long as this time. Thanks for reading, see you soon.