Spoiler Alert! This story picks up from where the Season 4, Episode 4, Gang of Secrets episode left off. An upset and despondent Marinette has told her best friend Alya that she is Ladybug.

Between her tears, Marinette explains to Alya, "I'm tired of the lies and stupid excuses I have to make up to my family and friends so I can go somewhere and transform into Ladybug to fight some akuma or sentimonster. That's why Luka and I broke up, he was smart enough to know I wasn't being honest with him. I can't have a boyfriend if I have to keep secrets from him. It's just not fair to him."

"What about Chat Noir? Why can't he be your boyfriend, even if it's a secret? He doesn't know your secret identity, right? " asks Alya.

Marinette nodded. "I'm so afraid he'll be disappointed that's me, and I couldn't bear that."

"I think he's going to be more disappointed if you don't tell him, Mari. He's going to be really hurt that you told me and didn't tell him." Alya looks at Marinette with a serious expression. "You can't mess with that the kind of trust that you have with him. It's kind of a 2-way street, you gotta trust him if you want to be trustworthy."

After a pause, Alya continues. "Talk to him about it, ask him about the two of you doing boyfriend/girlfriend stuff, at least until you both ready to reveal your identities. Or not. You don't have to know who each other is right away, and besides, he really does care about you and he knows better than anyone else what some of your problems are."

"He's probably worried about the same things you are, regarding any kind of relationship that goes beyond being a platonic one. Just tell him you need some time to work through some things in your mind. I'd bet big money he'll go for it."

Marinette sniffles a little bit, then smiles wanly. "I probably scared the crap out of him today, yelling like I did about romantic relationships and all that. He probably thinks I've lost my mind."

Alya gives her a big hug and tells her to go for it. "I think you'll be glad you did. And something else, you should give some thought to revealing your secret to your parents. Maybe they can help in some way, but mostly they should know."

A sudden thought occurs to her. "Hey, maybe your mom can be Multi-Mouse if needed. Or whatever. in any case, that's one less burden of guilt to carry around, hiding stuff from your parents."

Marinette smiles and says she'll think it over. "And I'll talk to Chat tonight, if he shows up. I might have scared him off for awhile." She lays her head on Alya's shoulder. "Thanks for being here for me. I think I was starting to crack up a little bit."

"No problem, that's what friends are for." And they sit and talk for a long time.