Feast: Oneshot Reveal Series

Summary: Biker Bug and Banana Noir are in hot pursuit of Master Fu, an old akumatized senti-monster, and their Miraculous. It is not the time for Marinette to lose her helmet and reveal her identity.

Marinette's legs pumped her bike pedals as quickly as she could. Her helmet wobbled on her head, slightly too large since in a hurry she had grabbed her maman's headgear. She may not be as fast as Ladybug right now, but she was still fast. She'd catch up to Master Fu and save him from the senti-monster.

And Cat Noir would help her. He may be in a banana suit and as without his miraculous as she was, but he was pedaling right there beside her. He knew her every move, veering to the left at the same time to take a shortcut and get ahead of Master Fu.

Marinette immediately felt her bike pulled in one direction and her body another as she went around the corner. She must have turned too sharply, she realized as she tried to shift her weight, contracting her body to gain the traction back, but it was to no avail. The bike spun out and she felt the sting of the asphalt on her knees, then her arms as she landed. The uncomfortable shaking of her helmet became a loud rattle and she barely registered as it slid past her pigtails.

"Ladybug!" She heard Cat Noir shout, but he sounded far away.

Everything happened so quickly, Marinette only stayed on the ground for a moment, stopping to take a breath and come to her senses before her adrenaline kicked in again.

"Marinette?"

She might have a few scratches and bruises, but she'd be fine.

"You okay?"

She went to stand and saw a yellow hand held out to her. Banana Noir. She grabbed it.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she reassured him as she stood. "We need to get to Master Fu. Come on!"

Marinette glanced around the area and saw her bike. Running and mounting it, she looked back to check that Cat Noir was with her.

He held out her helmet and she blinked.

"Oh, thank you. I didn't realize-"

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

The banana suit smiled at her.

"We can talk about it later. We need to catch up to Master Fu."

His tone was serious. Was he disappointed? Marinette thought he sounded happy, but it was hard to tell behind the suit. And they were in a time crunch. She needed to focus on the mission.

She nodded and put her helmet on. They had a job to do.

Luckily, there were no more accidents from then on. They had to do a lot more pedaling but they managed to get ahead. They slowed the senti-monster down enough to get their miraculous back from Master Fu and cleanse the amok and butterfly.

"Thank you, Ladybug," Master Fu said. "Because of you, I won't have to run anymore."

Ladybug smiled. "I only put your teaching to practice, Master." She paused and glanced at Cat Noir who gave her an encouraging smile. She took a deep breath to steel herself and watched the pebbles on the cobblestone. What if Master Fu took her Miraculous after this? "Although… I may have accidentally revealed myself on the way here. Cat Noir knows my identity now," she admitted.

Master Fu's eyes widened, and he looked between them. He sighed. "After what you've done for me tonight, I suppose it is time you knew-"

Cat Noir's ring let out a loud set of beeps. He looked to the old master hesitantly.

"Go now. Meet at my place in the morning. As civilians."

Ladybug stared at Master Fu. "But Master!"

"Do not worry, Ladybug," he assured her. "Your secret identities would be revealed soon anyway. You work too closely together."

Ladybug nodded solemnly. "Okay, Master."

He smiled as they both swung off in different directions.

"Master Fu?" Marinette entered Master Fu's home only to see boxes in an empty space.

"Aw, Marinette. Cat Noir has yet to arrive."

"That-That's okay. I wanted to show you something first."

She was nervous about meeting Cat Noir, though she had spent half the night trying to reassure herself that there wasn't anything to worry about. Instead, she decided to focus on the news she had for the guardian. With a few clicks on her phone, she showed him the recent reports on the guardian temple.

"My mistake has been undone," he said with gratitude. "The monks have been freed and the temple has been restored. I can't thank you enough, Marinette and Cat Noir. I'm finally free from the burden of my past that has been haunting me for so long. I shall go and see them someday soon and explain everything to them."

Marinette smiled as she straightened, suddenly aware that Master Fu was also addressing someone behind her. Her smile vanished and she stayed still, focusing on holding her phone in her hands.

"Master," the voice in the doorway responded respectfully. He sounded familiar. Well, of course he did, he sounded like Cat Noir. Even his step into the room sounded as stealthy as his steps in his superhero form. "Marinette?" he spoke with hesitation. "My… My Lady?"

That did it. Marinette took a deep breath and turned as if ripping off a bandage. It took a moment for the face she'd seen a thousand times to connect with her brain. When it did, a gasp came out.

Adrien let out a chuckle as he took another step to stand beside her. Master Fu watched them carefully.

Adrien who had had the rest of the night to think the reveal over, already knowing Marinette was Ladybug, spoke in a calm voice. "I feel kind of silly, don't you?"

Marinette could only open and close her mouth.

Adrien frowned. He knew Marinette to be flustered easily, Ladybug less so, but obviously it could happen. And it happened around him.

"Ladybug," he addressed her, hoping to pull out the fierce side of her rather than someone so uncomfortable with her own partner, she couldn't speak. "It's still just me. Cat Noir. Your kitty?" He smiled at that one. It was his favorite of her nicknames.

She stared at him. He felt uncomfortable but forced himself to stare back into her eyes, to make her see the real Adrien Agreste.

Her eyebrows quirked and he saw Ladybug slide across her face. The tense muscles in his back relaxed.

She tilted her head and a smile made its way onto her face. "Cat Noir, you've never just been you in your life."

Adrien's face melted into a wide grin. Marinette gave a short giggle.

"I am glad you are both here," Master Fu interrupted the sweet exchange. "Your training is complete, and you are a fully-fledged Ladybug, Marinette. It is time for me to hand over the guardianship and train you to become the new guardian. You have proven that you are more worthy of it than I am. You both are and I am proud of you. Unfortunately, there can only be one guardian."

"Oh, it's okay," Adrien reassured the older man. His eyes were smiling as he looked to Marinette. "My Lady likes the responsibility."

She sent him a pout.

"I'll be here every step of the way," he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Marinette wasn't sure if her heart was beating fast out of anxiety for her new responsibility, worry for Master Fu, the excitement of knowing her partner's identity, or because Adrien was looking at her with the same adoring eyes as Cat Noir.

"But Master," she turned to Master Fu, "You've been the Guardian for 172 years!"

"Yes, and it is about time I start your training. Today." The Guardian's face was set. "You will spend the next 24 hours meditating with the Miracle Box without anything to eat."

Marinette started to babble, trying to find a way out of such a committed and sudden responsibility.

Adrien smiled to see her so flustered.

"I am joking!" Master Fu laughed. "I have no intention of continuing those traditions. Instead, I will have you both carry these boxes to my van."

As Master Fu's van pulled away, Adrien turned to Marinette. He could see the weight on her shoulders.

"Marinette." He stepped closer. "It's going to be okay."

She turned to him, a hard look in her eye, a Ladybug look. "I know." She was steel.

He searched her eyes, knowing she was putting things on herself that she didn't need to.

"What are you doing today?" he asked.

She blinked and a blush dusted her cheeks. "Nothing really, I planned to-"

"Great!" Adrien grabbed her hand and started walking down the sidewalk. "Let's go out to lunch. We can talk-"

"Out?!" Marinette squeaked. "L-like a date?"

Her voice had become quiet and Adrien stopped and turned to look at her. He didn't let go of her hand and she noticed. He also noticed that she didn't pull away.

Adrien steeled the nerves her simple question brought out in him. Ladybug would have pulled away. She would take the lead. But she needed him right now, the easygoing Cat Noir, the support that only someone else who held the responsibility of a Miraculous could provide. So then he'd take the lead and maybe…

"Is that okay?" he asked, a blush starting to rise to his face.

She looked at him like she was waiting for him to drop a joke or a pun. When he didn't, she sucked in her lips.

How was she this adorable? Adrien liked seeing this side of his lady, amazed he'd been seeing it all along. But he also worried what she'd say. Ladybug was clear where they stood in their relationship. Marinette had never indicated anything more than their friendship. Could an identity reveal change things? He sure hoped so.

"Yeah," she responded quietly, then grew louder. "Yes-Yes! I'd like that."

Adrien wished he was Cat Noir right now. He would be bounding over rooftops. As it was, he was already tempted to do a cartwheel right there, but he held it in. Instead, he just grinned at her.

Marinette watched him from under her eyelashes before smiling brightly back at him.

He could swear she batted her eyelashes on purpose as she spoke so only he would hear her.

"Lead on, Chaton."

I recently went through a lot of my emails from this site and saw how many people were following and favoriting my work. I have a tendency to really only look at reviews (which I also love!). They all make me really happy and I just wanted to say I see you and thank you! You deserve all the love because I can enjoy writing, but it's you who make me feel like it has purpose. Thank you guys!