This was actually first written in late 2018, just after Weredad first aired, so while I will add mentions of S3 akumas and events, this will generally take place BEFORE SEASON 3 FINALE. It completely disregards S3 finale onwards.
Marinette sat at her desk, torturing herself with her maths homework. There was a particularly difficult akuma that day and if she could, she would just crawl into her bed and forget any homework, tests, or whatever she had to do right now. Tikki wasn't helping. Sure, she tried to cheer on her, but it was doing more harm than good. She was distracting Marinette and the poor girl had to erase her mistakes much more than she would have had Tikki not interfered.
„Marinette, Alya's here!" came a muffled voice of her mother through the trap door. Tikki darted behind her computer screen and Marinette tried to get some kind of smile to show up on her sleep-deprived face. She wasn't sure why Alya came over, she usually called before invading her friend's home, but she would try not to look like complete death.
The redhead crashed through the door like a bull that had seen a toreador. Marinette blinked, surprised by her sudden entrance. Her exhausted brain couldn't grasp why she looked excited? Or angry? She just didn't know.
„Girl, you've got a lot of explaining to do," Alya sat on Marinette's chaise. The pig-tailed girl was sure that she didn't mean anything related to school, but tried to make a weak joke anyway.
„Alya, I don't understand maths myself, why would you go to me?" At that moment, Alya wore a look of total confusion.
„You really don't know?" Marinette shook her head, a bad feeling creeping up her spine. „You're trending on the Ladyblog!" Alya held up her phone and Marinette took it with growing dread. There it was. A photo of her and – presumably – Tikki, or rather, a giant floating cookie next to her since kwamis didn't show up in photos and videos. Marinette visibly paled when she read the photo description: Hey guys, I think I met Ladybug's civilian identity today. She was talking to a weird ladybug-looking thing that wolfed down three cookies!
Marinette paled (there was no colour left in her face now). How could that person spot Tikki? They were always so careful! Her mind skipped back to that day's afternoon.
With the akuma defeated, Ladybug quickly dove behind a pillar at the Trocadero. Her earrings beeped for the last time, leaving Marinette and an exhausted Tikki in Ladybug's place. She swiftly made her way home, only stopping when she looked down at a meowing kitten. It was so cute, Marinette just HAD to crouch next to it and pet the tabby ginger cat. Tikki floated up to her shoulder, holding her cookie firmly in her paws, and perched herself there to get a better look at the cat.
„He's so cute!" Not only had Tikki a sweet tooth, but she also couldn't resist anything adorable. Marinette quickly shushed her, telling her to hide inside her pink purse. Tikki giggled and dove down to chomp on her cookies.
That was the moment captured in the photo. Marinette was internally panicking by now. Her brain still wasn't caught up with the information, but come on! This was her secret identity at stake! (There probably wasn't one single person in Paris that didn't know by now just who Ladybug was. And that included Hawkmoth, Chat Noir, and Adrien.)
„Could you take it down, please?" If there was someone that didn't know, Marinette wanted it to stay that way. Her best friend/ partner in crime chuckled.
„I did just that when I first noticed it. This is just a screenshot, but Marinette, please be honest with me. Are you actually Ladybug?"
Said girl took a deep breath. There was no use in lying. Alya probably already knew. And if she didn't, she could put two and two together. She may be oblivious, but she wasn't stupid. Still, Marinette felt like betraying Master Fu's trust, and Chat Noir's as well, when she took a deep breath, ready to divulge her biggest secret.
„Yes, Alya. I am Ladybug."
There was a loud scream and the two friends wound up on the floor in a tight one-sided hug. Alya wasn't mad, as Marinette thought she would be, she was excited.
„Oh my God, I can't believe I stalked my best friend! And you chose me to help you with akuma fighting! As Rena Rouge! Can I meet your kwami?"
While Marinette just laughed (relieved that she wasn't throwing chairs at her or anything she could find, and amused by the fact she just admitted to stalking her own best friend – of course, stalking your crush was a totally different thing), Tikki stopped hiding behind the computer and got out to the open. She waved her tiny paw while smiling cheerfully.
„Hi, I'm Tikki, Mar-" she suddenly stopped, tiny bubbles coming out of her mouth. „Sorry, that's to protect secret identities," she apologized and continued: „I'm Ladybug's kwami." Alya squealed like the teenage girl she was and looked up at her from where she and Marinette were laying on the floor.
"Nice to meet you, Tikki. I'm Alya, but you probably already knew." To Marinette, she added: „She's so cute!"
Tikki nodded politely, then floated to Marinette's desk and grabbed a cookie. She took her position on the desk, next to her cookie jar that Marinette kept in her room just for Tikki. The kwami could eat the whole bakery if she so wanted (or was really, truly hungry).
Alya stood up and pointed at her friend.
"It would explain so many things! The history textbook you dropped, and why it disappeared. The absences, you ditching us whenever there's an akuma. Why you're there so fast whenever an akuma happens at the school. And you left me with Manon so you could go to the show!" Alya was monologuing all the times Marinette ever ditched her to go transform into Ladybug, ending with a dramatic gasp.
"Lila is a liar," she said as a matter of fact. "The whole time, you knew because you're not her best friend."
Marinette let out a tired sigh and nodded.
"Before coming to school, she's never even met Ladybug. I couldn't just let her get away with it," she explained, her expression turned to a sad one. Marinette sheepishly scratched the back of her neck.
"Look, can we talk about Lila another time? This is all a bit shocking," she pointed towards everything in her room. It seemed that her friend understood. There would be a time they'd talk about Lila and figure out a plan to take her down, but for now, Marinette needed to come to terms with her identity being exposed like this.
The girls got up. „So, Alya, since you're here, could you help me with maths?" Marinette asked, strolling with a pout back to her notebook in which her homework was. Alya sat back on the chaise.
„I would if I actually understood it. Sorry, girl, but I don't get it either." Marinette looked down. If only some of the homework was as easy as some of the akumas she had faced. „But we could ask Adrien and Nino tomorrow. They probably understand it more than we do." Marinette paled anew.
„Mon Dieu, Alya, what if Adrien saw that photo? My life is over, we'll never get married, have three kids and a hamster! This is a disaster, a disaster, Alya!" Her friend chuckled at her obvious Marinette move. If she hadn't just seen her kwami, Alya would have thought there was no way Marinette could be Ladybug, but here she was – witnessing Ladybug's – no, her best friend's – mental breakdown.
„Then he saw! Marinette, that boy has a massive crush on Ladybug – on you! You just have to channel your inner superheroine!" Alya mindlessly grabbed a cookie from Tikki's jar. The kwami looked less than pleased at having to share her sweets.
„Alya, these are Tikki's cookies. She eats them to recharge," Marinette explained with an amused smile. She watched as Alya yelped, muttered: „Sorry, didn't know." and promptly returned the half-eaten cookie to Tikki. The kwami grabbed it with her tiny paws and looked extremely satisfied with herself.
„Don't worry, we can grab some from the bakery," Marinette said but was interrupted. Suddenly, Sabine's head popped through the door. Tikki was, fortunately, hidden behind Alya and Marinette's mother didn't suspect anything.
„Marinette, you have some visitors. They're waiting in the shop," she disappeared just as Alya nudged Marinette.
„C'mon girl, I've got your back," she grinned as Tikki flew into Marinette's jacket, not wanting to leave her holder alone in this mess. The two girls (and a kwami) got down into the bakery, just to be swarmed at with a camera.
„Marinette Dupain-Cheng, is it true? Are you Ladybug?" Marinette almost got swarmed off her feet. When her mother said 'some visitors', she didn't imagine a crowded bakery. Not to mention, with journalists. She froze.
Alya pushed her out of the way. „As much as I regret saying this, Marinette's not Ladybug. I would know if my own best friend was our resident superhero."
Nadia Chamack looked like she wanted to ask more questions. „You are her best friend. How do we know you're not protecting her secret identity?" Alya was taken aback by this and didn't know how to respond. Marinette was already saying goodbye to her secret, but she was saved by the last person she would come to help her protect... ANYTHING.
Chloe Bourgeois wasn't that kind of person.
„This loser, Ladybug? Have you seen how clumsy she is? If she were Ladybug, there would be no way Paris could ever recover from the damage!" No one missed Nadia Chamack's quiet: „Fair point."
„Geez, thanks, Chloe," Marinette rolled her eyes, secretly thankful that the spoiled girl was unknowingly protecting her – they were basically archenemies. Or was it Lila these days?
The reporters weren't yet fully convinced about Marinette's innocence but retreated (at her parents' wish) from the bakery to camp outside of it. They probably hoped that Ladybug leaving the bakery would provide them with enough proof to permanently destroy Marinette's life (as if she was that stupid).
Much to the young designer's dismay, Chloe followed both girls upstairs, grumbling about how peasant the house was. Marinette almost snapped at her but then she remembered how she saved her butt a few moments ago and shut up. She'd have to do with Chloe's company for once.
Once they were sitting in Marinette's room (Chloe confiscated the chaise, so Alya and Marinette sat down on the floor. It didn't seem right that one of them got the chair and the other was left to sit on the ground).
„Let me get this clear, Dupain-Cheng, I still don't like you, but you're Ladybug, and we're both against Lila," Chloe said, while Marinette and Alya were only able to gape at her like fish.
„But haven't you just said to all the journalists down there that there's no way Marinette can be Ladybug?" Alya asked, completely at loss. Chloe huffed.
„Don't forget that I have seen your kwami," she looked at Marinette and the girl crossed her arms on her chest.
„Yeah, I spent an awful lot of time running after you. I also may or may not have stolen... eh... borrowed a scooter," Marinette admitted. She shouldn't have thought that Chloe would let her get away, especially since she had seen Tikki, but didn't make the connection until after she became Queen Bee and got her own kwami.
„Shouldn't have been too hard for you, right? You, who steals mobile phones on a monthly basis," Alya remarked, earning a (hard) nudge in her ribs. Marinette blushed in embarrassment, remembering a very particular case where she had to steal a phone. Nevertheless, it probably wouldn't help to know that Ladybug spent her free time as a civilian going around and 'borrowing' phones.
„Eh, thanks, Chloe. I appreciate it," Marinette said because she remembered she hadn't yet thanked her for saving her identity. But there was one thing that she was curious about.
"How long… how long have you known?" she asked. Chloe became Queen Bee months ago, which also meant that she could've known for months already. Marinette didn't want to believe that she'd keep her identity secret for so long.
"Why should I tell you?" Chloe raised her tone, noticing Alya's furious look. The girl rolled her eyes.
"Didn't know until I saw the photo," Chloe admitted. "You know, I do follow the Ladyblog, everyone in Paris does, duh."
Marinette looked away.
"Thanks for making me feel so much better about my predicament," she commented, sarcasm lacing her words.
"Only then I remembered that I did get your kwami before. Seriously, Dupain-Cheng, you should keep a better eye on it."
Marinette had to clench her fists.
"Tikki's not it , Chloe," she all but growled, ready to defend her kwami. She never got a chance, because Alya's phone went off.
„That's Nino," she said when she took a look at the screen. „He's on his way over." She glanced at Marinette who shrugged. Even if the reporters confirmed that she wasn't Ladybug, thanks to her stupid mistake, Hawkmoth would probably focus on hurting her parents, friends. Her loved ones, everyone she wanted to protect by not revealing her identity, were already at risk. In fact, she should probably tell Nino the truth. And her parents, too. At least they would know that they would have to be especially careful.
In her musing, she didn't register that several minutes have passed by in complete silence, nor her mother calling that Alya's boyfriend was there.
„Is it true?" Nino barged through the trap door. Marinette almost jumped into the air in fright before calming down. She put a hand over her heart and just nodded.
„Dudette, that's awesome!" Nino looked positively happy. He had an abundance of optimism that Marinette lacked in her current situation. Alya put a hand around Nino's shoulder and grinned.
„I can't believe you chose your classmates – us – to be in your hero squad!" Alya wanted to say 'friends', but Marinette and Chloe weren't exactly friends. They were allies in the battle against Lila (and, occasionally, Hawkmoth). The mayor's daughter shrieked.
„WHAT! You're telling me you're Rena Rouge and Carapace?! What else? Adrikins is Chat Noir?!" she was positively fuming. Marinette held up her hands in a calming manner.
„Calm down, Chloe. I don't know who Chat Noir is," she attempted to calm the girl down (and change the conversation away from Adrien. There was no way he could be Chat Noir, now could it?).
„Yeah, but when you think about it, Adrien's the only one in our group who doesn't have a miraculous," Nino added and reached up to Tikki's cookie jar to shamelessly steal a biscuit. He only retreated with an 'Ow!' when something bit him.
„Dude, what the -" he shut up before he could continue because Alya put a finger on his lips.
„Don't worry, babe, I made the same mistake." True, she wasn't bitten by a certain ladybug kwami, but if she hadn't returned the cookie, she would have been.
Marinette sighed. „That's my kwami's jar, Nino. She's got quite the sweet tooth."
Alya laughed. „Good thing then that you live above a bakery, right, girl?" Marinette smiled together with her when she spotted (pun intended) a disgusted Chloe.
"I would like everyone to meet Tikki, my kwami," she announced and the little ladybug god floated up with a cookie held in her tiny paws. She beamed at them.
"Hi, I'm Tikki, nice to meet you!" she purposefully avoided using Marinette's name.
"Tikki, meet Chloe and Nino," her holder introduced her guests. The small goddess took a bite of her cookie and flew to Marinette to sit on her shoulder. There was no reason to hide anymore. The girl giggled and patted Tikki's belly.
"Seriously, Tikki, if you keep eating all those cookies, you'll get fat," Marinette scolded lightly. Her little ladybug friend let out a squeak and quickly wolfed down the rest of her cookie.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Alya asked while Chloe looked utterly bored. She probably was. When she came here, she thought that she was going to humiliate/save Marinette and her initial plan certainly DIDN'T involve ending up in her room. With these... disgusting peasants.
"I'm probably going to tell my parents. They should know," Marinette sighed. So many months, so many lies to protect her secret identity and she was going to blow it all away in a few minutes. Her father had been akumatized once, into Weredad, and it was a terrible experience for Marinette. She didn't want to relive it ever again, especially since it was her own stupid fault that he got akumatized.
"We're here for you, dudette," Nino showed his support and Chloe rested her arms on her knees.
"Yeah, you said to me – I mean, Ladybug told me that being a superhero isn't just about fixing messes. So go fix up this mess you're in." This was probably the nicest thing Chloe has ever told her. Marinette nodded, took a deep breath, and went downstairs with Tikki on her shoulder.
Her parents were sitting on the sofa, watching the TV. Marinette was horrified to see her own face staring back at her, taken from the show Fill my shoes they shot with Jagged Stone. Next to it was her photo from the school's folder. Marinette had NO idea how they got that picture, but the headline: Is 14-year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng the heroine Ladybug? terrified her even more. And her parents were in the middle of watching it – it even had the comparison between her and Ladybug!
Sabine noticed her daughter on the stairs. If she also saw Tikki on her shoulder, Marinette didn't know, but her mother smiled reassuringly. Marinette swallowed on a dry throat. She wasn't sure if she'd be so optimistic in such a situation.
"Sweetheart, is it true?" Marinette could only assume they closed the bakery for the day due to a large number of journalists outside of it.
She sat down between her parents. Tikki got rid of the cookie she was holding (by getting rid of it, I mean swallowed it whole, the little glutton).
"Maman, Papa, it is true. I'm Ladybug and this is Tikki, my kwami," she gestured to the small being that smiled brightly.
"Hello, Madame Dupain-Cheng, Monsieur Dupain, it's so great to finally meet you!" The adults just blinked, surprised. It wasn't until Tom opened his mouth to speak that Tikki knew why they looked so stunned.
"I give Ladybug her powers and the protective suit," she explained. "Oh, and M Dupain, the cookies you make are the best!"
It appeared that Sabine recovered from the shock quicker than her husband. She leaned in and took Marinette's hand in hers.
"Marinette, why didn't you tell us?" she asked. The girl locked her gaze on the ground.
"I wanted to protect you and my friends. It isn't like I didn't trust you – I just wanted to keep you all safe." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Tikki nuzzled her cheek and Sabine stood up and hugged her. Tom caught up with the rest of the family, embracing them all in one big hug.
"We understand, Marinette, and we're so proud of you," Sabine said once their embrace had ended. The girl looked relieved as she hugged her mother again.
Tom Dupain took a few sweets from the counter and handed them to Tikki. The kwami thanked him and from that moment on, she got territorial with her new cookies (up until she ate them).
"Now I know where all those biscuits disappeared to," Tom chuckled. "Seems like Mlle kwami has quite the appetite."
Marinette smiled along with him when she spotted Alya and Nino through the open trap door. They were giving her a thumbs up. Chloe couldn't be seen, she was probably on her phone, complaining to Sabrina that she had to go to such a peasant house to do damage control.
Marinette abruptly snapped back to reality with her father's next words.
"That means that Chat Noir loves you!" Oh no. Her dad was surely referencing the Weredad accident. "But why did he turn you down then?" He looked confused, Marinette couldn't blame him. A slight, embarrassed blush spread on her cheeks. As far as her dad knew, his daughter was Ladybug, confessed her love to Chat Noir and he turned her down because he loved Ladybug.
"Euhm, about that…" Marinette began nervously, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "We don't know each other's identities. He didn't know at that time, though now he probably knows," she explained and recognition sparkled in her parents' eyes.
"Chat Noir is a good boy and a great friend to our Marinette," Sabine said, smoothing her dress. Briefly, she had told her family about the shared moment with Chat Noir, shortly after Tom had been akumatized. "He doesn't mean any harm."
"Yeah, but I should probably tell him if he doesn't already know," Marinette remarked before standing up and kissing each of her parents' cheeks.
"Thanks, maman, papa, for being so understanding." Before she knew it, she was in a family group hug. Upon letting her go, her mother smiled.
"Your secret is safe with us, sweetie. You told the journalists that you aren't Ladybug, we'll tell them the same. But we'll need to talk about that soon, and about you missing school because of akumas in the future."
Marinette nodded. She had expected her parents to bring up her education. Seemed like a superhero couldn't go without education these days.
"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to tell your teacher so she wouldn't have to send us reports that you haven't been in class," Sabine finished and Marinette smiled slightly, even if she really didn't want to share her identity with any other person apart from Chat Noir. Maybe Adrien, but only if he asked. Otherwise, she would repeat the same story the journalists were told. She wasn't Ladybug. What would Paris do with such a klutz of a superhero anyway?
"I'll think about it and let you know," she answered, not completely sure yet. She turned and ran up the stairs to her room, not noticing that Tikki didn't go with her.
The little red kwami remained floating in front of Marinette's parents, munching on a cookie Tom had in his apron that he offered the tiny being.
"You know, Mar-" the bubbles appeared, spoiling the taste of her cookie. "My holder loves you and I think you're great parents." Tikki was smiling. As a supernatural being that has been around for millennia, she knew just how important family relations were. Tom scratched the back of his neck.
"Eh, thanks, Mlle Ti-Tikki, was it? We try, even though sometimes it isn't anything easy," he said while his wife just nodded in agreement.
"Just Tikki is fine," the kwami giggled and phased through the door to Marinette's room. The adults were left staring at the ceiling before they exchanged glances and went to start preparing the dinner.
Marinette ended up in another group hug initiated by Nino and Alya. Chloe didn't look very impressed with the blatant expressions of friendship and rather looked completely and utterly bored.
"I assume you did it, so I'm out," the spoiled girl got out of the chaise. "I refuse to spend another second in this peasant house!" Wow, Marinette thought sarcastically, I was wondering how long she would manage to stay here. Nevertheless, she was grateful that Chloe came to her aid. She forced herself to smile.
"Alright, bye, Chloe. And… thank you," she said, but the blonde didn't hear her anymore. She was already halfway to the entrance door.
Chloe's silhouette on the stairs was replaced by her parents.
"Alya, Nino, would you like to stay for dinner?" Sabine asked them. Marinette's friends were always welcome to stay for the food. Alya was already waving her phone.
"I'd love to if it isn't too much trouble with all the revelations," she said. "I'll have to let my parents know first though."
Nino's answer was very similar to Alya's. "Yeah, du- Mme. Dupain-Cheng. I'll just text my mum."
Sabine chuckled to herself. With her daughter's revelations, she was fairly certain that her best friends had to be the other heroes. She didn't have any proof, of course, but logically speaking, Alya would've been Rena Rouge and Nino would be Carapace. And the whole of Paris already knew who Queen Bee was.
"I can stay, but I have to be home by 8 pm," Alya exclaimed happily while Nino's answer came several minutes later.
"Well, I can stay, but she's asking if Marinette is really Ladybug," he said, smiling awkwardly. The said girl started shaking her head vehemently and Alya waved her hand.
"Nah, tell her that I investigated her, she's TOTALLY not Ladybug." She then looked over Nino's shoulder when he started typing. Nino apparently hadn't taken her good advice to heart and instead of an explanation, there was only one word. "Nah"
A few seconds later, he got a notification of an incoming message.
"She says it's a shame but sends her regards," Nino read out loud and then put his phone into the pocket of his pants.
Sabine nodded in understanding, mentally counting the ingredients. Tom would make desserts, the main dish was for her to cook. Her eyes flashed with a new idea.
"Oh, and Marinette," she called to her daughter. "You can also invite that Adrien boy." She turned and went downstairs, completely missing Alya's teasing: "If you can actually call him without having to steal his phone again in the end. Again." Maybe it was for the better.
Nino fished his phone out again. "I can call him if you want. I could say that you don't understand the homework," he offered and Marinette looked gloomily at the desk.
"You wouldn't be lying," she muttered. "If I continue like this, I'll have to get a tutor."
"Yeah, I understood exactly 0%," Alya added. "Call him here, you two can explain it to us."
"You got it, babe," Nino grinned and took out his phone to open text messages with Adrien.
17:15, Nino: Hey dude, wanna come over to Marinette's to study maths? Her mum's making dinner.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn't even a minute before he got a reply. Adrien must've been pretty bored, locked alone in his room.
17:16, Adrien: I have to ask Nathalie, give me a moment.
After several minutes of waiting for a reply, he got a short answer.
17:20, Adrien: I'll be on my way.
"He's actually coming," Alya sounded surprised. No one in the room thought that Adrien would be allowed to go to the supposed Ladybug's house, especially when it was swarming with journalists. Maybe his father or Nathalie didn't believe the news?
Since Adrien lived nearby and it wouldn't take him long, the teenagers went downstairs to wait for him by the back door. Nino texted him to let him know they'd be there, so his bodyguard could avoid the journalists waiting in front of the bakery. Soon, the blue car of the Agreste family pulled skillfully into the alleyway. Adrien opened the door and waved at his friends.
"Hey, Nino, hi, Alya, Marinette," he said, a nervous undertone in his voice. "What's up with the camp there?"
Alya shrugged.
"Nothing, they just think that Marinette's Ladybug. Which she's not."
Marinette almost tripped going over the porch. "Yeah, totally, I mean- No! Not at all! I mean… No, I'm not!"
She could've sworn Adrien looked almost disappointed.
The girl led them back up to her room. She plopped down on the floor, not caring if she made a fool out of herself in front of Adrien anymore (she had already achieved that today. Her burning cheeks were proof enough).
"So, Adrien, Nino," Alya grinned. "We girls are a bit lost at maths." The four teenagers exchanged glances and got their textbooks ready with a sigh.
There was no word of Marinette being Ladybug until dinner. They were all working diligently on their math skills and under the boys' guidance (more like Adrien's guidance, really), they managed to get all of their homework done.
When they were called downstairs for dinner, Marinette stopped halfway down the stairs and stared at the TV in shock. Nadja Chamack was presenting the news. Meanwhile, Alya pushed past her and greeted the Dupain-Cheng couple to announce their presence. Nino sat down at the dining table while Adrien was watching the TV with interest, his head tilted to one side.
Nadja appeared professionally, as usual.
"Is 14-year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng Ladybug?" she was saying. "This young aspiring fashion designer currently attends Collège François Dupont, and, ironically, to the class with the highest number of akumatized students to date. To our knowledge, Mlle Dupain-Cheng is one of the only two pupils who hadn't been yet akumatized. The headmaster, M Damocles, has refused to give a statement on this matter."
"Honey, could you please change the channel?" Sabine called from the kitchen. There was tension in her voice and Marinette sensed that the last time she babysat Manon was probably the last for a very long time. She nodded and went to grab the remote control. She pressed a button to change the channels.
"Marinette is an especially talented young woman. She won Gabriel Agreste's bowler hat contest a few months ago and she also designed Jagged Stone's Eiffel tower glasses and also the cover of his latest album. Doesn't it just scream JAGGED, Marie?"
Marinette groaned and changed it to another channel.
"She was cast as Ladybug in Clara Nightingale's music video alongside Adrien Agreste before it was re-done as we know it today-"
Another click, another change.
"Comparing Marinette and Ladybug, what would you say, André?"
Marinette had enough. With a flick of her finger, she turned the TV off. She let out another groan and set the remote control down on the sofa.
Alya turned in her chair.
"Don't worry, girl, it's just a big misunderstanding. Give it a few weeks and they'll calm down," she said. Yeah, Marinette thought bitterly, enough time for Hawkmoth to strike. She wasn't too sure about what Alya said. She sighed and sat down, trying to focus on her dinner, but her thoughts kept wandering somewhere else. One simple mistake and her face got plastered on every national TV channel. This was 1000 times worse than the whole Troublemaker incident.
Adrien kept oddly quiet. He complimented the food and politely answered every question thrown at him, but otherwise, he didn't join in the conversation.
"You ok, dude?" Nino elbowed him gently in the ribs. Adrien smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah, just tired. Long story," he answered.
"God, your old man again?"
It was just Adrien's luck that Nino always assumed that the reason he was feeling down or tired was his father (basically from the whole Bubbler incident. What's more, he was right 90% of the time). All Adrien had to do now was to nod and smile.
Marinette joined the conversation.
"If you were wired- I mean, tired, you should've stayed home," she said, making Adrien narrow his eyes at her. She blushed profusely and stammered: "Not that I don't like you being here! I do! Just… you should get some pest- I mean, rest!" By the end, all she wanted to do was just bury her head in her hands.
Adrien smiled.
"Don't worry about it, Marinette. I'm glad I got out of the house," he said.
Just as Tom put the desserts in front of them, Adrien's phone rang. He looked at the screen, his tired expression changing into a sad one.
"It's Nathalie," he said, unhappy. "I have to go." When he saw the crestfallen faces of his friends, he smiled.
"I had lots of fun today, even if all we did was maths."
He looked so sad that he would have to be the only one to leave early that Alya stood up and said: "Actually, we should all go. Gotta study for the history test tomorrow."
A shriek sounded through the room.
"The test!" Marinette was almost tearing out her hair. "I completely forgot! Oh, I'm so gonna fail!"
Alya threw her arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.
"You're not going to fail if you start cramming now," she sang and was already pushing the boys to the exit.
Marinette saw them out while she just waved awkwardly. Once Adrien got into the family car and Alya and Nino went home together, she ran up to her room to start studying, otherwise, the teacher wouldn't be happy with her. It'd be the second failed test in a row that month.
It was almost 10 pm and she was re-reading her notes (again) when a light sound reached her ears.
It came from her balcony. There were only three people who could reach her balcony, and Marinette desperately wished that it'd be her superhero partner, but with her face showcased all over the mass media, she had to count on any akumas or worse - Hawkmoth himself. Or Mayura. Marinette swallowed on a dry throat.
She grabbed the first solid thing she had at hand and crept up to the trap door. She gripped her hardcover history textbook tightly in her hand and in one fluid motion opened the entrance to her balcony. She leaned outside with her upper body, using the book as a shield.
There was a loud screech and she looked up to meet her feline partner's green eyes staring down at her. She let out a relieved sigh.
"Chat Noir, what a relief," she breathed out. She threw her book down onto her bed. Now that she knew it was a trustworthy visitor, she could allow herself to let her guard down.
"Hey, Marinette," Chat Noir greeted, standing on all fours like a real cat.
"Come in, quickly," Marinette said, already disappearing downstairs. "I don't want to give the journalists more 'proof'." Chat Noir went after her inside, closing the trapdoor after him. Marinette climbed down from her bed, careful not to misplace her feet. She didn't need to make a fool out of herself in front of her partner. Her friends might be used to her tripping over thin air, but Chat Noir knew her as Ladybug, not as clumsy Marinette.
"Have a seat," she gestured to her chaise. Chat Noir, like a real cat, was there in seconds. Marinette sat at the chair next to her desk.
Neither of them spoke for a few seconds. Maybe they didn't know how to start. They simply stared at each other, green eyes into blue ones, until Chat straightened on the chaise.
"So? Is it true what's in the news? Are you really Ladybug?" he asked, getting straight to the point. Marinette wanted to look away, but she managed to hold her head high. She was the one who screwed up, and it was time to own up to her carelessness.
"Yeah. I am," she said. "I'm sorry, I should've been more careful." By the end, her voice was trembling. Suddenly, she felt as if she had failed everyone and tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall.
Chat noticed her predicament.
"Hey, it's alright, we'll get through it together. Like always," he said, offering her a cheeky smile. Marinette smiled weakly.
"I know, it's just… All this time, I've imagined that we'd get to know each other after we've defeated Hawkmoth, that you'd be the first to know, but not like this. Everyone I wanted to protect is now in danger because of me. I've been stupid." She kept her gaze firmly fixed on her knees.
A quiet sound alerted her that Chat Noir had moved. He put a clawed hand on her shoulder, still maintaining some distance, but close enough to offer her support.
"Have you told your parents?" he asked, curious. Marinette nodded.
"They deserved to know that we're now in this mess. I think they've taken it well, but they suggested telling my teacher as well. My grades have slipped since I became Ladybug, and they're not happy with that."
Next to her, Chat Noir groaned. "Don't even start about school. I have enough trouble keeping up with my schoolwork with these extracurricular activities. Maybe I should tell my teacher too," he said, putting stress on "extracurricular activities" to make sure that she knew he meant their superhero duties.
To his great surprise, Marinette seemed to think about it. Finally, she nodded. "Just pick someone trustworthy," she advised him. Chat Noir nodded, stunned. Marinette had always been so strict about keeping their identities secret from everyone, even from each other, and he had always respected her wishes, but with her permitting him to tell someone, maybe…?
"Does that mean that I can finally tell you my identity?" he asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.
Marinette opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a soft knock on her bedroom door. Not a second later, her mother emerged, already dressed in her nightclothes, a tray of pastries in her hands.
"Ah, Chat Noir, I thought you might stop by," she said, not surprised to see the feline hero in her daughter's room. She turned to her. "Marinette, don't stay up too late, you have school tomorrow."
The teenagers let Sabine put the tray on Marinette's desk and Tikki excitedly flew out of hiding and looked at the sweets, rubbing her paws together. Clearly, she judged that she could be out in the open.
Sabine smiled.
"We're going to bed," she told her daughter. "I'll leave you two alone to talk." She went back to the door and swiftly walked downstairs. It'll be a long day tomorrow, just like every other day.
Marinette now could look at Chat. She was already slowly shaking her head, a sign that made Chat's ears drop down.
"I don't think that's a good idea right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm dying to know who you are underneath the mask, but look at the situation it landed me in. Up until now, I've almost been akumatized four times, three times thanks to a girl in my class. One time she actually succeeded, but something must've happened because the control suddenly severed," Marinette said. Chat Noir's eyes widened in surprise. Obviously, he wasn't happy with this development. If Marinette really did end up akumatized, knowing his identity, she could offer Hawkmoth both of their miraculouses.
"Do I know her?" he asked cautiously. Marinette let out a pained laugh.
"I should think so. We fought her as both Volpina and Chameleon. She literally threatened me in the school bathrooms and is trying to take all my friends away from me. Thankfully, one of my friends knows the truth, but I don't really think others trust me when I say she's lying."
"I never knew," Chat Noir breathed, his fake tail swinging angrily behind him. Marinette sighed.
"Don't worry about it. It's not like you know me in my civilian life. You had no way of knowing," she tried to soothe him, putting her hand on his shoulder, but that didn't really seem to do the trick.
Tikki flew in between them. "Maybe not, but you can be here for her now. Cookie?" she offered him a biscuit and Chat Noir took it. He could've sworn that the tiny kwami winked at him when she said it.
"Thanks, Tikki."
As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, and Chat Noir inspected the book she wanted to fight him with.
"I interrupted your studying," he observed. Mentally, he tried to count the time between leaving as Adrien and returning as his alter-ego, and suddenly, he felt a sadness in his heart. She didn't trust his civilian identity with this. He couldn't help but feel sad. But, he tried to understand that she still wanted to keep her identity a secret - or well, a public secret, in this case.
"Yeah, we have this test tomorrow," Marinette chuckled. "But you didn't interrupt. I couldn't concentrate on it anyways."
For a second there, Chat Noir looked panicked.
"Ironically, I'm writing a test tomorrow too."
"Then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be studying?" Marinette giggled, not really able to imagine CHAT NOIR of all people sitting over homework.
He pouted. "Are you kicking me out?" Doing that, he actually looked kind of cute.
"No, I'm merely caring about your education, kitty," Marinette smirked, obviously teasing.
Chat Noir smiled a toothy grin, bouncing on the chaise like an overexcited cat.
"It's alright. I should get going before someone notices I'm gone," he said, sincerely doubting that anyone would notice him being gone. He was ignored during the day, no one would think to check up on him in the middle of the night. "Is there any story you told the journalists?" he asked.
Marinette nodded.
"We told them that I'm not Ladybug. At least, my parents, Alya - my friend who runs the Ladyblog - and Chloe Bourgeois. That surprised me, though. Chloe and I aren't exactly… friends, more like enemies, really, but she still came and defended me even though she KNEW I was Ladybug," she said.
"She knew?!" Chat exclaimed loudly, then gave a squeak and put his hand over his mouth. He hoped that he didn't wake Marinette's parents up. After all, her dad must've still been a bit mad at him for rejecting her.
"Yeah. Remember Princess Fragrance? Tikki was sick and fell out of my purse. Chloe found her and now she put two and two together."
For a moment they both sat still. Then, Marinette took the tray and offered him some more pastries. She remembered how fond of them he was when he visited shortly before her dad was akumatized.
"Thanks, Princess," he said as he took another croissant. "Your parents' bakery is truly the best in Paris."
"I know," Marinette smiled. "You told me when we were fighting Gigantitan for the second time."
Chat laughed out loud for a second but then paled.
"Oh my god, I've rejected you! You told me you loved me while I only wanted to see you as a friend!"
The colour drained from Marinette's face. It was time to tell him the truth. Yet another time today. He deserved to know. He was too busy panicking but before long, he'd put two and two together and Marinette was fairly certain that she wouldn't be on his list of favourite people when that moment came.
"To be honest… I thought you had figured out my secret identity and I needed to come up with an excuse," she looked down while Chat gave her a look.
"You literally live here?"
Marinette nodded sadly. "I didn't think of that at that time. And I'm sorry for that."
She kept her gaze locked on the floor, too scared to look up and see the anger on his face. One (terrible) minute later, she felt his clawed hand on her shoulder. The grip didn't seem tense, rather soft.
"Marinette, look at me, please." His voice wasn't angry. He sounded concerned, but definitely not what Marinette thought he'd sound like. She really hadn't expected this. Has Chat matured since the Frozer incident? She reluctantly did what he asked.
"I won't lie and say I'm not angry. I am mad at you." Marinette opened her mouth to say that he had the right to be, but Chat Noir wasn't done. "But I don't want to lose your friendship. I know and understand how hard it is to keep a secret identity a secret. I'm sorry that I put you in that situation, even unknowingly." He smiled. "Sometimes I also have to come up with unbelievable excuses for my absences. Thankfully, no one has really noticed yet or they didn't question it."
There were tears flowing down Marinette's cheeks now. She threw her hands around his neck in a hug.
"Thanks, minou. I really don't deserve you."
He patted her back to calm her down.
"Now, now, Princess, I may be mad but if someone doesn't deserve someone it's me. You're amazing on both sides of the mask."
Marinette wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. She looked a bit more confident about herself too.
"Let's stop this. Today's been a long day and it's stressing out for us both. We should go to sleep and take in all these new revelations. We could talk about us on patrol on Thursday."
"Or I could come here," Chat said, earning a stern look from Marinette, which quickly softened.
"Of course. You're welcome here anytime, Chat. My parents would love having you over."
Chat smiled.
"Your mum maybe, but I don't really think your dad likes me that much."
Marinette immediately looked uncomfortable. She really didn't want to go through this again, especially in such a short amount of time. Chat realized this too, it seemed. He looked at the floor.
There was a minute of awkward silence. Finally, Chat stood up.
"I guess I should let you study for that test. And maybe I should, too. With today's akuma I didn't really have time to learn," he scratched the back of his neck in a vaguely familiar gesture that Marinette couldn't place where she'd seen before. She saw him to the balcony and watched as he leaped from one roof to another, silent as a cat, almost invisible in the night.
However, despite having peace and calm to study, she couldn't. After Chat left, she genuinely tried, but Medieval Europe just couldn't seem to find its way into her memory. So Marinette decided to go to bed and hope that she would by some miracle absorb the knowledge through osmosis while she slept. But she couldn't sleep either. She laid there, staring at the ceiling, Tikki fast asleep on her belly, but sleep didn't come to her until the early hours of the morning.