Part 18: Kat's Reveal

Note: As always this is super super late and I am so so so sorry! I try to get it all done, but between my other (original) stories that I'm working on and my mother trying to get me to be more active, and writer's block, I have a strangely small amount of time to write. Once again, I am so so so sorry.

"You-you...I trusted you!"

"Marinette, calm down." Kat panted nervously. This was going to be tricky.

"I can't calm down! You told Adrien you know who Ladybug is!"

"Well, he asked, and I don't like lying to him about things like that. I won't tell him who you are, but I'm not going to deny knowing you."

"But what...why would you…?" Marinette trailed off, all questions dying before they're finished.

"Marinette, just listen a minute, please."

Marinette took a deep breath and swallowed. She nodded for Kat to go on.

"All right. Now, I don't know how much of that you heard, so I'll be brief. I'm not actually from this world, that much everyone kind of figured out already. I knew you were Ladybug, and who Chat Noir was, but I didn't know exactly how much I should say, or what I should do. That's why I said I saw you transform when you got back in the middle of the night."

"You didn't actually see me?"

"Well, not in person, no."

"So you lied."

"Look, I didn't want to freak you out or anything. And I only half lied. I've seen you transform like a hundred times, it was just on TV. I'm sorry."

"Ok. Ok, that's fine." Marinette took a few deep, shaky breaths. "Ok, I can handle that. You just didn't want to freak me out."

Kat just sat and let Marinette mutter to herself. Eventually, Marinette rationalized everything herself and nodded.

"Thank you for telling me, Kat. I forgive you for lying to me, and I'm glad you told me."

"I'm glad I did, too. Truth be told, it was hard to keep it from you. I've always believed that honesty is the best policy, even if it's only honesty between two people, like with your identity."

"It guess it does help to have a friend."

Kat beamed and Marinette couldn't help but return the smile. Kat laughed.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I'm pretty sure I scored you a spot with Adrien. His dad's taking him to a Jagged Stone concert and asked me who he should bring."

——At the Agreste Mansion——

"She knows who Ladybug is, Plagg!" Adrien flopped down on his bed, grinning from ear to ear. "Do you think she'd set me up on a date? Who do you think she is?"

"I don't know," Plagg said. Plagg, of course, already knew who Ladybug was.

"Plagg, what if she doesn't like me? What if—"

"She'll like you just fine," Plagg interrupted. "Can I have some Camembert?"

Adrien sighed and dug a little tin of it out of his desk.

"You know, Plagg, it would really help if I knew her."

"You do know her."

"What?" Adrien gasped, eyes wide.

"You fight akumas with her all the time."

"That's different."

"How is it different? She might be little different in real life, but it's still her deep down. You just gotta trust her. Let her be her, and when she's ready, she'll reveal herself."

"That's...a really nice thing to say. And pretty smart."

"Thanks. Kat and I have been watching Hannah Montana together. I think about it a lot and thought it would apply."

"So those were just your thoughts on Hannah Montana."

"Yep." Plagg grinned as he downed the last of the cheese. "I'm going to take a nap."

Adrien rolled his eyes, rolled over, and opened a magazine. He closed it again, because every other picture was of him. He sighed.

"At least I get to go to a Jagged Stone concert."

——The Next Monday, at School——

"What happened to your arm?" Nathaniel gasped, brows furrowed, worry in his voice.

"It's fine, Nathaniel," Kat smiled. "I just...landed on it."

Nathaniel frowned. He could tell she was lying, and it kind of hurt. He knew she wouldn't tell him everything, but he wished she'd be a little more open.

Kat felt horrible. Nathaniel was one of her favorite people in the world, and she couldn't tell him anything. Her heart ached with sadness.

The two took their seats. Kat smiled as she saw Adrien turned around in his seat, talking to Marinette. She smiled bigger when she saw the look on Chloe's face. Chloe looked like a constipated hippo. Marinette, on the other hand, looked like she was going to faint. Kat shook her head. If only she could get those two together. They were absolutely adorable together.

Ms. Bustier began the lesson. Guilt was eating Kat up, and she just could not focus. She groaned quietly and put her head down on the desk. Nathaniel glanced at her. He felt like he should do something, but what? An idea popped into his head. He took out a pen, one that washed off easily, pushed his jacket sleeve up, and tapped Kat on the shoulder. Kat looked up. Nathaniel motioned to his arm with the pen, then held it out. Kat smiled. Nathaniel was so sweet. She took the pen and doodled on his left arm while he took notes with his right. It was a bit too tricky with her cast on her right hand, so she switched to her left. Kat was not left-handed at all, and the doodles were horrible, but it helped her feel a little better.

Ms. Bustier noticed and smiled. She couldn't help but like when people helped each other feel better, and Kat had looked very upset that morning.

——In a Park at a Wishing Well——

Ten year old Elijah Martin sat on the edge of the wishing well, thinking about home. His parents had sent him to his aunt's house for two weeks while they solidified their divorce. He sniffed. Why couldn't they have worked it out? Elijah took out a fifty cent piece from his pocket. His grandmother had given it to him, and said that if he wished with all his might, his wish would come true when he tossed it in a wishing well. If there was ever a time he needed it, it was now.

Elijah breathed in deeply, held his breath, and tossed it. The next thing he did was run home. He sat by his phone rubbing his fingers on his mother's necklace that she had given him, waiting for his parents to call. The longer he waited, the more hope he lost.

——Cue Hawkmoth——

As always, "oh the emotions, go akuma, etc". The akuma departed and found the child crying in his room. The akuma landed on the necklace.

"Hello, Wish," Hawkmoth said. "I have given you the ability to grant any wish, including your own. Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous, and you shall never again want for anything."

"Yes, Hawkmoth."

——Back at the School——

Kim leaned back in his seat.

"I wish I could just go home," he said.

"Your wish is my command," came a reply. Kim disappeared. The students all gasped as a misty, ghostlike figure appeared. "Hello, everyone! I'm Wish, here to make all your heart's desires come true!"

Kat's eyes widened. All together, she, Marinette, and Adrien left. Other students followed suit, all of them running this way and that. Most ran out the front doors and headed for home. Nathaniel was one of the ones that stayed. He followed the three heroes into the locker room, hoping that Wish wouldn't be able to find them in there. Marinette and Adrien ran for the bathrooms, while Kat began changing in the locker room. Nathaniel came in a few moments later, and stopped in his tracks. Kat had already taken off her skirt, overshirt, reversed her jacket, and was smearing paint over her eyes. She froze.

"Er, um, hi."

"Kat?"

"Uh, no?"

Nathaniel leaned heavily on the lockers.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nothing." Panther put the paint back in her locker without looking.

"So you've been keeping this from me?"

"I wanted to tell you, really I did—"

Nathaniel held up a hand. Panther stopped talking.

"Please don't try to explain anything. I know you couldn't tell me something, and I understand why. You don't need to feel bad about it either. This is how you hurt your hand, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Panther replied. Nathaniel took the paint out of her locker again.

"You might want to cover up your cast," he said, smiling softly.

"Oh, oh, yeah." Panther looked down at her cast, then at the paint. "Actually, do you have any duct tape or something? That'd probably work better, and I'd be able to change it back to its original color."

Nathaniel went to his locker and dug through it. He pulled out some black duct tape.

"That'll work," Panther grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem," Nathaniel murmured while he watched Panther wrap the cast. She handed it back when she was done and stood there awkwardly. Nathaniel nodded to the door. "You should probably go."

"Yeah." Panther shifted from side to side before leaning forward and placing a quick peck on Nathaniel's cheek. "I really do like you, you know."

And with that, she left, leaving a shocked Nathaniel touching his cheek and smiling.

Once again, sorry for the lateness. So, um, do you guys like NathanielxKat? Cuz I kinda sorta really do. Leave your thoughts in the comments please :)