The Tube of Toothpaste

Written by: JuliaFC

Language Betas: Khanofallorcs, Agrestebug, Silver Wolf and LizzyBeth

Concept Betas: Etoile-Lead-Sama, Malauu_Ladynoir, Rosehealer02 and Genxha

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc, TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Part 4: More than Expected

He fell silent for a long time and was painfully aware of Ladybug's gaze burning a hole in the side of his head. He noticed how the girl had attempted opening her mouth a couple of times, but had always refrained from continuing, the hold on whatever she held in her hand never growing weaker.

"I never wanted to make you feel worthless, Chat Noir. I'm so sorry! I tried to protect you the best I could, and instead I ended up hurting you. I just…couldn't afford you getting akumatised. I can't afford it even now, especially now. I don't know what to do. I'm a complete failure! I tried so hard to keep you at arm's length to avoid upsetting you and I ended up upsetting you even more."

Chat Noir's brows furrowed. "What do you mean, Ladybug? Why were you trying to not upset me?"

Ladybug wiped the tears that were wetting her cheeks with the back of her hand and took a big breath. "I suppose it doesn't matter anymore now. After all, even keeping you in the dark has upset you so…I may as well be completely honest with you. You remember when we were fighting against Strike Back, when you told me that you had never been akumatised?"

Chat Noir nodded. "Yes. And you told me that I don't know what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah. You see—the truth is," she stammered, her gaze dropping, her face looking paler than ever, "you have been akumatised."

"What?"

Ladybug's gaze shot up the second she heard his shocked gasp and her terrified eyes locked to his, her lower lip trembling as she bit it with her teeth. "Ch-chat Blanc."

He tilted his head on the right. "Who? When? How did it happen? Why don't I remember?"

Ladybug started to talk at a speed he had never heard her talking with. She spoke about Bunnyx and an apocalyptic world, of a lonely, white version of him with icy blue eyes full of madness who still populated her nightmares. Of how he had told her that it had been their love to destroy the world.

His mouth felt suddenly dry. "Oh my God."

"So now you know, Chaton," she concluded her story. "I don't know anything else, I don't know exactly how the situation happened, but I know that you had found out my identity and somehow we had gotten together and…this had happened. That's why I kept you at arm's length. I was terrified you would become upset and get akumatised. And instead, I ended up upsetting you even this way!" She balled her hands into fists and pressed them to the sides of her head, a deep growl shaking her frame. "I'm a complete failure!"

"It hasn't been only your fault, LB. You don't know the whole picture. You don't know why I got akumatised that time. I was an akuma…I could have lied to you, for all you know."

"But how? Papillon was dead, you weren't under his influence anymore. You were alone in a deserted world, for God knows how long. Why would you lie to me?"

He shuddered at the very thought. "I don't know, but somehow, I doubt that the fact we were together would make me upset; it must have been something else, My Lady. Having your love wouldn't possibly upset me. Maybe the loneliness had gotten to me and had made me lose my wits. You don't know this about me, I can't be any more precise, or it would give you very clear clues to my identity, which I'm well aware now you don't want to know. Let's just say that in my civilian life I've always had…problems…with people leaving me or—" He sighed. "Loving me conditionally." The tears in Ladybug's eyes multiplied at these words and the sound of her sniffles started filling the silence of the night. "So you see, it's impossible that you loving me would make me upset, because I know that you would never put conditions on our love. In fact, going back to the reason why I was so upset with you this time round, if I feel worthless to you, I feel that you will throw me in the trash." He chuckled. "Well, you did that already, as a matter of fact, but I deserved it then."

"N-no," said Ladybug's groggy voice next to him.

He looked at her sadly. "Don't worry, I'm not upset because of that. As I said, I probably deserved it." He paused some more and looked at his ring pointedly. "I just don't want to lose you. Being Chat Noir, meeting you, living with Plagg, have been the best things that ever happened to me." He pursed his lips, feeling his bottom lip quivering and trying to get enough composure to finish what he wanted to say without his throat clenching on him. She deserved to know the whole truth. She had been honest with him, she had told him her greatest fear. It was his turn now. "It made me feel…that I mattered."

As he said that, he dared shoot a glance towards Ladybug and he wished he hadn't because the girl was giving him such an intense, watery look that he felt his heart skipping a beat. He looked away, feeling his face getting very warm. What was he thinking, talking to her like this? Making her feel sorry for him wasn't going to change their situation for the better. Maybe it was going to make it even worse. His hand ran to the nape of his neck, his anxiety level shooting straight up the more Ladybug stayed quiet.

He coughed nervously. "Um. Forget about it, it's not important anymore now that it's only us two again. I…need to go." His heart in his ears, he made to get up from the metallic structure of the tower, his gaze darting around to decide on the direction to take, his throat clenching painfully as he gulped.

When Ladybug grabbed hold of his wrist, he gasped and gulped some more. He tried to get free from her hold, but she didn't allow him to.

"Sit down. Please." She looked him in the eye for a brief second, then looked down at her legs. "It's funny," she said straight after, not looking at all amused.

"What's funny?" He sat down again, legs crossed, on the metallic structure.

A couple of tears started rolling down Ladybug's cheeks. "What kind of an idiot am I?"

"Hm?" inquired Chat Noir, raising an eyebrow. He watched as Ladybug revealed the object she had been hanging on in her hands until then—a tube of toothpaste, all squeezed and twisted.

She smiled a sad smile. "Maman was right, as always."

Chat Noir's heart sped up and reached a speed it had never before as his gaze darted from the tube of toothpaste in his Lady's hands to her masked face, noticing the tears rolling down her cheeks under the moonlight. He gulped. "Your…Maman?"

Ladybug nodded. "Yes. She told me to tell you that I like squeezing the tube of toothpaste in the centre and at the top." She paused a little more to take a painful breath and exhale slowly, her voice cracking as she continued, "But that from now on, I would respect your wishes to see the tube tidy and fix it from time to time." She must have noticed the quizzical look he had decided to fake, and the fact that he had paled (because he could feel all the blood rushing away from his face, and that must've shown somehow).

She sighed and her lips curled down in a pout. "Sorry, you don't know what I'm talking about, right?" He knew all too well what she was talking about. But she didn't wait for him to answer and continued, "It's something my mother likes to use as an analogy. It means that a lot of silly things can become big things if the problem isn't addressed and…I can't believe I missed the issue so blatantly." She glared at the tube of toothpaste and started fixing it from the bottom up.

"I had completely misjudged you, you know, Minou? I had imagined such a fun life for you in my head. I thought you had people who loved you around you, maybe brothers and sisters, and had to compete for your parents' attention, and that's why you were so clingy." She shot him a watery look and her cheeks tinged in the most adorable shade of pink as she crouched over herself. "I thought that by giving you some time off, I'd take some pressure off your shoulders. Sorry I got it so wrong."

Chat Noir's heart had somersaulted into his throat. No, better said into his ears. Okay, into both his throat and his ears. How many hearts did he have, now? He'd only heard what she had said last with a small portion of his brain, because the biggest part of it was extremely busy freaking out. He felt his mouth opening wide, as he forgot how to breathe, and ended up holding his breath for a long moment, his gaze continuing to dart from the tube of toothpaste in her hands to Ladybug's face. He passed in review her bluebell eyes, her pigtails, her small frame.

"I'm Ma...err...Mar...uhh… Madly Clumsy. I'm so clumsy," she had said the first time they'd met.

Ma…err…Mar…

Oh. Dear. God. He'd been right all along!

An explosion of joy filled his chest with such warmth that he had to refrain himself from fanning his neck, as he finally remembered that he had to breathe in order to survive and shakingly filled his lungs with essential air.

He was so wrapped in his thoughts and in his memory that he didn't notice that Ladybug had continued talking to him. He realised it only when he felt her poking his shoulder and saw her gloved hand waving in front of his eyes covering his view. Absent-mindedly, he made to stand up without remembering that he was sitting on the metallic frame of the Eiffel tower, hundreds of metres high. He gasped at the sudden feeling of emptiness under his feet until he felt strong arms grabbing him by his armpits and helping him regain his balance.

"Woah, woah, Chaton…are you alright? You looked…dazed."

He reached for his baton behind him and hastily extended it, holding on to it for dear life and looking at the ground underneath him, 300 metres down. He gulped, feeling a drop of cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he returned to his previous sitting position.

"O—kay. Mar-ma-My Lady. Uh. Yeah. Peachy. I'm peachy. Yea." He shaped his hands into finger guns and pretended to adopt the pose of Mr Banana, giving her the cringiest smile he'd ever felt his lips stretching into.

He was NOT peachy.

He slowly inhaled air into his lungs while his gaze locked into that of Marinette. His Lady. His amazing friend. Nah, who was he still trying to fool, he had already established for a long time in his heart that she had never really been just a friend. His everyday Ladybug. His real Ladybug. Oh my God! She had fooled him to perfection the day they fought Kwamibuster! So clever! So wonderful! He loved her so mu—

Oh wait, yeah. The other boy. Scratch that.

And wait again. Chat Blanc. Oh my God. She was going to kill him stone dead! Scratch that even more!

But how could he scratch that? Especially now…now that he knew! He wanted to stomp his feet on the ground, ball his hands into fists and scream his frustration.

"—nou? Minou? What's wrong with you tonight?" She cupped a hand to his cheek and pinched him.

"Meowch!" he complained. "What was that for?" He rubbed his sore cheek with his hand while looking at her and pouting.

"You spaced out again. Are you sure you're good?" Now Ladybug's—Marinette's— look was one of sincere concern. He did feel guilty for worrying her. He did feel horrible for having found out about her identity and not having told her yet. But…he really needed some time to come to terms with it, and the implications of it! So he stamped his best model smile on his face and rubbed the nape of his neck.

"Yes, I'm good. Sorry, Mar-uh-My Lady, I might have just overdone it a little and…could we reschedule? Please?"

"Okay, Chat Noir, but I think I've said what I wanted to say. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

His face was renewed in his warmth. "As a matter of fact, yes, there is. But I really need to find the right way to say it."

Ladybug's—Marinette's—eyebrow raised some more. "Wow, if you have problems articulating it, it must be something serious."

He couldn't say anything, but just smiled sheepishly until Ladybug sighed. "Okay, Chat Noir. Would tomorrow be alright, or do you want to be the one to tell me when you're ready?"

He stood and grabbed the baton from the small of his back. "I won't need too long, don't worry. I'll tell you." Then he forced himself to look her in the eye and bowed theatrically. "Until then, I'll s-cat." That said, he extended his baton and let it take him away, leaving behind a Ladybug who looked still quite baffled by his reaction.

If only she knew.

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"So, when are you going to tell her?" asked Plagg as soon as he twirled out of his ring, in the privacy of Adrien's room. "Because you are going to tell her. RIGHT?"

Adrien nodded and huffed grudgingly when he saw Plagg letting out a sigh of relief. "I can't lie to her so blatantly, Plagg. And besides, in the situation that we are in, we need to be honest with each other, now more than ever. If I keep something like this from her, I wouldn't deserve to keep my ring."

He started walking the length of his room back and forth. "But that said, she could take the ring away from me even if I tell her. What about her fears? This Chat Blanc akuma she had to face who had destroyed the world and killed her too? I can try arguing about the identity rule by mentioning Rena and Carapace. But now that Papillon has stolen all the other Miraculouses, I feel that she's going to become even more terrified at the thought that I could get akumatised."

As Adrien rambled and walked around his room nervously, Plagg zipped to his cheese cupboard and emerged with two pieces of Camembert, which he proceeded to put into his mouth and eat instantly. The black kwami was staring at his holder with his little paws crossed over his tiny chest, his electric green eyes small slits on his face.

"Do I have to tell her that I know, Plagg?" asked Adrien suddenly. He bit his bottom lip and shot a hopeful glance at the kwami, as if the answer that he knew already was the right one wasn't going to come out of the little creature's mouth.

"You know you have to, she's the Guardian, she needs to know." Plagg's serious gaze pierced Adrien's soul. "And besides, didn't what Pigtails' mother tell you open your eyes? Hiding a smelly cheese into a box won't stop it from smelling. Eventually, the box will be open and the cheese will smell even worse."

Adrien hunched his shoulders and sat deflated at the end of his bed. "I know, buddy. You're right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right, gamin."

Adrien patted the little God of Destruction on the head and smiled softly at him. "Alright, I'll tell her then. Tomorrow morning. I already know how to." He stood up from his bed, went into the ensuite bathroom and picked up the tube of toothpaste that Sabine had given him. He looked fondly at it and proceeded to put it inside his school bag. Then he proceeded to brush his teeth (with his own toothpaste), took a quick shower and got ready for bed.

Tomorrow. He was dreading tomorrow. But also looking forward to it. The day all the secrets would finally be over. Even if it meant that she could ask him to give back his Miraculous. He couldn't leave her in the dark, not now that she had been so honest with him and told him the entire truth. He had to tell her, she deserved to know.

To be Continued…


Author's Note:


Hello there! Here's chapter 4. Happy Easter! Hope you liked the conversation the two heroes had and that finally most of the secrets are gone, especially the big elephant in the room, Chat Blanc.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter in a comment. I really hope you liked it! I'm always open to a dialogue, I don't mind ANY type of feedback! To all of you who will write a review or a comment for this story, thank you so much! You always make my day! Also, please check the beautiful art that my friend Rose Minou did as a cover for this story! You can find it at the beginning of chapter 1!

As usual, if you read this and you're not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, Miraculous Fanworks (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). Also, I recently joined another wonderful server! Even this one is friendly and there's a lot of wonderful people to discuss Miraculous and fanfictions with, so…now you get two invites :D Miraculous Discordance /QwgKdUhJNJ (discord dot gg slash QwgKdUhJNJ). I wait for you in one of these servers :D