30 Secrets
That afternoon, two heroes hopped over the rooftops and over the city while the Sun was falling idly. They made sure to be noticed by Alix, who practised her speed and skill on her rollers on a pavement along the Seine and waved to other Parisians who greeted them.
Andre was eager to treat them to ice cream, but both Ladybug and Chat Noir just finished the first treat less than an hour ago and were more in the mood for a chase above the rooftops than anything else, besides, they really wanted to avoid questions.
"Why haven't we seen you for so long?"
"Is there an akuma?"
"What are you doing?"
"Where have you been?"
"Will you tell us who you are?"
"Are you working on the Hawk Moth investigation?"
"How are you?"
"Pawesome." Chat Noir replied with a smirk, Ladybug rolled her eyes as a reflex. But then she laughed, if there was a time to make puns, it was now, after they won. She laughed and enjoyed the thrill of flying around just for the sake of flying around.
Chat twirled in the air, and passers by would admire him, until he landed awfully on a random body part in a way that just screamed pain, but with the protective magical suit on, he would jump straight back as if the fall was part of the show and continue on his way with a two finger salute.
Ladybug laughed at his antics, but then she knew it was Adrien behind that mask, and the cat themed hero just flew in front of a giant billboard for a particular fragrance, he smirked and winked at her and she got all flustered again, missed her footing and slammed straight into the billboard.
Chat cackled all the way while she slid down, picked herself up and launched her yoyo to continue on their route over the city. She glared at the boy, but her face was still flushed and a smile tugged her lips upwards.
"Okay, she will know we are still around and she can try to contact us." Ladybug stated, out of breath on their stop on the rooftop of Francoise Dupont. It was as good a place as any to split up and say good night … well they both knew it was temporary.
"I'm glad you decided enough time had passed since our return from China to do this again." Chat was glowing after the exercise and pure fun and relaxing activity, ever since they returned they were consumed by their friends asking questions and new problems on each step of their way.
"I thought they would stop about our identities but it seems they want to know even more." She shook her head and looked around, the Sun was still up, just above the rooftops, but the streets below were already in the shade.
"They think there's no point in hiding it any more." Chat shrugged. "Anyway, as much as I'd like to linger, I have to collect food for Plagg and spend some quality time with my best bro and his little brother and I believe thee is dinner coming up at Lahiffe residence."
"Yeah, not to mention we do have homework, like for real, and I still have to write it. I believe you did not do yours either." She smirked. She was determined not to let her grades slip now that she was not fighting supervillains on a daily basis.
"Nope, I'm going to do that with my seat mate. I prefer discovering secrets when I'm with my girlfriend." Chat Noir leaned in but Ladybug steeled herself and stepped away. She was still scared that their identities were too fragile, the events of a few nights ago (or the future) only confirmed that. They said their greetings and went their separate ways.
"Hey Nino?" Adrien called to his best bro. The blonde boy played a video game with Chris while Nino was busy talking with Alya over a video chat. Ella and Etta were screaming on the other side of the call. But Alya had to cut the call and Adrien used the opportunity to ask something.
"Yeah." Nino shifted his attention to his friend. Adrien pulled his headphones out and made sure that Chris was still listening to the loud sounds from the game before he resumed talking.
"Did you ever keep a diary?" Adrien asked bluntly.
"Yeah, sort of, there is a notebook where I write about the musicians I like and stuff, but I prefer to keep that digital and include the links, why?" Nino replied in his usual easy way.
"So it is not some secret notebook where you pour all of your feelings, hopes and dreams, your secrets and everything you did that day?" Adrien clarified the question.
"Nah, I had to do it for a project in school, but I knew the teacher was about to read it so no. But you know all my hopes and dreams man." Nino smirked.
"No, I wasn't thinking like that. Um." He wanted to ask if he kept a diary where he would write who he kissed and how many times and what he did with Alya but decided that it was wiser not to ask that question.
"Are you keeping a diary?" Nino raised his eyebrows. "And what do you write inside?"
"I had a file, locked up with seven passwords." Adrien sighed.
"It had to be seven, like a fairy tale, how did you do it anyway?" Nino laughed softly. "Never mind."
"Oh I could show you … anyway I wrote stuff in there about … well stuff … " He turned towards Chris, he was not sure if the boy was listening.
"Oh, I guess it is rated at least teen and above." Nino teased.
"Yeah, I did not write the explicit stuff there." Adrien admitted, his cheeks burned.
"Yeah" Nino adjusted his red hat and looked away, he was red in the face too. "I think girls are more into writing diaries than the boys are." He added.
"Is Alya writing a diary?" Adrien asked next.
"Can't say I even want to know what she writes in there, dude." Nino replied and looked away again.
"Yeah, sorry … um … what about your parents?" The blonde boy continued.
"My parents? What are you talking about dude?" Nino stood right in front of Adrien who was not playing much, just to keep Chris busy. Adrien leaned into the side and gave his friend a look, then he glanced towards Chris and then back at his friend and Nino stepped to the side.
"Sorry, it's just … I got some diaries, written by my mother. I was reading that because I thought I would … get to know her better? Yeah! You know, make up for the lost time or something." Adrien audibly swallowed.
"Oh." Nino was not blushing any more, in fact the mood was suddenly solemn and sad. "So you are reading her diaries now?"
"Well, not right now, but last night I did and … " Adrien glanced towards Chris who was deep into the game. "There is stuff there that … ugh … how do I even say this."
"Not teen rated?" Nino offered.
"More like explicit." Adrien sighed. "Especially when she writes about my father … "
"Whoa! Dude! Don't even get in there! I don't wanna know!" Nino shouted so loudly that Chris gave him a look and then turned back to the screen.
"Well, I guess I didn't want to know either." Adrien was completely red in the face but somehow sad. "But I still want to learn everything I can about her and there is other stuff in those diaries, not just that, you know."
"Yeah, I guess." Nino adjusted his hat.
"There was stuff when she was little and stuff that she did with her sister and .. " Adrien smiled gently and tried to do his best to keep Chris in the game.
"Okay, I get it. You should read it then, but skip the awkward parts if you can." Nino shrugged.
"If only it was that simple." Adrien exhaled slowly.
Nino's mother called them up for dinner and the boys had to stop the game.
"Hey girl, had a talk with Nino just before dinner. Your boyfriend and Chris are playing video games." Alya was talking on the phone with Marinette.
"Yeah, well, good for him." She had to peel her eyes away from the tablet before her. She did not play video games, she was trying to read centuries old diaries and sometimes it was hard to distinguish between the imagination and the reality.
"What are you doing? I thought you did your homework with Adrien during the study hour?" Alya inquired.
"Um, just a part of it." Marinette rubbed her eyes. They did a worksheet or two, but most of the time they spent reading the same old diaries that Marinette had opened on her screen. She needed a break from that.
"Oh, well, I guess you had better things to do." Alya wiggled her eyebrows although Marinette was not able to see her. But Marinette missed the point, she was too much consumed in what she was reading. That Therese really did not leave much to imagination.
"Alya, are you writing a diary?" Marinette asked without thinking about how out of the blue it was.
"Of course I am, you know that already, aside of Ladyblog and the school blog and my personal blog, there is a file with my name on it, but I'm not sharing if that's what you're asking … " Alya teased..
"No, no, nothing like that. I would never share mine. I was thinking about … what we write inside. Do we ever intend to read it ourselves? What if my children read that? Would your mother let you read her diary? I mean … " Marinette did not finish her thought.
"I guess what you mean. I'd like to read what my mother wrote in her diary when she was my age, it is probably different than what she told me she was like when she was my age." Alya smirked. "I know I would probably conceal a fact or two."
"Yeah, it would make an interesting reading." Marinette smirked.
"Wait, did you stumble upon your mother's diaries and are reading them now?" Alya exclaimed.
"No, nothing like that." Marinette shook her head.
"Somebody else's then. Or is it a novel?" Alya offered.
"It kind of is." Marinette admitted. The stuff she was reading really did sound like a fantasy novel more than an actual life experience.
"I thought you were working on your homework, girl!" Alya laughed.
"I was, but I got distracted, somehow." Marinette admitted.
"So what is it? Some nineteen century fashionista described what she was wearing day to day?" Alya teased.
Marinette hitched a breath, Therese really wrote what she wore each day, but it was like some basic description so only the woman who wrote understood, it was probably to keep track and not to wear the same dress with the same people twice if she was able to help it.
"I guessed?" Alya celebrated.
"Well, almost there, really, how did you do that?" Marinette decided that admitting to the crime was probably the easy way out.
"Call it my investigative journalist intuition." Alya was really proud of herself.
Marinette snickered lightly.
"Anyway, back to journals." Alya was whispering. "I once stole Nora's journal and read it."
"Yeah?" Marinette did not hear that story before.
"It was a total bore. How many weights she lifted and which sparing partner she trashed." Alya whispered. "Even when she wrote about the guys with hard abs, I think it meant it hurt to punch them. The reading was totally not worth her potential wrath if I got caught."
"So you returned it without finishing." Marinette concluded.
"Yeah, I just flipped through pages quickly." Alya confirmed.
Marinette nodded. If they did the same with Emilie's diary, they would never go beyond 'white cup with green leaves', 'tin clock', London postcard and other notes. That way she would never read about a sentimonster Emilie created.
"Why, you think there was something more in there?" Alya asked because Marinette was quiet.
"No, not necessarily." Marinette replied. She really did not want to know the consequences if Nora caught Alya reading her diary. But she should have known that Alya was too curious and pushy to let it go just like that.
"You know what, Nora is out and told us not to wait for her, see you tomorrow girl, bye." Alya greeted.
"Don't … just don't get caught, okay?" Marinette sighed.
"Don't worry, I won't." Alya replied and cut the call.
Marinette was almost finished with the diary of Therese de Vanily, married Graham de Vanily. It began as a diary that listed her activities, then her travel to China by boat, and how she met Oliver Graham, it would have been more boring if she did not describe her dresses and jewels.
But then the woman described about her wedding, the rings they stole from two monks, she did not bother to write their names, and how they got teleported into Tibet and how they travelled back to the coastline first by foot and then by river boat.
"Hey Princess." He greeted her through his rooftop window.
"Hi." She greeted back with a tired but still happy smile.
"Nino must think I'm obsessed with my beauty sleep." Chat teased while he descended through the rooftop window and down the ladder that lead to her bed. He was trying to make as little noise as possible, it was still early, her parents might be awake.
"Well you are beautiful." She noted while she checked the marked pages of the diary the file on her tablet. Then she realized what she just said, blushed and slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Yeah?" Chat smirked at the way Marinette still got flustered like that.
She just nodded shyly. There was no way to take it back and no purpose. He already knew.
"I think your mother read this diary and became obsessed with visiting China to see it for herself." Marinette noted while she flipped through the pages to show a few drawings of the scenery and the mountains that Therese made on the pages.
"If it was written by Therese, then yes it was." Chat confirmed. "My mother even persuaded Amelie to read it and according to the notes, my aunt thought they used something, some of the stuff they were selling, something that should have been illegal, or was, or is, I don't know."
" That talk with Fluff this afternoon really had an effect on you. Yeah, they travelled to China to sell opium. " Marinette confirmed.
"Great, my family, the supervillains and drug dealers." Chat mocked. And he really meant that. His father used to be Hawk Moth, his mother wielded a miraculous created a sentimonster and got sick, his aunt raised a sentimonster as her own son …
"Hey, I think it was the norm back then." She shrugged. It wasn't helping. "I searched through the internet, it really was and the trade was like … big? Anyway, will you detransform if we are going through this." She pointed towards the diary she almost finished reading.
"Nah, we have many things to do tonight." Chat shrugged. "I thought we better start off right away." Besides, he was not in the mood to find out that his mother's family started of as some kind of drug dealers.
"Well, we better get going then." She said, took the glasses out from the miracle box and put the box hidden as a gift wrap back into the trunk where she kept the other gifts for Adrien (many of them unpacked and in use now). "We are getting Max and then we are going to the mansion."