Chapter 26: Revelations

With the Akuma Butterfly destroyed, the team could all breathe easy again. The only thing that was left to do was using the Ampulla Amulet to put everything back the way it was, before Aphrodite showed up. Still, none of them used it right away, taking the time to appreciate the fact that there were no more giggles or chuckles coming from any love zombie in the air, while also taking the time to congratulate themselves on a job well done.

"Nice job with those insults." -Chat Noir said, praising Queen Bee.

"Thanks. I guess this is one of the few times that I thank the fact that I was once the nastiest bitch ever. Because if I hadn't been, I would probably not have been able to say all those nasty things." -Queen Bee sighed, not feeling really proud of herself right then.

"Well, it's a good thing you were a nasty bitch once, because like you said, if you hadn't been one, we wouldn't have been able to beat Aphrodite." -Antelope told her. –"It was your insults that kept her distracted for the boss lady to do her thing." -he declared.

"He's right. It was thanks to you and your insults that the plan did work." -Ladybug told her, which made the blonde smile.

"Well, it was not just thanks to her, but let's face it, she did play a very important part." – Dragonfly smiled at her. –"I guess congratulations are in order for us all."

"I agree. We all made this happen, again." -Carapace smiled.

Ladybug was about to say something, when she and the others heard a grunt, mixed with a lot of moaning. Looking down, they saw the girl who had been Aphrodite until a few moments ago, was beginning to wake up, and she had a nasty headache, like it happened with most

"Uh… my head… w-what happened?" -Madison asked, when she looked up and saw the heroes of Paris staring at her. –"Oh, no, I was akumatized, wasn't I?" -she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, you were. But it's okay now. You're back to normal and the nightmare is over." -Louve Grise told her.

"I… I can't remember anything." -Madison confessed. Her mind was a little dizzy, and pretty much all that happened while she was under Hawk Moth's influence was a blur.

"It's standard procedure. Most people who get akumatized, don't remember anything, or very little of what happened, after they're infected by one of Hawk Moth's Akuma Butterflies." -Louve Grise explained to her.

"It was all because of that guy, Rene, who stood me up…" -Madison said, as she remembered the cause of her akumatization.

"Actually, he didn't stand you." -Dragonfly told her. –"You probably don't remember this, but you attacked him and I saved him, and while I was taking him to a safe location, he told me that his boss made him work late last night and that his cell phone got stolen

"Really?" -Madison said. –"Oh, God… now I really feel awful about it." -she sighed.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. Besides, I told him that when this was all over, that he should look for you and try to explain everything. He's not such a bad guy." -Dragonfly declared.

"But first, we've got to put everything back the way it was." -Forest Doe said. –"Who wants to do the honours?"

"I'll do it. It's been some time since I used it." -Rena Rouge said, as she made the Ampulla Amulet appear out of thin air. –"Okay, let's use it so the 14 of us can go and do something else, other than fighting Akumas." -she joked.

"Yeah, all 14… wait a moment, there's only 13 of us up here." -Flamingo said. –"Where's Panda Rouge?" -she asked.

"Oh, my gosh! We forgot about Panda Rouge inside one of the energy bubbles!" -Ladybug exclaimed, remembering that Carapace was forced to put him inside one, after he was turned into a love zombie.

"No sweat, I'll release him, right away, while you put things back the way they were." -Carapace winked at Rena Rouge, who winked back at him, as he snapped his fingers.

And as soon as Carapace snapped his fingers, every energy construct he had created disappeared, releasing those that ended up in them, including Panda Rouge. The holder of the red panda miraculous had returned to normal a few moments before, and figured that if he had ended up inside one of Carapace's energy bubbles, was because he had ended up under Aphrodite's control, and they had been forced to lock him up. He could have used his powers to escape it, but decided to wait for the turtle hero to release him. Once out of it, he could not help but to stretch himself, as he looked around and saw they still had not used the Ampulla Amulet. And then, in a blink of an eye, everything went back the way it was, as a magic wave spread all over the place.

"Well, that's that." -Panda Rouge smiled, as he looked around. –"Things are back to normal, and… look who we have here." -he said, as he spotted two very unique individuals, lying on the sidewalk.

Madame Romani and Brutus were both lying on the sidewalk, still unconscious. Grizzly Bear and Antelope had done a remarkable job dealing with them, though part of the reason why they were on the ground, had been Romani's doing, who accidentally went against Brutus. Looking at them, Panda Rouge felt that that was a once in a lifetime opportunity. For months, he and the rest of the team had been trying to get their hands on at least one of Hawk Moth's lieutenants, so they could force them to reveal where was their hideout. But they always managed to get away in the ensuing chaos. But as luck would have it, on that day, they were right there, and all he had to do was make sure they would not go anywhere. Turning his spear back into its pencil-form, he was going to trap them, before waking them up and interrogating them. But as he was about to begin drawing, the two of them disappeared in a cloud of smoke. No doubt Hawk Moth did not want him to interrogate them.

"And there they go… why am I not surprised that their boss teleported them, before one of us could get to them?" -Panda Rouge sighed. –"I wonder what kind of punishment Hawk Moth has in store for the two of them? One thing's for sure, I'm glad I'm not in their shoes, right now." -he thought to himself, slightly amused, as he went to meet the rest of the heroes.

Already on the ground, the heroes were applauded by their efforts, as people praised them with kind words and requests of selfies. The one who was not comfortable with all that was Madison. She was not used to have so many people staring at her, and one of the first thoughts that came to her mind, was wondering if they knew that she had been the one who turned them all into mindless zombies. To make matters worse, Nadja Chamack and her team had arrived to be the first ones to get the exclusive details of that battle from the mouth of the Miraculous Heroes. After being dropped by the helicopter, they literally ran there to interview them.

"Uh, look, it's not that I'm not thankful for helping me, but I don't really want to end up in the news." -Madison commented. –"It's bad enough knowing I did what I did while I was an Akuma. I don't need to be reminded of it, as they interviewed me for the 8 o'clock news." -she admitted.

"If that's so, then here's a tip to get out of sight in a jiffy. Go through that street over there, then turn left and go through the alleyway, all the way to the end." -Ladybug suggested, as Madison looked at her puzzled, as if wondering how she knew that. –"I patrol this neighbourhood a lot, so, I pretty much know all the shortcuts." -she smiled at her.

Thanking Ladybug, Madison decided to get out of there, while saying she was going to find Rene and straight things with him, before disappearing. It was not the first time a victim of akumatization did not want to be interviewed by the media, and it would not be the last. And who could blame for such decision? Most people wish to appear on television, but never for the wrong kind of reasons, and being akumatized and placing most of Paris under its control, is never a good one. Seeing Nadja approaching them, as they continued to taking selfies with everyone who asked them for one, they tried to figure who would be giving Nadja the interview she was going to ask them.

"So, who's going to sacrifice himself or herself and give Nadja an interview?" -Chat Noir asked, as he knelt to take a selfie with a little girl. –"Say cheese, honey!" -he said, as he smiled to the camera.

"What about you? You always look good on camera." -Louve Grise told Queen Bee, as she posed for a selfie.

"Not today, sorry. I'm not really in the mood to get in the spotlight." -Queen Bee declared, as a young woman asked her for a selfie, and she instantly posed for it.

"I'll take care of it. After all, I kind of owe it to her. I did save her from being eaten by a panther anyways." -Grizzly Bear told the team.

"A panther? Oh, my, I forgot to ask, what about my dad? Did you happen to see him?" -Rena whispered to Antelope, who was standing next to her.

"Uh, y-yes… he was alright, when we left him." -Antelope whispered to her ear, without revealing that he and Dragonfly had knocked him cold, when he showed up as a love zombie. They both believed that if they told Rena the truth, that she would strangle them, even after telling her that he had been placed under Aphrodite's spell.

"Make us proud, bro." -Arachnid told Grizzly Bear, while giving him a thumbs up.

As Nadja and her team arrived, Grizzly greeted her with a smile, while thinking about he was going to tell her. This was not the first time Nadja interviewed him, and he knew just how much she liked to ask him questions. Still, he told himself that he would try and answer only a handful of them. He and the others could not stay for too long, given they still had to go back to school.

"Oh, hello again. I didn't even have the chance to thank you earlier for saving me from that panther." -Nadja told Grizzly. –"So, allow me to thank you. Because of you, I will be able to go home today, and hug my little daughter." -she said.

"It was my pleasure." -Grizzly told her. –"I'm sure Manon is going to be happy to see you too." -he thought to himself. –"Since the rest of the team is busy over there, I hope you don't mind only interviewing me today."

"Oh, that's quite alright." -Nadja smiled, as she turned her attention to her cameraman. –"Tell me, how much time until we go live?"

"Give me thirty seconds." -he told her.

It was not easy for the heroes to get out of there, especially when people continued to ask them for selfies. Still, they managed to do so, and after finding a secluded place, they changed back into their civilian selves. And once they did, they all felt even sorer than when they were transformed. They had taken a beating that would put a normal person in a coma for years. If one would ask them how they were feeling, they would say they felt like they had been run over by a bus. And because of that, while walking back to school, they took their time, without rushing. That gave them enough time to come up with a plausible excuse on what happened to them, though they believed that being turned into a love zombie would instantly work with everyone. Strangers things had happened, and a whole class ended up under the influence of an Akuma, was not one of them. It also gave them the opportunity to talk or text their parents, who had tried to contact them, to see if they were alright; at least those who did not end up under Aphrodite's spell. And to make sure they would not get in trouble for not answering the calls, they all came up with excuses.

"Yes, mom, I'm sorry I didn't answer, but I just couldn't answer you, while I was hiding." -Marinette said. –"Don't worry, I'm okay, and you can tell dad the same… mom, you're not letting me talk… I was going to ask you, if you two are alright, or not… are you?" -she asked them. –"What?! You were saved by the Miraculous Team? No way! Who saved you? Was it Ladybug?!"

"Yes, mom, I'm alright. I'm sorry I didn't answer you, but I turned off the cell phone by accident." -Kim told his mother. –"I'm alright, don't worry about it… I'm also happy to hear that you and dad are okay." -he said.

"No, daddy, there's no need for that. You don't need to send Jean to come and pick me up. I'm quite alright. I was with my friends, and Sabrina was always by my side. You know she's knows martial arts, so, if things got a little crazy, she would have protected me." -Chloe told her dad over the phone.

"I'm glad to hear you're also alright, Nora." -Alya said, as she talked to her older sister. –"Yeah, I bet you did manage to take down one or two of them. After all, you're a natural champion." -she chuckled.

You'll have to forgive me, Nathalie. During the chaos, I left my cell phone on the cafeteria… Yes, I know I shouldn't have done that, but it was an accident." -Adrien made it up, as he talked to Nathalie, who had tried to contact him more than thirty times. –"You can tell my father I'm okay, and no, there's no need to send the car to pick me up. I'll walk home." -he told her.

"I'm alright, Luka. Yes, I was with Rose when everything happened. She's alright as well, and she's calling her parents, as I speak." -Juleka told her brother. –"Yes, I wasn't turned into one of those creatures, I remained indoors." -she assured him.

When they arrived at school, they saw that things were still a bit hectic inside. It was clear to them that they had not been the only ones who among the chaos and mayhem, had decided to leave school. As soon as they saw themselves in the courtyard, they immediately found Miss Bustier, who was worried sick about them. After hugging them, one by one, and asking them if they were alright, she asked where they had been. They all told her they were been turned into love zombies and ended up leaving the school, in search of new victims, while pretending they were still dizzy from all that happened. After that, and given it was passed class time, Miss Bustier told them to go to the classroom to get their things, before heading home.

Going upstairs, they saw that their classroom was spotless. If they did not know they had used Miss Bustier's desk to barricade the door, and then, dug a hole on the pavement, to access the lower floor, they would have never believed that the room looked like a field of war when they left, even if someone had told them. Grabbing their backpacks and the boxes of chocolates, they took a couple of seconds to give their kwamis a little treat. Just like them, their kwamis were exhausted, and after eating their snack, all of them decided to take a nap, telling them not wake them up.

"They deserve it." –Ivan told Mylene, as Muria slipped into his backpack.

"Yeah. By pushing ourselves today, we made them use their own powers one too many times." -Mylene agreed with her boyfriend. –"For once, I'm a little jealous of them, because they can take a nap, without having to wait to get home to do it." -she giggled.

"You guys are coming, or not?" -Nino asked the two of them.

"We'll be right there." -Ivan said, after noticing he and Mylene were the last ones in class.

Already on their way out, they saw Miss Bustier climbing the stairs, where she wished them a rest of a good Valentine's Day.

"See you all tomorrow, class." -Miss Bustier smiled at them, as they all left.

But they did not go home right away. Even though they were exhausted and bushed, they felt like they needed to hang out a little time together, just to unwind and enjoy each other's company. Looking for a spot to do that, they found one in the park that was near the school. Lying on the lawn, they all stretched themselves, trying to not think about the soreness that had already installed in their muscles. But soreness was not the only thing they were feeling. They were also hungry, and to fight that hunger, they opted to eat their chocolates. Their bodies were craving something with lots of sugary calories. Taking the boxes from their backpacks, they placed them in the middle of them, having decided to share the sweet treats with each other.

"This was one of our biggest challenges ever." -Adrien said, as he stretched his arms. Right then, he knew he was going to be sore in the morning, but he did not complain about it.

"Tell me about it." -Nino said, as he ate one of the chocolates from the box, he had offered Alya. –"I'm bushed." -he admitted.

"We all are." -Alya said, as she rested her head on Nino's lap. –"It's a shame tomorrow isn't Saturday, because I feel I could sleep for a whole week after this." -she admitted.

"We're in need of a hot shower and a warm bed." -Sabrina sighed, as she lied down and closed her eyes for a bit, feeling the warm grass underneath her.

"Which reminds me, are you still going to take that bath you said you were going to take?" -Kim asked Chloe.

"What do you think? Of course, I am going to. I feel absolutely filthy, stinky and sweaty from walking in the sewers, and fighting bad guys." -Chloe declared. –"And even if I wasn't feeling like that, I would take one, just to give my sore muscles the relaxing treatment they need." -she arched her back, feeling all her muscles stretching. –"Ouch… I'm going to be sore in the morning."

"We all will." -Nathaniel said. –"It's a good thing that we don't have Physical Education tomorrow, because if we had, I think I wouldn't be able to do it." -he admitted, feeling his arms were made out of putty.

Minutes passed and some of them had to force themselves to stay awake. The warm rays from the Sun, combined with their tiredness, were making them sleepy.

"Now, now, no sleeping, foxy fox." -Nino said, as he gently shook Alya, trying to keep her awake. –"You can't sleep. You can only sleep after our romantic dinner tonight."

"Can't we postpone it to another day?" -Alya asked them, with her eyes still shut.

"Sorry, but no. I told you I would cook the dinner for you tonight, and I'm going to do just that. But you need to keep yourself awake." -Nino answered her, as the brunette opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Alright, alright, I'll try my best to stay awake, you romantic turtle." -Alya giggled.

"Uh… Speaking of romance… uh… Mylene and I, we have something to tell you all." -Ivan said, as he looked Mylene in the eyes. They had both agreed to tell their friends about them starting to date one another, and now seemed like the right time to tell them.

"Really? What is it?" -Rose asked him.

"W-Well… you see…" -Ivan said, hesitating a little.

"Ivan and I are officially dating!" -Mylene exclaimed. –"He asked me a few days ago, but we both decided to keep it a secret for a little longer… so, there you have it." -she said, this time with a shier voice.

Hearing her say that, everyone cheered them, saying things like "It was about time!" or "Took you long enough to make it official.". They were all happy for both Mylene and Ivan, who had been an unofficial for more time than they could remember, finally starting to date one another.

"Congratulations, man. It took you a little longer to ask her." -Nino told him.

"More than a little, you mean." -Kim joked. –"But it's great to see you finally had the courage to do it." -he told him.

"You're going to have to tell us how everything went, later." -Marinette said, as Mylene showed her and the rest of the girls the ring in the chain she had been wearing under her shirt.

"Now, all we need is for Kim and Alix to start dating as well." -Alya joked.

"Indeed." -Sabrina laughed, as she imagined the two of them in each other's arms, only to begin throwing insults at one another.

"Sorry, but that's never going to happen." -Alix told them.

"You bet it won't happen." -Kim shot at Alix. –"Who would want to date a Squirt like you?"

"Are you saying that if I was tall you would date me, String Bean?!" -Alix shot back at Kim, not enjoying being called Squirt.

"As if! I wouldn't date you, if you were the last girl on the planet!" -Kim declared.

"Good! Because I wouldn't date you either, even if you were the last guy on the planet!" -Alix told him, with a repulsed voice.

"You guys do realize that there's bound to have some images, or even videos of you two kissing, already online right?" -Adrien asked them, reminding of what happened. –"I wouldn't be surprised if people would begin to ship the two of you online, before the day is over… if they haven't began just yet." -he joked about it. –"As I see it, you should just begin dating for real."

Upon hearing both Alix and Kim grabbed their cell phones and went online to see if Adrien was right about that. And it did not take them more than a couple of seconds to find out. Some people, had filmed the two of them kissing, right after Alix grabbed Kim in mid-air. There were already some photos of the moment online as well, and just like Adrien had predicted, the fans began to ship them for real, by arguing about it on the online forums.

"Great… now everyone's thinking we're actually dating." -Alix sighed. –"We'll have to record a video, and post it on the Miraculous Blog, telling everyone that we're not dating." -she said.

"I think that won't work. It's already out there. Whether you like it or not, you're being shipped." -Max told her. –"If I were you, I would start dating each other, and just go with the flow." -he joked.

"Great friend you turned out to be, Max." -Kim told him in a sarcastic tone. –"Well, screw it! Let everyone think that Antelope and Dragonfly are now a thing. What matters is that in real life, Alix and I aren't dating. And before anyone here has any ideas of shipping us together, or comes up with a joke regarding this, let me just point out that the kiss she and I shared meant nothing! I was under Aphrodite's spell." –he stated.

"Indeed. It meant nothing… and I think I speak for us both, when I say that I don't ever want to talk about it again." -Alix said.

"Me neither… besides, you're a lousy kisser!" -Kim shot at her.

"Well, you're also a lousy one." -Alix shot back at him.

But they were both lying. The truth was, that kiss between them, as well as the following ones, meant something to both of them. It was their first kiss, and even though they were under Aphrodite's spell, the kisses they shared were kisses of love for one another. Unlike it happened with civilians, who were attracted by everyone and everything, including their own reflection, the heroes that temporarily fell under the influence of Aphrodite, unknown to them, were only attracted to those they had some kind of feelings for. And that meant, the two really had feelings for one another. They were just not ready to reveal them.

"He's such an idiot… but he's a good kisser." -Alix thought to herself. –"Not bad for my first kiss. I could have ended up kissing a dog, or someone with bad breath." -she thought.

"That shrimp… I won't admit it, but I kinda liked to kiss her, and she's not a bad kisser." -Kim thought to himself. –"She's still a shrimp, but she's kind of a cute one, and I wouldn't mind kissing her again." -he thought.

Those last comments from Kim and Alix, made everyone laugh a little. They could all see the two of them were in love, but were not going to admit it. And with everyone talking about relationships, Rose and Juleka both felt it was the right time to also tell everyone about them. Just thinking about it, it made them feel like they had a swarm of butterflies flying inside their stomach. Looking each other in the eyes, they silently agreed it was time to tell them.

"Alright, we won't ship the two of you, then. But, Mylene and Ivan aren't the only ones who have something to tell you." -Rose admitted, as she looked at Juleka, who continued to silently nod at her. –"Juleka and I…" -she said, with a hesitant voice.

"We're dating." -Juleka ended Rose's sentence. She believed that the best way to deal with that, was to do it the same way one with ripping a band-aid, swiftly.

"Already knew it." -Alix said.

"So did I." -Kim admitted.

"I told you they were dating." -Chloe told Sabrina.

"What?!" -Rose exclaimed, surprised.

"Come on, Rose. You and Juleka are going to forgive me for being this blunt, but you really are lousy actresses. You're always seen together, you are always holding hands together, you're always whispering secrets to one another… during training, you always want to be paired up together, Juleka is always picking you up from ballet, whenever she cans, you're always exchanging gifts… there are only two kinds of people who do that. Those who are besties, and those who are dating, and in your case, you're both." –Chloe told them. –"Did you really think we wouldn't figure it out sooner or later?" -she asked them.

Hearing her say that, both Rose and Juleka's minds assumed the worst case scenario with the blonde. The way she spoke to them, made them believe she was against them. But she was not the only one who thought that. Chloe herself realized that she might have spoken with the wrong kind of tone, and quickly apologized to them. The last thing she did want was for either Juleka or Rose to feel like she was against their relationship.

"Girls, I'm not against it… on the contrary, I'm happy for you." -Chloe said, this time with a softer voice. –"I just meant that… well, you girls didn't do a very good job at hiding your true feelings for one another, when you were among us." -she smiled.

"I have to agree with Chloe on that one." -Alix sighed. –"You girls didn't do a very good job with it." -she declared.

The girls had not done a very good job keeping their relationship a secret from the rest of the gang, but they believed they had not a bad one either, because until then, no one had told them they suspected a thing.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? I mean, it wasn't as evident as Chloe's saying, but… why didn't you girls tell us?" -Mylene asked them.

"I guess we were a little afraid." -Juleka admitted. –"We were afraid of what you guys might think of us, two girls, dating each other." -she sighed, as she placed her arm around Rose's waist, pulling her closer. –"I mean… every day, somewhere, when people say to those they love that they are gay, or lesbian, or pansexual, or whatever, there are those who don't react the way they thought they would, and… I guess, we were afraid that you… that you wouldn't want to be our friends anymore."

"We were afraid that… that you would fell disgusted just to be around us. We were afraid that you might start to hate us, because we're different." -Rose said, as she tried not to shed a tear. –"I know, it sounds really stupid, especially after everything we went through, but…" -she said, as she tried her best not to start weeping.

They all heard the sadness in Juleka and Rose's voices. but more importantly they heard the fear in them. All of them knew that in the world there were people who are homophobes; people who don't respect those who are different from them. Still, they did not want them to feel that way, when they were around them.

"Fear and hate are powerful emotions, we know that." -Marinette said. –"And that's how Hawk Moth manages to akumatize so many people. You said it was stupid of you to fear that we would feel disgusted of you girls, and that we might begin to hate you, but I don't think it was stupid… it was human. Fear and hate tend to go hand in hand, because people fear what they don't know or what they don't understand, but so do love and friendship. And you have nothing to fear from us, girls. I want you to know that I will never hate you for being yourselves, never." -she smiled. –"I'm here for you both, no matter what. And I know that everyone else here will also be here for you, girls."

"I don't see anything wrong with you dating. You two love each other, so, who am I to pass on judgement?" -Alya said. –"In fact, who are we to do so?" -she asked.

"She's right. I don't see anything wrong in you two dating." -Ivan declared.

"Ivan's right. This isn't the Middle Ages, and if you girls love each other, as much as Ivan and I do, there's no reason for you not to admit it to everyone." -Mylene smiled at them.

"Yeah, we came a long road since the times of the Spanish Inquisition." -Max smiled at them.

"So, what if you're dating? You girls are still the same to me, as you were before you told us that." -Sabrina smiled at them. –"There are lots of people out there who would not support you, or even respect your decision of dating each other, but I'm not one of them. And I bet everyone here isn't one of those people either." -she continued to smile at them.

"You two are our friends, and I think I speak for me, and the rest of us, when I tell you that we thank you for revealing us your secret. I'm sure this wasn't something you girls decided lightly." -Adrien smiled –"I'm proud to be your friend." -he told them both

"So am I." -Chloe smiled at them. For a long time, neither Rose nor Juleka even considered the possibility of Chloe being a true friend to them. But now, they were happy she was one of their best friends, and that she supported them.

"Me too." -Nathaniel said, as he thought about Marc. Having not seen him in school, he was wondering where he could be, he told himself that he would ask him his number the next time he talked to him.

"Make that three." -Kim said

"Four, you mean." -Alix said.

"I guess what we're all saying is that the lives of everyone in this crazy group would be less filled with joy and happiness, if you girls weren't a part of it." -Marinette told them. –"And there's no way we're going to allow you two to not be a part of such a crazy group, just because of some stupid prejudice." -she smiled at them.

"You girls make the cutest couple ever, right after Alya and me, of course." -Nino said, which earned him a couple of laughs from everyone, including Rose and Juleka.

"Yeah, you're always bragging about it." -Alya winked at him. –"Still, you do make a cute couple, and if you're happy together, I'll be happy for you as well." -she smiled.

Hearing their friends telling them all those nice things, it did not take long for both Rose and Juleka to start crying in a way they never had before. Tears quickly started to roll down their eyes. But unlike the first few tears they both did their best not to shed, these were tears they did not mind shedding. They were tears of happiness and joy. It filled their hearts to know their friends were happy for them and that not only they respected their decision, but also, that they supported it and wanted to continue to be a part of their lives. Once more, they thanked the fact of having the best friends in the world. Friends that were not just friends, but a sort of family.

"Come on, girls, don't cry, or else you're going to make me cry as well." -Mylene told them.

"S-Sorry, but it's stronger than me." -Rose told her, trying her best to stop crying

"Me too." -Juleka said. –"You guys… you are the best."

"I don't know about you, but I think you telling us this, deserves one big group hug." -Rose told them, as she tried her best to stop crying.

"Let's give them a huge bear hug, everyone." -Ivan told everyone.

And with those words, everyone gathered around Rose and Juleka, and hugged them as tight as they could, forgetting about the pain and the soreness in their bodies for just a moment. This made the girls laugh and giggle. When they broke the hug, Rose and Juleka had the biggest and brightest smile one could ever think of, on their faces.

"Thanks, everyone." -Rose smiled, as she wiped the last of her tears.

"You say you're the one who are lucky in having us in your lives, but we're the ones who are really lucky to have you in our lives." -Juleka smiled tearfully.

"Have you told your parents about this?" -Marinette asked them.

"No." -Rose and Juleka said

"You didn't?" -Alix asked them.

"The only one who knows about us is my brother Luka." -Juleka said. –"He caught us kissing one time, and well, he add two plus two." -she admitted.

"We're afraid to tell our parents the truth. And from the two of us, I'm the one who's a bit more afraid." -Rose admitted. –"My parents aren't homophobic or anything. In fact, my mom's a big supporter of gay rights… but, I don't know how she, or my dad, will react if I tell her that I'm dating Jules." -she said.

"What about you, Juleka?" -Mylene asked her.

"You guys have met my parents. They aren't the kind of people who would kick me out into the street just because I'm a lesbian, but… this isn't something easy to tell anyone." -Juleka admitted.

"Well, when you're ready, I'm sure everything will turn out fine." -Sabrina told them. –"And in the meantime, you've got us on your corner. You don't have to hide your relationship from us." -she said.

Emotions were on the edge, the good kind of edge, right then, and both Marinette and Adrien, separately felt that just like it happened with Mylene, Ivan, Rose and Juleka, it was also time for them to tell the other what really went on in their heart. In Marinette's mind, she tried to find the right way to tell Adrien how she really felt about him, while Adrien, on the other hand, tried to remember the speech he had come up with Nathalie's help for that occasion.

"This is Marinette. There's no going back." -Marinette thought to herself, determined to take it to the end. –"You're going to tell Adrien that you love him more than anything in the world, and that you don't mind fighting against that other girl you saw him with the other day, for his heart." -she thought.

"Alright, Adrien. You're going to tell Marinette just how you feel about her. And after that, you're going to give her the brooch you bought for her, with Kagami's help." -Adrien thought to himself. –"And let's hope the speech Nathalie and I came up with works. I really want to say the right words to her… I usually don't say this, but right now, I wouldn't mind having Plagg awake and telling me to stop stressing about this and that everything is going to be alright." -he thought.

But before either one could say anything, the whole gang had an unexpected visitor showing up. A visitor who was and old Chinese man wearing a red Hawaiian shirt with a white flower pattern, tan Capri pants and dark brown shoes.

"I knew I would find you all here." -Master Fu told them, as he approached them.

"Don't tell us you used one of your Jedi master tricks to find us, master?" -Kim asked him.

"Nope, I simply deduced that on a beautiful day as this one, after the battle you fought, you would find a place to rest for a bit and just enjoy each other's company." -Master Fu said. –"Which is my way to say, that I checked a couple of nearby spots, where you would probably be, before coming here." -he said in an amused tone, which earned a couple of laughs from the youngsters. –"I just wanted to tell you that you did a magnificent job today."

I bet that right now you guys are thinking of ways to kill me, aren't you? xD

I'll be honest, Marinette and Adrien are going tell one another how they feel, but not just yet. I wanted the end of this chapter to be fully focused on Ivan and Mylene, as well as Rose and Juleka. I'll admit, the hardest part to write was definitely the part where Rose and Juleka reveal their secret. I wanted the reveal to happen in a way that was neither too cliché, nor too serious. I wanted it to feel like it was something that could happen in real life, when two girls (or two boys) tell they are in love with each other to people they care about, and things turn out for the best. I don't know if I managed to so such a thing, but you'll tell me if I did, right? As for Marinette and Adrien... wait until the next chapter, because I can promise you, it will be beautiful.

As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this fic, and its following sequels, people. See you on the next chapter.