Marinette pressed her fingernails into her palm, feeling pinpricks of pain as her nails dug into old sores. It was a habit that she'd had for years, and although Marinette knew that she ought to quit, she just couldn't. The slight pain distracted her, and so she continued.

The clock above Ms. Bustier's head ticked on, and Marinette's blue eyes followed the second hand as it travelled. She knew she should have been paying attention to her teacher, as Ms. Bustier was talking about the Valentine's Dance, but she simply couldn't. Her stomach felt like it would explode with nerves, as though every akuma she'd every purified was fluttering around inside her.

"Marinette? Do you have anything to add?" Ms. Bustier's voice crashed through the girl's thoughts.

Marinette gulped and tried to smile at her teacher. "Um, no?"

The teacher studied her for a second. "Are you sure? As our resident fashion designer, I'd have thought you might have some advice."

"Uhhh…" Marinette glanced around wildly. "I think I might have misheard your first question, miss. Could you please repeat it?"

Ms. Bustier nodded. "Yes, of course. Do you have anything to add about the addition to the evening's dress code, the masks?"

"Oh! Right. Um, I guess don't go too overboard, the masks are meant to cover just half of your face. They're not compulsory, it's just a fun addition, so if you don't have one, don't panic…" Marinette trailed off as realization struck her. She didn't have a mask. "Uh, yeah, that's it," she finished, trying not to panic. How was she meant to get a mask by Wednesday?

"Very well. Alya, you are part of the committee too, yes?"

"Yes, miss."

"Anything to add?"

Alya cleared her throat and straightened her glasses. "Um, yeah. I contacted Ladybug and Chat Noir via my blog, but I haven't actually spoken to them about it. So that's kind of hanging in the air at the moment, but at this stage, I doubt they'll come." She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you guys. But I promise to try and get in touch with them."

Marinette patted her friend's hand, who looked upset. "Don't worry, Alya. I'm sure we'll work something out."

Alya smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.

Up the front, Ms. Bustier kept talking. "Although Ladybug and Chat Noir may not be in attendance, there is no reason that you shouldn't. I'm well aware that this is considered a 'couples' dance, but that cannot be further from the truth. Anyone and everyone can attend, partner or not. And I will be very disappointed if I hear of any teasing or unkindness at the event." Her eyes lingered on Chloe, who simply sniffed and flipped her ponytail. "Understand?"

The class nodded and chorused "Yes, miss." Their auburn-haired teacher smiled at them, her sunny nature returning. "Excellent. Now, you may begin to pack up, but please don't leave the room until the bell goes." She moved to her desk, and the classroom began to buzz with chatter.

Alya turned to Marinette, frowning. "Do you have a mask, girl?" she asked. "I didn't see one when I was at your house."

"Oh...yes, I've got it all under control," said Marinette with a beam.

"Great! So you're all set," chirped the blogger.

Marinette grinned awkwardly. "Uh-huh, totally!"

Alya yawned. "Well, I'll be busy tracking down a pair of superheroes. It's gonna be a rush to finish everything….homework, my dress and mask, today's Ladyblog update…."

"Haven't you gotten your outfit ready yet?" Marinette felt a flash of concern for her friend.

Alya simply shrugged. "I was planning to drop by a second-hand store or borrow something from Mama. But I have got my mask," she added hastily, seeing her friend's open mouth.

Marinette slowly shook her head, closing her mouth. "Alya, this is bad."

Alya bit her lip. "You think so?"

Marinette nodded furiously. "Of course! It's a good idea, going to a thrift store, but the ones in this area don't have a lot in terms of formal dresses. You'd have to go to the ones on the other side of the city."

Alya went pale. "I can't do that! None of Ladybug and Chat Noir's usual places are in that area!"

Marinette put her hand on her best friend's shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Calm down, Alya," she soothed. "Do you want me to pick out a dress for you? I could head down there after this thing I've got…"

Alya's face lit up. "Really? Would you do that? Thanks, Marinette!" She crushed the bluenette in a hug.

Marinette laughed, patting the blogger's back. "I'm happy to do it. But I'll need a photo of your mask, and I'll probably text you quite a bit to get your opinion. Would you mind?"

"Not at all. You're the best, M."

Marinette shrugged. "I owe you for helping me out so much on the weekend."

"What are friends for?"

The bell trilled suddenly, earning whoops from some of the girls' classmates. People began to stream towards the door, and Alya joined the flow, waving at Marinette. "I'll see you later, girl! Love you!" She slipped out the door and was gone.

Marinette hiked her bag up onto her shoulder and smoothed her jacket. With a quick glance at her phone, she determined that she had about twenty-five minutes before she needed to transform. That gave her enough time to give her dress a once-over, and research some ideas for Alya's dress. She was thinking of a kind of burnt-orangey colour but wanted to have a definite idea of what colour she wanted. She also needed to know what Alya's mask looked like. The girl fired off a quick text to her friend, before stowing her phone in her pocket and leaving the room.

MLBMLBMLB

Chat Noir paced outside Master Fu's. Ladybug was due in another minute, but he'd been there for at least ten, just walking up and down the rooftops. He'd gotten a few strange looks from people, but not too many, as it wasn't a busy place.

He was so confused, a congealed mess of emotions. Hurt and angry at Ladybug, because she was just so stubborn about her identity. Anger at himself, for taking his father's commands so meekly. If he'd been smarter or stronger, he would have told his father that he did not want to go to the dance with Chloe. Angry and upset that his beautifully thought-out plan had failed, and come to this horrible situation. Mostly, he was just angry.

There was a slight thud behind him, and Chat Noir turned, knowing exactly what to expect. Ladybug stood there, eyes downcast, nervously wrapping the string of her yo-yo around her gloved fingers.

Chat nodded to her. "Good afternoon, my la-" He caught himself just in time, remembering bitterly that his partner had no interest in being his lady.

Ladybug looked stung. She brushed at her fringe and tucked her yo-yo away. "So, um, how have you been?" Her voice wobbled slightly.

Chat said nothing, just jumped off the building and strode purposefully over to Master Fu's place, not once glancing back. He marched into the main room, startling the old man and his kwami, who squeaked and attempted to hide behind his master.

Master Fu got to his feet, setting down his cup of tea. "Ah, Chat Noir. I see you got Tikki's message. Is Ladyb-"

Chat Noir's partner appeared beside him. She put her hands on her hips, and Chat had to force himself not to stare at the curve of her waist. Stop it, Chat, he scolded himself. It's never gonna happen. She made that clear.

Ladybug glared at him, her bright eyes contrasting beautifully with the red of her mask. "Nice conversation, Chat Noir. Really pleasant."

The leather-clad hero glared right back at her. "Yeah, well, at least Paris' safety is more important to me than my secret identity," he snapped.

Ladybug's jaw dropped, then her eyes blazed. "How dare you? You have no idea what I'm going through right now, you self-centered alley cat. And from what I've heard, it's your fault!"

"Oh yeah? Well, at least I have a sense of duty, unlike you!" Chat shot back. "You never showed up for patrol on Friday!" He knew that this was way more extreme than their usual banter, but couldn't stop himself.

Ladybug's face flamed red. "You- you bloody hypocrite! Neither did you!"

Chat opened his mouth to make a withering retort but was cut off by Master Fu, who stepped in between the two fuming heroes. "Silence, both of you!" he yelled. "You're arguing like toddlers. Accusations and insults will get us nowhere. Now, please take a seat."

Ladybug marched to the center of the room and knelt, refusing to look at her partner. Chat Noir took his place, as far away from Ladybug as possible. Master Fu rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Sit near each other and be civil. Surely you can do that."

Reluctantly, Chat shifted closer to the old man and the young girl. Master Fu nodded. "Very well. Now, the last time you were here, I introduced the idea of the two of you revealing your civilian forms to each other." He considered his next words carefully. "One of you was, ah, opposed to this."

Chat shot Ladybug a glare. She ignored him.

"But Ladybug's kwami, Tikki, visited me yesterday. Apparently, Ladybug regretted her decision."

Chat was thunderstruck. Had he heard the old man correctly?

"So I organized this, to give the pair of you another chance. This is, of course, the best way to prevent either of you being akumatized. Although it may take a while to get used to it, and one of you may come out of it with some significant bruises, I assure you it will be for the best."

"'Significant bruising'?" repeated Chat suspiciously. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Fu winced. "Once the depth of the issues comes to light, one of you may become rather… frustrated."

"Who?" demanded Ladybug. But Master Fu shook his head.

"I cannot say yet. Now, Ladybug...do you wish to go through with this?"

Ladybug closed her eyes and thought long and hard. Contrary to what Cat had said, she did care about Paris' safety. More so than she cared about Chat knowing her identity.

Opening her eyes, she answered Fu's question. "Yes."

"Chat Noir?"

To Ladybug's surprise, Chat, too, took a few moments to think. "I suppose," he finally replied, although Ladybug could see the joy in his eyes.

Fu clapped his wrinkled hands. "Excellent!"

Ladybug raised her hand. "Uh, excuse me, Master Fu?"

"Yes, Ladybug?"

She fiddled with her ribbons. "I kind of have to be somewhere. It's really important… how long will the reveal take?"

Master Fu shrugged. "It is hard to say. The transformation drop, of course, will be quick. But the preparation, the processing, and the conversation could take up to an hour."

Ladybug flinched. "An hour?"

"Yes. Do you have that long?"

"No way. I'm on a strict schedule." She pulled out her yo-yo and checked the time, yelping as she did so. "And I'm already behind! Can we do this another time? Please?" she begged. "I really, really have to go."

Master Fu sighed. "Very well. It must be soon. Tomorrow, same time, same place?"

"That suits me," replied Ladybug.

"And me," added Chat.

"Great!" said Ladybug happily. She waved goodbye and ran out the door. "Bug out!"

MLBMLBMLB

"Alya, it's honestly perfect. It's a bit drab at the moment, but give me until Wednesday morning and it'll be better, I promise." Marinette pushed open the front entrance to the bakery, swinging a plastic bag on her arm. The bluenette mouthed a greeting to her parents as she walked around the back, who were serving the last few customers. "Seriously, it was no trouble. At least now I'll be able to rest easy," joked Marinette, heading upstairs to the apartment. She listened to her friend for a few moments. "Of course. Love you, bye!" She hung up, now standing in her bedroom. Marinette flopped back onto her desk chair and logged into her computer. She was greeted by the glow of a familiar website, run by a certain flannel-wearing classmate. Marinette clapped her hand over her mouth as she read the latest post.

She'd completely forgotten that she was invited to the dance as Ladybug- and Marinette.

What was she going to do now?

Hi, guys...we're back on schedule and finally getting to the juicy parts! Sorry for the slight cliffhanger (hehehehe), and thanks again for your support!