Dozens of camera lenses and microphones pointed at Chat Noir as he stepped up to the podium and adjusted the microphone, raising it up. Although the devices would be doing nothing more than taking pictures and recording his words, they felt like guns to Chat, ready to take him down if he made a mistake. With trembling hands, he propped the page that contained his speech up in front of him. There hadn't been enough time for him to memorize it, but he knew it well enough to be able to look up most of the time. The superhero glanced at his partner, who was standing a few meters to his left. She smiled at him, that warm Ladybug smile that went right to her eyes. It gave him courage, and he turned back to the waiting media. Clearing his throat, Chat Noir began.
"People of Paris," he said, gazing into the cameras. "This is a press conference regarding the events of last night, which I'm sure you now know of. I will begin with an explanation, as there is no one available to speak who know as much about it as I do. On Wednesday morning, I left my house as Chat Noir, with the intention of going out to clear my thoughts. I stopped on a rooftop and felt something hit my back with force. Next thing I knew, there was a voice in my head, and I had to listen to it. The voice told me that if I gave him my Miraculous and Ladybug's, I would have the power to change what was bothering me. I agreed and fell under Hawkmoth's control. It's a little blurry, but I remember most of what I did. After being akumatized, I wandered around Paris for hours, plotting. When night fell, I went to the Francios-Dupont College Dance. I went in and began to use my power on students. Ladybug caught up to me, and we continued to…"
Chat Noir continued recounting the events until he had reached the end. "And now that I have explained what happened, I want to apologize. To everyone in Paris, for the damage I caused in our beautiful city, and the fear I gave people. To the students at Francois-Dupont, for ruining your special night, and especially to the students who I caused physical harm to. What I did to some of you will haunt me forever, even if you don't remember it. To Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng and the patrons of their bakery, I apologize for ruining your evening and for almost destroying both your home and your bakery. To Mayor Bourgeois, for giving me the opportunity to apologize. And finally, to Ladybug, for abandoning her and giving her a near-impossible task. I am sorry, Parisians. Whether you forgive me or not is your decision, but always know that there is no one who regrets my actions more than I do."
He stepped back from the podium and looked at Ladybug, who smiled reassuringly. "You did great," she whispered, which thankfully wasn't picked up by the microphone. She stepped forward to say her piece.
"Parisians, this is just one of the many obstacles that Hawkmoth throws at us. We will continue to fight him, and one day, we will defeat him. No matter what comes between us, Chat Noir and I will always do everything in our power to protect you. Thank you, and remember to keep your heads up." Ladybug brushed her pigtail over her shoulder and stepped down from the podium.
The Mayor hurried to replace her, giving the journalists a hasty grin. "Ah, yes, yes. Thank you to Ladybug and Chat Noir for being here today. I'm sure your words have cleared up a lot of speculation. Now, I know you're busy people, saving the city and all that, so feel free to go."
Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each and nodded simultaneously. "Thank you again for this opportunity, sir," Ladybug told him. "Goodbye!" She pulled her yo-yo from around her hip and swung away, waving briefly at the cameras as she zipped off. Chat Noir, too, said his goodbyes and propelled himself after Ladybug. Unlike his partner, he didn't glance at the cameras.
They rendezvoused on top of the school, both checking the time on their weapons as soon as they landed. They both groaned. An hour to get ready for school. Both of them had secretly been hoping that they had enough time to catch a few z's before school started, but unfortunately, they couldn't. Ladybug sighed, fully aware that she would probably be snoring in more than one of her classes today. She swayed on the spot, her head finding Chat Noir's shoulder. They both sank to the ground, eyes slowly closing as they leaned against each other. Ladybug could feel Chat drifting off into dreamland, and she knew she wasn't far from the same fate. As much as she would have loved a sleep, and as comforting as Chat's warmth was, she knew they couldn't stay here. It wasn't exactly a private place, and anyone with a phone could snap a picture of them, and rumours would fly like a bunch of deranged seagulls after a packet of chips.
With effort, Ladybug got to her feet and pulled her partner up too. "We can't do this," she told him. "School starts in an hour."
Chat groaned. "Ugghhh. Fine. I'll see you there." He stretched his arms and yawned, then pulled out his baton, preparing to leave. Ladybug watched him walk to the edge of the rooftop until a sudden impulse struck her and she rushed forward. "Chat, wait!" she cried.
He turned, looking surprised. "Ladyb-" he started to say before she crushed him in a hug. "Ooft," he said.
Ladybug squeezed him tightly. "I'm proud of you," she whispered, and felt him smile. They held each other for a few seconds more, before leaving for their own homes.
Neither of them had seen the girl on the pavement snapping a photo of them as they embraced.
MLBMLBMLB
Marinette practically dived into the shower the moment she detransformed. She felt like she needed to scrub away all of the morning's events and start the day fresh. Not that the press conference had gone badly, it was just that Marinette felt like she needed to start over. She wouldn't mind holding onto one memory from the day, though. She smiled as she recalled her hug on the rooftop with her partner. They'd said they would take the relationship slowly, and Marinette didn't mind that. Their hug had felt like something between two partners, who might one day be something more than that. It had been….comfortable.
Ten minutes later, Marinette sat in front of her vanity, blow-drying her hair in preparation to style it into her trademark pigtails. With her free hand, she checked the news on her phone, just as an alert popped up on the screen, letting her know that the Ladyblog had been updated. Butterflies began to unfurl their delicate wings in Marinette's stomach as she entered the website. As she had expected, two or three segments about last night. As she always did, Marinette tapped on the refresh button, just to make sure she was seeing everything. A new piece popped up, and Marinette nearly dropped her phone.
A slightly grainy image, obviously taken with a mobile phone, took up her screen. It showed the top of a familiar-looking building in the dawn light. A figure of some sort was visible on top of the building. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Marinette zoomed in, as the picture's caption urged her to.
Chat Noir, his tail curling behind him, had his arms wrapped around a smaller, slimmer figure in red, who was hugging him back. Herself and her partner's special moment had been captured on camera by Marinette's best friend, who was no doubt over the moon with the picture. Her stomach feeling like it was filled with rocks, Marinette began to read the article.
PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: As I was making my way back from the press conference, I happened to see something on the rooftop of a school. I managed to snap this shot of none other than Ladybug and Chat Noir. Is there something in the air for our two superheroes? We think so!
Marinette groaned and put her head in her hands. Great. Now rumours would be flying everywhere, all centered around her and Chat's supposed 'romance'. Yes, they both loved each other, but there was nothing official, and Marinette would have preferred if they could figure out their relationship without the media getting in the way. Now there would be requests for interviews everywhere they went. The only good thing about all this is that it would take a lot of the attention away from last night's events, but it was still going to be absolutely exhausting. With a sigh, Marinette turned off her phone and her hair-dryer, tied her hair into two pigtails and headed downstairs.
She really needed a chocolate croissant.
MLBMLBMLB
Adrien was used to hearing rumours about himself. Gossip magazines simply couldn't get enough of him and were always speculating who Adrien was dating. He couldn't be seen with a girl without the media jumping on it. Being Chat Noir was no different. It was hard to look discreet when he was transformed, and so all it took was a quick photo for rumours to start spreading like a bushfire.
He was hardly surprised when he approached Alya and immediately had her phone shoved in his face.
"Look!" she cried, bouncing on her toes excitedly. "It's Ladybug and Chat Noir!"
Adrien squinted at the photo and deflated like an old balloon. He should have realized that someone would take a photo of them. After years of being a celebrity, Adrien knew that you should never believe that no one was going to photograph you if you were in a public place. Just because you couldn't see the cameras didn't mean they weren't there.
But he'd hoped that maybe, just maybe, the moment could stay private between Marinette and himself. It was special, after all. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked out that way.
Alya was still bouncing around like a hyperactive child in a lolly shop. "Do you think they're dating?" she asked, eyes huge. "I mean, I know they're only hugging, but still! I ship it!"
Adrien shrugged. "Well, it looks like a supportive hug. They're partners, right? Maybe Chat Noir was feeling nervous about that speech. Maybe she's proud of him. Who knows?"
Alya stopped bouncing to consider Adrien's words. "True," she said thoughtfully. "But then again, they seemed like they were leaving, and then Ladybug yelled something and ran at him."
"Maybe something bad happened." The blonde model was beginning to tire of the topic. He was still annoyed that his private moment had been made public. He looked around for Marinette but saw no sign of the dark-haired girl, which wasn't unusual. Knowing Marinette, she'd probably fallen back asleep. Adrien smiled at the thought of it, then pulled out his phone. Should he call her?
No, he decided. If she wasn't here by the end of the first class, then he would. But not now.
MLBMLBMLB
It's a little shorter than usual, but I'm honestly stuck on how to finish this, and I haven't updated in a while, so I'm just going to post it. This fic is finishing up now because I really don't think I can continue it for much longer. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!