Man, everything had just been all over the place for me for these past few days...a ton of work one day then just a little the next, then some other mishaps start up...life's busy you know? But I always try to make time to do things like continuing on with this story :) So anyways, left a bit of a bombshell last Chapter, but things are still heating up, there's a lot of stuff I have planned that you guys will definitely love me and hate me for (the hate is for when I make a cliffhanger XD). :D

So, I heard the recent news (as of posting this Chapter) that the origins episodes will be airing next week, but I'm going to try and see how long I can go without seeing it until the French dub comes out, because to be honest I'd rather see the season finale in the French dub because for some reason I just like it that way *shrugs* Also to those of you who didn't know, I am serious, and for your own safety I'm not saying anything else on this and moving on with the chapter.

Enjoy Chapter 16 of Revelations! ^^

Miraculous Ladybug (C) Thomas Astruc/ Zagtoon

Chapter 16 – Sudden Panic

Adrien had no idea what reaction he was supposed to be giving, but then he felt the rush of confusion as he looked around to see so many eyes staring at him, as well as Nino asking him a thousand questions at once.

"You love Ladybug!? How long have you been together? Why didn't you tell me? Why do you meet up secretly? Does Cat Noir know about this? Why did you-" Nino asked, before being cut off by Adrien.

The confused blonde teen raised a hand in indication that he wanted his friend to stop. "Hey, stop. I have no idea what's going on and I don't know who took that...photo..." He trailed off, realising it could more than likely have been his photographer. "Damn it, I should've known!" He said, mentally scolding himself for being so blind to his surroundings.

He didn't say anything about the topic after that, his expression remained tense and annoyed, Nino grew worried for his best friend and was extremely curious as to why Adrien was seen kissing Ladybug, he had no idea about any of this and he wanted to know more, but he could see that Adrien was in no mood to talk about it, so he kept it to himself.

Meanwhile, Alya had been keeping her distance close with Marinette for a majority of the school day so far, all in the meanwhile Marinette was constantly looking down at Adrien and could really tell that he was feeling the similar emotions that she was feeling at that moment, she wished she could talk to him, because it was she that Adrien kissed, and she felt like she should talk to him about it. But she knew that she'd only make Adrien more confused as to why she was involved, she wished there was a simple way around all of this, but now it only seemed that things were getting worse.

The class was half empty, neither Chloe or Sabrina were seen in sight, Adrien and Marinette knew the obvious reason why but sincerely hoped that they wouldn't be akumatised for something like this, but unlike Marinette, Adrien had his high doubts weigh that possibility down to an incredibly likely state. He sighed at the thought.

All during class, neither Marinette nor Adrien could properly focus on their work, they wanted to talk to each other, Marinette wanted to talk to Adrien while Adrien wanted to talk to Ladybug. Marinette didn't want to turn up as Ladybug again to risk anything, and now she grew worried that Adrien wouldn't like her alter ego anymore because of this incident, regardless of the fact that it wasn't her fault. Although she knew Adrien to always be nice, her fears overwhelmed what she had left of positive emotion and made her think that Adrien would not hate Ladybug because of that.

It made her tremble as a few tears escaped her eyes, she didn't want to lose Adrien this way, and she loved him. She shared a kiss with him that she'll never forget, she didn't want him to hate her over something like this, but her fear was giving her high confirmation that Adrien would blame her for everything and never see her again, regardless of the fact that it was their first official meeting.

The two remained silent for the rest of the class, pressuring themselves as hard as they could to not think about it and focus on their work, and their best friends could see the struggle in their expression. Nino and Alya wanted to help them but they didn't know how.

It wasn't long later that break had arrived, still not a word out of Adrien's mouth about the photo, both he and Nino went to their lockers while other students proceeded to theirs. While during this time, Marinette told Alya to give her a minute before she started to sulk to herself of the possibility of Adrien blaming her for the photo upload.

Tikki flew out from her purse, making suggestions on what to do as Marinette mumbled a few words underneath her breath. She sighed as she pat the top of Marinette's head in support, not liking to see Marinette like this, it made her feel guilty and upset also.

"Okay look, how about you don't see Adrien as Ladybug anymore? You could get to know more of him as Marinette." Tikki suggested with a small smile. "And remember, you're still Ladybug, with or without the costume."Marinette's kwami assured her, landing on the desk that Marinette was sulking on.

The navy haired teen sniffled before she looked up at her red and black polka dotted kwami, she sighed as she looked down back at the table where she had been sulking. "I know...but how do I make him see that! There's no point now anyway, he probably doesn't like Ladybug that way anymore after that's happened..." Marinette admitted, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she felt more tears from her eyes emerging.

Marinette had more confidence in Adrien not liking Ladybug anymore, all she wanted to do then and now was to talk everything out with Adrien. She didn't like holding it all in to the point where it would explode. She would tell him everything on the spot, and give him a moment to recover from the shocking news before continuing on. But she feared things would take a wrong turn, she was in the deep end of struggling.

She looked over at Adrien who seemed to be mentally butchered by Nino's constant questions that he was too eager to ask, the only thing Adrien wanted was for all of this commotion to go away, he didn't want to remember his first kiss with Ladybug like this. With kind but slightly annoyed words, he excused his best friend to take a walk around the courtyard.

He wanted to think all of this through, there was a wide eyed expression printed on his face now that when he was either Cat Noir or himself he was doomed, people would come up to him either way to ask questions regarding the kiss. Adrien loved this kiss more than anything; he loved it just as much as him reuniting with his long lost mother. But now with this photo being talked about everywhere he felt like it was going to turn into a negative thought and he would have to forget about it.

That was when he thought about Ladybug, what would she think about it? He was glad she didn't know who he really was behind the mask, but it worried himself that Ladybug wouldn't be open to talk about something like that, and when he thought about it more in depth, he realised he wouldn't know what to say to Ladybug either, because unknown to her was that she actually kissed her partner in crime Cat Noir.

Adrien walked past Marinette who was waiting for Alya to return from the bathroom, he looked at her, then felt the sting of a thousand knives as he realised that she may have known about the photo too and was now even more upset than she was before. He hated that he hurt his friend, he knew that she liked him back but he didn't see Marinette that way the way he saw Ladybug. Thinking about those piercing thoughts Marinette was probably having, he decided to comfort her while Alya was absent.

"Hey Marinette..." Adrien spoke softly as he approached her.

The navy haired teen jumped in surprise of the sound of his voice, her eyes widened as her body stiffened, seeing the boy that she kissed from the day before. No expression was printed more finely than shyness, cheeks reddened as her eyes focused on his concerned face as he sat next to her.

She had no idea how to feel now that the guy that she had kissed was right next to him and he didn't even know that. She really wanted to tell him, but she wanted the timing to be right. Telling him in a place like this didn't seem right to her out in the open. Before she could say a word, he spoke up first.

"You've probably heard what's going on..." He said, trying to seem confident about it, but was struggling.

Looking up at Marinette for a response, he sighed as he ruffled his hair a little. Marinette silently nodded while her body remained stiff from the overwhelming ache of seeing the love of her life that she kissed sitting right next to her. The desperate need to tell him who she really was like a thousand knives piercing her skin.

Adrien looked back down, his expression moulded into a saddened one as he played around with his fingers. "I'm sorry you had to see that, I know how much that could have affected you..." He said sincerely, looking up at her with a sympathetic expression.

Marinette had little to no sadness about the situation as he assumed she did, she was in fact feeling the exact same emotions he was. She was sorry that he had to see that, she felt embarrassed, confused and annoyed. She was more like him than he thought, but unfortunately she remained silent about, too worried that if she spoke a word would slip out about her being the girl he kissed from yesterday.

There was a small moment of silence, Adrien patiently waited for a response, hoping that even though he knew how much this would have upset Marinette she would still respond. He was about to get up and leave when Marinette moved a little closer, feeling like she was taking a big risk.

"It did affect me...but not in the way you think."

She felt her heart pounding out of her chest; if Tikki could do anything she would be pulling Marinette out of this situation. She kept her eyes focused on Adrien's response, biting her lip anxiously in impatience.

Adrien lifted his head, confused and surprised Marinette was feeling this way. Although he did not know the full extent of how Marinette felt about certain things, he knew that when it came to him he could tell in her eyes that he meant a lot to her, in spite of seeing all those posters of him in her room, giving off a fan girlish vibe. He couldn't see any visible tears or redness in her face, only a normal everyday expression, showing some surprise to the situation but nothing else as Marinette fought hard to keep most of her emotions locked away.

"What do you mean?" He asked, straightening his posture as he turned his body towards her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she had quickly realised how she didn't see that question coming until it was asked to her, she thought quick and hard, not wanting to keep Adrien on his toes too long. She kept her eyes focused on the ground so she could think of a clear answer; however she could feel the sting of a pair of emerald eyes watching her, waiting for a response.

Marinette took in a deep breath, hoping she could say the right words without revealing anything to him. "I...I am upset about this...but n-not in the way you think." She began to explain, feeling her shy stuttering self coming back into play after its mysterious absence. "I'm more shocked and worried about you..." She admitted, looking away from his face as a tint of pink crept against her cheeks.

It now made more sense to Adrien, but he still couldn't understand why she wasn't as upset about it as he thought. He began to think more clearly about it and could see why she wasn't as upset as he had assumed. Adrien had already told her who he's in love with, and up until yesterday she had time to process that. While he was thinking, he had his eyes looking down in thought while in the corner of his eye he could see Marinette looking towards him slightly, seeming insecure as she had her arms across her chest.

"Oh..." He responded, relieved to see that she was alright, before he took into account the rest of what she said to him, making him adore how loving she was. "Thanks Marinette, I'm glad to have someone like you as a good friend." He complimented with a smile, before touching her hand accidentally, causing the two of them to jump and blush in embarrassment.

"Sorry..." Marinette said, ending with a slight giggle as the blush remained present on her cheeks.

Adrien scratched the back of his head nervously before he returned to his calmer state and looked at Marinette, it was uncanny that she and Ladybug shared the same sparkling eyes; they were almost like two spiralling worlds that turned into galaxies the further someone looked into them. Adrien lifted his smile more and gently wrapped his arms around Marinette, thankful to see there was someone here that was looking out for him.

"Thanks Marinette, I'm glad you're here for me. But don't worry, I'll feel better in time." He assured her while they were embraced.

Marinette remained frozen in place, the pounding of her heart was literally felt against Adrien's chest, he could tell how surprised she was by the sudden embrace, and he chuckled silently at the thought before he unwrapped his arms and looked at Marinette in the eyes one last time with an adoring smile.

"Thanks again." He said, before he got up from the bench and left.

The confidence within Marinette was beginning to grow she smiled in thought that her words sounded much clearer than before, and although she still stuttered around him, it wasn't as frequent for some reason, she felt like him knowing of her feelings had something to do with that. She kept this on her mind up until Alya returned, asking if she was alright.

Marinette nodded in reply with a small smile. "He did come up to me." She admitted.

Alya immediately grew tense and worried that something bad happened while she was in the bathroom, that was when she gripped Marinette's upper arms and gave a serious expression. "He didn't say anything bad to you, did he?" She asked, still having slight distrust in Adrien.

A small chuckle emitted from Marinette's mouth, seeming like it wasn't something to take seriously. "No, nothing like that, I assure you." She said, brushing Alya's firmly gripped hands off her arms. "He apologised to me about it, and I'm okay with it." She explained, before realising who she said the last part to.

"Wait what? You're okay with it? But you haven't said anything about it until now!" Alya exclaimed.

Marinette admitted that all morning she had been keeping it hidden inside because she didn't know how to feel about it since it was her that kissed Adrien in the photo but at the same time it wasn't her, she was slowly starting to feel more comfortable about it, however what she was really doing was keeping the worry, embarrassment and anxiety locked away until she had time to herself to let it all out. She had no choice but to remain positive, and seeing how happy she just made Adrien about being there for him made her feel more relaxed about the situation.

"I know, but I made him feel better about it. He even hugged me in thanks." She implied, gesturing over to Adrien who was now with Nino, causally talking to him.

Alya had so many burning questions her mind was going to explode; she was filled with confusion and excitement from Marinette's words. "He hugged you? What's his game?" She asked, crossing her arms before raising an eyebrow over at Adrien, thinking about the signals he was giving off to Marinette. "If he has feelings for Ladybug then why is he being so close to you?"

Marinette hadn't really thought about it until now, it was true that Adrien gave off mixed signals to her about him truly having feelings for her or not. But every time he said he saw her as a friend only made her think that he saw her as a really good friend. She did feel saddened about him considering her that way, but she also felt conflicted that he had feelings for her alter ego. However with all those negative emotions, she felt happy that she made him feel better about himself, it made her sigh in relief.

Not long later, the bell for class had rung. Everyone had proceeded to their lockers to grab their things for class, Marinette and Alya made their way to their lockers before something caught the corner of Marinette's eyes. She stopped in her tracks and turned, she saw a deep purple coloured butterfly flying about. Her instant thought was that Hawkmoth was back in action and someone was having extreme feelings of revenge and anger.

That was until she saw more of them follow behind, her lips parted in a gasp as she saw the swarm of butterflies fly through the school, and then eventually making their way to the locker rooms. Marinette panicked, feeling like they were coming straight for the first person to akumatise, regardless of their state of emotion. She knew that this was a very bad situation, and she had enough confirmation from the dark coloured appearance of the butterflies that they were indeed akumas, Marinette felt the rise of panic within her, she had to tell Alya about it as soon as possible.

Marinette rushed over to Alya, pulling at her arm in immediate attention. "Alya!" She cried. "Quick, we need to get everyone out of here!" She exclaimed in a whisper, as her friend showed no serious expression.

Her best friend chuckled as she continued to grab her books. "Hey I know there's a big test today but no need to make that big of a deal about it."

Just then Marinette saw the akumas fly into the locker room, no one seeming to take notice of the dark butterflies flying around and aiming themselves at the students. Marinette quickly pulled Alya down as she turned her head around the corner of the locker row to see that some of the akumas were already akumatising some of the students. This was not going to end well, Marinette thought.

"What's going on?" Alya asked.

Marinette turned back to her friend, holding a serious expression. "There's akumas everywhere! And we need to be extremely careful because it looks like they're going for anyone regardless of what emotional state they're in!" She exclaimed, before turning her head back to the scene again, waiting for a clear shot out the door.

Before she found an opening, she felt a tight grip on her wrist. Marinette turned to see that Alya had been akumatised and was now Lady Wi-Fi again. Marinette panicked, not wanting to get akumatised herself, she pushed her friend away and ran straight for the door, but tripped on her way there, then seeing an akuma heading straight for her.

"Marinette, look out!" A voice cried before they yanked her to her feet.

Marinette turned to see Adrien with her; he tightly gripped her hand before the two of them started to run away from the akuma infested locker room, seeing that there were way too many people being possessed by Hawkmoth all at once. Both Adrien and Marinette had to get to a safe place to transform and figure out exactly what was going on.

Okay I know it may not be a power that Hawkmoth possess, but let's just keep it canon in this story. I know he can akumatise more than one victim a day but I don't really think he can just release all his akumas to infect anyone. So, we're getting leg deep into this story! I feel some big things happening in these next few Chapters. Stay hyped for more around the episode 20 of MB release day (Sunday)! ;)