Hey guys!
So, recently we reached 3,000 views (WHAT!) and over 30+ followers. In celebration, I contribute this LadyNoir chapter and if I made any mistakes, I apologize. I was rushed into making this chapter, I was so excited :D
Thanks for reading!
xoxox
"To study or not to study?" wondered Marinette as she glanced at the textbook, then wistfully to her sketchbook. "Well, you don't want to bomb the test like you did last time," reminded Tikki. Marinette sighed. "I guess you're right… but doing these problems suck," she grumbled. "I'd save the world any day, any time." Tikki giggled. "Is it because you're with Cat Noiiiir?"
Marinette groaned louder. "Don't remind me."
She hadn't gotten any farther about her investigation between Cat Noir and Adrien, in fact, she hadn't gotten any tips that tipped the balance. "It's getting so frustrating," she complained to Tikki. "How am I supposed to act while I'm Ladybug? And if he does turn out to be Adrien, I can't act like an idiot." Tikki thought for a minute. "Well, Cat Noir likes you, right?"
"He likes Ladybug," she reminded. "Exactly, so you don't have to worry about a thing! It doesn't matter if he's Adrien or not, he likes you. And that's that," said Tikki brightly. Marinette smiled softly. "Thanks, Tikki. Now the only remaining problem is that I have to tackle cross-squaring and equations. Ugh."
Just when she reached for her pencil, her phone rang. "Alya saves the day!" she cheered while tapping the Answer button. "Hello? Alya? What is it this time?"
"Alya?" voiced a very confused, very familiar male voice.
She let out a huge gasp. "A-Adrien?!" she spluttered. "Yeah, sorry. This is Alya's phone, right? She wanted me to relay the message that she's expecting a cut scene for her Ladyblog? Yeah. Anyway, she said something about you pulling in a favor for a live speech for her blog." Marinette smacked her forehead. "Yeah, just a second," she said cheerily.
She put her hand over the speaking part of her phone and cursed, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" How could she had forgotten? Alya had been depending on her to give a speech to post on her blog… "Argh!"
She plastered on her best cheery voice. "Hello, Adrien?" "Yep?" He answered immediately. Shoot. "Uh… can you tell Alya that I'm really really sorry, but Ladybug was too busy for a speech?" Way to go, idiot. "Oh, that's fine. I guess that Ladybug's really busy in real life, huh?"
Marinette laughed nervously. "Yep, that's her. Anyway, thanks for dropping by, I mean thanks for stopping by, I mean- argh! Thanks for calling. Bye!" As soon as the click indicating that the call had stopped sounded, she grabbed a pillow and smacked her head in it. "I'm such an idiot, Tikki!" she moaned. Tikki tinkled out a laugh. "It's okay Marinette, it's just your nature," she said brightly.
Marinette smiled sadly. "Leading Paris and a double life is so hard… and the horror," she said, glaring at the damned textbook. Tikki giggled. "Well, get cracking!"
Several hours later, Marinette stretched and groaned. "Solving these problems was such a pain," she moaned. Tikki fluttered in front of her face. "But you finished it, and that's all that counts."
Marinette smiled a little, then sat right up, bonking straight into Tikki. "Ouch!" the little kwami complained.
Ignoring her, Marinette headed straight for the computer in her room. "I completely forgot to check if there's any akuma attacks this week!" She groaned. "Why am I so forgetful? Ughh."
Her hands flew across the keyboard as the news popped up. She frowned. "Strange, no incidents or akumatized villains… don't you think there's something wrong?" she said to Tikki. Tikki blinked. "Well, isn't that a good thing? Even if there was an akumatized attack, we would've known it by now."
"True…"
Marinette suddenly stood up. "Tikki, I need to transform." Tikki blinked. "Why?"
"I need to check out might be some trouble that the news didn't see yet. Yo-yo is the fastest form of transportation, right?" Tikki giggled. "Of course."
"Tikki, spots on!"
Minutes later, she was bounding across the darkening streets of Paris.
Adrien saw her.
"There's your bride-to-be!" snickered Plagg. Adrien almost hit him in embarrassment. "Cut it out, Plagg!"
"Plagg, claws out!"
Soon, his costume was stretched over tight as he tugged his tail. "Time to see my beautiful lady," he muttered, a huge smile on his face.
And he found her, no problem. She was staring at the fading horizon line, the darkened sky already peppered with stars. "Nice to see you, milady." She startled in mild surprise. "Oh. Nice to see you too, Cat Noir."
He let out a breath as he plopped down right at her feet. "So, what are you doing here, my lady?" She kept staring at the beautiful sky. "Ladybug?" She startled. "Huh? Oh, Cat Noir. Sorry, just… thinking." He held a breath. "About what? Me, hopefully."
"Actually, yeah."
He was surprised, he never heard anything of the sort from her ever before. "Really? I had no idea that you thought about me that way too," he chuckled. Ladybug huffed. "You know it's not like that, you silly kitty." He waggled his eyebrows. "You sure? 'Cause I think about you all the time." Ladybug laughed. "Now that is just creepy."
His smile faded. "But really, what about me were you thinking about?" She finally tore her gaze away from the horizon line, which was finally going dark. "Your identity, Cat Noir." He was certain he choked, otherwise why would she be thumping him on the back? "My… identity?" he sputtered.
She nodded solemnly. God, he hated it when she had that face. It was just too cute.
He coughed. "So… why all of a sudden? You said that even we two partners weren't allowed to see each other's faces." Bitter? Perhaps. Cat Noir had so desperately wanted to see that amazing girl behind her mask, he was even willing to unmask himself. "I know I said that. But I don't want to know your identity. Not like you do."
He felt like a balloon failing to rise. "Oh," he said quietly. "Well then, why were you thinking about my identity?" She turned around and faced him. "Because I have a hunch about who you are really. And I'm not sure I like it." He gulped.
It was all because of his stupid mistake of letting himself being blasted in the face with that damned sleepy nightmare powder. If he hadn't, he and Ladybug would be chumming along just fine. "Damn it."
"What?" He blinked; he hadn't realized he said that out loud. "Uh, nothing. Anyway, why wouldn't you like me in real life? Is it that you possibly… know me?" He hoped so. He really, really hoped so. If she did, then all of his silly fantasies and stupid dreams that Plagg always teased about would actually have a chance of becoming true.
"I don't know if I know your or not yet, you tomcat. I just have a hunch, that's it." Was it just him, or was she blushing? Nah, it was probably just the sunset streaks that still illuminated in the sky. "But if your hunch is correct," he pressed, "then would you like me? Hopefully, a lot?"
Her eyes reminded him of himself when he found out when he lost his mother- lost, hopeless, dead. "I don't know, Cat Noir. The thing is, who I am in real life is very different from now. And if my hunch is correct, you are very different too." He swallowed. "So, like, is different good, in your opinion? Or do you like me as I am right now. Or my other form." I sound just like Marinette whenever she talks to me, he thought, cringing. Thank goodness it was the night.
Ladybug let out a loose laugh. "I love you both ways, Cat Noir. But I'm not going to ask you to unmask yourself. That would just be wrong." He pouted, he really thought that this was an opening to show himself and possibly goad his love of his life to show herself too. "But I won't deny… this is getting really frustrating. Do I want to know? Do I want to see if I'm correct or not?"
Cat Noir swallowed; this was the very first time she had opened up to him like that. "I… don't know, Ladybug. But just one thing." He remembered something that both his mother and Plagg had told him. "Just follow your heart."
She sighed. "Yeah. A friend of mine told me that too. Well, it's not as easy as it sounds." "I know," he blurted out. "In fact, 'following' my heart is harder than getting rid of any akumatized villain." Ladybug laughed. God, he loved her laugh. I'm turning sappy, he chided himself. Stop it.
"I know one thing, Cat Noir. Whatever happens, it won't interfere with our friendship. I'll make sure of that." And before he could reply, she kissed his cheek and left like a last firefly in the night.
It might as well have been a slap, because the numbness in his cheek coursed all throughout his body. It wasn't like those kisses where she had to do it against her will, no, she meant this. She had a conscious decision to kiss him on the cheek, purely because she wanted to.
A slow, goofy smile coated his face as he stumbled through roof after roof, it sticking all the way home.