Near the end of class the next day, Lila Rossi arrived, halting instruction as everyone asked her about her latest trip.
Looking only momentarily abashed at the attention, Lila began speaking in earnest. "Ladybug inspired me so much that I just had to do what I could to help those who don't have the same advantages we all have here. With my help, we were able to finish building a school for the children in a small town in Haiti."
Marinette held back a groan as the rest of the class made noises of appreciation. Though she still couldn't prove it, she'd had enough with listening to Lila's contrived stories.
As everyone continued to ask follow up questions, Marinette tried not to let her feelings show; she wasn't sure why no one else seemed to see through the girl's false persona.
In fact, as Marinette contemplated it, she realized she wasn't even sure exactly what it was that made her so certain that Lila lied with every breath. She frowned to herself, zoning out for a moment until something Lila was saying caught her attention. "Enough about me; have you guys seen the wonderful job Ladybug has been doing lately? You all know I don't like to talk about it much – if it got out, it could be a threat to my safety – but she and I are the best of friends. I'm just so proud of her!"
As the others agreed, Marinette couldn't help but speak up. "Chat Noir, too."
Lila's gaze zeroed in on her. "What was that, Marinette?" she asked lightly, stepping up closer to her.
Marinette fought not to roll her eyes. "Ladybug isn't the only hero. Chat Noir has been doing a good job as well."
There was something sickeningly sweet about Lila's responding smile. "You're absolutely right, Marinette. Of course we can't forget about him. They both make such a perfect couple, don't you think?"
"Actually, no," Marinette said, feeling a wave of stubbornness rising up within her. "I don't think so. Good superhero partners? Sure. But something is up between them."
Lila's smile dropped for just a moment before returning to its place, a gleam entering her gaze. "I don't really trouble myself too much with gossip, so I suppose I wouldn't know. Like Ladybug, I try to put my focus on helping others as much as I can." She placed a hand on her shoulder, which Marinette had to fight to keep from shaking off. "I only wish that everyone was able to take the same opportunities that she and I do."
The teacher cleared his throat then, deciding it was time to restart the lesson.
Before going to her own seat, Lila leaned closer, her voice lowering. "It must be so difficult, being unable to make a true difference. I'm sure you'll find a meaningful purpose soon."
Marinette stiffened, but before she could respond, Lila flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away.
Marinette glared at the girl's back for a moment. A meaningful purpose. What a ridiculous statement. She was doing just fine; helping in her parents' bakery (which donated its unsold goods to homeless shelters, thank you very much), and working on her passion for design gave her plenty of purpose.
And yet, why was it that Lila's statement hit her a little too hard?
Marinette turned back around when she noticed some of her friends giving her disapproving looks in response to her glare in Lila's direction.
Why am I the only one that sees through her? she thought, trying to bury her anger.
The realization that she could be wrong began to worm its way through her. Marinette struggled to remember any particular moment where she had caught Lila in a lie.
Perhaps she truly was misguided, and was wasting her energy being upset with the girl.
As she focused back up front, she realized Adrien still had his head turned towards her. She expected him to match the other's disapproving expressions, but instead, he smiled softly at her before turning back to their teacher.
Marinette felt just a bit better after that.
The next akuma attack occurred near the bakery, and Marinette had to run to avoid getting caught up in the fight.
After it ended, Marinette couldn't help but watch the coverage from an alley near her home. She was dismayed to see Ladybug once again throwing herself into Chat Noir's arms, though this time he did manage to maneuver away. The irritation that flashed across his face was quickly replaced by his usual carefree smiles. Ladybug took the careful rebuff in stride, not a hint of any reaction to it appearing on her face.
When the feeds turned away from the heroes, Marinette slipped her phone into her pocket, turning to head home.
She came to a halt when Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared at the end of the alley.
It became clear that they hadn't noticed her presence when Ladybug began speaking to her partner, the anger clear in her tone. "You need to do a better job, or people will start to think something is wrong."
Chat Noir crossed his arms. "Something is wrong, Ladybug. We aren't together anymore."
"I know that," she said with gritted teeth, "but nothing is more important than making sure the public has confidence in us as a team."
"Really? Nothing is more important than pretending we're still together?"
Ladybug huffed. "You know what I mean."
"No," Chat retorted, "no, I really don't."
"If they suspect there is a problem between us, then that will make emotions in the city that much more volatile. You know why that's a bad thing."
When she noticed the subtle signs that Chat was on the verge of giving in, Marinette stepped towards them. "He said he didn't want you all over him like that any longer. Why can't you go back to acting the way you did before you got together? Surely you can manage that much without Paris falling to pieces?"
The two of them turned their heads at the sound of her voice.
Ladybug's expression grew even angrier as she took a step in her direction. "What are you doing here? Are you spying on us?"
Chat reached out a hand to Ladybug's shoulder, attempting to halt her steps. "Relax, she must have been here when we arrived. It's our fault we didn't notice." He shot Marinette a slight smile, a hint of relief showing through.
Ladybug shook off his arm and continued marching closer. "Listen to me, civilian. You know nothing about any of this. And your advice is not needed. The public is used to how we act together, and will notice if we stop."
Marinette crossed her arms. "Surely you're better off actually being in sync with your partner and listening to his requests, rather than forcing him to fake it and making things worse for your ability to fight akumas together."
Ladybug seemed to grow even more irate as she approached. For a moment, unease passed through Marinette as she got the impression that the superheroine wanted to actually hurt her. But she didn't back down as Ladybug stopped in front of her. "I'd suggest you stay out of hero business," she hissed quietly, "If you know what's good for you."
Marinette stood straight, glaring at the taller woman as Chat approached with a wary gaze fixed on his partner. "Ladybug, what's with you? Come on, let's find another place to talk and let the civilian be."
Ladybug didn't relent, a sneer appearing on her face as she looked down her nose at Marinette. "It would be prudent if you remembered your place, which is nowhere near our level."
"Ladybug!" Chat snapped, the wariness in his voice quickly replaced by anger.
"Fine," she snapped back, twisting around on the spot. Before she left, she shoved her finger against his chest. "Don't forget who's in charge between us. You need to stay in your lane." Without waiting for a response, she launched herself into the air with her yo-yo.
Chat watched her leave for a moment, the anger not falling from his gaze until he turned back and met Marinette's eyes. "I'm sorry about that, Marinette. I don't know what her issue is today. But… thank you." He gave her a half-smile. "For what you said."
Marinette turned her glare on him, though she softened it. "Don't you make me come at you next, if you let her walk all over you again. She's the one out of line, not you."
He laughed lightly, extending his baton. "Understood. I think I might be more afraid of you than her, at the moment." He offered her a quick salute before following Ladybug out of the alley.
Though she couldn't be certain, Marinette thought Chat Noir's conversation with Ladybug must have finally taken hold, as the next akuma attack a few days later ended with nothing more than Ladybug's typical dramatic speech about how grateful she was to her fellow Parisians for supporting her. Despite the gushing words, Ladybug seemed to be just a bit piqued, as though holding back her own irritation.
Perhaps Marinette was simply projecting based on her last interaction with her, as once again, no one else around her seemed to notice.
In a stroke of bad luck, Marinette ended up yet again in the middle of an akuma attack, hiding behind a food cart as Chat Noir and Ladybug fought an akuma that seemed modeled after a hedgehog. The villain launched volleys of quills at the heroes, quills that seemed dangerously sharp, a fact Marinette noticed as she eyed some sticking out of the brick wall near her.
When the villain began rolling around in a ball to travel, however, she couldn't help but huff. "That's ridiculous," she murmured, eyeing her paths of escape through the area. "Hedgehogs can't actually roll around like that." Then again, neither could they shoot their quills, so obviously realism had not been considered when the villain had been created.
Nevertheless, the villain was able to travel quickly that way, and Marinette realized she would need to find a way to get out of the area soon, or risk getting skewered.
Thankfully, most of the other Parisians had been able to flee, and with the akuma focused on Ladybug, Marinette saw an opportunity and took it, sprinting out from behind her hiding place and aiming for the end of the road and out of the square.
As she kept an eye on the akuma, Marinette locked eyes with Ladybug, who had just landed across the street from her. The woman looked angry for just a moment, before something calculating flashed across her face. Marinette was moving too quickly to be certain of what she saw, and Ladybug swung away right after.
With relief, Marinette closed in on her escape, only to glance over and see that Ladybug and the akuma had come back into view, the quills arcing across the road as the villain aimed at the swinging heroine. Marinette's eyes widened as she realized the line of flying quills was about to collide with her, and she had not yet made it to the edge of the building to get out of sight. She didn't even have time to duck down to make her target smaller before the line of projectiles intersected with her path.
"Marinette!"
She braced herself for the pain just as something else hit her from behind.
Chat Noir wrapped his body around her as they fell, blocking most of the sharp spines from reaching her. Her breath left her in a sudden burst as they hit the ground, pain lancing up through her. Chat didn't waste a moment before yanking her into his arms and vaulting up for the roof, out of the path of more quills.
When they landed, Marinette was relieved to discover his suit had mostly protected him, except for a stray quill here or there.
Chat didn't even pay attention to them as he ran his hands searchingly down her arms, his eyes wide. "Are you okay? Did any–" He cut off as Marinette winced and looked down, spotting the one that had lodged in her calf. He cursed softly as he reached down for it, but a voice interrupted before he could touch it.
"Chat Noir! Why are you wasting time with her right now?" Ladybug seethed as she landed beside them. "Ignore the civilians! Get back to the fight and help me, not her." Chat ignored his partner, leaning back down to examine Marinette's injury. The brush-off seemed to infuriate Ladybug even more. "Chat–"
"She's hurt because of us, Ladybug," he interrupted angrily.
"She doesn't even matter, Chat. Just leave her, and she'll be fixed up just fine when I cast my cure."
Chat seemed like he was going to continue to argue, but Marinette cut in. "She's right, Chat. Go finish the fight, and I'll be fine."
He frowned at her, but finally stood back up, leveling a tense gaze at Ladybug. "Go ahead and use your lucky charm. We aren't making a lot of progress as it is."
Marinette grew concerned by the level of anger that seemed to emanate from Ladybug. "Don't tell me what to do," she snapped before turning toward the edge of the roof. "Lucky Charm!" She took one look at the pot that landed in her arms, and her anger turned nearly feral. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Her frantic words came out in a screech as Chat Noir walked closer to her.
"What is it?" Marinette asked, hobbling slightly as she tried to keep her weight off her injured leg.
"Looks like… honey?" Chat swiped the edge with a finger and sniffed. "Maybe we just need to… bee ourselves?"
Marinette snorted, earning another glare from Ladybug. She contemplated the akuma the two of them had been fighting below. "Well, since that doesn't seem to be working, how about you set up a trap for the villain instead?"
Marinette explained her idea involving tricking the villain to roll through the honey and gum up their quills. While Chat Noir seemed impressed, Ladybug merely looked irritated. "Whatever," she scoffed. "I don't need your help. I would have figured it out just fine. I'm Ladybug, after all." She hefted the pot into one arm and shot a disgruntled look at Chat. "Well? Are you going to help me or not?" She swung down off the roof.
Chat gave Marinette one last lingering glance, the appreciation in his gaze morphing into something else, something softer. "Thank you, Marinette. It's a good plan. We'll finish this up as soon as we can. Stay safe for me, alright?"
Marinette felt her heart stutter unexpectedly as he leapt down back into the fight. She lowered herself to the roof, laying flat on her back as she found herself distracted from her recent troubles.
Chat Noir had protected her from the attack, taking the time to get her to safety before returning to the fight. The thought sent a warm feeling fluttering through her.
The feeling wasn't completely unfamiliar, as she'd had a crush on Adrien for quite a long time, but something felt different, this time. For one, the look he'd given her, just before leaving…
But no, surely she was misreading. He was a superhero; he'd saved civilians so many times before. There was nothing special about her, in this case.
She remained lost in her thoughts until the swarm of ladybugs swirled overhead before diving down to her and fixing her leg. Marinette sighed in relief as the pain disappeared. She stood up and walked to the edge of the roof, peering down.
Ladybug still seemed angry from her body language, swinging away from the mostly-deserted scene without her typical flowery speech to those that remained.
Chat Noir placed a hand on the victim's shoulder briefly before turning around and scanning the area. Then he looked up, locking eyes with her.
As soon as he saw her, he used his baton to launch himself up, landing beside her and looking concerned as his gaze went to her leg. "The cure left you up here? Did it heal you?"
"I'm fine, Chat. I guess it expected me to find my own way down."
Relief passed over his face before he settled his gaze on hers, a hint of amusement peeking through. "Well, perhaps it knows about your recent habit of climbing up on rooftops, and decided you could figure it out." He took a step closer to her, the amusement shifting quickly to something more like wonder. "Thank you, Marinette. You're amazing, you know that?"
She felt herself turn pink. "I'm really not."
Chat moved even closer. "Of course you are. You helped us figure out how to defeat the akuma today, while injured, no less. Not to mention the fact that you stood up to Ladybug the other day." He looked down at her, his eyes still filled with awe. "You're something else, Princess."
She smiled softly at him. "Thank you, Chat Noir. That's truly a compliment, coming from someone like you."
They both grew quiet, the atmosphere between them slowly growing more electric as they gazes at one another.
Marinette barely understood why her feelings seemed suddenly so strong for him, a hero she had barely spent any time with. And yet here she was, drawn to him in a way that felt both new and familiar at the same time.
Finally, Chat Noir lifted a hand, the leather of his gloves barely touching the skin of her cheek. "Would it… would it be bad if I said I wanted to kiss you right now?"
Marinette took in a small breath as she leaned her head further against his hand. "Not at all. I think it would be the opposite, actually."
He reached out across the remaining space between them to take her into his arms, dipping down to kiss her gently.
It was, in fact, quite the opposite of bad. In a time where everything around her felt just out of place, this was something that felt truly right.
Kissing Chat Noir felt like coming home.
When they finally parted, Marinette smiled shyly up at him. "Thank you, by the way. For saving me, earlier."
His expression turned more serious, but he didn't move away from her. "I wasn't about to watch you get hurt." His face dropped slightly. "Except you did. I'm sorry."
She flicked his bell, trying to cheer him up. "You did great, kitty."
She heard him take a sharp breath, some type of emotion she couldn't place swirling within his eyes. He bent suddenly and kissed her again, brief but intense. When he moved to look at her, he opened his mouth. "I…" He broke off, an almost bewildered look crossing his face. He shook his head, his expression clearing as he took a step back. "I should take you home."
Marinette nodded, letting him pick her up as he carried her off the roof.
Neither of them noticed Ladybug, who had doubled back after her earlier departure, staring daggers at the two of them from her hiding spot a few rooftops over.
Chat Noir placed Marinette back on her feet on her balcony, lingering for a moment. "Maybe I can come see you here, another evening? If you aren't busy sometime?"
"That would be nice. Besides," she added, smiling slyly at him, "you still owe me another city-viewing trip. You're lucky I didn't go on my own again."
The corner of his mouth quirked up. "You're right, I am lucky." He winked. "It's a date, then. Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow," she agreed, then he hopped down and out of sight.
Marinette stayed on her balcony after he left, trying to bask in the good mood he'd left her in. She convinced herself she was simply enjoying the outdoors, not avoiding the negative feelings that came along with being in her room alone.
Just as she finally decided she needed to leave, a noise of someone landing behind her caused her to jump, and she turned to see Ladybug straightening up.
Marinette relaxed slightly, though the look on the woman's face left her feeling wary. "Ladybug. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Ladybug took several steps closer to her, her mouth a tight line. "I came here tonight to give you another warning to stop interfering in hero business."
Marinette raised her chin slightly. "If you remember, I was trying to leave the fight earlier today. And I merely offered some advice–"
Marinette's head jerked to the side as Ladybug's hand made contact with her cheek, the slap echoing across the balcony. The shock of it left Marinette speechless, her cheek stinging as she turned her head back around slowly to see the rage in Ladybug's eyes. "Don't think I didn't see you with my partner afterwards. How dare you try and insert yourself where you don't belong?"
Marinette kept her voice level, trying to keep the situation from escalating. "I can understand why that would make you upset. I know you and he recently broke up, and–"
Ladybug's foot connected with Marinette's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her back several feet as she collided with the corner of the concrete bench on the side of her balcony. As she dropped to her knees, gasping for air, Ladybug bent down over her. "No, you don't understand a single thing. You are a worthless civilian, and I am Ladybug. I don't need you showing up and thinking you can tell me how to do my job. I don't want you telling me how to handle my own partner–" She stomped down on Marinette's hand braced on the ground, causing her to gasp as pain shot up through her arm and she fell onto her side. "And let this be a warning to leave my boyfriend alone."
"He's not–" Marinette gritted out through the pain, "–your boyfriend anymore." Ladybug snarled and kicked her in the side, tears filling Marinette's eyes as she thought she felt something crack. "Why–" she coughed out, the pain making it hard to breathe, "–why are you doing this? You're– a hero–"
As Marinette lay struggling, Ladybug leaned over her, her voice turning silky smooth. "Oh don't worry, I'm going to heal you with my cure. But here's the thing." Through the tears in her eyes, Marinette could barely see the woman bend down in front of her, her necklace hanging in front of Marinette's face. "I'm Ladybug. Everyone adores me. No one will believe that I roughed up a civilian. So take my warning and stay away from me. And my partner. Or we will have more problems."
Then she was gone.
Marinette remained lying painfully on the ground for another few minutes, until the swarm of ladybugs finally appeared, healing her wounds and leaving her standing back in place at her railing.
She didn't move for a moment, her head reeling as she tried to process what had just happened.
Ladybug had attacked her.
Anger began smoldering within her, burning away the memory of the pain. Marinette turned abruptly and headed back down to her room, hating the small piece of her that felt afraid to stay outside, just in case Ladybug came back.
Back downstairs, she paced around her room as she thought about what had just happened.
Ladybug deliberately hurt a civilian.
It didn't make sense.
Something at the core of her being knew that Ladybug would never have done that. Marinette didn't know how she knew it, but she did.
More so than ever before, she knew that something was wrong.
That wasn't Ladybug. It couldn't be.
But what could she do about it? Ladybug was right; everyone loved her.
Whoever this Ladybug was, she'd made a huge mistake when she underestimated Marinette's willingness to fight back.
Marinette's best friend ran the Ladyblog. Perhaps she could talk to Alya, figure out some way to spread her suspicions. She might not know what was happening, but surely they could flush something out if they worked together.
Then she could talk with Chat Noir when he came by the next evening. Maybe come up with a plan.
Feeling very antsy and unsettled, Marinette finally climbed into bed to sleep.
A/N: Thanks for reading, shoot me a review if you like it so far! There's some art for this chapter you can see in the cover photo or on my Instagram (ao3_ladynoir_fan)! Just one more chapter left.