Stay by my Side

Stay by my Side - Chapter Twenty-Six

The world just seemed to fall apart through Marinette's fingers like sand, as she desperately tried to cling to the facts she once thought she knew, that were now becoming lost to time. Adrien... was Chat Noir? She suspected, she had the phone, but... hearing his direct confirmation was different. It felt like the end of an era, the end of what they used to be.

So then... what were they now?

"I... I kinda thought you might be..." Marinette admitted, awkwardly batting at her hair as a nervous reflex as she talked with her crush... and also her most trusted partner. While she had her doubts about Adrien and Chat Noir before, she had genuinely never truly considered them being the same person, until... she saw the phone.

Honestly... she knew for certainty as soon as she saw it, it's shiny black case mocking her from the distance. She knew. Maybe... maybe she had always known. Chat Noir has always been so flirty, so feisty, but... so fun. Adrien made her light up, but Chat Noir set sparks in her that no one else had ever made her feel.

She had ignored them, fled from them, had always just pretended nothing was there. She'd rejected his advances, told him countless amounts of times that she was in love with someone else. If she had said his name... would things have turned out differently?

Would things have turned out better?

But...

Isn't this conclusion good too?

"M - Marinette? Hey, Marinette?"

"Ah-! S - Sorry, Adrien..." Marinette muttered, moving her head away from the hand that was flapping in front of her face. While Adrien's concern was thoughtful, it only worsened her heightening stress and worry about the situation. While she felt mostly relieved at finally knowing the truth, she also felt incredibly stressed.

How will this change Adrien and I at school...?

... How will this change Chat Noir and I on patrol...?

... DO I NEED TO TELL HIM I'M LADYBUG?!

These thoughts and others flew around in her head, like pesky mosquitoes, pecking and biting her already waning resolve. The stress... the worry... it was... becoming so overwhelming...

"Marinette, watch out!" Tikki suddenly shouted in Marinette's ear, causing her to whip around so her back was facing Adrien, hand quickly grabbing Tikki and moving her away from Marinette's shoulder, hoping Adrien hadn't noticed her, her head whipping from side to side, trying to spot the danger.

There - an akuma - heading straight for her. It's evil purple wings flapped as it inched it's way closer to Marinette's face. Instinctively her Ladybug reactions kicked in, and she twisted, kicking off into the air, carving a cut through the sky as her leg flicked upward as she tilted and flipped in mid-air, landing solidly on the ground, completely dodging the butterfly.

For a brief moment she could see Adrien's eyes widen as he stared at her, as she twirled and landed as if she was Chat and wondered whether that little demonstration was really a good idea - while she trusted Chat Noir with her secret, that doesn't mean she should tell him - who knows what may happen because of it.

She tsk-ed and gritted her teeth, glancing between Ch- Adrien - and the butterfly. The conflicting concerns could wait - right now she had to focus on the problem at hand - she had to capture the akuma. But Adrien was right there - she'd reveal herself to him! As much as she trusted Adrien, as much as she trusted Chat Noir, Tikki's warning rang clear in her ears. Do not. Tell. Anyone.

She glanced at Adrien and noticed he had frantically taken out his phone, keeping a close eye on the purple akuma flapping away - probably to text Ladybug about it... wait, that was her. Oh. Oh no. She watched, as Adrien pulled the phone closer to his face - to text or call she wasn't sure - and realised she had to go - now.

"I - umm - should let you stay - I mean go - go away! - ah, but not in a mean way!" She sighed, tapping her forehead gently. What would Ladybug say in this situation? Ladybug... Marinette... were the two really so black and white? The longer she thought about it... the more she recognised similarities between Chat Noir and Adrien that she had never really considered before. If they could be so similar then maybe...

Marinette took a deep breath and focused. When she next spoke her words left her lips smooth and sharp, clear and direct. She caught Adrien's attention. "Adrien. You need to go protect the civilians and find Ladybug. If I stay here, with this akuma flying around, there's a chance it could hurt me, so I'll go find somewhere safe to hide." She almost said the words 'see you soon' but quickly realised that would be a terrible idea and shut up, running away from the area. "Keep an eye on that akuma!"

"A - Alright!" Adrien called after her. Marinette was unable to see, running to a secure safe spot to transform as quickly as possible, but a light blush had painted itself across Adrien's pale canvas cheeks. Somehow though... she knew.

Maybe her and Ladybug...

... weren't so different after all.

As Marinette - now transformed into Ladybug - sprung into action and captured the akuma before it could hurt anyone, Chat Noir keeping the civilians away from the purple menace as it fluttered through the streets, she wondered what would happen to them next.

She knew Adrien's identity, but hers was still a mystery to him.

At least... she thought it was.

Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed the new update.

Sorry for taking so long. It's genuinely been really hard finding time to write nowadays, especially with exams drawing closer - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa XD

Thank you guys for all your support though! It's lovely to hear that you're still enjoying this series and that you're still reading, even with the slow updates haha. I promise I'm still working on all three of my ongoing books, however right now because this book is almost completed, my focus is on this one.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you again in the next one!

But for now...

Peachy out! 😊