By the time Raven reached the sight of the battle Chat was already propelling Ladybug, now fully back to top fighting form, at a man in green who held a shield up to further propel her into the air. Once she was even with the floating golden akuma victim she tossed something, but not at the akuma itself, instead the red and black spotted bottle arched towards Rena, who hovered just above the golden princess and slashed downward as the item reached her. It shattered against her flute and doused the akuma in whatever was held inside it. The gold dripped down, starting at the womans head and slipping down, leaving Chole hanging in the air with dripping makeup and a soiled dress that resembled a wedding gown to the point that Raven felt himself wince at the sight of it.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" He was surrounded by bright glowing Ladybugs before he could even blink, causing him to fumble in the air. Raven caught himself in time to latch onto the side of a roof before becoming a pancake on the cobblestone below.
"Woah!" His head jerked up in time to see Rena lowering a pouting Chloe to the ground and Chat deftly catching Ladybug from her free fall. They were just a bit too unwilling to unwrap themselves from each other once they hit the ground, telling him that he definitely spilled who he was to her. Being that the only other guy she ever looked at the way she was looking at Chat in that moment told him that he had to be the blonde from school.
"A little help here?" He called out as the sound of beeping filled his ears. Rena turned her head towards him then and nodded quickly. She was at his side in a moment, and dragging him through the air towards the building they were on at the start of the battle in the next. Ladybug was there, urging him down into a room that smelled of fresh paint and looked like an odd mix of an angst filled teens room and an art studio. The walls were black, with neon green strips lining the ceiling and splotches of red in random spots. The floor was absolutely covered in plastic sheets that were splotched haphazardly with the colors.
"Chat's dealing with the victim now." Ladybug told him as she walked towards a trap door he hadn't even noticed, "but this place is safe, may want to head downstairs though, less fumes."
They detransformed halfway down the stairs and she lead him and his kwami into the small kitchen as she cradled her own in her hands. He was sat down and told to wait while she rummaged through the fridge for "refreshments".
"So the kitty cat is blondie?" Crow asked as Marinette turned around with two bottles of water in her hands.
"Yeah.." She turned red and shrugged as she dragged out the word. "It was a surprise, he acts different when he doesn't have to put on a show." She moved to sit beside him at the small table and handed him a bottle before cracking her own open.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it sounds weird I know but it feels like he has to hold himself back because... well..." She motioned to the window, out of which Crow could see the very same billboard that was struck during the battle.
"Just because he's a model he acts different?" He leaned forward a bit as he toyed with his bottle.
"Ye- no. No it's not that. I lived with him for a while and well, his dad schedules his whole day, everything. And I think he feels pressured to be perfect." She took a sip before continuing. "I think that maybe he can't really be himself with his father watching him all the time."
"So what? Gonna kidnap him or something?" He questioned, using any excuse he could to keep the conversation going as he relaxed his aching muscles.
"No!" She said with a snort before shaking her head, "I mean... No... No that couldn't work." Crow chuckled as she chewed on her thumbnail.
..................................................
Chat sighed as Chloe strode away, her head held high as she exclaimed just how ridiculous it was that she would be akumatized. She made it a point to tell them it wasn't like her "Adrikins" wouldn't see how ridiculous he was being while dating someone like Marinette.
Chat was ready to strangle the blonde, only resisting because Rena had her hand so firmly on his arm that he could feel her nails through his suit.
"We should head inside." He said after a calming breath, "Ladybug and that gothic bird should be there already."
"Gothic bird?" They turned to see Carapace standing behind them, looking very confused by everything that was going on. Chat smiled as he pulled away from Rena to drap one arm across the other males shoulder. He turned Carapace towards their soon to be hideout. "Okay we're going to an abandoned bakery now." Chat couldn't resist a chuckle as the turtle themed hero mumbled the words under his breath.
Rena followed behind them as they entered through the glass front door, and continued to trail along with them up the winding staircase that led to the apartment above. The smell of paint was heavy by the time they reached the second landing, making her happy that her time was almost up. In fact everyone's time was almost up. As she realized this a feeling of calm overtook her, the thought that they would all know filled her with a sense of hope that it would bring them closer as a team, it certainly worked with her and Chat.
"So what? Gonna kidnap him or something?" they all paused at the sound of Crow's voice, it was a playful question, carried on a tone that was only a hair away from a chuckle.
"No! I mean... No... No that couldn't work." the sound of Marinette's voice had Rena chuckling softly as she stepped past the two still frozen boys on the steps.
"Well? Are you coming?" She asked over her shoulder as she opened the door to her best friends childhood home.
The boys followed behind her closely, neither one saying anything as the sounds of the conversation from the kitchen on their right filled the room. Chat's ring was beeping quickly at this point, Carapace was watching it with a worried expression as Chat craned his neck to see what was going on in the other room. Rena weaved them through the boxes and paint cans, trying to get them away from the kitchen and further into the home so that when they detransformed he, he being Carapace, wouldn't have to deal with four secret identities at once.
"Um, my dude... your ring is..." Carapace mumbled as they sat down in a clear spot on the floor. He pointed to Chat's ring as the last pad faded to black. A bright green light filled the room, causing Rena and Carapace to cover their eyes for a moment before it faded slowly away. As their sight came back to them Carapace jumped up in shock. Adrien raised a curious brow his way as Rena chuckled softly into her hand.
"Are you okay?" Adrien asked as Carapace continued to point at him with wide eyes.
"You know....... I'm not even that surprised dude. It all makes so much since now. Having 'Chat' follow her. Your puns. How did I not figure it out sooner?" He shook his head at himself in disbelief. Adrien reached up to rub the back of his neck as he chuckled softly at his best friends words.
"It was easier than hiring a bodyguard for someone I wasn't even dating yet." He admitted.
"Hold up what?" Rena cut in, her stare drilling holes into Adrien's cheek as his brow dotted with sweat. "What do you mean before you were dating? Boy what did you do!?" She looked ready to jump at him and wrap her hands around his neck.
"It was nothing!" Adrien exclaimed, throwing up his hands to defend himself, "I took her home as Chat once right after she moved in, that's all."
"Dude." Carapace said just as the last bit of his shell faded away. A lighter green light filled the room, leaving behind Nino as it faded away. Rena didn't even bat an eye as she turned to glare at Adrien once again.
"Can we just move past this? It's not a big deal right?" Adrien insisted as he stood to move away from Rena. At that moment her time ran out as well, an orange light imminated from her, leaving behind Alya in its wake. This did surprise Nino who stared at her astounded with his mouth slightly agape.
"It is a big deal. I swear if you hurt that girl-" Alya snapped, only to stop short as Marinette made her way into the room.
"Who's hurting what girl?" Marinette asked before freezing as soon as she noticed Nino. Both of them stood shock still for a moment, taking each other in with equally bewildered expressions. "Carapace?" She asked after the silence grew thick around them.
"I should've known." Nino said, tossing his hands into the air. "You even have the same pigtails and- why wasn't this obvious?!"
After the initial shock was broken by his words the five settled in and, after Crow admitted to his own identity, began to make plans for the bakery turned hideout.
YOU ARE READING
Secret Kiss
Fanfiction"Sorry for making you rush over but I think that there really is something big going on with Mari, and well she seemed to be nearly herself when she was talking to you this morning and I thought maybe with you nearby she may be herself enough to tal...
