Ladybug's fake identity

Chapter 13: Article

Marinette couldn't stop laughing. "That's- a nice poop shower." she commented between two snorts.

"C'mon, just delete that picture." Chat pleaded, unable to grab the phone she was holding to do it himself.

After Mr Pigeon's appearance, he had had to fight alone against a furious villain and his army of pooping birds. Ladybug had only joined him very late, almost too late. With her, defeating the akumatized victim had been quick and almost effortless. And when her famous Miraculous Ladybug had washed over the city, it had cleaned up the mess that the fight and the villain had created, but not the damage that the pigeons had done before the akumatization. It hadn't erased the photographs that Chloe had taken of the hero or Lyssa, either. And of course, she had sent them all to Marinette and Sabrina, already plotting on how to make sure that the whole city sees the most embarrassing ones of the liar.

After the fight, Chat had immediately jumped on the designer's balcony to ask her for help, saying that he could never show up at his home with his hair covered with the disgusting black and white substance. She had let them in and given him a basin full of warm water, a shampoo bottle and a small towel. Now, he was trying to scrub off the poop that stuck to his hair, bending over the basin to make sure that the water on his head would drip back in it. And, of course, Marinette used this opportunity to look through the photos of the hero that she had received and to make fun of him.

Another burst of laughter indicated to him that she had found another humiliating picture. In this one, he was falling off a street lamp in a ridiculous pose. She zoomed on his face to see that a violent sneeze had torn his face and shoved it right under his nose, making sure that he wouldn't be able to see anything apart from the photo.

Despite the situation, he let a loud snicker escape his mouth. Sure, it wasn't very flattering, but at least it was funny. If Adrien would have immediately asked her to delete it, Chat Noir preferred to ask her to send him the photo.

"Why?" the designer asked, trying to control her laughter.

"I need to show it to Ladybug!" he grinned while trying to imagine her reaction.

"Is that how you plan on flirting with her?" She took his stick, searching for a way to transfer the photograph.

"Sadly, no. She'll probably never see me as more than a clown." The dramatic tone he used lost its effect due to his current pose. "Besides, she already has someone."

Marinette let her phone fall, shocked. "She what?"

What did she tell him as Ladybug? Probably that she couldn't love him back because there was someone else. And it was true: she really liked Adrien. But she didn't have him. No, she didn't. He was now Lyssa's, not her boyfriend. Her throat tightened at the thought. She wasn't even able to hope anymore. Maybe it was for the best. It meant that these false hopes she had wouldn't hurt her anymore. But, at the moment, it still hurt. And she had the feeling that this pain wouldn't disappear.

She pushed these thoughts aside, thankful for the poop that kept Chat too occupied to notice her change of mood. He finally got rid of all white trace and let out a satisfied 'ah!'.

"Yeah." he continued while rubbing the water out of his hair with the towel, wondering why she sounded so surprised. "I actually never stood a chance. When she told me, I found myself hoping that something would happen, that she'd realize that he's actually an asshole or something, or that he'd crush her heart. Anything that could've led to her opening her heart a little more and giving me a chance." The chuckle that followed didn't sound sad nor desperate like Marinette had expected, but rather amused. "But no one should hope for such a thing. I needed to accept it. As long as she's happy, I'll be fine."