Chasing Ladybug 📸 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

A Retelling: 4 | Watchful Eyes

Marinette opens her locker and sets a textbook on one of the shelves. As she closes it, Adrien stands there with a hand raised and a smile. "Hey, Marinette."

"Shit, Adrien!" She screams, jumping back. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," He says with a chuckle. As he stares down at Marinette, it takes every ounce of energy not to come clean about everything, how he's Cat Noir and he knows she's Multimouse and how they're secretly dating, but he knows now isn't the right time. Besides, Ladybug especially would be pissed if he did that now.

Marinette notices his stare lingering longer than usual and tilts her head, waiting for him to say something. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Adrien mumbles, embarrassed he got caught staring too long. "Umm, are you having lunch here?"

She shakes her head. "No, I'm going home for lunch. Uh, my mom wants me to try this new recipe she's trying," She lies straight through her teeth.

Actually? Cat Noir was taking her on a lunch date.

Adrien glances down at her neck, the mouse miraculous pendant out and in plain sight. "Nice necklace," He whispers, biting back a grin, before he waves and walks out of the locker room.

Marinette's eyes widen. She reaches a hand up to her neck and felt the pendant. I thought I hid it under my shirt! She moves the charm under the fabric and catches the last glimpse of Adrien's blonde hair before the door shuts behind him. There's no way he knows what this is... right?

Marinette didn't plan on wearing both the ladybug and mouse miraculous at the same time, but in case Cat Noir saw her in public, she didn't want him to get suspicious is she wasn't wearing the camouflaged mouse miraculous.

She grabs her backpack from the floor and races out of the school, across the street back home. She gives her parents a quick greeting without stopping and ran past them up to their home, slamming the trapdoor to her bedroom shut behind her.

"Are you actually going on a lunch date with Cat Noir right now?" Tikki asks.

"Eek, a date!" Marinette squeals in excitement as she stands in front of a mirror, trying to fix the mess her hair was.

"Marinette—"

The pig-tailed girl stops working on her hair. "Wait, my suit transforms my hair anyway. I don't have to fix it."

"Marinette!" The red bug shouts.

"What, Tikki?"

"What if someone sees you?"

Marinette waves her concern away. "No one will know it's me! I'll be Multimouse. People see Ladybug and Cat Noir all the time; it won't be weird to see another superhero out and about."

Tikki crosses her tiny arms. "You're clearly not thinking about the risks of this!"

"I have it under control, Tikki! Why is it so bad that I finally have a boyfriend?"

"It's not, but—"

"But what?"

Tikki growls. "Cat Noir is not just a boyfriend! He's a superhero—and your partner, no less!"

"I'm a superhero, too," Marinette counters.

"Yes, Ladybug! You are Ladybug!"

"I'm also Multimouse!"

The red kwami closes her eyes tight as she fought back throwing something at her holder. "Marinette, it's not smart to be two superheroes at once!"

"Okay, maybe it's not..." Marinette finally agrees. "But Cat Noir doesn't love Ladybug anymore! Cat Noir loves Marinette. I already lost my chance the first time around. I'm not going to lose it again."