Secrets

Chapter 3

"Hey, Chat."

"Hey, Ladybug."

Ladybug shifted on the roof, feeling awkward.

Chat Noir had a fair idea were this conversation was going, and wondered whether he could pretend to be a real cat and run away, tail between legs.

"So..."

"Yes?"

A crash.

Both Ladybug and Chat Noir had never been so glad to have an akuma attack.

Adrien jumped through his window, the transformation wearing off just as he reached his bed.

He had managed to avoid that conversation.

Because he was a coward.

Plagg zoomed out of his overshirt (is that what it's called?), looking uncharacteristically serious for once.

"You can't keep avoiding it forever, you know."

Adrien looks away.

"I can, and I will." He says in a firm tone.

He isn't fooling either of them.

"Adrien...maybe visit her as Chat Noir?"

He turns to glare at him.

"And how will that help, exactly?"

Plagg shrugged.

"You won't know until you try?"

Adrien narrows his eyes.

"And there might be camembert there?" Plagg admits guiltily.

Adrien sighed, and shook his head.

"I'll get you camembert when we reach home. Three wheels, okay?"

"Adrien-" Plagg starts, but stops when he sees the expression on his chosen's face. Adrien wasn't ready to go visiting Marinette as Chat Noir. That would only make the rejection harder to bear.

So Plagg is quiet.

But he knows he'll get his chance soon.

Besides, who is he to pass up three wheels of camembert?

The next patrol approaches.

Adrien's dreading it.

If only he could skip.

But he had a duty to Paris and its civilians, and his personal problems should not affect that.

He reaches the usual patrol place, a ball of nerves.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Thirty minutes.

She's not coming. Why isn't she coming? They always tell each other when they can't come. Is she in trouble? Does she need help?

In a split second, he extends his staff and leaps away.

Marinette lies down in her blanket, wrapped up like a butterfly in a cocoon.

She was going to patrol...but then she remembered Chat.

His face when she started questioning him...

There was no way to sugar-coat it.

She had chickened out. She snorted at what Alya would think if she knew. Ladybug, her hero, didn't go to patrol because she was afraid of talking to Chat. Afraid. Of talking.

Marinette started to burrow deeper into her blankets-

When she heard a hesitant knock at her window and a familiar voice call out,

"Marinette? Are you okay?"

Throwing off her blankets, she rushed over to her window to let the alley cat in. He flopped inside, his head swivelling around as he took in her room. She looked at him with hands on hips, her racing heart slowing. She was Marinette, not Ladybug. Chat had no reason to look at her with that pained, heartbreaking expression that she never thought she would see on his face until yesterday...shaking her head, she dispelled the thoughts from her brain, and voiced the question that had been pestering her.

"What are you doing here, Chat Noir?"

The cat shifted, eyes flicking around the room, looking anywhere but her, like he was caught in a crime.

"I heard reports of an akuma around this area, and decided to investigate...but it looks like you're alright, so I'llbegoingnowbye!"

And with that, he thrust himself out of her window with a perfect somersault, and landing on all fours, extended his staff and bounded away.

She rushed over to the window, half-hearted protests and questions dying in her throat.

What was THAT all about?

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The pen hit the page.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Would you stop that?" Plagg asks exasperatedly. Since Adrien had detransformed, Plagg had watched him continuously hit a pen on the page, writing nothing. The sound was starting to drive Plagg mad.

Adrien hummed in agreement, but still continued to tap.

"What are you doing, anyway?" Plagg zooms up to his shoulder.

"I'm trying to figure something out." Was all Adrien gave, and then once again turned his attention to the page. Which did not sit well with Plagg. He hovered in front of Adrien's face, barring his view.

"Plagg." Adrien sighs.

"Please get out of the way."

"Not until you tell me what you're doing."

"I'm trying to figure out Marinette and Ladybug."

Plagg blinked.

"What, you want to know their anatomy? Cause I can help you with that. I've had a few female holders-"

"Plagg! No!" Adrien covered his face with his hands, his ears and cheeks a brilliant red.

"I don't get it." Plagg stated, genuinely confused.

"What I was trying to say," Adrien fixed Plagg with a look,

"Is that I'm want to figure out who she is. As in, which qualities does she keep when she's Ladybug, and which qualities she keeps when she's Marinette. I want to understand her Plagg."

They both know the other reason, the unspoken reason.

I want to know why she doesn't like me the way I do.

Plagg floats down to his kitten's fingers, gently nudging them with his head. Eyes widening, Adrien complies.

His fingers scratch the back of Plagg's neck, and he purrs, the sound comforting both of them.

I know it's short, but I wanted it to end here, because it was so cute! I purr-omise the next chap will be longer. Probably.

Is it weird to fangirl over your own story? But...Plagg comforting Adrien will always be my favourite thing to read.

Great. Now I'm imagining Adrien as a kwami. HE'S SO ADORABLE!!!