Ladybug and Chat Noir have been a team from Day 1. They trust each other more than anyone else. Ladybug believes Tikki's advice of secret identities is beneficial and Chat tries not to pry. After a while, however, he throws caution to the wind...
If only she understood. If only she knew! He could never be disappointed with her! Never! As long as he lived, he would appreciate her. The real her. Not someone who yelled at him, because that just wasn't her. Something was up. There was some reason she rejected him. She was probably insecure. She had sure given him that impression.
Yeah, he was miffed that she had yelled at him - twice. The way her voice still rang in his head told him he was still upset. He was upset that his lady was upset. He wanted to make her happy, not the opposite.
And then there was the hair. Marinette's hair. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before! Pigtails that formed a shape like the end of a paintbrush. Dark blue shade with red ribbons. Marinette and Ladybug were never seen together. And Ladybug knew all of the names of his classmates!
How would he be sure, though? He would have to ask Alya to sneak him a picture of Marinette so he could put them side by side and compare. He was sure they would match.
But Marinette always seemed so shy around him, like she could never say what she meant. She was always awkward. He was kind of worried that, if he was correct, Ladybug would start being awkward, too.
Of course, he would be glad to get the secret off his chest. With the threat of Hawk Moth increasing, it would be beneficial to be protective of each other in and out of character, right? Isn't that how this stuff works?
He thought about it for a second, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense that Marinette would be Ladybug. He hoped she would take it well.
"Plagg, CLAWS OUT!" Without warning, Plagg zipped into Adrien's ring and Chat Noir stood where Adrien once was. He jumped out the window and cascaded over the rooftops, searching for Marinette's. He found it and jumped in, catching Marinette off guard. She skidded away.
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Marinette's eyes were red and puffy, but once she got over the initial shock of Chat Noir's intrusion, she got more comfortable and vulnerable. Tears shone on her face in the night air.
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"Princess...you're crying...why?"
Marinette didn't answer right away. She looked very upset. She started sobbing. "I..." her voice wavered, "I hurt someone very close to me...more than once...I'm sure you wouldn't understand..."
Chat Noir hugged her. He wanted to detransform and show her who he really was! Let her know who she really is!
"M'Lady...Princess..." Marinette recoiled at the first word.
"M'Lady? Since when is that the case? I'm not anyone's lady. I'm too clumsy and stupid to even be able to get my crush to notice me. He likes someone else...someone better...someone I can never, and will never, be able to compete with. I should face the facts. I'm not good enough for Adrien anyways..."
Adrien? Marinette liked Adrien? That means that Ladybug liked Adrien, too! That's why Ladybug refused Chat Noir's advances! It all made sense now! Ahh, if only she knew! He knew. He knew it was time to present himself to Marinette. To Ladybug. Present himself as a whole - both parts of him.
He took a deep breath and said, "M'Lady, stop. There's nothing to hide anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Her voice wavered. She looked worried.
"I know who you are. I know everything."
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