The Closet

Chapter One - All Tied Up

- Ladybug's POV - 

     The only thing I remember was receiving my bobby pin from Lucky Charm.  Though not the strangest thing I had been given, it was certainly puzzling as to how I would be able to use it.  That's what I was thinking about when I felt a sharp, quick pain on the side of my head, then everything went black.

     The only thing I could feel now was the hot, wet blood dripping down the side of my face.  My eyes opened very slowly, and everything was blurry.  As my vision cleared, I found that I was still in my Ladybug suit, but it was stained with blood.

     My head stopped spinning slowly, and I was able to make observations about where we were.  A storage room of some sort.  It was musty-smelling and dark, but there was enough light to be able to see. 

     "This is one of those times when I wish I could see in the dark like Chat." I thought.  I tried to move my hands, making sure the bobby pin was still encased in them.  It was, and I could move my hands, but I couldn't move more than my wrists.

     It took me a minute to realize that I was tied up with my own compact yo-yo.  But once I did, I realized that I was tied to someone else, too.

     I wriggled, trying to free myself when I heard the breathing of the person behind me.  I stopped moving for fear of waking them up.  My earrings, though, had other plans.

     BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

     The slow, purposeful, sleeping breathing stopped as my earrings went down to two dots.  Two dots.  We hadn't been locked in this closet for very long.  That means the Akumatized victim couldn't be far off!

     I heard the man behind me groan and then his head lifted up.  I felt it turn from side to side, trying to decide where we are.  "I will help him get a better sense of where we are." I thought to myself.

     "We're in some sort of janitor's closet,"  I commented, "It smells like ammonia and bleach."

     "I'm glad to see you're okay, M'Lady."  Chat said teasingly.  

     Chat.  

     Chat Noir was the man behind me.  That was a relief.  I wasn't tied to a stranger!

     "Hey, Chat, can you possible Cataclysm this string?"  I asked hopefully.

     "No can do, Bugaboo," he said, laughing at his rhyme, "I'm too close to you to use Cataclysm without hurting you.  Plus, this is the string from your compact.  I can't destroy it."

     Great.  There goes that plan.  "Very well, Chaton.  Any ideas?"

     BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

     My earrings went down to one dot.  I twisted my neck to look at Chat's ring.  It was at five pads.  Figures.  He hadn't used Cataclysm yet.

     "Listen, Chat, I've got one dot left, so -"  I was cut off by the familiar feeling of detransforming.  "Shoot."

     "You're in a bit of hot water, aren't you, M'Lady?"  Chat asked.

     I didn't answer.  Tears stung my eyes.  I squeezed them shut.  This was not how I wanted the reveal to go.  I'd been planning one secretly in my head, but I was denying it until I was truly ready.  But now...now was not even close to the time I'd be ready for Chat Noir to know that Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the clumsy baker's daughter, would ever be even remotely capable of being Ladybug.

     I didn't want to think about it.  I wanted to jump up and tape Chat's eyes shut until I could find Tikki some cookies.  Tikki.  She was being very quiet.

     "I know you're not ready to show Chat Noir who you really are, " Tikki said in her high, squeaky voice, "so I'm going to call you Ladybug."

     "T-Thanks, Tikki..." I mumbled.  If I talked any louder I would burst into tears.  I'd never really been a very emotional person when it comes to crying, but this was different.  I hated being clumsy and awkward and stupid and the exact opposite of Ladybug, but I wasn't going to let anyone know that Ladybug was really...well...Marinette.

     Marinette the Klutz.  Marinette the Dumb Baker's Daughter.  Marinette the Awkward.  Marinette the Self-Conscious Freak.  Marinette the...the...

     A tear hit the floor with a soft pat.  Chat's ears swiveled, picking up the sound.

     "M'Lady, are you...crying?"  he asked gently.  I nodded my head because I couldn't speak.  If he knew I wasn't in my mask, he might recognize my voice and know who I am.  Not that he knew me or anything.  Paris is a big city.  Too big for him, the great Chat Noir, to know who meek little Marinette is.

     He lowered his voice slightly.  "Plagg, Claws In."  With a flash of green light, Chat Noir detransformed.  I shut my eyes again and felt the warm tears rip down my cheeks.  They hit the ground like rain, sending a slightly moist Tikki running over to a dust cloth to dry herself.

     "M'Lady, why are you crying?  It's okay.  If you're not ready for me to know, that's fine, but why?  Why is it so important to you that our identities remain secrets?"  Chat's voice was gentle but had a hint of pushy in it.

     I sighed, indicating that I would speak, just not right away.  I tried to compose myself as much as possible, but, as I prepared to speak, the tears just wouldn't stay hidden.

     "Chaton...I don't know if you will ever understand.  You see Ladybug as a sharp, precise, beautiful, smart, clever, and strong young woman.  I see Ladybug as...as a completely different person.  She is a completely different person.

     "In real life, I'm just clumsy and stupid.  I can't seem to do anything right at school, especially not around him...if you knew who I was, you would never believe that I'd ever be capable of being Ladybug.  You'd never believe me if I told you I was Ladybug.  You'd never think of Ladybug the same way because all you would see would be my other half - the clumsy, stupid one."  My voice wavered the whole time. 

     Chat's breathing was calm and thoughtful, and I could tell he was thinking...hard.  It was clear he was trying to figure out who I was.  But I wasn't ready.

     And he needed to know that.