My Wish

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nino's bruise has gone down to a small patch of purple, but it still hurt as he moved his side, so he remain seated on Marinette's chair.

Alya was sponging Marinette's forehead, when she gave a gasp, and sat up straight.

"Woah, chill girl," Alya tried to set Marinette back onto the afternoon chair that she was on.

"Alya? What, what happened?"

Nino glanced at Alya, his girlfriend, and her doubtful face, with her brow furrowed. He wanted to wipe the brow off her face, not literally, but to make her less worried. But he wasn't sure how. 

"Nino," Marinette's eyes flicked over him.

"How are you?"

"Fine," he said, offering her a smile.

"Good," she said, face relaxing.

"Mari," Alya looked at Marinette. "Do you remember what happened?"

Marinette sighed, and sat up. "Yes. Where are Wayze and Trixx?" It was as if she knew that her identity had been revealed and did not want to waste anymore time pretending to conceal her identity.

"Here, Marinette." The kwamiis appeared over the edge of her bed.

Nino saw Marinette's face relax at the sight of seeing the two kwamiis.

"Marinette, I couldn't help it, I had to tell them," pleaded Wayze, before she could say anything, and flew to her side.

Nino remembered how shocked he was when he received the news with Alya. They weren't even sure whether to believe them, or just laugh it off.

Nino remembered sputtering as he tried to process what the kwamiis said. Alya seemed to be in some kind of shock, as if she could never imagine that the person who was Ladybug all the time was her best friend.

But of course she wouldn't. Alya possibly never had a thought occur to her that Ladybug may be by her side all the time.

He couldn't either. And he doubted anyone from school would either, although Marinette being Ladybug would explain her long, inexplicable absence during akuma attacks.

However, as Nino looked at Marinette converse with Wayze and Trixx, he could now see how the shy and clumsy Marinette could be the strong and lovable Ladybug.

"Marinette," he leaned forward. "Are you really Ladybug?"

He saw her eyes widen, then sadden, as if she remembered something despairing.

"Not anymore, I'm not," she murmured.

"What do you mean you are no longer Ladybug?" Alya asked, somehow having a hard edge to her voice, as if she's gotten over the fact that her bestie was the superhero that fought crime all the time, and was the person she was so intent Oon discovering her true identity. "You will always be Ladybug."

Marinette gave a heavy sigh. "Without the earrings, I can't be Ladybug, " then added as an after-thought to herself, "I said the same thing to Tikki, but right now, I'm so lost."

Nino swallowed. "Hey, Mari, do you think we should talk to the person who has all the miraculous?"

Marinette blinked, as if registering what Nino had just said. "Master Fu? Yes, we should talk to him, but with the lockdown and everything else, I'm not sure we can contact him."

Alya gave a laugh, something so contrasting to the solemn and sombre atmosphere they had.

"Girl, you're forgetting the most common thing in your daily life! You can use the phone to call him."