"Just a Friend?" Book 1 of "Secrets Unraveled" Trilogy (MLB FanFic) |COMPLETED|

Chpt 9: Ladybug and Cat Noir address Paris. Is that Hawk Moth?

Marinette looked at herself and Tikki in the mirror. "Do you think the short speech is reassuring enough?" she asked Tikki nervously.

Tikki reassured Marinette, again, that it was. "What you are really doing is showing people you and Cat Noir are still here, you are paying attention to what is going on (or not going on), and you will be there to help them.  If you talk too much, people will start to worry that you are hiding something from them.  If you feel like it, you can take a few questions from the crowd."

"Okay. I guess I'm ready then. I already told my mom I was going to Alya's, so I should be covered for a bit.

Tikki, SPOTS ON!"

Ladybug headed out into the city.

When Ladybug arrived, there was already a large crowd gathered to hear her speech.  She started to feel nervous again.  She normally gave these Ladybug speeches in the heat of the moment without really planning or thinking about them, so there was usually no time to worry.  She'd been worrying. 

Cat Noir arrived a minute later and landed right beside her.  He looked over at her about to say something clever, but stopped.  She looked nervous- really nervous- which was unlike her.  He grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side.  She tried to resist him, but stopped resisting when he looked into her somewhat panicked eyes and then worriedly asked "Are you okay?"

"Um, yes, of course.  Why wouldn't I be?" she replied in a high pitched voice.  The look he gave her showed he didn't believe her. 

"Look, Bugaboo. . ."  She gave him a little glare at the use of the name she hated, just as he expected.  He hoped it would distract her from being nervous.  ". . . you'll be fine.  You've faced much scarier things than this and saved the day.  This is just a little speech.  People want to be reassured and you're going to do it!"  He gave her hand a squeeze and led her back to the podium.  Ladybug tugged her hand free from his when she realized he was still holding it and then straightened up, feeling more ready to speak now.  She gave Cat a small nod of thanks, which he returned with a slight smirk.

The Mayor approached the podium and gave an introduction, with Chloe in the background trying to position herself on camera between him and Ladybug.  Ladybug could hardly keep herself from rolling her eyes at Chloe's behavior.  Chloe always thought everything was about her! 

The Mayor announced Ladybug and Cat Noir and they approached the podium together.  Ladybug spotted Alya in the crowd, who gave her a brief wave before holding up her phone to record Ladybug's speech.  She took a breath and tried to slow her racing heart.

"It has been a few weeks since we have seen any akumatizations here in Paris.  Unfortunately, rather than making all of us feel more secure, the uncertainty has left us feeling more concerned about what may be coming in the future.  As far as Cat Noir and I know, Hawk Moth is still out there, and there is no way to know what he is planning.  But, we have a history of protecting the city together.  Ever since Hawk Moth appeared in our city, we have all worked diligently to defeat him- whether it was in your everyday lives where you have made an effort to treat others kindly or tried to keep your own negative emotions from overtaking you.  And, we did the most amazing thing when we all came together to be heroes on Heroes' Day, the day that Scarlet Moth attacked all of us!  We have fought his evil and defeated him every time with the help of our Miraculouses and the strong people of Paris!  There is no reason to believe this won't be true in the future.  The best way to prepare for the future is to continue to be a good team.  As long as we trust each other and continue to be friends and have others we can rely on to help- people who believe in us and who believe in doing the right thing- we can do this!"