The Naked Truth

Completely bare

Adrien sighed and scratched his head. There was something really odd about what had happened to them. As if there was something that he couldn't remember. He put the palm of his right hand on his forehead and closed his eyes, trying to exclude all distractions (especially the distraction that was panicking right in front of him) and think. There was something he knew he had to remember. But what?

Suddenly he gasped and looked up, snapping his fingers as a triumphant smile appeared on his lips. "M'lady? What did the Akuma victim say when we were fighting her? Something about not keeping secrets?"

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed into a frown. She put a hand to her chin and started thinking carefully. "She... she said 'Let's see what happens when you won't have any more secrets between each other'."

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. Yes, that was it! "She also said that her name was Naked Truth, if I recall correctly. And that her power was to trap lovers." He couldn't help but pause as he said that. He gulped awkwardly and diverted his gaze from the girl next to him as his cheeks dusted with pink. "To make them make out and be truthful with each other."

"Merde," cursed Marinette. He looked at her in surprise because he had never heard her cursing before. She brought a hand to her mouth. "Whoops, sorry! Do... do you think we can't lie at all here?"

"Well, I think that's the idea. Let me try to tell a lie." He got quiet for a few seconds and then looked at her decisively. "I love Chloé as a friend, but she's so annoying that I would like to—" He sighed. "Yes, I can't lie."

Marinette squealed and then groaned. Then, she sighed and said, "Let me try. I made your blue scarf." She looked at him sheepishly. "Uh, I really didn't mean to say that."

He scratched his head. "My scarf? The one my father gave me for my fourteenth birthday? What have you got to do with it?"

Marinette blushed profusely and hid her head again behind her legs. She went quiet for some time and then said tentatively, "I... Your father didn't give you that scarf, Adrien. That was my present. I don't know why you were told it was from your father." She looked at him and Adrien stared back in pure disbelief and shock. She blushed more. "I should have chosen another thing to lie about. Like for example when I stole your pho—"

"You stole my phone?" Adrien snapped.

Marinette gasped loudly, her hands reaching her temples. "This is TERRIBLE! I have to keep my mouth shut!"

Adrien folded his arms on his chest and gave her a serious stare, furrowing his eyebrows. "You. Stole. My phone?" he repeated sternly, causing Marinette to blush beet-red and look at him sheepishly.

"YES. I mean, yes. Oh God, yes! ARGH!" She roared in frustration and panted heavily. Then she slumped her shoulders and looked at the ground, raising her gaze from time to time to give him guilty looks. "Okay, I get it, the truth. Look, it was the day our statues were revealed. I didn't come to the ceremony be-because I was busy sneaking into the boys' changing room and breaking into your locker to get your phone!"

She stopped, probably noticing that Adrien's eyes were so wide that they were ready to come out of their sockets. She blushed even more (if that was possible) and continued, starting to ramble, "Don't look at me like that! I gave it back to you, didn't I? Alya had challenged me to invite you to the cinema and I had accidentally forgotten to hit the end button to the message I had left to your voicemail. I thought I had ended the conversation, and commented about my stupidity with Alya. I was calling you 'beau gosse'. ARGH! I HAD to cancel it!"