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Let's be real, I'm just saying
If you feel it, don't cage it
Ooh, I wanna be basic
'Cause you make me so complicated
Can I be basic with you?
Ladybug jumped into the dark alley to hide and catch her breath after a long and tiresome run. Darkness and silence felt more inviting at the moment than shiny reflections of the city lights on wet rooftops. She just slid down the wall to the ground, pressing her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly.
She tried to remember when exactly she had stopped enjoying being Ladybug. Maybe after a couple thousand autographs and selfies that distracted her from patrols (sometimes even from fights!). Maybe after a couple of hundreds false alarms and pranks on superheroes that some Parisians, unlike her and Chat, considered funny. Maybe after the second, and then the third round of temporary heroes’ identities being revealed.
She didn’t know why and when. But she knew that she didn't want to appear as Ladybug in public any more than necessary. Should she dump all patrolling responsibilities on Chat Noir or cancel them completely? Not acceptable solutions. Pass the Ladybug Miraculous to someone else? No, she couldn’t be that reckless, the new holder should be trained properly.
Ladybug clutched her head and groaned. So what then, should she bark at overeager fans a couple of times to get lost and never bother her again? Tempting, but no, she had the image of a role model to uphold.
With a heavy weight in her chest, she got up and swung back to the rooftops. ‘The warmth of home and a cup of chamomile and mint tea will bring you the best solutions,’ her mother’s voice echoed in her head.
Sitting on her chair, Marinette stretched and yawned, rubbing her eyes. "If only someone knew how tired I am of being Ladybug," she sighed, laying her head on the table where Tikki, Mullo, and Orikko were munching on cookies. Tikki glanced at her sympathetically, with the spark of fear in her big blue eyes.
Marinette proceeded, "Actually, sometimes it can be a good stress relief when I can run fast around the city, without a villain hot on my heels. A fit body is also a nice bonus.” She snorted, patting her abs. “But we have made no progress in defeating Hawkmoth in these 5 years. We just run around, fighting distressed civilians who are manipulated by the supervillain."
She waved her hand dismissively and let it fall between her face and kwamis. "But everyone still looks at Ladybug through rose-colored glasses! Each time I'm meeting a civilian's eyes or signing an autograph, I feel guilty as if I'm not doing enough to fully deserve their trust and appreciation.” She squeezed her eyes shut in a pained grimace and sighed again. “If only I could take a break…"
The kwami glanced at each other. "I think we know a recipe," Mullo squeaked, scooting closer to Marinette's face."Tikki, you don't mind sharing your holder, do you?"
Marinette’s eyes flew open at that question. Tikki frowned. "Under normal circumstances, I'd mind very much. But you're the Guardian, Marinette. You can use other Miraculouses freely when you want.”
Marinette bolted upright and looked at kwamis with confusion. “What are you implying?”
Orikko zoomed up from the desk, flipping his tail. “You can run around as some other superhero, transforming with one of us instead of Tikki!” The kwami did a twirl in excitement. “No one will know that it’s you, so you won’t get unwanted attention, running around Paris after midnight a couple of times per week.”
Marinette glanced at the Miracle Box in the corner of her opened closet. “But who can take on this task? I'm so used to moving around with Ladybug’s yo-yo. Longg’s wind power isn’t exactly the same. And no offense, Orikko, but the wings in your costume aren’t that powerful-”
“Me, of course!” Mullo exclaimed, puffing her chest proudly. “Who’s better for sneaking around than a little mouse with her Multitude? Besides, if I’ve counted right, you’ve used my power more often than those of other kwamis from the box. Longg comes a close second, but you’ve already said that it doesn’t seem fitting for you at the moment.”
“You sneaky little thing!”Marinette giggled, gently scratching the mouse’s head.
“Yes, Marinette,” Tikki chirped. “When it’s not for battle, it’s better to use a familiar set of powers, if you want to feel more comfortable and relaxed.”
Marinette remembered vividly that mix of thrill and anxiety during Kwamibuster’s attack when she had worn all the jewelry at once and had led an army of kwamis to defeat the akuma. She remembered several times when Mouse and Ladybug Miraculouses had been unified during a fight with another of Hawkmoth’s creatures. How she fell apart each time, calling Multitude. How she felt her brain overloaded with not one, but four, eight, ten smaller people’s experiences. It was certainly a good opportunity to see the city and superhero duties from different perspectives.
Marinette briefly remembered Fu’s warning to not use the power of the Miraculous for selfish reasons. But did the wellbeing of the Guardian combined with watching over Paris really count as a selfish reason?
She got up and went downstairs to grab more baked treats and ponder the kwamis’ proposition.
Multimouse ran and jumped across rooftops, enjoying how the gusts of wind whistled in her ears and swayed her bangs. Her tail swished behind, indicating her exhilaration. She finally felt at ease, as if seeing the city through a new lens. She took her time to stop a couple of times on the higher rooftops to marvel at the beauty of Paris at night.
Suddenly, the jolt of fear struck her. Multimouse nervously glanced around, trying to notice the danger before it attacked. She cursed under her breath, berating herself for leaving the earrings at home.
“Hey there!” cried a familiar male voice somewhere behind her. “Who are you?”
‘RUN,’ echoed in her head, and her legs started to move against her will. She knew that Chat Noir was her partner, not a danger, that she would face him in a new costume sooner or later anyway. But something from deep inside her ushered her to escape, hide, and keep quiet, until he passed by, not noticing his prey.
Thankfully, she was only three blocks away from the bakery. She reached her balcony, hastily opened the skylight, and jumped into her room, detransforming.
“Tikki, where are you? Grab the earrings and come here!” she whisper-shouted, taking off the necklace. Tikki zoomed to her, carrying the studs. Marinette put them on and transformed. Her Bug-phone immediately signaled one missed message. She groaned, seeing there a blurred picture of Multimouse and a dozen question marks sent by her partner. She sent a short message in response, asking to meet at the Eiffel Tower in 5 minutes, and climbed up onto the balcony.
‘So much for a quiet evening.’ she thought, launching herself into the sky.
“What was that, M’Lady?” Chat started interrogating her immediately after her landing. “Have my eyes betrayed me, or was that the same Marinette ‘Multimouse’ Dupain-Cheng that you declared untrustworthy several years ago? What changed?”He crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly.
“Five years and three exposed teams of temporary heroes, that’s what changed!” Ladybug retorted, flailing her hands. “And the current Mouse holder is the least compromised person; only you and I know her identity. I decided to give her a second chance, pun not intended.” Chat smirked at that.
“Multimouse will patrol occasionally when we are busy. I couldn’t go out today because of some Guardian business, so I’ve sent her instead. Sorry that it caught you off-guard.” Ladybug finished explaining, almost breathless.
She hadn’t expected to see a childishly excited grin slowly spreading on his face. As Ladybug, she had always found Chat Noir to be a bit of a dork. Her partner had grown into a well-built and handsome young man, but still, let his inner kid loose very often. He had always been eager to meet new teammates and get into some mischief with them. After the latest unfortunate incident, she hadn’t recruited new people yet, so she thought that this was the reason for his lively reaction.
Chat pumped his fist in the air victoriously. “I knew that you would come to your senses!” He focused on Ladybug again, making the biggest kitten eyes. “Can I patrol together with Mari-Multimouse? At least sometimes?”
Ladybug was avoiding his gaze, scratching the back of her head. “Uh, Chat, I’m afraid that you’ll overwhelm the newbie. You know,” she laughed awkwardly, “I hoped that she wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention, and here you are, seeming far too interested.”
“My Lady,” Chat gasped, feigning hurt. “Of course, I’m interested! She is my friend as a civilian, and now my teammate! And I’m sure that she’ll be thrilled to have some guidance from me on how to cat-ch some criminals and protect our city better!”
Indeed, as Marinette, she treasured him as a true friend. They had cleared the air several months after the Weredad misunderstanding. Since then, he had been visiting her balcony often for a midnight snack and chat. Slowly and cautiously, they had opened up to each other. Over the years, they had shared enough secrets and embarrassing moments to believe that they knew each other well despite the barrier of secret identities between them. Marinette understood the boy under the mask better. It was easier to tolerate his over-the-top personality, cheesy puns, and pick-up lines, knowing what little fun and freedom he had in real life.
She noticed that he became more relaxed around Marinette as time went on and sometimes even mentioned her with gratitude in his conversations with Ladybug. She found it endearing but tried not to let it slip in front of Tikki, who even without it teased her mercilessly about her blooming friendship.
“Whatever you say, kitty. I hope that you’ll work well together with your friend ,” Ladybug patted Chat’s shoulder, smirking. “But I ask you not to pressure her into anything and not to impose yourself if she wants to run alone. Have a good evening.” She swung away, leaving the grinning leather-clad boy behind.
Three months later, Multimouse had two types of patrol routines established. The first were solo patrols that she tried to make as discreet as possible. The second was a game of hide-and-seek, also known as joint patrols with Chat Noir.
He seemed to have a sixth sense tuned onto her. Whenever the mouse was out, the cat materialized as if out of nowhere shortly after her appearance, trying to catch her. It didn’t help that he moved quietly and hid masterfully in the darkness, and had night vision on top of that. But she wasn’t as clueless as he thought.
Being Ladybug, she discovered not only the best rooftop views in the city of love but also its darkest corners and secret places where it seemed so easy to hide from superheroes, supervillains, police, and fan mobs. Multimouse used that knowledge carefully, trying not to give away most of her discoveries. But Chat somehow managed to hunt down his prey if not every time, then most of them.
Sure, Multimouse somehow found Chat dangerous. Each time she felt fear sipping in her blood, mixing with the thrill of the chase, as should feel the prey stalked by the predator. But at the same time, she wanted more than anything to be the center of his focus, to hide and have him seek her out.
When she had asked the kwamis why she had been feeling differently around Chat as Marinette, Ladybug, and Multimouse, they smirked simultaneously. Wayzz had gone into complex explanations, quoting Chinese philosophy and biological terms. Mullo just giggled uncontrollably. Tikki raised her paw, shushing them.
“Marinette, listen,” the kwami of creation said. “Um. How do I phrase it better? You see, your Miraculouses kind of impacted your relationship.”
“What do you mean?” Marinette startled. “Is it bad? Is it irreversible?”
“It’s for the best!” Tikki hastened to assure. “As you already know, the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses balance each other. So you two should have a harmonized and balanced relationship. It doesn’t necessarily mean marriage and other human rituals. But you’ll have a special dynamic, for sure.”
“Cat-Mouse business is an entirely different thing,” Mullo squeaked, still shaking from the giggling. “It’s not often our holders have such a passionate connection in and out of their masks. This only intensifies our natural dynamic between the predator and the prey. You’ve felt it already if you’re asking us what’s going on.”
“Okay, I get it,” Marinette grumbled. “But predator/prey dynamics don’t explain why we have this… ahem… unresolved tension hanging heavily between us. The prey is supposed to escape, not want to give in.”
“That’s because you know him in and out of your masks,” Wayzz chimed in. “Miraculous magic and… strong human feelings can break or reverse biological imperatives.”
Marinette stared at kwamis, at a loss for words. “I-I… To be honest, I feel this strong appeal to come out of the hideaway and give in to him. But at the same time, I don’t want to get too close. I revealed one of my secret identities in front of him and don’t want to risk exposing Ladybug, the Guardian of the Miracle Box. Especially considering that he hangs out with Marinette too often.” She groaned. “How did I get myself into this disaster? How could I behave so recklessly and put us both in danger, trying to relieve my stress and using Mullo selfishly?”
“Everything will be alright, Marinette,” Tikki soothed, nuzzling her cheek. “You are adults now, superheroing for a long time, so you could handle some danger. Besides, your closeness affects your teamwork positively!”
Marinette sniffed. “I don’t want to be only one stupid here, you know? I’ve just gotten over that disastrous crush on Adrien and can talk to him like a sane person. And now the same story unfolds with Chat.” She started pacing around the room. “Yes, I don’t want to run away from him, on the contrary. But how would I know that he wants me for real? Not just only because of teenage hormones or cat tendencies?”
Tikki murmured something, shaking her head. Mullo giggled again. Wayzz remained silent.
Marinette stopped and turned back to kwamis. “I can’t understand his reactions. With Multimouse he’s more playful and cocky, with Marinette he can be a jokester, a nerd, or a philosopher.” She blushed. “Sometimes I catch him looking at me the same way he looked at Ladybug at the start of our partnership. But there’s no guarantee....” She hugged herself and lowered her gaze to her feet. “It’ll crush my heart if I allow myself to fall in love with him, and then it turns out that this was only a game.” She fell on the chaise longue, covering her face with her hands.
“Why don’t you talk to him about it?” Mullo asked.
“Yes, Master Marinette. It looks like it’ll be patrol time soon. So you better get ready.” Wayzz said, hovering closer to the clock on the desk.”
“You’re right. One last hide-and-seek.” Marinette jumped onto her feet and went to the sink to wash her face.
Multimouse grinned, looking at Chat who drove her into a corner. “You think you won, kitty cat? Catch me if you can! Multitude!” She quickly broke up into several Multimice; their tinkling laughter echoed from the walls of the alley.
“Nooo!” Chat shouted, exasperated. “It’s unfair, Mousinette!”
“You need to work harder if you really want to win,” one of the Multimice squeaked somewhere near his human ear.
Two hours later, Chat caught Multimouse again on the secluded rooftop. He was straddling her, pinning her wrists to the roof. Both were sweating and panting heavily; the superheroine still looked dazed after assembling back into one person.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Chat growled. “Let’s talk.”
“Let’s talk,” Multimouse breathed out. Chat got off of her, allowing her to sit, and situated himself in front of her. His grip on her hands was still tight as if he was afraid that she would slip away from him again.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he repeated, searching her gaze. His words finally sank in, and she paled. ‘Does it mean that he doesn’t want to work with me anymore,’ she thought. That idea caused tears to gather in the corner of her eyes.
Chat let go of her wrist, reached to her cheek, and gently wiped a stray tear, mindful of his claws. “I don’t want to chase you anymore.”
“A-are we not partners anymore?” Multimouse managed to ask in a trembling voice.
“What?” Chat’s eyes widened. “N-no, I-I didn’t mean it like that! Argh!” He ran his hand through his hair, hissing at claws scratching his cat ear. “Sorry, I didn't mean it like that.” He gulped. “I just wanted to say that it’s not a game for me anymore. Plagg told me that this thrill from the chase has a part of animalistic tendencies in it. But I believe that it is more than just a playful game of tag. It has deeper roots in our friendship and all of our shared secrets.”
Chat took Multimouse’s hand in his again and squeezed it gently, looking at their intertwined fingers. “I don’t want to fight these feelings anymore. Don’t want to try to control them or make more lame excuses why I shouldn’t fall in love with you.” She gasped; he looked up and into her eyes.
“Marinette Multimouse Dupain-Cheng, I’m in love with you and I want you to be mine forever.” he blurted out in one breath. “Please.”
A smile slowly spread on her face. “Oh thank you, kwamis,” she whispered and tugged him closer. The first touch of their lips was gentle and tentative. But they felt their hunger flare up after the first taste, and soon kisses became more daring, hands wandering, worries tamer.
Surprisingly or not, it felt right. Simple and basic, as if they were made for each other. All complications, secret identities, and danger aside; they were finally out of denial and endless games, blissfully happy together. And it was all that mattered at this moment.