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Oh, she hated all this cloak-and-dagger business. She knew Chat loved it, which was why he’d given her the note from Adrien in the first place. She’d never understand why guys thought this was a cute idea as she walked into a long-forgotten room within the high school she attended. Frankly, she wished she could pretend she’d misread the note and walked on to her class. She’d been doing so well lately in being on time and hated the idea her record would probably be destroyed by this side trip.
“Hey, LB,” Adrien whispered.
She jumped and spun to face him, her hand on her yo-yo. Her hand remained even as she found him in the darkened room, her eyes narrowing into a glare. She wished he’d hurry to tell her what he wanted so they could leave. She didn’t like being in such dark places. She already had enough nightmares, thank you very much.
“Thank you for seeing me on short notice.”
“What do you need, Adrien? Chat said it was important.” She did her best to keep her voice calm. She promised she did, but even she could hear the slight edge to it.
“Oh, right, that. Yeah, um, I don’t know how to say this. I’m not even sure it’s that big a deal yet, but I thought you should know.”
“Adrien, you’re rambling. What is it?” Her foot began to tap as her patience slowly ebbed into annoyance.
“I think Alya may have figured out who you are. I’ve known for a while, but I kept your secret, I swear. I just thought you should know if you wanted to lead her away from her suspicions.” His hand crept up to his neck, showing his nervousness at his revelations. He couldn’t quite look her in the eye, either, confirming his words as truth.
She didn’t know what to say to any of it. She’d never thought her best friend would ever put the clues together though there’d been plenty over the years. Now, she’s also learned her secret crush also knows who she was under the mask. She could only hope in that moment that Chat didn’t know, or her life would be over. Her secrets would be out, and her friends and family would be at great risk.
“Ladybug?”
“How did you find out?” She forced the words past her frozen lips.
“Purely an accident. You didn’t notice me when you transformed in a nearby alley to where I was. No one else saw, I swear.” He paused as he considered his next words, finally adding, “I didn’t know if I should tell you, either. I know your secret identity is important to you. I promise you’ll never hear me reveal it to anyone. You can trust me, Marinette.”
Her name on his lips proved the final straw as she paced through the darkened room. She had no idea what she planned to do, but she would figure it out. She always did. She was Ladybug after all, for goodness sake.
“What makes you so sure Alya suspects it’s me?”
“She had a new app on her phone. It fits your costume over various people with a mask. She tried a photo of you and it looked pretty convincing. Nino’s trying to talk her down as we speak.”
“Oh, this can’t be any worse. I’ll have to let Chat know my cover may be blown. He might want another partner who can keep her secrets better.”
“I doubt that, Milady. He knows there’s only one Ladybug, and that’s you. He won’t settle for another even if it’s asked of him. He’d rather lose his ring than lose you.”
“That’s sweet, Adrien, but,” her words slowed as she realized what he’d called her, finally finishing her statement by asking, “Chat? You’re Chat?”
“Well, it seems the cat’s out of the bag now, Bugaboo. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”
She answered him by throwing herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. Her face nestled into his neck, staying there for several minutes as she came to terms with all she learned. She couldn’t believe her partner had been by her side all this time, yet she hadn’t known.
She felt his arms stiffen around her as he accepted her embrace, content to hold her as long as she needed. She’d handle Alya in due time. For now, she had her partner next to her and she planned on spending some time with him, talking about their new situation and their future as superheroes.