From Elenthya the author:
Hello!
One year later, here we go again!
SYCD acted like a one-shot with a (shameless) cliffhanger, but it's actually a multi-chapter fic. It has a beginning, a middle and a decent ending ever since its creation in 2017, but my main Miraculous fic, "Blanc, Rouge, Noir", as well as some other fandom projects took all my attention those past years. Nevertheless, SYCD often wins me over, and I find myself writing it slowly but surely, especially when I need to blow some steam (the French readers of BRN know what I'm talking about. As for the others...but what are you doing here? Go read BRN's prologue, so you know what it's about! You might like it…)
I suggest we lift the veil on what SYCD truly is – that is, the challenge I wager with myself to write a scenario worthy of an episode of the series, with some fun, some fan-service (but not too much), action, mystery and, why not, a little interesting morale. And keeping it accessible for everyone (unlike BRN, which goal is to offer a more mature vision of the Miraculous Universe)
My estimate over the number of chapters is 7 or 8...but I'm often wrong!
Have a good read!
From Vanamonde the translator:
Hello everyone! After a small hiatus, here we are again with another chapter! It's been a joy for me to translate, and I hope you'll love reading it as much as I did!
Enjoy!
.
.
.
.
"…Marinette ?"
.
.
.
.
He knows...
He knows ?
He knows !
"Ladybug? Wait!"
Thankfully, Cat Noir's stunned cry catches the people's attention, and make them move away quickly when they see us running. I'm rushing, head down, my ears wheezing. The crowd is thick, the air smothering.
Air. I need some air.
"My Lady!"
My team mate's voice become more pressing – and closer: he's right behind me. I accelerate as I grab my yo-yo – the real one, this time. I throw it toward the hangar ceiling. The wire catches a metal beam, and an unstoppable force pulls me from the ground. I pass over the colourful crowd of passers by and cosplayers, and the surprised exclamation make way to calls and cries of joy. The wind's not enough to cool down my nauseous anguish.
What's gotten into me? What's gotten into me?
He knows. He guessed.
Is it really this bad? Yeah, of course it is!
I need to think.
…air. Fresh air.
Quickly!
I finally reach the end of the gigantic hangar. The strollers, focused on the stands, haven't noticed me yet. I let myself fall behind a fence, run toward the entrance and passes through the gates, weaving in and out between the ever-growing crowd of visitors. Outside, the sun is scorching, but at least I can breathe. I slow down on a few metres, my heart pounding in my chest, never minding the few people watching me with surprise, slightly suspicious. I avoid their gaze and go sit on a concrete block, dragging my feet like your average cosplayer driven to exhaustion by the Expo, and after a few moments, everybody ignores me.
After the ruckus of the alleys, the silence in the huge parking would almost knock me out, but my uneasiness is only growing stronger. Without nothing to do, I'm so ashamed of myself I could slap myself. I curl up on myself and grab my head with both hands.
Drat, drat, drat!
I didn't see anything coming! I was so surprised by Alya's slip that I betrayed myself. In front of all these people. What if Cat Noir hasn't been the only one who understood?
I shudder, drenched in cold sweat: what if he blew my cover? Non, it's not his style. But what about a misunderstanding, or during a fight, in front of Carapace or Rena Rouge? He wouldn't do in on purpose, but the result would be the same!
"My Lady…!"
I'm startled, pulled from my pondering. We have to talk. But...no, not now.
And not here!
My team mate surges from the hangar and scrutinizes the onlookers, without paying attention to their clapping and enthusiastic calls. With his whipping tail and his staff he's folding with a seasoned gesture, he's not trying to fool anyone, and many already understood he wasn't just your average cosplayer. With clenched teeth, I grab my yo-yo and reach the roof of the hangar, to get definitely out of sight.
"Please, wait!"
And just as I feared, Cat Noir saw me. He lands near me gracefully, and I walk away without a look, red with shame and anger.
"Please, listen to me! My Lady..."
I stop, out of habit, surprised by his suddenly begging voice. My desperate flight suddenly seems out of place. What if I was imagining things? What if he didn't understand anything, never guessed anything?
No, no. I saw it in his eyes, I read it on his lips. My name. The real one.
"Marinette."
He knows. He saw me hesitate, and he understood. How could I have been so careless?!
"Ladybug…?"
"What, Cat Noir? I have to leave!"
I turn to him, trying to look natural. He closes to me, all smiles. His eyes sparkle with happiness, his cheeks are reddened by excitement. I would have found it cute...
...In different circumstances.
"Ladybug, everything's alright", he exclaims, over the moon. "It's just...so great! I should have guessed it was you! Ah, what a ditz I am! I can't believe it!
Panic – the one that made me run away just a few minutes away – almost engulfs me again. He knows. What am I going to do now?
What should I do?
Clumsily, I try to calm him down.
"Cat Noir, I'm in a hurry. Let's call it a day, okay?"
He shakes his head and even jumps up and down.
"No no, you don't understand! Trust me! You have to know, you too!"
He closes to me again, and I instinctively steps back. I'm afraid, but I don't really know why.
"Cat Noir, no!"
I turn abruptly and walk to the end of the roof.
"Ladybug, please!"
I raise my yo-yo, ready to fly on the neighbouring roofs.
"Ladybug…!"
A hand closes on my wrist. My heart leaps in my chest when he whispers, hopeful:
"…Marinette?"
"NO! Let me go!"
I pull away and glare at him. He finally quiets, wide-eyed. My screams echoes on the roofs for a while. I carry on with a lower tone, infuriated.
"I don't want to know who you are! If our kwamis made us swear to keep our identities a secret, that must be for a reason! We have to think about it!"
"But...my Lady..."
I clench my fists when faced with his sheepish face. He's so annoying! Why do I always have to keep telling him the rules? Can't he think about the consequences, just for once?
"I just want you to know, it's so absurd. Actually, I'm..."
"No! Shut up!"
I step back, and Cat Noir's wide grin disappears for good. His hands fall by his sides. His sparkling eyes are veiled with sadness, and I'm suddenly ashamed. Ashamed of torment him like that, when he had always wanted to lift the secret.
But I know he'll get over it. He always does. It's Cat Noir, after all.
"I made a mistake", I groan. "Nevermind what you understood, I don't want to know anything more. I need some air. So leave me alone!"
I barely control my movements. My yo-yo flies, taking me above the roofs. I glance over my shoulder and, to my relief, Cat Noir doesn't follow.
I rush through the city with burning eyes. Tikki. I need to talk to Tikki. She'll find the words. She'll know what to do.
Cat Noir knows. And me, the only thing I'm sure of is that I do not want to know.
It's worse than that: I cannot know.
.
.
"Marinette, calm down!"
I can't stand still. A mere pigeon landing on the roof of my room startles me. What if Cat Noir comes here? After all, he knows where I live since our fight against Evillustrator! What if he makes a blunder? What if my parents notice him? They would want some explanations about why there is a superhero in their daughter's room! What can I say to them? I'm already running out of excuses for the classes I skip! And what if I'm grounded for good for this?
What will I do?!
"Marinette !"
And what if someone notices him when he prowls around here? Or worse, what if they learn at school that Cat Noir stalks me without an explanation? What would they say? Everyone knows Cat Noir is the Casanova type, so what would Adrien think? And Alya? She would grill me, and I would crack in front of everyone and...
"Marinette! Stop pulling your hair or you'll end up bald!"
Tikki's small, high-pitched voice pulls me out of my furious contemplation of the wooden floor, and I stare at her with fear. With a stubborn sigh, she pinches my left hand without warning.
"Ouch! Tikki!"
I cross my arms before she tries that stunt again. I glare at her, and she returns the sentiment.
"Now, sit down!" she squeaks, her antennas shuddering. "And tell me everything."
I obey with ill-grace and let myself fall on my desk chair, which moves and hit my desk. Tikki overs near me, authoritative.
"I'm listening. Keep it simple!"
Suddenly at loss for words, I look down.
"I...I ruined everything. Cat Noir knows who I am, now."
"But, how?"
The Japan Expo scene keeps playing in my head, over and over. Rena Rouge's slip, my freezing noticed by Cat Noir. My stupid flight instead of denying everything or carrying on regardless, like a true super heroine should have when faced with a joke.
And Cat Noir's insistence. And his eyes when I had to – again – set things straight...
Drat...drat! Drat!
I curl up and massages my skull, feeling a headache. I'm too close to Alya and Nino in real life, and as such I haven't been careful enough. We never should have met outside of a mission. What got over me when I accepted Alya's offer?
"Marinette, your hair!"
I jump out of my chair and start pacing again.
"I ruined everything, Tikki! I made a stupid mistake and Cat Noir recognized me. He recognized Marinette. The worst thing is, I didn't even try to deny, I ran away! Ran away, can you imagine! What kind of Ladybug would do such a thing?! I'm so dumb!"
"No, no", Tikki's busy voice tweets as she follows me in my coming and goings. "And then? What happened?"
I freeze when remembering Cat Noir: first radiant, then startled, then silent. Left alone on the hangar roof, the very same hangar where we met this morning, already transformed. We then mingled with the costumed visitors crowd to meet Rena Rouge and Carapace outside the dressing rooms. I was nervous at the idea that people wouldn't buy our cosplayer routine, but Cat Noir was confident, comforting, and even charming. Right away, he knew how to act with the curious visitors – encumbering himself with a bag-pack and his Teemo hat completely out of context, mixing rookie actor's mistakes and more or less convincing smiles – and people bought it. I only had to follow him.
...what wouldn't I give to restart this day over?
"Marinette? What happened next?"
I swallow with difficulty.
"I told Cat Noir to stop following me. I directly went home. I'm so angry at myself, everything's my fault!"
Tikki stares at me as though she was seeing me for the first time.
"But...but come on, Marinette, it's not that bad!"
"Huh?"
"When I saw you lamenting like this, I thought something horrible had happened! That Ladybug had been recognized by civilians, or that Cat Noir had been injured! But nothing else happened there?"e.
I stare at her in silence, bewildered, then nod.
"Huh...no?"
"Oh, Marinette…!"
She has a big, tired sigh, and her hovering immediately becomes less majestic. I instinctively reach out my hands to catch her fall. On my palms, she gently shakes her head and smiles gently, a bit mockingly.
"It happened many times in the past for Cat Noir and Ladybug to reveal their identities to each other. Most of the time, it was intentional, and allowed them to keep contact in the civilian world. I doesn't change anything to your partnership, Marinette."
I stare at her with astonishment. Is she serious?
"R-really? But I thought it was important! The first day, you told me the secret had to be kept at any cost!"
I don't understand anything anymore!
"Of course, Marinette, that's what I said. As long as you didn't establish a relation of mutual trust, it was very important. Of course, you're a bit too young to know everything, but you know each other well, now. I'm sure you'll know how to sort things out."
I let myself fall on my couch, out of words, bewildered. Tikki lets me take it in, a comforting smile on her lips. I find myself looking for my breath, as though I had forgotten to breathe during the last few minutes – or hours? – I relax my shoulders, surprised to find them tensed.
"So...so, that's all then? Cat Noir knows about me...and nothing else will happen?"))
Tikki shakes her head with a squeal.
"No, nothing else. What's done is done, Marinette. You have to move forward, now."
"But...Cat Noir wanted to tell me who he was!"
"And? That's his right!"
"And...but, I don't want to know, Tikki! I can't!"
"And it's your right to refuse, too. But why does it matter so much to you, Marinette?"
Tikki's voice becomes strangely sweet, almost expectant. I understand that her question is a lot less innocent that it seems. My mother does the same thing when she wants me to think hard about what I'm about to answer...
I look down, grasping with an uneasiness hard to pin down. After a long silence, Tikki leaves my palms and levitates at eye level.
"Marinette, why is it so important to you for him to keep his secret?"
I gulp, my stomach in a knot. And I finally find my words.
"I...I think I'm a bit scared, that's all. When Cat Noir...well, when he called me Marinette, I thought about Nino and Alya, our families...if one day, a super villain came to know our true identities, they would all be in danger, right?"
"Indeed. Carry on..."
"And Cat Noir looked so impatient and happy to tell me who he was, but he doesn't realize how dangerous it would be! Imagine, Tikko, if one of us got captured by Hawkmoth? He could tell him everything! Rena Rouge and Carapace's identity, and...and maybe Cat Noir's certain he would never betray us, but me, I'm not sure I could resist if it happened to me. I don't want to take that risk. I cannot."
I take a difficult breath, on the edge of tears, but strangely calmer now that I realized the origin of this fear.
"Cat Noir is the only one of us whose identity is completely unknown to me, now. I much rather carry on like this. You never know what could happen."
Tikki nods with a slight smile.
"Then you did well, Marinette. Preserving your team mate's anonymity and security is an excellent reason to keep the secret. But did you explain it to Cat Noir?"
I shudder, taken aback. Why? For him who knows me so well, it must be evident...no?
Maybe not, now that I think about it. If I needed so long and Tikki's help to understand...
I feel myself turning pale, and my anguish comes back with a vengeance as I remember our last exchange.
"No...no, I didn't tell him. I was freaking out...I even shouted at him to leave me alone! Oh no, no no no no!"
Tikki lands on my lap to keep me from pacing again. She knows me well.
"Then you have to explain this to him, Marinette. I'm sure he'll understand if you tell him things in a calm and sound manner, like you just did."
I look at her in silence, and she shots me a cheerful smile. So small, and yet so wise. She's right, as always...for one second, I regret that she's not able to stay by my side when I face Cat Noir. But, what if I chose to meet him as a civilian?
After a few lingering seconds, I decide otherwise. No, I feel that it's under the Ladybug persona that I have to settle this. Even if Cat Noir knows who's hiding behind the mask now.
"Alright. But...but I don't want to wait for the next Akuma attack. Do you allow me to…?"
Tikki's smile become beaming.
"Of course!"
She nestles against my cheek for a quick hug, then hover back.
"Tikki, spots on", I whisper.
My kwami disappears in a red and silver lightning. I feel the suit wrapping me like a second skin, both warm and comforting, teeming with a barely-contained energy. Lighter in body and in mind, I grab my yo-yo and activates the communicator. I glance outside, and notice with surprise that it's almost night-time. The journey back home had been a long one, since after exiting the Expo, I chose to detransform and take the first metro station, to mix with the crowd in case Cat Noir tried to find me.
Public transportation after the Japan Expo. A very bad idea...
"Ready to let the cat get your tongue? Leave a message!"
My team mate's cheerful voice brings me back to the present. I smile, and automatically clears my throat.
"Cat Noir? I know it's late, but...Listen, I'm sorry about what happened earlier. Really...I would like to talk. We could try to see each other this weekend? I...Call me back, please. Otherwise, I...I'll try to call again tomorrow morning. Okay…?"
I wince, infuriated by my own stammering. Heck, if he had any doubts about my secret identity, my clumsiness just blew them away.
"Er...good night."
I hang up reluctantly. After a few minutes of complete silence, I detransform, and Tikki reappears. Her smiles wanes when she sees my defeated face.
"Well?" she asks me, without much hope.
"He probably was detransformed, I only could leave a message. Can Plagg and you feel if there's a waiting message?"
Tikki frolics, thinking.
"In theory, yes. But I never really knew if Plagg was absent-minded, or if he turned a deaf ear just to avoid transforming. Maybe a bit of both?"
She soothes her observation with a whimsical wink.
"I'll let you know as soon as a message comes up. Now tell me, were there cookies back there?"
I smile, feeling a bit better.
"Not quite, but who knows, you might like it?"
Grabbing my bag, I pull out the sweets and fruit jelly assortment I bought earlier. With a squeal of joy, Tikki twirls and disappears inside the paper bag. I burst out laughing.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll see Cat Noir and explain everything. He will understand, I'm sure of it.
.
A roof. A full moon night. A disenchanted groan.
"I only you knew. I can't stand his whining anymore!"
"Oh, kitty. It's that bad?"
"Mercy. I want it to stop."
A chuckle.
"They're far from being our first Holders. You know you have to let things pass, like always."
Mumbles.
"What happened today is far from mundane. You know very well what it means, Sugarcube."
"Mmh. But once again, there's nothing we can do. We have to wait, Kittycat..."
"How long, on your side?"
Silence. Then a hesitant tweet.
"I'm not too sure. You know it's hard for her."
"Ah, hard cheese…!"
A yawn. A sigh.
"It has to end. My kid's been scolded again for disappearing without warning. And he worries me."
"You're exaggerating..."
A silence.
"I'm serious. He worries me."
"Really? It was fine, until now."
"But the game has changed. The Balance is broken, isn't it?"
A silence. Then a whisper.
"Dawn's coming. You should go home, Kittycat. I'll do my best."
.
.
"I'll do my best..."
.
Thumps, repeating. They flare my headache awake. A muffled voice.
"Marinette? Marinette!"
I mumble in my pillow, sweating. It's so hot…
One last knock, then a metallic clank. Same voice, clearer now.
"Marinette? Hey! Wakie-wakie!"
Someone opens a window: the traffic sounds joins to the whirring of my fan. Someone grabs my blanket and pulls it down. I curl up instinctively and grumble. A laugh answers me.
"Still in pajamas? I can't believe it! Get up, sweetie! It's Saturday!"
"Grmbl...that's the point..."
I crack open one eye. Leaning on my mattress, a few centimetres from my nose, Alya stares at me with her big eyes. I gasp and recoil instinctively.
"AH!"
"Geeeet uuuuup sleeeeeepy heaaaad", she whispers with a voice from beyond the grave before bursting out laughing. "Come on, hurry up!"
She jumps from the chair she used to get to my level, then makes a ballet move quite comical and a far cry from Rena Rouge's grace. I struggle to get up and glare at her from my mezzanine. My head feels like it's caught in a vice, and my sweat-soaked tank top sticks to my skin. I didn't sleep well, as often when the summer sun overheats my attic bedroom.
"We're going to the Expo, remember? Get up! I did a reconnaissance yesterday, it's going to be so-great!"
The weight on my shoulder increases. The mere idea of going back in the overcrowded alleys would almost make my room bearable.
That, and yesterday's blunder... Drat!
I fall back among my pillows, vanquished, and yawn hard. Leaning on the open window, Alya has a jaded sigh while checking her phone.
"Wow, what a serious lack of motivation! You didn't forget Adrien would meet us there, I hope? You're planning on taking a shower or you're going out like this?"
I stop my stretching and my eyes go wide. A deep silence. Then I jump up.
OHTHATSRIGHT!
I run down the stairs leading to my bed and grab my clothes laying on the couch.
"Give me five minutes!
"You're getting ten, sweetie. As always..."
I lock myself in the bathroom, my heart pounding in my chest.
"The metro's probably going to get crowded," Alya shouts from my room. "So don't hang around. The sooner we leave the better!"
Out of habit, I wash my face, but a glance in the mirror and my sweaty back convince me that a shower is in order.
"I've got so many things to tell you about yesterday!" Alya carries on from behind the door. "It was amazing to be with the team! Cat Noir played along like a champ for the fan pictures, and Ladybug was just so sweet! Nino was a bit stuck-up, of course, but..."
I wince a smile and give up trying to answer with anything else than a few hurried "yes". My ideas aren't clear yet, and I absolutely don't want to betray myself again. Marinette knows who Rena Rouge is since she saved Marinette, and Alya knows I know. But Alya doesn't know about my secret identity – she keeps insisting to introduce Ladybug to her best friend Marinette! Until now I managed to slither my way out of this. "Really Alya, Ladybug has better things to do than meeting a mere civilian like me!" But I'll have to find a proper solution one day...
I run under the shower, and the warm water helps me gather my thoughts. Yesterday, Ladybug was beside Alya, not Marinette. She's going to tell me all about her day, and I'll have to marvel at everything, just like her missions. The mere thought of it makes me sigh, tired in advance.
Well, nothing can be done about that. It's often quite funny to rediscover our interventions through Alya's eyes, who is quite good at embellishing stories and magnifying Ladybug and Cat Noir' s "prowesses" – her words, not mine.
When I go out of the shower after some quick ablutions, I let the water run and whisper as I wrap myself in a towel.
"Tikki?"
My kwami surges from the tiled wall and greets me with a silent grin. As always when Alya comes to wake me up, she must have gone on the roof, among my window boxes – she loves my flowers, which allow them to watch the city below to her heart's content.
She answers the question burning my lips before I even ask it.
"No message, Marinette. I'm sorry."
I feel my heart tighten. I glance at my phone: 7.10 am. Alya wasn't joking when she said to "get up early". The Expo is on the other side of Paris, but still!
"It's still early. Cat Noir must be sleeping. Yesterday was exhausting."
Tikki nods, convinced and comforting. She swirls with surprise when Alya knocks on the bathroom door.
"Hey, hurry up! Your parents made us a breakfast to go, and I'm hungry!"
.
.
"So, what about your expo yesterday? What did you think of it?"
I almost choke on my chocolate croissant. As I try to not spit it out, I glance at Alya with terror.
"Huh?"
Too busy enjoying her croissant, she doesn't notice anything.
"You seen any interesting designers? Were there shows? Tell me all about it!"
I sigh with relief: she's alluding to the Salon de la Couture, which takes place on the other side of Paris, and not the Japan Expo. It was the perfect alibi, both to justify my absence to my parents and Alya and to free a whole day for my alter ego Ladybug.
It takes me a few more seconds to gather my ideas and avoid a blunder.
"It was awesome! With the Fashion Agreste Week starting today, the shows were quite prestigious! There's a rumour saying Gabriel Agreste himself is going to orchestrate a wave of hiring, so every amateur designer is trying to shine..."
I add a myriad of details about the stands and shows. Unable to sleep last night, I roamed specialized websites looking for anecdotes and photos from the Salon, in case Alya decided to grill me a bit about my day. But to my relief, the discussion rails back quickly on her "Super-hero's day off" at the Japan Expo.
"Oh but wait, you have to see this!"
Alya shoves her backpack in my hands and rummages through it to get her state-of-the-art camcorder – result of several months of intense babysitting – and turns it on triumphantly.
"Yesterday we saw an amazing show! You're going to love it!"
Reluctantly, I lean on to re-discover Momma Sammu and Uptown Cosplay's show. The same strange uneasiness takes hold of me as the two actors bicker and tease each other on stage, and I look away. In the depths of Alya's open backpack, a small red silhouette winks at me whimsically. I smile faintly in response – Trixx looks alright. I suppose that the ruckus of the convention, our two kwamis will be able to chat to their hearts' content in my friend's bag…
Alya squirms on her seat as the video reaches the "key moment" and I purse my lips when the onstage Ladybug takes off her mask after a mere hesitation. "Her" Cat Noir's recoil reminds me of the original's reaction – and our last discussion on the hangar roof. I bite my lip, impatient. I can't wait to set things straight with him!
The video ends of the public's thunderous applause. Alya lowers her camcorder and stares at me, all starry-eyed.
"So? Awesome, right?"
I don't know what to say, but the good thing about Alya when she's that ecstatic, is that she can hold the conversation all by herself, as long as I throw in some words from time to time. The discussion that follows is very similar – maybe a bit less overexcited? – to the one she had with Ladybug yesterday, except that this time I can finally give remarks on my alter-ego's costume – the cut of her dress, the fabric she used. To my disarray, Alya didn't give up on her idea to give our whole team a "proper" formal clothing.
"Imagine, you could finally meet Ladybug, and see Cat Noir again! I told her how talented you are, they're delighted! We just have to set up a meeting so you can take their measures!"
Ouch. I really need to come up with an iron-clad excuse to explain Ladybug's absence.
"...and just imagine the exposure you could get! Well, unless you want to remain anonymous?"
I think about it for a few seconds, surprised, but her question is legit. On one hand, the less links I have with the Paris superhero team, the better. On the other hand, it's the kind of stunt that would look good on my resume. After all, the Maison Agreste hires new interns each year, and middle school's almost over...
"Why not? I don't have any urgent commission right now."
Alya muffles an overexcited "Yes!" before biting into her second croissant.
The metro wagon has slowly filled up, and it's become impossible to speak openly of the "superhero day out". While we finish our breakfast, the stations fly by.
"Anyway, it's great that you said yes. You could finally tell me what you think about it, about what's happening...between them", she whispers on a conspiracy tone.
"What, "between them?" what do you mean?"
"Well, they kind of left without telling us yesterday, and there wasn't any alert or anything. It's as if…."
She lowers her tone again, and her smile becomes predatory.
"...as if they wanted to enjoy the convention just the two of them?"
I almost choke – again – and barely manage to swallow my fruit juice.
"W-What?! Y-ou think they..."
Alya bursts out laughing.
"I'm joking, girl! Now that I'm in the known, I know they're not together, and it won't happen anytime soon. Though, between love and hate, you know what they say!"
She thinks about it for a short while, and I pale despite of myself. She finally shakes her head.
"Ah, I must be dreaming, just like most of their fans", she laments, swinging her camcorder around. "But they're so...two birds of a feather! At first, I felt a bit lonely, actually. You can tell they've been working together for a long time. It's hard to find a place alongside them, you know."
I raise my eyebrows, surprised. It's the first time I hear her talking about her relationship with Ladybug and Cat Noir in these terms.
"It's still obvious that C...hum, that he's got the hots for her", Alya whispers after glancing at the crowded wagon. "He's charming with everyone, including me – well, he would tell you that's only gallantry. But...his gallantry with me isn't his gallantry with her. You know what I mean?"
"N-no? Not quite..."
Alya smiles sheepishly.
"Nevermind. Anyway, she's not interested, and he's not the giving up type, but...the more time passes, the more I realize it. Cat Noir really loves her. It's quite sad to see, sometimes."
She ponders again for a while, then whispers an apology.
"Sorry. I maybe shouldn't tell you about this, it's their business, after all."
She whips out her camcorder again and shows me images from another conference. I follow the video distractingly, in truth mortified.
Cat Noir, the hots for me? Come on. Alya's surely imagining things. Rena Rouge works alongside us for a few weeks only, and still has troubles telling truth from lies in Cat Noir's chivalrous jokes. The proof? He acted with Marinette exactly the same way the day of the attack of the Evillustrator: as a big seductive goof. I roll my eyes and avoid to set Alya on it again. This is too slippery a subject for me to carry on without risking to betray myself.
I did enough already…
Cat Noir's sincere, disproportionate joy from yesterday comes back in my mind, and my heart aches slightly. I glance at my half-opened satchel: from the darkness, Tikki easily understands my silent question, and shakes her head. Still no message from Cat Noir. I sigh. His kwami should have warned him. Is he sulking?
I just have to wait for Hawkmoth to act again. Alya's set up her phone so she can be warned at anytime of any Akuma attack, so I won't have to check social media to be up to date with Parisian news.
"Well, girl, are you ready for your date with Adrien?"
I'm startled, shiver, brought back to reality.
"Wh-what is what is it that you s-say? It's not a date! It's j-just a day out with friends, nothing more!"
Alya's smile turns mischievous.
"Yes, of course. You two just came to play the third wheel to Nino and me. Sweetie, it's been going on for too long! It has to change!
"I don't see what you mean, Alya!"
I lower my eyes, red as a tomato as Alya keeps teasing me that there is "only three stations left before the leap". I sigh, in torture.
Well, the good news is that, with Adrien around, I'll be too shy and clumsy to betray anything Ladybug in me!
Two stations left. Then one. My heart pounds in my chest, and I realize that walking the Expo alleys again, as a civilian, fills me with a strange apprehension. Probably linked to what happened yesterday. I mentally shake myself.
Hey! Yesterday was yesterday, and today, Adrien will be there. Frankly, what's the worse that could happen?
.
.
"WOW! Yesterday I thought the cosplayers were good, but today they're on a whole other level! Look at them!"
Just let me die, okay?
"When you come close, you realize it's not always perfect, but from afar, the illusion's perfect! Marinette, have you seen this? The elves, over there!"
Alya grabs me by the shoulders and shows me an entire group of fans in coordinated costumes – very Lord of the Rings-y – but I sigh.
"That's great, Alya."
My friend groans. Gently, she pulls me in a less-crowded alley.
"Oh, come on, smile! We'll have other occasions, I'm sure:"
"But it was today that mattered", I lament. "We've been preparing the Expo for weeks!"
Alya has an imploring look at Nino, who shrugs, confused. She tries, with some forced enthusiasm.
"Adrien probably regrets it very much, too. But maybe he can come this afternoon? You never know!"
"I doubt that", Nino replies as he checks his phone. "In his text, he says that his father's taking him to a shooting, then a show at the Salon de la Couture, so he'll probably be busy all day..."
There is a growl, the pressure on my shoulders increases, and I don't even need to raise my head to know Alya's glaring at Nino. He immediately stammers:
"Buuuuut yeah yeah, Alya's right, you never know!"
I sigh, defeated. Adrien will not come, Nino told us on the steps of the Palais des Expositions. If I had known, I would have stayed home…
Nino texts something again, probably to Adrien, but he received no answer yet. Alya pats my back, obliging: she definitely stopped telling me about her day, maybe realizing that it bummed me out – without explanations. And Cat Noir who still isn't answering...
I shudder, suddenly realizing my own defeatism. I told it myself, we've been preparing our Japan Expo visit for more than a month. Nino couldn't wait to rummage through all the second-hand manga booths, Alya's mind is set on the cosplay shows and the pictures she intends to take, and I wanted to visit every inch of the Creators Corner, to renew my contact list and ideas for my next sewing projects. I can't simply ruin the mood!
"Anyway, we've got an Expo to visit, right? Where do we start?"
I stick out my chest, while trying to forget my the lump in my throat. Alya beams at me with pride. Nino takes out his plan and immediately reminds us of the things we can't miss – a demo of Japanese DJs, the showcase of one of our favourite artist, the World Cosplay Competition finale this afternoon...
The morning flies by without us really noticing, between geeky conferences, window shopping and improvised shootings in the Expo alleys. I'm freer here than under Ladybug's mask, and thus can finally approach the more talented cosplayers and observe them in details – with their consent and sometimes even their precious tips. We're often in awe before the quality of the fan-made costumes: from afar, some cosplayers look right out of their favourite series or manga, and they pull off an even more impressive acting.
"So that's the convention effect?" Alya shouts as she takes any picture she can. "The ambiance's amazing, and the people are mind-blowing!"
We meet several Rena Rouge, Carapace and Ladybug, and even a Cat Noir who pries a smile out of me with his Ancient China-inspired costume. Tactically, neither Alya nor Nino mention Adrien's absence, and I'm secretly thankful.
"Can we go to the main stage?" Alya asks, all starry-eyed. "There'll probably be competitors from the Finale. And who knows, we may even meet Uptown and Momma Sammu!"
I nod in silence, and Alya, who can't guess my uneasiness, pulls Nino and me through the crowd. We finally reach the next hangar, which should welcome the entire Cosplay Show audience – roughly five thousand people. On the entrance, the concentration of cosplayers per square meter goes through the roof, and offers us a jungle of leather armours and fake metal, swords and bows, all sorts of furry appendages, cat ears and fox tails – "Look, a human Kyûbi!" – , ball gowns right out of Disney movies and custom lightsabers that wouldn't be out of place in Star Wars' extended universe.
There's even a small group of four, surrounded by a growing crowd, who immediately catch our eyes. Rena Rouge, Ladybug, Cat Noir and Carapace, larger-than-life, a bit surprised by the fans' fervour, but beaming nonetheless.
"I can't believe this... This is heaven!"
Alya darts to them, and Nino and I follow her with amusement. My friend elbows her way until she reaches the first row, and immediately takes a few pictures before the group goes away. Over her shoulder, I'm blown away by the quality of the costumes, and even Nino whistles appreciativelu.
"Wow. If I didn't know what I know, I'd swear they're the real ones…!"
Alya nods while shooting the amateur squad, who betray themselves with their gesture. Rena Rouge, much taller than Alya, doesn't have her presence, Ladybug plays with her very normal yo-yo, Carapace's shield is made of foam – I almost smile as I wonder what would happen to the real Carapace if he had such a weapon during a fight – and Cat Noir is...
I freeze, curious. The amateur Cat Noir just folded his staff, and puts it on his belt with one smooth gesture. He folds his arms, and his big slit irises sweep the crowd proudly. When a fan calls for a picture, he gives him a devastating smile and his usual salute, two clawed fingers on his temple. As he changes his pose, his tail whips the ground with an unmistakable nonchalance, and my doubts are swept away.
And I'm not the only one.
"Well! Looks like someone didn't get his fifteen minutes of glory yesterday", Alya chimes. "Our kitty cat can't get enough of it!"
"Hey! Cat Noir, great costume!" Nino shouts with a wink, brushing his hat.
Hearing them, Cat Noir casts them a surprised look. Then he whips out his staff again and grounds it in front of him, all mighty-like, then smiles charmingly at Alya's camera, who takes pictures with a chuckle.
"Hecking poseur, you", she mumbles, looking away.
Around us, not many people are buying the ruse, if the overexcited comments are to be believed.
"It's Cat Noir, the real Cat Noir!"
"Awesome! Will the real Ladybug come too?"
"That's crazy, it's nowhere in the official programme! You think it's a surprise from the organizers?"
Cat Noir folds his staff and gestures a thank you to the civilians around, before crossing the crowd with ease. The three other cosplayers follow him immediately, and I hear from their whispers that's they're delighted by such an encounter. Nino and Alya shake their heads, amused.
"Apparently discretion didn't suit him yesterday", Nino sighs. "He likes to show off that much? What about Hawkmoth? It's not very wise to show up like this!"
"Well, he knows what he's doing", Alya replies with a shrug. "And as long as Ladybug's okay with that!"
"You think she knows?"
"No idea...and no, you can just tell her yourself. I'm not a snitch."
"Hey, neither am I!"
Cat Noir disappears in the crowd. I clench my fists, flabbergasted. Not a sign, not a word. He barely looked at me, ignored me. I suppose he doesn't want to betray Marinette in front of Alya and Nino. But he could at least answer my message!
He's sulking, alright.
"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll catch you at the Ghibli conference, okay? Save a seat for me!"
Without waiting for an answer, I slip into a random alley, quickly enough to shake off Alya in case she decides to follow me. After forking three times, I seek the closest bathroom. A shiver against my hip tells me that Tikki, who was probably chatting with Trixx in Alya's back, just returned to my satchel.
"Marinette? What's going on?"
"Did Cat Noir try to contact me?" I mumble between my teeth at my half-opened satchel.
Tikki's eyes widen with surprise.
"Not that I know of, no..."
I spot a sign for a cosplayers' changing room, and I run into the small, open-air room, lined with high fences. I'm delighted to see the place is empty – not for long, for sure. I run into the first box, shut the drape and, throwing my backpack on the ground, open my satchel wide. Tikki levitates at eye-level, surprised.
"Marinette?"
"Just a minute, okay? I need explanations!"
"...Alright?"
She barely finished her sentence that I'm already saying the words.
"Tikki, spots on!"
My suits envelops me in a lightning flash. I put my backpack on, as well as a hat I got from a conference, to "ruin" a bit my general outfit – now's not the time to be stopped by a herd of fans asking for selfies. Carefully, I leave my box and the still-empty changing rooms and mingle in the crowds, head low.
I discretely check my communicator. Without remorse, I activate the GPS tracker – Cat Noir and I swore to only use it at the very last resort, since it could reveal our movements or our home, and thus our secret identities. The last time I had to use it, it was when he tried to fly solo during the Impostor attack, but today, I'm not going to look for him in the entire Expo!
On my screen, the hangar outlines, the railway and the surrounding streets. A choir of exclamations grabs my attention, and I find, a few booths away, Cat Noir's group – busy showing off his prowess with his staff – and his three amateur cosplayers, over the moon. I close my communicator, infuriated.
I make my way through the crowd and walk without hesitation to my team mate. Neverminding the passers-by exclamations and Cat Noir's stunned gaze, I grab his arm and drag him away.
"I need to talk. Now."
I hear him fold his staff, and he follows me without complaining. We rush by the too-insistant fans. Zigzagging in the fences-lined alleys, we sneak to the changing rooms, still empty. I notice a "maintenance" sign in a corner, and grab it to put it in front of the entrance – let's hope it's enough!
I close the door, and the ruckus of the Expo gets toned on a notch. In the open-sky changing room, the crowd and the surrounding activities seem both really close and strangely distant. The party's going on around us, and yet it's as though we're all alone in the world.
My team mate's silence seems eloquent enough to me. My hand still on the door handle, I'm at loss for words.
"Cat Noir, I…"
A glance at him startles me: he's really close, and I didn't even felt him approach. He has a charming smile while he does his usual bow. He leans to grab my wrist, going for his perennial kiss on the hand, but I push him away, surprised and infuriated.
"Enough! Stop the show, I'm serious."
I take off my hat and let it down with my bag.
"Okay, I haven't been very nice yesterday, but you could at least answer my message! Was it so important for you to strut around with these people?"
Cat Noir freezes, surprised by my vehement tone. He clenches his lips and darkens immediately, all charm gone. He crosses his arms, his tail whipping the ground, and he gestures at me with his chin, as if waiting on an explanation. His big eyes sparkle with a – hurt? – gleam, just like yesterday, and I sigh. Yes, he was sulking, that's clear now. But how can I hold it against him?
"Listen, about yesterday, I'm sorry. Really sorry. I didn't want to be so cutting. I..."
His gaze hardens again, and my uneasiness comes back. I try to remember what I told Tikki – it seemed so easy to tell, with her. I finally shake my head, annoyed. I'll just have to follow my heart and stop thinking.
"What happened doesn't change anything for me. I trust you, Cat Noir, I know you'll keep it to yourself. But the reason why I don't wanna know, is because I want to protect you!"
He barely blinks, unreadable. I clench my fists and step forward. To my disarray, he steps back.
"We already know about the others, but what if one of us was akumatized one day? I don't know if that's possible, but still? You're maybe certain that you'll keep the secret to Hawkmoth, but I'm sure of nothing myself. I'd rather never know who you are. I don't want to be the one to betray you or put you and your family in danger."
Stupor's now drawn on his face. I smile a bit, relieved. Tikki was right. I just had to find the right words. With Cat Noir, we're so synchronized in mission now that I sometimes forget some things have to be said out loud.
"Please, you have to understand. I only want to protect you. You're my team mate, and I don't need to know more to care about you. Alright?"
Cat Noir approaches, all disconcerted. I slowly unclench my fists, surprised to find them shaking – I was even tenser than I thought.
"...You mind saying something? I'm starting to feel silly, here."
He's still approaching. I step back reflexively, and my back's against the door.
"Cat Noir…?"
He finally stops, maybe a bit closer than necessary. I now have to look up to meet his gaze, and it feels me with a strange feeling. Vulnerability? I mentally shake myself and square my shoulders.
"Cat Noir."
His green eyes finally blink then close, and his masks wrinkles on his forehead. He puts his right hand to his temple, as if suffering from a headache, and whispers.
"Wearing a mask...that, and everything else...it was supposed to make me freer."
When his eyes open again, they seem incredibly weary. Alya's voice comes back to me, on cue.
"Cat Noir really loves her..."
He leans on me. I cannot move, petrified.
"It's quite sad to see, sometimes."
A brush on my left ear finally makes me react. Cat Noir's claws clink on my Earring. I push his hand away, my heart pounding.
"Cat Noir, what are you doing?"
His eyes darken then.
"Now, at least, I can do what I want."
His right hand, still on his temple, suddenly flashes black. My eyes widen. "Cataclysm?"
I slid to the ground. A deafening cracking sound, and the door against my back shakes violently. My ears are whizzing, and I look up, in short breath. For one split second, my blood freezes in my veins, and I can't pin down the reason why.
Is it because my team mate's fist just got through the door as easily as if it was paper – just where my head was one second ago?
Is it because, when he tries to pull his arm out of the door, it's still vibrating with the Cataclysm, burning, menacing?
Or is it because of the expression of his eyes on me – murderous?
I grab my yo-yo and throw it toward the hangar ceiling. It catches a metallic beam. Growling with rage, Cat Noir pulls his arm out of the hole and steps back, carried away by his momentum.
"And you're not going to stop me either!"
He runs to me. I pull the cable, slip away at the last moment. His fist brushes me, ends up on the door again, split in half. The yo-yo takes me to the ceiling, and I remain hanging like a spider on her thread, upside down, stunned.
What's going on? What's...
A scream pulls me out of my stupor. I arc my neck toward the changing room below. Cat Noir has pulled out his staff, plants it on the ground and extends it to go right through me. I let my yo-yo go, sends it a bit further. Cat Noir runs after me.
As we fly over the booths and alleys, I try to gather my thoughts. Cat Noir just attacked me. With his Cataclysm. Which doesn't deactivate after one contact with an inanimate object.
Cat Noir just...
Something brushes me, and I steer just in time to avoid the staff intended to knock me out. I land in an alley, surrounded by passers-by, and scream:
"Get away from here!"
A shadows runs on me. I jump back, and the staff hits the ground in an ear-shattering sound. I jump and end up balancing at the top of a fence. The crowd is slow to disperse, people oblivious of danger already take out their phones to immortalize me.
"Go away! QUICK!"
The fence I'm on is hit with full force by a furious Cat Noir. He leaps on me, enraged, his Cataclysm still vibrating in his palm, and I run away, jumping from a fence to the other. I have to take him far away from this hangar. There's too many civilians here, and nowhere for them to take shelter!
And Cat Noir. Cat Noir is…
A whipping sound on my right, a gush of wind. Something swipes my ankle – the staff, extended at its maximum. The hit, extremely painful, resonates through all my leg. I tumble on the other alley and break my fall with a roll, unable to recover right away.
Somebody plunges on me, flattens me on the ground. The Cataclysm wheezes above my head, threatening. Two emerald eyes meet mine, triumphant. Clawed fingers grip my left ear – NO!
A green swirl hit Cat Noir, sending hum crushing against a fence. A gloved hand grabs me and pulls me up – Carapace.
"You okay?" he asks, out of breath, as though he took a sprint before transforming. "What's gotten into him?"
Cat Noir's already up, fuming with rage. He runs to me, hand outstretched, Cataclysm ready to strike. An orange flash beats him to it.
"Hands off, Kitty!"
Rena Rouge steps on, her flute raised up en garde. The Cataclysm touches the instrument – a black lightning strikes, follow by a crystalline ringing. Rena Rouge shivers but stands tall.
"Whenever you want!" she screams above her shoulder.
Carapace runs on her, shield first. She skids off at the very last moment, and Carapace hits Cat Noir right on the ribs, sends him flying through the already-damaged fence. He finishes his fall in a booth full of Asian knick-knacks, which crumbles in turn in a ruckus of metal and crushed china.
"Was that enough?" Nino ventures.
I run to the ravaged booth, already besieged by a few people and their phone. I push them away with impatience.
"Leave him! Cat Noir!"
I can't ear the familiar murmur of the Cataclysm, but I don't know if it's a good sign or not. I push away the half-crushed fence, pulls up a few knocked-down shelves, watch the ground covered in debris. But the booth's empty.
"Cat Noir…!"
I stand up and check around with a pounding heart. The colourful crowd of cosplayers and visitors already closes on me.
"Cat…!"
My call dies in my throat. Ten metres away, among the stunned onlookers, a dark and athletic silhouette waves at me.
Cat Noir, jeering. He raises two fingers to his temples and salutes me, a grin on his lips.
A purple flash.
Then the crowd closes on him. I run in his direction, my yo-yo at the ready. If I manage to pin him down…!
"Wait!"
I run to a cross-road, my ankle burning. Cat Noir's nowhere to be seen. I scan the crowd, again and again, I question visitors who have no answers, astonished.
Cat Noir's gone.
"Yo! Care to explain?"
Carapace lands by my side, stunned. Rena Rouge catches up, very pale.
"You two had an argument or what?"
They both stare at me with worry. I answer them in a blank tone, unrecognizable.
"It's Cat Noir, he..."
The purple flash before Cat Noir's face, just before he disappears, cannot fool me. It was a purple halo. Butterfly-shaped.
"...he's been akumatized!"
.
.
.
Aah, there's nothing like a little cliffhanger…
Voilà! A few more bases for « Something You Can't Deny ». And believe me, you ain't seen nothing yet !
SYCD still isn't my priority, it's my little safety valve when my more serious writing weight me down. That said, each kudo I recieved brought SYCD gently back to my memory, and then I went back to write it, little by little. So, you know what you have to do, if you want a sequel…
A word to the wise ! (huhu) Thanks !
Translator's note :
Elenthya works very hard to give us awesome fanfictions, and she deserves all the kudos in the world :D So comment away, tell her what you thought of this chapter, and tell me if I made any blatant mistake in the translation (remember: English is my second language, so if something's wacky in this text, it'll be my fault)