Miraculous Decendent

Artistic Mistake

Marinette in Ladybug form is swinging across Paris towards the Eiffel Tower. She had left a message for Cat Noir to meet her there so they could talk about what to do about this new Akuma. Once she arrives, she looks around to see that Cat Noir still hasn't shown up.

"I guess he isn't close by." Ladybug thought before she sat down on one of the beams and waited for her partner.

After a few minutes, a panicking Cat Noir arrives and looks at Ladybug apologetically.

"Sorry, it took me so long. I was lost in thought and didn't hear my Kwami tell me I got a message from you." Cat Noir explains remorsefully.

"It's alright. I get lost in thought too." Ladybug tells her partner with a smile.

"Alright, so what's this about a new Akuma?" Cat Noir asks her.

"My friend said they saw an Akuma attacking a civilian in a school library." Ladybug explains to Cat Noir.

"Wait, do you have people that know your identity?" Cat Noir asks her in shock.

Ladybug quickly panics and says.

"What, no, th-they have no idea who I am. Wo-wouldn't you tell people if you saw an Akuma secretly rampaging?" Ladybug denies it with a stutter in her tone as she tries to make an excuse on the spot.

"I really should have thought this through better!" She mentally screams in her head.

Luckily for Ladybug. The person behind Cat Noir's mask was still learning social cues and how to read people. So, he assumed Ladybug's tone was out of surprise from the sudden question.

"Oh, okay, that's good. Superhero 101. It's a bad idea for anyone to know your identity. Especially when you're starting out and don't have your bearings yet." Cat Noir says in relief.

Ladybug looks at Cat Noir in confusion.

"Why can't we tell anyone our identity? Sorry, I'm not much of a comic book fan and don't really keep up with superheroes." She tells him.

Cat Noir blinks in surprise before explaining.

"Oh, well, you see, most of the time, it's for the safety of those around us. We can't even tell our loved ones because they may be captured at some point and let it slip, causing their captors to be harsher as payback towards us or use them as a hostage to blackmail us." Cat Noir explains to her.

Ladybug's eyes widen at the thought of that happening to Nate.

"It doesn't always end that way, though, right? That's only for a comic book plot, right?" Ladybug asks in a panic.

"Uh, I'm not sure. I know there are a few heroes in America who revealed their identities. I don't know much about what happened to their loved ones after they revealed their identities, though. They could be fine under some form of a protection order." Cat Noir explains to her.

Ladybug bit her lip and thought.

"Maybe it's a good idea if we try to get Nate a Miraculous after all." She thought in worry about her cousin's health.

"So, do we know what this Akuma's powers are?" Cat Noir asks Ladybug as he tries to get back on topic.

Ladybug gets out of her thoughts and looks at him.

"My friend said they summoned piles of newspapers and money to drop on Chloe Bourgeois."

Despite his better judgment, Cat Noir let out a snicker upon hearing that Chloe got piles of paper dropped on her. He quickly caught himself, but Ladybug also caught his snicker.