Whoops-A-Daisy 🌼 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

16- Being Marinette

One Month Later

It's been four months since Adrien has been 'kidnapped' and Paris hasn't been the same since. The only person who misses Adrien the most is the model himself. Not even his own father.

"That was a tough battle, Catastrophe," Ladybug tells her partner as the magical ladybugs fix the damage the newest akuma villain caused to their beloved city. "But we always manage to get on top."

"As always, Beetle Bug," Catastrophe answers, and she rolls her eyes at the nickname. She finally caved in and allowed him to call her that, since Bugaboo and Milady are temporarily expired. "We make the perfect team. Us against the world—"

"As always," The red bug answers, beaming with a smile. Even if Adrien were a new superhero, deep down he's still Cat Noir, and having a part of him is better than having none of him. Her earrings beep and she touches a finger to her ear. "Guess that's my cue to get going. Bug out!" She throws her yo-yo and swings herself to the roof of a building, running across a few before jumping and landing in an alley. "Spots off." As she hands her kwami a cookie, she peeks out and watches as Catastrophe heads home, in the direction of where Marinette lives.

"Did your parents add a new ingredient to the cookies?" Tikki asks as she takes another bite. "It tastes sweeter."

Marinette turns around. "Uh, I think so. They just got a new shipment of this special sugar from Italy."

"I love it." The kwami finishes her last bite, noticing the troubling look on her owner's face. "Is something wrong, Marinette?"

"I hate lying to Adrien," Marinette whispers, rubbing her arm. She's halfway across the city and it'll take about five minutes to get home, even as Ladybug. She had told him earlier she was running an errand for her parents when the akuma hit, but she just needed a reason to transform. She doesn't want to lie to him every time there's an akuma attack, but as long as Adrien didn't know her secret identity, Marinette had to. "Especially since we're dating now. I don't want our relationship to be built on lies. I lie and disappear whenever Shadowmoth akumatizes someone and since Adrien lives with me, I can't just go to my balcony anymore. I have to transform downstairs or somewhere outside the house and I'm gone even longer. Thankfully, Adrien hasn't questioned me. I don't think I'd be able to lie to him anymore."

"What do you want to do about it, Marinette?"

"I..." She faces her kwami and with full confidence answers, "I think I want to tell Adrien who I am."

The kwami's eyes widen with glee. "Really? Finally!"

"I already know who Cat Noir is—or was—and now Catastrophe. Maybe if Adrien knew I'm Ladybug, it would make our relationship stronger, as both boyfriend and girlfriend and superhero partners."

"I think that's a great idea," Tikki tells her.

Marinette smiles. "Tikki, spots on!" She races home, transforming behind a trash can, and runs inside with the groceries she hid in the alley. "I'm home!" She calls, tripping forward and falling, dropping all the new food. "Whoops."

"That's alright, Marinette." Sabine walks over and helps her up. "We already went and bought some."

"You did?"

Tom sheepishly smiles. "Well, you were taking too long, and it was important for this new recipe."

She rolls her eyes. "I don't know why I do errands for you."

"Because you love us." Sabine kisses her daughter's forehead. "What are you feeling for dinner?"

Marinette remembers this morning of Adrien mentioning he was craving sweet and sour chicken fried rice. "I know it's last minute, but some sweet and sour chicken fried rice? I've been craving that all week."