The next morning, Marinette woke up from a peaceful slumber. Everything had been going so well recently. Marinette went to school with a huge smile on her face.
"Woah girl, why are you so happy? Did something happen with Adrien that I'm not aware of?" Alya asked.
"No, in fact, nothing has happened between and Adrien," Marinette said.
"Really? Then what has put you in such a good mood?" Alya asked.
"I... uh," Marinette thought about Cat Noir and felt her face heat up.
"You sure nothing has happened between you and Adrien?" Alya teased.
"No.. it's not Adrien-"
"It's not Adrien? Then who is it? Is there a new boy?" Alya teased.
"N-No, there's nobody Alya," Marinette stammered, her face bright red.
"Suuure," Alya said.
Just then Adrien pulled up in his car. When he got out he looked around trying to find Nino. Instead, he found Marinette, turning bright red as Alya was teasing her about something. Adrien walked over to the duo.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Adrien asked.
"Oh, hey Adrien, it's nothing, just girl talk," Alya said, nudging Marinette and giving her a wink.
Adrien looked over at Marinette, the blush was still evident on her face. She looked quite adorable. He wanted nothing more than to give her a kiss, but he couldn't, right now he was Adrien. Tonight, he could do that tonight.
Marinette looked at Adrien. She swore she saw a look of adoration in his eyes, but she shrugged it off. Adrien only saw her as a friend. Besides, she had Cat Noir now. She wondered what he was up to right now.
"C'mon, we need to get to class. I'm late enough as it is," Marinette said.
"Marinette's right, we should get to class," Adrien said.
Alya had this look on her face. This knowing look. She looked between Adrien and Marinette and then raised an eyebrow.
When they sat down in their seats, Alya turned to face Marinette.
"Nothing is going on huh?" she asked.
"what? Alya, seriously, nothing is happening-"
"Sure girl, whatever you say," She said, then proceeded to tune out Marinette's stuttering attempts to tell Alya she's wrong.
After school, Marinette went home. She sat on her bed and looked at her window. She wondered how long it would be until Cat Noir showed up. She never thought she'd see the day where she would be waiting for Cat Noir to show up at her window. It's like those romance stories where the boy throws rocks at the girl's window to get her attention. Her knight in shining armour.
Well, a knight in shining leather she supposed.
She was so lost in thought that when she heard the knock on the window it startled her a little bit. She let out a small shriek and was about to fall off her bed when a pair of arms caught her.
"Princess are you okay?"
Marinette was so flustered she didn't know what to say.
"I-I'm fine, y-your hot, I-I mean you got through the w-window?" Marinette said.
"Well I heard you scream, so I entered through the window and caught you,"
Marinette blushed
"Well thank you," Marinette said.
'No matter what, I will always protect you from harm," Cat Noir said.
Marinette looked up at him, the blush still evident on her face. She saw that look in his eyes, saw the love and admiration in his eyes.
She then smiled.
"You really are my knight in shining leather, aren't you," She teased.
"But of course purr-incess, I couldn't exactly leave that job to anyone else now could I?" he said.
Marinette laughed. She looked out the window and saw the moon.
"Hey Cat Noir look! The moon is out," Marinette said and went onto her balcony.
Cat Noir joined her and looked up at the moon. Tonight it was a crescent moon.
"This reminds me of that night when we confessed. We were both looking up at the moon just like this," Marinette said.
"Do you remember what happened after that?" Cat Noir asked.
"What... happened after that?" Marinette said.
"You agreed to give me a chance, and then we kissed under the moonlight, just like this,"
Cat Noir leaned in and kissed her. Marinette instantly kissed him back. They were so focused on each other that they didn't notice that a third person was watching.
The next morning Marinette woke up with a smile on her face.
"Morning Tikki," Marinette said.
"Uhh... Marinette?" Tikki asked.
"What is it Tikki?" Marinette asked.
"It seems like there's a woman downstairs who wants to talk to you?"
Marinette listened to what was happening downstairs.
"Just let me talk to Marinette!" The woman said.
"She asleep," She heard her mother say.
"This is important!" The woman said.
Marinette decided she should go downstairs.
"Mama, Papa what's going on?" Marinette asked.
There was a young woman with a high ponytail, light brown eyes, and a camera around her neck talking to her father.
"Marinette there-" Tom didn't get to finish before the woman started asking her questions.
"Hello, I'm Piper Everglass. You and Cat Noir are Dating aren't you?" She asked.
"W-what no we're not," Marinette said.
"Then how do you explain this photo?" She asked and pushed a picture towards Marinette. Marinette looked at the photo and gasped. It was a picture of her and cat Noir kissing! The only lighting was from the moon so it was just the outline of her and Cat Noir, but still! who took this photo! When was this photo taken?
"I took this photo last night! This is you and Cat Noir kissing, correct? Admit that you two are dating! You must know his secret identity!" She said.
"Th-that's not me! That must be ladybug or something. I'm not dating Cat Noir!" " Marinette said and ran behind her father.
"Okay, that's enough! Please leave my daughter alone!" Tom said and pushed her out.
"Marinette are you okay?" Sabine asked.
"Y-yeah," Marinette said.
How could she have been so careless? Marinette went back into her room. How did things turn so sour so fast?
Suddenly there was screaming outside. Marinette looked out her window and people were running away from something.
"Something is wrong. Tikki spots- ARGGHHHH" Marinette screamed.
The akumatized victim smashed through her window and was now in her bedroom.
"Marinette Dupain-cheng. Confess you're dating Cat Noir and tell me his secret identity!"
"I'm telling! We're not dating and I don't know his secret identity," Marinette said.
"Well in that case, if I can't get you to tell me, I'll get him to come to me! If he wants to save you he'll have to give me his miraculous!"
She grabbed and Marinette and swung her over her shoulder.
"Put me down! Who are you?!" Marinette demanded.
"I'm Shutterbug, and I will prove to the world that you and Cat Noir are dating! " She said.
(A/N A Shutterbug is an enthusiastic amateur reporter)
Shutterbug carried her to the Eiffel tower, where she put Marinette down and tied her down.
"If Cat Noir wants to save you he'll have to confess that you two are dating and give me his miraculous!" She said.
Marinette was panicking. She couldn't transform! What was she going to do?!
In the distance, Marinette saw Cat Noir coming up.
"Hey, you should let the girl go, it's not very nice to tie up a lady," Cat Noir said.
"Cat Noir if you want to save Marinette, you'll have to confess your dating and give me your miraculous!" She said.
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Cat Noir said.
"Then I suppose I'll have to make you," she said and fired up her Camera. Bright white beams shot from her camera. Cat Noir was able to dodge it, but some of the beams hit civilians. Their eyes turned completely white and they turned into almost zombies.
"Capture Cat Noir!" Shutterbug yelled. All the people started to run at cat Noir trying to catch him. Marinette saw that Cat Noir was struggling but she didn't know what to do.
She looked down at her purse to where tikki was hiding. Shutterbug was currently distracted by Cat Noir.
"Tikki, can you undo the rope?" Marinette whispered.
Tikki nodded and quickly undid the ropes.
Cat Noir was really struggling against Shutterbug now. Marinette looked around. there was nowhere she could hide and transform, but Cat Noir needed her help.
"Hey, Shutterbug!" Marinette yelled.
Shutterbug turned around and saw that Marinette was free.
"Well I'm impressed, I didn't think you would be able to get free. It doesn't matter, I'll just turn you into one of my slaves and get you to give me Cat Noir's miraculous! After all, he won't be able to hurt the ones he loves. She starts firing the camera flashes at Marinette, who was barely able to dodge them.
"Marinette!" Cat Noir cried out. He got past all of her paparazzi slaves and ran right at her.
While they were distracted, Marinette ran as fast as she could down the stairs of the Eiffel tower. When she got to the bottom she ran into an alleyway.
"That was too close. Tikki spots on!" Ladybug transformed and went out to help her partner fight Shutterbug. Cat Noir had been knocked back and was about to get hit by a camera ray when ladybug used her yo-yo to pull him back.
"Thanks, Ladybug," He said.
"Sorry I'm late to the party," She said.
"I'm pretty sure he akuma is in her camera," Cat Noir said.
"Then let's finish this. LUCKY CHARM," Ladybug called upon her lucky charm and received a spray bottle.
Ladybug looked around and came up with a plan.
"Cat Noir, cover me," She said. She ran to the nearby hose and filled it water. Then she ran up to Shutterbug and while she was distracted sprayed it into her eyes. While temporarily distracted, she let go of the camera to reach for her eyes. This was when Ladybug grabbed the camera and threw it towards Cat Noir.
"CATACLYSM!" He yelled and destroyed the camera.
out of the ash, the akuma flew out.
"No more evil-doing for you little akuma. Time to de-evilize," She said.
She caught the akuma and purified it.
"Gotcha. Bye-bye little butterfly," She threw the spray bottle into the air.
"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" She yelled, and everything returned to normal.
Shutterbug returned to her normal form. She was Piper Evergreen, the reporter that was at the bakery earlier.
"Ladybug? What happened?"
"You were akumatized, but don't worry everything is fine now," Ladybug looked down at the photo in her hands.
"That's not Marinette you know, it's actually me," She said.
"It's you? but that means-" Ladybug winked and then went over to her partner, who had just come back down from the Eiffel tower, stressed.
"What's wrong Kitty?" She asked.
"I can't find Marinette! Where could she be?" He asked.
"Well, my miraculous ladybug probably brought her back to her house so-"
"Thanks, Ladybug, see you later," Cat Noir said and then ran off.
ladybug was frozen for a moment. Wait, she wouldn't be there! Ladybug swung across the city as fast as she could, detrasnformed close to the bakery then ran into her house. SHe couldn't risk cat noir seeing her detransform.
Seconds later, Cat Noir knocked on her window.
Marinette opened her window. Cat Noir took one look at Marinette before engulfing her in a huge hug.
"Thank god you're alright," He said.
"Of course, when Ladybug's miraculous fixed everything it brought me back here," Marinette said.
Marinette saw how sad Cat Noir looked. The guilt was swimming in his eyes.
"This all happened because of me. I promised I would protect you, but instead I ended up putting you in danger," He said.
Marinette cupped Cat Noir's face.
"Hey, it wasn't your fault. Besides, everything turned out alright didn't it?" Marinette said, a comforting smile on her face.
Cat Noir looked at Marinette, there was an emotion swirling in there that she couldn't decipher.
"Marinette... I think we should stop seeing each other," He said.
Marinette's heart dropped.
"W...what?" She asked.
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you. I'm sorry, but it's the only way to keep you safe," He said.
He walked up to Marinette and kissed her forehead. Then he walked towards the window. He turned to face Marinette one last time.
"Goodbye Marinette," he said and then jumped out the window into the night.
Marinette ran to the window and was able to see Cat Noir as he jumped into the night. She couldn't stop the tears from as they fell from her cheeks. The person she thought would always be by her side so matter what, the boy who owned had stolen her heart without her even realizing...
had just said goodbye.