Surfacing secrets
Hi! I started writing this after ‘Rocketear’ aired, but since it took me longer than expected, I added references of other episodes that aired later. I consider this a rage / spite and fix-it fic. I had to write this. For ME. Because S4 is ughh you know what I mean. Anyway, enjoy?
Warning: S4 Spoilers Post-Wishmaker, canon-divergence, Adrien/Chat Noir salt, Alya salt Summary:
Feeling he’s untrusted with secrets by Ladybug, Chat Noir starts acting selfishly, in the middle of an akuma battle, risking everything. Thankfully, a surprised Viperion is there to stop him, but his secret gets known by someone else… What will Marinette do?
AO3
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From the moment Ladybug told the team her plan, his instincts alerted his senses. And they were right, because the more Viperion used his power, the more he was convinced he was missing important context.
Something wasn't right. And what was worse- it wasn't even related to the akuma- an akuma dangerous enough for Ladybug to call him and plenty of other temporary heroes to join the battle.
No. The dangerous akuma wasn’t what was wrong… the source of the problem was...
Chat Noir.
And Viperion had been too late to notice.
He knew Chat Noir had been a superhero, Ladybug's partner from the start. He knew he was enthusiastic, brave, playful, quick to react… and, sometimes, it was true that he was too reckless, but he was a professional. And loyal.
Or so Viperion had thought.
Every second chance his convictions on his reliability were more and more shattered. First, he yelled at Ladybug, angry at her for having asked him to stay in stand by, making him feel useless. Then, he disobeyed and confronted her, amid the battle- which only led to their defeat one time after another. During one reset, he even revealed himself to her, and unlike what he expected, there wasn’t any joy in her face, only horror. Fortunately, a second chance erased those memories from their and the villain’s minds.
Viperion kept trying, continuously, to prevent Chat Noir from acting stupidly, in rampage… but the cat hero was always faster. He even successfully cataclysmed Ladybug once- and from that moment on it became personal: he wasn't going to allow anyone hurt Marinette.
Thinking back, he should have realized something was off when he let himself be hit by Wishmaker. But now it was too late for that.
The black cat superhero had to be stopped.
As soon as the second chance was activated again, Viperion finally moved fast enough to anticipate him. It took Chat Noir by surprise how Viperion suddenly grabbed his right wrist and shoved him against the wall before smashing him against the roof.
"Go with the plan!" He commanded his surprised teammates, and Ladybug decided to trust the snake superhero and carry on with the mission, despite not knowing what was going on with Chat Noir.
"What are you doing, Viperion!?" Chat growled.
"You better stop what you're thinking now! Do you know how many times you’ve ruined the mission? Just stop acting on your own accord! We're partners! We're a team!"
"Partners!? A team!? Don't make me laugh!" Chat Noir laughed ironically, irritated, as he tried to free himself, but Viperion's body was immobilizing him. "If Ladybug thought of me as her partner she would have shared her secret identity with me instead of that Scarabella!" He yelled out of himself. "How am I a partner if I'm just ordered to steer clear from the plan!? I hate it!"
"Chat Noir, you're being selfish! Have you even thought about the stress she's under? Have you ever considered what would happen to Paris if we fail? This isn't about you, this is about protecting this city and its innocent people!" Viperion tried to reason with him.
"I don't care about Paris or its people! Ladybug's cure will take care of it!"
Viperion gasped. He was totally missing a lot of context. Or maybe he had been wrong about Chat’s professionalism from the start. “You can’t be serious…”
"Why can't she trust me!?” Chat Noir continued with a restrained cry. “We've been together from the start! I'm supposedly her best friend! Her soulmate! Why won't she tell me!?" His body trembled. "She even let Rena Rouge and Carapace know each other's identities! How are we any different!? We could be so much stronger if we knew! We could meet outside of the masks instead of never seeing each other outside of battles! I wouldn't have to attempt to convince her during a fight if she came to patrols!"
"Chat Noir, you have no idea of what you're saying… you don't know what she's going through…" Viperion was losing his patience.
"Huh!? I don't know!?” He yelled, louder. “Of course I don't! If she just trusted me and told me something, ANYTHING, then maybe I would! But no-! Everybody knows except useless Chat Noir! I’m the most unreliable person, apparently! I wouldn’t be surprised if even you, despite not being a permanent hero, knew her under the mask too!”
"I do!" Viperion snapped, and felt Chat Noir’s body jolting beneath him.
"WHA-!"
"And I know you too," Viperion admitted.
"What-?" Chat’s eyes widened even more.
“You let yourself get hit by Wishmaker! What’s wrong with you!? You’re supposed to be a hero! You put yourself, Ladybug and all of Paris in danger because of your selfishness!”
“I don’t-!”
“Miraculous Ladybug!” A voice interrupted them, and Chat Noir looked away, embarrassed.
“Let’s go. We should discuss this after I return the Miraculous.” Viperion moved and helped Chat Noir stand up, and he weakly followed. After a team ‘pound it’, and a question from a suspecting Ladybug, the snake hero dismissed it. Assuring her everything was fine now, Luka returned the Miraculous and disappeared through a narrow dark alley, a goal clearly set on his mind.
Little did he know someone had been listening to Viperion’s and Chat Noir’s conversation...
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“Marinette” Alya called when she arrived at her room. “I have to tell you something”
“Alya? What’s wrong?” Marinette asked while returning the used Miraculous to the box. Noticing her best friend's secretive silence, she panicked and started imagining the worst. “Don’t tell me someone has seen you as Rena Furtive!? Oh, no! That would be a catastrophe! You and all your family could be in danger- Nino too! We must-!”
“No! Marinette, calm down! That’s not it! Nobody has seen me”
“Oh, I’m so glad!” Marinette let out a relieved sigh. “What’s the problem, then?”
“I’ve witnessed something I think you should know about...” seeing Marinette’s innocent face, Alya was hesitating to speak, but Trixx encouraged her. “I heard Viperion and Chat Noir arguing.”
“Oh-” Marinette worried. “Was it… Was it bad...?”
“Marinette, listen to me, ok? And don’t panic” Marinette nodded, but felt the pressure of Alya’s hands tight on her shoulders. “Chat Noir thinks you don’t trust him. According to Viperion, he was even sabotaging the mission.”
“What? That stupid cat!” Marinette growled. “Good thing I called Viperion…” It didn’t pass unadvertised how the Ladyblogger jumped at the mention of Luka’s name. “What did Viperion say?” she asked, fearing an unwanted answer.
“Marinette… Viperion… No- Luka-” She gulped and Trixx encouraged her again. “Luka knows who you are. He even knows who Chat Noir is too.”
“WHAT?” This time it was Marinette’s turn to jump in surprise. She looked for something- someone to confirm it, and both Trixx and Alya nodded. “It… it can’t be…”
“It's true” Alya reaffirmed, and helped her sit down. She knew her mind was busy thinking of all the implications it had. Many memories afflored…
“But Alya- It can’t be! When-”
“He said it was during Wishmaker…”
“But- But he said-!” Her eyes widened. She felt betrayed. “He wouldn’t lie to me! Why would he!?” Still in denial, she looked at the snake kwami. “Sass, is it true? Does he really know? All this time...?”
“It’ssss true. He asked me not to tell you.” the snake kwami admitted sadly. And something inside her shattered. She raised her legs to hug them, and let her face sink on her knees. Letting out a silent cry.
“He said he hated lies… but he lied...” she lamented.
“I’m sorry, Marinette…” Alya hugged her in support. “Now you’ll have to go through the trouble of rejecting him again while being cautious that he doesn’t get akumatized… I can use the Ladybug Miraculous when you talk to him just in cas-”
“What?” Marinette instantly raised her gaze. “What are you saying, Alya!? You really didn’t listen to me back when I told you my secret, did you?” Alya was taken aback at Marinette’s intensity. “I only broke up with Luka because of my secret! I didn’t want to break up with him! I love him, Alya!”
“What-?” She blinked, incredulously. “But I thought- You’ve been avoiding him and-”
“I’ve only been avoiding him in order to try to keep my feelings under the lid. To stop them from growing even stronger and be even more hurt! I stayed away to protect him. And to protect myself from my weakness!”
“But Adrien-”
“Adrien is in the past!” she stood up angrily. “Oh, gosh, Alya! Why won’t you listen instead of forcing everything on me!? I told you I wasn’t interested in Adrien anymore! But you keep pushing me to him! Everybody does! Do you have any idea of how much it hurts when even Luka does it!? I wished to tell Luka my secret so we could be together, but I had to lie and break up with him instead to protect him because I couldn't risk losing him!”
“But Marinette, if you had really loved him, you would have told him the truth! Just like I told Nino I’m still Rena Rouge!” The sense of pride in her confession irked Marinette.
“YOU WHAT-? You told Nino you’re still Rena Rouge!?” Marinette yelled at Alya’s surprised face. “You promised you wouldn't! I trusted you!”
“You can't keep secrets from the one you love!” The blogger defended herself and Marinette lost her patience. It was too much. “If you had-”
“Telling you was wrong.” she realized out loud. “I didn't tell Luka to protect him! Because I LOVE HIM!” she let out a restrained shout. “I wish I had told him instead of you. At least he proved he can keep a secret!”
The glare Marinette launched at Alya gave her shivers. “You can't be serious…”
“I AM.” It took only five seconds to make a definitive decision. “Give me the Fox Miraculous back” she commanded.
“What? No!” Alya hugged the miraculous, protectively. “Look, I’m sorry, I lied to you, Marinette,” Alya regretted. “But don’t take my Miraculous away, please! I still can help you! You’re being unreasonable!”
“Unreasonable!? I’m sorry, Alya, but I can’t trust you anymore” she lamented. “Just give it back. Don’t make me erase your memories, please”
“Marinette, no!” Alya begged.
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It took Marinette a while to convince Alya to give back her Miraculous, and, even when she did, Marinette knew she had to erase her memories anyway because, otherwise, it would have been too dangerous. Not only for her, but for everyone close to them. She hated it, but she had no choice. Strangely enough, she felt lighter after doing so.
“I did what I had to do” she mumbled with a little cry, and the kwamis hugged her in support for a few minutes. The Guardian welcomed the gesture.
“What are you going to do now, Marinette?” Tikki asked when she calmed down.
“I’ll have to talk to Luka... And to Chat Noir. Yes- Chat Noir first” Marinette sighed, her palm on her forehead. “What a troublesome cat…”
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On the deck of the Liberty, Luka sighed while strumming his guitar. It was late at night, but he wasn’t feeling sleepy at all, despite the long and overwhelming day he’d had. The talk with Adrien didn't go as smoothly as he had expected. The blonde was more stubborn and childish than he had imagined. It saddened him that the supposed ‘sunshine’ boy was just a facade. Remembering the horror on Marinette’s face that reset when she saw Adrien under the mask, he couldn’t help but worry about the girl he loved.
‘How was he supposed to encourage Marinette’s happiness with Adrien now? He couldn’t.’
His fingers monotonously strummed the guitar strings. He didn’t know the night had yet another surprise ready for him until he saw Ladybug land beside him.
“Hi...” she greeted shyly, taking a seat.
“Ladybug? Why are you here?” Luka asked. A quick thought brought him to memories of that day’s akuma battle. “Are you still worried about what happened today with Chat Noir?”
“No.” Ladybug denied. “I already solved that issue”.
That surprised Luka. He knew Ladybug had called him to talk- that was the reason they had to end their conversation mid-way. He didn’t expect her to solve the matter so quickly. “Oh, that’s good,” he said absently and strummed a few notes again.
“Luka” the hero called.
“Yes?”
“I… I know you know.” she said, low but clear.
“Know what?” He was shocked, but pretended he wasn’t.
“I know you know who I am underneath the mask. I know you lied to me during ‘wishmaker’” Her heart was beating fast, but she felt much calmer than she expected. ‘Luka’s aura’, she supposed. She had missed it.
Luka stared at her for a moment, but soon he sighed, admitting defeat. “Are you disappointed?” he asked.
“In you? No. In myself? Yes.”
“Why would you be? You did nothing wrong” despite it being an important conversation, everything was as quiet as the night. The honest conversation flowed like the harmony that sounded from Luka’s guitar.
“I did. It was my mistake in the first place. I told my confidant my biggest secret when I was at my lowest, without thinking of the consequences... And I deeply regret it. I shouldn't have told her,” she lamented. “You’ve proved to be much more trustworthy than her. I should have told you from the start”
“It was dangerous. And not your secret to tell. I understand why you couldn’t share the truth with me” Luka sympatized, a little sad. “And maybe I’m not as trustworthy as you say. Otherwise I wouldn’t have lied when I accidentally found out”
“You kept the secret. For weeks. I get why you lied… I lied too, so we’re equal now.“ her eyes looked up to the starry sky. “Besides, you saved us from Chat today”
“Ah-”
“I know you talked to him. And I know he wasn’t easy to talk to. Thank you” Ladybug noticed how Luka wanted to ask how it went, but wasn’t sure how, so she answered beforehand. “I couldn’t get him to be reasonable, so I revoked his Miraculous from him and erased his memories”
A loud strum on the guitar expressed Luka’s surprise on his behalf. Ladybug’s lips curved slightly at his reaction. He wanted to ask if she was sure about her decision, but was surprised when she showed the ring to him.
"Are you going to erase my memories too?" Luka asked, ready to accept her decision.
"No. I won't" Ladybug shook her head. "I need someone who trusts me and can be trusted to be my partner. Someone reliable who will put Paris’ safety over everything else. Someone who understands the weight of it…” She stood up and approached him, while he followed her with his eyes. Until her hand held his and opened it, placing the ring on his palm and closing his fist tightly. “I want you to have it. I want you to be my partner”
"Me? But-"
"I trust you. More than anyone else. Would you do it? Would you help me keep Paris safe?"
"If it means I can help you, then yes, I'll do it.” He felt moved by her trust. Was he the right one for the job, though? “But are you su-?"
“I'm sure" she nodded, but Luka felt there was something more.
"What's bugging you, then?" She wasn't surprised he noticed. "Do you still feel uncomfortable around me?
"No. That's not it" she denied, to Luka's relief. "It's just… a little frustrating. I wished you had told me you knew. That way, I would have been able to stop acting stupid for so long”
“What do you mean? You're not stupid at all" Luka didn't miss the confidence in her eyes. "Is this about how you've been avoiding me?"
"I didn't want to avoid you. And I didn't want to break up with you. I never wished for it" she assured. “I’ve always wanted to tell you. But I was scared to put you in danger… You’re too important to me...”
"What-?” That surprised him. “But Adrien…"
"Screw Adrien!” She groaned. “I've been over him for ages now! Him being Chat just solidified it!" She yelled, angrily. "I love you, Luka Couffaine! And if you had told me earlier that you knew, we could have been together already!"
Luka's eyes widened more than ever, too astonished to react. He stayed there, so silent and quiet that Marinette misunderstood.
"Ah- Silly me. Sorry! I didn't consider it... Of course you would have moved on already… You even encouraged me to go to Adrien! How stupid of me to think everything would be going smoothly now. Nothing ever goes smoothly when it comes to me!" she lamented. Her feet urged her to leave, and turned with those intentions, but she couldn’t.
"Wait- No!" Luka stopped her with his voice. Her eyes locked with his, and she noticed his clenched fist beside his leg.
“I’ll just make things awkward again, won't I?” she said, pointing at the Miraculous. Not waiting for an answer, she opened her palm, gesturing for him to give it back. “I’ll ask someone else to help me and-”
“Marinette” Luka moved his free hand to hold hers. She felt sparkles at the touch. “Nothing has changed with me. You’re still the song in my head. You’ll always be. I love you. And nothing would make me happier than being able to stay by your side, with or without a mask” he assured.
“But then why-? Why did you- with Adrien?” She looked to his eyes for answers.
“Because I thought that’s what you wanted. I’m sorry I assumed wrongly” He honestly lamented.
“So wrongly” she mumbled, letting her head fall on his shoulder. He laughed at her pout.
“My bad. How did you say it?” she tilted her head up to him in curiosity and he was smirking. “Oh, I remember. Screw Adrien!”
Ladybug let out a big laugh at that. “Screw Adrien!” she repeated, holding Luka’s hand tighter, and he reciprocated the gesture. “Screw Adrien!” They both repeated. After a long laugh, Luka spoke again.
“I’ll never let you down, Marinette. I promise”
“I know. I trust you” she smiled fondly at him, and he pressed his forehead against hers.
“Thank you” he mumbled. Marinette’s heart skipped a beat.
“So… uhm… Are we good? Like- like dating again?” she asked, a little nervous.
“Yes. If that’s what you also want, then yes” ‘Have Luka’s eyes always been so bright?’
“Yes. This is what I want.” she rested her head on his chest, and her arms surrounded him tightly.
“Good” he smiled like a lovestruck man, but she couldn’t see him from that angle.
“Do you think… We can continue from where we left off?” she asked, hiding her blush on his jacket. When no response came, she pulled herself back a little to ask him again with her expression.
“Yes?”
Ladybug smirked at his confused face, and without further notice, suddenly, she carried him while jumping around Paris with her yo-yo to a place they both knew too well: the cinema. It was late at night, so it was completely empty and dark. Their eyes soon got used enough to see each other despite the darkness of the room. They sat down on the same seats they sat in that day for their date, some months ago. Luka didn’t complain. He just followed her in curiosity.
“Would you ask me again how those lyrics ended...?” Ladybug asked, reaching to his hand. Luka beamed, but before he could even open his mouth, she finished the sentence. “Kiss me…” She pronounced, and Luka smiled at her shyness. He noticed his own cheeks burn too. After detransforming, Marinette leaned towards him, close, and looked him straight in his eyes. “I’m ready now, Luka”
If any trace of doubt about her feelings had remained in Luka, all of it vanished that precise moment they shared their long awaited kiss. LOVE. That’s what love is supposed to feel like, she concluded. Safe, warm, comfortable, reliable… MAGICAL.
Their smiles didn’t leave their faces after that.
“Do you think André is still around with his ice creams?” she asked, letting her head fall on his shoulder.
“This late at night? I don’t think so. But what if I invite you to eat one tomorrow? Like a date.” he winked, and she beamed.
“Ok! Promise me!” she energetically exclaimed. Luka smiled at her cuteness.
“Yes. I promise”
They stayed like that for a while, holding hands, her head on his shoulder, and him kissing the top of her head. She whined a little, asking him to do it on the lips too. And he gladly went along with her requests with a giggle. Marinette caressed the new ring on Luka’s finger. “Take good care of it, my dearest partner”
“In love, in health, in justice. In life. Always” Luka confirmed, and Marinette melted at his words. ‘Was it a proposal?’ She wished someday it was.
With their new bond, Marinette felt stronger than ever.
FIN
