Nightmares (A Ladybug and Chat Noir Fanfic)

Chapter 32

As Chat Noir jumped off into the night Marinette de-transformed and walked numbly back to her phone laying on the ground. She picked it up and looked at the new notifications from Alya. She wished Chat hadn't found out who Alya was or maybe atleast not told her. She just wanted everything to stay how it was. But as she thought about what he had done she realized that he had trusted her so much to tell her and had been responsible enough not to tell her it was Alya. She simultaneously felt proud of him while feeling completely lost at what she was going to do. She sat down on the cold balcony, moments ago it had been a place of love and warmth but now it felt empty. Marinette scrolled through her contacts to her best friends name and tried not to think too much as she called Alya.

"Hey girl, did you like my article on the Ladyblog!?" Alya asked overly excited.

"Yeah it was great but um Alya I think its time," she took a deep breath, "its time I take the earrings back." Silence filled the air as Marinette waited for a response.

"Oh, I mean why now?" All the excitement had drained from Alya's voice.

"I think I should tell you in person, can you come over tonight?"

"Its late, I-I don't know Marinette, can't it wait?"

"No I'm sorry Alya but its to dangerous to let this wait, I will come to you," Marinette said before hanging up. She hated that she had to do this but Alya would understand once she explained it. She stood up and transformed into Multimouse before leaping into the night air fluidly swinging towards Alya's house. She had gotten used to being Multimouse, it was going to be hard to use her yo-yo again.

Within a few minutes Multimouse was on a balcony lightly tapping the door with her fist. Alya opened the door in her red and black Scarabella themed pyjamas. Paris had taken to making Scarabella merchandise in the few months she had been wearing the super heroine mantle. Alya held her arms close to herself as cold air rushed into her room.

"So what changed?" Alya asked quietly. Multimouse glanced at the earrings and the floating Kwami behind Alya. She gave Tiki a small smile before bringing her attention back to Alya.

"Chat knows who you are," Marinette said quietly, Alya looked confused taking a step back, "I'm sorry Alya but I need to take the earrings away, it's too dangerous for you to keep them."

"But.. but how did he find out and why did he tell you?" Her hands flew up to her ears, as if to shield them from Multimouse.

"I don't know and he told me because we trust each other, I think he's known for a while."

"So you don't trust me," Alya said with an edge to her voice.

"What are you talking about of course I trust you but if the Ladybug miraculous falls into the wrong hands... I just I can't let anyone get hurt."

"Are you going to be Ladybug again? What will you tell Chat? And how come I can't keep being Scarabella, Chat knows you're Marinette, your dating him, is that not more dangerous!" She whisper yelled.

"Its not the same Alya! I'm doing this to protect you, please just give me the earrings," Multimouse pleaded, she could barely stop herself from crumbling under the anger of her best friend. Alya stared at her for a moment before angrily pulling the earrings out of her ears.

"Fine, take them, but don't come back asking me to be Scarabella again," she pushed the earrings into Multimouse's hand and turned around back into her room shutting the doors harshly. Multimouse stared at the spot her friend had just been with shock. Tiki flew through the door a minute later giving Multimouse a sad look before hugging her cheek. Multimouse put the earrings into her ears, it was strange to have them back, familiar but as if she had a weight on her chest.

Multimouse swung away from Alya's balcony. She didn't want to go home to all the other Kwamis yet so she found a secluded roof top out of sight. Multimouse sighed and stared up at the night sky, she was exhausted but there was no way she could sleep well tonight.

"Tiki, do you think Alya will forgive me?" Multimouse couldn't help but feel emotion tugging at her voice. The flying Kwami landed in Multimouse's hands and hugged her thumb.

"It will be okay Marinette, she just got used to being a superhero, it's not easy to stop so suddenly, to part with a holder abruptly can be hard," Tiki said sadly.

"Oh I am so so sorry Tiki, I didn't even think about how hard it would be for you too," Marinette said with tears forming at her eyes. It felt like everything was crumbling around her. She would have to give up being Multimouse, give up dating Chat Noir, it would be too dangerous if she was Ladybug again. She used the end of her jump rope to call Chat Noir, it went to voicemail.

"Hey Chaton, I-I just wanted to tell you," she took a deep breath trying not to sound like she was on the verge of crying, "I can't be Multimouse anymore. And-and I think it would be safer if we stopped seeing each other. I just-I can't I'm so sorry." She hung up as she devolved into sobs. She pulled off the Multimouse miraculous de-transforming roughly.

"Tiki, Spots on," she said between sobs, with a flash she was Ladybug again. Her gloved hands were shaking as she pulled out her yo-yo and placed the necklace into the Miraculous box through her opened yo-yo. She placed her head between her knee's trying to breath slower but failing to calm down. Everything felt so wrong, she wished she had never let herself fall for Chat Noir, it was going to be so hard to see him again during every akuma attack, every patrol.

Ladybug stood up to her feet, her legs shaking from the effort. She just wanted to get home and curl up into her bed and never leave again. She leaped from roof to roof using her yo-yo as clumsily as the first day she'd had it.