Miraculous (Angel-Demon AU)

Chapter 4: Marinette

"So, are you gonna show me what your prom dress looks like?" he teased.

"Of course not!"

Chat laughed. "I expected so."

We were out patrolling at night, as always, even though this week had been "akumaless". It couldn't be a good sign, but we were both too busy to figure out what it actually meant.

Chat made a pause, still looking at me. I had become used to the way he did so, never caring whether it made me uncomfortable of not. "We could still meet up, you know?"

I scowled at him. "No."

"Hang on..." he raised both his hands as if trying to protect himself. "I didn't mean to show up as ourselves, but as Ladybug and Chat Noir, but... dressed up?" he smirked.

"I don't think that's possible."

"It is if you wear your dress over the ladybug costume."

"That... that would be silly" I giggled.

"Why?"

Oh. Of course, he hadn't seen the dress. He couldn't understand. I went off at a tangent.

"Because... it's not like a boy's suit, a girl's dress doesn't cover up the whole body, and having a suit underneath would just look... wrong."

"Hmm... I see. There's a solution to it, you know?" his smirk appeared once again. And yet again I answered with the same cold tone: "No, Chat."

He finally resigned. "Okay, then. No end-of-year reveal." He seemed genuinely deceived, and maybe even angry.

"Chat... it really wouldn't help, trust me."

"Yes it would." He wasn't looking at me "You may think you situation is difficult, but you should have a taste of mine. All you fear is some quarrel with your higher powers for interfering in the balance of the universe, for not letting humans do what they should do themselves, not believing in them or something... But you are doing good, Ladybug, it's pretty obvious. And that's what you should be doing. Whereas for me..."

It had been about a year ago. I had grown tired of Chat's mantra of "telling each other who we are" and, after defeating a particularly hard akuma and having had one of the worse days ever, I exploded. It had to happen with somebody, I guess. And it was with Chat. I still remember the conversation:

"For Heaven's sake, Chat! I'm tired! I'm sick and tired of this! I've told you a million times, I'm not going to tell you who I am, not ever. Nobody can know my identity, for it wouldn't only affect my life, but many, many others."

"Your loved one, I get it. But I would never tell anyone our secret, Ladybug, you should trust me by now. And I think that you deserve to know who you're working with, too..."

"No. No, I don't need to know it. And it's not only my loved ones I'm talking about. Forget about my family and friends, the whole world would be in danger!"

"Aren't you being a little bit melodramatic, M'Lady?"

I became serious.

"Chat. You don't understand. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not what you think I am."

"Neither am I."

"No, not in that way. I'm... I'm not from this planet, fuck!"

I stopped short. Shit. Chat looked as puzzled as me.

"What did you just say?"

There was no point in denying what I'd just said. Besides, I was too agitated. I just wanted to let it all out, now.