Miraculous: Tales of Rena Rouge and Carapace

Chapter 8

"No, don't tell me." Ladybug shook her head. "This is all so risky. What if you mess up and say Carapace's real name in public? What then?"

"I won't mess up!" Rena said stubbornly. "Besides, I didn't actually think I'd find out. It just occurred to me yesterday. It's been so obvious."

"Well, I don't want to know," Ladybug says. "It's better this way."

Rena shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself." She stretched out on the roof, flicking her tail out from under her. "Patrol has been quiet for the last couple weeks, don't you think?"

"I hope it stays this way."

"Yeah, my best friend and I have plans for this evening, so I hope that no akumas show up and ruin it. It's always so awkward to make up an excuse to leave so I can transform!"

"Tell me about it," Ladybug agreed.

"Well, luckily, my best friends have always been very understanding. I haven't had much trouble with them."

"I've always been worried that my best friend would figure out my identity," Ladybug admitted.

Rena's ears perked up. It was so rare that Ladybug would talk about her civilian life. "Really? Why?"

"She's just very curious, is all. She really loves superheroes, so she talks about them all the time. It feels like she knows everything about us."

Rena pondered this. The first person who sprang to her mind was Juleka. The two of them loved discussing superheroes together...

"Is your best friend as loud as me?" She teased.

"No one is as loud as you." Ladybug replied. "Stop prying."

There wasn't nearly enough evidence to pin Ladybug's best friend as Juleka. Rena had to do more research.

But, if her hunch was correct... that would mean Ladybug was Rose.

It actually kind of made sense. Rose was a sweetheart. She was always willing to help out everyone, whether they were her friends or not. Ladybug was the same way.

Rena side-eyed Ladybug, who caught her stare and frowned. 

"Just be careful, Rena," she cautioned. "It's not as if I never wondered who Chat Noir was, or if I knew him in my civilian form. But I would always rather be safe than sorry."

As if summoned, a figure in shiny black appeared upon a distant rooftop and began making its way towards them. Ladybug sighed. "Speak of the devil."

"M'lady." Chat Noir scrambled up the tiles of the roof the superheroes were sitting on and grinned at both of them. "Rena."

"Why are you here?" Rena asked. "You don't have patrol tonight."

Chat fidgeted. "I actually wanted to talk to Ladybug..."

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Well, since you're both here, Rena should probably hear this too." He ran his claws through his hair. "Um, so Carapace and I figured out each other's identities, and I wasn't going to tell you because I thought you'd be mad but I thought about it and I really feel like it would be better if you knew, and really it might be better this way if we know who we are..."

Ladybug raised a murderous eyebrow. Chat gulped. Rena shrieked.

"You know who Carapace is?! Is it Max?"

Ladybug looked horrified. Rena clapped a hand over her mouth. She shouldn't have said it out loud, not here, not where anyone could have heard...

Chat shook his head vigorously. "No, it's not. It shouldn't be me to tell you, though. You should ask him yourself." He turned to Ladybug. "M'lady, don't you think it's time?"

***

Alya sat alone at her desk. She couldn't believe that she had been wrong about Max. If he wasn't Carapace, then who was? Kim... or Nino? And if she had gotten Carapace's identity wrong, she was probably wrong about Ladybug too. 

She buried her head in her hands. Maybe it was just a coincidence, and the real Carapace had just happened to be at the roller rink at the same time. No, Alya wasn't an idiot. It had to be one of the two.

There had been little signs all along; she had just been blind to them. She inwardly cursed herself for being a bad reporter and letting her feelings get in the way.

Carapace had known where her house was.

When she had met him in her civilian form, he had acted much less abrasive.

He read the Ladyblog. 

When he talked about his girlfriend, a smile on his face, he mentioned her sharp wit and fiery hair. And (mentioned just briefly before he had blushed and turned away) a romantic first kiss after a picnic in the park.

Individually, none of these were solid evidence. But collectively, Alya could draw only one conclusion.

Nino- sweet, goofy Nino- was Carapace. 

***

"Hello?"

"Hey, Marinette."

"Oh, hey Alya! Ready for movie night? Papa made millefeuille!"

Alya sighed. She loved millefeuille. The way the delicate layers of pastry paired with soft cream melted in your mouth...

"Actually, that's why I'm calling. I'm so sorry Marinette, but I'm going to need to postpone movie night. Something important just came up."

"Something important? Do you need to talk about it?"

"Actually, I'm hoping to resolve it tonight. Wish me luck?"

"All the luck in the world." Marinette didn't pry. That was why Alya loved her so much.

"Thanks Mari. I'll make it up to you. We'll go out for a fancy dinner one of these days, my treat."

"That sounds great. Love you, Alya. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Love you, Marinette. 'Bye."

***

Nino wasn't picking up. "I swear," she said, threateningly, to the cell phone in her hand. "If you don't pick up, then you're going to- oh! Hi Nino."

He had picked up his phone. "Hey, Alya. Whatcha calling about?"

"Where are you right now?"

"Uhhhh..." he glanced around uneasily, "my bedroom?"

"Well, I'm outside your building. Can you come out?"

"Yeah, of course. See you in a second." He hung up the phone and glanced out his window. Sure enough, he could see Alya pacing on the street. Not bothering to grab a coat, he yelled "be right back!" to his brother and left the apartment, thundering down the stairs to emerge on the street. "So, what's up?"

Alya considered her boyfriend for a second. Now that she knew he was Carapace, she liked him even more. In fact, she had always had a teeny-tiny crush on Carapace that she had refused to acknowledge, even to herself, out of loyalty to Nino.

She had always admired Carapace for his calmness in the face of danger and his dedication to helping others. Although Nino wasn't serious in his civilian form, he still showed the same traits. He had always stood up for others, like when he defended Adrien to Gabriel Agreste. And he would never leave a friend behind, even when it jeopardized his own safety.

Alya loved Nino's easy-going personality, but knowing that he was Carapace, her partner, who felt the same pressure as she did, made her appreciate him even more. 

"Nino," she said. "I know who you are."