Gift fic for chat-noir-knight on Tumblr. Enjoy! ^.^

Edit 2-12-16: Oh, and by the way... yes, I did intend to end it like that. And no, it will most likely not be continued. Sorry for those of you who expected another chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, any of the concepts, etc.

Reply to CrazyFanMc: I'm glad you like the fic! I didn't write the fighting part because I didn't feel it was entirely necessary and also because I didn't really have the time. I didn't want to give this gift fic late, so it was a bit shorter than I originally intended. Sorry to disappoint!

"Marinette!"

Alya screamed in as a beaker of acid narrowly missed her friend, shattering on the wall behind her with a menacing hiss as it ate right through the plaster. Broken glass and overturned desks cut Marinette off from the rest of the class, hemming her in on the other side of the classroom.

"Stay back!" Marinette yelled, thankful that Adrien had been out on a bathroom break when the akuma attacked. One less person to worry about protecting, and a marginally smaller area for the rest to build a shield around.

Another beaker was thrown at her feet, the splash zone just barely too large for her to evade. Chemicals bubbled and steamed as the sole of her shoe began to melt, half of a trailing shoelace already dissolved in a radioactive-green puddle.

The akuma cackled, already mixing up another concoction consisting of three different liquids and some powders of dubious color. Marinette glanced back at the blockade of furniture her classmates were hiding behind, then at the akuma, trying to assess if she could make it. Maybe if she ran for the aisle-

crash-fwoom!

Never mind. There was now a flaming chair blocking the only path.

Marinette swore and dashed for cover as the akuma's attention focused completely on her, singled out as the easiest target. Smoke was beginning to fill the room, thick and choking. Chat Noir had yet to appear, and although Tikki was hidden at her purse (which was worn at nearly all times) her entire class was right there. Transforming in front of them was only going to happen if it absolutely had to.

That, of course, was the moment her partner chose to burst through the door, staff leading as he hurtled into the possessed chemistry teacher. Normally Marinette would have scolded him for being late, but seeing as she had yet to transform herself, all she felt was a wave of relief. Oh, thank goodness. Chat could take care of things while she snuck away now.

And the door had been conveniently opened for her, too. How gentlemanly of him.

Marinette crouched and began to inch towards the front of the classroom. If asked later, she could just say that it was closer and easier than trying to rejoin the rest of the class. Which was technically the truth, anyways. Just… not the entire truth.

Chat, in the meantime, was doing an excellent job of herding the akuma into a corner. His staff was extended to nearly half the width of the room, too large of a range for his target to slip past. As far as Marinette was concerned, he had things well in hand.

Until he didn't.

"How dare you? No one disobeys instructions in my classroom!" the akuma raged. "Detention! The Mad Scientist will put you all in detention for the rest of your lives!" She followed it up with a smoke bomb right at Chat Noir's feet, multicolored clouds mingling with the smoke of the fire in an eye-watering, cough-your-lungs-out combination.

Chat doubled over as he inhaled it, staff dropping from his fingers as he was wracked with shuddering, full-body coughs. Mad Scientist took the opportunity to kick his staff away, then pinned him to the ground with one foot on his chest.

"Now, I'll take your Miraculous!" Mad Scientist said, reaching for Chat's immobilized form.

"No way!" Chat snarled. Dark energy bubbled around his claws, Cataclysm warding away grasping claws through its mere presence.

Mad Scientist recoiled briefly, but wasn't deterred for long. She grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over, pushing one leg onto Chat's hand. Wood splintered as Cataclysm consumed it, the chair falling in pieces and sawdust.

Cataclysm vanished. One claw on Chat's ring blinked out with a quiet beep.

"...Oh, no," Marinette breathed.

Hidden in her purse, Tikki squeaked in fear.

The akuma reached for Chat's ring. Marinette moved.

"Don't," she said, low and dangerous, "you dare touch him." She crouched protectively before Chat, ignoring his increasingly panicked struggles and the shocked gasps of her class.

Well, there goes my secret identity, she thought ruefully, straightening to stand at her full height in defiance. There's no going back now.

"Marinette, what are you doing?! Get out of there!" Alya yelled.

"Princess," Chat gasped, eyes wide, "run, you have to run, I can take care of this-"

"Tikki," Marinette whispered, unheard by all but one in the chaos, "transform."

The world went pink, and when the light faded, Marinette was gone.

Only Ladybug stood in her place.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," she murmured as she watched it flutter out the window. Lucky Charm repaired all the damage seconds later, returning the classroom to its normal state.

Thanks to having the element of surprise, Ladybug had been able to defeat the akuma quickly. Chat Noir left to go recharge his Miraculous partway through the battle, returning just in time to help finish things off. Now that everything was over, however…

Marinette let her transformation run out, red and black dissolving in a shower of pink sparkles.

Unlike herself, Chat Noir hadn't needed to use Cataclysm again, so his secret identity was in no danger. He hovered beside her, looking nervous and unsure of what to do. Oddly guilty, as well. She made a mental note to talk to him later about that. None of the situation was in any way his fault.

Though, before that happened, she still needed to deal with her classmates first. Oh, dear. If she handled things wrong, this could become a train wreck.

Better be very careful, then.

"You're Ladybug?!" Chloe burst out, stomping down to Marinette. She seemed more shocked than angry, though with Chloe it could be difficult to tell. Sabrina, ever faithful, trailed two steps behind with an equally gobsmacked expression.

Marinette pursed her lips for a brief moment, sending up a prayer for patience. She'd need it to deal with Chloe, who was difficult on the best of days. At a time like this, when Marinette was already tired and having a distinctly less than stellar run of events, it was just a pain that she desperately wished she didn't have to deal with.

If only life was that kind.

"Yes," she affirmed, feet planted and chin lifted as she met Chloe head-on. "I'm Ladybug." As if the battle with the akuma and her transformation right there in the classroom hadn't been proof enough.

Alya made a strangled sort of squeaking noise. Her phone dangled from limp fingers, screen dark. "Marinette?"

"Hey, Alya. Sorry for, uh, not telling you." Marinette winced slightly, uncomfortable with all the staring.

Nino had a face like someone had told him that up was down and black was white, utterly befuddled. Kim was gaping openly, while Max looked like he'd gotten slapped with a fish. Rose's eyes couldn't get any bigger, and Jukela was utterly shell-shocked (but also… kind of impressed, for some reason). They stood beside Ivan and Mylene, who looked a little faint. Nathanael, strangely enough, appeared the least surprised of them all.

Chloe, not one to be ignored, pushed her way back into the spotlight. Chat tensed as she got right up into Marinette's personal space, eyes narrowed and lips twisted into something very close to a snarl. Chat resisted the urge to snarl back, but he knew his partner could handle herself. This was her battle, not his.

But oh, how he wanted to step in. He'd probably freak out about Ladybug being Marinette later, but at the moment… well.

She was his Lady. He'd always have her back.

"How's this even possible? You're just a no-name baker's daughter!" Chloe snapped. "How can you be a superhero?!"

Marinette winced slightly at the volume, but didn't back down. "I am what I am, Chloe," she said quietly. "Whether or not you accept that is your choice. To be honest, I'm really not in the mood to argue." Her gaze locked with Chloe's, eyes narrowed and sharp. "But. You can't tell anyone. Do you understand?" She raised her voice, addressing the class as a whole. "I don't care who it is. Parents, friends, it doesn't matter. If my identity ever gets out to the public-" she stopped, and swallowed hard, "my family, my friends, anyone who was ever close to be will become a target. And I… I can't allow that."

Her back was ramrod-straight, shoulders tense and jaw tight. At that moment, there was no doubt that she was Ladybug, Paris' seemingly invincible protector.

Alya was the first to speak up, moving down the steps and brushing past Chloe to engulf her friend in a tight hug. "Oh, Marinette," she sighed. "I don't know how you got into this, but I'll support you every step of the way."

Marinette didn't hesitate to hug her back. "Thank you. Thank you," she whispered. "You're the best friend in the whole world. You know that, right?"

"And don't you forget it," Alya laughed.

With Alya as the catalyst, the floodgates opened. One by one, the class offered their support and vowed to keep her secret. Even Chloe, despite doing so grudgingly and not without some persuasion.

In the end, Chat was nearly forgotten. He was fine with that, though. This… this was an acceptable outcome.

"Hello, Princess."

"Hello, Chat." Marinette smiled, and moved back a little to let him drop down onto her balcony. "What are you doing here?"

Chat studied her for a moment, nerves doing backflips in his gut. She looked… tired. Worn. But strangely content, as well.

"I take it things went well with your parents, then?" he said in lieu of answering.

She nodded, not fooled for a second. "Don't avoid the question, Chat."

He gulped. Somehow, this had seemed much less daunting in his head. He had to remind himself that although she was Ladybug, she was also Marinette. Kind, sweet Marinette who would still be his friend if nothing else.

"Well," Chat began, "I thought that, since I know your identity now, it's only fair that you know mine." He fiddled with his ring, and saw Marinette gasp.

"Chat, you don't have to-" she started.

"I want to," he countered, and slipped off his Miraculous before he could change his mind.

Oil-dark bubbles swirled in a flurry of magical energy. As they faded, Marinette squeaked.

"Adrien?!"