Multimouse feels the steady thrum of her heartbeat against her collar and knows that she'll have to use Rena's power for the second time ever to manage to squeak by and not get caught. Just, Cat Noir's staring her down, and she isn't quite sure how to handle this. But, she can't keep being Multimouse, or at least she doesn't think she could keep being her.

It's hard enough to balance one secret identity, rather than two or more at the same time. Marinette sighs as she peeks up at her long time partner, that had spotted that she was Ladybug from the get go despite the special suit and different hairstyle. Meeting his eyes now, knowing that he knows that she is Marinette, she can't help but doubt her first decision. It keeps suspicions of being Ladybug off of Marinette, but being Ladybug isn't just a suit that she puts on either.

Multimouse gulps past the nervous knot trapped in her throat, and debates whether she should just run. Mice are fast, right? But, Cat Noir won't just accept her running away, not as his green cat eyes gaze down at her, and she knows without a doubt that he really does spot who she is beneath the mask. This is only the second or third superhero that he has seen unmasked before, and for some reason, she feels different under his stare than Queen Bee surely does.

Cat Noir does not stare at Queen Bee like she's a second Ladybug, but he sure seems to stare at Multimouse that way, and he shouldn't because he knows that she's Marinette. A mouse suit that makes you tiny does not tend to make you more attractive, anymore than spots shouldn't change the way that a man looks at you. Yet, she is not in spots, but ultra tiny with her hair in twin buns. She's cute in the way you'd call something tiny cute, or that's how Marinette would see it, except Cat Noir's staring at her the way that she sometimes forgets he stares at Ladybug.

She gulps, as she steps back. "I'm going to go, 'bye." She's too nervous, and he's far too focused right now to fall for another illusion. Besides, the same trick rarely works twice.

"Marinette," Cat Noir pauses, eyes locked on her, "I really love working with you." His smile is small and gentle; she'd call it shy if she didn't know him better. What about Multimouse that is Marinette makes him stare at her like this? He doesn't know who Ladybug is, right?

"'Bye, Cat." She squeaks out and turns and scurries away, already eager to drop the mouse suit, mainly because she isn't sure what to think, when her pulse is suddenly racing, and she wonders if Cat Noir always has this effect on her. She doesn't recall it when she's in spots, but when she is in the black and red, he doesn't know she's Marinette either.

Has he always looked at Marinette this way? Her head's spinning as she finally walks to an abandoned alley to transform back, still stunned by Cat's stare that seemed to be on her all day. Was she always this attractive to Cat Noir with and without the magical suits? Marinette hopes that the blush she didn't realize was there will fade soon, and she'll get a chance to breathe normally again.