Her swimsuit isn’t there

Slowly, Marinette began shedding her extra layers. First went her black blouse, dropped unceremoniously on the ground. Then, Marinette worked her way out of her pink pants, unbuttoning them and hooking her thumbs into the side of her pants, pulling them down as slowly as she could manage, trying to keep herself decent for as long as she could. Gradually, more and more of her unblemished, porcelain white skin creeped into place, and soon enough her pants were pooled at her ankles, until she stepped out of them, revealing her panties to the empty tent. They were a newer pair that she felt were rather unique, she hadn’t seen another pair like them. They were two toned, the back half being a bright neon green and the front half being black with two signature neon green paw prints. They were Cat Noir themed, which was the whole reason she bought them. Ladybug memorabilia was everywhere, but Cat Noir memorabilia was practically nonexistent, and while she knew he said it didn’t bother him, it bothered her because they were a team. “Not many people want Cat Noir stuff, My Lady,” he had said, “so they don’t make much.” So, the moment she saw them, she knew she had to buy them, even going so far as to wear them out on patrol with him that night. She had even mentally entertained the thought of telling him, just to see his face and how he would react. Of course, she didn’t and never would. Her underwear was private, and she also didn’t want to encourage that tom cat. He flirted with her enough without any encouragement, so the last thing she wanted to do was get him thinking about her in her underwear and practically invite him to check out her butt and crotch while they’re out on patrol.

Once she was ready, she would pick up her clothes and shove them into her bag, but she wasn’t quite ready yet. She was keeping her gaze firmly planted on the top half of the tent, trying to imagine herself getting changed someplace else. For the most part, it was working. With a breath, Marinette grabbed the collar of her floral printed tee-shirt and pulled it up over her head, revealing her black bra, before she dropped her shirt to join the rest of her outerwear. Now, she was in the final neck of the woods. All she had to do was take off her underwear, be naked for a few seconds, then she would throw on her swimsuit and join her friends. Easy enough, right?

Out of nowhere, Rose’s question about her swimsuit drifted back into her head. She was positive she didn’t forget her swimsuit, not after how excited she was to give it a trial run, but then again… it wouldn’t be the first time she had forgotten something like that. She tried to shake the thought out of her head, it was in there, she knew it was. Despite that belief, though, she couldn’t help the sudden compulsion to check her bag before she shed the rest of her clothes. Marinette moved the bag to rest on the chair and quickly opened it. In her mind, she went through a checklist. Bottles of water? Check. Sandals? Check. _Notepad and pen_s (just in case inspiration struck her while she was out)? Check. Beach blanket? check. Towel? Check. Swimsuit? Not check… Marinette felt her heart start to race and started tossing things out of her bag, leaving no stone unturned. Very quickly, she was left staring into an empty bag.

“How could I forget my swimsuit?!” Marinette groaned.

“What’s the matter, Marinette?” Her kwami asked, looking rather confused.

“I forgot my swimsuit,” Marinette said, growing more and more distraught. “I’m going to have to go back home to get it…” A sigh left her. Getting back home would probably take her half and hour, and it would take her another half hour to get back… Everyone would probably be just about ready to go home by then.

“Well, what’s wrong with what you have on now?” Tikki asked. “Can’t you just go out there like that?”

“What!” Marinette shook her head vigorously, “No, I can’t go out there in my underwear… That would be embarrassing.”

“Why?” Tikki said, now thoroughly confused. “They cover just as much as the other girls’ swimsuits do.”

“Because your underwear is supposed to be personal,” Marinette protested. “No one is supposed to see them. And what if they get wet? I won’t have anything to change into later!”

Humans and their customs always seemed odd to, Tikki. “But if no one knows they’re your underwear, then isn’t it all right? And that isn’t true, Marinette. If they get wet, you can just wait for them to dry or you could just get dressed without them.” The kwami said, trying to be helpful. “It’s not like anyone will notice.”

Marinette froze. She could already tell that no matter how long she explained it to her, Tikki wouldn’t get it. “Don’t you want to hang out with your friends?” The kwami persisted.

“I do,” Marinette said, biting her lip. Was she actually considering this?