Hi! I watched the 4th episode yesterday and an idea come to my mind. This was supossed to be an oneshot, but ended up being to long so I decided to make more than one chapters. I don't plan to make this too long, maybe three or four chapters long...
As I said in my other oneshot: English is not my mother tongue, so please correct me if you see something weird. I'll also apreciate every review or comment you send me. I'm aware this chapter must be full of mistakes, since I just finished it and is like 1:30 AM here (My brain isn't working properly). I'll check it again tomorrow and fix everything I come across.
And with that said I let you to your reading. I hope you'll like it.
After Time Breaker was defeated both timelines converged into one. At least that was that Marinette thought. The truth was that she had no idea what time travel and all that science stuff was about. The only thing she knew for sure was that now she had memories of two different timelines.
When the Ladybug from the future disappeared her brain became a little foggy, confused, like she had forgotten something important. She remembered later. In her sleep, all events from that day came little by little to her, so slow that Marinette believed she was imagining things. However, after a whole week she was convinced that it wasn't a dream but a memory. She remembered being at the race and how Alix's heirloom broke and it wasn't what she lived a week ago. In that time she run after Alix and got distracted by a phone call from her father. Then the fight, her friends vanishing, Chat Noir protecting her, the time travel. She even remembered how they defeated Time Breaker from the future Ladybug's point of view (aside her own).
And when the initial shook died down and the brunette started to pay it no mind, one single, little, detail that she didn't notice before came to her, filling her mind all day and night: Chat Noir. He protected her, he saved her. The boy knew he'd disappear if Time Breaker touched him and yet he sacrificed himself for her sake. Why? Why would he go that far? He… he died for her. There was no way he didn't know what he was doing. And nevertheless the blond interposed himself between the corrupted Alix and her, taking the final blow.
"Why, kitty?" thought Marinette as she descended from her bed. Even if Chat Noir liked her as much as he claimed, dying for her was a little too much, the brunette doubted she could do the same. She liked to believe that she would sacrifice herself for her loved ones (like her parents, Adrien or Alya) without a second thought, but actually doing it… that was another thing. She feared she wouldn't be brave enough if that time ever came, that she'd become a selfish coward. And for that she needed to thank the blond, not just because she owed him big time but for being that brave, for loving her so much.
With that thought in mind, Ladybug passed her companion a note the night before, the first time they saw each other after the Time Breaker incident. The evil guys were becoming weirder with the passing time. That night it had been a man obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera who, after being rejected by his loved one, decided to kidnap every young female singer he came across. Chat Noir and her defeated their enemy and set all the hostages free from the Paris Opera House, where they were held captive. They were about to fist bump when she, instead, handed him a note. He eyed the folded paper surprised, but didn't open it until he reached home, just as she asked.
She'd never see the astonished look on his face when, in the safeness of his huge room, Adrien opened the note and read: "Meet me at the rooftop where we defeated Stormy Weather. Tomorrow, at ten in the morning". Neither would she see how he rolled around his bed in complete happiness, or hear him whisper "I knew that one day, sooner or later, you'd come to me" with a sweet smile on his face.
So Marinette was unaware that while she got dressed, not too far away, a blond boy was spreading most of his clothes all over the floor, unable to decide what to wear just to realize that it didn't matter since he'll be transformed. The young girl had no way to know that as she had breakfast, her sidekick, so nervous he couldn't slide a single bite down his throat, was already transformed and looking at his reflection in the mirror in an attempt to improve his appearance. Chat Noir was in the middle of an internal discussion: comb his hair like he did as Adrien or keep the wild look it has when he was Chat Noir? In the end he decided to left it unaltered, it'd be obvious if he changed his hairstyle so suddenly.
The blond superhero jumped off his window and headed to the nearest flower shop. At the same time Marinette crossed the door to her family's bakery. Her mom was there, behind the counter, giving a client his change and as soon as the elderly man left the store turned around to greet her.
"Morning Marinette" said the Chinese woman with a smile. After seeing her fully dressed she added "Are you going somewhere?"
"Morning mom. Yes, I'm leaving, I'm meeting someone in half an hour. Just passed by to grab something for them" said the teen as she took a small snack box from behind the counter and filled it with a dozen macarons.
"My little girl is growing up so fast." She listened her mother sighing behind her. "Not long ago she could barely hold her chopsticks and now she's heading off to her first date."
Wait, what? "Mom! It's not a date" denied Marinette way too quickly.
"It is not? I thought you weren't meeting Alya, since you didn't mention her". Sometimes, her mom was too clever for the girl's liking.
"And you are right, it's not Alya." Admitted Marinette, wishing for the talk to end.
"It is a boy, then?" asked Mrs. Cheng with a knowing smile on her petite face.
"Yes, mom. It's a boy" said the teen, defeated.
"Then it's a date" concluded her mom proudly. "Aw, don't look at me like that sweety. When I was your age I was like that too, always denying the obvious. Come on, don't make your boyfriend wait. And have fun."
"Seriously mom, it's not a date. And he's not my boyfriend" Thinking of Chat Noir as her boyfriend send shivers down her spine", he's just a… friend. And I'm giving him this just because I owe him!" added Marinette nervous, showing her mother the snack box one last time.
"Whatever you say Marinette. You'll be here for lunch?"
"I don't know, mom. I'll call you!" replied the teen as she left the bakery in a hurry.
After five minutes running through the streets of Paris, the brunete hid in an alley and opened her purse to let Tikki out. The little kwami flew beside her and gave her friend a weird look.
"Why are you meeting Chat Noir? I thought you liked Adrien" asked Tikki.
"Not you too... We talked about this yesterday and you agreed to thank him" answered Marinette."I should have thanked him right after the last battle, but no… I had to be nice and give him a proper thanks"
"Yes, but this sounds more like a d…"
"DON'T say that word!" shouted Marinette, tired of hearing the same over and over. She regretted it as soon as she saw the hurt look on the kwami's eyes and apologized. "Sorry Tikki… Let's transform, ok?"
The teen checked behind her to be sure the coast was clear and transformed giving Tikki a last apologetic smile.
Ladybug sighed and climbed to the nearest rooftop, snack box in hand. As she ran and jumped through the buildings the superheroine couldn't help thinking about the current situation. Why everyone thought it was a date? It was not! She only wanted to thank him properly, that was all. Although… her message was easy to misunderstand… too easy, actually. Oh crap… Chat Noir probably misunderstood it too. Who was she kidding? Of course he misunderstood! He must be planning their wedding by now. Ladybug sighed one more time. "I should have thanked him right after the last battle, but no… I had to be nice and give him a proper thanks" said the brunette to herself.
When she arrived at the top of the TV building her fears were confirmed. There stood Chat Noir holding a bouquet of red roses close to his chest. Ladybug stopped her running and the blond turned towards her. He looked… nervous, with a shy smile on his lips and a blush on his cheecks. It reminded her of how the Copycat had looked at her not so long ago. She expected to see his little smile turning into his usual smirk but it didn't, instead it became wider, the wider and happiest smile she had ever seen on him.
"Hi…" whispered her partner softly just to bite his lip right after, not knowing what else to say. If that all that wasn't proof enough of how overjoyed he was then his eyes were. They soot out from his mask, so green, bright and filled with happiness that she was sure they'd glow in the dark. Marinette had to acknowledge what she had been conscious of for a while: Chat Noir was really handsome.
The trouble was that he looked so hopeful, so happy, that she didn't have the courage to tell him the truth. How could she break his heart now that it was so clear he had feelings for her? Ladybug didn't want to hurt him in any way but she didn't want to accept him either, she didn't like him like that… With a last sigh she thought "Oh, God. What do I do now?"