Marinette held a clipping from one of her favorite fashion magazines in her hands. It was an advertisement for a contest the magazine was holding . Readers were being asked to submit original designs and one would be hand-picked by a panel of judges. The winning design would be featured on the front page of the magazine.
Marinette cut the ad out and kept reading it over and over. She had a certain design that she had been working on for ages. It was one of her proudest works, but she wasn't sure she could submit it. "It's probably not very good," Marinette thought. "There are plenty of other designers out there than can make something better than this. Maybe I shouldn't enter the contest..."
Tikki watched Marinette's expression drop as she kept glancing between her design and the magazine clipping. Immediately, Tikki knew what that face meant. She had seen in dozens of times. It was the face Marinette had whenever she got down on herself. Marinette was the type to tear herself down and not recognize how amazing she was. Her own fear easily got the best of her and kept her from accomplishing great things. Being Ladybug had helped chip away at her lack of self-confidence, but Marinette still had her relapses.
"Marinette, don't be nervous," Tikki smiled as she rolled over to Marinette's design. "Your design is amazing! You've worked really hard on it. You should submit it!"
"I don't know..." Marinette trailed off. "It probably can't even come close to measuring up against a real designer."
"You'll never know if you don't try."
"I guess you're right. I'll talk to Alya about it tomorrow, but I might not be good enough yet. There's no shame in admitting that."
"There's a difference between admitting your flaws and selling yourself short."
"..." Marinette didn't say anything. Instead, she set down the clipping and turned out her desk lamp. "We should get to bed," Marinette yawned. "We spent a long night out with Chat Noir and that silly cat is exhausting. I'm surprised we were able to make it this late."
Tikki watched Marinette walk over to her bed and snuggle underneath the blankets. Within a few minutes, Marinette was fast asleep. Once Marinette was sleeping, Tikki flew over to her desk and read the magazine ad. "I want Marinette to participate so badly!" Tikki thought. "She seemed so excited when that magazine came this afternoon, but now she's whipped herself into a frenzy. What should I do?"
Tikki glanced up at the dozens of pictures littering Marinette's walls and a small smile emerged on her face. "If anyone can convince her, it'll definitely be him."
As quiet as a thief in the night, Tikki grabbed the clipping and flew over to Marinette's purse. She opened the bag and placed the article inside. She had a plan to let Adrien know about the competition. If he asked Marinette to compete, there was no way she could refuse. Tikki snapped the handbag shut and then headed off to bed, very pleased with herself.
The next morning, Marinette walked into class with an unusually quiet demeanor. She whispered simple "hellos" to her classmates, but not much else. Alya noticed her strange attitude immediately and pounced on Marinette as soon as she sat down.
"What's bugging you?" Alya asked. Marinette internally laughed at Alya's unintentional joke. "It's nothing," Marinette sighed. "There's just this design contest I want to enter, but I don't think I'm good enough. It's kinda been stressing me out since last night."
"Not good enough?" Alya recoiled in confusion. "You're as good as it gets, Marinette! I've never seen anyone as talented as you. Some of your designs could even rival Gabriel Agreste and he's world famous!"
"You're just saying that because you're my best friend, but I appreciate it. Thanks for cheering me on."
Alya frowned. She could tell that Marinette wasn't convinced. Alya also recognized that there was a problem with Marinette's self-confidence. Marinette thought she was plain and boring like she was a disappointment sometimes, but no one ever saw her that way. People loved her and always praised everything she did. Alya didn't know where Marinette's self-esteem issues came from, but she didn't want her best friend to be held back by fears that weren't even real.
"Hey, Marinette!" Adrien smiled as he walked up to her desk. It had become habit to talk to Marinette in the mornings. He noticed that she had a strange expression like something was bothering her. "Should I ask?" He wondered. "Or is that overstepping my boundaries?"
Tikki heard the sound of Adrien's voice and sprung into action. Carefully, she opened up the bag and pushed the magazine clipping out. Tikki watched it slowly float onto the ground. She slipped back into the purse with a sly smile.
"What's this?" Adrien said, bending down to pick up the clipping. He read the ad and realized it was a design contest for a popular fashion magazine. It was one that had done multiple articles on his father and showcased many of his designs. "Marinette, are you planning on participating in this?" Adrien asked as he pointed to the clipping.
Marinette quickly grabbed the clipping from his hands and said, "I don't think so. It's a pretty big contest and I don't think I'm cut out for it."
"That's not true!" Adrien exclaimed. "Your designs are awesome! The reason why my design is even semi-okay is because you helped me fix it. You have a lot of talent. Go for it!"
Marinette's heart jumped as Adrien continued to praise her. She didn't know he thought so highly of her. He seemed to be more interested in her participating in the contest than she was. She didn't want to let him down and be a disappointment, so she said, "Ok, I'll submit something."
Adrien smiled and gave Marinette a high five. "That's my girl!" He grinned, pleased that he was able to make her change her mind. With that, he sat down besides Nino, very proud of himself. Alya looked back at Marinette who had put the clipping away. The blue-haired girl still had an uneasy expression. It wasn't about the design contest this time though. Alya knew it was because Marinette had lied to Adrien and was feeling guilty.
Later that afternoon, classes were getting out and Marinette rushed home to do some work at the bakery. Before Adrien was about to leave, Alya pulled him aside.
"Adrien, can I talk to you for a sec?" Alya asked. Adrien nodded and told Nino he would text him later. Then, he went over to Alya and said, "What's up?"
"I really wanted to thank-you for trying to help out Marinette this morning. I needed to wait 'till she left to thank-you otherwise she'd have a minor freakout."
"It's no big deal," Adrien smiled. "I'm just glad she's participating."
"Here's the thing though... she isn't."
"What do you mean? She said she was, didn't she?"
Alya bit her lip and wondered if it was okay to tell Adrien the truth. She crossed her arms and with a sigh replied, "She just told you that so you wouldn't be disappointed. I can tell she's still second-guessing herself and unless some escorts her to the mailbox to submit her design, she won't have the confidence to do it. It's exactly like the time she tried to mail your valent-..." Alya shut her mouth, realizing that detail was better kept a secret.
"I see..." Adrien said sadly. He didn't like the idea of Marinette doubting herself. It reminded him of himself. He always felt like he was a disappointment and could never live up to expectations as Adrien or Chat Noir. As Adrien, he was nothing more than a puppet to his father and as Chat Noir, he could never be as fantastic as Ladybug. He never realized that others were facing the same problems as him. It gave him some serious perspective.
However, if there was one person that could understand and help Marinette, it was him.
"I think she'll submit her design," Adrien cheekily grinned. "I have a plan." Alya gave Adrien a questioning glare. The boy looked giddy and had an expression that was strange for him. It was almost cat-like.
"I'll leave it to you then," Alya sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Don't let me down." She left the classroom, leaving Adrien to himself.
"Don't worry," Adrien thought. "I know just the cat to help!"
Evening rolled around and Marinette was still stressing out about the design contest. She didn't want to submit her design, but she didn't want to be a liar either. "Tikki, I've dug myself into a hole again," Marinette moaned. "How do I get myself into these situations?"
"If you just mail in your design, there isn't a problem," Tikki replied smartly. She wished Alya was here to force Marinette to go out to the mailbox. Words didn't seem to be convincing enough. Someone needed to take action.
There was a sudden knock at the window, startling both Marinette and Tikki. Tikki quickly flew away and hid from sight. Cautiously, Marinette stood up and walked over to her window. It was dark and hard to see. It looked like nothing was there until a pair of big, green eyes opened in front of her.
Marinette jumped back with a scream. Looking closer at what was outside, she realized that it wasn't a monster, but Chat Noir. "Chat Noir?" Marinette wondered. "Why would he be here? Is something happening? Is it an akuma?"
She quickly opened the window and beckoned for the cat to come in. "Why are you here?" Marinette exclaimed. "Is there a problem? Where's Ladybug?"
"Relax, Princess," Chat Noir purred. "There's nothing wrong. I've come to see you."
"Me? But we don't really know each other. I've only helped you once and we've only met a few times outside of that."
"And I've come to return the favor. I heard you were having a little bit of trouble..." Chat Noir's eyes wandered over to Marinette's desk where she had left her design sitting out. With the speed of a cat, he rushed over and grabbed the design. "Hey!" Marinette exclaimed as she watched him put his paws all over her stuff. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Did you make this?" Chat Noir said in shock. "It's amazing! You're really talented." Marinette blushed at the compliment, but swiped the design back.
"Thanks, but it's nothing special."
"Are you going to send it in to that magazine design contest?"
Marinette gave him a confused look. "How does he know about that?" Marinette thought. "What are the chances we read the same magazine?"
She cleared her throat and said, "I was considering it, but I don't think I will. I might practice some more first."
"C'mon, Marinette. It would be a waste to not submit it. You have a shot at winning," Chat Noir eagerly added. His praise was unrelentless. He could only say good things about her work. As he was gushing over her design, Marinette was examining him, still wondering why he was here. The whole thing was very odd...
"You should take a chance and send it," Chat Noir said. He spied an empty envelope and the form for the contest on Marinette's desk. He grabbed a pencil and quickly filled the form out. Marinette watched from over his shoulder, unsure of what he was doing.
Once Chat Noir finished the form, he folded it and the design and placed them into the envelope. He licked it shut and then wrote all the information on the envelope. He handed it to Marinette and said, "See? I've done all the hard work for you. Now all you have to do is put it in the mailbox."
"Chat, I don't think this is a good ide-"
"No buts! I'll even escort you out and help you put it in. He hoisted himself up onto the balcony and offered his hand. "Are you coming, Princess?"
With a reluctant sigh, Marinette took his hand and he pulled her up. He put his arm around his waist and used his other hand to grab his baton. He extended it and then hopped down onto the ground, keeping Marinette safe the whole time.
"We could have just used the stairs," Marinette explained with an eye roll. Chat Noir winked and said, "But where's the fun in that?"
The two walked over to the yellow mailbox that rested outside the park. All Marinette had to do was stick the envelop in. Marinette stood in front of the box and held the envelope out. Her hands were shaking. "I can't do this," she kept repeating to herself. "This is a mistake!"
Noticing her hesitation, Chat Noir grabbed her arm and pushed Marinette forward. The envelope entered the mailbox and Marinette accidentally let go. The envelope fluttered down into the insides of the mailbox, never to be rescued again.
"C-chat!" Marinette exclaimed nervously. "Why did you do that?"
"If you aren't going to help yourself, I will," he said seriously. "Marinette, I understand exactly where you're coming from. It's hard to believe in yourself when it seems that everything you do isn't good enough, but you have to take chances. You have to learn to believe in yourself!"
Chat Noir's words were surprisingly serious and from the heart. Marinette never expected him to have such deep thoughts. It was hard to believe that Chat Noir had a self-confidence complex off his own. After all, he was Chat Noir, the flirty guy who always charged head first into danger. Marinette knew it took a lot of guts for him to share that information with her and she respected that. His words seemed to break down the wall inside her.
"You're right," Marinette softly smiled. "I should stop doubting myself. Thank you, Chat. Your words were really helpful and if you're ever having a tough time, you can always talk to me. If Ladybug isn't available, I mean..."
"I appreciate the kindness, Princess," Chat Noir bowed. Seeing smile warmed his heart in a strange way. He felt the sudden urge to hug her, but restrained himself. Now wasn't the place or time. "I should be heading out now. I still have to finish up my nightly patrol."
"Why did you come visit me?" Marinette asked before he had the chance to leave. "And how did you know about the contest?"
"You made quite an impression the first time we met," Chat Noir smiled. "How could I forgot the brave and clever civilian who helped me take down a dangerous akuma? And besides, this cat gets around. He knows everything." With a flirty wink, Chat Noir extended his baton and jumped off into the distance.
"He has a thing for dramatic entrances and exits, doesn't he?" Marinette sighed. She looked back at the mailbox that contained her design. The sides of her mouth upturned slightly. "Thanks, kitty. Who knew that the one who needed you most wasn't Ladybug, but Marinette?"