Marinette gathered her books and tossed them into her bag. It had been hard to find time to read Cinderella between fighting yesterday's akuma and taking care of Chat Noir and Tikki. Miss Bustier had assigned the novel over a week ago, but Marinette had read the entire thing the night before. Life had become so muddled with all her new Ladybug duties. Her lessons were the last thing on her mind, but Marinette knew she had to make them a greater priority.
She was lucky to be able to attend lessons. Her tutor, Miss Bustier, was a friend of Marinette's mother. When she heard that Marinette wasn't able to attend proper schooling, she was appalled. It was normal for children to not be taught anything more than reading, writing, and simple arithmetic. Only the wealthy could afford an investment in education. However, Miss Bustier thought Marinette was too bright a girl to not expand her horizons. She offered to teach Marinette free of charge.
It was an opportunity too good to refuse. Since she had turned ten, Marinette traveled to Miss Bustier's house twice a week for lessons. They were her favorite part of the week. Miss Bustier taught her so many wonderful things like history, science, and literature. Marinette had never been much of a reader until Miss Bustier began to lend her books and introduced her to the library. After that, her world began to change.
Unfortunately, there was one downside to lessons. Marinette wasn't Miss Bustier's only student. When Marinette went to lessons, she was part of a larger class which was why Miss Bustier could afford to teach her for free.
There were many students in Marinette's class, but one in particular stood out: Chloe Bourgeois.
Chloe's father had her attend public classes so she could "get acquainted with the lower classes". As one might assume, this arrangement didn't please Chloe. Everyday when she came to class, she was in a bad mood. The one who usually suffered was her assistant, Sabrina, who was more like a maid than anything. Chloe wasn't afraid to complain or speak her mind which made classes a nightmare.
Marinette had learned, however, that Chloe wasn't all bad. Yesterday when everyone had ganged up on her and Chat Noir, Chloe was the only one that stood up for her. There was a sense of righteousness and justice in her heart. There was also a touch of sadness, something Marinette sympathized with.
"I bet Chloe would lose her mind if she discovered I was Ladybug," Marinette giggled as she packed up the rest of her things. "The two of us get along like cats and dogs. She'd rather die before tell me thank you. If she knew the truth, her reaction would be hilarious!"
"Where are you going?" Chat Noir asked with a pout. He crossed his arms and sat on top of Marinette's trap door, preventing her from leaving. "I thought we were going to do something fun today! You promised to take me to the pond so we could go fishing!" Chat Noir looked like a spoiled child, but he didn't want Marinette to leave. He missed her too much when she was gone.
"We'll do it after I get back from lessons," Marinette smiled, ruffling Chat Noir's hair. "But I can't skip class. I've already neglected my studies enough as is. I can't spend all my time being Ladybug. Can you please move so I can leave? I'm going to be late!" Her lessons started at noon and it was already 11:40.
"Can I come with you then? Please princess! I've never been to school before!" Chat Noir begged, his ears drooping. "I promise I'll be good! I'll stay quiet and listen to whatever you say!"
"He's like a cat begging for food," Marinette rolled her eyes, but his sad expression weakened her resolve. "But I have a hard time saying no especially to that face. Why am I such a pushover?"
"You can come," she sighed in defeat. "But you have to behave! You need to stay in my bag and I'd better not hear a single meow out of you. If anyone catches us, we're going to be in a world of trouble! And you can't come with looking like that, so you'd better transform."
Chat Noir nodded and a green light engulfed him. He returned to his cat form and trotted up to Marinette proudly. She lowered her bag and he hopped inside, letting out a purr to show his thanks. He had devious smirk on his face as well. Marinette knew she had been played. That silly cat had been planning to go with her the entire time.
With Chat Noir in her bag and five more minutes wasted, Marinette bolted downstairs and out the door, hoping she might arrive on time.
A few minutes later, Marinette busted into the classroom with only a minute to spare. She let out a sigh of relief as she headed towards her seat. Chat Noir, who was hiding in Marinette's bag, covered his mouth with his paws. Marinette's quick sprint had caused the bag to rock back and forth so he was feeling queasy. He didn't think Marinette would be very happy if he threw up in her bag.
"Look what the cat dragged in," a shrill voice called from behind Marinette. Chloe Bourgeois, accompanied by her "friend", Sabrina, gave the pigtailed girl a devilish smile. She put her hands on her hips saucily and laughed. "Did you make that dress yourself? I can tell. A monkey could do a better job."
Chat Noir's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar voice. "That's the girl from yesterday!" he recalled. "She doesn't sound so nice anymore. Why is she picking on Marinette? If I was human right now, I'd give her a piece of my mind! How can somebody be so two-faced?"
"Really?" Marinette frowned, standing up. She slammed her hands on the desk and said, "Because I know you definitely couldn't do any better. You and a monkey must have more in common than I thought." She gave Chloe a sly smile and sat back down, proud of her comeback.
Chloe's eyebrows furrowed, but she said nothing. Instead, she huffed away and returned to her seat. Marinette was used to situations like these. Chloe was usually the first strike, but had a hard time keeping up with battle once it began. She was no match for Marinette's quick wit and sarcasm, making her an easy enemy to defeat. Still, fighting with her all the time got on Marinette's nerves.
The blonde always went out of her way to ruin Marinette's day. If they passed each other in the streets, Chloe would make snide comments. In class, she felt the need to criticize Marinette's every move. And Marinette wasn't her only victim either. Chloe picked on everyone from children to adults. She spared no mercy which resulted in lots of people getting hurt. That much was obvious by the akumatized monster she had unknowingly created almost two weeks ago.
"Everyone settle down," Miss Bustier announced as she clapped her hands. Her eyes narrowed down on Chloe specifically. "Let's promptly begin with our discussion of Cinderella. It's a classic fairy tale with a bit of a gruesome edge, but let's focus on the positives for now. I want to hear everyone's thoughts on the ending. How about we start with Miss Bourgeois?"
"Utterly ridiculous," Chloe scoffed, holding the book up as if it were a piece of trash. "There's no way a Prince would ever take in a commoner like Cinderella. It's unrealistic. Besides, how is it possible to fall in love with somebody after one night? They hardly even knew each other. How could they be in love?"
"You bring up a valid point. Love at first sight seems unrealistic to some, yet it's a reality for others. What do you think, Marinette?"
Marinette thought back to her reaction to the ending. Unlike Chloe, she believed in the power of true love. Deep down, she believed that the Prince loved Cinderella with all his heart. He didn't care that she was a commoner and she didn't care that he was a prince. All that mattered was that they had each other.
When reading, Marinette had put herself in place of Cinderella and Prince Adrien in the obvious role of Prince Charming. She dreamed of their happy ending, going so far as to imagine the wedding scene. But when she finished the final page, her sweet fairytale turned to a grim reality. Her dreams were impossible, but at least Cinderella got a happy ending. Marinette learned to be content with that.
"I think it's a wonderful ending," Marinette retorted. "The Prince and Cinderella really love each other and that's something to be valued. It might seem unrealistic, but love works in unexplainable ways. Sometimes it just happens and there's nothing you can do to stop it. You're even willing to take desperate measures to meet your true love like in Prince Charming's case."
"Another excellent point!" Miss Bustier smiled. "I see you both did your reading. It's lovely to have such engaged students. Now onto our next question..."
The conversation took a turn for the dull and boring, losing Marinette's interest. She tried to pay attention, but Miss Bustier was talking about things Marinette had already countless times in her books. The history of literature wasn't the most interesting topic. Her teacher wouldn't be too mad if she took the time to doodle, right?
Marinette pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. She began to sketch the fantasy that had been brewing in her head since she finished Cinderella. She drew a girl in a gorgeous, white gown. Her hair was let down, reaching her shoulders. She was holding hands with a handsome man who had a crown on his head. The man was smiling, delighted to be by the girl's side. To anyone else, it might have looked like a little girl's drawing of a prince and princess, but it wasn't that simple. That princess was Marinette and the prince was Prince Adrien. The entire scene was covered in white roses.
Marinette planned on finishing her masterpiece when Miss Bustier began walking through the aisles. Not wanting to get caught, Marinette shoved the illustration into her bag and pretended to be involved in the discussion. She didn't want to be scolded.
Chat Noir was startled by Marinette's hand as a piece of paper fell in front of his face. "What's this?" he wondered as he examined the image. "Did Marinette make this? I didn't know she was such a daydreamer. This is obviously her dressed up like a princess, but who's this other guy?"
A strange pain burned in the bottom of his stomach as Chat Noir stared down Marinette's "Prince Charming". "I'm sure he's nobody. She probably just doodled a stereotypical prince to satisfy the scenario. But that face... I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before." Chat Noir frowned as he racked his brain, trying to remember. And then it hit him.
"I have seen that boy before! He's the boy from that picture in Marinette's room. I knew his face looked familiar. Why does she keep drawing him? It's clearly not Nino, but she's never mentioned anyone else. Unless he's that boy she wouldn't talk to me about before... wasn't his name Adrien?" The burning sensation began to feel stronger.
"Who is this guy and why won't Marinette talk to me about him? I'm starting to get suspicious. I thought we were partners. Why wouldn't she tell me about this? I don't want to keep anymore secrets and I'd like to give this boy a piece of my mind! He's the reason Marinette keeps getting upset!"
Just seeing Adrien's face made his tail tense. He felt uneasy and upset. With a growl, Chat Noir took his claws and scratched out Prince Charming's face. "It looks much better this way," he thought proudly before he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Wait... I just destroyed Marinette's drawing! Argh! I shouldn't have done that. She's going to be mad when she finds out. I couldn't help it though! I was feeling... jealous."
"Jealous?"
It was the first time Chat Noir had ever felt this new emotion and he didn't like it. His insides felt jumbled and if he was in his human form, he knew his cheeks would be bright red from blushing. Marinette imagined this boy as her Prince Charming, but Chat Noir didn't want to believe Marinette was in love with someone else. He prayed that it couldn't be true because he knew as a cat, he could never compete with her handsome Prince Charming.
"That's all for today," Miss Bustier said, giving her students a friendly wave. "You're all dismissed. Make sure to have the next story finished for next week. Please be safe on your way home."
Chat Noir felt Marinette pick up the bag and was excited to talk to her. Sitting in a bag for an hour had been dreadfully boring. He had been listening to the conversation, but didn't have much interest in fairytales. Anyways, most of his mind had been consumed by jealously and he needed something to shake that away. Marinette could make him feel better anytime.
As Marinette headed towards the door, Chloe and Sabrina shoved their way in front of her. Chloe leaned against the door, keeping it shut. "What's that you've got hiding in your bag?" she snickered, eyeing Marinette's bag. "I saw it so don't try and lie."
"Did she see Chat Noir?" Marinette worried as she bit her lip. "She's not really threatening me then. Miss Bustier would be upset if she found out I snuck a cat into class, but it's not like it would be the end of the world. Does Chloe really think she can intimidate me with just that?"
"It's no big deal," Marinette shrugged, trying to push her way past Chloe. "But I don't see why it's any of your business."
"If it's no big deal then you won't mind me sneaking a peek!"
Chloe suddenly reached into Marinette's bag and fumbled around. Chat Noir was startled by another hand, but this time it wasn't Marinette's. The nails were painted bright yellow and the strong, nauseating of perfume filled the air. Definitely not Marinette.
Chat Noir huddled himself into the corner of the bag to avoid getting touched. The hand grabbed Marinette's illustration and pulled it out before Chat Noir had a chance to stop it. "Not good!" he thought as he watched the drawing get taken away. He tried to grab it with his paws, but he was too slow.
"It looks like Marinette's been playing princess," Chloe laughed as she showed Sabrina the drawing. "And who's her Prince Charming? He must've been ugly. His face has been completely scratched out! Even in her dreams Marinette can't catch a cute guy!"
"Give that back!" Marinette shouted, seizing the picture from Chloe's hands. "I didn't think she was talking about my drawing," she blushed as she held the illustration with shaking hands. "Nobody was supposed to see this. And what did she do to Adrien's face? She scratched it out! That's despicable even for her!"
"Why did you do that? I know you don't like me, but why did you have to destroy my drawing?" Marinette argued. The apparent vandalism on her artwork sent her into a rage. She wasn't going to let someone deface Prince Adrien and get away with it.
"What are you talking about?" Chloe huffed. "It didn't do anything to it."
"Don't try and hide it! I wasn't the one who did this. I thought you were better than that. I thought you cared about Prince Adrien more than anyone else. Why would you ruin his picture like that?" Marinette balled her fists and gave Chloe an angry glare. She wasn't going to let Chloe win this time.
At mention of Prince Adrien's name, Chloe went silent. Marinette and Sabrina noticed her entire aura change. Her voice began to waver as she whispered, "That's none of your business."
"It actually is my business. I'm still upset about his death too, but you didn't have to wipe out his face. You should really think about other people's feelings sometimes!"
"Shut up! I didn't do it! And what's a commoner like you doing drawing Prince Adrien anyways?" Chloe snapped. "Do you honestly think he'd ever give you the time of day? He was a great Prince and you're just the daughter of a stupid baker. You could only watch him from afar while he and I were best friends. How could you ever understand how we felt about each other?"
Chat Noir noticed that the fight was getting particularly intense. He stuck his head out the bag and saw Marinette's dark expression. It was a mixture of sadness and anger. She was gritting her teeth and looked ready to bite Chloe's head off. Chloe's face wasn't much different. The topic was clearly tense for both of them. If someone didn't intervene soon, the situation might get out of hand.
"This is my fault," Chat Noir thought guiltily as he pawed his way out of the bag. "I'm the one who ruined that picture and upset Marinette. I need to do something!"
He jumped onto the floor, startling the three girls. He pushed open the door with his nose and ran into the hall. Marinette watched him run away with wide eyes while Chloe screamed, "Ew! It's a cat! Where'd it come from?" She stomped her feet like a scared baby and jumped onto a nearby chair. She held onto Sabrina for dear life as if a simple house cat was going to harm her.
As Marinette reached for the handle, the doors swung open to reveal a now human Chat Noir. He had his signature smile plastered on and winked at Marinette. "Relax princess," Chat Noir thought as he shut the door. "Your real Prince Charming has come to save the day and sweep you off your feet."
"What is he doing?" Marinette panicked, pulling on her pigtails. "I told him to stay in the bag! Why did he transform?"
"No need to be frightened," Chat Noir bowed as he stood in front of Chloe. "This cat means you no harm. Let me help you down." He offered his hand to Chloe and helped her step down from the chair. The spoiled girl turned her head away, trying to hide her blush. Sabrina watched the entire scene in awe, wondering who this man that managed to silence Chloe Bourgeois could be.
"Chat Noir!" Marinette exclaimed, pretending to be surprised. "What are you doing here? Is there a problem?" Chat Noir sensed a sharp edge in her voice and knew he was going to be in big trouble when they got home.
"I just wanted to check up on Miss Chloe here," he smiled. "I'm sure you read today's paper and heard about that akuma attack. I wanted to make sure she didn't have any cuts or bruises. Not to mention, I wanted the chance to see your fine artwork." He reached over and stole Marinette's drawing from her hands. "It's wonderful! I don't see why you girls need to argue over that."
"Chat, give it back!"
"As if I cared about that girl's art skills," Chloe retorted angrily. "What I'm upset about is Prince Adrien! How dare she draw him and then ruin it like that? The audacity of poor people always shocks me."
Marinette grabbed the illustration from Chat's paws and shoved it in her bag. "So it's somehow my fault now?" she cried. "This is stupid. Why am I even fighting with you about this? I thought maybe you might be the only who understood how I felt considering the relationship you and the Prince had, but I guess I was wrong. You can't sympathize with people, you heartless witch!"
"Can we talk more about this Prince Adrien person?" Chat Noir interjected, putting a hand on both Chloe and Marinette's shoulders. "I've got a few questions like who is he and why, Marinette, are you drawing pictures of the two of you holding hands?" Maybe with Chloe putting Marinette under pressure, Chat might finally get Marinette to tell him about this mysterious boy. He couldn't let this jealously infest him any longer. He couldn't let Marinette be plagued by this strange sadness either.
"That's none of your business!" Marinette grabbed Chat Noir by the ear, yanking his head down. "Why do you keep bringing it up? Get off my back! I told you it was no big deal!"
"It clearly is a big deal!" Chat Noir shouted back, pulling himself away from Marinette. "I don't like seeing you upset whenever someone mentions that guy's name. I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you tell me who he is. And I want to know at least know who my rival is!"
"Your rival?"
"Ignore that! What I'm saying is that I'm not going to let you burden yourself with these heavy emotions. I can be your support if you'd just let me! So why won't you tell me anything?"
Marinette opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "I'm not trying to keep secrets," she thought. "I just don't want to talk about it. It was hard enough to open up to Alya. How could I tell Chat Noir?"
"Chat..."
"How about we wrap up this little quarrel?" Miss Bustier exclaimed, running up to her students. "There's no need to fight. You girls are usually able to work out your differences, but it seems today is getting out of hand. Monsieur... Noir, it's kind of you to stop by and check on Miss Bourgeois, but there's no need to get involved in these girls' private affairs. I'm sure they can handle it without the assistance of a hero like yourself."
"Oh... sorry," Chat Noir apologized. He had forgotten that he was still in the middle of a classroom. All of the students must be confused by his presence and personal argument with Marinette. He hoped his rashness wouldn't get her into more trouble. "I'll be leaving then. I'm glad everyone's doing okay. And it was nice to meet you for the first time... Marinette."
His lie was so awful that he doubted anyone in the room would buy it. Everyone watched him as he slipped out the door, shutting it behind him. In the hall, he transformed back into his cat form and waited patiently outside the door for Marinette, preparing himself for the worst.
"Do you know him?" Miss Bustier asked as Chat Noir fled the room. "That was a rather... odd conversation."
"Nope!" Marinette shook her head vigorously. "I've never met the guy in my life. He's always in the papers though with Ladybug! That sure was nice of him to check on Chloe. Wow! Look at the time. I have to go bake bread... or something. I'll see you in class next week, Miss Bustier."
She ran out the door before anyone could stop her. She spotted Chat Noir waiting for her and quickly picked him up. He struggled a bit, but allowed Marinette put him in her bag. He let out an annoyed meow, but shut his mouth when he saw Marinette's face. In the corner of her eyes were small tears, threatening to fall.
"Now I've really done it," Chat Noir moaned. "I'll send myself out to the dogs. I hurt her more than helped her. God, I'm such an idiot. So much for Prince Charming..."
Marinette left the building and walked in silence until she reached the pond from yesterday. It was a small pond with only a few fish so there was never anybody around. She took her bag off and let Chat Noir walk out. She said nothing to him as she pulled her knees to her chest, staring out at the water.
There was a flash of green light and Chat Noir leaned his body against hers. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, begging for forgiveness. "I didn't mean to make things worse. I just didn't want you to get into a huge fight especially since everything was my fault." He took a deep breath as he confessed. "Chloe didn't destroy your picture. I did it."
Marinette glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why did you do that?"
"I don't know..." Chat Noir sighed. "I got... I got jealous, alright? I'm sick and tired of hearing about this Prince Adrien, but not knowing anything about him. He makes you upset and that's not okay. I'm here to be your partner, your protection. You can trust me. I tried to ignore how jealous I'm feeling, but I can't!"
"You're right," Marinette smiled sadly. "I haven't told you anything. I'm not trying to be vague or mysterious about this. It's just that talking about it is hard for me. The story isn't as simple as telling you about a person. The only person I've ever told is Alya and she found out over a year later. I don't know if I'm ready to open up."
"Marinette..."
"But I won't keep a secret forever. One day, I'll work up the courage to tell you everything. And on that day, I think I'll finally be able to move. The past is just that. I don't want this to hang over me for the rest of my life. So Chat... can you wait until then?"
Chat Noir slowly nodded his head. "For you, I'd wait an eternity," he said, kissing her hand. "I didn't consider your feelings and that was wrong. I won't pry anymore. My jealousy is my own problem."
"Why are you jealous?"
"No reason!"
Chat Noir felt his cheeks heat up. He gave Marinette a wide smile, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles. Small tears formed, but this time, they were from laughter. Marinette wiped one away and said, "You silly cat! No matter how hard I try, I don't think I'll ever be able to understand."
"They say cats are mysterious creatures. I'm quite an enigma."
"What a liar! You're an open book! I don't think you could ever hide a smile."
"Guilty as charged," Chat Noir grinned. He wrapped his arms around Marinette and gave her a hug. "Is everything all better then?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, everything's all better," Marinette sighed. "But you really do have to stop transforming like that. That was the second time you've almost gotten us caught. What would I tell my parents if we got arrested for being akuma fighting magicians?" She playfully punched Chat in the shoulder.
"I'll be more careful," Chat Noir promised.
Marinette stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress. "Good. Now that we've got that settled, we should catch ourselves some dinner. I promised you earlier, right? And I never go back on a promise. Tikki, do you want to come out and fish too?"
Tikki zoomed out of Marinette's pocket with a cheer. "Yep! I'm going to catch the biggest fish out there!"
"You think you can beat a cat at his own game?" Chat Noir said, raising an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try. You're on!" Chat Noir leaned over the water and stared at it intensely, waiting for his prey to arrive. His tail swished back and forth like a lion on the hunt. Tikki sat next to him, doing the same. They were in full-blown competition mode.
"In this neighborhood, I'm known as a fishing champ," Chat Noir gloated. "Every alley cat in the area bows down to me. Watch and learn!"
He watched the water and saw a small ripple in the distance. He licked his fangs and tensed his muscles, ready to bounce. The ripple got a bit larger as something bobbed on top of the water. An unsuspecting fish was coming to the surface.
Chat Noir pounced and leaped into the water, splashing Tikki and Marinette. "Gotcha!" he cried as he stuck his face underwater. He came back up, soaking wet, with a struggling fish in his mouth. It was a large fish too, big enough to feed at least three people. He proudly exited the water and dropped the fish into his lap.
"Told ya! I've had lots of practice!" Chat Noir laughed.
"But now you're a wet mess," Marinette sighed. "If I had known you were going to go swimming I would have brought a towel. Just look at you! You can't dive in like that in your human form!"
"Whoops! Sorry, my lady. I just got a little excited. It's hard to hold this cat back."
"Can you find a way to dry off? I can't get close to you when you're completely soaked."
"Sure thing!" Chat Noir shook his head, letting water shake off.
Marinette held up her hands to block the water. "Now you're getting me wet! Stop it!" She tried to scold him, but her words quickly turned into giggles.
"You don't like getting wet?" Chat Noir asked as he ran back towards the pond. "Then you probably don't like getting splashed!" He jumped into the pond and splashed water onto Marinette's dress. Tikki tried to stifle her laughs as the two teens got into an all out water fight.
"You're going to pay for that!" Marinette smiled as she ran into the pond after Chat Noir. She splashed him with water and created a giant wave, knocking him down. All the nearby fish swam away, scared by strangers playing around in their pond.
The water hit Chat Noir directly in the face. With a howl of laughter, he lunged at Marinette and grabbed her, hoisting her high into the air onto her shoulders. "You can't escape now!" he smiled, holding her tight. He fell backwards, knocking them both into the water. Marinette let out a playful scream as she became submerged.
She came back to the surface and pushed back her wet hair. For a moment, Chat Noir stopped, in awe with how beautiful the water made her look. The small droplets of water reflected the light of the sun against her skin. With her hair slicked back, he saw her entire face for the first time. He could make out all the tiny freckles that dotted her nose. The bright blueness of her eyes matched with the calm blue of the pond, making her seem like a true lady of the lake.
"She's stunning..." Chat Noir thought, his heart rate increasing. He prepared a pick-up line when he was hit with another spray of water.
"That's what happens when you're too slow!" Marinette grinned. "Now look at the both of us. We're going to go home wet to the bone. You'd better catch another fish to make this all worth it. I'm going to get out and dry off in the sun." She waded out of the water and laid down in the grass. Playing around in the water had exhausted her. Chat Noir, on the other hand, was still filled with energy.
She watched him play around in the pond like a happy child. He was spinning in circles, creating mini tidal waves with his paws. "He's so cute," she thought as she watched Chat take another dive with Tikki. "He can really turn my mood around. I'm grateful to have him by my side. I don't know what I'd do without him. I really need that silly cat."