Stuck In A Bakery (With You), Chapter 37
"Spots on."
In a white flash, Marinette transformed to Ladybug... possibly for the first time ever while sitting quietly on the edge of her bathtub.
Tikki said that nothing was wrong... so I'm hoping that this isn't an Akuma, she thought. I really don't need the hassle of trying to disappear and reappear right now, especially with Adrien in the house. If he comes looking for me and I've simply vanished... what COULD I tell him?
No point in worrying about that yet. Let's see what Chat has to say in his message...
She flipped open her communicator, pushed the button, and listened intently.
"Hey, Bugaboo," the voice of Chat Noir began. "Don't be alarmed; this isn't an emergency. At least I hope that it isn't... that's what I'm checking on now. Things have been quiet on the Akuma front lately, and that's about the one normal thing that's been happening in Paris... everywhere, really."
"I got to thinking about us today. And I know that we try to keep our personal lives separate; I don't want to probe too hard, and if I ask something that you don't want to answer, or if I say too much, push back, okay? You're not usually shy about that," laughed Chat. "I don't know who's under that red mask. But I do know that she's the best partner I could ask for... and a wonderful, incredible girl, no matter what her name may be. And, well... I just wanted to let that girl know that I'm all right, I'm doing fine, and to see if there was anything she needed that I could help with."
"Okay. So... how to say this without giving away too much?" asked Chat. "I've told you about how I've had problems with my family from time to time, right? Well... they're not as much of a problem right now. I'm staying with someone else at the moment. Obviously, I can't say who. But I'm in a safe place, and I'm getting... um... I'm getting to see what a real family feels like. It feels absolutely wonderful. I don't know how else to describe it."
That sounds amazing for him, Ladybug thought. That's something that he's needed... something that I've wanted for him for such a long time.
"And my father is actually being vaguely humane these days. He's dealing with some quarantine issues, which is one reason why I'm not there now, and with some other things that I can't get into at the moment. But he and everyone else at our house are healthy so far, and everyone where I'm staying, too. My father and I are communicating better than we had been in a long time. Sad, isn't it? All we had to do was be apart for a while," he chuckled. "I'm not going to go too unrealistic and say that this is some kind of new beginning... but you know how it is. I'll take any good omens that I can get in that department."
There was a pause, and for a moment Ladybug thought that his message was over.
"Ladybug... there is something else you ought to know. And it's not easy for me to say... because I'm not entirely sure how you're going to take it."
Chat's voice was subdued for him, and it made Ladybug nervous hearing that tone from him. "Don't get me wrong, okay? You might think this is awesome. You might even be relieved about it, I'm just saying..."
What could he be talking about? she wondered...
"...I've fallen for a girl."
At that moment, Ladybug was glad that she couldn't see her own reflection in the bathroom mirror from where she was sitting... because she wasn't sure that she wanted to know what face she made in response.
"There's this girl... I know her in my normal life. I've known her for a long time now. I wasn't expecting this. But I've had some time on my hands during all of this, and we've talked a lot and gotten a lot closer, and... well... I think that I have a girlfriend now. I don't want to say much more - we're still - you might know her, so - okay, now I'm babbling," Chat ventured. "Look... I'm not saying it to make you uncomfortable, or, like... like you owe me anything that way. I just felt like, after all the time I've spent chasing after you, and the problems that it's caused between us sometimes..."
"... I just felt like you ought to know. We can talk about it when we see each other, whenever that is. Wherever you are, you're probably sighing in relief."
Ladybug paused the message.
Did I just hear...
She rewound and replayed it up to that point just to make sure that she'd heard it correctly. The second time through sounded just like the first.
I am...
I do have a few mixed emotions about this... if I admit that to myself, down deep. Chat drives me nuts sometimes, but his flirtations are also a little bit flattering. I had planned on talking with him and letting him down easy one more time, and explaining that I kind-of-sort-of have a boyfriend now. Part of me wonders if this'll change how he acts around me...
...but I think that I'm happy for him more than anything else, she smiled. Yeah! This is good for both of us. Now he can move on from hearing "no" from me... and he does so deserve to be happy and loved.
"You might know her," he said. I wonder who this girl could be?
Intrigued, she hit PLAY once more...
"So, look... I'm rambling on like a goof. I'm sorry. I just... I miss you, okay? And I'm sure that things are all right with you and your family, but I don't know that and so I'm a little worried about you. And I don't have any other way to know that you're okay than calling you like this," said Chat.
Awwww, thought Ladybug. He is such a sweetheart.
"So, that's where I'm at. I hope that you get this soon... sometimes my Kwami is a little slack on passing on messages. I hope that yours isn't. When you get this... can you just ping me back and let me know how you're doing? If you need anything? If you just need an ear to bend or a friend to talk to? Even if you're doing fine, and I hope that you are."
Ladybug took a couple of minutes to process Chat's message, and to consider what to send him in return.
Things sound like they've taken a good turn for him, she mused. I know that he's told me a little of what his home life is like... what little he can tell me without giving himself away. It's sounded like it's almost as bad as what Adrien puts up with sometimes, so if that's easing up on him... I really hope that that continues.
Now, let's see...
She hit the SEND button on her communicator and started talking.
"Hey, partner. I got your message. It was really nice of you to think of me that way," Ladybug began. "I'm doing fine so far, and my family is, too. Everyone here seems healthy, and although it kind of sucks being stuck at home and not seeing my friends... I don't know, it's not a vacation, but it's also nice having nowhere other than home that I need to be for a while."
"There's nothing that I can think of that we need. My father's been doing basic grocery runs when they're needed. Our family business is... how can I say this... still in daily contact with the outside world, but we're masked, we're doing contactless everything whenever we can, we're taking every precaution that we can. So far, so good. Most people are smart about this and protecting themselves as well as others. People who know they're sick haven't been visiting us. 95% of the people coming in have been masked, and we sure are."
"If there's anything that you need, you let me know what I can do and where I can put it. I'm trying not to go out more than I have to... so far, I've really only been out of the house once during this lockdown," said Ladybug. "But with our mobility, we can go places and do things that ordinary people can't. I... I'll be honest, I feel like I should be doing more about this, but I'm not entirely sure what I could do. I can't exactly punch a virus in the mouth, you know? And there's a part of me that says 'just stay home, that's doing your part right there. And stay healthy in case Hawkmoth does something, one of these days.'"
"But I am willing to go out if it'll do some good," she smiled. "So if you are in need, don't be shy, let me know. Somehow I think that if we end up meeting halfway up the Eiffel Tower, that counts as social distancing. And if we just want to sit tight and wait it out unless we're needed, that's fine by me, too."
"As for your other news... the part about your father sounds good to me. I know that you've hinted at a lot of problems in that area, so if things are easing up for you... that's great! Chat... you are a great guy, and a wonderful person. You deserve people around you who support you and know that about you. I hope you know that I'll always be one of them."
Ladybug took a deep breath.
"And as for your big news..."
"Chat Noir... you know very well that I love you. Just not... love-love you in the way that you'd hoped I would. But I have always wanted the best for you. I have always wanted you to be happy. I have always wanted a girl to look into your eyes and give you all the shivers with how she feels about you. I just knew that, for a bunch of reasons, it shouldn't be me."
Ladybug declared, "So I am very happy that you've got someone like that in your personal life now. That's great! I want you to have with her what you thought you wanted to have with me. And more! A regular person who knows you as a regular person... that has so many more possibilities with you than a masked partner, where we can't ever tell each other who we really are."
"I do hope that it works out, and that you're genuinely happy together. When we meet up again, you can tell me whatever you feel like you're able to say about her. If you do think that I know her, be cautious, of course, but if you need advice... I'll be here for you. In fact..."
After a slight pause, Ladybug continued, "I've kind of got similar news! The boy that I've had my heart set on all along... well, things have been going great between us lately, too! So... if that means that both of our love lives make sense for once... that's a first, isn't it?" She added with a laugh, "Maybe we can compare notes. Maybe we can't. We'll see when the time comes."
"Tell Plagg that I said 'hi,'" she concluded. "Stay well, stay safe... and be happy. I'll talk to you again sometime soon."
Ladybug reflected on what she'd just heard and said for a moment, with a silent smile... then added, softly, "Spots off."
Tikki fluttered back to Marinette's side as she transformed back. "That was very sweet of you," said Tikki. "I liked how you handled that."
"Thank you," smiled Marinette. "It was no big thing. It was nice of him to think of me and check on me; I should have thought of that first."
"Oh, someone had to be first. I wouldn't worry too much about that," Tikki reassured her. "What's important is that you're both okay and happy, and now you both know it."
"I hope so. I felt a little funny about saying some of that. About our feelings," Marinette noted. "I mean, if he's got someone else now, and I've got someone else, that's perfect! We can just be great friends and great partners and leave it at that," she smiled. "But I can almost still hear my own words echoing in my ears..."
Tikki's smile turned to immediate worry as she watched Marinette's face freeze and her head tilt slightly. "What is it?" she asked.
"Did you just... Tikki, I could have sworn that I did just hear... my own voice?" murmured Marinette, listening intently. "Saying 'love-love you,' from a distance."
"I, um... no! No, I didn't hear anything. Anything at all," replied Tikki, as loudly as she could without being obvious. Adrien is listening to your message RIGHT NOW downstairs, she panicked. And apparently, voices carry a little too well in certain rooms...
"Are you sure?" wondered Marinette. "Is my mind just playing tricks on me?" She focused on the room, trying to shush Tikki. "Because I still think that I can hear... very faintly..."
"Marinette! Adrien!" called Sabine, loudly enough to be heard all the way up the stairs. "Supper's ready!"
"Maybe that was it," offered Tikki, eagerly.
"...Maybe. If you say so," replied Marinette, still not entirely sure. She headed out of the bathroom and towards the stairs, while behind her, Tikki exhaled a sincere sigh of relief.