Hello dear miraculous friends. I'm back as promised for the May 13 prompt. Tomorrow it will be my story again. I wish you a good reading. Miraculous kisses

PROMPT N°13: FLOWER SHOP written by Etoile-Lead-Sama

LILAC, LILY AND VIOLET

It was Chat Noir's solo patrol day. For once, his schedule had been released quite early and, by this late sunny afternoon, he'd taken the opportunity to make a first tour of Paris.

The feline liked to patrol at night when all cats are grey in the dark. He enjoyed being invisible in the eyes of the world but he also liked to patrol in the middle of the day and see people live. He found it fascinating to watch the Parisian population evolve in their daily train so different from his own.

He sometimes found himself spending long minutes watching children play in the park, while their parents talked to each other, or sometimes had fun watching people running to try to catch their subway. He, who was still running in his civilian life, was finally taking the time to watch others' lives pass by.

Chat Noir therefore enjoyed the warm rays of the late-day sun, after helping a child recover a ball that was stuck on a roof, when he heard a scream, followed immediately by a deafening noise of clashes.

He rushed in this direction and, as he approached the scene of the accident, heard a whole tirade of swearing that made him smile. He then found an aged woman in the alley behind the flowers shop, collecting wooden crates and plastic pots that had fallen to the ground.

The feline hurried to give her a hand. He gathered the pots into one pile, then the few crates remaining into another, in record time.

"Thank you, young man," said the old woman, whom the feline recognized as Margot, the florist.

She raised her head, and when she discovered the hero of Paris in front of her, she widened her eyes.

"Chat Noir! You shouldn't be disturbed by this old branch," she exclaimed. "You've more important things to do than that."

The cat boy smiled at her and shook his head.

"I'm always happy to help, Madam," he said sincerely. "What a hero and a gentleman would I have been If I had left you like that?"

The florist had a soft smile.

"You really have a big heart, Chat Noir. Paris is lucky to have you as its protector. But call me Margot. Everyone calls me Margot."

The cat gently blushed under the compliment and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm only doing my duty, Madam" he whispered, more for himself than for his interlocutor.

But even though she was old, she still had excellent hearing.

"Nonsense!" she said, rolling her eyes. "You're more modest than you might say, young man. And I asked you to call me Margot: I'm old enough, so please… don't make it worse, young man."

She then opened the door from the back of the store and signaled him to follow her. Since he'd nothing else to do at that moment, the feline agreed to follow her lead.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The flower shop was small but warm. It was an explosion of marvelous colors and smells that seemed to be coming from another world. A soft melody played in the background and calmed souls as well as all the flowers in the shop.

Chat Noir loved this place which, although it was much smaller than his room, looked like what really was escape and freedom. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Everything crumbled around him as the smells of the different flowers filled his nose, made more sensitive thanks to his Miraculous. It was one of the things he loved about being Chat Noir.

He first smelled the perfume of rose, which reminded him of the smell of the product used by the housemaid in his toilet, then he also smelled the stronger note of lavender or, even, the lighter aroma of the eyelet. He went to the store, so that he could see all the different smells that populated the place when he was attracted to a particular association that made him slightly frowned.

He knew this slightly sweet note of lily, associated with the freshness of the lilac and the discretion of this other flower... the violet? That perfume was familiar and sweet, and it gave him a feeling of warmth in his chest, a sense of happiness. But yet it seemed incomplete. Something was missing.

"Would you have time to have tea with the old woman I am, Chat Noir?" Asked Margot.

The cat turned to her and smiled.

"I can take a break from my super hero assignments for you, Margot," he replied with a charming wink.

The florist gently laughed and returned to the back store. She came back a few seconds later with two smoky cups of tea and a plate containing croissants.

"I'm sorry, Chat Noir, the croissants are a bit stiff, but that's all I have left," she apologized.

But the feline was already not listening to what she told him: he stared at the croissants without seeing these, as a result of revelation.

It was Marinette's perfume. The lilac, lily and violet, combined with the smell of hot croissants, was HER perfume. He was sure of it. The flower shop reminded him of Marinette. Since when did he analyze so perfectly each of the fragrances that made her smell so sweet?

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Chat Noir took the floral composition in his hands that led him to think of Marinette, as if it could answer the questions that tormented him. Was it normal for him to recognize his friend's perfume just like that? No. He didn't know Chloé's, or even Alya's.

Marinette was special. He'd to admit it: she was more than just a friend. He'd have to stop lying to himself. This thing with the flowers clearly showed that he'd feelings for her, beyond the simple friendship.

"Do you like this composition, Chat Noir?" Asked Margot.

The felin turned again to her, the cheeks slightly pink by the revelation he'd just had.

"It's very beautiful," he replied softly. "It reminds me of…"

He shut his mouth. He could no longer say that Marinette was just a friend. What was she for him then?

"Your love?" specified the florist, with the soft smile of the one who holds a secret.

Chat Noir didn't respond, so Margot added.

"Flowers never lie, Chat Noir, and this bouquet alone is telling a lot: do you know this is the one I suggest for a love statement?"

He looked at her with eyes as big as saucers that made Margot chuckle.

"Of course, roses are always the first flowers we thought of, but they're not the only ones to express love. The rose is direct and clear in its meaning but it sometimes lacks subtlety. Love is a complex feeling, it deserves to be expressed according to the heart of the lovers and according to the situations."

She looked at the composition with a small smile.

"I have never known anyone for whom this bouquet was so suitable, Chat Noir. I could almost say it was made for you."

The feline was going to protest when he thought again of Marinette, the secret of his identity and the revelation he'd just had a few minutes before. Maybe Margot was right after all...

The old florist then detailed the meaning of each of the flowers in the composition.

The lily is a flower that signifies purity and chaste love. It's often used in marriages. The lilac is the symbol of emerging love. It's the perfect flower to declare your love and finally, "I love you in secret" is the message carried by the violet.

Chat Noir must have recognized that Margot was right: It represented them perfectly, him and Marinette...

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Dinner was approaching and the feline wanted to leave the florist. Nevertheless, she kept him for a few moments to offer him the floral composition. The feline opened his eyes with surprise.

"I have nothing to pay you when I'm transformed," he protested.

The old woman shook her head while smiling. 'It's a gift, Chat Noir. A modest gift for what you did for me and for what you do for Paris."

The feline shook his head and slowly rubbed his neck.

"I'm not looking for a reward to defeat Hawkmoth…" he began to explain.

"Nonsense again!" She cut him by putting the floral composition in his arms and pushing him towards the door.

Margot then opened the door, pushed Chat Noir out and returned to her shop. "I leave you no choice but to accept, my boy. Go and give it to the girl you love."

Then she closed the door leaving Chat Noir stuck there, stunned.

"The girl I love... he whispered," dreamily, looking at the bouquet.

He closed his eyes and again inspired the delicate scent of flowers. He then took a decision: he was going to give Marinette the flowers. She deserved these, she was so...

It was at this point that a ladybug passed under his nose, landing on a violet. "I love you in secret". The feline swallowed and his heart tightened. Ladybug. He'd promised his heart to Ladybug and he'd fallen in love with Marinette.

A whole bunch of questions swirled around his head, forcing him to close his eyes again and breathe deeply to regain control of his thoughts.

Ladybug. The violet. "I love you in secret." Marinette. The lilac. "Emerging love" The scent of hot croissants and lilies. "Purity and chaste love" The special smell of Ladybug... or the smell of Marinette? Chat Noir didn't know anymore. Everything was mixed in his confused mind and suddenly his thoughts froze. His mind became clear. So clear...

Ladybug and Marinette had the same smell. It was impossible. Thanks to his sharp feline senses, he knew that two people couldn't have the same smell. There was always a variation, even subtle, in the fragrance emanating from the people he met. Marinette and Ladybug had no difference in their perfume. He was absolutely certain. It was impossible! Unless...

Unless Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same person.

Chat Noir turned and returned the information in his head but the conclusion was invariably the same: Marinette was Ladybug and Ladybug was Marinette. How did he not make the connection earlier thanks to their perfume? And why today, in particular, did he finally understand? Was it because he'd finally admitted that he loved Marinette? Was it because Margot's shop had something magical? Was it because he was finally ready to understand?

Anyway, he was a real idiot! An idiot blinded by the obvious. He burst out laughing cheerfully in the middle of the street, just happy to have finally opened his eyes.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Marinette opened the back door of her parents' shop and looked down the street, from right to left, but didn't see anybody. She was about to close the door when her eyes fell on a floral composition made of lily, lilac and violet. She picked up the bouquet and closed her eyes slowly to breathe in the sweet scent. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that a small card had been planted among the flowers. She took it and read it.

"For the most beautiful and delicious pastry in the bakery."

There was no signature, just a little green cat paw drawn underneath the note.

A gentle smile stretched her lips. "Silly kitty," she breathed tenderly on her way home.

End

May 14 : Moonlite dance by Etoile-Lead-Sama.

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