Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, Ranboo, or any of the characters
Note: Hey everybody. This has nothing to do with the story, and I know it's totally gonna sound commercial... but I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you. I was hoping to increase interest in my twitch account. I'll be honest. I'm hoping that if I succeed on twitch, I'll be able to spend more time at home, writing. I know it sounds kinda silly to advertise here, but fanfiction has kept my love of writing alive even when I didn't have faith in my own work. I don't know, I guess I was thinking that I could just tell y'all that I was doing this. See what happens, you know. And if nothing else, you could always come on stream and nag me about finishing your favorite stories, heh. But any little bit help. Thanks in advanced, QueenA1icorn
Chapter 52,
As promised, Marinette's mysterious dance partner bought her a glass of punch and they stepped into the hall so they could talk peacefully.
"So tell me about your fashion show." Ranboo said and Marinette rose an eyebrow at him.
"You don't know about it?" She asked with a playful smirk on her face. But the boy shrugged.
"Maybe I do know a little. However, that doesn't change the fact that... I'd like to hear you talk about something you're passionate about." Ranboo said and Marinette blinked. What a sweet little answer. She smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear.
"I like to think it's going well. Honestly I'm trying to just enjoy it and not go crazy, but it's difficult." Marinette started. They walked around a corner and it made the dance seem miles away.
"I don't want to let anybody down. The kids, Mr. Agreste, my friends, not to mention Adrien's surprise. This dance has so much riding on it, it's almost set up to fail. And I know I shouldn't think like that. Deep down, I know it'll all turn out fine." Marinette said. Ranboo nodded and looked at her a little.
"I think it's sweet that you care for everyone so much." Ranboo said.
"Thanks." She said softly, and there was a slight pause.
"It's probably exhausting though." He said and she looked at him.
"Excuse me?" She asked and he shrugged again.
"Well, it sounds exhausting being the one person everyone depends on. I mean, yeah it's great that you're so dependable and trustworthy, but at the same time, having so many people rely on you causes a heavy load of stress. It's hard to walk away from that." Ranboo said and Marinette breathed in and let it out slowly.
"It is stressful. But how can I turn down someone who really needs me?" Marinette said and Ranboo paused.
"Marinette, can I tell you something?" Ranboo asked.
"Of course." She said, tiredly.
"Thank you." He said and she stopped walking.
"Excuse me?" She asked and he shrugged.
"I know it kinda sounds dumb, but... you do all this work for other people, and... it's quite easy for people to forget to appreciate you... even forget to say thank you on occasion. But you're an amazing person... and I just wanted to thank you... I mean... just... thank you." Ranboo said and Marinette blushed and tucked some hair behind her ear.
"I appreciate that." Marinette said and they started walking again.
"So why don't you tell me something you're excited about?" Ranboo asked and Marinette smiled.
"Well, I am excited to see some of my friends dancing and all that." Marinette said and Ranboo chuckled.
"How about something more personal?" Ranboo asked and Marinette paused.
"Well... I've been so focused on the dance and the fashion show... I guess I haven't thought that far." Marinette said and Ranboo chuckled.
"How about this. We all know you want to be a fashion designer... what else would you like for the future?" Ranboo asked. Marinette stopped and gazed out the window.
"You know. I was kinda thinking... I guess not really of the future, but, uh... I was thinking that it might be really nice to live by the ocean." Marinette said with a small smile.
"Really?" Ranboo asked and Marinette nodded.
"Can you just imagine it? Waking up to that salty air, going out looking for shells, taking midnight strolls on the beach, perhaps a fire-pit in front of the house to grill fish, or even roast marshmallows for s'mores. It's be a nice retreat from the high demanding stress that comes from fashion week, or just producing a new line in general." Marinette said and Ranboo looked out the window with her.
"That sounds really peaceful." He commented.
"There are lots of beaches all over the world, but you wanna know what would be really, really cool?" Marinette asked.
"Having a roof with one of those optional transparent ceilings so you can sleep under the stars?" Ranboo suggested Marinette blinked and looked at him.
"What?" She asked.
"A friend showed it to me. I don't remember what it was called, but it wasn't a retractable part of the ceiling- you know leaving a hole open for you to get rained on. Instead it had a cleaning, which looked like a normal ceiling, but then you... I don't know clicked a button, and suddenly a portion of the roof was transparent. It must be some new type of technology, because it looked super cool." Ranboo said and Marinette giggled.
"Then it's probably super expensive. Though it would be nice to sleep under the stars sometime." Marinette said and Ranboo shrugged.
"Ok. Then what were you gonna say?" He asked.
"I was gonna say that I think it would be cool if the backyard was actually part of a forest." Marinette said and Ranboo got confused.
"Ok, I know it's not impossible for a forest to come alongside a beach. But it just sounds outlandish." Ranboo marveled and Marinette rolled her eyes.
"Well, maybe it it. I would love to have the forest as my backyard. I'd walk it everyday looking for whatever inspires me, and I could design for hours." Marinette said happily.
"Tranquil. You know what I would do if I had a house like that?" Ranboo said.
"What's that?" Marinette asked, unsure if she actually wanted the answer or not.
"First of all, I'd be a fisherman. Maybe even diving for fish so it's even more sustainable. Then maybe I could have a little stall right there on the beach and sell that grilled fish from the fire-pit. Fresh food cooked over fire is kinda magical. If I caught clams I could even save the shells." Ranboo said.
"What would go in the forest and build a path for you. It would take a lot of shells, and I'd probably have to layer it a few times ot keep it from breaking, but it'd look prettier and hopefully be more environmentally sound, using clam shells people would otherwise throw away." Ranboo said and Marinette tucked some hair behind her ear.
"Well, that does sound nice." Marinette admitted and Ranboo shrugged.
"You can use it, if you'd like." Ranboo said and Marinette looked at him.
"I kinda like your little restaurant idea. Do you like to cook?" Marinette asked and Ranboo paused.
"I know how to make something, but honestly I don't get to cook as often as I would like to." Ranboo admitted and she giggled.
"Cooking is kinda in my blood. My parents are always inventing new stuff in their bakery and my uncle is a famous chef. Now we probably won't be famous at our little fish stall. Heck, we will probably ruin a few fish before we'd be ready to serve the public, but it would be worth a try." Marinette said and Ranboo rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, I'd love to try with you." Ranboo said sweetly and Marinette blushed.
"What else would you cook over the fire?" Marinette asked.
"Well fruit is always a big option, apple, pineapple, bananas. If we are in a tropical area, we could get starfruit, or jack fruit, or passion fruit, dragon's eye, heck, maybe even cacao. That might be weird grilled, but it could be good." Ranboo said.
"Yeah. And if we can grill fruit, then maybe we could make some healthy smoothies, or drinks. People get thirsty swimming in the ocean all day." Marinette suggested and Ranboo laughed.
"You sure have a point there." He said and Marinetee smiled.
"Hard to imagine leaving Paris though." Marinette admitted.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't see it as leaving. Maybe you could just see it as a vacation." Ranboo suggested. Marinette reached up and gently carressed her earring.
"It's hard to take a vacation when so many people depend on you." Marinette said softly, and Ranboo took a deep breath.
"Life is complex roller coaster. And when you live a long time, you get to live many lives; Daughter of a baker, world renowned fashion designer, perhaps mother or even grandmother, queen of grilled fish on the beach. You're life isn't just gonna be everyone relying on you for every little thing. One day you're gonna be able to relav and have people take care of you for a change. If nothing else, you deserve a break every now and then." Ranboo said and Marinette stared at him a moment.
"Well... it would be nice to have an occasional break." Marinette said, half-sarcastically and half-honestly.
"Heh. Well, do you wanna go back to the dance. We've been out here for a while." Ranboo suggested and Marinette shrugged.
"Maybe in a minute. I kinda like the quiet." Marinette said.
"Yeah. Me too." Ranboo agreed. They gazed out the window together, content with the silence of each other's company.