MiraculElse #34: Blessed Are the Bridge-Builders

by DFC

(Timeline: Post-Season 4.)


The patrol was an uneventful one, which disappointed both of them to some extent.

It's not that rampant villainy or people getting hurt or twisted by magic were good things, of course. But when you're a young superhero and you're in a funk, sometimes you get to beat on something vile and work out some of your frustrations through action, and still feel like you're being productive and helpful.

On this night, though, their thoughts were their only other companions... and if any punches were being thrown. they were all aimed inward.


"I guess that's that," Ladybug declared as they returned to their starting point. "No Akumas, no monsters, same as last time."

"Yeah," Chat agreed. "I can't say that I wanted another one like last week... the sticky one with the tentacles..."

"Ugh," she shuddered, remembering the experience. "Four showers. After transforming back at home."

"So," said Chat, letting a thought dangle.

"...So."

"Do you want to... hang out, or anything?" he offered, tentatively.

"And do what, exactly?" asked Ladybug. Her facial expression wasn't unfriendly, but it wasn't all that inviting, either.

"I don't know, um... go and get an ice cream, or a coffee or something?" Chat suggested. "Or you can see how far you can throw me. Or we could just sit and talk for a while. Anything."

"Well... I don't have anywhere that I desperately need to be for a while," she mumbled. "I guess."

"It doesn't have to be a whole... thing. This isn't a date, at all. I promise."

"Then what is it?"

Ladybug studied Chat for a moment. "I'm not against hanging out. You know that. But we don't... do this very often any more," she noted.

"And I miss that. And I feel like we could both use it, especially lately. You and me against the world, right?" he replied, without much of his typical humor in his voice. "Now more than ever."

"Hmmph."

"I want to be here for you, Ladybug. To listen. To let you unburden yourself, when you need to. And I..."

"You could use someone to listen to you, too. Is that what this is about?"

She studied him. His eyes were bright, as always... but he seemed weary, and not all of it physical.

"Oh, come here," she exclaimed. "Something's on your mind, and if I can help you with it... I want to."

Sitting down at an outdoor table for a restaurant that was closed, she beckoned to Chat to sit across from her, which he did.

"Okay... what's going on, Chat?" asked Ladybug. "I didn't do something that's bothering you, did I?"

"No... this isn't about you," Chat assured her. "I have this... friend."


"A... friend?" asked Ladybug. "Anyone that I might know?"

Because I know who your closest friend is as Chat Noir... and she's sitting right across from you right now. You don't mean...

"I really shouldn't say, should I?" he evaded. "Because we're not supposed to share our private lives with each other; you've made that clear. But this is someone in my private life who's worrying me, whom I just can't figure out."

"Fair enough. You know the drill, of course; no names, and go easy on the details that might tell me who they are." Ladybug allowed herself a bit of relaxation; this wasn't him picking her brain over what had come out in some balcony conversation. "How do you know them?"

"Her. She's a her," Chat began. "I see her almost every day. She's a... she's a good friend of mine, though we've had our ups and downs." His voice hesitated slightly on the phrase "good friend," which Ladybug noted without comment.

"Sounds like a normal relationship to me," she said. "I have plenty of friends at school whom I'd never give up, but they can also drive me up a wall sometimes."

"Yeah. I know that feeling."

"So she's someone that you care about. A friend. What's bothering you about her?"

"Okay. How do I even begin to describe her?" Chat sighed, gesticulating wildly. "She is... she's not just a classmate and a friend, she's a force of nature in ballet flats. She's an amazing person. Warm, caring, so creative. She's funny, often without even trying to be. Our whole class depends on her in one way or another."

"Uh-huh..."

"She has a sense of justice, a passion for it that I've only ever seen you exceed," emphasized Chat. "If someone's suffering, she takes it upon herself to try and fix it, every time. It's her instinct. She'll suffer so that someone else won't have to. There was one time that I told her how she reminds me of-"

"Careful," she stopped him. "Don't overshare personal details, if you can avoid it."

"Yeah," Chat conceded. "Anyway... she's... she's the kind of person that I want to be."

"Wow," Ladybug smiled. "No small praise. Okay, so she's wonderful, but that's not what's bothering you about her. What is?"

"Let me put it this way."

Chat took a breath.


"The first thing is... that she's been a great friend to me, but we've had our misunderstandings, too. I'm not the best in the world at being a social person..."

"You do just fine, Chat. We're all awkward sometimes. Without the mask, I'm really, really good at being awkward, trust me."

"I find that hard to believe... but, whatever," smiled Chat. "She's a good friend. A great friend. We've been through all kinds of crazy times together, we've helped each other through lots of things. But I'd... I'd love to be a closer friend to her, to be as important to her as she is to me. And I don't know how to do that."

"Does she want that?" asked Ladybug. "Has she reached out in your direction?"

"Sometimes?" he mumbled. "I feel like she does. Maybe she just recognizes how fragile I can be sometimes, and she wants to help me with that."

"Or she sees how sweet you are... and she wants to bring you out of your shell."

Ladybug got a grin from his reaction. "Don't look at me like that," she teased him. "I don't know your real name, but I know you. Being Chat Noir lets you express a lot of things about yourself that you've kept bottled up... or that someone's made you hide away. Or that you haven't dared to show the world yet."

"You think I'm overcompensating as Chat?" he frowned.

"I didn't say that. There is nothing wrong with you, Chat! And you know how much I mean that," she soothed him. "It's just that... I don't know the everyday you, right? And we all have different sides of ourselves that come out in different ways. Do you think I'm just like Ladybug when I'm... myself?"

"I've never imagined you any other way," Chat said, without hesitation. "Sure, you have a private life, just like anyone else. I can imagine what it's like juggling that and this," he noted, gesturing to their costumes, "how hard it can be sometimes. But an... everyday Ladybug is still you. I've never gotten the sense that you're a different person as your normal self, that you're putting on a show as Ladybug."

"I'm not saying that you're putting on a show!" exclaimed Ladybug. "I'm not. I'm saying that... what am I saying?"

Chat paused, waiting for her to continue.

"Sometimes things are easier to do, to say, when you're not your normal self. When you're in a different role, when you can do so many different things. Like, picture Officer Roger, the cop. You know what he's like on the job. Do you think that he's the same way when he's at home with his daughter?"

"I would hope not."

"That's what it's like for me. I don't think I'm a different person as Ladybug, and I don't think you're a different person as Chat. But I can do so much more like this. I can help people in so many ways... so I dare to do things where my normal self might hesitate. And I think you do, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Like when you... confessed your feelings to me, in costume," Ladybug continued, cautiously. "This girl that means so much to you. Have you told her that as yourself? That you want to be a bigger part of her life, that you need her, that you feel that way about her?"

Chat thought about that, then shrugged. "In my own way... kind of?" he ventured. "It's complicated."

"Because if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're in love with this girl," she dared to suggest. "And if you are, she ought to know that."

She watched as that sank in, his face betraying a handful of emotions battling each other... and she wondered if she truly did know better.


"Okay, okay, let's come back to what you really wanted to talk about," Ladybug suggested, hoping to break Chat out of his current train of thought. "So your girl's amazing; good for her! I'm actually happy if you're falling for someone who isn't me this time. But you see her every day, like you said. You have lots of opportunities to break the ice. What's stressing you out so much that you need to talk with me now?"

"In a word... she's troubled. Majorly."

"Go on."

"It's not... it's not something dangerous, I don't think. Like, nobody's abusing her or threatening her, as far as I can tell, right? ...It's a recent thing, these last couple of weeks. She's putting on a brave face at school, and when I see her coming and going... but something's truly bothering her, deep down. It's obvious to me; I know her well enough to tell the difference in her."

"What is it?" asked Ladybug.

"I don't know. She's playing it close to the vest, so to speak. She always does; she's the first to help and the last to ask for help herself."

"All right... so she's tormented by something but she's not sharing it. Maybe she feels like she needs to keep it to herself for... reasons. I can, um... I can kind of relate to that, myself."

"You can?"

"Sure. This whole thing with Hawkmoth and the stolen Miraculous, for example. I feel like I'm ghosting my friends while I work this out... because who can I talk to about that? Almost nobody. You, of course. Rena, I guess; even without her Miraculous, she's still a friend of mine, and she's the only person who knows my secret. And I don't want to turn this into a discussion of that again."

"I don't, either. I... get that a confidant can be a good thing. Other than you, I don't really have one... which is why I'm bending your ear now about this other girl."

"All right. So she's not sharing her problem with you, but you want her to. So, why don't you-"

"It's deeper than that."

Chat's voice became earnest, and it sent a little shiver through her, for whatever reason.

"Ladybug... this girl... she gets me. Like no one other than you does. Maybe more than you do; she sees sides of me, everyday sides, that for the most part you don't get to see," he declared. "If I'm falling, she's there to catch me. If I'm troubled, she's consoling me. If something's wrong, she wants to fix it. And that's... that's driving me nuts that I'm watching her fall apart right in front of my eyes. I want to return the favor, I want her to be comfortable enough with me to hint that she wants me to reach out, to help her fix whatever this is, or at least help her feel less pain from it."

"She's the only one who's there for me like that. I have other friends, of course, and they're good to me, but with this girl, there's some kind of... connection. She's the only one who understands me that way, and I've told her that," Chat continued. "But there's an awkwardness, too. A disconnect. Something that I can't place that pushes us apart when we get too close, and I don't understand what that is."

"Have you... let me ask this carefully. Have you pushed for something with more with her, like you've done with me?" asked Ladybug.

"Not in the same way. I've wondered aloud if she thinks of me that way, even a little, and she's told me twice that she doesn't," Chat answered. "And that's... okay," he said, in a tone that told Ladybug how much of a lie that was. "And I've honored that, and not been pushy with her. Whether you believe me or not, I am capable of that."

"I believe you. Honest," she smiled.

"So, then. You have someone that's... very important to you... and you need to get through to them that you care deeply for them, you can see that they're hurting, and you want to break through what's been separating the two of you," he summarized. "How would you go about bridging that kind of gap?"

Ladybug thought hard about that... and about a certain blond young man, about whom she'd felt many of the same emotions and anxieties.

"Chat... you're asking the wrong girl," she shuddered.


"Come on! Be serious," complained Chat.

"I am serious," Ladybug retorted. "My personal life is a mess right now. That girl you're talking about, how torn up she seems inside... I get that, completely, because since Hawkmoth and Flairmidable ran the table on me, I've spent about five minutes not thinking about the mess we're in now and how to even begin to fix it."

"And I'm here to help, and to listen. Just like you're doing for me now," he parried.

"I know you are, and I'm grateful for that. Like I said earlier... we're all each other have for Miraculous stuff. I keep dreading Su-Han dropping in on me again and reading me the riot act before I have some kind of plan ready."

"If he does, you call me and I'll come running."

"...And how do I do that and not tell you where my house is, which is where he would be?" she deadpanned. "He has a habit of just appearing out of nowhere."

"Fair enough..."

"And even before that, you're talking about bridging a gap, talking about your true feelings, making someone realize that you're in love with them. I hate to tell you this... I really, really do, because I don't want you to think this means I'm available... but that boy that I've been chasing all this time?" Ladybug sighed. "I've been trying to do all of that with him all year long and I keep screwing it up. Two steps forward, and then I fall backwards two steps and make an ass of myself."

"I'm sorry about that," said Chat. "I've been there. You know I've been there. I wouldn't wish it on you."

"Chat... you have a huge heart. Sometimes, I wish I could feel for you what you feel for me. It might make things so much easier," she breathed. "But there are so many reasons why I can't do that. So maybe you can do what I c-can't."

"What is that?"

"Tell her."


"Let me get this straight. Ladybug is telling me to follow my heart and tell a girl that I'm falling for her."

"Chat... don't make me come over there," Ladybug glared, feigning offense. "I'm not saying to sweep her off her feet with roses and skywriting and a midnight serenade. I'd wager that you've thought about putting at least two of those in your romantic arsenal."

"No... comment," Chat countered. "So, what then?"

"I'm saying, don't go full-frontal-romantic-attack unless you're sure that romance is what she wants... and what you want," she counseled. "Maybe it is. I don't know this girl, I haven't seen the two of you interact. You seemed to think that she's not interested in dating you, that she'd said so."

"She did. And she absolutely hates liars. I believe what she said to me, even though it was in kind of an awkward moment both times."

That made Ladybug pause for a moment... but she shook it off.

"Then... um... I'd make two suggestions," she continued. "One is that what I'm about to say is not an invitation towards me! But... if she's said that before, she's not locked into that for life. She's allowed to change her mind, to get to know you better and decide that maybe she is interested that way. It's not a sure thing... but it's not impossible."

"You think so?"

"Sure. The better that you've gotten to know each other, the closer you've felt, right? But you feel like there's still plenty of room for that to grow."

Chat nodded.

"So go slow. Let it grow. Don't go from good friends to a marriage proposal all at once. Like, daisies, not roses, you know? Tell her what she means to you, how what she's done for you and with you makes you feel, that she's way past just an ordinary friend in your eyes, and let her make her own decisions from there," Ladybug said. "I know that... if I meant that much to someone, and they told me so... I don't know if I'd call it love, that would depend on so many other things, but I'd never look at them quite the same way again."

She added, "Like how I've never looked at you quite the same, Chat... even if I'm not ready or able to give you everything that you'd want from me. How you feel still touches me, deep down."

That got a smile out of him.

"And the other suggestion is... if she's hurting and it's that obvious to you, don't wait too long," she continued. "Maybe your friendship can save her some grief after all."

"I'd like that very much."

Chat mused over that, briefly. "How about this," he proposed. "I'll do something about it very soon if you'll do something for me."

"What's that?"

"That boy that has your heart? Be brave with him for me. Same deal. You don't have to go full love confession if you're not there yet... but give him a bigger hint about how you feel, at least. That he's that special to you."

"M-maybe not tomorrow or the next day, okay?" Ladybug blinked. "I kind of... need to think about if we're in the right place for that now. If I am. I couldn't get that right when I was in a decent headspace, and I'm all knotted up inside..."

"Is it ever a bad day to know that someone adores you?" asked Chat. "In the right kind of way?"

"I... I suppose it isn't," she smiled. "Like the way that we do."

The two stood up and met in a warm, comforting hug.

"I hope that helped set your mind at ease," Ladybug whispered. "I think it did me some good, too."

"It did," agreed Chat. "I have some thinking and maybe a little planning to do... but I'm way ahead of where I was at. Good friends give the best advice."

"They do, don't they?" she grinned back.


Nnnnngh.

Two days later, Marinette found herself sleepwalking through another day at school, as had become her usual routine.

It's not too hard to fake like nothing's wrong with me, she mused as she trod through the hallways. All I have to do is to remember what it was like the last time that I got a decent night's sleep, when I felt like socializing... when I felt like myself at all... and then just put on a phony smile and act like THAT.

Simple, right? It's been working for me so far. Sort of.

Small talk in the hallways with Alya, dodging certain topics and breezing over anything of actual import. Participating just enough in class so as not to get called on and be caught with her thoughts drifting. A little lunchroom chatter with the girls. Pretending not to notice Alya's knowing stares, or Juleka's thoughtful questions, or Rose's sad eyes in her direction, or catching Alix's sightline at all because she knew that Alix wouldn't hesitate to ask the question on all of their minds.

"What's wrong with you lately, Marinette?"

And I can't tell them 'Oh, nothing' forever... but I can't tell them the whole truth, either. Alya, I could, I guess... but I need to figure out some things before I involve her with the Miraculous world again.

Glancing around the classroom, Marinette felt her heart sink a bit. I gave a Miraculous to nearly every person in this room, she realized. Putting them all in danger. Now Hawkmoth can probably figure out who every single one of them was... and when one of them gets targeted by him again, what can I say to that?

As class was dismissed, she noticed Adrien looking her way... something that would thrill her under many circumstances. As would the fact that he smiled at her, reached up, and slipped a small folded note to her before disappearing out the door.

"Whoa!" Alya noted, watching Marinette's confused expression. "What's that all about?"

Marinette scanned the note.

"He wants to know if I can meet him at lunchtime, out by the tree in the back courtyard. Something that he'd like to talk to me about," she muttered.

"Hmmph. I would've expected a little more excitement out of you for that," said Alya. "Somewhere between unaided flight and a panic attack."

"It's probably just a school thing... or maybe he wants to know if Papa made something in particular at the bakery today," Marinette answered.

"Oh. Sure... Because he asks you all the time about pastry."

Marinette glanced back at her with weary eyes.

"I'm not getting my hopes up, okay?" she sighed. "If it's anything interesting, I'll tell you about it later."


In reality, Marinette was a bit more curious than she'd let on as she stepped into the courtyard... and the sight of Adrien waiting for her did produce a little spark inside her.

"H-hi," she greeted him as she got close. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"I did. I hope that I didn't pull you out of anything important, or rush you through eating your lunch," he wavered.

"No, I'm fine. Actually, I'm kind of glad to... well, not that I wanted to get away from my friends, but... anyway, I'm here," she managed. "What's on your mind?"

"Honestly? It's what's been on your mind that I was hoping we could talk about," Adrien ventured. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I mean. But if you'd sit with me for a few minutes...?"

Feeling her anxiety kick in a bit, Marinette sat down next to Adrien, nevertheless.

"All right," she replied. "Is something wrong?"

"I hope not, but..." he said. "You remember our talk from two weeks ago, right? During the dodgeball game. You told me that you understood what I've been going through lately, and I told you that you're the only one who does."

"I remember," Marinette said, softly. "I think my hand's still kind of warm from where you held it."

"Well, today I think that it's my turn."

Adrien's gentle eyes were impossible for Marinette to look away from.

"For a while now, something's been troubling you... something serious, from the way that you've been acting. You can deny it, and if you do, I'll try and believe you... but I'm sure about this," he stated. "Your sparkle's been missing."

"My... sparkle?" asked Marinette, raising an eyebrow. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Marinette," he continued, undaunted. "That day in the gym... that wasn't the only time that you've been such a comfort to me. Not by a long shot! There are so many days where I'm feeling down and I see you, I hear your voice, I catch a glimpse of that special light in your eyes, that spirit, and I just know... This girl is on my side. I'm not alone in the world."

"A-Adrien?" she stammered.

"I want... I want to be that person for you, Marinette. I really do. If... if you need a person like that."

Marinette found herself speechless. "You... you do?" she squeaked out, eventually.

"I'm kind of... I'm trying to say a whole bunch of things at once here. But, yeah, I need... I want to be there and help you get through whatever's tearing you up inside. Any way I can."

Her willpower ran away like flowing water.

"If I were to tell you," she whispered, "I don't... Adrien, I don't want to scare you by saying this. But your life might literally never be the same. I'm serious. I know that you mean well... of course you mean well, I'd never expect anything but that from you..."

"I'll take that risk."

She felt a strange urge to run...

"Look," he apologized, seeing her emotions sway back and forth. "We don't have to talk about what's going on with you, okay? Or not here and now. When and if you're ready. We can meet like this, or somewhere else, or over the phone... or not at all. I just needed you to know... that if you ever do need someone..."

"You are beyond sweet," Marinette told him. "And if I ever do need someone... you are the kind of person I'd like to reach out to."

"I hope you will," said Adrien, visibly gathering his willpower. "I was talking with a good friend the other day, and she made me realize something important. That no matter how much joy someone brings to my life... sometimes they might not realize that unless I tell them."

"Wh-what?"

She watched as Adrien reached behind him and produced a small bouquet of flowers - daisies, not roses, her brain shrieked, just like you told Chat Noir!

Am I hallucinating right now?

Chat Noir was talking about m-m-ME?

And now ADRIEN is... doing what I told Chat to do... for the girl he's fallen for?

"Marinette... you are someone that I think about every day," he smiled, melting what small resistance remained in her. "You brighten up my life without even trying... and when you do try, you're... I, um... I've never known anyone quite like you. I'm so happy that I do know you. And while I know that you don't see me romantically... you don't have to. You're very important to me just the way you are. And if that helps get you through whatever a rainy day may bring... that'll make me happy."

Her legs went weak, as her mind connected the dots and she heard the sincerity in Adrien's voice... as did her self-control.

"T-talking with a good f-friend, you say," Marinette breathed. "Someone close to you?"

"Someone else who's important to me, yes," he admitted. "But she's not who I'm thinking about right now. You are, Marinette. I'm sorry if this makes you feel uncomfortable, or if you think I'm overstepping my boundaries with you, or if I'm-"

She made a gesture that stopped him short. Her eyes closed tightly; at first, he couldn't tell whether she was overwhelmed, or furious, or about to cry.

After several seconds, he whispered, "...Marinette?"

"I can't believe it," she muttered to herself. "It's... it's... it can't be true. But it is."

"What is?"

Her eyes reopened.

"Adrien," she said, very softly, "I was talking with a good friend of mine the other day. He needed my help with how to talk to a dear friend of his. And he reminded me of something important, too."

"He, um... wait, what?" he gasped.

"That when I'm face-to-face with the boy I've been dreaming of for a long time now... a boy that I adore, a boy that I'm in l-love with... that I need to be brave. That's what he asked me to do the next time I'm with the one I'll never want to be without... to be brave."

The pieces came together for Adrien, as well... and their eyes spoke volumes to each other.

I know.

I know that you know.

I know that you know that I know.

And now...

"Are you being brave right now?" breathed Adrien, hope soaring in his voice. "The way that he encouraged you to be?"

"It's you and me against the world," she replied, dispelling his final doubts. "That's how the two of us were always meant to be."


From the rear door of the cafeteria, the girls watched as Marinette lunged into Adrien's arms, the two holding each other tightly, the bouquet of daisies falling to the ground beside them.

"Huh. Looks like Marinette just got her groove back," Alix grinned.

"She had a groove?" wondered Rose.

"I think she just got a lot more than that," smiled Alya. "About time, too."