Chapter 6
Toi et moi
Si nous pouvions nous voir
Au-delà du miroir
Bas les masques pour un soir
Brisons de part en part
ce mur qui nous sépare
"So, Master, who's your OTP?" Alba asked Master Fu as he drank from his cup of tea. It was late in the afternoon and I decided to pay the old man a visit to the coffee shop where he was working now. It was a small and cozy little place, with wooden chairs which of course were empty now, since all the other costumers had left. The whole place was decorated in a vintage rustic way, with wooden tables, wooden high chairs, and a wooden bar. There was even a bossa-nova song playing in the background, and it was starting to rain outside. If it wasn't because I was with Master Fu, this would have been a very romantic atmosphere. I was seating on a high chair in front of the bar, and Master Fu was also seating on a high chair but on the other side of the bar.
"My what?" He asked not knowing what an OTP was
"OTP, you know, your one true pairing," I said matter-of-factly drinking from my hot cocoa, but he looked at me blinking still not understanding what I meant. "The one couple you ship the most?"
"Ah! I know that one!" He exclaimed. "I ship me and Marianne!" He said with a satisfied smile
"That's not how it works Master," I giggled. "You can't ship yourself! I mean from the love square; do you even ship the love square?"
"Of course I ship the love square! I created the love square!"
"Okay then, are you team Adrinette, LadyNoir, Ladrien or MariChat?" He thought about it for a second.
"Multispik!" He exclaimed.
"No, don't go there! That's the same as Adrinette!"
"It is not, because Marinette does not know that Adrien knows that she's Multimouse, and Adrien does not know that Marinette knows that he is Aspik."
"True," I granted him. "but still, they don't count 'cause they're probably never gonna use those miraculouses again! Choose from the original love square, or even... I mean... I guess you could also choose Lukanette and Adrigami." Master Fu made a face of disgust.
"If they wish to, they can be with other people for a while, I don't mind, but if there's something I'm sure of, it's that those relationships are not gonna last, because Adrien and Marinette are soulmates, they were made for each other, and thus they're always gonna find their way back together."
"So... then you ship Adrinette?"
"I ship the love square, my dear." He said taking a sip from his tea.
"Okay well, which team do you think is gonna break the love square and turn them into a couple?"
"LadyNoir," He answered without thinking it twice. "Or perhaps even MariChat."
"So, no Ladrien or Adrinette?"
"I ship those as well. However, they're not going to break the love square."
"What do you mean? Why not?"
"You see, Ladrien has too many expectations, illusions, and fantasies. Even though they are both wearing their strong suits there, However, in a way, they're both wearing masks because it is not the entirety of who they are. If they were to be together they're going to be disappointed quickly, because if they start off thinking that the other is perfect... Well, a relationship can not survive that way, they need to know and love the weaker and flawed sides of each other before they make any decision, only then can they truly draw force from their love."
"Okay... so, what about Adrinette?"
"Oh, that's just not going to happen, Marinette is incapable of standing up to show her feelings for Adrien and he only sees her as a friend. Plus, Marinette needs to chill, as you young ones say. Her crush on Adrien is becoming too much of an obsession for my liking."
"You'd be surprised Master, she says she's already over Adrien." He took a sip of his tea before setting his cup on the table.
"I admit I am not surprised, for when you start on the top of the mountain you can only go downhill." He said looking at his tea again.
"Okay so, no Ladrien and no Adrinette, that leaves us with MariChat and LadyNoir."
"LadyNoir. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose LadyNoir."
"Okay, now I want to hear your reasoning."
"You see, even after they finish school or if Adrien and Marinette just stop talking to each other, they are always going to be tied together by the sense of duty of their alter egos, they are always going to find their way back to each other. Plus, as opposed to Marinette's crush on Adrien, I believe Chat actually loves Ladybug, as he has proved it many times by sacrificing himself for her good. Sure, he still needs to mature a lot, but I believe he's on the right track."
"Hm," I said grabbing my chin between my fingers. "Well, I think MariChat is gonna break it, mainly because of what you said, they're the imperfect and humanly flawed part of the other, plus at first they weren't fond of each other and now they're friends! So, if you start from the bottom of a mountain you can only go up!"
"Good reasoning, however, MariChat depends on Chat going after Marinette or at least going to visit her, they would never see each other if he suddenly stopped."
"True, but they're such great friends! and Marinette is already falling for him."
"Although I do respect your opinion, I am going to stay with LadyNoir."
"Wanna bet?"
"A guardian should never engage in such kind of activities, especially not at the expense of the holders he or she chose." He said setting his cup of tea aside.
"Hm," I said having drunk a sip of my hot cocoa, "Come on! It's just for fun! 10 Euros to MariChat."
"10 €? You don't seem to have a lot of faith on your ship! I bet you 20 € on LadyNoir!"
"Well well well, master, for a guardian that isn't allowed to gamble you sure know how to bargain! Alright then 20 €, but only after they reveal their identities."
"Agreed!" They competitively shook hands just before a customer entered the store and Master had to go to tend to him.
A few days passed, and Marinette was sitting on her desk apparently thinking about something. "I've decided Tikki, I'm gonna tell him!" Marinette said standing up confidently to get ready for the day get dressed for the day.
"You're gonna tell Adrien you're in love with him?" Tikki asked hopefully clasping her hands together.
"What? No! Remember! We've established that Adrien belongs to Kagami!" Marinette said frustrated at the red kwami for bringing up her late crush.
"I don't think Adrien belongs to anyone, Marinette. He's a person! People don't belong to other people." Marinette thought about it for a moment.
"Well, still! Kagami is my friend, and she likes Adrien a lot, and he likes her too, so no, I'm not talking about Adrien."
"Then... you don't mean..."
"I'm telling Chat Noir who I am."
"What?! No, Marinette, you can't do that! Your identity must remain a secret!"
"It will, I trust Chat Noir, he'll understand, besides, I think it is more dangerous to have him come to my place every other day! What if Hawk Moth sees him! If we knew our identities we wouldn't have to hide anymore, we could hang out like normal friends!"
"Friends?" Tikki looked at her quizzically.
"Yes, friends! Remember he has a crush on Ladybug!"
"You are Ladybug! If you tell him who you are it means he'll have a crush on you!" Marinette looked shocked for a second. "Don't tell me you didn't think about that." Marinette shook her head.
"I was so worried thinking about how distressed he seemed the other day... and how easy life would be if he knew that I totally forgot that he actually has a crush on me."
"I thought you liked him."
"I do! But to think I could be so close to knowing who he is... It's giving me the chills." Tikki shook her head looking down.
"Listen Marinette, whatever you do you have to be extra sure about it and be ready to face the consequences."
"I'm thinking with my head Tikki, that's what heroes do!"
"Yes, but be careful, sometimes the heart likes to disguise itself as the head."
Meanwhile in Adrien's bedroom.
"Life would be so easy if I knew who she was, Plagg" Adrien sighed stumbling back to his bed.
"I suppose you're talking about Ladybug," Plagg answered while he ate a big chunk of cheese.
"No, I'm talking about Mayura, of course I'm talking about Ladybug!"
"Although," Plagg said licking his fingers. "Life would be easier if we knew who Mayura is." He said not really thinking about her.
"No, I mean yeah, but what I'm saying is, what if I tell Ladybug who I am?"
"What?! Why?! She'll never let you do it, she's too 'responsible' and 'focus on the job' type of chick."
"Well, I just won't ask her, I'll just tell her, It's my identity, I can do whatever I want with it!"
"Yeah, well, the least you could do is try to protect it!"
"Since when do you care?"
"Look, kid, this is a huge step, plus there's no guarantee that she'll tell you who she is!"
"At least she'll know who I am, that's all that matters." Plagg sighed in defeat.
"Ugh! Fine, but whatever you do, don't come to me crying later."
During class that day, both Adrien's and Marinette's thoughts were all over the place thinking about ideas and places and scenery and weddings and possible outcomes of what would be their big reveal. Of course, none of them knew what the other one was planning, but I did.
I knew, and it was driving me crazy! I wanted to make it stop, I wanted not to be able to listen to their thoughts, but I couldn't, Mishell didn't teach me that part.
Their thoughts were beautiful, yes! And I was excited for them, I want them to be together even if it meant losing 20 €, but all this mental ramble was so intense that I was starting to lose control of my own thoughts.
"Are you feeling alright Ms. Thomas?" Professor LeBeau asked with a worried and gentle expression as he walked next to where I was seating, apparently, I had been seating with my hands on my ears, and I was also shaking.
"Ye... Yeah, I mean, now... I... can I use the restroom?" I said still shaking, he looked at me with the same worried expression which then softened to a sad smile.
"Of course, do you need someone to go with you?"
"I'm fine, thank you." I smiled at him slightly and slid out of my seat without looking back.
I reached the restroom and checked to see if there was anyone around. It was deserted.
I splashed my face with cold water and looked at my pale face in the mirror. But suddenly, A bluish-white light appeared in it, and I turned around to see a woman coming out from it. She had red spiky hair and several earrings in her ears. She was wearing a mask and a spandex suit, blue and white, with pockets on her abdomen.
"Alba!" She gasped, and I stepped back in terror.
"Who are you? And how do you know my name?"
"Ugh, I forgot, you don't know me yet, My name is Bunix, and I come from..."
"The future! Alix?"
"My, my, for a person so young, it's impressive that you're even able to use your powers without transforming!" She smiled. "You're right by the way, Sirena!"
"No, but, why are you here? And, be careful what you think about, I still don't know how to not read other people's thoughts. And honestly I don't want to spoil the future."
"Easy peasy, just look at me through the mirror, if you don't look at me directly you won't see my thoughts." I nodded and obeyed, turning my back on her and facing her through the mirror. "I came to warn you, something is about to happen today that could alter the course of history if you don't do something about it."
"Me? Why me? Is... is about Hawk Moth?" I said looking at her urgent expression.
"Worse, It's about Ladybug and Chat Noir!" She clenched her fists and looked at me through the glass.
"Oh, you mean them trying to reveal their identities?"
"Oh, so, you know already?"
"Of course, that's all they've been thinking about the whole day! Thanks to them I now have a headache."
"Well, you gotta stop it!"
"Why? What's wrong with that? They're in love with each other! Don't they deserve a drop of happiness in their messy lives?"
"Yes! Yes they do, they deserve all the happiness in the world, but... For everything there's a season, remember?" She smiled sadly at me, as if remembering something, but the mirror was doing its job and I couldn't see what she was thinking about.
"So you're saying it's not time for them to be together yet?"
"That'll be correct."
"But they will be together, won't they?"
"Well, they are soulmates."
"Okay, but I don't get it, why do I have to stop it from happening?"
"Because if you don't the world is going to end, literally!"
"You're saying the world is going to end because two teenagers fell in love?"
"You don't understand, they're invaluable, they're the holders of the most powerful miraculous, if the timing is wrong it could lead to chaos! And right now, the timing is wrong, very wrong!" I looked at her with tired eyes, there was so much information in my brain today, I started to feel dizzy. "This love they share, it can be the greatest strength of their most powerful weakness, but for either of them time is of the essential..." Before Bunix could finish talking, the door of the bathroom flung open.
Alix looked at us with big eyes and mouth wide open, she shook her head after a moment and said.
"Professor LeBeau send me because you were taking too long...?"
"Oh yes!" Bunix exclaimed. "I remember this! And if I remember correctly then you're about to..." Before she could finish talking, I couldn't hold the spinning of my head any longer, so I ran to the nearest toilet and emptied my stomach in it. "Throw up." She finished with a face of disgust. Still, Alix came to me and held my hair while massaging circles in my back.
"There, there. What are you doing here, old me?" She addressed her older self.
"My job, making sure the time and space continuum remain intact! And because I can remember all of this, it means I made the right decision by coming here! I know you'll do what it takes, Alba. I better go now, my message was delivered, I'll come to you if anything goes wrong, if you don't hear from me again, then it means everything is alright." As soon as she said that, I felt the light of her portal opening and she was no longer in the bathroom with us.
"What was that all about?" Alix asked sitting on the bathroom floor while I grabbed a piece of paper to clean my mouth.
"Can you keep a secret?" She nodded.
"You're not pregnant, are you?"
"Ha! Heavens no! but I've been a little lightheaded. With a ton of thoughts in my head." I looked at my anklet and then I looked at Alix. "Have you seen the future you before?"
"I think this is like the second time, yeah!"
"So, you know you become a miraculous holder in the future, right?"
"That's pretty obvious now, isn't it?" She shrugged.
"Well, if you're gonna be the holder of the rabbit miraculous, and the kwami of time, you'll have to deal with a lot of information you won't be able to share, so you might as well be getting some practice."
"What do you mean, and how do you know so much about my miraculous."
"Because," I said weakly. "I'm a miraculous holder as well... fish miraculous, holder of the kwami of the mind."
"You what now?!"
"Listen, whatever I tell you, you must keep it a secret. Remember old you said you have to become as cool as her to get your miraculous? Well, this is the first step, get ready, 'cause there are a few more to go. Consider it a practice run."
That evening, when the sun was setting and the world was busy with people getting home to get to their loved ones, two teenagers had made up their minds, they wanted to be together, they wanted to be honest, to finally be able to be themselves, to be free, to see each other behind their masks.
But neither knew what the other was planning, they were ready for each other, or so they thought.
Chat Noir was waiting for his Lady under the bridge of the Seine River, he had planned and rehearsed his speech, how he longed to see her and tell her, to free himself from the burden that his secret had become.
He was sitting by the edge of the river when he heard the noise of steps coming his way.
"My Lady," he stood up to kiss her hand, and she didn't try to stop him this time.
"Did I make you wait for long?" She looking away from him and into the river, taking a seat on the edge.
"I would wait a lifetime for you, my Lady," He answered her with a fluttering grin, why were his palms sweating? More to prevent his legs from trembling than for anything else, Chat took a sit next to Ladybug.
Ladybug was shifting uncomfortably on her seat, looking at her reflection on the flowing waters of the river.
"Listen Chat..." "My Lady, I..." They spoke at the same time, so in sync they were.
"Let me go first, I..." She took a deep breath not daring to look at him in the eye. "I have to tell you something I should have told you a while ago."
"Wow, bugaboo, is everything alright? Don't tell me... are you married?!" He gasped and she giggled.
"No..." Her expression turned serious again. "But what I have to tell you... It's best if we go to a more... private place."
"Ladybug, you're scaring me, are you sure everything is okay?"
"I promise, let's... let's just go somewhere safer."
Chat stood up first and offered her a hand to stand up, and surprisingly, she took it! By the time she stood up, she was able to look straight into his green cat like eyes. She looked intently at them as if she was seeing a rare jewel for the first time, she wanted to get lost in them, she wanted to see them forever, but for some reason, she was eager to see them without the deformation that the mask caused.
Chat stared into her starry blue eyes as well, wondering where he had seen those beautiful blue eyes before. But he knew himself well, and he knew that if he didn't do something quick, he would do something he would regret. So, he cleared his throat and said,
"Are the sewers safe enough for you?" She bit her lips for a slip second thinking of his offer, and for some reason, this gesture made something in Chat's stomach jump, it was a funny feeling, but it was pleasant.
"That works," Her voice sounded gruff for a second, so she cleared her throat and repeated herself. "That works, let's go." She noticed that they were still holding hands, so she carefully let go of him and started heading to the sewers, feeling clumsy and dizzy.
They got to a metro station from where they kept pacing until they found their way to a place where only the janitors entered, but there were none by this time of the day.
"I think we're safe here," Chat said looking around. Ladybug was looking in the other direction, away from Chat when she started talking.
"Chaton, you've always been a great friend to me, and even if I don't know a lot about you, I've decided that... I trust... I trust you, with my life, and I thought... Why not trust you with my other life as well?"
"Wait, what are you saying?" He walked closer to where she was standing, but she wasn't looking at him yet.
"What I'm saying is... Tikki!"
"Nononono, hold up, wait up!" He took her by her shoulder and turned her around to make him look at him in the eye. She stopped talking to look at him in the eye, suddenly breathless, while he was breathing faster than he probably ever had.
"There's no way you're telling me before I tell you." He said almost as a whisper meant only for her ears. She looked at him with big eyes, finding that she didn't know what to say. "Together?" He asked.
"Together." She nodded.
"Tikki, Spots off!" "Plagg, Claws in!" They said in unison and as the transformations fell, a thrill of emotions filled them, and they found that they couldn't open their eyes.
"Did you see yet?" He asked
"Did you?"
"I feel like I shouldn't,"
"You can chaton, I want you to know!"
"At the count of three then, 1..."
"2..." she continued.
"3!" They said in unison and opened their eyes to see the most wonderful surprise they've ever seen.
"Marinette?" Adrien said, his words sounding like a smile. "Mari, is it really you?"
"Adrien? But it can't be... you..."
"Marinette!" He held her by her waist and spun her around. "Heavens, it is you! You don't know how terrible I've felt!"
"A...Adrien" She said giggling nervously, separating from his grip "But... you and... and Kagami! You like Kagami!"
"What? No! Kagami is just a friend," He said as if she had offended him even. "I've never looked at a girl the way I look at you my Lady, well, only Marinette, but it's the same you! You are you! My Lady, you've made me the happiest man alive this day!" She held her up and spun her around again this time not letting go of her, and she didn't push away this time either. She placed her hand on his cheek, forgetting that her feet weren't touching the floor anymore. She caressed his cheek with one hand and then with the other, noticing that without the mask, Chat's eyes looked more appealing, she never wanted to get away from them, but she found herself unable to hold his gaze for longer, since she found something more appealing when she looked a few inches down, she caressed his lips with her thumb before leaning just a bit in, he imitated her motion and locked their lips in a kiss. It seemed as if time had stopped, and suddenly a tear fell from Adrien's eye, and when they broke the shy kiss, he looked back at her.
"Is it really you?" He asked. She nodded smiling broadly.
"I promise it's me, kitty" He spun a third time and she giggled loudly, and right after he set her down putting his hands on her shoulders.
"And this is not a dream or... Or a crazy mind trick or a sentimonster or... or...?" She shook her head smiling ear to ear.
"I'm real! we're real!" He cupped her face between his hands and kissed her in the forehead and then on her cheek and then quickly on the lips again.
"Prove it, I'm not sure if I believe it! This is just too good to be true! Transform back!" She rolled her eyes but transformed back into Ladybug.
"Do you believe me now?" She said with a wide smile.
"Okay but, can you give me another kiss, then maybe I'll believe it," She pretended to be thinking for a second.
"Only if you can catch me!" She started running leaving Adrien awestruck, but he snapped out of it quickly, transformed and started running after her. She managed to get out of the metro and jump to the nearest building. They started running aimlessly around the city for what seemed like hours, stopping every so often for sightseeing, since it was night now, and the dim lights of the city made it all more romantical.
"So you've always had a crush on me?" He asked while they were still running.
"Yeah, but I gave up recently when I thought you were in love with Kagami!" She said without stopping. "Hey, you know what? You used to vent about your crush on me with me!"
"Gosh, that's embarrassing!"
"Not more embarrassing than knowing that you saw your pictures in my bedroom!"
"Ha! That's embarrassing! JK my Lady, I just thought you were a fan!"
"I bit more than a fan..." She said hiding behind a chimney.
"And wait, how come I saw you and Ladybug together once?"
"You mean Multimouse? Well, that was an illusion."
"Very smart princess, I must admit, but not smart enough to hide from me." He stopped by the chimney where she was hiding and came slowly to try to scare her. "Found ya!" He exclaimed and she was a bit startled.
"Or..." She came closer to him and crossed her arms around his neck, looking at him flirtatiously. "Maybe I wanted you to find me." She leaned in as he put his hands around her waist pulling her closer into the kiss.
"Get a room, you guys!" A voice came from behind them making them jump, ending the kiss.
"Sirena!" Ladybug said flustered.
"Well, this is new, when did this happen?" Sirena said looking at them from the floor/roof where she was seated with her legs crossed and her face on her hands.
"How long have you been there?" Chat Noir asked
"Since before you got here, some of us have work to do!" She said without leaving her previous position. "Now sit, tell me everything that happened!"
"I thought you read minds!"
"Ah kitty, you should know already, sometimes I want you to tell me." They looked at each other and sat in front of me with big broad smiles. They started narrating this night, one that they should never forget. They talked of how they revealed their identities, and how much they thanked me for making them wait for the right time, Chat Noir told Ladybug of how much I helped him once when he was troubled by his thoughts of Marinette as more than a friend.
"This is so beautiful you guys! It reminds me of a song!" I said regretfully.
"For real, will you sing it for us?" Ladybug asked excitedly.
"Well, it's more of a... chant" At the mention of the trigger word my powers activated and I saw how their eyes came out of focus as they fell into my enchantment, and as a tear slid through my eyes I started to sing.
"A night you've had
You won't regret,
But I'm afraid you must forget.
Like a dream, it felt,
A dream it must remain,
Because your time has not come yet.
Let the glamour fall
Back into their minds
So that to your beds you can go back!
You'll come back."
You and I!
If we could see each other
beyond the mirror,
not the masks for one night!
Let's break through
this wall between us!