Halfway to the bakery a thought occurred to Chat that stopped him dead in his tracks. What if Master Fu made him give back his miraculous, or made Marinette give up hers? Surely, he wouldn't resort to something that drastic, would he? And what if Marinette expected him to reveal his identity now? Suddenly he realized how foolish he'd been. He'd spent the whole day daydreaming about how wonderful things would be and hadn't spared a passing thought about all the ways things could go terribly wrong. He was starting to panic.
After a few long moments and several deep breaths Chat Noir continued his journey to Marinette's balcony. Marinette sat on the lounge chair, loosely wrapped in a blanket protecting from the chill of early spring, sketching away intently. In his eyes, she was stunning. He landed softly beside her, trying not to startle her.
"Hello, Chat" she said quietly, before looking up at him.
"Hi," he replied nervously, "What're you working on?"
"Just a few dress designs for my friend, Alya. You've met her before, she runs the LadyBlog," Marinette explained, not quite meeting his eyes.
"Yeah, I remember. Umm…is it for something special?" he asked awkwardly.
"No…well, I'm not sure actually. Honestly, I'm just trying to get ahead a bit. Her birthday is coming soon and there's a big dance at school at the end of the year. I usually do all the girl's outfits for things like that," she explained.
"Wow, that's really impressive Marinette" he said a bit awed.
"Thanks…umm, would you like to come in? It's still a bit chilly out, and I brought cookies up, if you like…and we can talk" she asked as she fidgeted with her pencil.
"Sure, that sounds good"
Once they'd climbed inside Marinette offered him a plate of macrons and some hot chocolate from a thermos. Chat accepted them with a small smile but didn't take a bite, too nervous to enjoy the delicious treats, all the worries and insecurities he'd had rising to the surface once more.
After a few minutes had passed, it was Marinette who broke the awkward silence. "So…I guess we should just get right to it. I talked to Master Fu today and explained to him what happened."
"Was he upset? Are we in some kind of trouble? Marinette, I'm so sorr-" he began earnestly.
"No! No, he was a little surprised, but he was okay. I guess after nearly 190 years there's not much that can shake him"
"Yeah, I guess….so what did he say? Any advice on how to handle things?" he said feeling a flood of relief and taking a small bite of his cookie. 'Passionfruit, my favorite' he thought as he smiled.
"Well, I'm not great at explaining it all, but he talked a lot about balance and tea and some other Fu-cryptic stuff, but what it boils down to is…well he said 'fate' but I'm going with miraculous magic," she said. Chat couldn't help but notice the air quotes she'd used when mentioning fate 'What is that all about?' he wondered.
"Huh?" he replied, feeling more confused than ever.
"Well he pretty much said that you were destined to find out when you did. Like I said, I'm not very good at explaining it all, but I guess part of the magic of the miraculous helps protect our identity," she began to explain, rolling her eyes when she mentioned destiny. "Like, especially when we were first starting out, there were a few times I transformed in places that weren't exactly private...like behind a park bench or a tree. I thought it was just my good luck that I hadn't been found out, but apparently its all part of the magic. I mean nothing can stop us from telling people if we want to, like the way Chloe did, but if we're trying to keep our identity secret then the magic helps with that. It's why you didn't recognize me too. I mean when you said you should've put it together before, I kind of got the impression that maybe you knew me; Marinette, I mean. You don't have to say or anything, but umm, if you did know me, I mean, that's why you couldn't tell, because of magic…and now I'm rambling, but okay there you have it. It was 'fate' or whatever and magic."
"Oooo-kay. So, where do we go from here? And why do you keep using air quotes and rolling your eyes when you talk about fate and destiny?" Chat was genuinely confused now. 'What is going on? Doesn't she believe in destiny?'
"Ugh...because 'fate' is such a cop-out! Whenever anything happens people say it was fate or that it was just 'meant to be' instead of actually acknowledging responsibility. Choices matter! Or at least I hope they do, otherwise what is the point? Like, with akumas, I try really hard to stay positive and be a good friend so that negative emotions don't take hold of people and Hawkmoth won't be able to use them; if it's all fate though, it doesn't matter what I do or say. Either they'll be akumatized or they won't. The story is already written. I'd much rather write my own story, know that my choices and my actions are worth something," she began to passionately explain, knocking over the plate of cookies in the process.
"Wow…" he started as he began to pick up the fallen sweets.
"Sorry, I was rambling again, huh? I'm such a klutz…" she got the plate and the last few cookies and put them back on the plate.
"No, not at all! I like talking to you Marinette, it's just I'd never thought of things that way. I always kind of liked the idea that things happen for a reason or that some things are just meant to be," he hesitated for a moment, not sure how much he should share; he still didn't know if he was supposed to reveal his identity yet or not, but then continued, "It's something that has comforted me during some really hard times in my life. I've had to accept that certain things just aren't in my control and the idea or thought that there is a reason behind it, even if it's a reason I'll never know, helps with that." He began fiddling with his cup, now half empty, unsure how she would react to the fact that they obviously had such different views on things.
"I can understand that. You know, when I first got my miraculous, I didn't want it. I didn't think I could be anyone's hero, never mind a superhero." He saw a flicker of shame, or maybe guilt, cross her face as she went on to say in a small voice, "I even tried to give it away once, but now I'm glad that I am Ladybug. I kind of like the idea that maybe I was meant to be her."
'Give away her miraculous…is she crazy…she's incredible,' he thought before realizing that she still looked a little ashamed. Trying to reassure her he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You are amazing…superpowered or not"
"Thanks Chat. Your pretty paw-some yourself" she said with a grin and a laugh at his shocked face.
He quickly composed himself, years of model training were good for some things after all, and replied "Milady, was that…a cat pun? I can die happy now! I knew you loved my sense of humor bug-a-boo."
"Don't be ridiculous, it was one pun….and don't call me bug-a-boo!" she said, trying but failing to hide the amusement still evident on her face.
"O-oh…of course," he exclaimed, "I know…Buginette…it's the purr-fect nickname for you!"
They looked at each other and then burst out in a fit of giggles, all the earlier tension and nervousness gone. After several long minutes and a many more laughs (they couldn't look at each other without cracking up all over again) they finally caught their breaths and calmed down.
Then Chat remembered that he still wasn't sure if she expected him to reveal his identity tonight or not, so he asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner, "You never did tell me, we got kind of sidetracked; what did Fu say we should do now?"
Marinette smiled brightly as she replied, "Actually, we're doing it. He said that we should get to know each other, talk, be friends. Although, I'm not sure philosophical discussions on fate were exactly what he had in mind, he probably thought we'd start with favorite colors or something. Then whenever the time is right fate or, you know, magic will let me see your identity."
Chat was relieved, there was no pressure, he could be a friend to her, it was exactly what he'd been daydreaming about all day. He smiled warmly, "I like that plan."
"Me too…umm Chat?" she asked, some of the earlier nervousness back in her voice.
"Yeah?"
"Umm…it was kind of pointed out to me that I haven't always, exactly been a great friend to you and that maybe I'd been too intense when it came to my we're-partners-only thing. I just want to say, if I ever made you feel like you weren't important to me or that I didn't care about you, I'm sorry."
'She doesn't need to apologize, she was just trying to be professional," he thought. He started to say as much but one look at her expression and he realized that she meant everything she'd said; and he had to admit there were times that Ladybug had done things that hurt his feelings, whether she meant to or not. So instead of defending her, he simply said, "Thank you."
Before either of them could say anything else they were interrupted by a high pitched voice, "Marinette…do you have any idea how late it is? You should have gone to bed ages ago!" Chat was startled by the flying red goddess he recognized as Ladybug's kwami. "Nice to see you again, Chat, I'm Tikki, we didn't get properly introduced before."
"Well it was kind of an emergency," he said as he recalled the strange day that ended in him becoming MisterBug.
"Yes, it was," she replied before going on to say, "I know I told you I'd leave you two alone to talk, Marinette but you do have school tomorrow."
"You're right Tikki, I guess I just didn't realize how late it had gotten," Marinette told her as Tikki landed in her hand and she gave her one of the leftover cookies.
"I should probably go," Chat hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I come see you again soon? Like this, I mean?
"Yeah, I'd like that. We have patrol tomorrow, but maybe you can come over the next day?" she said.
"Sounds purr-fect," he replied with a grin.
"No! No more puns!" she tried to give him a playful shove but he dodged her, grinning.
"Oh, but now I know you like them!" he replied as he climbed back out the hatch to leave.
"No, I don't you mangy cat!" she yelled after him but he only laughed as he bounded through the city back to his room.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updating. I've had some family situations that have taken me away from writing a bit so unfortunately I can't guarantee the posting schedule I had previously hoped for. I DO promise that I will finish this story and I will do my best to update as regularly as possible. Hope you all enjoy!