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Ladybug watched a dark blur cross the rooftops of Paris to reach her, perched on a platform high up on the Eiffel Tower. He swung up to her with a grin, obviously pleased that she had asked to see him. She, on the other hand, was less excited for the meeting.
“What’s new Bugaboo? Did mew miss me?”
“Never mind, I’m leaving.” She pretended to get up and grab her yoyo in mock exasperation with his puns.
“Wait, sorry!” Chat collapsed onto a beam. “I’ll be serious, I promise.” She laughed quietly and sat back down. He settled down next to her, and waited for her to start talking. She took a deep breath to calm herself for the confession she was about to make.
“So, I wanted to tell you about something.” Ladybug’s heart was pounding.
“I thought so. Is everything okay? Are you okay?” His eyes flashed with concern.
“No, no.” She gulped. “Everything’s…great actually.” Her cheeks grew hot. “I’ve started seeing someone. I just wanted to let you know.”
Chat was quiet for a moment, before letting out a soft “oh”. She had been worried about his reaction, knowing how he felt about her. In another lifetime, maybe she would have fallen for him, too. But in this lifetime, she could only give her heart to one person.
“I’m sorry, Chat.” She rapidly blinked away tears while his gaze was elsewhere. “You’re my best friend, and I never wanted to hurt you―”
“―It’s okay, Bug. I know.” He sighed, as if he had known this was coming for a long time. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” He placed his hand over hers, and they sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the people below them go about their lives.
“So, how did some lucky guy finally win my lady’s heart, hmm?” He interrupted the quiet.
“Uh, actually…” She struggled to find words for what she wanted to convey, in an order that would make sense. “It girl,” was somehow what she settled on. She smacked her palm over her face. “She girl. Girl is she.” Ladybug internally screamed in frustration, eventually forcing out a proper sentence. “I’m in love with a female girl.” That would have to do. Chat had pretty much figured it out after the first few seconds of rambling. He was doing his best not to laugh. She turned to face him.
“I’m doing my best!” She cried, her hands on her face.
“I know, I know, Bug.” He chuckled. “Tell me more about this female girl. Is she cute?”
“So cute,” Ladybug replied, fingers still barely concealing her blush. Eventually, as his soft laughter died down, she uncovered her face. Chat gently elbowed her.
“Hey, I know how you feel. There’s actually this guy.” His voice trailed off, eyes drifting down towards the Seine.
“Oh?” Ladybug smirked. “Is he cute?”
“Oh no, you don’t! This is about you and your girlfriend,” He shot back, face red. “So give up the details.”
“Oh, fine. But we’re coming back to your thing later.” She reclined back on her arms and looked up at the sky. “She’s one of my closest friends now, but it used to be that we couldn’t stand each other. She was self-centered and mean, and we fought constantly. But over time, I don’t know. She changed, became kinder.” Ladybug sighed thoughtfully. “Eventually, I figured out that her whole persona was a cover because she was afraid of how people would treat her if she let them really know her. Once we got past that, it turned out that we had a lot more in common than I thought.” She turned back to Chat with a relieved smile. He smiled back.
“I hope she knows how lucky she is, my lady.”
“She does.”
Ladybug glanced at the time.
“Actually, I should get going,” She realized.
“Hot date?”
“Stop.” She glared at him, then softened. “But, yes.”
The next morning, Marinette approached the school. Nino and Alya waved to her from the front steps, clearly surprised that she had made it on time for once. As she began to walk in their direction, she noticed Adrien and Luka standing unusually close to one another off on their own. She watched as Luka said something that caused Adrien to flush and laugh awkwardly. The taller boy took the blonde’s hand and raised it to his lips.
“Why are you looking at Adrien when I’m right here, babe?”
Marinette’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly turned around to see her girlfriend. She smiled as she took in the sight of Chloe in a honey coloured sundress, her long blonde tresses draped over one shoulder. Chloe’s pretend pout quickly faded as she laced her fingers through that of the other girl. They bumped shoulders and made their way over to their friends.