Different person, same Ladybug 🐞

Chapter 19: I didn't know what I found

I decided to go up to my/Mari's balcony, breathing in the fresh cold air. Its fall and getting colder, October being smack dab in the middle of fall. (Ok, so the bubbler episode was released on October 20, so I'm assuming his birthday is like October 10-20). 

I looked at the sky, stars twinkling. I had assumed big cities like Paris didn't have any stars. I lived in LA, and stars were nonexistent. 

Minus the Sun, of course.

 And covid. (For those who don't understand, Kathy was able to see stars during covid due to not as many cars and planes as there used to be)

I guess the animators just added them to make the world more like paradise and enticing. I shivered slightly at the small autumn breeze. 

"Mari?"

I yelped, jumping up a little. I turned to where, or who, the noise came from. "Chat! You startled me!" I reprimanded. He grinned sheepishly, "Sorry!" He then leaped over to my balcony with grace, landing on the railing.

I placed a hand on my hip as I raised a brow, "Were you invited?" He just grinned slyly, "Didn't you miss me, Purrincess?" I rolled my eyes at the nickname; I've only known this kid for a few months. Yet here he is, naming me princess.

Like Marinette...

I grinned, "What if I did?" He leaped off the rails, bending down to take my hand. He placed a small kiss on my knuckles as I just shake my head, hiding a small blush creeping up my neck. "Then my life is complete, milady." He responded with a smirk. I blinked a little, realizing his nicknames were the same. 

Which makes me and Mari the same...

I shook the thought out hurriedly, pulling Chat up with my hand. I playfully hit him on the back of the head, laughing. "You're such a flirt!" Chat laughed too, rubbing his head. "Ouch, milady. My felines are hurt!"

I snorted, "Great puns you got there." He smiled; his grin reminded me of the cheshire cat. "Thank you, Mon Cheri. I worked hard on those puns."  

"Well, the hard work had results." I teased, smiling slightly. "Hey, Chat?" I looked at his gleaming green eyes. He nodded, looking straight at me. "I... I have a question" I said, fidgeting with my hands a little.

"Yeah? What?" He leaned against the rails, looking at me as I set my arms on the railing in front of me. 

"What... What if this all wasn't real?" I said as I tried to keep my voice from breaking. My hands were shaking as Chat placed his on mine. 

"What do you mean, Mari?" His stare was filled with confusion and worry. I tried to block it out, the look that secretly spoke, are you crazy.

"I mean, this world. What if it was all a figment of a writer's imagination. What if we were in a show?" I looked down at the ground below. My vision cloudy as I remembered my life. My real life. 

"Mari, I don't understand. What show?" His voice was overflowing with concern. I bit my lip, hard. The irony taste of my blood filling my mouth as I spoke again, my voice less grounded and confident than it usually is. 

"What if this life, your world, was fiction? What if... What if someone who watched your hypothetical show came here?" I turned to Chat this time, looking at him straight his eyes as I asked the question. I tried to read what he was thinking, what judgmental thoughts he must be having.

But I didn't find judgment in his clear green eyes. 

I didn't know what I found.