Miraculous Ladybug: Short Stories

My Hero (Part 2)

It had been quite a while since Marinette and Chat became an official couple. They might have been able to keep it hushed if Alya hadn't posted all about it on her Ladyblog almost immediately. Marinette was having a difficult time deciding if Alya was happy for her or not. After all, Alya was a major Ladynoir shipper! Technically speaking, Ladybug was dating Chat, but only Marinette and Tikki knew that.

Marinette hadn't meant for everything to happen as it did. Of course, she had started to like Chat forever ago during an akuma mission. The problem was that she still had feelings for Adrien. Granted, the feelings declined as her and Chat became closer. However, they were still there. Marinette couldn't help but feel guilty about it. She had a boyfriend now, he should be the one receiving every last bit of her love. Marinette buried her face into her pillow in pure frustration. Why couldn't everything be as simple as saving Paris?

As if on cue, there was a subtle knock at the balcony's entrance door. Marinette motioned for Tikki to hide as she raced over to the door. When she first opened it, she didn't notice anyone. Marinette decided to investigate further and stepped outside. She walked to the railing of the balcony and looked out at the city. Paris was absolutely beautiful at night. Nobody could possibly miss the glorious lights of the Eiffel Tower.

Still not catching sight of anyone, Marinette gave up her search. When she turned around, though, her eyes were met with those with a familiar, alluring green hidden behind a darkened mask. "Chat, what are you doing here so late?" The boy was laying on the edge of her roof. "You're not hurt are you!?" Marinette became frantic, fearing that the reckless Chat got himself injured.

"No, I'm not hurt. There's no need to worry, Princess. I just really wanted to see you." Chat hopped down from the rooftop and stood directly in front of the teen girl. Marinette smiled at him and invited him inside. She quickly looked around for Tikki. Since she didn't see her, she assumed that she was well-hidden. Chat and Marinette sat on the small sofa in her room and began talking. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Marinette looked at him with a puzzled look. "Of course. You know that you can always talk to me! Is everything okay?"

"I'm just...worried. We've been together for a while now, but that's with my mask on..."

"Chat..." Marinette held his face in her hands.

Chat lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. "What if I'm not what you're looking for? I don't want to disappoint you, Mari. I'm not the same without my mask. Ironically, the only time I'm able to be myself is when the mask is on. I can't help but imagine-"

"Chat, don't do this to yourself." Marinette picked up his head and glared into his eyes. He opened his mouth as if he had more to say, but Marinette cut him off. "I'm sure that you're more than everything I could even hope to look for. I know how important your secret identity is and I will never expect you to reveal who you are. To me, it doesn't matter. I love you, Chat. You. Nothing will ever change that."