Dreams Come True

Chapter 10, Accidental Confession

Marinette's POV:

When she got home, she said hello to her parents, and ran past the silent queue in the front of the shop, up to her room.

She lay down on her bed and huffed a long sigh, then remembered what she'd just done for her friend, and smiled, praying with all her heart that it would go well with Nino-that they might finally kiss!

Marinette squealed, smiling widely as she walked to her closet. She'd wear something nice...something different for once-and she'd leave her hair down.

Selecting her second-favourite dress, she undressed from her normal clothes and put on her new ones.

She'd made this dress-hand made it too; designed it, cut all the material, sewn it together-everything.

She walked over to her mirror and looked at her reflection, attempting a smile. The dress was light blue, with silver patterns on the sleeves, the collar and at the waist. Her dark hair was loose, and sitting just below her shoulders, cut shorter at the front so it framed her face. She looked okay...

She slipped on some matching blue sandals-the same blue and silver as her dress, with the same silver pattern-and then walked out to the courtyard above her room.

Tikki was out as she said, 'wow Marinette, you look amazing! You really do! You're so beautiful!' and she sighed for effect.

Laughing, Marinette thanked her, and walked over to the metal railings to lean on them, when suddenly she noticed something black on her roof...

Suddenly Tikki hid, as Marinette said, 'Chat Noir?'

He jumped in surprise; apparently unaware she had been there. Thank god for that. It means he didn't hear me talking to Tikki, and she practically sighed with relief.

'M'lady,' Chat said as he jumped from the roof and landed on the courtyard.

'Hello Ki-' she couldn't call him that; Ladybug called him "Kitty." '-Kid,' she finished badly.

Chat didn't seem unsettled or shocked by this, he mustn't have noticed, she thought in relief.

'M'lady, how are you?' he said casually-like he knew her-no, he can't know, he can't know that I'm Ladybug! Why else would he be so casual-why else would he come here!?

'H-hello pussy,' she said.

He smiled at her nickname and said, 'What is your name M'lady?'

So he doesn't know then, she thought, relaxing.

'I'm Marinette,' she said-now confident.

'You look stunning Marinette, going somewhere?' he asked, leaning casually on the railing.

'I'm-I'm going to an...outing with my friends. Alya and Nino are going for their date. I th-think Nino just asked me to come because I was there at the time though,' she said sadly. 'I wouldn't be invited otherwise...' she added, 'not really important enough...to A-Adrien...'

It was only then that she realised she was still talking out loud, 'I'm so sorry...I didn't realised I was still speaking...out-out loud,' she stammered. Then she went hysterical and began laughing, 'I'm-I'm so ridiculous,' she said, while laughing, and she couldn't stop herself when she continued, 'Adrien will never love me...no one will...I'm too ridiculous to love. Too...

'Alya gets to have her boyfriend...Alya gets to be happy...I don't.' She continued, against her will, 'I have no one. No one will ever love me...Especially not...' she started another hysterical fit of laughter as she said, 'Adrien.'

Chat Noir walked up to her and hugged her and said, to her complete shock, 'I love you, Marinette.'

Marinette was too stunned to say anything-or do anything, not even return the friendly and comforting embrace her friend gave her. Even though it meant he must have assumed she didn't want to, even as he released her and gave her the look of utmost sadness, unlike she'd ever seen before. Even as he used his black stick to jump off the courtyard and onto the other rooftops, spread out across the whole of Paris. Even as she continued to stare at the place Chat Noir had stood in front of her minutes before...and then maybe hours...Even as night fell around her, pierced by all the unnatural lights from the streets and houses. Even as the rest of the world kept moving busily around her, on the streets. Even as she knew her friends would be waiting for her, wondering where she was; if she was coming. Even as she thought she could hear the faint voice of her mother downstairs in her room-looking for her. But she just stood there, not able to move a muscle...stood for hours, in her second-favourite blue gown, even her hair refusing to move, somehow, in the wind that blew at her face, caressing the skin that showed nothing but shock...he said he loved her. Chat Noir...loved her...

...Why?