A Miraculous Tale

Chapter 17

"You don't say," Chat set down his Styrofoam cocoa cup. "Let me just start it off." He cleared his throat. "My name is Adrien Agreste, otherwise known as Chat Noir, and my father is Hawkmoth."

Ladybug gave him a sympathetic look. "Yeah. I'm sorry." She said sadly.

"Don't be." Chat Noir rubbed his thumb over the base of his Miraculous ring. "It's not your fault. But I- I should have known. I knew he wasn't perfect. He's never home. He's always "at work". When he does talk to me, he's cold, unloving, and cruel. I should have guessed that "at work" really meant "Ruling over a kingdom of malicious butterflies and attempting to get ultimate power, even if it puts innocent people including my son in danger"." Chat paused. "I wonder if Nathalie, my dad's assistant, knows yet. I hope not. That'll be an unpleasant surprise."

Ladybug sipped her warm hot chocolate. It was rich and creamy and good. It reminded her of home and love and happiness, probably because she'd grown up drinking this hot chocolate from her parents' bakery, and never stopped loving it. She set it beside her and avoided Chat Noir's gaze.

"So..." she managed to actually speak audibly. "I've known Chat Noir for quite a long time now. Heroic, brave, funny, flirty, smart, determined, loyal, an amazing partner and... my best friend." She smiled weakly. "But in my daily life, I've also known Adrien Agreste." Ladybug held her yoyo, repeatedly turning it over in her hand. "The kind, sweet, funny, perfect, talented, amazingly handsome boy whose face is plastered all over my bedroom walls." Ladybug was on the verge of tears, and incredibly embarrassed. The words almost hurt as she said them. She couldn't believe what she was actually doing. "The boy who constantly occupies my thoughts and dreams. Slightly more than just a silly schoolgirl crush." She blushed and was quiet for a moment. Reluctantly, she continued. "So imagine my surprise when I discovered that the boy I'm in love with has been there by my side the entire time." She finally dared to meet his eyes. "Who would've known that every day, I talked to him without stuttering and making a fool of myself? Who would've guessed that he'd be my best friend?" She felt her face burning hotter than the inside of an oven. "And I never would have imagined that I had already kissed him!" She buried her face in her hands, afraid to look up. She stuttered as she sat back up and stared at the ground far below. "Look, I'm going to try to stop rambling and get to the point." She looked Chat dead in the eye. "You've known me as Ladybug all this time, but you also know me as Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the bakers' daughter."