The Chinchilla and the Cheshire

Fear and Marichat

A day might have passed, but nothing too eventful occurred. Milyah didn't do her homework, and Cheshire was now trying to explain everything in the contents of the book they were supposed to read on their walk to school: A typical morning routine.

Milyah was the first one who noticed Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste standing together. Cheshire soon followed as she whipped her head around to go see her OTP together, after hearing the narrator talk. (Wait what?)

She soon realized that it was an awkward cringe-fest, but Cheshire only smirked. It was a Cheshire Queen's job to take any situation and turn it into one where she had the advantage.

Cheshire waved at Ladybug's alter-ego. "Hi Mari! I hope you got my text."

And this was her advantage.

Marinette began furiously blushing, looking away from the cat.

Thinking (knowing) Cheshire had done something, Milyah immediately responded with, "Calm down Cheshire!"

Cheshire put on her most innocent face. "You heard me promise to tell her. So I did. I am a man of my word."

Milyah rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Realization struck Marinette like a truck, accompanied by fear. "Wait, what do you know!?!?!"

"Things. Many things," Cheshire joked.

And Milyah was confused. "Wait? What is happening?"

"One word," Cheshire smiled like her namesake. "Maricat."

Milyah (and I quote the other narrator) does the boi thing. "Boi."

Quick recap.

~~~~~

Distracting herself a bit, the spotted heroine asked, "Maricat?"

Milyah quickly covered it up, "Nevermind it. It's a weird thing Cheshire made up one time."

"Ah okay," said Chat Noir.

The nearly Wonderlandian pouted, defensiveness kicking in, "I didn't make it up, there is an entire legion of Marichat shippers."

"Hey, focus on ME!!!" The attention hog (aka Volpina) shouted, breaking free of the bonds she had previously been held captive with.

For once, Ladybug agreed with her rival, "Yeah!!! I don't even get what's going on."

"I will text you its meaning later," said Cheshire before Volpina snapped again.

~~~~~~~

"Hahaha. Narry, admit it. My chosen can keep her word when it matters."- Cœurs

When it matters? Please. More like when it involves Marichat.

"Can't argue with you there." -Cœurs

"Both of you shush. I'm trying to continue the story, but it's hard hearing you two shout at each other." -Cheshire

Sorry about that.....

"Yeah, who's supposed to be moving it along here?" -Cœurs

Oh shut up.

Cheshire was coy. "Am I not supposed to do that?"

Milyah simply shrugged. "Probably. Well I gotta go! I have to finish my group project with Adrien and Nino. Bye!" She walked away to go grab her partners, leaving Cheshire alone. Yes, Marinette was nearby, but still quite a bit in front of Cheshire.

She looked at Marinette and shrugged. "Well, screw the rules."

"Can we talk about this?" Asked a visibly shaking Marinette. Because Cheshire had told LADYBUG about the Marichat photos that now littered her phone. No wonder the almost-cat promised to "text its meaning later." She actually had Ladybug's phone number.

But this wasn't good for Mari. Nobody was supposed to know her secret. That was what Tikki had told her. If anyone knew of her identity, they would be in serious danger from Hawkmoth. She couldn't burden a classmate of hers with this knowledge. Marinette would never be able to forgive herself. Cheshire was odd, but she didn't deserve this.

And there was the fact that MARINETTE wasn't ready. Mari was scared of the crushing disappointment people would feel when they found out that an average, undeserving person was the heroine Ladybug. And it wasn't like she'd believe otherwise, even if someone who did know tried to tell her. To Marinette, it seemed impossible that could possibly be true. Maybe she could believe in it one day, but she needed time. She couldn't be rushed into it.

"Seems like we will be," Cheshire sighed, her eyes flittering up as she gave it a moment if thought. "I think you and Chat Noir would be a cute couple, so I thought I would come clean. I knew you were also in the room when I was with Ladybug, so I said it aloud, knowing you'd hear." She attempted to look innocent. (Again. ATTEMPTED.) "Why? What'd you think I meant?"

Marinette was processing. "Oh. Nothing! Nothing."

Something kept hitting into Cheshire, and she knew exactly what Kwami it was. Sensing such, she gave Marinette a sheepish look. "I'll be right back!"

She ran off to find a proper spot to talk to Cœurs. The fuzzy red cheshire queen popped out of Cheshire's backpack of infinite space.

The cat of hearts asked, "Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

"I was worried that she wouldn't be able to take it." Cheshire smiled distantly.

Cœurs put a single purple paw on her Chosen's forehead. "You have a good heart Cheshire."

Cheshire- being Cheshire- had to ruin the moment with incredible ridiculousness, "Of course I do: You!"

Cœurs laughed. "You're so cheesy."

She poked her Kwami. "But you love me."

A sigh. "Unfortunately."

"Hey!!!" Cheshire yelled, causing Cœurs to laugh again.

Usually a Kwami is the one with all the answers, the magic. They tend to know what they were doing. Cœurs was not that Kwami. She was new, weaker. She hadn't been around Mesai in such a long time, but the chinchilla miraculous had been used so often. Not the Cheshire Queen's.  Cœurs was the definition of new, even if she was a little over sixty years old. Cheshire was honest to goodness the first person to have ever made her laugh, a feeling that was exciting and warm. Cœurs had such little experience out in the world, while her counterpart Mesai had experienced life. But now it was her time. Cœurs' life had just begun again.