Miraculous-A Cinderella Story

Chapter Seven

"Ladybug?" She sat on the ledge, her feet dangling off the rooftop, her dress imitating a cushion under her. She turned when she heard his voice. "Are you okay? You look-"

"Confused?" Ladybug finished. She chuckled dryly as the cat-themed superhero sat down.

He shrugged, swinging his body to nudge her. "Actually, I was going to say hopeless. What's wrong?" She sighed, her bangs flying away from her face. She had let her midnight blue hair loose so it fell around her shoulders, highlighting her shiny bluebell eyes.

"I'm conflicted."

He paused, thinking. "What do you mean by that?" He slurred on the word 'what', emphasizing that he didn't understand what she'd just said.

She smiled at him. "Are cats good with love advice?" He shrugged again, grinning.

"I don't know, how about we find out?" He said.

She giggled. "Okay, well, there are these two really sweet guys. One of them probably wouldn't consider me for reasons such as family and class. The other-" She glanced at him, her eyes twinkling like stars. She quickly looked away, turning beet red. "I'm not sure how the other one really feels about me. He's sweet and funny and he jokes a lot." She giggled again, stopping abruptly. "But I don't know if his expressed feelings are any more than that. Jokes." She shook her head softly.

Chat Noir's heart sunk. There was another boy and, not only one, but two! He couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was one of those boys. Advice, advice. He thought. "Maybe you should ask them? What they think of you, I mean." Smoothe, Agreste.

She shrugged, looking down at her feet, kicking them into the air. "I don't... know." Chat glanced away from her, too, instead focusing his gaze on the setting sun. 

It had been a day since the ball. Sure, she was right in front of him for patrols and battles, but he wanted to look for her as Adrien. He wanted to find her, reveal himself, and... Well, he wasn't sure what to do after that. Maybe he would just run away with her. "Chat?"

He snapped out of his trance, turning to look at her. "The... sunset is beautiful today. I can't believe you get this view every single day." She smiled softly.

"And now you get it, too, kitty."

He nodded. "The best thing about this..." He whispered, leaning close to her ear. Ladybug tensed up, forcing her hands into her lap. "...is that I'm with the one person I love more than anyone else in this world." Her eyes widened, but if he noticed he didn't say anything. "You should know that my feelings are no joke, m'lady."

She turned to face him and pushed his nose away, forcing a smile. "They might not be a joke, but how real are they? I don't even know if my feelings are real." She sniffed and at that moment Chat Noir realized that she had started crying. Softly, but it still made him feel like a jerk.

"Ladybug, I'm sorry. Please, don't cry." She leaned on him, more tears pouring out. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just-"

"It's not your fault, kitty." Ladybug whispered. "If anything, you're the one who's stopping me from bottling up my emotions. I'm glad to have you. You're dependable, sweet, funny, brave, adorable, and so so kind." She looked away. "For what it's worth, Chat, I love you."

He wrapped his arms around her, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. He loved her more than anything or anyone in the world. He would do anything to find her true self, whoever it was. "I'm making an oath. A vow, if you will." Ladybug laid her head down on Chat's lap, gazing up at his sweet eyes.

"What-?" Her voice cracked. She slowly wiped away her tears with her long white sleeves, sniffing. "What do you mean?"

"I vow to protect you for all eternity, till the end of time," He stiffened. "Till death do us part."

She giggled half-heartedly. "You keep that promise, kitty." He smiled down at her.

"Of course, m'lady."

*****

"Here ye, here ye," The king's herald announced, voice bellowing over the crowd. Tikki, Marinette, and Alya gathered in the square, Tikki's face hidden by a hood. "The Prince is looking for a maiden whom he danced with at the ball. She left but a red-tinted glass slipper which will guide him to her. It is mandatory for all the maidens in the land to see if the slipper fits their foot. The Prince shall enter each home, whether it be royal or poor."

Tikki narrowed her eyes at Marinette, whose facial expression gave away every last bit of her shock. "You left your special glass slipper in the hands of a noble Prince?" She muttered, soft enough for only Marinette to hear.

Marinette shook her head softly, still staring at the messenger. "I didn't mean to. It came off while I was running!" She whispered back.

The trio headed to Marinette's home in the broken cottage. "He'll find out your secret identity, Marinette!" Alya yelled when they were safely inside.

"I know that, Tikki! What am I supposed to do?" Marinette collapsed on her hay bale, her head falling into her hands. "Chloe will expect all her maids to report this morning and if I'm not there, she'll suspect something. If she knows that I'm Ladybug, everyone will know. You know how much Chloe despises Ladybug because of her huge amount of attention. She'd do anything to expose me. Ladybug being Marinette is just a perk."

"You have to go, but you can say that the slipper doesn't fit, right?" Tikki tried.

"Of course not, Tikki!" Marinette groaned. "If the Prince finds out, he'll think I'm a liar! I simply cannot risk it."

"Your reputation is not as important as the safety of your beloved Prince or anyone else in Paris!" Marinette shook her head softly. Suddenly, she perked up.

"I have an idea, Tikki!"

Alya made a strange face, a look between disgust and confusion. "Why do I not have a good feeling about this?"

Marinette quickly tied up her hair, dusting off her maid outfit. She smiled. "I'll simply get Chloe to fire me."