Bye Bye Little Butterfly

5

"Now smile," instructed the photographer. I bit my tongue as he continued spitting out demands on my pose.

It was my father's gala and almost all of my classmates attended. Including Nathaniel. I had long feather earrings with a pearl necklace.  I wore a silky white dress with white heels. My hair was in a bun with two strands of hair hanging loose.

As I arrived in the room, all eyes turned towards me. I could feel the heat rush to my face as I walked down the stairs elegantly. I walked towards Alya, Adrien and Nino and gave them a smile.
"Wow," said Alya with a gasp.
"I feel like a princess attending a ball," I whispered, glancing from side to side.
"It feels like a ball and you look like a princess,"  commented Adrien. My eyes widened at this. As if realising what he said, his face instantly went red.
"Me and Nino are going to leave you two to it. He promised me a dance," said Alya, leading Nino away from us.
"Well princess..." I didn't hear what he said after that. Only one word in particular stood out which threw me off of course. Princess. Of Adrien had my life, he would have never had my courage. And I would never call him a prince. Maybe in my head... but never in front of me.
"Marinette?" I blinked and looked around.
"Sorry. I think I zoned out," I said, nervously chuckling.
"That's no problem," he said with a smile. I eyed him suspiciously. He's speaking proper sentences... that shouldn't be possible.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked. I blushed a little before nodding and taking his hand.

We began dancing around the room. It felt magical. Like it had at Chloe's birthday party in my reality. Once the song was finished, he gave me a bow before walking away.
"T-there's no way," I mumbled. I fidgeted with my ring before leaving the dance floor and walking over to a window.
"Mari-honey!" I shuddered at the voice and saw Nathaniel standing next to me.
"Hey Nat," I said awkwardly.
"I couldn't help but see you dancing with Adri-trash," he said.
"Don't call him that. Adrien is my friend," I said sternly.
"Anyway, if you danced with him, you can dance with me," he said with a grin.

Suddenly, my father came and stood next to him.
"Father," I said, my heart beating a little faster out of fear.
"Marinette. It would be wise to dance with Mr Nathaniel. He is the Mayor's son, it would give the Dupain Company a better picture," said my father in a harsh voice.
"B-but you're already friends with the mayor," I protested.
"That wasn't a request," he hissed before walking away.

I scowled at Nathaniel before taking his hand. The dance was horrific. Nathaniel was not a very good dancer... so I purposefully stood on his feet.

After that, I stood outside.
"Rough night?" I looked up and saw a woman with green eyes and blonde hair looking down at me.
"Yes," I said with a chuckle.
"Emilie Agreste," she said, holding her hand out to shake mine. I gasped before blinking rapidly. "Is something the matter?"
"Y-you're E-E-Emilie Aaaagreste?" I asked, stumbling over my words.
"Yes. Why?" she asked.
"N-no reason. It's an honour to meet you," I said, standing up and curtsying.
"Well aren't you polite? I'm not of... wealthy family so there was no need," she said nervously.
"Right. Sorry. Do you want to sit down?" I asked, embarrassment taking over.
"Sure," she said with a smile.

We sat down in silence for a few moments.
"Want to talk about it?" she asked.
"About what?"
"Your stressful life."
"What did Adrien tell you?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Aha! I knew you knew him," she said with a grin. I put my hands up in a playful surrender.
"I kind of have a double life. And both are stressful," I admitted.
"I can tell," she whispered. This caused me to frown.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Marinette, right?" I nodded. "I can see things that normal people are too oblivious to see. There's that look in your eyes. Confusion, sadness. If I didn't know any better, which I don't, I would say that you are LadyNoir."

My eyes widened. As I was about to protest, she shook her head with a chuckle.
"By what you're reaction was, I'd say I was right," she whispered.
"But... how?"
"I told you. I have been trained to see what other cannot. And trust me, I won't tell anyone," she whispered with a wink.
"Am I really an open book?" I asked, looking down at my hands.
"No. You're a diary. You're that typical diary that 8-10 year olds have where there's a lock on it. And I have found the key that no one else has," she said, shaking her head.
"You're a very wise woman," I commented.
"Thank you. And you're a very kind girl," she said with a bow of her head.

Another few moments of silence passed before she spoke again.
"Adrien likes you very much," she said.
"Believe me, I know first hand," I said with a chuckle.
"He'd do anything for you," she added. I nodded in agreement. "So what are you waiting for?"
"There's a lot to explain. I'd be taking advantage of him," I admitted.
"How so?"
"Let's just say, I'm not actually LadyNoir. I'm Ladybug. And I have the sneaky suspicion that he is MisterBug," I explained.
"Two bug heroes?"
"No. I come from a reality where I am Ladybug and he is Chat Noir. Or at least... I think he is," I confessed.
"I had a suspicion to something similar. Your eyes show confusion," she said with a smile.
"We came here by mistake. I have his life and he has mine," I explained.
"I see."
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"For what?" she asked.

"Emilie dear. They're serving the drinks now." I looked up and saw a very familiar face.
"Ms Marinette," he said with a bow.
"Mr Agreste," I said in awe.
"Please.. call me Gabriel. No need for formalities," he said with a smile. My eyes widened and I swear my heart stopped beating again.
"Sorry dear. I went motherly on her for a few minutes," she whispered. A gasp escaped her lips as she looked at me with a quivering lip. I nodded solemnly as her fingers began to shake.
"Is everything wrong my dear?" asked Gabriel.
"I have to see Adrien," she said, running inside. He gave me a questioning look. I simply shrugged before he went after her.

If Adrien is Chat Noir, these few days are about to get happier.