What if 'the one' split into two...?
Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Lady Luck herself, has finally fallen on her feet after years of playing catch-up. Her boss, Mary Humphries of The House of Humphries, has invited her to be first assistant at an important...
Alya collapsed back onto the chaise lounge in Marinette's bedroom, her legs flying in the air as her arms dropped down to the sides. Every ounce of the girl showed overenthusiastic excitement, a breath of fresh air, a relief of a job well done, and total thanks to higher powers that she'd survived.
After what felt like forever, the baccalaureate exams were over, their results were in, and all of Marinette's friends were successful enough to move onto their next stage of life.
It was time to depart for university.
Marinette watched the carefree attitude of her friend, wishing she felt just as gleeful for the end of lycée as Alya did. Instead, her gut was filled with guilt, sorrow and a neat shot of misery.
"Yeah," Marinette sighed, her eyes firmly fixed on the item of clothing she was currently sewing. Tikki — ever the mentor – sat on her own cushion, guiding Marinette as she made sure every single thread was perfectly in place. A job which would use all of her mental power, and restrict it from drifting off elsewhere.
She finished the stitch and removed the skirt from the machine, cutting the excess thread before holding it up to examine. The black fabric was a devil to work with; the material was frail and kept catching in the machine, pulling where she needed it to lie flat. She must have restarted this one garment over a dozen times, the tiny imperfections not good enough for the evening's event. Her skills had improved over the years, as had her patience. Enough so, she was about to embark on her next journey...a journey that would take her away from Paris.
"Marinette, if you put that poor skirt through any more sewing, it'll report you for clothing abuse." Alya sat up and looked over, her eyes full of concern."What's wrong?"
Marinette sighed as she flicked the small machine light off. She looked to Tikki, needing her kwami's support now more than ever. "I'm just worried, okay? I'm due to leave Paris in three weeks and I just don't know if I can! What if something happens when I'm gone? It's my duty to protect the city, and here I am planning to swan off, halfway around the world, to do whatever I want."
She felt deflated. She was meant to be excited. Everyone expected her to be excited. But she couldn't be...she just couldn't.
She'd been selfish, she knew she had; but for once in her life she wanted to do something for herself, something she would be proud of. She'd made the choice without a second thought, but that was almost a year ago. A lot had changed since the day she had sent back her acceptance. A major one creeping up on her and firmly placing itself in her heart.
The day she received her required grades for her course had been truly bittersweet. She wasn't sure what to do, whether to take it or leave it, and after a lot of time talking and shedding ample amounts of tears, she decided to take it. It was a once in a lifetime chance, winning over the once in a lifetime feeling.
That was months ago though, and now it was here and it was all happening too quickly, she wasn't ready. Come to think of it, she didn't think she ever would be.
Still, the fake smile she'd been plastering over her face was managing to fool pretty much everyone she knew. Everyone except Alya.
"You've worked hard for this, Marinette. Along with everything you've been doing commission-wise, acing your BACs, and completing all your superhero deeds, I think it's fine for you to have a break. Hawkmoth hasn't been around for months and I doubt you leaving Paris would be a reason for him to suddenly reappear. It's not like he knows who you are."
Alya stood up and moved over to Marinette, crouching down before her and prying the fabric from her tightly clenched hands, placing it gently on the work table in front of them before taking Marinette's hands in her own once more. "You're talented, Marinette, and if you don't do this, the world will be missing out. You're going to be an amazing designer one day — you just need to let go of Paris. You need to let go of him. If you're destined to be together...you'll find your way back. Just because it's ending now, doesn't mean it's the end for good."
Her friend was right. She did need to let go. But it wasn't like she could leave the Miraculous behind. No matter what happened, Tikki, Trixx, and a colourful array of other Kwami's would always be with her.
Absent-mindedly, she reached out and grabbed her Chat Noir plushy, holding it tightly against her chest and feeling the bubbling emotion edging to break free. She didn't want to leave him, not when she'd just figured it all out, when she'd figured out what she wanted them to be. It wasn't just Paris she was unwilling to let go of — it was her partner too.
They'd been dating for just over three months, and what a blissful three months that had been! But now it was all prematurely ending. They'd known this would happen. They'd known when they decided to give it a try that there was an expiration date looming over them. Both understood that their lives were about to take drastic changes in direction – but they'd decided to do it anyway, to finally give in to their overwhelming feelings – even if it had a short shelf life.
And now, the inevitable was happening and she hated it. More than anyone could ever imagine.
Alya stood from her position, making her way around the back of Marinette and wrapping her arms around her neck, her chin perched protectively on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Marinette nodded in response, aware the bubbling had finally broken free, spilling over and making a great escape down her cheeks. Alya knew the heartbreak she experienced every time she thought of leaving her partner. Marinette's only way of explaining it being like a divorce, or a bereavement. Her heart had been ripped out and shredded into nothing more than a confetti of complicated and complex emotions.
"I just... I..." She broke down, tears falling as she buried her face in her hands and grieved the loss of the most important thing in her life.
The sobs which started in the early afternoon, continued late into the darkness of night, as she and Chat Noir said their final goodbyes, settled together on their rooftop — exactly where they should be.
They spent hours talking into the darkness of night, reminiscing and conversing about nothing and everything – Chat Noir being his usual fun self even through the heartache he easily displayed on his sleeve. He was an open book to her, an encyclopaedia of all that was good and sweet in this world. No one would ever come close to him, and she understood that. No one was Chat Noir.
"You're my true love," he said, lifting her hand and pressing a soft, tender kiss to her knuckles. "And, as in the fairytales, true love will always prevail — because it's strong, and we're strong. Stronger together."
Marinette didn't know where he was going from here, or what he was doing, but the pain of having to say a final farewell hurt more than anything she had ever done before. Emotions overcame her as she climbed into her partner's lap and kissed him earnestly under the moonlight. Paris, her home, dazzling under spotlights and adding to the enchantment of their kiss. Passion intensified as their kiss deepened, the world around them fading away in the allure of the moment and allowing them to freely give themselves to each other one last time, under the stars, before reluctantly leaving in the early hours of the morning.
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Later that day, she knew he would be leaving Paris.
Three weeks later, she would be too.
Only the promise of a new supervillain arriving would bring them back home and together. A promise which, unfortunately, would take its sweet time to come true.
