A Miraculous Tale: Speechless

Ch. 9

Ladybug swung off the Eiffel Tower, but instead of going home she went to Master Fu's shop on the corner of a street. She de-transformed outside and then walked in.

"Master Fu?" Marinette called. Master Fu walked out of a backroom.

"Ahh, Marinette, what brings you here?"

"I... I don't want to be Ladybug anymore."

"What!" Tikki shouted. "But, Marinette, you're a great Ladybug!"

"That's what everyone always says, but I'm tired of always being second best to my superhero self. I mean... Adr... Adrien turned me down for... for her." Marinette started crying.

"But, what would I do without you, Marinette?" Tikki asked; her voice was full of emotion.

"Marinette, this is your choice to make, but I think that you make a great Ladybug because of who you really are on the inside." Master Fu said.

"Please, Marinette." Tikki said.

Marinette could only stare at the ground. These are my true friends. She thought. They love me no matter who I am.

"I'll be Ladybug, but only for you guys." She decided. Tikki smiled real big and gave Marinette a hug.

"I love you, Marinette."

"I love you too, Tikki."

**************************

Marinette laid on her bed fiddling with the edge of a blanket. She was thinking about all that had happened with Adrien, and tears were slowly rolling down her cheek. One made its way down to the tip of her nose. It sat there for a minute before it decided to leave her too.

Tikki was on top of the blankets and sat there silently to comfort Marinette.

Adrien doesn't love me, but my friends and family do. I'm Ladybug for them, not for a silly boy in my class. Marinette sighed and sat up. She stood on her bed and opened her trap door, then she climbed through.

She leaned on her railing and looked out at the evening sky. It was pink, blue and orange. The Eiffel Tower pierced the sky with its tip. The rest of the city laid there in peace, oblivious to the sky and the tower that broke it. Marinette sighed. Tears still speckled her face, and she thought they might be the tips of her own tower of heartbreak.

"Hey, Marinette." A voice said gently from behind her.

Marinette jumped and turned. "Oh! Cat Noir, y-you scared me." She hiccuped. He smiled at her and opened his mouth to say something, but as he looked at her he closed it and frowned.

"You okay, Princess?"

The nickname caught Marinette off guard, and it brought back memories of that night in the hospital. She hiccuped again; for some reason she couldn't stop her tears from flowing.

"Fine." She managed to say. He came over to her, and, a bit uncertainty, he put his hand to her face. Marinette froze. It wasn't that she didn't like the touch, but just that she didn't know exactly what to do. She definitely didn't want him to kiss her, and she was praying that he wouldn't try to; for some reason, she was also afraid that he would see her tears, and he did, of course, see them. He wiped them off gently with his thumb; then he pulled his hand away. For some odd reason she was a bit disappointed when he did, but she pushed the thought aside as pure nonsense.

"You're crying." Cat Noir stated and stood straight. Marinette just stayed quite. She feared that if she talked, the dam would break.

Cat Noir stood there a moment, and then he smiled. "I'll be right back!" With that he jumped off her balcony and disappeared.

Marinette was still crying, but the sudden disappearance of her partner startled her. She believed he would return though because Cat Noir would never go back on his word, so she sat there, silently weeping, waiting for her partner to return.

He came back a few minutes later with a picnic basket.

"What's that?" She managed to ask.

He smiled and his eyes twinkled. "You'll see soon enough, Princess." He opened the basket and pulled out two small bowls, two spoons, an ice cream scooper, and finally a container full of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

"It's the only flavor I had. I hope you like it."

Marinette wiped her tears away and smiled for the first time that day. "It's one of my favorite flavors."

Cat Noir scooped out a big heap for her, then handed her the bowl and one of the spoons. Marinette thanked him and started eating it while Cat Noir got some for himself and put the ice cream container back into the basket. The ice cream tasted cool and fresh. The minty spice contrasted with the sweet chocolate, and she closed her eyes, relishing it.

"Thanks, Cat Noir."

"Anything for you, Princess. I'm sorry you were upset."

Marinette sighed. "Let's forget about that now and enjoy the ice cream. It's too good to ruin."

"Agreed. I would like to make a toast." He said the latter part in an important, somewhat snuffy voice, and Marinette had to stifle a laugh. He continued in the voice. "To... uh... a new... evening, a new... new... morning, and a... uh... new day."

Marinette laughed, but she decided to help her friend out. "How about... to new beginnings?"

Cat Noir quickly latched on to the idea. "Exactly! To new beginnings!" He said with a smile. He lifted his ice cream bowl into the air, and Marinette lifted hers. They tapped their bowls together and took a bite of their evening treat.

They ate mostly in peaceful silence the rest of the time, but they did share a few words together. They finished their ice cream, and Marinette was sad to see the sun slowly make its way below the horizon. The pink and orange lines that painted the sky slowly faded away and turned into the dark blue cloak of night. The stars came out to play with the crescent moon, and a cool breeze blew through the sky. It reached Cat Noir and Marinette. It played with their hair, making it dance.

"Thanks, Cat Noir." She said as she helped him put everything into the basket.

"No problem. It was fun. We should do it again sometime."

She stood and took a step back. A loose piece of hair had fallen out of her pigtails, and she pushed it behind her ear. "Yeah. That'd be nice."

He turned around with the picnic basket in his hand. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't. They stood awkwardly for a moment, then Cat Noir turned to the railing.

"G'night, Princess."

"G'night, Kitty. Thanks again."

He smiled. "I'm glad you feel better." With that he jumped off the balcony. Marinette went to the railing and looked out at the city of Paris. The city lights illuminated the night sky, and the stars too were bright against it. The crescent moon was bright as well, and Marinette had a fleeting thought. The rest of you is missing. Marinette didn't feel sorry for it though because it seemed to be smiling down at her. She thought the smile was mischievous, but also friendly and loving; it seemed to be beckoning her closer. She stood there a few moments and enjoyed the beauty of night before she turned and went back into her room. She changed into her pj's, got into bed, and pulled the blankets up.

"Did you talk to Cat Noir?" Tikki asked Marinette.

"Yeah. He brought me ice cream." She smiled. Suddenly she reached over for her phone and unlocked it. She went to messages and clicked Luka's profile picture. She hesitated a moment, then typed the message and hit send. "To new beginnings." She whispered into the quiet room. Marinette put her phone back on her desk and rolled over as she closed her eyes. Tikki kissed Marinette's cheek and laid on her pillow.

"Good night, Marinette." Tikki whispered into the dark room, but she got no response because the girl was already fast asleep with a small smile on her face.