Something Special

The following morning, as Marinette waited for Alya in the courtyard, she watched Lila enter from the street, head down and silent. Marinette raised a thoughtful eyebrow at the uncharacteristic behaviour, but was soon distracted by Alya’s all encompassing presence.

‘Hey, Marinette?’ a gentle voice called. Marinette looked up to see Adrien smiling at her as the rest of their class filed out for lunch. 

Marinette’s tongue immediately fused to the roof of her mouth. Her eyes widened as she stared back and squeaked noise that sounded like an affirmative.

‘Well, first, I wanted to apologise,’ Adrien began, blushing and looking at his feet. ‘I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation yesterday,’ he explained, peering up at her through his lashes.

That’s cheating, Marinette thought as her heart thudded out of rhythm. She nodded at Adrien to continue.

‘The other thing I wanted to say was, well, I think Lila is very lucky.’

‘Huh?’

‘What you said to her yesterday. That she’s “enough,”‘ Adrien kept his head down, no longer able to meet her eye. ‘I’m a little jealous. I guess, I just wish someone had said that to me, too.’

When Adrien was able to look her in the eye again, Marinette saw something sad and lonely in his eyes. It was something she had never seen before. 

Her tongue relaxed. ‘Of course you’re enough, Adrien,’ Marinette  stated without thinking.

He looked at her with a tiny, hopeful smile. ‘Really?’

Marinette’s self control broke. She scrambled out of her seat and almost fell doen the step to meet Adrien with a tight hug. ‘Yes. Absolutely, definitely, more than enough,’ she babbled as Adrien’s arms slowly lifted to return the embrace. She felt him slowly relax as she held him, still mumbling affirmations into his shoulder.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered.

Gradually, Lila stopped telling stories. Marinette noticed her efforts, as she let her walls down to make real friends. It wasn’t ever going to be an instant change, but it was a beginning. Lila still had moments of insecurity and then something would slip out, but these occurrences happened less and less. Lila had also finally struck up an unlikely friendship with Alix. Lila appreciated Alix’s blunt attitude and forthright way of speaking, so she would always call Lila out if she slipped back into her old habits. No one could figure out what Alix saw in Lila. When asked, she would just say that Lila was extremely supportive and refused to elaborate, much to Alya’s discontent. 

Life in school seemed to be settling back into its peaceful routine and Marinette could not have been happier.

‘Something’s different about you,’ Ladybug mused as she tapped her chin, looking Chat Noir over thoughtfully. ‘You seem lighter, somehow. More, how do I put this, happy?’

Chat Noir ginned wickedly at her. ‘Been looking at me closely, Bug? I don’t mind. You can look at me all you want,’ he smirked.

Ladybug put her hands on her hips and harrumphed. ‘I was trying to have an actual, serious conversation. You know what? Never mind. Patrol’s over. I’m going home,’ she stated as she prepped her yoyo.

‘Wait,’ Chat Noir called, reaching out in a futile gesture, ‘we can talk seriously if you want.’

She peered back over her shoulder. He appeared contrite. ‘Fine, but the minute you start acting smarmy, I’m going.’ She walked back to him and sat on the narrow, flat space on the roof. Chat Noir sat beside her and leaned back on his hands and looking to the sky, disregarding the drop behind him.

‘Someone just told me something really nice this week. I think it was something I’ve been needing to hear for a long time,’ Chat Noir smiled softly at the memory.

‘Wow. It must have been really nice. I’m curious now; what did this person say?’

‘She told me I was enough,’ he said as his smile widened. ‘Absolutely, definitely, more than enough,’ he sighed happily.

When the following silence dragged on for too long, Chat Noir looked at Ladybug and said, ‘Milady? You good?’

She was staring at him, face white with her mouth working silently, until she shrieked, ‘Adrien?’

Chat Noir paled. ‘How did you? Wait, Marinette?’ he choked out before his face began to split into a grin so wide all of his teeth showed. He lunged forward and wrapped Ladybug in a hug, murmuring, ‘I found you. You found me. I can’t believe it.’ He laughed aloud before leaning in close to whisper, ‘Thank you so much, Milady.’

Ladybug finally relaxed against him, returning the hug. ‘We’ve found each other, Kitty,’ she replied.