9Hey everyone! I know it's been a wile since I last posted. I hope that this reflects the time that I've spent away. It would help you greatly if you listen to Grace Vanderwaal's song I Don't Know My Name. It is a beautiful song and served as heavy inspiration for this story. Well, I hope you enjoy it!
Marinette's POV
"…and I think to myself, what a wonderful world…" Marinette adjusted her fingers on the strings of her ukulele to strike the proper cord. She smiled as she finished the song. Tikki flew down from her perch to nuzzle her girl.
"That was amazing, Marinette! I never knew you could play like that."
"Thanks Tikki. I really only play to relax or show my parents a new song. I just get too nervous to play in public." Marinette shrugged.
"Do you think you can play me one more song? Plleeeaassseee?" Tikki pulled out Manon's infamous Babydoll Eyes. Marinette laughed.
"Okay Tikki. One more song. We've got to meet Chat Noir for patrol soon."
Little did Marinette know, that just as she began to sing, Alya stood underneath the trapdoor… listening. As Marinette finished playing, Alya burst into the room. Tikki barely had time to duck out of sight before Alya saw her.
"GIRL! I had NO idea!" She grabbed Marinette's shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me you could play?"
The girl blushed furiously. "Y-you heard that?" She buried her face in her hands and sunk to the floor.
"Marinette, you were INCREDIBLE!." The blogger's eyes lit up. "I've got an idea! Hear me out, okay?" Alya dug a flyer out of her pants pocket and moved to sit next to Marinette on the floor. "I was in journalism club after school today and they want us to promote the school talent show this year. I think you should sign up." Marinette took the flyer and looked it over.
"Alya, I just don't think I can do this. Everyone would be staring at me waiting for me to make a fool of myself." She hung her head.
"Adrien would see how great you are…" Alya pointed out. Marinette snapped her head up and shook it rapidly.
"Oh nonononononono. That's even more of a reason to not do it! If I mess up, nothing will ever happen with us!"
Alya pressed the flyer further into her friend's hands. "Just think about it, okay? Sign ups end in a week. Plenty of time to make a decision." She got up and moved towards the door. "You're not only a great designer, Marinette. You've got a killer voice. It deserves to be shared."
Marinette continued to stare at the flyer as Alya made her way down the stairs. "Tikki, I gotta get out and clear my head. SPOTS ON!"
Chat Noir's POV
Ladybug's normally not late for patrol. I hope everything's okay. Chat Noir checked his watch. He glanced up as a heard a thunk on the rooftop next to him.
"Sorry I'm late, Kitty." Ladybug smiled apologetically.
"No sweat M'Lady. Let's get going." The duo raced along the Paris skyline. There were no akuma attacks that night, but they managed to stop a mugging and rescue a kitten from a tree. As they landed on a nearby rooftop, Chat noticed that Ladybug wasn't her usual quippy self.
"Cat got your tongue, Lady? You've been quiet tonight." He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. She sighed.
"It's nothing. Just something I'm thinking about doing or not."
Chat raised an eyebrow. "Anything I can help with? You know you can tell me anything."
Ladybug looked unsure. "Well… One of my friends from school is trying to get me to sign up for our school talent show."
"That sounds like fun! Why wouldn't you do it?" Ladybug crossed her arms across her chest, looking out over the vast expanse of the city.
"Chat, you see me with this mask and think I can do anything. But without this mask, I'm no one special. I can't get up on that stage in front of everyone." The girl felt herself turned around until she was facing her partner. His hands held her steady.
"I don't care who you are under that mask. With or without it, YOU ARE LADYBUG. This confidence you have as the hero can carry over into your everyday life." Chat Noir gave her a reassuring smile. "I believe in you."
Tears pricked the corners of Ladybug's eyes. She pulled the cat into a hug. "Thank you." She whispered.
He hugged her in return. "Anytime."
General POV
The day of the talent show had arrived. The front courtyard had been utterly transformed. A giant stage lined one wall, red curtains billowing from the top of the scaffolding. All of the students stood backstage, waiting for the show to begin.
Marinette peaked out from behind the curtain. She noticed her parents sitting towards the back. She also noticed how many people were in the audience. Gulp. Ever since she had told Alya she would be in the talent show, Marinette felt a knot developing in her stomach. Now, she could feel it tighten. She stepped back, clutching the ukulele to her chest. Marinette wouldn't be up for a while, so she might as well sit and enjoy the show until it was her turn.
Juleka and Rose were up first with a magic act. They were surprisingly good, turning Juleka's hair from her usual purple to platinum blond, shocking pink, and back to purple. Ivan followed them with an original poem. When he left the stage, no one in the crowd was cheering louder than Mylene.
Chloe sauntered over to Marinette. She was up next. "Oh you have got to be kidding me. They let you in this thing? Must have been a slow year for talent." Chloe cackled as she snatched the mic from Ivan and took the stage.
"What is Chloe doing?" Marinette turned around and saw Alya, Nino and… Adrien! Alya' hand was planted firmly on her hip. "I didn't even know she was entering." Marinette laughed nervously.
"I think she's singing…" Everyone noticeably cringed when Chloe tried to hit a high note and failed. " So what are you guys doing back here?"
Nino raised his hand for a high five. "We wanted to wish you luck before you went on. It was Adrien's idea." He exchanged a smirk with Alya. Marinette froze and swiveled to face Adrien. His face began to redden as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just thought that you might be nervous. I know I tend to before a photo-shoot sometimes." Marinette's eyes widened as Adrien smiled. "Don't over think it. Just do it. You're going to be amazing, Marinette." A few claps were heard in the audience as Chloe finished her song. Alya quickly hugged her friend.
"Looks like you're up. Go kick some butt, girl!" The threesome left to find their seats.
Marinette felt like she was about to pass out. The advice Adrien gave her coursed through her veins, confidence flowing from every pore. That is, until Chloe came backstage. Marinette held her hand out for Chloe's mic, but she didn't have it. Chloe smiled maliciously, pointing at the stage. Apparently, she had dropped the mic at the end of the song. As Marinette made her onto the stage, Chloe stopped her. "Careful Miss Clumsy. Be a shame for you to fall on your face in front of everyone." She hissed. Marinette gulped as she made her way into the spotlight.
She picked up Chloe's discarded microphone and returned it to the micstand. Marinette nervously scanned the audience one more time. Her friends had taken seats near the back with her parents. Alya and Sabine both gave her thumbs up. She knew this was her time. Marinette took a shaky breath and began strumming her tiny instrument.
"I don't know my name
I don't play by the rules of the game
So you say, I'm just trying
Just trying…"
The nerves Marinette felt carried out into her voice. She kept her eyes on the ukulele.
"I am lost…
Trying to get found
In an ocean of people
Please don't ask me any questions
You won't get a valid answer
I'll just say that…"
Marinette looked out into the audience again, somehow connecting with Adrien's vibrant green eyes. Instead of becoming even more nervous, it calmed her.
"I don't know my name
I don't play by the rules of the game
So you say, I'm just trying
Just trying…"
Those eyes. Those piercing green eyes stared into her very being, encouraging her to be the very best that she could be. He nodded reassuringly. The last verse of the song crescendoed with all the confidence Marinette felt with that one gesture.
"I now know my name!
I don't play be the rules of game
So you say, I'm not trying
But I'm trying
To find my way."
The last twang of the string faded into silence. Marinette's friends and family were the first ones to their feet. The entire audience rose to give a standing ovation. Marinette, shocked at the reception, curtsied, then walked off stage. She handed an open mouthed Chloe the microphone.
"I think you dropped this."
All of the contestants were ushered back on stage for the crowning of the winner. As they all took their places, an elegant gold trophy was carried out.
"The winner of this year's school talent show is… Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" The crowd went nuts. Juleka, Rose, and Ivan all congratulated her. Chloe stood off to the side, arguing with the judge and demanding a recount. Once Marinette was backstage with her trophy, her friends and family surrounded her.
"Sweetie, I am SO proud of you!" Sabine wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Tom enveloped both of his girls in his massive arms. Sabine struggled to speak as she was being crushed. "We're having a celebratory after party at the bakery. We made a fresh batch of treats today. Everything's on us!"
The kids cheered. Alya squeezed Marinette's hand. "Knew you could do it, girl." Marinette smiled back. The small group began to make its way across the street to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Adrien and Nino lingered towards the back of the group. For some reason, Adrien felt himself staring at Marinette, laughing at a baking pun her father had made. Nino nudged him out of his trance.
"Dude, you okay?"
Adrien blinked rapidly. "Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. Wasn't Marinette amazing?" He was smiling. "I didn't even know she could do that."
"Yeah man. She was pretty good." Nino drawled, a knowing grin on his face.
Pretty… Adrien shook his head. He tilted his head up, observing how night had fallen during the show. I wonder how Ladybug did at her talent show…
Ladybug's POV
Ladybug felt so free as she catapulted herself through the air. I can't believe I actually won! Despite the confidence Adrien had given her before hand, she had still been nervous. Ladybug smiled. Now, she felt like she could really do anything.
The heroine landed gracefully on the rooftop that served as the rendezvous spot. Chat Noir appeared to have been waiting for a while.
"Evening, M'Lady. How did your week go?" He rose from his crouched position and walked towards her. Ladybug beamed.
"It was pretty wonderful. The talent show was this week and I WON!" She shrieked as Chat hoisted her up into the air, laughing as he twirled her around.
"I knew you could do it!" He returned her to the ground, his gloved hands remaining on her waist. She smiled as she carefully peeled them off.
"Thanks kitty. I'll admit, I was pretty nervous. But there was this moment where everything just… clicked. Then I wasn't so scared anymore. You know what I mean?"
Ladybug caught the gleam of pride in Chat's eyes as he grinned. "I'm starting to."
The heroes sat on the rooftop a while longer, just admiring the city lights. Seeing how peaceful it all looked, they decided to forgo the rest of patrol. As they stood to leave, Chat Noir took her hand. He quickly kissed it before Ladybug could pull it away.
"Until next time, M'Lady." Before she could utter a word, he launched himself into the night.
"Goodnight chaton." Ladybug whispered. She felt herself blush slightly as she slung her yo-yo towards home. Thanks for always believing in me.
FIN
"One little spark, of inspiration/ Is at the heart, of all creation/ Right at the start, of everything that's new/ One little spark, lights up for you" - Journey into Imagination, EPCOT
"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God."" -Mark 10:27