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Marinette was scrolling through her phone while on her chaise, when she landed on an appealing article.
Flower Superstitions - Grower Direct
Marinette was intrigued, not from the effects of the miraculous, because her being a holder of the ladybug miraculous and ladybugs enjoying flowers was just a mere coincidence.
She was interested because she enjoyed learning different tales and such, that's was exactly why.
As she clicked the link, she began to scroll through the bullet pointed list and various types of superstitions that involved different flowers. Most included roses for some odd reason. Five out of the twelve types of superstitions involved roses.
As she began to rescan the page, sheoshe found one that caught her attention. It unsurprisingly had to do with roses. What surprised her was that it was also about marriage.
The superstition read
if a woman had more than one lover, she can determine her true love by writing the men’s names on rose leaves and thrown into the wind. The leaf that touches the ground last is the one she should marry.
She told herself that it was an old wives tale but she couldn't get it out of her head after she clicked off the link and was aimlessly scrolling through her phone. Something about it kept buzzing in the back of her mind, so she gave in to the desire and re-opened the link.
She did have a right to believe in superstitions, she was lady luck after all.
Maybe she should try it?
"Argh! Tikki, help me please," Marinette frustratedly whined to the small ladybug kwami.
The kwami was currently browsing through Marinette's desktop, looking at different videos of various K-pop groups.
"What is it Marinette?" Tikki asked her chosen, eyes still on the video playing of BTS but her attention was mostly on the girl.
"Are superstitions real? Like I know some old wives tales that I do believe in, but are a majority of them real?" Marinette asked the tiny deity.
"It depends on what the subject is because most do hold some truth behind them." Tikki answered the girl, still fixated on the video.
"It says here on some site that if a woman had more than one lover, she can determine her true love by writing the men’s names on rose leaves and thrown into the wind. The leaf that touches the ground last is the one she should marry. Tikki, can I really determine my true love like that?" Marinette said to the poor kwami.
"I've never heard of that one Marinette. Maybe you should try it!" The kwami said encouragingly, now giving her full attention to the teenager that has a diffucult love life.
"Come on then! I have some roses on my balcony near the railing." The ravenette announced as she got off her chaise and went to the window leading to said balcony, with the kwami trailing behind her.
"Okay, I need the leaves from the roses over there" Marinette said as she walked over to the plant. Marinette grabbed two leaves, one for Luka and one for Adrien.
As she got out her marker, she noticed she accidentally grabbed three. A coincidence?
She thinks she should discard the third leaf when Tikki lets out a witty retort, "Why not add Chat Noir in the mix?"
Tikki was only half joking, she didn't actually think the girl would listen.
Marinette thought for a second.
What's the harm in that? It's not like I actually like him or his leaf would win.
She quickly jotted down Luka, Adrien, and Chat Noir on the three separate leaves and awaited for a breeze to come about.
It was a summer night, so Marinette knew she would have to wait a bit for a breeze to come. While waiting, Tikki conversed with Marinette about her new internet interests. K-pop music videos. Marinette gave the kwami a strange look, one that appeared to be fear, but the kwami shrugged it off, continuing on about the different videos she saw.
Marinette was secretly praying Tikki didn't find Twitter.
When Marinette felt a breeze come, she threw the three leaves into the air, instantly regretting adding the third.
As the leaves settled and fell to the ground on her balcony she saw the first leaf and went to pick it up.
As she picked up the leaf to thoroughly examine it, she read the name she didn't think it would land with.
Chat Noir.
Okay, Marinette had no reason to freak out. It was fine, maybe a fluke. So, she gathered all three leaves and tried again when another breeze came by.
She got the same results.
Now she could freak out!
Marinette was, as Tikki would say, one to react disproportionately. Either she would get news and would immediately overreact or be impassive to the news. Right now, it was the first one.
Tikki was wondering what was wrong with it, though. Chat Noir was two(?) of the three boys, so his leaf had a higher chance of getting the spot on the ground to start with.
In Marinette's eyes, there were three boys.
She forgot about secret identities for a minute.
"Marinette, you need to breathe and calm down." The kwami told the girl sedately.
Marinette did the exact opposite. She did take breath, but she let out a scream shortly after and began pacing back and forth on the balcony.
"Who does this cat think he is? It's not like he owns a piece of my heart! Ha, as if!" Marinette said desperately, tone uncertain and excited? Tikki couldn't guess what the girl was feeling.
"Right?" Marinette asked herself. She couldn't also like the cat, could she?
Sure, he was there for her all the time, supporting her when she confided in him, joking and reassuring her things would be fine, and just being a constant presence in her life, he was like that from the beginning.
He does own a piece of your heart, you're just in denial. A small voice in her head told her.
In reality, while Marinette was stuck in her mind, coming to a realization that she did in fact allow Chat Noir into her heart, Tikki whispered that in her ear.
She still heard it, whether she thought it was her subconscious or not, those words made her accept the fact that she fell for the damn alley cat.
" I like Chat . No, not like. I-I think I love him." Marinette whispered, voice barely audible.
When Marinette let the feeling sink in, she didn't know how to feel. She knew it wasn't negative. It was― she was glad.
She knew deep down why. It's because he was the one that was always with her in her darkest times. He was the person she could trust no matter what.
"Tikki, I love Chat Noir, don't I?" Marinette questioned the kwami, with a small smile on her face.
Tikki wanted to applaud the girl for finally realizing her feelings for the boy, but instead she simply stayed quiet and enjoyed the revelation that came tonight.