A Miraculously Tangled Tale (Tangled AU) #miraculousladybugawards2019

Chapter 12

(A/N:)

Omggg it feels so good to finally get another chapter out! Hope you guys enjoy<3

  At last, the village surrounding the royal palace finally came into full view as Marinette and Chat Noir proceeded down the main road. Marinette's heart profusely pound against her chest with every excited step she took. She was very near to bursting with happiness, though she feared she would have a heart attack the moment she saw the butterflies and their Miraculous Flight. 

Almost there...I'm almost there... she thought. 

They finally approached the kingdom gate, it's metal bars and intricate design shining brightly in the sunlight. Chat Noir noticed the two guards who were heavily equipped with weapons in case of threat. Knowing that them recognizing him was a possibility, he covered him mask with his hand and dragged Marinette to a nearby tree, where he groaned in frustration. 

"I forgot they were after me," he told Marinette. "I don't know how we'll get past without them recognizing me first."

"Was it really necessary for you to be a criminal in the first place?" Marinette frowned, folding both arms across her chest matter-of-factly. 

Chat rolled his eyes. "Let's not discuss this right now, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. But we will be discussing it soon, right?"

"Says who?"

"Says me."

Chat Noir snorted before averting his gaze back to the guards. "Whatever you wanna tell yourself, princess. But seriously...any ideas?"

Marinette chuckled before replying, "I could think of one obvious idea."

"Which is?"

"Take off your mask, silly."

Startled, Chat whirled his head around to once again face Marinette. "My mask?"

"The guards are after Chat Noir," Marinette explained. "Not after Adrien. You're mostly recognized because you wear that mask all the time. But since you never take it off, they don't know the face that's underneath."

Knowing she was right, Chat Noir reached for the buckle that held his mask in place, then hesitated. "I-I probably shouldn't."

"Why not?" asked Marinette, her forehead creasing in concern. 

Chat shrugged. "I'm just..." he started, trying to find the right words to say. At last he finished with a shrug, "I'm just not comfortable taking it off."

 This was the first time he had revealed even a small detail of his insecurity concerning his mask to anyone, and he never imagined he actually would. But if he had to confine in anyone, it would be Marinette. Besides, he figured, he had already shared with her a piece of his past...something he even concealed from his closest companion Nino. 

It's crazy that the two had only met a day ago, yet they somehow knew each other more than they realized. The long conversations they shared through their journey proved, in a way, to be beneficial and fulfilling for them both. Chat Noir was surprised at how easily he could talk to Marinette about almost anything. He used to consider her annoying and dramatic, but now he actually was warming up to her and was used to her presence. 

Marinette, on the other hand, was torn between wanting to believe her mother's words and putting her full trust in Chat. What if Befana was right? What if Chat Noir ended up betraying her or worse...use her for his own personal benefit? But the more time she spent with him, the more Befana's voice in her mind became a distant fog that would eventually begin to float away with the soft outside breeze. 

   There was a connection between them, this she knew for sure. Marinette didn't know what kind of connection, but she knew it was enough for her to respect Chat Noir and finally consider him as a friend. After all, he was her only source of reliance in her crazy newfound world. If Befana happened to be right, she would worry about that when the time comes. 

Presently, Marinette gently grabbed hold of Chat Noir's hand, though she felt him slightly squirm from her touch. 

"Please...Adrien," she whispered. "This is our only chance-- my only chance. You don't have to hide your real face from the world, because it's not your face that matters. It's you who truly matters." 

Chat Noir never voiced it, but from their previous conversations Marinette figured he wasn't wearing a mask to conceal his identity as a thief...he was wearing a mask because he was ashamed of being looked upon with pity. She could only try to imagine why. 

Finally, after a long pause, Chat sighed. Marinette took that as a sign of consent, and slowly lifted both of her hands to the back of his head, where she felt the leather buckled that held his mask securely to his face. Once she unbuckled the strap, she lifted the mask from his face, holding her breath in amazement as she did so. 

Good God, he was handsome. The mask had made it difficult to notice his emerald green eyes, but now she saw them fully....how they accented his messy golden blonde hair and fair skin. 

Marinette didn't realized she was staring until Adrien asked, "What're you looking at?" with an amused grin. 

"What? I-you...psh. Nothing" she stammered nervously, bringing herself back to earth. "I was just, you know, making sure you didn't have any...uh...sunburn."

"Really?" he smirked. 

Marinette tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. "Shouldn't we be going now?" she finally managed to say. 

Adrien smiled. "Sure. Let's go."

Marinette placed the mask on the ground, and the pair began to walk toward the gate. After answering a few questions from the guards, they were let in. 

Once they had passed the gate, Marinette eyes widened in amazement and the thrill of her sudden accomplishment flowed through her veins until she could feel it even in the very tips of her toes. 

She had finally done it. But little did she know this was only the beginning of another fantastic adventure. 

(Author's Note:)

"Clifffff hanger, hanging from a cliffff......and that's why he's called Cliffanger" XD (If you get this reference then I'll love you forever!!!)

Helloooooo fellow Miraculers! 

I apologize for not having this chapter up sooner, but I've had so much going on lately AND still currently shook from the latest episodes that have recently come out. 

And speaking of which, I'm so freakin' happy that we're getting brand new episodes sooner and sooner. It was definitely a pain waiting for a new episode to come out after watching one several weeks before, and I'm EXTREMELY grateful to all the people who are constantly trying their best and for all the effort they put into the episodes while working on Miraculous. 

Onward to Season 3! (waves baton)

Anyway, thank you all soooooooo much for reading and patiently waiting for my updates. You guys are awesome :-D <3 Please feel free to vote and share.

And you guys know how much I love my comments ;-)

Until next chapter, and keep being Miraculous!