14 days of valentine

nine true vows

There was only an envelope in Marinette's locker that Thursday morning.

Marinette's heart sank at the sight of it, at first she thought that it was a letter apologising for wasting her time and telling her that she was right last night….that Chat Noir didn't love her. Or worse, he had but her insecurities and over-sensitivity had put him off completely. Her fingers trembled the entire time she tried to open it and then, much to her surprise, she pulled out two pieces of paper.

On the first was the usual typed note that simply read;

On the ninth day of Valentine my true love gave to me, nine true vows.

She moved the neatly typed, almost empty, page over to find a handwritten list just for her.

With all my heart, the neat swirly handwriting that seemed achingly familiar for some reason read, I make these promises to you.

I vow to always have your back in battle.

I vow to always be the shoulder you can cry on.

I vow to always be the hand you can hold.

I vow that I always tell you stupid puns in attempt to make you laugh.

I vow I will always take care of you in sickness and health.

I vow I will always honour and respect your decisions even when I disagree with you.

I vow I will always tell you the truth.

I vow I will always cherish you in whatever capacity you choose. Be it friend or lover.

And I vow that I am, always have been, and always will be madly, devotedly, in love with you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Marinette felt tears well up in her eyes. It was short, direct, and plainly spoken and perhaps the most romantic and sweetest thing Chat Noir had ever said. She felt like he had just bared his soul to her and it touched her more than she ever expected it to.

He loved her.

He really, truly, loved her.

Her, as in Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The clumsy, shy, plain girl that was incapable of walking in a straight line without tripping over thin air and incapable of uttering a single sentence to Adrien Agreste without screwing it up entirely.

He loved her.

Her heart skipped a treacherous beat and she felt her face heat up and butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"Hey," Alya nudged her, "what have you got there? Another Valentine?"

"Uh-huh," Marinette hummed happily as she showed Alya the handwritten page, "it's the sweetest thing he has sent me," she whispered. "I…" she sniffled slightly as she was determined she was not going to break down and cry. This was a good thing, a wonderful thing, and she wasn't going to mar it with her tears no matter how joyful they actually were. God, she has become an emotional wreck. "It's just so beautiful," she said.