We're finally equal | a miraculous story

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight!

"I..." Marinette traced his lips. "I think I love you..." she whispered, barely audible. Adrien stayed silent, keeping his eyes shut. "I'm sorry, I should have put you on the spot like that or.."

"I love you too Marinette." He kissed the tips of her fingers. Marinette blushed like a hot red tomato.

"You... y-you do?" She looked into his mask, trying to see his face. But she could only see the black mask and closed eyes with blonde eyelashes.

"What's not to love?" Adrien asked sweetly. Marinette sighed.

"A lot actually..."

"Hmmm... I don't see it." Adrien played.

"Well you have your eyes shut dummy. But... it's something else."

"You know I can't open my eyes right? The government would Some how find out, like they always do, and we would go to jail or be killed!" Adrien grabbed her delicate hand.

"Adrien... Fine." She let go of him and crawled away.

"Marinette?"

"Im finding a different mask so we can maybe fix my real one." She stated and grabbed a paper bag. She cut to holes out for eyes and placed it over her head.

"You good?" Adrien pondered.

"You can open your eyes now." She replied. His eyes flicked open and he saw the bag over her head. A sad sight. "We should try and finish the mask soon, so you can audition. Will you be my Juliet?"

"If you'll be my Romeo." Marinette smiled under the brown paper bag.

"Alright then. Where's the mask?" Adrien asked and Marinette led him to her pink desk where the red mask lay torn with its accessories strewn about, falling off of it. "Wow, you really did break it."

"Oh shut up!" She frowned.

"Have you tried sewing it?" Adrien asked.

"I glued it several times! It keeps breaking and- Wait did you say... sewing?"

"Uh huh."

"I.... Well.... no." She mumbled.

"Well... try! We don't have much time!"

"Right." She said and got to work.

———

"Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry aaaaaaaaand done!" Marinette squealed and lifted up the mended mask that now heals a scar of string.

"Great! We gotta go!" Adrien said, getting up. "Hurry!"

"What do you think I've been doing this whole time?!" Marinette raised her voice. "Look away!" She said and Adrien did. She tore off the paper bag and put on the mask.

Adrien grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room. They flew together down the stares and thumped through the bakery like a hoard of elephants.

"I'll take her to the try outs! Got to go!" Adrien called to Marinette's mom as they shoved their way out the door.

"We're late!" Marinette shrieked, checking her phone. "Do you have a car?!"

"No I was planning on walking today! Run!" He said and they made a dash through Paris, running hand in hand.

Eventually the building came into view. "It's probably over by now!"

"There's still hope." Adrien was breathing heavy. They shoved the doors open and jogged to the stage room. "We're here!!!"

The instructor, Mrs. Geritz looked up. She checked the time. "We are about to start auditions for hip hop dancers, can you make it quick Marinette?"

"Y-yes." Marinette panted. She looked down and realized The was still in her clothes. There was no time to change.

Catching her breath, Marinette walked up to the stage. She soon realized she hadn't made a dance routine yet. Her heart pounded, she felt herself go pale.

"What song have you chosen?" Mrs. Geritz Asked. Marinette panicked. She quickly thought of one off the top of her head.

"I uh.. um... W-will ye no come back again? Orchestral." She stammered. Mrs. Geritz nodded and the song began to play.

Marinette felt glued to the floor. She listened to the first few measures of the songs trying to find out what she would do. She let the song carry her back to when she was little, and played ladybug in her first concert. She was only 7.

She took a deep breath than stood on her tippy toes with her black every day slippers on. It wasn't the required tied ballet shoes, this was going to be hard.

She slowly raised her arms up gracefully and leaned backwards, holding her arms like wings. She tip toed to the side the bowed to the audience before raising up again with her arms. Like she was flying without ever leaving the floor.

She gracefully leapt to one side and did a pirouette as she landed. Then as the song picked up she started mixing ballet with an Irish sort of jig. She spun in circles across the stage, puss ring every time she faced the audience with a hand reached out.

"She's so beautiful..." Adrien said to himself as she glides across the stage. Lila huffed and crossed her arms.

Marinette continued until she dramitcly fell to the floor. The music slowed down and she made the same slow flapping motion with her arms as she had before. She slowly raised to her feet by "flying" and the music stopped. She bowed.

The judges stood up in applause. "Wonderful Marinette!" Mrs. Geritz cheered. Then the judges spoke with one another. "Would the ballet class step up on stage please?" They asked.

The dancers lined up on stage. It was a strange silence, hearts pounded, fingers crossed. "For our Romeo, we have Adrien Agreste!" Some of the non ballet people who were waiting for the next audition clapped. "And for Juliet.. it was a tight decision... but we chose.... Lila Rossi!"

A couple hands clapped but it was dead silent. Lila stepped forward. "Thank you so so so so much! You don't know how much this means to me! With my father in the hospital, it's hard to ever speak with him. And now that I'm Juliet in the concert, he's bound to finally come! I.. I wouldn't know what I would do... to never see him again... thank you for giving me that chance." A tear ran down Lila's cheek. Marinette fumed.

———

"I'm really sorry Marinette, you deserved to win." Adrien hugged her as they left the building.

"She's such a liar!"

"What do you mean?"

"She lied to them! Probably before the auditions too! So that they'd pick her out of pity!" Marinette steamed.

"How do you know she was lying?" Adrien asked. Marinette fell silent. "Exactly, I wouldn't wrongly accuse her of-"

"Because I know her dad." Marinette replied.

"What? How?"

"Because..." she paused. "We share the same father. She's my half sister." Marinette stated. And the world stood still.