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It was funny to think how innocent, silly comments could set in motion something so big.
Marinette still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she had not only agreed to this but she had been the one to suggest it.
Being a superhero meant having a lot of physical advantages over mere humans. It was useful in battle but like Chat loved pointing out it was also fun.
Marinette had to agree. For someone who tripped over her feet on a daily basis, it was sure nice to have the grace and balance that magic granted.
She was quite strict about the ways superpowers could be used though. They could be fun but shouldn't be used for fun. After all, they were responsible young people.
So she still wasn't sure how she'd fallen into this trap. She had been arguing with Chat that they could never take part in the Olympics no matter how much they wanted to represent France. And he had agreed.
But he had expressed his disappointment with the fact that they couldn't have their own competition, between superheroes.
What would be the point in that? She had asked. It being fun wasn't enough, of course. And to this he hadn't had a retort.
Maybe it had been something about his silly pout that was unfairly cute. Or maybe she was tired of being the voice of reason.
"Would training for this competition be helpful for us as superheroes?" She's found herself asking.
He hadn't been too quick jump on the chance to convince her. He had cautiously said that it might be. Of course, they'd need to come up with different disciplines in which they would compete to have a better idea about this.
And so it had begun.
To Marinette's surprise, what had started as a silly joke between her and Chat had turned into a team effort.
Viperion was there to time them and sometimes sneak in do overs. He was also a very helpful listening ear when either of them doubted themselves.
Ryuku had agreed to help them both with fencing. As much as Marinette didn't want to admit it, she didn't think she had a chance no matter how hard she practiced. Chat was unfairly good and she secretly envied him but she also didn't want to give up without a fight.
Vesperia had been kind enough to offer her yo-yo to Chat so they could train together while also giving him some pointers. He did have some experience but it didn't hurt to brush up his skills.
Surprisingly, King Monkey had offered his staff to Marinette when it became obvious that she couldn't use Chat's. And he had turned out to have some tips for her. She had been secretly impressed. Maybe superheroing did help people to become more responsible.
Every one of their teammates chipped in with something. They all cheered for both her and Chat. But the funny thing was that none of them proposed to make this competition for everyone.
They seemed to think that this was something between the two of them and never even questioned it. Strangely enough, they seemed to think like that about a lot of things. Marinette often had to explain that she didn't mean to leave anyone else out. Yes, she was closer with Chat and spent the most time with him. They fought a lot of battles on their own. They relied on each other and trusted each other. Probably in a way they would never be able to do with anyone else. But no one seemed to mind. It was how it was and they accepted it.
They still popped in for their training sessions and took note of the skills they were developing. Each superhero gave each weapon a try. There was no doubt that this helped make the team better and Marinette had no regrets about agreeing to do this.
They all helped them train and develop new skills or hone existing ones. It was hard work but Marinette felt no doubt about the fact that it would be very useful. They already found ways to implement all they had learned against akumas.
But ultimately, it was time for the fun part. The day had come for Ladybug and Chat Noir to face each other in the first superhero Olympics for two.
Pegasus had made a whole schedule for a day tightly packed with competitions. Carapace shielded off a big arena just for them so no innocent people could be hurt but also so no villains could interrupt them. Of course, there were also superheroes keeping guard so that everything remained peaceful while they were busy.
First, it was sprinting. It was pretty much a tie, according to Marinette, but no one knew for sure apart from the record keeper. Then there was swimming where the result was similar. It had already become obvious that disciplines that required speed and strength presented no difficulty for either of them and they were pretty equal in their results.
It was no surprise that they also did better with their designated weapons. Hard training helped but ultimately it was about feeling something like second nature. So when Marinette transformed with Plagg to try her hand at the pole vault, she did her best. But she knew even before she saw Chat jump, that he would be better than her.
The same thing happened when he took his turn with Tikki. The yo-yo had been a tricky one to use in terms of a competition and they had ended up coming up with a routine akin to rhythmic gymnastics that incorporated the most typical moves. A panel of four judges scored their presentation and while Mister Bug was great, Marinette knew that she had aced it.
They went through throwing, fencing, boxing and numerous other activities. If Marinette won one match, Chat took the other. They both had skills they had mastered better but ultimately they cancelled each other out.
So the final result wasn't a surprise for Marinette.
"We went through the recordings and ran the calculations several times. There is no mistake. It was a tight race, but with a lead of just one point, the winner is... " Pegasus paused for dramatic effect, but Marinette used the moment to cut him off.
"Stop," she said, her voice loud. She could feel everyone's gaze on her, but most of all Chat's. So she turned to him and addressed him directly. "We both trained hard and found our weaknesses and strengths, while working to improve them. What we saw here today, and I'm sure everyone will agree, just like the official score, showed that we are pretty much equals. Of course, I can't dream of ever besting your pole vault record and I'm sure that you will never do the whole yo-yo routine again," she added with a teasing smile and heard a chorus of chuckles. "But together, we are the best. And this is what matters the most. I don't care who wins."
A part of her expected Chat to protest. It was hard to determine who was more competitive out of the two. Marinette was sure that he'd never let her win something just because of how he felt about her. He never babied her not only because he knew that she would hate it but also because he believed in her to face up to any challenge and she appreciated this. She extended him the same courtesy. So maybe he did want to know if he was better than her.
But his reaction was just peaceful acceptance. He smiled at her before dragging her to the podium that had just two steps and helping her up to the top one before taking his place right next to her. It was a tight fit but they managed to do it when they lifted their arms, together, to the deafening sound of applause.
"Now it's time for pizza and drinks," Chat said, which was greeted by cheers as the superheroes headed to the area designated for this.
"Are you sure that you're not disappointed, kitty?" Marinette asked before they joined the rest of the team.
"Nah," he shook his head. " If anything, I'd bet that it's you who had the extra point. But I wouldn't mind either way. I really don't want to know."
"You were great out there," she told him sincerely.
"So were you," he shot back.
There was a beat before they burst into laughter. Yes, it was clear that neither of them would just give in.
"Are you sure you won't run after Pegasus to beg him to see the result after we're done here?" She still teased him.
"Absolutely. I'm a bit surprised that it won't be you doing this, but since you suggested we skip the official part... "
"I meant what I said," she shrugged. "Also, it wasn't really news to me. I've already learned that our contribution as partners is equally valuable. We need each other to be our best selves."
Something shifted in his eyes and before she could blink, he was pulling her into a tight hug.
"Thank you, m'lady."
She smiled as her arms closed around him. Who needed the title of best/fastest/strongest/whatever superhero when they could have this?
The realisation that she was so lucky to have him was nothing new but it did make her feel a bit emotional, so the hug was very welcome.
"I had a lot of fun," she said eventually. "I'm glad that we did this."
"So am I," Chat gave her a wide smile as he let her go. "And it's not over yet."
"Let's celebrate our hard work," she whooped, to his obvious delight.
Marinette couldn't remember feeling happier. After all, they were both the winners.