When Marinette is in a creative mood she usually goes to the park near her house. If there's one thing that could get her creative juices flowing it's people watching. There is something about watching people as they go about their lives that is inspiring in itself. How people manage conflict, how they handle embarrassment, even how they carry themselves; these all help Marinette create something out of those small nuances. The thing about creators is that they don't create anything new, they create something unexpected from the supposed mundane. Inspiration is truly everywhere.

And that was what she was doing. Marinette watched a child smear chocolate ice cream all over her frock and that gave her an idea for a new dress and how to incorporate uneven hemlines.

As she was sketching her dress and making notes, she looked over her sketchbook and noticed the familiar steel toed boots she knew so well.

Marinette looked up and squinted against the glare of the sun behind his golden head. "Hello, Chat Noir," she smiled, hand over her eyes to shield them against the glare.

"Hi there, Princess," he grinned widely. "Fancy meeting you here."

She returned his grin with one of her own. "Likewise. It's weird to see you out here in the open and in the middle of the day instead of you know, in my room in the dead of the night," she teased.

"I like to mix things up sometimes." Chat dropped on the bench next to her and sighed, stretching himself under the patch of sun. "You know, to keep you interested."

"I don't think I could lose my interest in you right now, Chat," she laughed as she went back to sketching, adding small notes here and there.

"Really now? And why is that?"

"Well, because you're very interesting."

"That's it?"

"What else is there?"

"A variety of different reasons!" He tried to keep his tone light but failed short. But at least he caught her attention.

"Chat, what is going on?" Marinette finally stopped scribbling, looked up from her sketchbook again and tilted her head at him, brow furrowing.

"Well, Princess, I just wanted to know where I stand with you," Chat pressed now that he had her full attention.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you see me as?"

That gave her a moment's pause. "Well," she began, forming her words slowly, "you're Chat Noir. You're a brilliant crime fighter, you're funny, you're kind and you're very loyal-"

"Those are fine qualities, I'm sure," he cut her off. "But what am I to you?"

Marinette just stared at him in confusion. "Chat, I'm sorry but I really don't know what you mean."

"Imagine if I were to go fight off another akuma in a couple of hours or tomorrow and something were to happen to me, how would you feel?"

"Mon dieu, Chat!" Marinette gasped. "That's absolutely morbid!"

"It's hypothetical! So? What would you do?"

"I'd think that Ladybug would come and rescue you wouldn't she?"

Chat let out a gusty breath. "She would, I know that. But let's just say that she was previously occupied and couldn't reach me in time-"

"Which wouldn't happen," Marinette argued.

"But let's just say," Chat plowed on, ignoring her. "Let's just say that I was in mortal danger and could very well die. You know, seeing as what I'm doing is like hella dangerous."

"Following that logic, shouldn't Ladybug be in equal danger?" she pointed out.

"Yes but-"

"Aren't you supposed to watch out for each other?"

"Well what if there were twin akuma? She'd have to take one and I take the other. Then we'd be in equal danger, wouldn't we?"

"Yes," she replied slowly. "Yes I do see that happening. And hopefully it never does."

"Yes, thank you. Now, following that, I just really want to know how you'd feel. If that situation, hypothetically," he quickly added when he saw her open her mouth to argue, "were to happen, how would you react?"

Marinette thought about it for a while. "I'd say I wouldn't let that happen," she finally said decisively.

Chat just stared at her for a few moments. "Well, what can you do? It's not like you have the power to do anything about it, could you?"

"And how would you know that?"

"Can you just stop dancing around the subject, Marinette!" Chat exploded angrily.

"I'm the one dancing? What is wrong with you?" Marinette could feel her temper rise. "You're the one asking all these ridiculous hypothetical," she mocked his voice as she did air quotes with her fingers, "questions. Really, I don't know why you're asking these when Ladybug could-"

Chat cut off her sentence in the most unexpected way possible.

To her, the sky suddenly darkened as noses and teeth bumped into each other. The first thing she registered was the feeling of his lips on hers, fitting together perfectly. Dimly, she felt her pencil and sketchbook slide off her lap and land on the ground by her feet. She saw with eyes wide open that his eyes were closed, his eyelashes fluttering against hers. She felt his hand on her chin and vaguely remembered him pulling her face to him.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and turned her body to face his, putting a hand on his face to cup his cheek tenderly as she tilted her head and opened the kiss. Acting on instinct, she kissed him back. And when she did, she felt a shiver run through him as he deepened the kiss and she could taste him. She could feel his uncertainty and his fear and it moved her.

He was afraid for her.

When he should have been afraid for himself.

She drank in all the sensations and opened her eyes, only to meet his gaze as he stared at her. They broke off the kiss.

"No dancing around the subject now," he whispered, his forehead on hers as he stared into her eyes. "What would you do? I need to know," he swallowed. "I need to know what I'm fighting for. I don't want to recklessly put my life on the line. I need something to tether myself, to hold me back if I ever feel the urge to throw my life away."

Marinette stared right back into his eyes. "You don't have to be afraid," she breathed. "I will feel like my life ended with you, should you throw your life away so recklessly."

He closed his eyes slowly and opened them to gaze at her again. He used this opportunity to memorise the colour of her eyes, the line of her nose, the quirk of her mouth. He closed his eyes slowly again as he burned these images into his mind. This is his reminder. This is what he needed. "If something were to happen to me, I just want you to know now that I'm truly sorry. I would never want to hurt you and I hope that you will forgive me-"

This time he was silenced with a kiss. And he knew that all would be well.

A/N: Part of Marichat May: Day 8; Dancing. I can't guarantee that I'll hit all the days but I'll certainly try!