Marinette sat over her desk and pondered a few questions that were swarming through her head in the moment. Why had Chat looked so heartbroken when she brought up the topic of Mother's Day at patrol? She shook her head as she tried to remember what had happened just 45 minutes ago.
"Hello Chat," she had said when she landed on the rooftop and looked over to see her partner gazing out into the city in front of them. "I see you're here early tonight. Excited to see me?"
"I would never miss an oppurrrtunity to see my beautiful partner!" Her heart did a tiny flip over his words. She rolled her eyes with a grin. He was such a dork.
"Time for patrol kitty. You take right and I'll take left?"
"Sure thing, bugaboo. Let's meet at the top of the Eiffel Tower in 30 minutes." Chat had looked over to her as she nodded.
"See you in 30!" She yelled as she flew over the rooftops. There were no akumas tonight, at least none she could visibly see in the dark of night. She circled over the city and landed on the top base of the Eiffel Tower, where she saw a black shadow leaping towards her. The figure landed perfectly in a crouch next to her own body and slowly rose up, looking towards her direction.
There, stood Chat, smiling that large cheshire smile that only he was capable of doing. He smirked, "My Lady! You look absolutely purrrfect tonight! Even after all that running and jumping. Not that you don't look beautiful every time I see you, but you're looking especially breathtaking tonight. Did you cut your hair?"
"Silly kitty. I didn't cut my hair, so whatever new additions you see on me is probably just your imagination."
They both settled into a peaceful type of quiet as they stood, staring at the beautiful city of Paris. The fragrant wind blew through their hair and it caused her to sigh in content and bliss.
"Chat? Can I ask you something?"
"Hmmm? Sure, go ahead." Chat responded, with a lazy smile.
"Tomorrow is mother's day, right? I don't know what to give my mom. What are you doing for Mother's Day?" she turned to look at Chat and was surprised to find that his cat-like green eyes were watery. He looked minutes away from crying.
She spoke quickly, immediately concerned for him. "Chaton, what's wrong? Did I say something-?"
"Uh, I better be going. My dad is um, probably wondering where I am. It's getting late and I don't want anyone to worry. Bye, Ladybug." He stammered over his words, suddenly in a rush to go home. He leapt off the base of the railing with his baton and he went into the night, moving into shadows until he completely disappeared from her view.
It's probably just in my imagination, she thought to herself.
It was around 12:30 on a weeknight and Marinette knew that she was going to regret her actions when she was late to school once again. Needless to say, her parents were definitely getting suspicious of her behavior as the months went by. She knew that being Ladybug was an enormous responsibility and she was really tired, but she just wanted to add to her latest design. Her current inspiration was Chat Noir himself as her pencil quickly flew around the sketchpad, creating intricate and delicate details to create what she thought would make the outfit really special. She just wanted to make her favorite kitty happy.
Not that there was any other cat in her life (no one so important anyway).
Lately, his suave actions and flirtatious acts were starting to become problem. Everytime he complimented, looked at her with that trademark smirk, or something similar, her stomach filled with a fluttering of butterflies, her palms became sweaty, and her heartbeat increased. These things used to only happen every time she saw Adrien.
The only difference was that what she felt for Chat was much, much stronger than how she felt with Adrien. With Chat Noir, the process was very slow (slow enough that she didn't even know when she truly fell for him), whereas with Adrien, she fell for him almost instantly (after she found out about the gum and after he'd apologized).
Of course, she knew that both Chat and Adrien both had problems at home. It was very obvious. Adrien tried not to mention his life at school, but there were a few times where it had been very apparent to her. It was very rare that Chat came after midnight with his unusually deflated mood and she'd wondered why he felt that way. However, she never tried to pry into his personal life without having his full permission. She would usually bring in croissants, macarons, or cookies with hot chocolate and they really cheered him up.
Both Adrien and Chat had eerily similar facial features too. Both had bright green eyes, blonde hair, and were caring, generous, and kind. That's where the similarities ended between the boys ended.
Chat had wild hair that went in every direction (not that she was complaining about his sexy bedhead hair), a wild and punny personality, and he was always flirtatious. It made Marinette extremely jealous when she thought about all the girls he treated the same way as her. And oh gosh, what if he had a millions of girlfriends in his civilian life? He was very charming and she wouldn't really be surprised if he did. But it still hurt her heart to think about it.
Adrien, on the other hand had neat, delicately styled hair that fell perfectly around his beautiful face, a gentle and warm personality that made her swoon, and genuine care. Everytime she tripped and fell, which was every single time she saw him, he would make sure she was okay and give her a warm smile that made her insides melt.
There could be so many blonde hair, green-eyed guys in Paris (she only knew two so far), so what were the chances of them being the same person?
It didn't stop her from hoping, though.
A knock on her window suddenly distracted her from her thoughts. Without even looking, she knew it was Chat. She could distinguish his type of knock anywhere (she knew that it was strange, but she'd put it to the test once; that would be another story for another time).
Unhooking the simple latch, she let him in. She noticed right away that his usually bright and happy eyes were dimmed and red. He didn't say a word to her as he came in like he usually did. No puns, no jokes, no cheerful remarks; he was just quiet which was very unlike him.
Did something she say about Mother's Day affect him? She certainly hoped not, because she would hate to be the cause of his mood change.
"Chat? Are you okay? Do you need anyth-?" she asked before she was cut off by the hoarse sound of his voice.
"I'm sorry, Princess. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to come here, I-."
"Wait, hold up. Why are you sorry? There isn't anything that you did." she tried to console him but noticed that it didn't help at all. If anything, it was only getting worse.
"I'm such a burden on everyone. I-I'm so weak! I promised myself I wouldn't bother you with what was going on in my life, but I failed." he was sobbing now and she felt horrible so she gave him a gigantic bear hug. She squeezed his leather-clad torso lovingly, like anyone would with a fluffy teddy bear.
He eventually returned her embrace and buried his face into her hair. Only now did she notice how tall he had become or how short she really was. Her head ended at his chin. He pulled away from her and looked at her shoulder.
"I've made your shirt wet, Princess. I'm sorry." he apologized, looking at the wooden floor of her room.
"Oh Chat, I don't mind. It's okay. Come here with me." She lead him to the baby pink chaise lounge in her room and sat down with him. She lifted his chin so she could look at him properly.
"Kitty, I just want you know that you are always welcome in my house, whether it's in broad daylight or in the middle of the night. My parents love you too and there isn't anything wrong that you did. I know that there maybe are things going on in your house. My mom always tells me that it helps to tell someone. But if you don't want to, just know that I'm still here for you." she tells him and ruffles his wild hair. She uses the small pads of her fingers to slowly wipe away the tears that stains his cheeks.
As she's doing this, he watches her work. His eyes follow every move she makes and she suddenly feels self-conscious with his steady gaze. She stops and attempts to looks at him, but he crushes her in a hug before she can even try.
"Thank you, Marinette. For being there for me, even when I feel like no one cares. You're so selfless and kind and loving and every good thing that's out there in the world. You're so considerate, especially since Mother's Day is hard for me because my…" his eyes widen at the last words he says and he looks like a deer caught in headlights. He clears his throat, "Uh...I meant to say...that, um…" he trails off, not knowing what to say.
Suddenly overcome by grief, he cries out again, with his head in his hands.
It physically and mentally hurts Marinette to see him in such a state. She pulls him into her body, stroking his hair and decides that the only way she can help him is to be there for him when he needs her most.
Why was Mother's Day so hard for him? She wanted to know badly, but decided that she wouldn't pry. When he was ready, he would. And she would wait until then.
After a few moments, she presses her head back against the top of the chaise, closes her eyes, and tries to focus on her breathing.
"Princess?" he mumbles.
"Yeah, Kitty?"
"Can I tell you why Mother's Day is hard for me? I want to get you permission because...I don't want to burden you with my problems in my family life. Only if it's okay with you." he fidgets with his fingers, suddenly nervous.
He was so sweet. She could tell that he greatly cared about her, even if it wasn't like the strong feelings she had towards him. "You can tell me anything, Chat. I want to be there for you and help you get through anything that's bothering. Go ahead, whenever you're ready." she smiles at him, even after knowing that he can't see her.
He sighs, knowing that half of the butterflies that were in his stomach fluttering around disappeared because she was okay with him sharing his deepest secrets. He was immensely grateful for her.
When did he become so lucky?
She was passionate, caring, compassionate (at least enough to let a stray like him come into her home) generous, and her genuine nature in everything she did made his heart melt. His feelings for Ladybug had blinded him from seeing the cute girl who sat behind him in class. The way she stood up to Chloe, was positive, and charming, and absolutely adorable, made his heart pound vigorously in his chest.
And especially after these late night visits with hot chocolate, pastries, with movies and talking, and most of all: her company, he realized how deeply he had fallen. He knew he always liked Marinette, but this...this was something more passionate and stronger than what he had ever felt for Ladybug.
And so he finally, finally discovers the simple, yet complicated fact.
'I'm in love with Marinette', he thinks.
The fact is refreshing, just like she is.
He suddenly remembers that Marinette was there waiting for him to answer. He quickly tries to sort through his jumbled thoughts and tries to calm his beating heart, which he's sure Marinette can hear.
He takes a deep breath and slowly says, "Mother's Day is hard for me because... because...my mom disappeared...a-a year ago, and this is my...my first year without her. She was the only person who actually loved and cared about me in my family. I miss her so much. I just want for her to come back and tell me how much she loves me and cares about me. I miss her warm green eyes that always seemed to twinkle, her warm smile, and her bright personality.
She loved to give back to people, and was genuinely the most kind person I've ever known. But after she disappeared, it was like my whole world fell apart. My father became cold and emotionless, and he started to give me activities to keep me busy. My civilian self is guarded and has to keep up a perfect image. Becoming Chat Noir is the only time I can be my true self, the one who makes puns. "
He says this quickly and Marinette swallows this information. All this time, she never knew exactly how much he was hurting inside. He didn't deserve to feel this way.
No one did.
She thought back to her own mother, her blue-black hair just like the one she inherited, her warm smiles, her thoughtful eyes, her comforting hugs, amazing cooking and baking skills, and the understanding nature. If her mother died, or disappeared one day, Marinette wouldn't know what to do. She'd be in pain and misery too.
Another nagging thought arose in the back of her mind. Adrien had the same problems too. His father was cold and unforgiving, and his mother had also disappeared a year ago. Their similarities were staring her straight in the face now.
Could it be…?
"Adrien?" she whispered in a low tone that she hoped he wouldn't hear. His eyes darted to her and he looked at her with interest. Looking at his pain-filled green eyes, she finally knew saw both of them in each other.
Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste.
Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir.
Those were the same natured eyes that she saw on Adrien everyday at school.
And the same eyes she saw in Chat sometimes at patrol.
How the heck did she not see the similarities sooner?
Oh god, she was so blind to such an obvious fact. Looking at him now, she knew for sure that they were one and the same.
She must have spaced out or something, because he noticed her staring at her peculiarly with his head slightly cocked to the side.
"What did you say?" he asks.
She squeaked, "Nothing! I didn't say anything!" she composed herself, "Chat, I never knew that you'd lost your mother. I can't say I know exactly how you feel because I'm very thankful for my own maman. But I really want to help you heal. I see you everyday now with those same pained eyes and it breaks my heart. I can't bear to see someone I love in pain." she herself was sobbing now.
"You love me, Princess?" he whispers, hope filling his insides like hot soup on a cold winter's day. He sits up slowly and moves to the edge of the lounge chaise.
Did she say what he thought she said?
Or was it just his imagination?
He desperately hoped it was not the latter.
"Yes, okay? I love you so much that seeing you hurt is tearing me apart!" she tried to calm herself down by taking deeper breaths. "Chat, I really want to help you heal. I don't know how it feels, but I want to support you through whatever you're going through. You don't have to face anyone alone, Kitty, because...I will always be there for you! It always gets better, I promise." she pleaded with him desperately.
A few moments later, she finally heard Chat's voice, "Okay." he whispers.
"Okay?" she asks, not knowing what he meant,
"Yes. I want you to help me. I don't want to live like this anymore," he turns to her, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Princess."
He smiles at her, finally, and it warms her heart. She would do her best to make sure those smiles appear more than the frowns.
She finally laughs too, giddy with joy and throws her arms around him. He goes stiff with surprise, but eventually returns the embrace full force.
They both feel safe and comfortable in each other's arms as they continue to embrace.
"Together?" she asks him.
"Together."
Oh my gosh, I finally finished my first piece!
Now I can rest in peace.
That rhymed!
Just kidding ;D, but honestly, this feels so good. I've been reading multiple different fandoms on for about three years by now. I've always wanted to write something that I could publish here, but I never got the time or chance. I discovered the MLB fandom last summer when it popped up in my Youtube page. I was just like 'what in the world is this?' Now I'm obsessively obsessed with it.
I wrote this because Mother's Day in France is on May 28 (today, but it may vary for your time zone) and because it's almost the end of Marichat May! I wanted to create something that had a good mix of the two.
I think for my first oneshot, this is pretty good. However, I'll leave that up to you readers to decide in the reviews (*hint, hint*). I would love to see if you liked it, and if you didn't, feel free to express yourselves. Constructive criticism is welcome!
I'm NOT going to continue this oneshot because I think it's at a good place right now, right where I want it.
This will not be the last you see of me!
Farewell, dear readers :)!