June 1: Kiss

Author's Note: Epcot97 here. ChubbyUnicornMama and I had such a great time with the #MariChatMay2019 prompts, we were somewhat adrift when June rolled around - especially since we tend to fall more into the MariChat camp than Ladrien. With a bit of a gentle nudge, I conned - er - managed to get her to agree to another thirty days of MariChat, but using the LadrienJune prompts. It also will allow us to continue some of the more popular storylines we created last month, although CM tells me we are not going to do another 10k words at a Ball. (Little does she realize…)

CM: *patented Ladybug eyeroll* We did half that before they even arrived at the ball...

Since we're both rather busy in our real life jobs this month, we added DearestMrIcarus to our happy team. Each of us have solo pieces, but more than a few were team written. We'll let you know who to blame when the time comes.

We also have some brand new schemes to insert ourselves into the Zag organization. Until then, though, the standard disclaimer applies: we don't own anything other than the cool Chat Noir iPhone 6 case. Too bad none of us have an iPhone 6.

Our first entry for the month? It was an accident. Chat was her best friend. And she was his. They should have never kissed after sharing their mutual long standing rejections. It was just a moment of weakness… the question is, will it happen again…?

Ep: CM, you can put away the blackmail photos. We've got Icarus for the month now.

CM: They are NOT blackmail photos. They're motivation. Besides. June isn't written yet, is it?

Ic: Did someone say my name? Blackmail? What… I'm confused… but in this segment Chat and Mari are too… so at least I'm not alone.

CM: The boys wrote this one… don't blame me!

Marinette

His lips were softer than I had expected. I leaned in a little more, savoring the warm kiss. And then it hit me.

I had just kissed my best friend.

He must've had the same thought, because we pulled away at the same time. A look of utter bewilderment was glazed over his face, and to be honest I knew I wore a matching one.

"I-I- um… ugh… it w-was j-just a spur of the moment thing. I'm in love with yo- I mean it's not l-like I'm in love with y-you," I stuttered.

Great. First I kissed Chat, and now I'm stuttering in front of him. Well, technically he kissed me… but I kissed back. Nice job Marinette.

He looked at me with a mix of relief and disappointment which I mirrored.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Its just I was bummed about how my love life crashed and burned, and yours was going bad… and I just… well I didn't think. Sorry Princess," he apologized rather sincerely. Strangely enough.

There was a corner of my mind that hated the sincerity of his voice; it wanted him to kiss me again. Another subconscious portion noted he had missed out on his classic "purrincess" pun.

Of course I knew that was a bad decision. I hadn't given up on Adrien just yet, and besides, it's kinda weird to kiss your best friend.

"Ugh… y-yeah… you are stupid… I mean we-We are stupid. Don't worry Chat… it'll never happen again."

As I looked into his eyes, I thought I saw a flicker of sadness. Before i could say anything more he turned to me.

"Yeah, never again… anyhow, I have a patrol with Ladybug soon, so I had better get going," he said positioning himself to leap off my balcony.

"Bye Chat! Love you…"

Crap. I can't believe I just said that.

I was used to adding the "love you" when bidding my parent's farewell. As he lept away I had to hope that he hadn't heard that.

It's possible, right? Maybe he didn't hear it.

Tikki crawled out of my purse as I gazed at the full moon.

"Marinette, shouldn't you be getting ready for patrol?"

"Yeah, Tikki, I should," I said feigning confidence. But really I was an utter mess. Worries buzzed through my mind. How was I going to hold myself together seeing Chat again, and why was I acting so strange?

No time to wonder about that. Paris needs her heroes on patrol.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Chat Noir

Did I just do that? I thought, feeling the residual flush on my cheeks.

My mind was a tumbled jumble of thoughts as I vaulted rooftops on the way to my meetup with Ladybug. In the space of a few seconds, my entire relationship with Marinette had been redefined. She'd been telling me how heartbroken she'd been when her latest attempt to try and tell the boy she loved had failed, miserably; it hadn't helped that I was still hurting from yet another painful conversation with Ladybug. All of my attempts to convince her that my love for her was true and not just idle flirtation had run up against the rocky shoals of her professionalism.

In that one weak moment, as Marinette tried unsuccessfully to stifle a sob, I'd known I needed to comfort her - or maybe, both of us. In a blink of an eye, I found myself kissing her. Gently, but warmly; she'd not pulled away, but had, in fact, leaned into it. I have no idea how long it lasted, but it may as well have been centuries, for the feeling was so genuine, I could have lived in that moment forever.

And then I realized I had made a move on my best friend. Fearing I had made a bad evening worse for both of us, I'd quickly pulled away and then left for patrol, but not before seeing the confusion in her face - and feeling the strange way my heart had started to leap at her touch.

I landed on the next roof and found myself slowing to a trot. I'd immediately agreed with her that it was a big mistake and had furiously apologized for crossing the line. And yet, the more I thought about it, the less I was feeling like it had been a mistake. But maybe it was! I still had feelings for Ladybug, and Marinette had someone else on her radar - not this very un-smooth Chat operator.

Man, I keep telling Ladybug I'm not a player; I've just inadvertently become one!

Standing at the edge of the roof, I was at a crossroads literally and figuratively. For I had heard Marinette's last words to me.

'Love you,' she'd said. Kwami almighty, I think I might love her too…

Marinette

I reached a tower, one of the larger ones, and beheld my Chat-er, I mean Chat. I saw Chat Noir standing on a rooftop below the one I was perched on. I took a breath. Before I jumped down to meet Chat, I had to be sure to that I wasn't going to turn into a stammering mess.

Ok, just imagine someone else's face on his body.

I leapt down, catching a weather tower with my yoyo, and swinging down to stand next to Chat. He didn't seem to notice me, and I acted without so much as a thought.

Sliding my arms around him, I wrapped him up in an ambush bear hug, squeezing him as tight as I could. I realized my mistake the second I felt my hand brush across his defined pectorals, but at the same time I found myself wishing I could hold him like that forever.

"Guess who Kitty?" I said, as if I hadn't been passionately kissing him just minutes earlier.

I felt his muscles tense at once, and what sounded like a strained gulp. I began to let go and smiled a little bit brighter than I usually did.

What am I doing?! What's going on. Flirty is waaaay worse than stuttery.

"It looks like someone's been working out," I said rather seductively, feeling his bicep as I finally released him.

I'm insane. I have literally lost my mind. I'm trying to tempt Kitty. Me!

"Ok, LB, what's wrong? Did you get hit by some Akuma that makes people uncontrollable flirts?"

"Haha, no silly Kitty, but what's wrong with some playful teasing between partners, right?"

Chat looked at me like I was having a stroke. Actually it looked more like he was worried I was dying. As I gazed deeper in those beautiful feline emeralds that he called eyes, I saw emotions run through his mind. He looked worried, then guilty, then finally relieved.

"Haha, yeah. I guess meaningless flirting isn't such a bad thing."

I cursed myself, even as the words were coming out of my mouth. "Kitty, who said anything about MEANINGLESS?"

Marinette, you absolute idiot! What are you doing?!

Chat looked at me again, this time with absolute horror.

"Ok, Ladybug, well we better get patrolling… Let's split up today, you can take the west side, I'll take the east side," he suggested, and I accepted. I could use some time to think.

He helicoptered away in that cute way that he always did. I waited til he was barely out of earshot to confess my secret. "Kitty, I love you."

As I lassoed my way through the twinkling Parisian streets, I saw no trouble, save the internal turmoil I was facing. I had feelings for my partner. Undeniable feelings. But I couldn't quite shake my feelings for Adrien, though I had to admit, I was starting to feel more strongly about Chat than Adrien.

How do I switch between Adrien and Chat in one night?! Why can't they be the same person?

Chat Noir

My mind couldn't shake the intense memory of Ladybug's touch.

I was so focused internally that I nearly crashed into a chimney, managing at the last minute to appear to anyone watching my movements to have simply dropped to a rooftop in a standard cat crouch. But I was feeling anything but normal.

Ladybug had been acting strange from the moment she appeared at our rendezvous spot; in some ways, it felt like our roles had flipped entirely. She'd quickly assured me she was fine, but the whole experience had rattled me badly enough that I'd hastily decamped for patrol, looking for a little space to come to terms with what had just transpired. Then my feline hearing picked up something on the wind - faint, but decipherable - that changed everything.

Kitty, I love you.

How I had once ached to hear those very words from Ladybug!

There had been a time, not long ago, when I would have done anything to prove to her how she owned my heart. But she'd made it plain to me that there was no there there and would likely never be; I knew I still had feelings for her, but they had been packed up and boxed away. It had freed my heart up for someone else, and that very evening Marinette had stepped right through that open door with a kiss.

Dear Kwami, I've fallen in love with my best friend! I thought, realizing that kiss had been hanging between us for some time. It had just taken one final rejection from Ladybug to see what was directly in front of me. I was certain Marinette was feeling the same way.

But now I wasn't entirely sure Ladybug had rejected me. Her actions this evening had torn the lid right off the box I'd carefully stowed my feelings for her - especially that embrace, which just thinking about flamed my cheeks. Unless I was utterly incapable of reading people, she'd just thrown herself at me, figuratively and literally.

'Kitty, who said anything about meaningless?' she had said. Who indeed? I thought.

But Marinette had said she loved me, too. How on Earth had I gone from zero to two in less than an hour? The whiplash was making my masked eyes cross. But the look I'd seen in those deep, deep blue eyes of Marinette spoke to the truth of her emotion, nearly as much as Ladybug's own actions had mere moments ago.

I stared out across the night skyline of Paris, for once not even noticing the sparkles of the evening or the twinkling of the stars above. The more I turned it over in my head, the more I realized there was only one path forward: my future was with Marinette, despite any lingering attraction I might harbor for my partner. I just had no idea how to proceed, knowing that in declaring for one, I was going to hurt the other.

I vaulted into the night, decision somewhat made, and finished my part of patrol before heading to the mansion for likely a sleepless night, alone with my thoughts.

Marinette

I stared at the ceiling, begging myself to sleep. But the thoughts returned.

Do I pick Chat? Who I've always thought of as a nothing more than a friend, or Adrien? Who has always dismissed me for that same reason?

Everything was a mess, and I was painfully aware. And what was worse was my Kwami's uncharacteristic ambivalence.

"Tikki, I'm in love with Adrien, but I'm also in love with Chat. What do I do?" I begged, knowing that I would accept either answer from Tikki.

She turned to me and smiled as if she knew something I didn't.

"Marinette, you should follow your heart!" The Kwami called, returning to her trite phrases. I usually accepted them at face value, but today I wasn't in the mood. I was twitterpated, and lovestruck, and enamored… but with two very different boys.

"Ok, good advice Tikki. I'll follow my heart and marry both of them. I'll get things into action tomorrow!"

Tikki either missed my sarcasm, or thought something was funny about it, because she smiled as if my idea of entertaining two suitors was a good one.

Fortunately for me, sleep finally overpowered my weary frame and I allowed my consciousness to slip away, leaving my problems behind.

When I awoke in the morning, I smiled, forgetting the conundrum that came from the evening before.

Another wonderful day to see Adrien.

And then it hit me as the memories flooded in.

Oh… Adrien… and Chat. Shoot.

My mind raced, trying to calculate how to react when I saw Adrien. I could try to flirt, or ignore him because I end up lost in thoughts of Chat, or I could just see what happens.

I'll just wing it. That should work, right?

With my indecisive decision made, I quickly prepared for school, then headed out the door, right after wishing my parents a good day.

I ran across the street, straight to school, and into Madame Bustier's class. As I entered the room, I saw one other person there. Adrien Agreste.

Of course Adrien and I are the only people here.

A part of me felt bitterness towards the cruelty of coincidence, while a part of my heart hoped this was a signal from fate.

He turned to look at me, and offered a smile that melted my heart. He looked like he had gone from seeing me as a friend to staring at the love of his life.

"Hey, Mari, you're here early," he remarked.

Great. Time for stutterfest, now with twice the awkwardness.

"Haha, yeah I skipped breakfast today. How are you doing Adrien?"

What the heck? I didn't mess up at all. That was a purrfect sentence… wait did I just think a pun to myself?

It was at that moment that I made a decision. I picked my boy: Adrien Agreste.

Without thought, I pulled him into a hug and was surprised to find his strong arms wrapped themselves around me in return.

I let my heart feel what it wanted, completely unfettered by worry or doubt. I felt my love for Adrien grow, and within a second it felt like it had doubled. And then I realized something else. In that same unguarded moment, I had felt my love for Chat grow tenfold.

It took only a moment to process, but I quickly recovered.

I pulled out of the hug and smiled at Adrien.

"What was that for?" He questioned.

I felt tears gather in my eyes as I spoke my next words.

"I just wanted to say thank you for being my friend. I'm glad we have this friendship. I couldn't ask for anything more."

I stopped the tears, or at least most of them. A single drop slid down my cheek. A solemn reminder that I really had loved Adrien, but my heart still chose Chat.

Adrien/Chat

I thought it would be awkward seeing Marinette at school the next morning. I hadn't slept at all after returning from patrol, and stared at my ceiling trying to poke holes in my decision. I wound up vaulting out the bedroom window and stationed myself on a nearby rooftop to take in the stunning sunrise. As I watched the sun appear over the roofline of Paris, I finally found the solace I'd been seeking in the warm rays poking through the clouds.

I knew what to do.

I returned to the mansion and went through my morning routine at top speed, and even managed to get Gorilla to take me to school earlier than normal. Ladybug Luck was on my side as I was the only student in the classroom when Marinette arrived just a few minutes behind me. It was unusual for her to be early, but I didn't have much time to think about it - I'd smiled at her warmly, seeing her through new eyes that made me appreciate her all the more.

I think I said something to her - it's hard to remember now - but was startled to be drawn into a hug. Without thinking, I returned the embrace wholeheartedly; after all, I now knew in my heart she was the love of my life.

Well, Chat's life? This was going to be confusing.

"What was that for?" I asked, smiling, as we pulled away. Marinette's eyes were glistening and I faltered a bit.

Did I said something wrong? Way to go, Chat.

"I just wanted to say thank you for being my friend; I'm glad we have this friendship." Her voice caught, and a single tear started down her cheek. "I couldn't ask for anything more."

I pulled her back to me. "Me, too," I said, though it was loaded with subtext I was sure she wouldn't understand. At least, not yet. "I'm so lucky to know you, Marinette."

She was no longer stuttering, I realized; and her touch was solid but not tense. Maybe, just maybe, there was a middle road here that I could navigate. This was a promising first step.

We didn't have time to unpack any further. The door opened and we parted immediately as our fellow students filed in for the day. I caught Marinette as we broke for lunch and asked if she wanted to catch a bite to eat.

"I can't, Adrien," she said, smiling. "Not that I wouldn't want to - but I'm taking my lunch at the Bakery today. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Of course, Purr-Marinette," I said, barely catching myself.

Marinette headed for the doors, and I found a quiet corner to transform to Chat Noir and bolted for the sky. I managed to beat her to the Bakery, and was calmly sitting on the railing ringing her rooftop patio when she pushed through the skylight.

"Chat?" she said, surprised. "You're not usually a daytime visitor," she laughed.

"Special circumstances," I smiled. "I thought I might follow up on our discussion from last evening."

Her face flushed a bit at the reminder, but she remained composed. "Look, Chat-"

I tumbled off the railing and landed next to her, and gently drew her into me. "Princess," I started, "I - well, to be honest -" I gave up and simply leaned in, kissing her deeply.

"That," I said as we pulled apart.

She looked into my masked eyes and seemed to intuitively understand. My heart leaped: we were on the same wavelength. "What about Ladybug?" she asked.

"I will always have her in my heart," I said honestly. "But you own it." I paused. "And how about that other guy?"

Marinette smiled. "The same," she said, "but my heart belongs to you." She kissed me again. "Completely."

I hugged her again, pulling her tight against my costumed chest and burying my head in her hair. I couldn't believe I'd finally found what I was looking for. All because of a kiss.