The follow up and ladynoir equivalent to by the campfire. Finally.
this is dedicated to mari, ana and nikki. man, do I love you guys.
Chat Noir sat somberly on the rooftop, overlooking the lights of Paris shining brightly in the night sky. It was one of his favorite parts of being a superhero, having the freedom to roam the city because he was trusted to protect it.
Usually, he preferred patrol when he was with Ladybug. He felt safer with her; his partner, always guarding his back and someone he would always sacrifice his life to protect. He loved her and he would chase her across all of the rooftops to the ends of the Earth.
This night, however, was one of the rare moments where he preferred to be by himself. When his thoughts were being plagued not only by his lady in red but a princess in pink.
Adrien had to bite his tongue to prevent the ever increasingly familiar and longing sigh that threatened to come out as he thought of Marinette.
He had always know she was cute. Heck, when they first became friends, she had accidentally trapped herself in his umbrella and made him laugh harder than he had in a long while. She had looked so adorable and funny.
But, man, had she always been so beautiful? Had he truly been so dense to that obvious and glaring fact? (Apparently, as clueless as he had been when it came to noticing her crush on him.)
Adrien continued, not for the first time, to muse on his friend, and everything that had been transpiring between them as of late.
Was is really a fluke that he kept getting lost in her eyes every time they were alone? That he could no longer keep a perfectly cool composure and he suddenly became tongue tied when their shoulders so much as brushed when they stood next to each other? (much less when she was directly smiling that beautiful grin at him or wanted to simply greet him with a cheerful salut Adrien! and he couldn't muster more than a shy hey).
Could he really keep up this denial? (Plagg certainly didn't seem to think so. Or want to hear about his 'totally pointless girl drama.')
His heart was split.
For so long, there had only been Ladybug. His Lady was like the moon, completely real and ever present in his mind even when she wasn't physically there with him in the every day.
She was like lightning. He could see her beauty, her power, her strengths and her weaknesses, but he could never catch her, no matter how close he got. Yet he never wanted to stop trying. She was worth it. He had fallen completely head over heels and never looked back.
Now, there was also Marinette. If Ladybug was the moon, then Marinette was the sun. Her sweetness shined down on his life everyday. He had taken for granted her beautiful smiling rays and the warmth she emitted. Now that he could see it, now that he could feel it, he couldn't get enough. Her bravery and her talent and her sweetness and her fighting spirit and everything that made her Marinette, he couldn't stop staring. He couldn't stop thinking about her. If this continued, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from completely falling for her.
He was torn completely in half in his heart. Where Ladybug once sat as queen, now his princess took up half the throne. And they couldn't remain that way for long.
Chat felt the hair at the back of rise as a thump sounded in back of him. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the arrival of his favorite spotted Lady.
"Good evening, chaton."
"Not as good as seeing you, my lady." Adrien grinned, his eyes watching her as she stepped closer to him.
She snorted, crossing her arms and standing next to his crouched form, "Always the flatterer, aren't you?"
Chat simply laughed, his adoring gaze glancing back towards the lit-up city. Marinette chuckled, mildly surprised but pleased he hadn't replied with a cheesy 'only with you' line. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh, happy to simply stand next to her partner as they looked out at the skyline.
She loved being Ladybug. Nothing could both thrill and calm her like overlooking her city on top of a tall rooftop.
Although, it wasn't always this calm.
Usually, Chat Noir would have already been chattering away at her. Exchanging puns, flirtations and trying to start conversations based on things they could have in common (which would prove they were 'totally meant to be.')
She peeked an eye open, furrowing her eyebrows just a bit. Chat remained where he sat, uncharacteristically quiet; his chin resting on the leg he had pushed up towards his chest.
Though she had no night vision, she could see his clawed fingers scratching at his pushed up leg. From moment to moment, he would purse his lips tightly and then release them. His mouth clenched as well, his teeth probably clashing close together.
"Chat Noir, is there something wrong?"
Adrien winced, he had hoped he hadn't been acting too peculiar. Although, being silent for a good five minutes was probably not a great way to go about acting normally.
"I'm always okay when I'm with you, bugaboo." Chat winked, trying to pass off a sense of normalcy between them by throwing in both a nickname and a flirtatious remark in one sentence.
In true Ladybug fashion, she wasn't easily dissuaded, especially in the presence of dishonesty. She crossed her arms, "I know you're lying, Chat."
"Yeah, I know. It's just, it has to do with my ... civilian identity."
"Oh." Ladybug faltered, her tense arms uncrossing.
"Yeah, I don't want to put you in an awkward place by discussing something so ... close to home."
Despite the tension that had begun to grow, Marinette couldn't help but smile at her partner's inability to cease supplying puns in inappropriate situations.
Chat turned his gaze back towards the city and Marinette sighed.
As much as he disliked it, Chat respected the boundaries she stood rigidly behind when it came to keeping their superhero and civilian lives separate. He also knew that the one other thing that bothered her to no end, which she cared about just as much as preserving their secret identities, was lying (a unfortunate but necessary evil she hated to do for their own wellbeings). But, she was beginning to care about her partner's wellbeing just a little bit more than both combined.
She didn't tell him nearly enough, but without her Chat Noir, Ladybug would have cowered away a long time ago.
Chat picked his head up in surprise as Ladybug plopped herself next to him. She mirrored his stance, pushing both her knees to her chest. She leaned her cheek to her knee and turned to him.
"So, what's going on, Kitty?"
"You ... really want to know?"
"Well, I'm asking aren't I?"
Chat chuckled, "You are. Although, I don't know if I can share this particular matter with you."
Marinette pouted. "And why not? You've always looked to talk to me about practically anything having to do with our personal lives. What's changed?"
"You'd be surprised."
"Try me."
"Are you sure? We're heading down a dangerous path, my lady. A path of no return, a path of ambiguous details that could lead to my secret identity. There's no going back from here."
"Chat, I think I can handle it. Stop beating around the bush and tell me." She lightly punches his shoulder, which makes him laugh. While he was worried to tell her before (what with being in love with her an all), it feels right and safe to tell her. She's his partner, his safest confidant. Regardless of any masks, he can trust her .
He closed his eyes, taking a second to exhale a deep breath, "There's this girl."
Ladybug raised an eyebrow, "That's it?"
Chat chuckled, "I'm not exactly done yet."
Ladybug held up her hands in defense and gestured for him to continue.
"Me and this girl, we've been friends for a while. We get along pretty well, although we don't get to spend too much time just the two of us. Recently, I found out she likes me." Chat suddenly stopped, rubbing his face in his hands to try to cover up his bashfulness.
Ladybug gaped at her partner's (what she would think completely out of character!) display of shyness, "Chat, are you blushing?"
Chat dropped the hand that was on his face, a chuckle coming out of his mouth, "I've been doing that a lot around her lately."
Marinette had to giggle at that, "You? Chat Noir? Who can make a pick up line out of elevators short circuiting?"
Chat nodded sheepishly, a nervous hand rubbing behind his head. "Yeah. When I'm a civilian, I'm not always so suave when it comes to talking to girls, or being in romantic situations really. Honestly, I dish it out better than I can take it."
(Marinette had to let out an unlady-like snort which Adrien immediately shushed with a joking stink eye.)
"The point is when I'm Chat, I'm a lot freer and more confident to play off situations like that. Besides, my brain has started to short circut around her to the point where I can't talk to her like a normally could. And I don't exactly have evil butterflies and superpowers to distract me from saying something totally dumb."
Ladybug smiled, a tenderness overflowing inside her at the vulnerability Chat was letting her see. "Well, if it's any consolation, evil butterflies do make you say pretty silly things. Regardless of being a superhero or not."
Chat scoffed, "Me-owch, thanks."
They laughed together, letting the atmosphere be filled with a moment of peace as they looked at the skyline together.
Ladybug sighed, "Wow, this is serious. You've actually fallen for someone."
Chat gave her a grin, "Don't act so surprised! I've been purr-suing you since the day we met."
Ladybug laughed, "Oh, but that wasn't serious! You don't actually mean any of those things you say to me."
Chat's face dropped, his ears drooping down as well, "You really think that?"
Marinette was none the wiser, grinning at the skyline, "Of course! Why do you think I called you a silly kitty?"
Her gaze shifted back at the feel of Chat resting one of his hand on hers, "My lady, I've meant every word I've ever said to you. Well, minus those times I was corrupted by an akuma."
Ladybug shot him a teasing smile, "Chat -"
He squeezed her hand, "Ladybug, I'm serious." Marinette's smile began to fall, her eyes shifting down to their hands.
"W-What?"
"I've been in love with you since the first akuma we fought together. You were so scared and unsure, but you pushed past all that. You were so brave, so amazing, nothing could stop you from protecting Paris. I knew I'd love you, no matter who it was behind the mask. And I haven't stopped loving you since, but something's changed. I don't love you any less, but I think I'm starting to love someone else just as much I love you. Maybe not yet, but I can see myself being in love with her. A part of me already is, It's really only a matter of time before I fall completely. She's so amazing, in her own unique and special way. She kind of reminds me of you in that way."
Marinette felt her face grow hot, thankful that her mask covered up the parts of her cheeks she knew were burning as red as her suit, "W-wow. I don't know what to say."
Chat gave her a wink, "Didn't think I was capable of being serious, did you?"
Marinette let out a laugh, her nerves dissipating just a little at his cheekiness, "Not really. But, I'm glad to know you can be. But don't be too serious. I want you to be happy."
"Trust me, I want to be happy too. But, I think I already messed up that chance. When she confessed, I rejected her because I thought I didn't feel the same way."
Marinette let out a low whistle, "And then you realized -"
"And then I realized that I did. I do, I was just so scared to admit it because I've only ever been in love once, and I thought I wouldn't fall for anyone else."
"As per usual, you were wrong." Marinette joked, which made Chat smile for a brief moment.
"You're right, I was. Despite having our awkward moments, I've always enjoyed her company and now I feel like I'm jumping across rooftops whenever I'm near her. It's dizzying and it's amazing and now I'm scared that I'll hurt her again if I tell her I want to be with her. I don't want her to think I'm a jerk who is just playing around with her feelings."
Marinette pressed her hand to Chat's shoulder, "Trust me, I know it's scary to put your heart on the line, but I think it's worth that risk. You won't know what she'll say unless you try."
Ladybug moved her hand to rest on Chat's cheek. Adrien let out a sigh at the comfort she was showing him. He closed his eyes and indulged himself into his Lady and her wonderful embrace.
Once he started pursuing Marinette, he would kiss his dream of being with Ladybug goodbye. Marinette was a treasure in her own right, a true princess, and she deserved to be cherished and treated as first in his heart. But, in a unique way, he would always love his Lady. No matter what, she was in his heart.
Marinette gasped, her eyes widening at the peace on her partner's countenance. In all the times she and Chat Noir had grabbed onto one another, never had it felt so intimate. The chase of an akuma was fast paced and she never had time to really reflect in the various ways they would touch, stand close and hold on to each other. She could easily push those moments out of her mind to focus on her civilian life: her family, her friends, Adrien.
But here, in the quiet of the night, she could hear Chat's quiet breathing as she ran her her thumb smoothly across his mask. The gentle purr that was filling the air between them the longer she held his face. The small upturn of his pink lips into a satisfied smile, which seemed to be getting bigger.
His face was coming closer. But how? His eyes were closed and he was still. She let out a short breath, in that moment realizing she was the one closing the gap between them.
Before she could freak out and push him away, Chat leaned back and grabbed her hand.
He kissed her hand, as he had many times before, "Thank you, my Lady, for hearing out your cat's woes."
Instead of grasping her hand back, pushing his nose away as she normally would, Marinette became still. Her eyes widened as she stared at the hand Chat currently held in his own. At her lack of reaction, Chat became worried.
"Ladybug, are you okay?" He let go of her hand to rest it on her shoulder. Marinette's gaze shifted as he moved, the spot burning under his touch.
She swatted his arm away and rushed to stand up, finding it increasingly hard to look into her partner's inquisitive eyes, "Just fine! Just peachy! Hey, you know what, it's getting pretty late. We should just call it a night."
Chat stood up at the request, and Marinette flushed as she looked up into his eyes. Had he always been so tall?
"Ladybug, are you sure? We haven't even gone out to patrol yet."
His green eyes were burning, deeply and brightly, and she need to escape them right away. Before she did something completely out of character and totally ridiculous around him or to him (like kiss his cheek goodbye and start spluttering like a fool).
"Yes! I am absolutely sure. Good luck with your girl, Chat! I'll see you soon!"
Adrien waved in confusion as Ladybug practically scampered off on her yo-yo. He frowned as he watched the red blur of her suit disappear into the night. "Until next time, my Lady."
WELL, I wonder what's going to happen next. Until next time!
bookworm3 :)