Hey guys. Sorry for taking so long to update but it's been a stressful period and school's been killing me but I took advantage of my Christmas holiday and found some time to write this. I hope you'll like it.
Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited. It means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir.
"I can't do this, Plagg." Adrien sighed and rested his chin in his palm, his eyes staring dully at his computer screen where he had a picture of Ladybug smiling triumphantly after defeating yet another akuma. On any other day he would have been thrilled to scroll through her pictures on Ladyblog but now it was different. He couldn't look at the heroine without feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
The little black god looked up at him from his almost finished Camembert, his small ears dropping when he saw his chosen's sad expression. "What?" He asked though he had a good idea about what the model was talking about.
"I can't date Chloe." Adrien whispered as if only saying the words out loud would make the whole thing more real. "I don't like her in that way and I just can't..." He trailed off with a deep sigh.
"You don't really have a say on this matter." Plagg said, carefully choosing his words not to upset Adrien further. Even if he didn't show it too often, he did care about his kitten and he didn't want him to feel sad or miserable. He wanted to give him some sort of comfort, at least until he could find a way out of this mess. "You know how your father can be, he-"
"He doesn't care about what I think." Adrien mumbled sadly.
"Kid..." The small kwami started in an attempt to comfort the boy but he shook his head, cutting him off.
"You don't have to try to comfort me, Plagg. We both know it's true."
"You could still try talking to him. Maybe he'll understand."
"I already did. He doesn't even want to listen to me, what to talk about change the situation."
Plagg glanced around the room, trying to find something to cheer his chosen one with but he couldn't think of anything... he didn't know what he could say that would make the boy feel better. There was little to nothing he could do for his kitten. But maybe someone else could give him the comfort he needed... it had been quite some time since he had last visited Marinette and talking to her could work, even if it was with his mask on. She could give him the comfort that Plagg himself couldn't.
"A small walk could help." The black kwami murmured, more to himself as if to make sure it was a good idea but Adrien heard it anyway. "It can give you time to think about it..." He mused, not seeing that Adrien was already up before he finished the sentence.
"That's the best idea you had the whole day." Adrien said teasingly. "Plagg, claws on!" He cried, all too eager to be out of the house.
Minutes later, Chat Noir was running across rooftops, using his baton to jump from one house to another, the chilly night air combined with the excitement running through him to finally be away from his responsabilities as Adrien Agreste gave him a feeling of freedom he hadn't had in the last couple of days. All the stress he had been under was cleared away with every step that took him further away from his cold home. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care as long as he could just enjoy the thrilling feeling that only being Chat Noir could give him.
It only took him a moment to clear his thoughts enough that he finally realize where he was. He stopped running, his chest heaving with every breath he took and looked around him, his heart hammering in his chest though it had nothing to do with his crazy sprint. No. It was more about a certain someone he had longed for days to talk to but had never gained the confidence to. And now here he was, on a rooftop across from her house. He nearly wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole situation if it weren't for the fact that he needed to see her. She was so close and he wanted nothing more than to just be with her and have her in his arms again.
He leaped over the chimney of the neighboring roof that separated the Dupain-Cheng Bakery from its neighbor and barely registered when he landed on the rooftop of the building without making any sound. Quietly, he jumped down on the small balcony and crept over to the skylight that lead to his classmate's room. He noticed a soft glow coming towards his face and his acidic green eyes curiously peered into the room. The pink bed was empty but he was sure his princess was there. He saw her only moments later coming up into the space from the trapdoor that lead into her bedroom. She was already in her cozy pajamas and he couldn't stop the small, relieved smile that took hold of his lips at the sight but his happiness was quickly replaced with worry when he saw her almost defeated state. Taking a closer look to the girl, he noticed for the first time just how sad Marinette really was. Her eyes looked red and puffy from crying and her lips, now red and swollen from probably biting them, were turned down into a pout. Her skin looked unusually pale and her hair was down from the usual style she wore it. Seeing her in a state like this caused his cat ears to droop on the top of his head, concern creeping into him as he gazed down at her. Seeing her like this... seeing this side of her made his heart ache. He didn't like to see this normally sweet and cheerful girl look so defeated. He had subconsciously come to her to seek comfort but hadn't realized she too might need it.
His mind took him back to earlier that day, after Chloe had smugly announced their whole class that they were dating - without mentioning that their fathers had proposed it. Marinette's usually cheery mood had been replaced with something darker, she hadn't smiled the rest of the day and if he were to be honest, he could swear she had looked closed to tears.
His shoulders slumped in defeat. He should have realized sooner that what Chloe had done had really affected the bluerette. He hated seeing her like this, like the whole world was on her shoulders. He wanted to do something and cheer her up, make her happy again. Hesitantly, he knocked on the skylight and watched as Marinette tensed up, her eyes widening minutely as they gazed up at him. Her lips parted like she was about to say something but eventually gave up.
She didn't try to smile or make herself look happier - she knew she couldn't. She walked up the stairs to her bed and unlatched the skylight, allowing Chat Noir to come into her room. He landed on all fours on the bed before sitting crosslegged on the mattress and gave her his trademark gring though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"What do you want, Chat?" She asked, rather coldly.
"I-" He hesitated, his eyes scanning the room. It was just how he remembered, still pink and still hers but something was different this time. "I wanted to see you." He said eventually, his acidic green eyes meeting her blue ones.
She laughed but it was humorless. It sounded empty, lifeless and it made his insides twist. "It's a little late for that." She said in a low, barely auditible voice.
"Princess-" He started only for her to give him a harsh glare.
"Don't you dare, Chat!" She hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes shining with fresh tears. "How can you do this to me?"
"Do what? Marinette, what's wrong?" He asked, unsure what she meant. Sure, she was upset but he didn't think it was his masked alterego's fault. He hadn't done anything to upset her, had he?
"You know what!" She snapped, all the pent-up emotions she had tried so hard to contain finally breaking through. "You come to me, say all that cute stuff about me, you kiss me and make me think you care about me but then you ignore me for days! And now you come back here with your stupid adorable grin and ask me what's wrong like you don't have any role in all this! Do you know how hard it's been for me to pretend like everything was fine when obviously it wasn't and act like I don't miss you when you were the only thing I could think about?!" She took a deep breath to steady herself once she was done speaking, her chest heaving for air and her lower lip trembling like she was about to cry. Chat Noir reached one hand for her but she pulled back and wiped at her eyes.
"I do care about you, Marinette!" He exclaimed. "And I'm sorry. I would have come sooner but I..." He trailed off, unable to continue his idea. How could he tell her that he had longed to see her but hadn't managed to muster the courage to come back to her because he was afraid of his own feelings? How could he tell her how he had spent every night so far lying wide awake in his bed and thinking about her, remembering her soft touch, the sound of her voice, the feel of her lips against his...
Wait, had she just said she had done the same thing?
"It doesn't matter now, Chat." She said with a sad smile. "What happened, happened." She tried to get up from the bed but Chat was faster than her as he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her towards him and practically forcing her to face him.
"Marinette, I wanted to see you. I really did, trust me. But I... I didn't know how you'd react so I..."
"It's fine. I understand." She mumbled and looked everywhere but in his eyes.
"No, it's not. Don't be upset."
"It's not just that, kitty." She whispered and finally found the courage to meet his gaze. Looking into his deep green eyes, she finally realized just how worried he was about her. Even with his mask in, she could still see the concern etched clearly on his face and the small pout of his lips. "I just had a bad day, that's all." One of his hands moved from her shoulder to her face and he gently cupped her cheek in his gloved palm, careful not to hurt her with his claws.
"I guess we both had a claw-ful day, Princess." He said, trying to cheer her up with his pun. Marinette rolled her eyes but she couldn't stop the small smile that took hold of her lips. She leaned her head in his touch, a soft sigh escaping her slightly parted lips. "Tell me." He asked in a soft voice, leaning in closer to her so that the tips of their noses were almost touching. She sighed and lifed her hand up, covering his from her face.
"It's nothing important, kitty. Just a bad day, I told you."
His expression changed from concern to a slight anger and he pursed his lips together. "Please tell me it's a joke!" He said, a low growl in his voice. She looked confused for a moment, her eyes widening minutely. "I know it is important, Marinette! Don't try to deny it. Tell me." His voice had gotten softer now but it still had a firmness in it, demanding an answer.
She laughed dryly and removed his hand from her face, standing up abruptly. "You want to know what's wrong? Okay then." She grabbed his hand and pulled at his arm with force, making him stand as well and dragging him after her as she walked down the stairs from her loft-bed. He followed her obediently, his eyes scanning the room quickly as he tried to understand why it looked his different. It didn't take him too long to get it and the realization hit him like a truck. The pink walls were devoid of all the posters with Adrien. They looked empty and he felt weird without seeing them all over the room. He saw all the posters folded on her desk, looking out of place there. Had the news of him and Chloe dating hurt her that much...? He wondered briefly. But why? She never seemed to have much interest in Adrien, she had never really talked to him and she could barely form a coherent sentence around him so why was she so upset?
He didn't notice Marinette had stopped walking once they reached her computer until he bumped into her and he opened his mouth to apologize but she started talking before he had the chance to.
"I really like this boy from my class, Adrien Agreste." She said, her shoulders slumped and it took Chat a moment to process what she had said. His mouth opened as if to speak but no sound came out. His mind seemed to have gone completely blank, he didn't know what he could say to her, not when so many thoughts were running through his head. Marinette likes me, He said to himself before noticing that she had started talking again. "I've been in love with him for a long time but I never had the courage to tell him how I felt about him. I was too scared to, I thought he wouldn't like me back. I'm a total klutz around him, I always stutter and make a fool of myself when I try to talk to him so after a few lame attempts I kinda gave up." She made a small pause as a sad smile took hold of her lips. "And today at school my bully just announced that they're now dating so basically I have no chance with him now and it really hurts, Chat." She looked up at him, fresh tears welling in the corners of her eyes but she tried to blink then away, her lower lip trembling. "It hurts knowing I lost someone I never never had because I was too much of a coward to confess my feelings for him." She snifled and lowered her head, biting her lips to hold back a small sob.
"I'm sorry, Princess." It was all he could say as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner, he thought. Maybe if I had, we wouldn't have been in this situation. He felt her lean onto him, her head resting on his chest as she laughed again, humorlessly.
"Oh kitty..." She sighed. "I should be the one apologizing, not the other way around."
"I don't understand." He said honestly. He really didn't. He didn't understand how he could have been so oblivious not to notice her feelings for him in the first place. Now that he thought about it, it was obvious, really. She had been so shy around Adrien, always blushing and stuttering when
"This is not fair toward you." She replied. "You staying here while I talk about the guy I love... it doesn't feel fair."
"You're hurt, Mari. I think it's inly fair I listened." He said and smiled a little even though he knew she couldn't see him.
"For me it's not. I care about you, chaton. I really do, probably more than I should but it's... confusing for me." She whispered in a voice so low that someone without Chat's enhanced hearing wouldn't have caught. He blinked confused. Hadn't she said a minute earlier she was in love with Adrien?
"I care about you too, Princess." He responded, unsure about his own feelings. He knew his heart belonged to Ladybug but she had never showed any interest in being more than his friend... and now, seeing Marinette look so defeated made him think that maybe the masked heroine wasn't the only one who had his affection. He couldn't deny his need to protect her, to make sure she was safe and happy and he wanted to make her happy, to bring a smile on her face. He hated seeing her so upset, it broke his heart to see this sweet girl suffer. He didn't want to be away from her and he most certainly didn't want her to think that he - either as Chat Noir or as Adrien - didn't care about her. The realization of what that meant came not long after the thought occurred to him. He cared about Marinette, he cared about her more than a friend and he never wanted her to think he didn't. He wasn't sure when or how it happened but he knew one thing: his Princess had a special place in his heart, she made him feel things he hadn't felt anytime before with anybody, not even with Ladybug. The thought was surprising, after all he had loved the heroine from that first day when she had promised to protect Paris but he had to admit to himself that his feelings for Marinette had grown stronger the more he was around the girl.
"I don't know what I would do without you, kitty." She asked and lifted her head a little to look up at him, a small smile on her lips. "Nor do I want to find out."
He smiled as well and bent down, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry, Purr-incess. I'll make sure you'll never find out."
She tilted her head back and, in a moment of bravery, pressed her lips against his but pulled back before he had the chance to react.
And here we go. Sorry again for making you wait so long for this chapter.
I'll try to work on this story more often because I really want to finish it.
I hope you liked it.
Read and review please.