AN: Felt like updating with a nice lil short chapter because Mood.

Thank you all for leaving sweet reviews (I always get a kick outta reading them) and shout out to Tiger Priestess for the suggestions! I will definitely try to incorporate the yearbook/Mme. Bustier's reaction in a later chapter.

(I'm always open to suggestions for things readers might like to see happen and if I can see it fitting somewhere then of course I'll give credit where credit's due)

Anyways, enough of my pointless ramblings.

Happy reading~

Tomber Amoureux

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The girl in the red rainboots and black dress shouted the forbidden spell.

Not caring if the toll was half her life.

Not caring if she'd be turned into a familiar.

Not caring if anything and everything were to happen to her.

She just wanted him back.

Unsure as to why this particular spell was considered forbidden in the first place.

She had casted it.

It was already too late.

No turning back now.

With quivering lips, she leaned down and pressed her lips hard against his unresponsive cold lips.

Her tightly shut eyes streaming with tears as she pressed her bleeding palm against his wound oozing in bright purple magic. The only sign that she hadn't completely lost him was the twitch felt in his lips with a small groan in pain.

She hated how his body would be scarred with a new wound; a new reminder of the monster that he isn't and never will be.

"You wouldn't want me the way I am now and forever will be. My heart, perhaps, but definitely not my body" an echoing, distant memory recalled.

She remembers frowning at his words.

They were alone in her home. Her parents had left on a week-long trip to visit a sick relative in Grasse.

They had been dating for less than a year and while to some, it seemed like they were rushing into things – they knew this was it. They weren't fickle in their decisions, they knew their love was already that of a couple who's spent centuries together and with magic coursing through their veins – they knew they'd live long enough for that to be their own tale.

"You're my everything… why would you think I wouldn't accept your body?" she asked from her chaise she was sitting on, her lust-filled eyes gazing at his standing figure.

He hesitated to reply, clutching at the cotton material of his red hoodie near his heart. "I'm… I'm damaged. My body's been destroyed" he had a hard time swallowing his words as he couldn't bear to face her wanting face.

He desperately wanted to give all of himself to her but he was struggling with his body dysphoria. Years and years of verbal abuse, physical punishments, and dissatisfaction, never being able to please one single person in his life was constantly screaming in his head repeatedly.

He could hear her get up, feet softly shuffling as a weight pressed itself against his back, slender arms wrapping around his torso.

His body jolted, an electric shock coursing through him in an instant as he felt her kiss his back. He froze for a second and then settled back into stillness as he felt her press her warm cheek against him as she contently sighed.

"Let me… let me heal you" she whispered against his warmth, "let me kiss each and every imperfection because you deserve to be loved, Kitty" she nuzzled her cheek against his back and happily sighed, "bruises, cuts, scars, burn marks… whatever it is, I don't care because I love you, your past doesn't define who you are… they're not a burden, they're a reminder of your strength and courage. Don't ever forget that"

His eyes widened at her words, green eyes as wide as saucers, tan lips agape in a small gasp. In that moment he unhooked her arms from around his frame and spun around to face her. He took her by surprise when he suddenly picked her up and crashed his lips with hers, fervently kissing her as he clumsily walked them towards an empty wall in her room.

She adjusted herself by weaving her fingers into his soft short blond locks, hotly moaning into his mouth as he had his hands slide down her body to help wrap her legs around him. His body anchoring her onto the wall as he tried pouring all his love for her into every needy kiss.

Quickly articles of clothing started to scatter around her room as he guided them towards her bed. Pausing for a second to reach the top, they continued as tangled limbs fell onto the mattress in a bounce. Fits of laughter escaping their lips as both passion and awkwardness coursed through them.

She clawed at his shirt, the last piece of clothing shielding him away from allowing her to feel his skin.

The girl whimpered into the kiss, all alone in the freezing dark woods. She was trying her hardest to tune out the first time they shared their entire selves in the most intimate and private of ways. If this spell didn't work then she'd try the next forbidden spell, right after another until she'd cast the right one.

"How did… how did you receive this scar?" she asked him with worriment in her tone, trying to cover how horrified she was. Not at the fact that it was a hideous scar but more so the fact that someone could even allow themselves to be so cruel to her lover.

He slightly turned his head to reply as he felt her gently touching his back, trying to ignore the slight numb pain from the nail marks she left on him. "My father wasn't a very kind man… he had his moments of obsessive research… he put me under intensive training, trying to see the extent of my powers and abilities amongst other things… it's not a childhood I'd wish upon even my greatest enemy, if I even had one" he painfully replied, wincing when he knew that she was directly touching the outer lining of the long diagonal scar that went from his left shoulder blade to his right hipbone. His skin was a darker shade in that area with five tattoos of purple butterflies spread across his back with several tinier scars, cuts, and burn marks scattered about.

"The butterflies?" she questioned as her slender fingers ghosted over each one.

His back muscles tensed and relaxed as he shrugged, "maybe a failed spell? I'm not entirely sure"

"They're beautiful but I can't imagine how agonizingly painful this all must have been" she lifted the blanket higher to cover her nude self as she leaned in to kiss his long scar slowly and lovingly.

He smiled a genuine smile as his body tingled from the love he was receiving. The back of his mind nagging him that he didn't deserve someone as amazing as her but his heart wildly beating and letting him know that he did.

He turned around and cupped her face in his palms, sweetly kissing her unlike moments ago when their teenage passion took control over their hormones. "Marry me" he whispered against her lips.

"Not now but someday" he added a second later so she wouldn't immediately panic.

They both knew it, so early into their relationship. They were bonded forever more. He knew he wouldn't be able to find anyone who could even compete with her creativeness, kindness, passion, strength and all-around exuberance just as she knew she wouldn't find someone to match his gentle but strong, loving soul. Their fates had been sealed since day one and neither wanted to part from the other.

The girl straightened up as she waited to see if something would happen after chanting her spell. She watched as the mysterious purple magic oozing out of him slowly evaporated away allowing her a brief silent moment of hope fill her until…

Until the purple rapidly started to turn black. She watched, petrified as his body arched and coughed black blood.

"No… NO!" she screeched, lunging forwards, towards his convulsing body as her eyes blurred with even more hot tears. This was exactly the opposite of what was supposed to happen!

"I still haven't… haven't said Yes!" she wailed, remembering his proposal.

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"Marinette… uhhh… try drawing your lines in parallels to each other, please" Chat Noir instructed as he watched the young witchling try and concentrate with her cheek touching the smooth pavement of her home's driveway as she laid flat on her stomach. She had tried tilting her head and bending half her body down, she tried having her butt sticking up, back arching in a snail position, she even tried going as far as using a bit of magic to cheat – which her black cat familiar highly discouraged.

"You want both sides to meet at 45-degree angles and exactly have the tips perfectly align" he patiently reminded her as he heard her groan.

"I've been at this for nearly an hour, I'm never going to get this flower pattern! Can I please take a break?" she begged, ready to snap her piece of red chalk in half in frustration. She was trying so hard to conjure up a simple bouquet of red roses but all her failed tries either gave her posies, weeds, or nothing at all.

Mme. Bustier had assigned them their chemistry and spell casting techniques homework for Mme. Mendeleiev who was currently absent attending some conference in a place Marinette wouldn't even know how to pronounce in the witch's realm.

Chat Noir tried to not sigh in disappointment but nonetheless had agreed as he calmly walked over to her beginning transmutation circle and inspected it. He frowned noticing the sloppy and uneven lines as he whished his tail on the design and erased it.

"Hey!" she complained, "I tried my hardest on this one"

He shook his head, "it's not about working hard and overthinking the pattern, it's about relaxing, taking your time and having exact precision"

Marinette face-palmed into her groan, coughing a second later as she forgot about the chalk covering her sweaty hands.

Chat Noir couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape as he shook his head, "don't worry, Marinette, I know it's not the easiest thing to do at first glance but with more practice you'll soon get it. Chalk is really more for complex spell casting but for beginner's it's what you'll mainly get used to using. It's a skill better acquired and know than need it and not know how to properly summon things. Like I said, precision – one miscalculation and your spell will either summon something half-assed or something entirely different altogether"

Marinette nodded, acknowledging his tips as she closed her eyes and deeply inhaled. Chat Noir moved behind her as she told him to step back.

A second later, she exhaled as she found a magical floating zipper in front of her. Without opening her eyes, she pulled the tab and felt as a breeze flew around them. She opened her eyes once she felt the breeze disappear with a soft pop being returned to her normal driveway.

"It worked!" she jumped once in joy.

"I knew you could do it, Marinette!" Chat Noir happily nodded as he felt himself getting picked up.

In her joy, she cradled him in her arms, spinning him around and nuzzled the top of his head with her cheek. She was incredibly overjoyed that her small pocket in space spell had worked. The first time she attempted it, she succeeded in getting herself trapped in the bubble for three hours before a frantic Chat Noir could calm her panicked crying and get her to focus on getting the exit spell correct.

He was grateful in that moment for being a black cat so she couldn't see his blush.

"Let's… let's move onto your medicinal potion homework" he suggested as he tried to will his blush away, "but first we must collect the wild licorice root" he gulped, trying to clear his throat.

"Oh, right!" she smiled.

If there was one thing she loved about being a witch was all the natural resources surrounding her. Every root, plant, herb, fruits, insects, soils, etc… whatever she needed was always at her disposal with the woods surrounding her city.

"Shall we continue to practice your speed running spell or elemental manifestation transportation spell this time?" he asked as Marinette winced at the memories of the first time he suggested that she try a spell to get her places quicker since broomstick training was out of the question until she was a second year student.

The first time she attempted the speed running spell, she ran so fast that she caught a bird's nest in her tangled hair twisted along with small twigs and leaves in her ears, nose, mouth and teeth.

The second time she attempted an elemental transformation. She got fire right away with how pissed she got at Chat's repetitive lectures that she knew deep down he was only trying to be helpful but occasionally annoyed her with and then the third time she managed to get wind with how desperately she wanted to escape his nagging to feel, 'as light as air.'

She has yet to master water and trying to be tranquil and gentle.

"Oh no, no way!" she protested right away, "we're going on my bicycle"

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It had been a full two months since her familiar fully recovered and had woken up. During that time, Chat Noir had taught Marinette more than she could ever learn on her own, being grateful for his easy to follow lectures and immense amount of patience he had for her.

She didn't always see his easy to follow lectures to be, well, easy – but she was trying her hardest and that's all that really mattered… right?

It was a Sunday night and they had recently returned back from the woods. She knew her parents weren't so keen on her returning so close to her curfew from the dark woods at nightfall but they let it slide for once knowing just how much progress she's made with her magic in a short amount of time thanks to her ever attentive familiar.

Sabine just wasn't fond of the mud trekking on her spotless wooden floors as Marinette came home looking like a mud-monster. Not wanting to hear her daughter's excuse, she told Marinette to shower right away as she used the most magic she ever had in quite some time to poof her daughter and her familiar inside the bath tub.

"Chat?" Marinette softly called as she sat at her vanity, now drying her hair with a pink towel after a long bath.

"Hm?" he hummed, licking at his wet fur. He was trying to forget how he took a bath with his eyes closed the entire time because he was no pervert and had morals.

"How old are you?" she curiously asked, setting her towel aside and took a paddle brush out of a small drawer.

Chat stopped licking at his uncomfortably cold fur being caught off guard by the question. In all his time awake, she hadn't bothered to start asking him personal questions. Not that he remembered a whole lot to begin with but he at least knew the answer to this one.

"Eighteen. If I weren't currently a cat, I'd be starting my third year" he replied.

"So, you're older than me"

"Not by a lot, M'Lady" he added.

Marinette giggled. For reasons unknown, the endearing chivalrous title did something to her. A warm tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach never failed to develop.

"Do you remember what you were focused in majoring in? Mme. Bustier said you were quite the protégé in potion making" she casually asked as she began brushing her damp hair.

Chat thought about it for a couple of seconds and then frowned, "I'm afraid I don't"

Marinette finished brushing her hair and scooped her cat into her arms making her way towards her upstairs bed.

"Don't worry, once I solve this mystery, you'll be whole again" she promised, yawning as he jumped out of her embrace to adjust himself near her head's pillows, still feeling it'd be too bold of him to sleep anywhere near her body. "I'm working on this asap!" she smiled as she reached over to lightly scratch behind his small black fuzzy ears. He always looked like a giant black puffball after bathing.

"I appreciate it" he told her as he watched the sleepiness cloud her gorgeous blue eyes. He didn't know why her promise to return him to being a human as soon as possible filled his heart with so much hope just as it crushed it at the same time, making him feel as if he was running on borrowed time to be by her side.

He couldn't help but purr and lean closer into her touch as his green eyes clouded over with delight in the gentle touch as he slowly closed them. Damn, those cat urges! But at the same time, those urges weren't so bad.

"Tomorrow, we'll meet up with Alya and Trixx and finally meet Nino's familiar at school" she reminded him of their agenda as she yawned again, "I'm so excited" she mumbled as she slowly drifted away.

Chat softly chuckled as her hand stopped petting him, "I know you are" he whispered as he moved her arm away with his head so she wouldn't wake up with a cramped shoulder in the morning.

He watched her angelic face as she fell asleep, her breathing slowly rising and falling with every relaxed breath. He just couldn't pinpoint it. Didn't know why. But he felt something… something both terrifying and wonderful that his curiosity wanted to latch onto and hold dear.

He knew his little witchling Marinette Dupain-Cheng was something special in more ways than one and for the first time, he gave her a new endearing title because he was a gentleman after all.

"Sweet dreams, Princess"

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Done! To be continued.

Uh-Oh, Spaghetti-O. Someone's falling in love.

I'd say, this was a nice mix of sweetness, spice, and ANGST. (Ok, so maybe just the beginning. Huhuhu)

Until next time~ ;D

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.