Chapter Ten

Never in a million years did Marinette think she would have ever made out with Chat Noir. But right now, all she wanted to do was kiss him again. Sure, she had been imagining Adrien while she was kissing him and sure she'd gotten rather carried away – she chalked that up to reading too many romance novels and fantasising too much about Adrien. Regardless of this she remained splayed on her partner's lap, longing for him to continue and by the look in his eyes the feeling was mutual.

Normally, as Ladybug, she would have turned away from Chat Noir when he wore that smouldering expression in his eyes. His look was so familiar that she had to glance down to check her attire, it seemed he was bestowing his smoulder upon her outside the costume. The thought warmed her in a way she'd never felt with Adrien. Yes, she had yearned for Adrien and yes, she'd wanted him to like her so badly it hurt. However, Adrien would never show an interest in kissing her and while this experience with Chat had been more of a means to an end, she couldn't ignore how enthusiastic he'd been and it flipped her way of thinking about him.

The simple act of sharing a first kiss had awakened something unexpected within her, and if his body's response was any indicator, Chat Noir was very worked up about the situation too. She knew she should get off his lap, but there was something empowering in knowing that she had brought him to this state. It was likely that he had envisioned himself kissing Ladybug and he would probably faint if he discovered he actually had made out with his unmasked partner.

She suddenly felt self-conscious. "Was it weird that I called Adrien's name?"

Chat Noir's gaze softened. "No, not at all."

What guy was cool with a girl groaning out a different guy's name? Well, he was aware of the situation prior to them starting. Before she could think better of it, she cupped Chat's face in both hands and started kissing him again. She'd half expected him to stop her but he didn't. Instead his hands were sliding down her thighs to clutch her ass, hauling her firmly against the stretched material of his pants. Heck, he was as starved as she was.

"Marinette," he purred in a guttural way that initially made her kiss him harder but then the penny dropped. He didn't call her Ladybug, he was fully aware of who he was kissing. He wasn't fantasizing about his partner and she broke away from his mouth to stare at him in confusion.

"What is it?" he asked, completely oblivious to how messed up his hair was compared to normal.

"You said my name, not Ladybug's."

He dipped his head shyly before lifting his eyes. "I guess I did."

"I thought you were imagining her."

"I did to start with." She didn't know what to make of that and began to shuffle off his lap but his grip tightened on her hips, sliding her back in place. "Don't get up right away. I'm, uh. Just stay there for a couple of minutes please."

A giggle erupted from her throat as his gaze remained on her lap as his cheeks flushed. Marinette rested her forehead against his. "It's okay," she reassured him.

"For you maybe, for me this is a little embarrassing."

"I wouldn't say it's little," she teased and watched him smirk in return.

"Stroking my ego, princess?"

"Trying to make you feel better."

"It's working, although this wasn't the sort of game I had considered playing when I promised to come over."

"Nor I. Should we finish?" She asked as she nodded towards the Cluedo board on the floor.

"Yes, but not yet." Chat said as he shifted his hands to the top of her thighs. He chewed on his bottom lip before looking her in the eye. "Thanks for letting me kiss you. It was nice. Well more than nice. Um…"

Marinette smiled at him, endeared by his sudden bout of shyness. This wasn't a side of Chat Noir she'd seen before. To be honest she didn't really know how to answer him so she hugged him instead. He sagged against her and sighed.

His voice was quiet when he spoke. "You should consider working things out with Adrien. I'm sure he feels terrible too."

She nodded against the side of his head in defeat. "I guess you're right."

Gently he took her shoulders in his hands and guided her back so he could look at her. "It won't be easy, I get that. But I'm here for you."

Gratitude swelled in Marinette's heart as she gazed back at Chat Noir, appreciating his companionship on a whole new level. "Am I allowed to leave your lap?"

"Yeah, situation normal is a go."

"Except for Mr Boddy, he's still dead. Shall we find out who the murderer is?"

"But of course, my dear Watson."

"Who made you Sherlock?"

Chat Noir shrugged, "I figure I'm owed a promotion since I'm usually the sidekick."

"You are not a sidekick, Chat."

"I appreciate your vote of confidence."

Sometime later Marinette confirmed the Cluedo murderer was Professor Plum, in the conservatory with the candlestick. Both were yawning as they packed up the board game and Chat Noir placed it within his satchel bag. "Remind me to never underestimate the lethal power of a candlestick."

The girl chuckled. "With Hawkmoth the most absurd things become problematic. Think of the Bubbler."

"True." The pair moved up the stairs towards the skylight but came to rest on her bed. There the atmosphere grew tense. Chat Noir fidgeted with his bag as his gaze shifted between the skylight and Marinette. "So, um. I guess this is goodnight."

"Yeah," she replied as she twisted the hem of her shirt around her finger. Also feeling at a loss as to how to act.

Chat made the decision for her as he leant forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Goodnight princess," he said coarsely as he rocked back on his haunches to study her face. Then he cleared his throat and opened the skylight.

"Goodnight Chat Noir," she replied as she stared up at the now closed skylight to see him smile lopsidedly back.

With him gone, Tikki emerged from her hiding place with a smug look on her face. "Well that was an interesting visit."

"Oh, be quiet." The girl snapped as she thrust her pillow over her head.

Friday was a day to be energised, last day of the school week and so close to the weekend. Marinette awoke tired, her mind had been far too active to gain any true rest. Over and over she'd relived the kisses she'd shared with Chat Noir. Part of her was incredulous with the fact that she'd actually agreed to kiss him, another part of her wondered why she hadn't done it sooner.

Yet where did they stand now? She knew that Chat was still very much infatuated with her alter ego which was going to make things weird for her. How would Ladybug act around her partner when he'd unknowingly made out with her? Marinette's lips tingled at the thought.

She had always assumed that Chat Noir was something of a Casanova. To learn that he was as inexperience as she was had been a major surprise. The discovery changed her perception of him for the better and now she was finding herself dwelling on how much she really knew about her partner.

While she wasn't enraptured by Chat Noir, he certainly had her daydreaming as badly as Adrien had. With her head in the clouds, her body slowly went through the motions of getting ready for the day. This dillydallying made her late and she had to race to school to ensure she got there on time. The classroom was almost full when she arrived and while she intended to ignore Adrien on her way in, her gaze caught on his when she found him studying her with an intensity that would have previously sent her into a furious blush.

Ducking her head and appearing fascinated with the floor, Marinette slipped into her seat and prepared for their first lesson. Alya elbowed her once she was settled. "Did you make up with Adrien?"

Marinette blushed. For a moment she thought Alya had said 'make out' not 'make up' and her mind immediately returned to the previous night's events with Chat Noir. Forcing back her wayward feelings, she answered her friend. "No, why?"

"Just a vibe. You seem less upset and he appears more attentive than usual."

She shot a glance at Adrien to catch him turning away from their general direction. It wasn't entirely strange. The boy had been divided between giving her space and trying to apologise all week. "I have been thinking things over and I never let him say his piece. I guess I should give him a chance to explain his side of things."

Alya gave a contemplative nod. "I suggest you do it somewhere private," she angled her head towards Chloe and lowered her voice. "A certain someone would take great pleasure in making things more difficult than they need to be."

Marinette shot a sour look at Chloe briefly but the other girl was busy staring at Adrien with a conniving look on her face.

The plot thickens. What's Chloe up to and more importantly when is Marinette going to approach Adrien?

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