Goodbye

After Nino and Alya left Marinette at home, she had sprinted up the stairs to change her clothes. Marinette was still wearing Adrien's clothes and she wanted to look... well, not like THAT when Chat came. If he hadn't yet.

Once she got to her room, Tikki flew out of her purse and floated above the desk.

"Marinette," Said Tikki, watching her chosen look for a suitable outfit.

"Hmm?"

"You have finally admitted being in love with Chat, but remember that you can't be with him as Marinette." Marinette stopped what she was doing to look at Tikki "You have a choice to make. Either you pursue him as Ladybug, or you tell him who you are so that you can date outside the masks."

That made sense, thought Marinette. Tikki worried about what a relationship between a hero and a civilian could bring. It could be very messy. Dangerous even. She could get hurt, so could her family...

Tikki was wrong though. She had only one option: Dating Chat as Ladybug. There was no way she was going to tell him that Ladybug was Marinette. Alya was right in many things but, like Tikki, had been wrong in this one. Marinette was a coward. She was too scared to share her name with the person she was in love with. Too scared of what he would think once he knew that perfect Ladybug was really just clumsy Marinette.

"I know, Tikki. I will pursue him as Ladybug for now. It's for the best." Said Marinette finishing dressing in a red top and jeans.

"Then why are you seeing him as Marinette?" Tikki asked.

Marinette did not have an answer for that.

Before she could explain herself to Tikki, she heard a soft knock on her skylight window. The little Kwami flew to hide behind Marinette's books.

Marinette was relieved that Chat had come later that she had expected. And that he had interrupted a conversation that she didn't want to have.

With her heart pounding on her chest, she opened the skylight window and climbed out onto her balcony to meet him. He was leaning on the handrail of the balcony, facing Paris.

"Hi Chat!" She said feeling the anxiety setting in.

He smiled at her as she joined him. "Good evening, Princess." She copied his position, making the handrail support her weight. They were side by side, their arms almost touching.

She wasn't going to declare her love for him, not today as Marinette. But she did feel incredibly self-conscious of her feelings now that he was there.

"I'm sorry I came later than usual, Princess." He said. "I had some friends over and it wasn't easy to ditch them."

"It's okay!" She answered, taken aback by his honesty. "Wait, did you ditch your friends only to come meet me?" She asked surprised.

"Of course I did! I couldn't leave my Princess hanging, now, could I?" He smirked like he was thinking about some private joke. "Plus, I'm sure you'd do the same for me!" He stated, looking very pleased with himself.

Marinette blushed and chuckled. "Busted."

Chat raised an eyebrow at her, pretending not to know what she was talking about. With the smug smile never leaving his lips, he said: "Care to explain?"

"I was with friends too" She replied. "We were cooking and there was an... incident that caused the dinner to be delayed." Chat chuckled, visibly amused. She questioned him with her eyes, but kept going "So, yes. I had to leave my friend's house in a hurry when I noticed the time." She sighed looking at the stars "I was afraid I was going to come late and that you'd be gone by then. I didn't want to leave you hanging again."

"That would have been okay." He said gently.

"No, it wouldn't."

"Why?" he asked, surprised.

Without looking at him, she answered: "Because I wanted to see you."

They both stared at the moon for a moment. Her confession suspended in the air and in their thoughts. Marinette felt anxiety slowing down a bit. This was Chat Noir. Even though she did love him, he was her partner. Her friend.

"Sorry about yesterday. I really couldn't be here to see you." She broke the silence.

"You ditched your friends today, but couldn't ditch your boyfriend yesterday, hmm?" He teased and turned to face Marinette, hoping the subject wouldn't hurt her. Adrien knew that Luka wasn't her boyfriend anymore. But he wanted her to tell Chat, so that he wouldn't say something compromising by mistake. Adrien knew that it had been Marinette to break up with Luka. It had been obvious when he caught them by the end of... the end. What he really wanted to know, that Adrien could not ask without putting all his cards on the table for her, was why.

Marinette looked down, embarrassed. "Oh, no... I was with my friend Alya yesterday." That was true, she didn't have to mention she had been with him as well. "And about Luka... We broke up today."

Chat raised an eyebrow "Are you okay? Do you need me to punch him?"

Marinette laughed and finally looked up. Their eyes met.

So green... Her heart was beating fast and randomly - again.

"No. I broke up with him, actually."

"Did he do something to you?" He frowned. "My offer still stands."

She let out a small giggle.

"No. He was nothing but a gentleman to me. I am the one you should punch, but please don't." She answered, a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

Chat smirked, curious, bumping his arm against hers "What did you do, naughty Princess?" Marinette blush spread over her whole face. She was adorable.

"I-I didn't do anything!" She answered, but then added, "I should have never started dating him, in the first place."

"Oh?" He picked up a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. "Why?" He asked holding his breath. This is what he'd been waiting to know the whole afternoon.

That little question set Marinette's heart through an emotional rollercoaster.

Why?

You are the reason.

But she couldn't tell him. Could she?

Remembering what Tikki had said, she refrained herself from confessing her feelings for him. If she wanted to have a shot with Chat, she had to wait to be Ladybug.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I am in love with someone else."

Chat waited for more, but she had finished. Marinette wasn't going to add anything to the answer.

Such a straight answer... And full of possible meanings. His mind was all over the place. Was He, Adrien, the reason? Maybe Marinette hadn't forgotten about him over the last three years. Maybe he still had a chance.

Since she wasn't going to develop her answer, Chat decided to do what Chat does best: tease.

With puns.

"Does he return your felines?" Marinette rolled her eyes, but smiled "Oh, come on, Purrincess! You've cat to let me help!"

She laughed in disbelief.

"That was the worst pun I've ever heard, Chat." She chuckled, trying to dodge the subject.

"You wound me, Princess!" Said Chat dramatically. "I worked my tail off to give you mew and fresh puns!"

"Oh my god" She laughed with one hand covering her mouth.

He let her catch her breath. "So?"

"So what?"

"Does he return your feelings?"

"I don't know, Chat." She sighed, not liking the way the conversation was heading.

He looked at her. She wasn't like that an hour ago, at his place. She seemed uncomfortable now. She hadn't been like that two nights ago either. Had something changed? Was it the question he had asked? Did he do something? Maybe it was his presence that was making her uncomfortable, he thought bitterly. He should leave her with her thoughts.

He cleared his throat and said: "I should go, now."

"Already?" She grabbed his arm. A very panicked Marinette appeared over the uncomfortable one. He was confused now.

"You don't want me to?"

"What!? Of course not! Why would you think that?"

Chat let out a strained chuckle. "You were looking very uncomfortable with me here."

Marinette dropped her hand from his arm like it had burnt her. "I'm sorry, Chat! It-it wasn't you!" She stammered a bit, making Chat smirk. "I was uncomfortable with the topic of our conversation. Please furrgive me." She said that pun trying to remedy the situation. Trying to make him know that she wasn't mad or uncomfortable because of him or his puns. She had grown to miss every part of him in the last three years.

He laughed, "Don't want me to know who holds the key to your heart, Princess?"

She looked down, her heart pounding, she felt very hot. She wasn't going to answer that. She wasn't. She had to think of something to say. To steer the conversation away from this very uneasy topic.

She looked up. He was closer to her. Without thinking, she rested one hand on his chest. His heart was beating as fast as hers. She smiled slightly.

That smile made Chat wonder what or who was on her mind. Maybe the boy she was in love with? Could it be him, Adrien, she was smiling about? Her hand on his chest was making it hard for him to think clearly. She bit her lips unconsciously. They looked so soft. Without knowing it, Marinette was driving him crazy for the second time that night. The catch: now there was no easy way out of it. No friends waiting for them downstairs. No cold shower to clear his mind.

He leaned towards her lips.

She held her breath. But instead of backing out, like the small still-functional part of his brain expected her to, she erased the space between them, joining their lips together.

It was a soft kiss at first. Both were too scared of breaking the sweet spell they had cast. But it grew bolder. Chat's arms held Marinette's body against his. She thanked the gods that he was holding her because her knees had become jello. She was melting in Chat Noir's arms.

Their kiss began to get desperate and a little voice was ringing in Chat's head. Telling him this was all wrong. He shouldn't be kissing her like that. Not as Chat. What if someone saw them? That voice disappeared when Marinette let out a little moan against his lips. That girl was setting Chat's mind on fire, and there was nothing he could do to put it out. He pulled her closer lifting her from the ground. She let out a little squeal. Giggling against his lips, she deepened the kiss.

Her heart was rampaging, so was her mind. He was kissing her. And it felt so right. He was kissing Marinette! Not Ladybug. Marinette! Did he like clumsy and normal Marinette? Was it possible?

Marinette pulled away, trying to catch her breath.

Resting her forehead on his, she sighed. Her eyes were closed and her lips were swollen, but she wore a smile from ear to ear.

His heart swooned.

He let out an humorless chuckle while he shook his head disapprovingly.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

He didn't answer right away.

She looked at him. "Chat?"

"You are a very bad idea, Princess" He whispered. His voice failing him.

She nodded, closing her eyes and joining her forehead to his again, she murmured, "I know, Kitty."

They stood still for a long time, listening to each other breathing. Fearing the enchantment would end if they moved.

Slowly, he caressed her cheek with one gloved hand. She finally reopened her eyes to meet his. Her arms were still around his neck and he was holding her by the waist, close to him.

They knew they shouldn't. Every sane part of their brains was screaming. Begging them not to. Marinette should show him off of her balcony. She didn't want him to be confused because he had kissed Marinette. She wanted to date him as Ladybug.

But then again, Chat had kissed her as Marinette... Maybe she did have a second choice. What if she told him her true identity? Would that be THAT bad?

Unaware of what was going on inside her head, Chat was having similar thoughts. He should return home right that moment. He wanted to be with Marinette as Adrien! He couldn't as Chat! It was way too dangerous for her. But what if he showed her who he really was? No. He almost could hear Plag insulting him. That would be even more dangerous for them. She shouldn't have to carry out the burden of knowing who he was. What if she got akumatized? Hawkmoth would know his identity right that moment. He had to be with Marinette as Adrien. The other options were crazy. Not even options at all. It was the only sane path to follow.

But what are sane thoughts when they were so very close to each other? He was feeling drunk with her sent. She was overwhelmed with the way his lips had felt on hers. They wanted more. It couldn't stop there...

But Tikki is going to kill me...

So, with great effort, Marinette pulled away from him. "You should go, Chat." She whimpered.

He looked hurt. But knew it was for the best, so he nodded.

Chat came close to her again and kissed her forehead. "Goodbye, Marinette."

That sounded awfully like a real parting goodbye.

"Goodnight, Chat Noir." She corrected, feeling her stomach twitching.

He smiled one last time at Marinette and leapt from her balcony, soon to disappear into the night.

Marinette was left alone, hoping that he would come back tomorrow.

But he didn't. Nor the day after. Or the day after that.