MariPOV
It's time for a patrol. Today is the perfect summer day, and just the thought of school almost being over gives me jitters.
"Tikki spots on."
I know exactly where Chat will be. I make my way to the roof we hung out on.
I sling through the city, stopping momentarily to appreciate the feeling of relief. No more stress about the project. No more stress about Chat noir. No more stress about anything.
I smile and sling to the next building. I land slickly and get ready to fly off again. I can see the rooftop. I freeze. My whole body tenses. I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is real. I stand there with my mouth hanging open. I take a few staggering steps backwards.
They pull away from the kiss. Bee has as smile plastered across her face. Chat looks over her shoulder. We make brief eye contact. His eyes widen immediately. I turn around to run.
I feel empty.
It's a lie. I'm an idiot.
I trip and roll hard on the ground. My arm catches underneath me and twists painfully. Rooftop gravel digs into my cheeks. I moan in pain.
I pair of hands pull me upwards. Pain rings in my hands but that doesn't stop me from pushing him off.
"You're a jerk!" I scream.
"Wait."
I stop. I don't know why. But I stop. Maybe because I don't want to let him go.
"It's not what it seems." He stares at me. His eyes beg me to listen.
"It isn't huh?" I shout. "Here I thought that you cared about me! But you...you lied again. How could you do this to me. Again. You told me it was fake."
"It is. It is. I SWEAR ON MY LIFE." He steps towards me. I shake my head.
"I can't trust you."
"You have too, I would never do this again. I would rather kill myself than let you get hurt. I'd risk everything for you. Listen, Bee said...she said...well it's wrong for me to tell you, just please talk to her, and I hope that she'll tell the truth." His eyes well with tears. I stare at him, searching his eyes for any sign of a lie. A tear rolls down his cheek and my heart breaks. I wipe the lone drop of water away with my thumb.
"Yeah...yeah okay, I will Chat. I promise." I walk to him and wrap him in my arms.
"Please Mari, I can't lose you. Not when I've lost everything else." He says as I pull his head down to rest on my shoulder.
"Please…" he says weakly.
"I will. Cats honour." I whisper. I feel water on my neck and it takes me a moment before I realize he's crying. I pull away.
"Don't cry… or I'm gonna start crying." I wipe his tears away with my thumb again.
"You're bleeding." His expression turns to panic.
"I am?" I wipe my face. My hand comes back with a spot of blood.
Chat sits me down.
"How is the cut on your chest?" He asks.
"Oh...I forgot about that." I rotate my wrist. I wince. Pain rips it's way up my arm.
"What's wrong?" His eyes widen.
"You're more freaked out than I am and I'm the one who's hurt." I smile through the pain. "It's okay, it's just sprained. And the cut on my cheek is minor. As for the wound on my chest, it's gone. It wasn't a deep cut. Maybe there's a thin scar. Tikki probably healed it when I got transformed." I place a hand on his shoulder.
"Okay." He places his head on my shoulder. "Please trust me."
"Yeah." I nod and cradle him.
"Please don't leave yet." His arms encircle my waist.
"Hmmm, kind of funny...since you ditched me in the middle of the night." I scoff.
"Wait don't tell me you're mad about that. I-I just...Plagg was hungry and I didn't want to drop transformation in the middle of the-"
"I was kidding." I peck his nose. He picks me up.
"Not funny." He smirks and brings me to the edge of the building. He holds me over the edge. I squeal like a child. He smiles and I stick my tongue out. He lets his grip loosen and he drops me. The wind blows through my hair. I tumble towards the ground. I close my eyes.
Trust me. His words ring through my head.
I feel a pair of arms wrap around me. I stop falling. When I open my eyes his bright green ones are staring down at me.
"I trust you." I whisper.
I land gently next to Bee.
"Can you explain to me your relationship with Chat." I take a seat next to her.
"There's nothing between us." She sighs.
"Then why-"
"We were kissing because I have feelings for him. But don't get me wrong, he's head over heels with you. He'd do anything for you." She shrugs.
"Oh." I try to think of something to say. "Chloé you're an amazing girl, anyone would be extremely lucky to even know you. You'll find someone." I hug her.
"I know." She laughs.
"I should go, I'm glad we talked." I stand up.
"Thanks LB." she waves.
I land on my balcony and drop transformation. I roll my wrist. It's starting
to purple, it looks swollen. I bite my lip in pain.
I enter my room and grab a wrist splint, I've hurt myself before on the job. I roll onto my bed and pick up my phone.
Chat: what did Bee say.
Me: she told me that she has feelings for you…
Chat: …
Me: maybe we shouldn't flex our relationship on our group then… as to not hurt Bee
Chat: our relationship?~
Me: not the point I was trying to get across
Chat: okay...sorry :(
Me: but for real I feel bad for Chloé
Chat: yeah…
Me: I might have someone I could set up with her
My phone rings. I pick it up.
"Hello." I answer.
"Hey Purrincess."
I smile and grab my laptop. I start browsing and put the phone on speaker.
"Why are you calling?" I check my email.
"Aww don't say that, it almost seems like you don't want me to call." I can practically hear the grin on his lips.
"Yeah yeah…" I roll my eyes. "OH MY GOD!" I squeal.
"What? What's going on? Are you okay do I need to come over?! Plagg cla-"
"No! I'm fine...I'm great actually!" I beam.
"Oh thank god."
"Gabriel fucking Agreste just confirmed my internship for the summer!" I jump up.
"I don't think his middle name is fucking." Chat laughs.
"Shhhh...let me read it to you. Dear Ms. Dupain-Cheng it will be a honour to host you at the Gabriel brand company this summer. Please come to orientation on the 22nd at 5:15pm….blah blah blah...signed Natalie." I smile.
"The 22nd is the last day of school isn't it? And it's in three days...don't we have patrol that day." Chat says.
"Come on I HAVE TO GOOO. You must know by now that Gabriel Agreste is the best designer in all of Paris!" I rant. "Plus...can't you cover for meee." I beg.
"Ah no can do Bugaboo..I have somewhere to be." He sighs.
"Okay then we can ask Rena and Carapace. I need this." I whine.
"Open your skylight."
I jump up and prop it open.
"Why'd you make me do that." I look around for him.
"Look at the moon." He commands.
"Okay...I'm looking at it." I stare up at the moon.
"There, we're both looking at it now." He says.
"Ugh...stop being so cheesy." I roll my eyes and smile. There's a thud.
I turn.
"Hey Bugaboo." Chat crouches down. He holds a rose between his fingers and holds it out to me.
I cross my arms in front of my chest.
"Your hand." He scowls.
"Sprained." I rub my arm.
He gently places the rose behind my ear.
"There. It compliments your eyes. You look gorgeous." He smiles.
"Yeah yeah...but the 22nd?" I look at him.
"Stop with the babydoll eyes…" Chat whines.
"Please Minou." I run my hand up and down his arm. He bites his lip.
"Please Kitty." I kiss his cheek.
"Mari...you're killing me here." He runs a hand through his hair.
"Fine...I won't go. It's not like I've been dreaming about this for my entire life." I pout.
"No no no...Mari, of course you can go. It's just...I've heard some bad things about the company and how they treat their models.
"I can handle myself after all I am Paris' star hero." I pose heroically.
"I thought I was?" He raises his eyebrows.
"Keep dreaming Kitten." I boop his nose and return to my laptop. There's a message from Alya with a link to an article. I click on it.
It headlines:
Who is this up and rising designer?
I scroll down. Immediately there's a picture of me and Adrien at his fathers party.
"Who's that?" Chat asks. He sits next to me on my bed. My back is pressed up against the wall.
"A guy."
"I can tell." He scoffs.
"Adrien Agreste." I shrug.
"Agreste?" Chat raises his eyebrows. "Pretty good looking huh?" Chat says.
"Yeah...very." I nod. Chat doesn't say anything.
"But I mean so are you." I turn to him.
His arms are crossed over his chest.
"You can't be mad at me! Surely you've thought other girls were pretty." I snuggle up to him.
"When am I going to be allowed to reveal myself?" He says.
"Way to dodge the topic." I raise my eyebrows.
"I'm serious Marinette." He moves away from me and starts pacing the floor.
"Oh." I stare at him, confused. He looks upset. "Hey…" I crawl towards him. "You know how dangerous this is. Even for me at this point, if Hawkmoth finds out about me...my entire family and all my friends could get hurt. I would never want the same for you." I frown.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just wish it could be easier. I wish we could be normal." He holds my waist.
"Me too." I swallow.
"And as for you, I promise I'll protect you. I promise you and everyone you care about." He takes my hand. "I brought you something."
"The rose isn't enough?" I take it out of my hair.
"No...no that was nothing." He shakes his head.
"Oh really. I thought it was really pretty." I twirl it in between my fingers. He takes it from my hand and places it on my nightstand.
He pulls out a ring box.
"Tell me you're not proposing to me." My eyes widen.
"I'm not proposing to you." He chuckles.
He opens the box.
In the centre there's a thin dainty gold ring with a circular red jewel and two triangles on either side of the circle made of smaller red jewels.
"This looks like an engagement ring." I stare at him.
"It's a promise ring, so you can relax." He takes the ring out of the box.
"It's too much, Chat this must have cost a fortune! What is it made out of?" I gasp.
He chuckles and then rubs the back of his neck. "The circular gem is a ruby, and then the triangles are made of Red Topaz and red tourmaline. Uh I read that Rubies are supposed to be associated with good luck and good fortune. And I read the powers are enhanced when you wear it on your left hand. It reminds me of your yoyo and your lucky charm. And uh...Topaz is a symbol of love and affection. The tourmaline which is kind of pink because it's your favourite color." He fiddled with the ring. He rolls it back and forth between his fingers.
"Chat...I can't accept it." I shake my head. "It's too expensive."
"No please...even if you don't accept it, I'm going to keep it. I mean...I guess it's kind of selfish...since you're promising yourself to me...so technically it's a gift for me." He takes my left hand.
"You can't put it on my ring finger." I smirk.
"I can't?" He swallows.
"No it's reserved for someone else." I shake my head.
"O-oh. Yeah sure uh yeah okay." He stumbles.
"For Adrien Agreste." I dramatically place a hand on my forehead. "Gosh he's just the love of my life."
"Mari!" He shoves me gently and I giggle.
"Put it on." I shove my hand at him. He slips it on my ring finger.
I bite my lip.
"You know what this means right?" Chat takes a step forward. His leg brushes up against mine.
"What?" I whisper.
"It means that you're mine...and only mine. No one else can touch you. No one can lay a finger on you…" he says, his voice is husky and low.
I swallow. "It might be hard to live the rest of my life without any physical contact."
"You belong to me now...and if anyone tries to take you from me...they'll have to face me." He pushes me up against the wall.
"I'm yours. All yours. But...you're mine. No more kissing other people, Kitty." I boop his nose with mine.
"I promise you that I'm only yours…" he stares into my eyes. I lean forward to lock our lips.
"Time?" He leans back slightly.
"No I want to be with you." I pull him towards me.
"Marinette sweetheart! It's late you should go to sleep!" My mom yells from downstairs.
Chat backs up.
"Yeah THANKS MOM." I yell back.
I turn off the lamp on my nightstand.
"Is she going to come upstairs?" Chat looks panicked.
"Don't tell me the flirtatious hero is scared." I tease.
"I don't want your parents disapproval." He crosses his arms.
"Are you kidding do you not remember when you came over for breakfast and my dad was practically smothering you." I raise my eyebrows.
"Oh yeah." He smiles.
"And you told everyone you were in love with Ladybug...and not me." I take out my pigtails.
"I was blind! And you're the same person." He grabs my shoulders.
"Whatever."
"Don't be mad! Please Mari." He scowls.
"I'm not." I shrug.
"Yes you are!" He pouts.
I smile at him.
"Marinette you're not funny!" He frowns.
He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. I squeal.
"You have the cutest butt." I smirk. He drops me onto my bed.
"Go to bed." He smiles.
"No, not unless you stay with me." I yawn.
"But your parents-"
"They don't come up to my room I swear." I pat the bed next to me. Chat lies down and I curl up next to him with my head on his chest. I stick my left hand out in the air.
"I can't believe I let you give this to me." I smile.
"If you didn't take it I would've been heartbroken." He runs his hand up and down my back.
"It's perfect." I kiss his cheek.
"I'm glad you like it." He whispers.
I wake up in the middle of the night. Chat is still next to me, I smile. I get up gently, as to not wake up Chat. I walk down my stairs to my window where the moonlight shines through.
"Tikki...spots on."
I walk across the rooftops to the rive gauche. I de transform and sit on the railing of the bridge.
"Tikki? Would I like Chat without the costume?" I dangle my feet back and forth and look over the edge at the calm water.
"Yes. You would. Most definitely." My Kwami frantically nods her head.
"How do you know?" I chuckle.
"Well because-"
"Wait don't tell me!" I interrupt. She smiles.
I sit staring up at the sky. There's a loud thud behind me.
I turn around swiftly, but I lose my balance. I tumble forward and down into the water. My body makes a splash as the freezing water encases around me. I swim up to the surface and gasp for a breath of air.
"Wendy!"
I look up to the bridge and meet eyes with an akuma. He smiles angrily.
"Wendy darling, come back!" He shouts at me. He launches himself towards me. He pushes me down into the water. I struggle against him, trying to push him off. He fights against my force roughly and drags me deeper beneath the surface. I feel myself become dizzy. Black encases my vision. I take in a breath of water.
Light blinds me. I rise off of the ground. My hair is still wet and my skin is covered in beads of water. I let out a wet cough. Water rises in my throat and I throw it up into the concrete.
"Marinette!"
I turn to see Rena Rouge and Carapace.
"Uh...how do you know my name." I play dumb.
"Uhhhhh, Bee told us." Alya nods.
"Chat is coming back in a sec. But don't you worry Marinette you're safe with us!" Carapace smiles.
"Uh yeah." I grip my stomach.
Chat drops down on the roof. I throw up again and clutch my stomach. Now my skin is dotted with sweat and I can't stop shivering. I curl into my side.
Chat meets my eyes and a sudden wave of panic washes over him. Rena grabs his arm.
"What's the deal?" She asks.
"Uh. I asked around and the akuma is a kid named Dylan. He recently confessed to a girl named Wendy and apparently he's trying to find her since she ran away afterwards. She has black hair, hence the attack on Mari, green eyes and fair skin. He's apparently going after girls with some of those traits." Chat responds. "Let me take care of Marinette. Please, Rena, Carapace, Bee, ensure the safety of the citizens." He commands. They all fly off in different directions. As soon as they're out of sight Chat rushes to my side and presses his lips against my forehead.
"Mari I'm so sorry." He rubs my arms.
I chatter my teeth and curl up against his warm chest. I hug myself to keep warm.
"I'm sorry, I need to take you back to my house. It's close to here and you need to be somewhere warm." He lifts me up.
"N-no." I shake. I feel the world dip. "I-it's too dangerous. And p-Paris n-needs you."
"You're pale and your lips are purple. I'm not risking your safety Mari. I can't lose you." He hops up. I cough again.
We land somewhere and he slips through a window. By this point I feel delusional and high.
"Kitty…" I take in a shaky breath.
"Don't worry I won't turn the lights on. It'll be okay. You won't see a thing." He sets me down gently and pulls a blanket over me.
"Parents?" I mutter.
"I live alone." He says. I feel his arms around me.
"You have to go...Paris needs you." I try to push him off. But the fever makes me weak.
"I'm not leaving you, not now." He holds onto me tightly. The warmth and his scent are both intoxicating.
"Tikki?" I mumble.
"She's safe. I brought her here and she's asleep." He whispers.
"Chat, I shouldn't be here." I swallow.
I feel his weight shift.
"MARI HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU I CAN'T LOSE YOU." He yells.
"C-chat." My head rolls back. I start to see double and my head aches.
"I LOVE YOU AND I WON'T LEAVE YOU! YOU WILL ALWAYS COME FIRST!" He shouts.
"Chat." I mumble. I squeeze my eyes shut as the pain in my chest aches.
"MARINETTE I DON'T CARE IF YOU FIND OUT WHO I AM! I JUST CARE THAT YOU'RE SAFE!"
"CHAT!" I yell.
"WHAT?" He yells back.
"Something's wrong." I mutter and pass out.