Chapter 14

I liked Marinette.

I don't know how. I don't know when.

All I know is, I do.

Marinette's POV

After my day of talking to Adrien, I had floated on up to my room. We had laughed a lot and shared our numbers.

But once I got home, and I was laying down on my bed, it wasn't Adrien's face that filled my thoughts. It was Chat's.

After my day with Adrien, I would've thought that last night with Chat would have been pushed to the back of my mind and my crush on Adrien would make a full-blown comeback.

But that's not what happened.

I realized today that Adrien is awesome, I mean I already knew that, but my crush had just made everything he did amazing in my mind. But today, I saw that I pretty much just saw him as a friend.

He was definitely one of my best friends, but nothing more.

My partner in crime-fighting was beginning to take up residence in that part of my mind Adrien previously had.

I used to push him away because of how much damage we could cause if we got together in any way. But I'm now realizing that I had felt something for him when we first met, then he started flirting with me. When we had just met.

I had thought that that had meant he was just a flirt and not a good person to have a relationship with, so I used that as an excuse for myself to not like him.

Having Adrien turn out to be a good person after my first impression, that helped me fall for him and completely forget about those initial tiny feelings for Chat.

But after last night...I saw a different side of him. One that he probably didn't show a lot of people. He trusted me with one of his greatest weaknesses, even though I could have easily used it against him if I was evil.

Yet he knew I wouldn't. Or he hoped I wouldn't and just needed someone to help him. Either way, I saw him at one of his "lowest" points, and I can't help that I want to get to know who he really is. The person behind the mask.

He wasn't flirty or obnoxious. He was someone that has faced many hurdles in life, alone, and puts on a mask for the world to see.

But I saw behind the mask, and I want to help my friend.

Even though I feel that I'm beginning to care for Chat more, more than I did for Adrien, I want to help him. I will help him.

Even if it turns out he only cares for me as a friend, I will continue to be his friend and stand by him.

Then there was a knock on my skylight.

His hair was crazy from his ride through the city, but it didn't look the slightest bit bad on him. It made recently-inactive butterflies flutter in my stomach.

I was worried that something was wrong, but when I asked why he came, it sounded rude and I dissolved into a stuttering mess trying to make him know he was welcome.

Then, he laughed and did the same thing, the gibberishness, about something else, and I laughed.

It was just so cute.

Then, I remembered that he looked a little jumpy when I invited him in and I wanted to make sure he was okay.

But when I asked again why he came, he responded with "Ummm…" and went silent.

His face went from nervous to shocked to confused to...acceptance? Determination?

I leaned forward and waved my hand in front of his face. "Chat? Are you okay?"

He snapped out of whatever trance he had been in and looked at me. Really looked at me. In my eyes, to the point that I thought he could see into my soul.

I shifted in my chair uncomfortably. "Ummm, Chat? Is everything okay?"

He shook his head and his eyes widened, as if just realizing how weird he was acting.

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his slowly-reddening [I believe this is a real word] neck.

"Y-yeah. I...I was just thinking."

My body relaxed at his words. "Okay. What were you thinking about?"

His arm dropped to his side and the parts of his face I could see turned bright red.

"O-oh, nothing!" He waved his hand, as if dismissing the question.

He turned to look around the room, anywhere but at me. His eyes landed on the pictures of Adrien I still had up and his face scrunched up in confusion.

He swung his head to look back at me and I sunk down in my chair in embarrassment, fully aware of the blush staining my cheeks.

"Why do you have so many pictures of m-Adrien?"

"Uh. I-I look at his c-clothes for inspir-inspiration. His father is my idol, so I look for his designs and keep them around me to help my creative juices flow."

I think that worked. My stutter went away as I dived deeper into my lie.

Chat nodded his head as if it made sense, and his face went back to its normal not-scrunchiness. Then, it turned to a mix of amusement and relief.

"Oh. For a second there, I thought you had a crush on him."

I froze. Oh boy.

How could I dismiss that, while also not revealing that I had, up until today? And that I now like him.

Chat.

He laughed.

I was yanked out of my thoughts at the beautiful sound.

I shook my head.

"Yeah, no. He's a friend, a good one, but that's it. I like someon-" I stopped and clamped my lips shut. I began humming the theme to some show and looking around my room, trying to feign innocence.

I heard him get up, off my chaise, and walk towards me. He stopped right in front of my desk chair and bent down to my level, until his face was right in front of mine.

I tried to turn away, but he put his hand on one of the chair's armrests to prevent the chair from spinning.

"Princess…"

I kept humming and looking anywhere but at him.

"Purrincess...Look at me…"

It took all of my willpower to not give in and look at his beautiful eyes.

I felt something cool brush against my chin, and the next thing I knew, I was looking Chat right in those glistening green eyes.

He had a small smirk on his lips as he looked right back at me.

"What did you say, Purrincess?"

"N-nothing!"

"Really? I thought I heard you start to say 'I like someone else.'"

He leaned just the slightest bit closer, but it made all the difference.

"So, do you like someone?"

I swallowed.

"W-well...Of-of course! I like lots of people! Like Alya, Nino, Ro-"

"That's not what I meant, Mari. You know that."

I could only stare at him. He was asking if I like-liked anyone, and he gave me a new nickname while he was at it.

The look in his face turned mischievous.

"Okay, how about this? If you tell me who you like, I'll answer one question. Any question you want to ask, I'll answer truthfully. So, what do you say?"

Damn him!

Of course I have things I want to ask him, things like 'Do you really like Ladybug?', 'Are things with your father okay?', and 'Are you okay? Actually okay?'.

But he's saying that he'll answer one of those questions if I tell him who I like. And I very well can't tell him I like him. He could think I just have some fangirl crush on him or that I only like him because I feel bad about his mom, and neither are the case! At all!

"Well, Purrincess? Are you going to tell me who mew like?"

"I-I...I li-"

"Marinette! Dinner!"

"Oh, thank god!"

I jumped up from my chair, making Chat spin around and fall to the floor.

"Ow… That hurt, Princess."

I couldn't help it. I gave a little giggle.

"Sorry, Chat. I got to go have dinner. Bye!"

I started pushing him towards the stairs that lead to the top floor of my room, and he turned around and pouted at me.

"But...Purrincess…"

"But Chat…"

He seemed to realize that he wasn't going to be staying for any longer, seeing as how he groaned and bent down to press a kiss on the back of my hand.

A shiver went up my spine.

"Farewell, Purrincess…"

And with a salute, he jumped up onto my roof and across the city.

He became a smaller and smaller blob as he got farther away, yet I could still feel where he kissed my hand.

I held my hand to my chest and let out a sigh.

"Marinette!"

"I'm coming, Maman!"

I joined my family for dinner, but I didn't process anything that happened.

My mind stayed on the stupid cat that pushed its way into my heart.