Disclaimer: I don't own ML.
Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope your celebrations are going better than me being cooped up with a cold and an aching chest because I always get sick at this time of year XD
Thanks to yellow 14, The Dimensional Reader, The Keeper of Worlds, DragoonSensei and Evander1435 for your reviews :)
"Hey, princess."
Marinette's heart skips a beat when she turns to find Chat Noir perched on the railing of her balcony just like back before Glaciator had attacked, all those months ago. This time, though, he's got a goofy, nervous grin rather than looking heartbrokenly glum, and he's clutching a single red tulip rather than the rose he'd had that time.
"You, uh…you look amazing," he says, his cheeks visibly darkening in the orange glow of nighttime Paris. Marinette can't suppress the grin that breaks free as she instinctively smooths down her strapless dress, with a black feathery pattern across the chest and down one side, while the base of the dress is white.
"Thanks," she says. "It was a rough sketch at the photoshoot that Adrien invited me to and, well…it kinda grew from there."
"You're awesome," Chat Noir says immediately, then clears his throat. "You really got dressed up just for little old me?"
"As if," Marinette scoffs as blood starts to rush to her cheeks. "I just felt like wearing something different. For our hangout tonight. That we always have."
Chat Noir's smirk only increases the desire to shove the damn cat off her balcony and listen to him yowl all the way down to the ground, but Marinette just manages to resist the temptation. She's a superhero, after all, and superheroes shouldn't stoop to such pettiness…even if it would be very satisfying.
"So…" Chat Noir holds out the tulip in his hand. "I heard through the grapevine that a certain Miss Dupain-Cheng had a crush on me?"
"You can't believe everything you hear," Marinette says, although her hot cheeks as she accepts the tulip undercuts the cool-headed aura she's trying to project. Oh, well. May as well get used to the fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is destined to always be a disaster.
"Well, then." Chat Noir's grin widens. "I suppose I shouldn't tell you how simply stunning you are, if you won't believe what you hear."
"Now, wait just a minute! I didn't mean – you mischievous cat!"
Chat Noir snickers, then leaps off the railing and stops just in front of Marinette. With one hand, he laces their fingers together, while he reaches up to tuck a lock of loose, dark hair behind her ear with his other hand.
"Not that I don't love the pigtails, princess," he says softly, "and you're gorgeous with any hairstyle, but you're beautiful with your hair down. I've never seen it before."
Marinette bites her lip and ducks her head to hide her flaming cheeks, although if the heat in her forehead's any indication, her entire face is probably just as red. "Thanks," she finally manages to say. "It's just more convenient to keep it in pigtails. Easier to keep out of the way, you know? And I like how they feel. I'm glad you like it down. So, um…what did you want to do tonight?"
"I was thinking of taking you out. On a date." Chat Noir gives a strangled little cough and adds, "You know, if you're into it. Not trying to force you or anything –"
"Heaven help me, but okay," Marinette says. Chat Noir's face lights up and goddammit, he does not have the right to look that – that – adorable!
"Really?" he says. "Well, I know I can't take you out and give you the first date you deserve. You know, dashing leather superhero and all that. I'd be too busy fighting off the hordes of fangirls trying to steal my heart."
"Right," Marinette deadpans. "We wouldn't want you to get mobbed by adoring fans."
"I'm glad you understand," Chat Noir grins. "So…I had another idea, if you're willing to allow this dashing cat to escort you?"
"So long as that dashing cat doesn't drop me, I think that's doable," Marinette says. In response to that, Chat Noir turns so that she can slide her arms around his neck and hoist herself onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist to secure herself.
"Ready, princess?" Chat Noir says. Marinette rests her chin on his shoulder and hums an affirmation, and then the wind's whistling through her ears and streaming her hair out behind her as Chat Noir takes a running leap off her balcony and lands on the next rooftop over.
Wow. It's so…different, leaping over the rooftops as a civilian instead of behind a red spandex suit. It's hardly the first time she's been carried through Paris by Chat Noir but, well…it is the first time she's been able to just enjoy it rather than focusing on the akuma or trying to cheer Chat Noir up.
"The Eiffel Tower?" Marinette says when Chat Noir arrives at the base of said Tower and starts climbing up nimbly like, well…a cat.
"The Eiffel Tower that no one ever gets to see," Chat Noir corrects. "Well, except for me and Ladybug. And Rena Rouge. Just…sorry, Marinette, I can find somewhere else –"
"No!" Marinette squeezes her arms around his neck. "It's perfect. I just wasn't expecting it. I've never been up here before…" Well, she's technically not lying. Ladybug has, but Marinette hasn't.
"Trust me, it's a view to die for, princess."
At the very tip of the Eiffel Tower, a picnic blanket has been spread across the cool metal, held down at the corners by little candles that one might buy from a home living store; not super cheap, but also not expensive and fancy. A vase of red tulips rests at the centre and it's surrounded by a few cushions and a platter of chocolate-dipped strawberries. All in all, it's nothing too fancy, but Marinette's heart still tries to batter itself free of her ribcage in response to the sight. Chat Noir's done this for her?
"I know it's not much," Chat Noir says when he sets her down and then turns around to gauge her reaction. "But you've never really struck me as someone who'd want something over the top. And I wasn't even sure if you'd say yes, so I didn't want to go too far and then –"
"You're right, kitty cat," Marinette says. "I've helped my parents cater for events at Le Grand Paris before, when they needed an extra pair of hands. It's all…too much. But this?" Marinette approaches the blanket and sinks down onto a red cushion. "This is perfect. I love it, Chat."
Chat Noir's shoulders visibly slump in relief as he sits down on a green cushion next to her. "I'm glad. I've never been on a date before, and everything I know comes from TV shows."
"I bet you watch anime, you dork," Marinette says. Chat Noir pouts in response. "Oh my god, you do. Nerd."
"Hey!" Chat Noir crosses his arms. "I'll leave you up here."
"That's no way to treat a lady."
"Hmph. Fine, you win this round."
Marinette grins. Then she shivers and wishes that she'd thought to bring a jacket, but she hadn't exactly thought that the date would be taking place at the top of the freaking Eiffel Tower, to be fair.
"Here." Chat Noir holds out another blanket, this one softer than the picnic blanket and made of blue fleece. "I figured it was better to be overprepared than underprepared."
"You really did think of everything," Marinette says as she wraps the blanket around her shoulders. She falls silent and drinks in everything before her, and all she can do is shake her head and say, "Wow. No one's ever…I mean, Evillustrator doesn't count because he was an akuma and he could just draw anything into existence. I love it."
"Of course," Chat Noir says. "You're my princess. Only the best for someone like you."
Marinette giggles and leans to rest her head on Chat Noir's shoulder. For a moment, the only sounds in the night air between them are the wind this high up and the bustle of Paris below. but it feels as though these sounds are muffled; like Marinette and Chat Noir are in their own world up here, in a bubble away from Hawkmoth and their daily lives.
"This is why I love being Chat Noir," Chat Noir finally says. "I mean, I love getting to be a superhero and kick akuma butt with milady…but just getting to let loose like this and do whatever I want. Be with whoever I want. My father would probably pitch a fit if I had a relationship as me with someone he didn't approve of."
"You think he wouldn't approve of me?" Marinette says. She's not exactly sure how she feels about that; is it a good thing that she's someone that Chat Noir's father wouldn't like? Or is the thought of someone not liking her, even someone like his father, responsible for the mild churning in her gut?
"I don't actually know," Chat Noir says. "Nothing identity-revealing, but I know you've impressed him once. But at the same time…it's hard to know what goes through his head, and I'm his son. And, like…I don't care if he approves or not, but it'd make my life easier if he did. So, in a way, it's kinda more freeing to be Chat Noir."
"That's fair enough," Marinette says. "My parents would probably adopt you."
"As much as I love the sound of that, it'd have unfortunate implications for us," Chat Noir says. Marinette laughs.
"Okay, yeah, I didn't think about that. I know stepsiblings aren't technically related…but still."
Chat Noir chuckles. After a moment, he stretches and yawns, and one of his arms 'casually' lands around Marinette's waist.
"Oh my god, you dork," she says, but that doesn't stop her from snuggling into his side even further.
"Am I really a dork if it works?" Chat Noir says. When Marinette chances a peek up, he's got a rather smug smile plastered across his face.
"Bad kitty."
Chat Noir lets out a growl, a little thing that rumbles in his chest, and nuzzles against her cheek like an actual cat. "You shouldn't be mean to me, princess. I could leave you up here."
"Oh, no," Marinette drawls, like she couldn't just get herself down and leave him wondering if she's a witch. "What a tragedy. You'd leave your princess trapped upon a tower?"
Chat Noir snorts. "I didn't even think about that." He suddenly jumps and hastens to grab the strawberries, and Marinette yelps and nearly topples over when her support unexpectedly vanishes. "D'you want a strawberry? Are you hungry? I don't even know if you've eaten or if –"
"Chat." Marinette unfolds one end of the blanket wrapped around her and throws it around Chat Noir's shoulders, reeling him back into the cocoon of warmth. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong? Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" Chat Noir babbles. Marinette just raises an eyebrow, and it only takes a moment for his fake ears to flatten against his head. "I'm just…it's my first date, alright? And it's yours too, yeah? I guess I just want it to be perfect, and I don't wanna screw it up by forgetting to offer you food or making a wrong move or –"
"The only way you could screw this up is if you left me up here." Marinette threads her fingers with his, stroking the warm black spandex under her thumb. "I love it, Chat. I love the thought that went into this. You don't have to be so terrified of making a wrong move that you end up twisting yourself into knots." She laughs and adds, "Kind of like how I was with Adrien. N-Not that you want to hear about him, because bringing up other crushes on a first date is a total wrong move, and ugh, I'm suck a jerk –"
"What happened to not overthinking things?" Chat Noir says. Marinette groans and shoves him with her shoulder.
"Jerk," she mumbles. Chat Noir gives her a shit-eating grin.
"Yeah, but I'm your jerk," he says. His grin widens when blood rushes to Marinette's cheeks, staining them with warmth. "Why, princess, I didn't know you were the possessive type."
"Shut up!"
Chat Noir just cackles but then sobers after a moment. "Hey, uh…there's something we should talk about."
"What?" Marinette's gut starts to churn. Has she messed up? Is Chat Noir about to say thanks for the date, it's been nice, he'll call? When people say "we need to talk", there's only a one percent chance that it's something good.
"Hey? Marinette? Did I do something wrong?" Chat Noir says after Marinette's silent for too long.
"Is it a bad thing?" Marinette manages to say. "Like, "thanks for the date, maybe next time" kind of thing?"
"What? No, no, no!" Chat Noir babbles with wide eyes. "I – well, I don't think it's bad, but it's nothing like that!"
"Oh." Marinette lets her shoulders sag. "Sorry for overreacting. I just hear those words and I start thinking of the worst possible outcome. I love having anxiety."
"Ah. Anxiety." Chat Noir wrinkles his nose. "Sorry, Marinette, I didn't realise. I won't start off with those words again. But no, this isn't bad. It's just…something I need to get off my chest."
Marinette tilts her head. "Yeah?"
"So, um, I get it if you decide this is all too messed up and you don't wanna get tangled in it. But I, uh…I have feelings for someone else. Too, that is. And I'm picking you, because I want to be with you and I know that this is more than just a crush, while I don't know about the other person, but I didn't want you to go into this and not know because I feel like that'd be lying –"
"Chat. Hey. Breathe." Marinette's about two seconds from passing out in relief. That's what he wanted to talk to her about? And she'd still freaked out, even though she'd known it had to be coming at some point! God, what a mess she is. "It's okay."
"It…is?"
"Yeah." Marinette starts scratching behind his fake ears, and he lets out a loud purr. "You must be sure enough about me to be on the top of the Eiffel Tower with me right now. And I know you wouldn't cheat, even if you're potentially polyamorous. That's just…not you. And that's not what polyamory's about in the first place."
Chat Noir melts against her and buries his nose in the crook of her neck. Marinette shivers violently at the warm breath that ghosts across her bare skin, and she leans into him before she realises what she's doing.
"Just keep me in the loop, yeah?" Marinette says. "The whole anxiety thing and all. I tend to jump to the worst conclusion. I remember once, I accidentally broke Mum's favourite vase and I made up a whole plan to run away from France and live with Nonna and become a motorcyclist nomad. I even started packing my bags and everything, until Mum – stop laughing!"
"I can't help it!" Chat Noir chokes, wiping his eyes. "I just – oh my god, Marinette, you're amazing."
"Try telling that to my eleven-year-old self," Marinette huffs. But she can't be too annoyed, not when Chat Noir's laughing, so she just sighs and keeps scratching his scalp, relishing the purrs that burst out of him even as he claps a hand over his mouth.
"Strawberries!" Chat Noir fumbles to grab a particularly large strawberry and brandishes it with a proud little smirk. "I was almost sorry to dip this one. It looked like a butt. See, here's the crack and everything!"
"Oh my god, you're so immature," Marinette says, but she can't hold back the laughter that bubbles out of her at his antics. The silence that falls between them as they share the plate of strawberries is natural, comfortable, and it's something that Marinette is infinitely grateful for, because there's nothing worse than being stuck in awkward silence with someone until you both lie and promise that you'll call each other but never do. The kind of silence she'd found herself in with Adrien, if she wasn't stuttering so badly that even she couldn't understand herself. And even if she'd never ended up falling for Chat Noir, moving her focus away from Adrien is probably the best thing she's ever done for herself, because now she can string more than two words together around him and they're actually friends.
"Hey, Marinette?" Chat Noir finally breaks the silence. Thankfully, Marinette manages not to jump or have a mini heart attack this time. "I, uh…"
Oh. Great. Has Marinette been too quiet? Is this the part where Chat Noir says thanks for a lovely evening and he'll call and all that generic let-down stuff? It shouldn't sting this much, except that he's her partner and she'll have to interact with him on a professional basis, but how is she supposed to do that when –
"– rinette? Did I do something wrong?"
"Huh?" Marinette blinks and shakes her head. "Sorry. I was kind of catastrophising in my head again. What did you say?"
Chat Noir snorts. "I was going to ask if I could kiss you, but if that's enough to make you start planning to run away and become a motorcycle nomad…"
"You dork. You don't have to ask to kiss me."
"I kind of do," Chat Noir says. "I mean, I know Ladybug likes my flirting when we're not in the middle of a battle, but…I still kind of want to be sure. You know, so I don't hurt you like I hurt her that time we fought Glaciator. You two are the most important girls in my life."
Is this a dream? How is Marinette the most important girl to him twice over without him even realising it? "I – um – wow," is all she can say. Chat Noir winces.
"Too heavy?"
"No. No. Just…wow."
"Well, it's true." Chat Noir squeezes her with the arm that's around her. "You're the sun! The moon! The light of –"
"Drama queen."
Chat Noir gasps and clasps a hand over his heart. "You wound me! While I'm singing your praises!"
Marinette rolls her eyes. "Didn't you want to kiss me or something?"
"Not after you so cruelly broke my heart," Chat Noir huffs.
"Oh, come here, you cry-baby." Marinette shifts around so that she's facing Chat Noir, then squeezes his hand. Chat Noir's eyes are wide as they dart from Marinette's eyes to her mouth, and his lips are slightly parted, and he so resembles a spooked kitten that all Marinette can do is lean in and press her mouth to his. Chat Noir freezes and gasps against her lips, and then he seems to spring to life and kiss back with a soft sound, lifting his free hand to cup her cheek.
It's far from the first time Marinette has kissed Chat Noir, even if she had been wearing a spotted suit and he's got no memory of it. But a kiss of necessity and a kiss of mutuality? They're leagues apart, and although Marinette will always do whatever it takes to save and protect her kitty, a part of her can't help but wish that this had been her first kiss with Chat Noir, because this? This is magical.
"Wow," Marinette sighs when they finally pull apart to gulp in the cool night air. "That was – wow."
"I always knew my kissing skills were mind-blowing," Chat Noir says. Marinette rolls her eyes.
"Alright, that was the first and last time I'm kissing you."
"What? No! C'mon, princess!"
"Nope. Too late. You blew it."
"Marineeeette!"