May 24 - Confession

Author's Note: Marinette catches Chat Noir cheating while they play video games together, and decides to teach him a lesson in honesty - with surprising results.

Ep: I wish I could say I play like Chat. Sadly, I can't. So I'll stick to solitaire.

MR: This puts a whole new twist on "cheaters never win"

Lyra: Tetris anyone?

Today's chapter is by epcot97

"Not again!" Chat cried as he fell backwards onto the pillow I'd let him prop up against. "You are entirely too good at this game, Mari," he mewled as he threw out his arms in abject defeat.

I stared at him, for while I had indeed won the fifth round of the night, somewhere along the line I had begun to suspect my feline companion of intentionally throwing the game. No shrinking violet when it came to Ultimate Mec Warriors, and well aware of Chat's prowess when he'd been forced to play a more deadly version of the game courtesy of Hawkmoth, I wondered why the chivalrous streak had appeared.

Resetting the game for a fifth round, my eyes flicked to the boy in the very form-fitting costume beside me and started to formulate a plan to uncover what was going on. "Another go?" I asked.

"Sure," he said, immediately sitting up, controller in paws, tail twitching with anticipation.

We started another round, and a few minutes in, I made a classic rookie move that Chat should have pounced on, one that would score him a ten-fold increase in points. Without betraying anything, though, Chat made a subtle adjustment in his attack, missing the golden opportunity but still racking up a healthy number of points. A moment later, I made a similar "mistake," and Chat did capitalize on it.

With increasing amazement, I started to realize how carefully he'd been playing all this time; yes, he had consistently been losing to me, but in such a way that it was still competitive. What was more striking was how much better a player he was that I'd realized - the ability to play so poorly and yet so brilliantly was insanely wild.

Predictably, though, I won round six. And seven. And eight.

By round nine, Chat was crying uncle. "I need a break, Princess," he said, flopped back once more, his wild bangs partly covering his masked face. "My paws are aching at the thrashing you are giving me."

"Thrashing," I said thoughtfully.

Something in the way I'd said it alerted Chat to my intentions, but his feline eyes snapped open a moment too late. In a heartbeat, I'd swiftly grabbed the pillow I was sitting on myself and pressed it to his vulnerable chest, leaning my entire weight against it. It helped that I knew a bit about his normally lithe movements, allowing me to counter his increasingly frantic struggles beneath me.

"Hey!" he cried out as he tried to shift again. I'd managed to pin one of his arms beneath me, making it harder - but not impossible - for him to push himself up. I also cagily used his innate goodness against him, knowing he'd not twist and leap away using his superstrength out of fear of injuring me. "What are you doing!?"

"Admit it," I said, my deep blue eyes just a half meter from his masked ones. "You're cheating."

"Cheating?" he asked incredulously. "I'm losing!"

"Wrong answer," I said, grinning wickedly.

Chat's eyes widened at my expression. "I don't know-oooooh, hah-hah-hah-hah-hah!" he gasped, the laughter pouring out of him as I wickedly tickled an exposed and rather vulnerable area along the side of his chest, just a fraction below his armpit. I knew from a prior visit (and, admittedly, insider information from an akuma we had fought some weeks earlier) that he was particularly sensitive in that spot, even with the supersuit. "That's… hahahahahahah…. not-whooooo!"

Frantically, he tried to squirm away from me, but I dug in until the tears started to stream from those amazing emerald feline eyes. "Okay," I said evilly. "Now, admit it."

Trying to catch his breath, I saw him narrow his eyes in defiance. "Never!" he cried.

I redoubled my efforts, and in moments he was a quivering mass of laughter, putty beneath my touch. At one point, he was howling with laughter so loudly, I feared my parents were going to appear through the trapdoor, asking tough questions. I was forced to stop, grudgingly proud my partner hadn't cracked under pressure.

Still shaking with laughter and wiping away the tears with a paw, Chat rolled up into a seated position. It wasn't lost on me he was just out of reach. "What-whooo! What was that all about?"

"You're cheating," I accused, crossing my arms. "Letting me win."

Chat's laughter died, and his eyes went a little wider. "Oh," he said, and to his credit, he started to nod. "It's not all that easy, actually," he smiled slightly. "You are really good. I mean, like, tournament-level good."

"I know," I replied smugly. "Having gone to one already."

Chat smiled. "That doesn't surprise me," he laughed.

"Then why? Why throw the game?" I demanded.

"Honestly?" he asked.

"I'd expect nothing less."

His masked eyes darted away, and he did that thing with his hand to the back of his neck, which I knew meant he was uncomfortable. It was also vaguely familiar to me. "I… I want to keep visiting," he said softly as his gaze returned to mine. "I assumed if I blasted you each and every time we played, you'd stop wanting me around."

Chat's expression was so forlorn, it nearly hurt. "Oh, kitty," I said. "Winning or losing at a video game isn't going to change how I feel about you."

"Really?" he said, and the sincerity at which he said it hurt me more. It was clear he'd had some pretty miserable friendships in his past.

"Yes," I said Ladybug-firmly. "You are here because I want you here, not because I require someone I can beat at video games."

"Oh," he said as he digested that concept. "Me-me? Chat-me?"

"Yes," I replied as I tapped him in the chest with a finger. "Chat-you. Always."

Sliding over to me, he quickly hugged me. "That… that means a lot to me, Princess," he said softly, his wide feline eyes moist. "More than you know."

I smiled at him and picked up the controller he'd been using, pressing it into his paw. "Good. Now, best two out three? Loser has to carry the winner to the top of the Eiffel Tower?"

Chat groaned as he took the controller. "That's easier for one of us."

"I know," I said as I turned back to the game. "Prepare to lose, kitty."

"I can't," he said softly. "Someone just told me not to. But I've already won, no matter how this plays out."

I looked at him and smiled. "I think we both have."