Author's note – anyone else a fan of marichat? Have I got news for you…
The next couple of days went by in a blur. Between the akumas and her heartache over Adrian, Marinette was mentally and physically exhausted.
Adrian wasn't doing much better. He could usually deal with his hectic schedule, but when it wasn't an akuma, his guilt kept him awake at night.
Ladybug and Chat Noir met at the scene of another battle, this time around 2:00 AM. Chat landed with a lump, and yawned.
"Am I boring you, Chat?" Ladybug replied with a smirk, teasing.
Things had felt different for Ladybug ever since her visit from Chat Noir those few days back. As though she could see the boy behind the mask, and she liked knowing that boy. She wanted to encourage him to be himself. Help him break free of his traps. So, she tried to encourage his playful side.
Chat, on the other hand, found this turn to be… unnerving.
"Never, m'lady. But if we could defeat this akuma so I could get back to my cat nap, I'd be very grateful." He smiled ever so slightly and leapt his way to another rooftop, trying to stare down the akuma and find its weaknesses.
Chat didn't know what to make of his and Ladybug's new relationship after they had kissed. Sure, he had expected it to be a bit awkward, but instead, it almost felt as if Ladybug was actually, sort of, maybe…. Flirting with him. After kissing him and then breaking his heart.
He was too sleep deprived to deal with this. He needed space from Ladybug. So, he avoided her as much as he possibly could.
If you were to ask Ladybug or Chat who the akuma was, they probably couldn't tell you, both of them running on autopilot and just trying desperately to go back to their beds. Maybe something involving an airplane. Or a submarine. Some kind of vehicle.
Finally, Ladybug threw her lucky charm (a golfclub) up into the air, and with a half-hearted "Miraculous Ladybug," the city returned to normal.
"Pound it!" Ladybug offered, and her partner returned the sentiment just as his ring started to flash.
"Well, catch you next time Ladybug." He turned to leave, just as Ladybug grabbed his arm.
"Wait, Chat-"
He turned back to Ladybug, looking down at her hand on his arm before back up to her face with a confused expression. He didn't say a word.
"I, uh, I was wondering if we could talk?"
Chat didn't move.
"Uh, Ladybug, Not to be that cat, but I don't have long…"
"We could detransform? And come back?" There was desperation there that Ladybug hadn't realized she felt until it was clear in her voice. She missed her kitty. He felt distant, and she knew she was the one to blame.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Ladybug." Hearing her superhero name instead of a term of endearment broke her heart a little. She was losing her best friend and she didn't know what to do about it.
"Well then five seconds. Just a minute, before you turn back. Please, chat."
He didn't reply, but he motioned his hand at her, as if to encourage her to keep going.
"I just- I wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a- stickler, or kill joy or whatever. Uh, you deserve to have fun. So, um, if you'd ever like to just hang out- I mean In our super hero identities, of course, just know that I'm here for you."
Chat smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I'll keep that in mind. Goodnight, Ladybug." And with that same sad smile, he leapt from the rooftop they were on and off into the night.
Marinette was on her balcony, having just detransformed, and was going to go back in through the hatch in her roof when she stopped herself. She needed to think, and the cool air was what she needed. The design contest finals were just a couple of days away, on Halloween, and Marinette knew she needed to focus. But her brain was too focused on Chat.
The good thing about this was that Marinette barely thought about Adrian anymore. She didn't know if it was her guilt for causing him pain, or how distant he had recently become, but she couldn't keep her mind off of her partner. She was on her balcony, gazing into the night, when she saw a blur moving across the rooftops.
Chat.
She had no idea if he could see her, but she waved anyway. She watched as his silhouette moved off into the night and disappeared. She sighed, and turned her back to the night, prepared to go back inside, when she heard something behind her.
She turned back around to see Chat's silhouette, much closer this time, making his way over to her. She smiled and met him at her balcony railing.
"Princess," Chat said with a grin as he landed on her rooftop garden. "What are you doing up so late? Did the akuma keep you up?" He added this last part, a look of worry coming over his face.
Marinette couldn't help but revel in his attention. It felt good to be noticed by Chat again, and she wanted to close this distance between her and her best friend.
"A bit. I couldn't sleep anyway, but thanks for your concern, chaton," she replied, placing a hand on his and squeezing.
However, this just made his look of worry worse. "Why couldn't you sleep?" His head turned to the side, the way that a cats would when it was confused, and it made Marinette's smile widen. She wondered what other cat habits he'd picked up.
"Well, I have this design contest-"
"The one hosted by the Agreste label? You're in that? That's so impressive, princess!"
Marinette blushed at the attention. It made Chat's heart swoon, not that he acknowledged it.
"Thanks, I mean, I'm thrilled, but also so nervous. I've competed in contests within my school before – I, ah, actually go to school with M. Agreste's son, so he's seen my work previously. But this is Paris wide! I just, I have no idea how it will go."
Chat flipped his hand, which was currently still underneath Marinette's, and gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm sure your designs will be paw-sitively purr-fect, princess. You're Marinette, after all!"
This turned Marinette's blush an even deeper red, and made Chat's heart swell with accomplishment.
"Well, I appreciate your faith, chaton, but you've never even seen my designs!"
"No time like the present!" Chat said with a Cheshire cat grin, as he hoped down from his perch on the railing – his favourite spot, and started to move towards Marinette.
"You… want to see my designs?" Marinette questioned, hesitantly.
"Your designs, your work, heck, show me your scraps! I'm sure it's all a masterpiece."
Marinette giggled. Chat Noir was truly such a charmer. But it felt nice to feel charmed, again. "Uh, well, they're inside, and-"
Chat walked over to her hatch and opened it up for her with a flourish. "Well, then, I guess you best go and get them!"
Marinette rolled her eyes at the grand gesture and hoped through her hatch and onto her bed. She popped down to the main floor from up high, grateful for the warmth now that she was in it. Before she could question herself, she moved back up onto her bed and into the hatch, without her designs.
"Well, Chat, are you coming in or what?"
This time, Chat was the one to blush. Marinette appreciated the colour on his cheeks. Red looked good on him.
"Uh, you want me to come inside?" he rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's cold out there. Come in and get warm, chaton, and I'll show you my work."
She moved back into her room and Chat Noir followed her, taking a moment to explore the walls of her space. The first thing he noticed was all of the photos of himself up on her walls. He'd seen them before, but it hurt that much more knowing her potential feelings for his alter ego. He didn't mention them. Instead, he moved towards a group photo of their class, all of them together.
He pointed to it. "That's a nice photo."
Marinette smiled. "Thanks, I like that one too. Those are my friends, I'm lucky to have them."
Chat smiled, feeling similarly lucky.
"So, where are these so called designs I was promised?" Chat said, wringing his hands as he stood in the middle of the room, awkwardly. He had no idea what to do with himself inside of Marinette's space. He'd been in here before, but that had been different. He had been Adrian then, Marinette's friend. Now, he was Chat Noir – a stranger.
Marinette rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "They aren't 'so called.' And I'll show you. Come, sit down," she said, motioning to the chaise. Chat sat on it and was handed a book by Marinette as she riffled through her closet.
Chat flipped through the pages of her design journal. Growing up in the industry, he knew what talent looked like. He had known Marinette was good – he had seen some of her designs before as Adrian, and she had won that contest, after all. But this was different. He was in awe.
"Marinette, these are… amazing" he said as he flipped through the designs, his claws lightly grazing the pages. Marinette was gifted. He looked up to see her standing in front of him, a blush on her face, but her grin clear as day.
"Thank you. I've never trained or anything, but I love fashion, so I study what's happening in the big houses and across the world. I just, I love it."
Chat could see the passion radiating off of her, and it just made him like her more. Marinette was smart, kind, passionate, talented, beautiful. What couldn't she do?
He caught himself with this thought.
He needed to get a hold of himself. Maybe he liked Marinette, he already knew that he probably did. He had almost kissed her, after all. But even if he was over Ladybug, which is hard to imagine after only two days, Marinette didn't like Chat. Not like that, anyway. Nobody did. He wanted to be with someone who loved him. But he could let her know how amazing she was.
"I can tell, you really know what you're doing. I'm sure you'll win- wait, is that what you're submitting?"
Chat looked into her hands to see the jacket she was holding. It was a tailored men's jacket, obviously meant to be worn by Adrian for the final runway. And it was breathtaking. He tried to say something, but his mouth fell open instead, at a loss for words. He held up his hands, as if he wanted to hold it, but Marinette opened it up for him instead.
He looked at her, questioningly.
"Will you… try it on?" Marinette asked, the jacket waiting for him to put his arms through the sleeves.
"I'd be honoured" Chat replied, reverence in his voice. He slipped his arms into the jacket, careful to avoid his claws, and looked at the design in the mirror.
Of course, it fit like a glove.
The material she has used was an intricately embroidered design, but nothing he had ever seen before. A design of dragons, abstract enough that you could miss it, but obvious enough that you could almost make out a story between them. The lapel was a black satin, popping against the red and green woven through the black of the designed fabric. The pockets had satin piping surrounding the opening, and that same piping was wound into an intricate design on the back of the jacket. He recognized it immediately. It was the design on the front of his miraculous box.
Chat was mesmerized.
"Wow, Marinette, I've never seen anything like this before. This is astounding. Where did you find this fabric?" He asked, avoiding the piping design for a moment.
Marinette blushed. "I, uh, I actually designed it myself. My auntie knows of a shop in Shanghai. I've had this material since my last birthday, but hadn't known what to use it on until now. The dragons are supposed to be partners…"
Chat Noir couldn't ignore the connection any longer. The green and the red, the pipped design. The dragons as partners. This was an ode to Chat Noir and Ladybug. He just didn't understand why.
"This design…" he said, motioning to the piping on the back.
"Oh, yea, I mean, I just thought it looked cool," she said with a blush. Chat's eyebrows furrowed. This wasn't some random design. She was lying to him. But how did she know about this? And why wasn't she being honest?
A thought scratched at the back of Chat Noir's brain, but he ignored it.
"It just, it actually reminds me… of something to do with me. Or with Ladybug and me. It looks like… something I've seen before." Chat probably shouldn't tell Marinette this, but he knew she already knew this somehow. He needed to figure out how.
"I guess, I must have seen it on the Ladyblog or something!" She said with an uncomfortable laugh. Her answer did not feel truthful, but Chat wouldn't push her for now. No need to scare Marinette off. He liked spending time with her. He didn't want it to be uncomfortable between them.
"Guess so…" he said, trailing off. Marinette knew he didn't believe her, but appreciated that he didn't push. "Well, if you don't win the contest, I demand a recount," he said with a grin. He went to shrug of the jacket, but Marinette came up behind him and stopped his action by placing both of her hands on his lapel and adjusting the fit.
"It looks good on you," she said, looking up into his eyes.
She didn't know what she was thinking when his eyes locked on hers. Her heart was racing. This jacket did look good on him. As if it was tailor made for him. But what really made her heart leap was the look Chat gave her when she said this. Her heart flipped in her chest, the same way it had when Chat had told her about his feelings. Right before he had kissed her. She remembered how it had felt, to have his lips on hers. The way it had made her feel.
Just days before, she had thought so fondly of Adrian, so much so that she couldn't bear to keep kissing Chat Noir at the thought of being disloyal. Now, Adrian was the furthest thing from her mind.
She cleared her throat and moved to step away from Chat Noir, trying to get her bearings, but Chat's hands moved to her hands, stopping her in her tracks by placing his over her own, which now were firmly on his chest.
"It's only as beautiful as the designer," he replied, his eyes on hers.
Chat knew he couldn't do anything about his feelings for Marinette, especially like this, but he couldn't help himself, He wanted, no, he needed for her to know how beautiful she was to him.
Marinette stared at him a moment. Her heart racing. All she could think about were those lips. Any ounce of self-control she had managed moments before were gone. Like a whip, she moved her hands out from underneath his and pulled his neck down, bringing his lips to meet hers.
Marinette must be certifiably insane. Just days before, this man had kissed her and she had tossed his love aside. But now, here she was, instigating it. Any morsel of regret she should have had, however, was nowhere to be found, because his lips were as soft as she had remembered.
Chat was frozen for only a moment. The surprise of being kissed managed to stop him in his tracks for approximately 3 seconds before his hands were on her back, pulling her closer to him.
Chat must be certifiably insane. Just days before, he had almost kissed this amazing girl, only to turn her away and kiss Ladybug that exact same night. And yet, despite his feeling for Ladybug not days before, he could not care less about her in this moment. Because Marinette was kissing him. Him. Not Adrian, but Chat Noir. And he was on cloud nine. He needed her more than he needed to breathe. Nothing had ever felt so perfect, so right, as standing in Marinette's room, in a jacket she had made not just for his shape, but for his soul, feeling her soft lips move against his.
He knew he should move away. Figure out what she was thinking. But this moment felt so familiar. The passion, the urgency. His kiss with Ladybug. He couldn't live with a repeat of that situation. Unlike Ladybug with him, he wouldn't pull away from his Princess. He needed more.
He deepened their kiss, him hand moving up to her neck to better leverage their connection while his other moved against her back, against the curve of her spine, her waist, wishing he could feel more though his suit. He felt her softly sigh into this kiss and his blood boiled with need. He could feel his passion rising. He needed to get a hold of himself.
He pulled away, but didn't let go. He rested his forehead against hers, trying to catch his breath. He looked down at her to see her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was obviously as moved by this as he was.
"Wow," Marinette said, her eyes moving up to meet his.
Chat chuckled. "Wow is right." He grinned at her. She blushed.
"I… I'm sorry." Marinette said with a look of embarrassment on his face, and Chat felt his heart shatter. Not again.
"…Sorry?" Chat asked. He wanted to pull away run and hide and never face the world again. But he couldn't. He couldn't leave Marinette, not again.
"I, just, I know you are getting over Ladybug, and I sort of just- uh, threw myself as you." Marinette continued, her blush deepening.
Chat felt his heart leap. So, she wasn't sorry for doing it, she was sorry for potentially hurting him. He wanted to lean down and kiss that bush right off her face. Show her just how much he didn't mind.
So, he did. With one hand, he lifted her chin so that her eyes were on his, the distance between their lips now miniscule at best. He closed his eyes and kissed her. This time, the kiss was slower, more meaningful. Chat put all of his heart into that kiss. All of his time as Adrian, all of her comfort she'd shown him a couple of nights prior. She was his princess, and she needed to know how he felt.
He felt Marinette soften into the kiss, her hands moving up to play with his hair. God, he loved it when she did that. It didn't even occur to him that the last time, it had actually been Ladybug who had done this. It all felt so familiar. He was maybe also a touch preoccupied. Eventually, Marinette pulled away from the kiss, her mouth swollen and red from being so thoroughly kissed, and her eyes glossy with emotion.
"And I just threw myself at you, so I would call us even," Chat replied, teasing in his tone. With this, he saw the glint in Marinette's eyes change.
Staring dead in his eyes, Marinette moved her hands inside of his jacket, slowly lowering it over his shoulders. His eyes were locked on hers, mesmerized. Without moving her gaze from his for even a moment, she slipped the jacket off of him and tossed it onto her desk chair. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her, as she walked backwards. When she had bumped into the chaise, she grabbed him by his bell and pulled him down to meet her. Before he could properly react, she had pulled him down onto the chaise so that they were seated.
Chat couldn't believe it. The next thing he knew, he was making out with Marinette on her chaise, pulling her into his lap so that he could get a better grip and deepen their connection. When he felt her tongue playfully flip against his lips, he opened his mouth to her, welcoming as much of her as she would give him. He needed to feel more. He grabbed her waist and pushed her off his lap and back onto the chaise, releasing his from his lips for only a moment.
Before she could comprehend where the distance had come from, his lips were back on hers and he was on top of her, holding the majority of his weight on his arms so that he wouldn't crush her. She used this new vantage point to allow her arms to explore his back, tracing circles on his back as he moved the kisses down her neck.
Marinette couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. This was more than she could have ever hoped for. There was a fire within her that couldn't be put out. She needed Chat to be closer. She wanted to put her hands all over him, feeling every nook and cranny of his leather suit.
Her sweet, sweet kitty, who had been waiting for her all this time. Why had she turned him away? Why hadn't they been doing this forever? She had no idea anymore, all thoughts focused in on her partner and his hands, his lips, his hair.
Marinette had no idea how long they had been making out for when she heard his ring beep. He hadn't used his cataclysm, but even being transformed must use some energy.
Chat broke himself away from a spot on Marinette's neck that he had been particularly interested in, groaning before he collapsed on top of her.
Marinette giggled and moved her hand into her kitty's hair, scratching around the leather ears.
"I don't want to go," Chat said, nuzzling his head her neck and tightening his grip around her.
"I don't want you to go either, chaton." At this, Chat Noir peered up at her to see her face. She couldn't help herself. She leaned down and pressed a small kiss to his forehead. When she moved back, Chat's eyes were still closed, as if he were in pure bliss.
"It is late," she said, finally noticing the clock on her nightstand, which blinked a glaring 5:21 at her. She needed to be up for school in about an hour. She had barely gotten any sleep, but she just didn't care.
"I guess that means we have to go back to reality, doesn't it?" Chat said with a pout, squeezing Marinette. She giggled.
"Yea, I guess it does." Marinette had no idea what this meant for them. They hadn't discussed anything.
"Can I…" Chat trailed off, playing with the ends of her ponytail around his fingers.
His ring beeped again.
"Can you…." Marinette prompted, unsure of what he was going to say, hoping desperately that this wasn't the end of whatever they had started tonight.
"Can I come back tomorrow?" In his eyes, she saw hope, definitely. But what solidified her feelings for him was just how many nerves she saw as well. She had always assumed Chat was some big flirt, trapsing about town, flirting with any pretty girl that looked his way. She was starting to realize just how wrong she was about Chat in so many ways.
"Please do," she replied with a smile. The joy that covered his face filled her heart and soul completely. Yep, she was 110% smitten with this kitten. He jumped up and peppered kisses all over her face while she giggled and swatted at him.
"Okay okay, geez! This is what I get for taking in a stray."
He grinned at her. "Yep, sure is. You have no one to blame but yourself."
His ring beeped again, and Marinette pushed him away, much to his chagrin.
"Come on, kitty. Time to go."
"Fine, fine," he replied, resigned. He moved up to her hatch, and she followed him.
He opened the door and turned around, looking at her one more time. Marinette could feel the cold from the morning air creeping in, but she didn't care.
He brushed some loose hairs that had come lose from her pigtails behind her ear and smiled fondly at her, like he thought she put the moon in the sky. He kissed her once more, softly. With adoration. They separated, and he winked at her before he jumped out into the night.
Marinette collapsed down onto her bed, still in her clothes. No point in putting on pajamas now, with one whole hour before she needed to get up. She made sure her alarm was set before she hunkered down next to Tikki, who was asleep on her pillow, hidden under some blankets.
She shut her eyes, just as a small voice came from within the bundle.
"Marinette, don't you think we aren't going to talk about this later."
Marinette gulped. "Yea, alright."
"Goodnight, Marinette," Tikki said groggily.
"Goodnight Tikki."
Author's note – the contest is getting closer…. And so are our heroes.