Chat Noir was not an idiot. He isn't blind at the fact that his heroine will never reciprocate the affections that he publicly expressed with every passing day, but being able to do and say what he wanted without any hesitation was the closest he had to freedom. Teasing her and trying to get her to kiss him was like a daily challenge; when will his muse finally give in? Every minute he spent with Ladybug was bliss - and crazy as it sounded, he doesn't mind babysitting the entirety of Paris if it meant he would get to spend the day with her. What he felt was love, purest of its kind. Or so he thought.
It was quite chilly for a summer night, but the black cat of Paris had to shrug off the goosebumps he was feeling with every breeze that landed at the back of his neck. It was his turn to patrol the streets alone as Ladybug had mentioned that she had a school thing going on and would not be able to join him. She promised to take the shift the following night to make it up to him but Chat Noir insisted he join her, making Ladybug frown at his persistence. Eyeing every dark alley to check for any akumas or suspicious activities, Chat Noir managed to finish securing perimeter in an hour, patting himself at the back for a job well done. Milady will be proud!
"Still too early to go back." he whispered to himself as he glanced at the small screen of his baton, reading the flashing 10:30 PM in green text. "To where, to where shall I go?" he hummed, looking at the buildings around him. He could go home now and finish up a level he was grinding on for days in a game he played as Adrien Agreste, or he could remain in his suit and enjoy being enveloped by the bright lights of Paris. He always felt euphoric as Chat Noir, the way his baton could reach the highest of all the infrastructures and bask in the high winds, gazing at the city below him. In his alter ego, he was the king of his own world. The game could wait, he thought, catapulting himself to venture more into the city.
In his quest to amuse himself and make the time fly, he came across an all too familiar friend he had from school, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. As Adrien, she was his special friend who he can always count on, but as Chat Noir, she was his princess. He may have been shrugging the thought for far too long but he has grown fond of visiting her in his solo patrols, something about her kept him returning into her small and humble terrace. With a smirk in his face, he did not take a second thought to rush and leap into her view.
"Good evening, purr-incess." he teased, settling himself into a sitting position in the terrace railings. Marinette raised a brow, no longer surprised with his casual visits.
"What brings you here, kitty?" she replied, reverting her gaze back into the view of the streets.
"I just finished my patrol. Making sure my princess gets her good night sleep without the trouble from akumas and baddies." Chat Noir proudly stated. "And how about you? It's almost eleven, you're still up."
Marinette looked back at the her feline visitor and sighed. "I don't really know. Lately I've been having trouble sleeping."
"Hey, I'm all ears, princess. Care to share your thoughts?" he calmly stated, shifting his playful tone into a serious one.
"You're not sick are you, kitty?" Marinette cooed, returning his smirks at him. "I don't peg you as the listener type, my oh-so-boring life will simply put this kitty cat to sleep."
"Hey!" Chat Noir gave a laugh, "I may be all fun and games, but I am a great listener. Even Ladybug comes to me to tell her problems.
Marinette giggled and teased him more with suspicion in her tone. "Really now?"
The boy scratched the back of his head, embarrassed how transparent he was, even to Marinette. "You got me. Ladybug really doesn't need me for advise. She can solve her own problems…" Chat Noir looked up at the clear skies of Paris, adorned with bright stars. "That's probably one of the reasons why I love her."
Marinette blushed, being caught off-guard by Chat Noir's unexpected adoration. She looked at him intently and surprised with how bold he can be when it comes to his feelings, quite envious on how easy it was for him to say things like that. She immediately shook her head and tried to divert her attention to something else far away to try and ease the building warmth in her cheeks.
Chat Noir stayed silent for a while before snapping back his gaze to the girl beside him.
"Ahh! You're trying to get me off topic!" he laughed. "Ain't this about your thoughts, princess? Now spill it."
"Well…" Marinette gave a nervous smile back at Chat Noir. "It may sound a little corny and petty. But it's actually about a boy. There's someone I like and I… don't know how I'd actually confess."
Chat Noir raised a brow, putting full attention to Marinette who started looking uneasy but he was eager to listen to her thoughts. There was a little uncomfortable feeling building in his chest at this moment and he was still trying to deny that feeling, thinking it was just some sort of effect towards his curiosity about her dilemma.
"I know you'd say I should just tough it up and say it straight to his face," she continued. "But, he's way out of my league, so I'd just embarrass and make a fool of myself in front of him and his friends."
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, how dare you say you are not worthy of someone's affection!" Chat Noir cheerfully stated and grabbed Marinette's shoulders to comfort her. She smiled softly and gave him a light punch in the chest.
"Easy for you to say, kitty. Half of the girls in Paris adore you."
"Well, maybe more than half, princess." Chat Noir jokingly answered back. "I am, after all, a great Cat-ch"
Seeing how Marinette's face lightened up a bit, Chat Noir felt a little triumph inside of him and he wanted to continue feeling the slight bliss of being Marinette's knight in shining armor for the night. He leaped into the balcony rail and balanced himself to stand up, spreading his arms wide open.
"Half… no. Even more than half of the girls in Paris wouldn't be as charming as this girl in front of me. Oh the irony of being a girl so intelligent, charming, and beautiful yet can't express her love to the boy she likes." Chat Noir expressed, adding his signature bragging tone.
"Stop it kitty, you're way over the top." Marinette laughed at the crazy antics of her feline evening companion. "Don't say things you don't mean. Now, get down from there, you might slip and fall."
Chat Noir smirked. "Fall for you, you mean?"
Marinette blushed, her blue eyes fixated into his green ones. Words trying to get out from her mouth but she remained speechless. Why did this boy in front of her kept on catching her off-guard?
"Don't… joke about those kind of things." her voice reverting back into hints of sadness, just like how they started the night. The atmosphere seemed to change and Chat Noir clearly felt her emotions crumble down. "I'm not any of the things you said. I am plain and unremarkable."
Chat Noir felt guilty about his words, but he meant what he said. He found Marinette to be more interesting than what she chooses to believe for herself. The cat lowered his gaze, silently apologizing to her for his insensitivity to her self esteem. Who was he kidding anyway? He can cheer on Marinette every night of the year but he himself can't woo the lady that captured his heart.
"Sorry, Marinette. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's fine, kitty. I'm sorry, it's just that I've been feeling so down because of these feelings I wanted to express to this boy I like. I wanted to tell him, I really do but I don't think I can."
"Listen, I understand how you feel. Everyday, everytime I am with Ladybug, I make sure that I express my feelings and make it known that I love her. She would always say, we can't be together because of our duties as heroes of Paris, but being able to tell her what I felt is better than letting it stay inside me."
Marinette stared at Chat Noir, internally feeling sorry for the hurt she puts him through with the daily rejection she imposes on his advances. This must be my karma, she thought.
"But you know," he continued. "It hurts. It will always hurt. But you'll get used to it and you'll know that there was something wrong in the first time you've said it. There will always be something wrong and you'd take it upon yourself to improve yourself and love the other person more."
"To fight for your feelings." Marinette whispered.
"Exactly, princess. As long as you feel that love inside you, you'd withstand even the harshest of rejections. That's what I feel everytime milady says it's impossible. All I can think is 'today's a no' but I know in my heart someday, there'd be a chance she'd see that the love I have for her can't be broken down by a no."
"Chat Noir."
"Ahhh" Chat Noir stretched his arms up and gave an exhale. "I'm such a fool for love, princess. I guess it's what keeps me going. It's the only real thing I can hold on to even if I'm not transformed. My true self and my alter ego shares only one thing, it's my feelings for Ladybug."
Marinette gave Chat Noir a smile. "Ladybug is really lucky to have you."
"I personally think it's the other way around. I'm lucky to have her."
"I know you're feelings will soon be recognized, kitty. You're a good person."
"And so are you." Chat grinned. "Don't put yourself down too much, you're more that what you think you are."
Marinette blushed and gave him another soft punch. "Stop teasing me, Chat Noir."
The two continued to laugh and exchange stories about their day, trying to divert themselves away from their previous conversation until their clocks turned twelve. Chat Noir excused himself as it was already way too late, even for him, but he had always found sanctuary in Marinette's terrace more than what he felt at the Agreste Mansion. He promised to visit again soon and promised to bring her a gift for the intrusion but Marinette protested continuously, saying being there to talk to her about her problems was more than enough.
"Think about what I said princess." he said before taking off. "Don't be scared in expressing what you feel. You'll feel a lot better whatever his reply may be. I'm sure of it. You'll be fine, you're an amazing person and he can't say no to you."
"Wait Chat Noir." Marinette called out as he was almost ready to leave. "I wanted to ask you one last thing tonight… before you go."
Chat Noir gave her his signature smile and turned his body back towards her, giving her his full attention.
"If it was you. For example." Marinette fidgeted her fingers. "Would you say yes to someone like me?"
Chat Noir was quite taken aback by her question but his face softened and reached for her hand, placing a kiss goodbye.
"In a heartbeat, princess."
Thank you for taking time to read this first chapter. Chapter updates every Friday.
