"I thought you were dead," Marinette says with a grin as she leans forward on the railings of her balcony, looking down at the figure moving towards her. "It's been a long time, Chat."
Chat Noir barely makes a sound as he steps off of the extending baton, balancing on the precarious sliver of railing in a feline crouch before sliding down to sit. Marinette turns, her hip pressing into the cold metal, the sharp chill which seeps through her pyjama bottoms a reminder that this is real, that he's actually back.
The casual shrug Chat Noir gives her as a response irritates Marinette a little; alright, they don't have the most conventional friendship, but he hasn't visited her in over a month. Forty-three days is a long time to not see a friend. Even if she technically saw him during akuma battles, it's not the same thing.
She's missed him.
It worries her that she's been counting the days, but Marinette pushes that thought aside with a shake of her head. Chat notices the motion, turning to look at Marinette with concern in his eyes.
"It's nothing," she says, answering the question before he can ask it. "So what brings you here? I thought you had forgotten about little old me." She winks as she speaks, an unsubtle attempt to move the topic away from the thoughts curling through her mind, unwelcome feelings which had caused her a lot of confusion recently in regards to the boy on her balcony.
Chat Noir lets out a laugh at her words, a soft, disbelieving sound.
"Like anyone could forget about you, Marinette," he says, and his eyes fall to the ground in front of him as he looks away. "It's just... been a difficult month. I needed some time to myself, to figure some things out."
The words sound calm, but Marinette knows the feline superhero too well - not that he knows that, of course - not to hear the gentle quaver in his voice. He doesn't look at her, and Marinette notices the tension in Chat's body. His hands grip the railing, and she's sure that if she could see his knuckles through the gloves encasing them, they would be white with the tightness of his hold.
She doesn't hesitate; Marinette takes two steps forward, closing the gap between them, and rests her hand on Chat Noir's arm. His shoulders jump at the sudden contact, and his head shoots up to look at the hand squeezing his arm reassuringly,
"Chat, is everything okay?" Marinette asks, concern lacing each word. He runs his free hand through his hair, taking a deep breath as his head tilts upwards to look at the clear sky. Stars are speckled across the ebony night, tiny constants in a world which seems to constantly shift under Chat Noir's feet. He pauses before sliding off the railing, Marinette's hand falling away from him as he spins to face her fully.
"Have you ever known something you shouldn't?" Chat asks, and Marinette blinks in confusion.
A confused "Huh?" is her eloquent reply. Chat Noir begins to pace across the balcony, his hands behind his back as he walks the short distance between the trap door and the railings over and over again.
"I just - I found out something I shouldn't have, a secret, by complete accident. And I don't - I don't know what to do, because it's one of my best friends, and I'm worried they'll be mad if I tell her-them that I know. So I've tried to pretend I don't know, but I don't think I can keep doing it, because it's so important. But it could change so much - no, it would change everything if sh-they knew that I knew. You know?" Chat Noir said, the words falling from his lips like he'd been storing them up for some time, a dam which had finally burst after too much strain.
Marinette shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she processed Chat's monologue.
"So... you know a secret you aren't meant to, and you don't know whether or not to tell your friend that you know because it would change your situation with them?" Marinette asked. Chat Noir stopped pacing, turning to smile at Marinette in relief.
"Yes! Exactly!" He replied, throwing his arms out and pointing his fingers at Marinette. "And I have no idea what to do. And... and you're so good with knowing what to do in these kind of situations..." Chat's words trail off as he looks at Marinette imploringly.
She wants to make a joke, wants to laugh off the situation and regain the playful dynamic she's used to with Chat. But he's come to her looking for help, and she can't let him down. So Marinette leans back against the railings, folding her arms over her chest as she ponders Chat's situation.
For a second, panic overcomes her: what if he knows she's Ladybug? But she brushes off the thought quickly; surely he wouldn't come to her for advice if that was the case. No, that would just be silly.
"Okay, let me think," Marinette begins, mulling over her thoughts before continuing. "What would it change between the two of you? Your friendship, or... or something more?" The words feel dry in her throat as she forces them out; the idea of Chat Noir wanting anything more than friendship with someone else is bitter in her mind, but she ignores the flare of something (it's not jealousy, it's not, she loves Adrien, Chat Noir is just a friend, she isn't jealous, Marinette tells herself) to try and help her friend. Chat Noir lets out a sigh, his whole body sagging as he pushes his bangs out of his eyes.
"It would change everything," he whispers, and Marinette nods.
"But you don't think you can keep the fact you know the secret hidden." It's not a question; Marinette knows that Chat Noir is many things, but a subtlety is not one of his talents.
"I can," he replies, and the certainty of his tone surprises Marinette. "I know it's important to them. But... now I know, it could make both our lives easier. And I think... I think it would mean we could stop pretending."
There's undiluted hope in Chat Noir's voice, and Marinette wonders what he's discovered which could bring him such joy. Another trickle of unease slides through her, but she reassures herself with the fact that if he'd discovered her identity, Chat Noir would have confronted her. She has no doubt of that. So she ignores the unease, and focuses on the boy in front of her.
Just the prospect of being able to tell this person, to make his life easier, seems to make Chat Noir so damn happy, and Marinette starts speaking before she's fully thought her response through.
"You should tell them. Make sure they know it was an accident, and you aren't calling them out for keeping it a secret. But... if it's honestly going to be better for your friendship... you should tell them you know."
Chat Noir blinks, as if he was expecting a different answer to fall from her lips.
"You really think so?" he asks incredulously. Marinette nods, her hands gripping her elbows tightly as she speaks.
"I do. You have to trust your judgement, Chat, and if you really think that getting this secret out is the best thing for you and your friend, maybe you should just go for it."
It's not the advice she expected to give; Marinette assumed she would tell him the opposite, that secrets were kept for a reason. But her own traitorous thoughts of revealing her identity, of stripping away the barrier which kept her and Chat Noir from fully trusting each other, seemed to hijack her voice, and she knows she can't take the words back now.
Chat Noir nods slowly, his eyes not leaving Marinette's face as he takes in her advice.
"Okay. Yes. yes, you're right. Of course you're right," he says, and his gaze meets hers with an intensity Marinette doesn't quite understand.
"I should just tell them as soon as possible, shouldn't I?" Chat Noir asks, his hands moving to his hips as he shifts from one foot to the other. Marinette shrugs, lifting her palms to the sky.
"I guess?" Marinette replies, unable to tear her eyes away from Chat's emerald gaze. "that's your call, Chat. You'll have to let me know how it goes, though!" She gives Chat a thumbs up, an action which Marinette instantly regrets. She wraps her arms around herself as Chat makes a noise of agreement, breaking eye contact with her to look at the tiles on the balcony. Marinette can hear him take a breath before looking back at her, and his whole body is wrought with tension as he smiles awkwardly at her.
"I guess it's now or never, then. When were you going to tell me you were Ladybug?"