Moment of Weakness

Chapter One

"What…exactly…are you doing?" Marinette was on the ladder tp the roof, holding the trap door over her head. A dazed Chat Noir lay sprawled out on her balcony.

Chat groaned and managed to give her a pained grin. "Just…dropping in?"

Marinette shook her head. "Okay, silly cat, let me rephrase that. What are you doing here? On my balcony?"

Chat sat up crossing his legs. His ears flicked towards her, and he shrugged. The setting sun reflected off the gold of his hair. "I don't know, really. I'm just…I was just lonely."

Marinette felt a familiar wave of pity roll over her – and a touch of anger. She hid both behind a warm smile. Chat had been 'dropping in' more and more in the last few weeks, usually because he hated being alone. She couldn't believe his family would shut him out like they must be doing. "Sure, come on in." Chat perked up and smiled, glancing to make sure no one was watching before following her down into her room. She tossed him a blanket, neon green and plush, which he caught effortlessly. "I'll go get snacks. You pick out a game or movie or something."

Chat moved over to the bookshelf where she kept all of her books and discs, wrapping the thick blanket around himself. Marinette had made it for him after the first few times he had escaped to the warm welcome of her home. That was…wow. That had been nearly six months ago. Now they had fallen into a sort of routine, He would show up once or twice a week, and they would talk, watch movies, play games – they'd seen every Disney movie she had, twice, and they had a really cool Minecraft world coming to life – they had even dragged her parents into a couple of games of Monopoly before.

Marinette came down to the kitchen, kissing her father on the cheek as he came up from closing the bakery. Her mother smiled as she began gathering popcorn, ice cream, and a veggie plate with hummus – hey, heroes gotta stay healthy.

"I take it you're feeding the stray again?" Sabine teased.

"Of course," Marinette answered as she carried the stack of precariously placed snacks with more grace than usual.

"Do please remind him that he doesn't have to sneak in from the roof every time. He's welcome to use the front door."

"I'll tell him, maman."

"And try to keep the noise down tonight, please. Your father and I have to get up extra early to prep for a delivery."

Marinette signaled her agreement and disappeared, returning to find Chat curled up on her couch under his blanket, the Xbox controllers already out and the Minecraft world loading. "My mom says you don't have to be so sneaky."

He looked up from where he was cocooned in his blanket. "Sneaky?" He seemed generally confused by the assessment as Marinette set the food down, gesturing to the roof entrance. "Oh. I don't do that to be sneaky. I do it to avoid attention of reporters. I don't want anyone connecting us and trying to get to me through you or your family."

"I figured," Marinette said as she settled onto the couch next to him, her arm pressing against his as she wrapped her own pink blanket over her legs. "Just passing along the message. I don't mind, just so you know. I understand." She saw his shoulders relax a little. "So what happened today?"

"I told you; I was just lonely." They worked together on the castle walls, building a guard tower. My dad's out of town, and my best friend is out on a date. Plus, we haven't had any activity from Hawkmoth for almost a week, so I haven't been able to contact Ladybug, even though I've been trying."

Marinette felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn't checked her communicator; she hadn't had a reason to transform. "I'm sure she's just busy with her civilian life," she said, trying to sound convincing.

"I guess." He didn't sound convinced. He was quiet for a second before bumping her shoulder with his. "At least I can hang out with you."

Marinette smiled and leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulders. "You know I'm always here for you."

"Yeah." His voice was distant and contemplative. "Yeah, you are."

It took Marinette a second to realize that Chat had stopped playing the game, and she paused, looking at him in concern. He met her eyes with a stunned look of sudden comprehension. "Um…Chat? What…"

She didn't have a chance to finish her question before Chat Noir closed the distance between them, his face stopping just before hers, his lips a hairsbreadth away from her own. Marinette sucked in a surprised breath; he smelled like the Paris sky at night, cold, a little damp, touched by metal and smoke and fresh flowers, but as familiar and comforting to her as the smell of her parents' pastries. He hesitated a moment, and she felt the heat of his breath on her face and neck, and a tingling sensation traced down her spine to settle in the small of her back. Without bidding, she dropped the controller, her right hand coming up to his chest over his heart, not pushing him away, just resting there. She should pull away. She should break them apart; this was Chat Noir, on whose partnership the fate of her home rested. And she was still hiding a huge secret from him. But he was right there, and she couldn't deny the attraction burning between them, or the electricity running through her fingertips where she touched him, or how much she really cared for him. She didn't see him move, but suddenly his lips were on hers. She stayed frozen for a second before letting his warmth move her. She tilted her head back, allowing him to press closer, and he followed suit, his hand moving to the small of her back to hold her to him. The kiss could only have lasted a few seconds, but when they pulled apart, Marinette was breathless, head spinning, and Chat was panting, his eyes burning.

All at once, he seemed to realize what he'd done. Chat jerked away from her, and Marinette felt suddenly cold. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Marinette!" He said quickly, pulling at the blanket to untangle himself, trying to get up. "I just…"

Marinette cut him off, smoothly turning, throwing a leg over both of his and wrapping her arms around his neck, hungrily pressing her lips against his once more. Chat groaned, one arm wrapping around her middle, the other cupping the back of her head. She didn't know what she was doing, or why, only that having him so close, feeling him against her – it felt so right, almost perfect. She couldn't deny him even if she wanted to. She tangled her fingers in his hair; it was so soft, like a kitten's fur. She giggled at the thought before kissing him again, deepening it, her tongue running along his bottom lip. His mouth parted, and his tongue touched hers as his fingers curled into her hair as well, tugging slightly. She felt another tingling running through her as he did and gasped against his lips. He tasted like popcorn and peppermint, which was strange, but fit him somehow. She felt his arms tightening around her, felt her chest against his, her body pulled against him. His other hand moved down her back slowly, and she felt the leather of his glove against the exposed skin of her lower back and jumped at the sensation, more intense than she could have imagined.

Chat Noir pulled back, concern in his eyes. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Marinette shook her head, partly in answer, partly to clear the fog from her mind. "No, I…"

"Marinette, Chat Noir!" They both froze as her mother's voice drifted up from just below the trap door. It started to open, and Marinette spun away with more grace and speed than either of them had thought possible. Her mother's head appeared. "Your father and I are heading to bed. I just wanted to make sure you were okay up here." She kept a straight face as she saw her daughter's blush and mussed hair and Chat's utterly stunned expression.

"We're fine, mom!" Marinette squeaked. "Goodnight!"

"Alright, then. Goodnight, you two. Don't stay up too late; you have school tomorrow, Marinette." They nodded, and Sabine disappeared once more down the ladder, shaking her head and smiling.