Marinette felt like crap.
She tossed and turned the whole night as she was unable to shake of that heartbroken expression on Chat Noir's face when she snapped at him. She was petrified at the idea of him and her being soulmates, not because she didn't like him not because she liked someone else, but because she liked Chat Noir. She liked him very much….but she also liked Adrien very much, more than liked, she loved him, but she loved Chat too, not romantically, or maybe, she wasn't so sure anymore, but she knew that she loved him enough that she didn't want to hurt him.
It confused her.
And scared her.
She was just so very scared.
Scared of her feelings, scared of the new feelings Chat Noir caused within her, scared that Chat was right and they were soulmates and that meant she had no choice, and that she was stuck with her destiny and her feelings for someone else. That then she wouldn't be able to give Chat what he needed and –
"Gah!" Marinette slapped her hands to her cheeks and shook her head rapidly in an attempt to clear her head from her never-ending thoughts. "Stop it!"
"Erm," Rose said hesitatingly, "are all right Marinette?"
And that was when Marinette remembered she was now out in public with her friends as they watched Alix and Kim attempt another race of theirs. All of her friends were now standing there with bewildered and concerned expressions on their faces and Marinette instantly flushed n embarrassment.
"Yeah, yeah," she said hastily, "I'm fine. I'm just thinking about….stuff, embarrassing stuff," she tacked on before anyone could question her, "I'll be fine."
Rose nodded with compassionate understanding and dropped matters with a soft smile. "I hope you sort it out," she said gently, "whatever it is that is bothering you."
Alya, however, had her interrogation face on and was just about to open her mouth to press Marinette for details when Alix unintentionally swooped in and saved the day. "How can you be thinking about embarrassing stuff?!" she cried out indignantly. "When I just kicked Kim's arse again? You should be thinking about how awesome I am."
"You didn't kick my arse again!" Kim shouted. His face bright red with humiliation as Alix had beaten him thoroughly in this latest race of theirs. "I slipped on a path of ice!"
"It's sunny today," Alix said flatly.
"Still cold," Kim faked a shiver, "still icy."
"Pfft!" Alix snorted. "You tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at the night. I know the truth and so does everyone else. You lost."
"But it is cold," Max cut in before Kim could make a stupid retort and start a huge fight, "and unlike you two we've," he gestured to everyone else which included Marinette, Alya, Nino, Juleka, Rose, Mylene, Ivan, and Nathaniel (thankfully Chloe and Sabrina had been too busy with a spa day to come out and unfortunately Adrien had a photoshoot), "have been standing still and actually feeling the cold. So why don't we go to the café and get a hot chocolate?"
Everyone agreed cheerfully at the thought and they soon began to make their way towards the café when they noticed several white tents in a corner of the park with people rushing about with cameras and lights and arguing amongst themselves. Amongst this chaos looking utterly perfect and bored was Adrien as he waited patiently to start his shoot.
"Hey!" Nino cried out delightedly. "There's Adrien!" He pointed out to Adrien as if no one else could see him.
"Oh yeah," Alya grinned at Marinette, "so he is."
Marinette stifled a groan and tried to smile like a normal person.
It didn't work.
Not that anyone else noticed as the whole group started to happily wave at Adrien. Adrien waved back looking utterly delighted to see them. His beautiful green eyes trailed across of their friends faces before they landed on her's and, for a moment, she could have sworn he looked upset and concerned before he gave her an extra sweet smile.
She smiled back (she hopes!) and gave a shy little, awkward, wave which caused a beautiful, big, grin to light up on his face.
"Hey," Mylene piped up, "should we invite Adrien to join us? I mean it doesn't look like his shoot is going to happen anytime soon."
Nino snorted. "You think his prison guards," he nodded towards Adrien's gigantic bodyguard and a small, stern, looking woman in a suit and glasses, "are going to let him go?"
"Oh," Mylene murmured softly.
"Well maybe we should get take out and bring something back for him?" Rose suggested sweetly. "He must be cold and hungry."
"You don't want to do that," Nino shook his head, "trust me. I once tried to give him a crisp, one single crisp, and not only did they flip out like I was offering him poison but I got chucked off the set as well!" He cried out in a mixture of disbelief and indignation. "I kid you not security literally picked me up and carried me off while one of the stylist screamed bloody blue murder."
"Really?" Alya said with a wicked expression on her face. "Are you sure it's not because you weren't supposed to be there?"
Nino opened his mouth to argue when someone suddenly tapped on Marinette's shoulder. "Excuse me," a polite, quiet voice murmured, "are you Miss Dupain-Cheng?" She turned to see a young man, no older than twenty five, dressed impeccably in a tuxedo. He didn't wait for confirmation as his face lit up with a lovely soft smile. "Ah yes," he murmured, "you are. You look exactly like your photo."
Marinette stiffened for a moment and felt her friends suddenly crowd round her protectively.
"Who are you exactly?" Alya asked rudely.
The man blinked. "Oh!" he exhaled in realisation. "Oh, sorry, no it's nothing like that. I've been hired to give you a present, here," he explained hastily as he passed a note with Marinette's name typed on it. "I've been asked to give you this first."
Marinette reluctantly took it as she felt swamped in guilt once more.
She had hurt him and he was still persisting in wooing her.
She didn't deserve him whatsoever.
"Who would hire someone to give Marinette a note?" Kim asked. "Why not just give it to her themselves?"
"Marinette has a secret admirer," Nino explained, "Apparently he's being giving her presents with typed notes for the last three days."
"Oh my God!" Rose squealed. "That's so romantic! You're so lucky Marinette!"
"Yeah," Marinette laughed weakly, "lucky."
"Open the note!" Mylene begged.
She looked just as fascinated and excited by the idea as Rose was.
"Yeah!" Alya agreed. "Read it out!"
"Okay," Marinette mumbled as she unfolded the note, "on the fourth day of Valentine," she read out loud, "my true love gave to me, four string quartets."
"WHAT?!"
Marinette jumped as all of her friends yelled simultaneously and she clutched her note close to her chest.
"Dude," Nino shook his head disbelievingly, "How do you buy someone four string quartets?!"
"You don't," the man in the tuxedo said in dry amusement, "but you do hire four separate string quartets to perform a song." He held up his elbow to Marinette. "May I escort you Miss Dupain-Cheng?"
"Erm," Marinette mumbled as she threw a pleading look at her friends, "Sure?"
She didn't have to say anything else as the man led her away and her friends followed her without being asked.
She would love to say it was because they wanted to make sure she was safe and sound and not about to be kidnapped and sold into the white slave trade but she knew it was just because they were insanely curious to how her secret admirer could give her four string quartets.
They were guided to a far corner of the park where some seats were set up and fifteen other classically trained musicians dressed impeccably in suits and gowns were preparing for a performance. They all looked up and smiled and nodded in greeting before they settled down into their positions.
Marinette was amazed at how many violinists and cellists and violists there was. Their beautiful instruments gleamed under the winter sun in a variety of different shiny woods as they lifted them up loftily.
"For your pleasure Miss Dupain-Cheng," the man that approached her spoke up, "your admirers requests we play you this song for you."
They stated something soft and sweet and slow that sounded touching and then steadily it got louder and bolder when it suddenly hit a crescendo of sound that Marinette could almost hear lyrics to before the musicians slowly faded out to a stop.
It was only five minutes but it was the most magical five minutes she experienced. If, you know, you didn't count her superhero double life.
She applauded immediately as did her friends though when she glanced back she caught sight of Kim, Alix, Nino, and Ivan all looking a bit put out at the genre of music. None of them liked classical music.
Mylene and Rose, however were both sobbing, and Alya's eyes looked suspiciously damp and Juleka was blinking wildly.
"Thank you," Marinette whispered, "that was beautiful."
The four different string quartets looked delighted and gave their bows before they turned away to put their instruments away.
"Your admirer's taste in music sucks," Nino informed Marinette, "why would anyone want classical music as a gift?"
"That wasn't classical music!" Rose cried out in the music's defence. She hastily wiped her tears away and shot an irritated look at Nino. "That was one of the most romantic songs in musical theatre!"
Judging by the look on Nino's face, Marinette could tell that didn't change his opinion on the song choice whatsoever but before he could say that and upset Rose any further, Marinette jumped in. "So you recognise the song?" she asked. "Because I didn't and…" she trailed off and made a vague hand gesture.
"It's called All I Ask of You," Rose replied, "it's from the musical Phantom of the Opera which is this really romantic and tragic story between an opera singer and what everyone thinks is a ghost. Here," she fumbled for her phone and after quickly tapping away she was able to pull up the lyrics of the song for Marinette to view, "sadly this song wasn't between Christine – that's the main character – and the Phantom but with her other love interest, Raoul," Rose wrinkled her nose which spoke volumes of her opinion on Christine's love interest, "but it doesn't change the fact that it is one of the most romantic songs ever written. Oh Marinette!" Rose sighed dreamily. "You're so lucky!"
Marinette mumbled something in agreement as she accepted Rose's phone and read the lyrics.
Rose wasn't lying.
It certainly was incredibly romantic.
And….very intense.
Marinette felt her face heat up with an embarrassed blush as she slowly read through the lyrics. It didn't help that she could have sworn that she could feel a pair of green eyes burn into the back of her neck….
MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB
Chat Noir was a little more hesitant to knock at Marinette's trapdoor that evening.
He wasn't entirely sure if he was welcome after the night before and then his determination to continue with such a grand, big, and very public gesture earlier that day. Still, he was determined to talk to Marinette, and after steeling his resolve, he finally knocked on her door.
Marinette opened it quietly and after a very long, awkward, silence in which they avoided eye contact, she spoke up; "Would you like to come in?"
"Please."
Marinette slipped back down into her room and Chat pounced and, like any other cat, landed on his feet gracefully. He could see her kwami quickly making herself discreet so they could talk and wished that Plagg could be that considerate. He would most likely hover nearby obviously and earwig into their conversation.
However, without a third party, they merely ended up falling into another awkward silence as Marinette looked down at the floor and wrung her hands nervously and Chat's throat chose that moment to close up and lock his words up.
"So…I…erm…..liked the song," Marinette finally mumbled, "It was very beautiful. The string quartets were wonderful."
"I'm glad," he said softly.
"Do you like musical theatre?"
"A little," he admitted. "Some of the stories and the songs speak to me."
"Oh," Marinette murmured, "I….supposed I can see how a love story in Paris where one of the main male characters runs around in the mask causing chaos and destruction would appeal to you," she said thoughtfully.
"Princess!" Chat exclaimed mockingly. "Are you suggesting that I'm a disfigured murderer?"
"What?! No!" Marinette yelped. "I-I-I just meant the destructive bit, and the mask, and the determination to woo Christine! I didn't mean the murdering bit. I know you're not a murderer. You would never! And I didn't mean to imply that you're disfigured or anything. I mean, come on! Its obvious mask or no mask you're very handsome."
Chat Noir grinned at that. It was a fully-blown, mischievous, Cheshire cat grin. His signature grin and it was so big that he thought his face might split into two.
"Why Princess," he purred, "have you been checking meowt?"
"Ngh!"
He decided to leave the teasing there. Partly because it wouldn't actually help his case with Marinette but also because if he kept it up they would never get to the topic he wanted to discuss. So instead he went back to the original conversation. "So you like the song then?"
"Yes," Marinette said softly, "but…."
"But?" he pressed.
"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime," Marinette recited slowly, "that's very…intense. It's a lot to ask."
"I know," Chat swallowed, "but the thing is, Princess, I am only asking."
Marinette blinked at that. "Huh?"
"I am not commanding it, or demanding it, or ordering it, or dictating it, or compelling you to it, I won't force you into something you don't want," Chat rambled nervously, "I am only asking you. All of this," he gestured wildly in general, "is my courtship, it's only me asking you to consider me as an option. You can say no, Marinette, you do have a choice." He said firmly. "I won't resent you for making whatever choice you make. I will always be your partner and friend first. You can say no if you want to."
Marinette's eyes widened at that as she took in what he was saying.
He hoped he had reassured her. That he had managed to wipe away her fears and she wouldn't be so upset anymore.
She gulped audibly and licked her lips as she tried to compose herself and when she opened his mouth, he had expected her to quietly but firmly tell him that she was saying no now, or thank him and change the topic, or even tease him, tell him he was being silly and let them go back to flirty banter they tended to fall in.
Instead the words that came out of her mouth in an involuntary whisper would not only cut through the silence as loudly as a scream but would sear themselves into his mind forever.
"But I don't want to say no…."