Chapter 3: Jaune
Marinette had felt bad all day at school. She had felt bad the minute she laid her eyes on Alya and Nino and saw them in full color. They were absolutely radiant. Marinette had seen for the first time in real life that Alya's hair was dyed so that it blended into a red color that was absolutely stunning. Nino's hat was brighter in person than the picture on her phone could ever show. Marinette had to force herself to stop staring and admiring them multiple times.
She couldn't help but feel greedy at being able to see them like this while they were still limited in the colors they could see. She looked at Nino's shirt, blue, the color he could not see. He had yet to know the beauty of the sky or the sea.
Marinette felt selfish.
She looked over to the Alya's bracelet that Nino and Marinette had made for her, green, the color that she could not see. She had yet to know the beauty of life and the plants around her, to see the vividness of spring.
Marinette felt selfish.
Something deep within her wanted to tell them about Chat Noir, but something stronger would immediately smash down the thought when it would surface. She couldn't tell them, it could risk their safety, if anyone knew either her or Chat's identity, she and Chat risk themselves and their loved ones getting hurt. Marinette did not want Alya or Nino or any of her family and loved ones to get hurt.
Marinette could hardly focus the whole school day. Between her relishing in seeing the world and her classmates in full color, Alix had such bright hair though Marinette could not recall what color it was supposed to be, and her dwelling in shame at being able to see every single enamoring color of the visible light spectrum while Alya, Nino, and Chat could not.
Chat had not contacted her all day, which she was rather surprised at, considering how eager he was to meet her and get her contact information. Though she supposed he must have had school as well.
At the end of the school day, Marinette, Alya, Nino went to hang out, as they normally did. Marinette at first wanted to refuse, to allow herself some time to once again assess her situation and wallow in her self-pity, but eventually she obliged, and followed her soul mates to Nino's home. It was then that she heard her phone chime, that must have been Chat, what timing. She ignored it for now.
Alya, Nino, and Marinette all sat in a circle on the floor of Nino's bedroom, quietly snacking and listening to Alya excitedly talk about the blog for Ladybug she had just established over the weekend. She called it the LadyBlog and Marinette couldn't help but find it charming.
"I am now the official reporter of all things Ladybug!" Alya happily announced and showed Nino and Marinette. Marinette felt silly that her own soul mate was such a big fan of her, if only she knew otherwise.
"Don't you think you're rushing into this?" Nino questioned giving her a pointed look.
"Ridiculous. I fully believe in the abilities of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I was there when the whole thing happened you know. I caught it on video," That was right, Alya was there, it was either luck or not that she didn't meets Chat's eyes. Nino groaned at Alya's proud retort.
"Yes, I know, I've seen it, and I saw how you nearly died in it. That was not okay, it was terrifying to watch what you had caught on video of that moment."
Marinette remembered that, how Alya was pinned against the car. It was absolutely terrifying and Marinette never, ever wanted to see her like that again.
"But I didn't, and you know why? Because Ladybug was there!"
"No, Alya, I'm going to have to agree with Nino on this one," Nino stuck his tongue out at Alya, she sent back a glare whilst Marinette rolled her eyes at them, "We've seen Ladybug in action an instance of one time, she could turn out to be a real scoundrel."
Nino gave her a curious look, he wasn't quite expecting that response "Scoundrels? You're really going to go so far as to call Ladybug and Chat Noir scoundrels?"
"We never know," Marinette answered with a shrug. Chat Noir, that's right, he had texted her. She reached around to her phone in her book bag.
"Well I think you two need to have a little more faith in Paris' two newest protectors," Marinette chuckled as she pulled out her phone, Alya sounded like the news casters.
"Well I think you should have a little more need for self-preservation," Nino said while standing up to grab something else to drink.
She heard Alya chuckle with an "Aww he cares" before continuing back to her laptop. Marinette pressed the button to her phone and watched it light up. Chat's message was front and center "Bonjour my lady. My lessons are done and I have a break for now, how are you?" Marinette wanted to smile but kept her face straight in order to avoid Alya's curiosity.
She turned down the audio on her phone and quietly tapped out a message to Chat. "I'm doing fine. My classes are done as well and I'm hanging out with a couple of my friends listening to them talk about us."
The reply was quick, "Oh and what are they saying about us? How much they admire us?"
She quietly typed back a response, the only sound between Alya and her being the clacking of laptop keys from Alya. "A bit like that. One thinks we are undeniably fantastique, the other is a little skeptical about us."
A moment and he replied with "I guess we'll have to prove how great we are then, oui?"
Marinette typed out an "Indeed" in agreement before another message pinged her phone, "I am sorry you didn't respond a bit earlier, we would have had more time to talk. I have to go to work. See you eventually."
Work? Marinette thought giving an apologetic goodbye before setting her phone aside, What work could Chat be doing? A family business? Marinette let a small smile play on her lips at the thought, they may have had more in common with each other than she presumed.
Nino came back up and gave a fruity drink to Alya and Marinette, both of them acknowledging him with a thank you, before lying down on the ground with Marinette and curling up next to her. She leaned into Nino, he felt warm. It always gave her a fluttery feeling being next to him.
She turned her head slightly so that she could look at him again and took in every piece of him that was beautiful and full of color. Gosh she could stare at him all day. She smiled and leaned closer into him giving him a kiss when he was done sipping his drink, he tasted fruity.
"You're very pretty, you know," She murmured lazily to him.
He smiled in response and kissed her back in a thank you.
"What brought this on?" Alya asked peering over her laptop screen.
"I just," Marinette pondered the question, she didn't want to tell them that they were gorgeous to look at in color, though one part of her did, because they were, "Like looking at both of you, a lot."
Nino gave a light chuckle at Marinette's answer and gave her another kiss on the cheek.
"You're so gay," Alya laughed at their affection but frowned barely, in a way only her soul mates could detect, at her lack of receiving the affection.
"You can come and join us when you're done with the Ladyblog," Nino simply retorted.
Marinette watched the conflict in Alya's dazzling eyes and found it rather humorous how she slowly closed her laptop with a huff and made her way across Nino's room to where Marinette and he were laying comfortably together. Alya was rewarded with a kiss from both of them for her efforts before they all just curled together in warmth and happiness and love.
Marinette wanted to revel in the feeling for as long as she could, before she inevitably ruined it.
A/N: I shit you not this chapter and two other chapters have the phrase "very gay" in their chapter descriptions from my outline. I had to stop writing this several times because I'm such a gay nerd who can't handle the shit I write. I think the biggest issue was the fact that I was typing this while at work, and my work is great because I don't have a lot to do in the office so I'm pretty much paid to study and write fanfiction.
I didn't have a lot for this chapter, it was more just transitional and relationship establishing, and definitely not shippy gay shit. *sweat* However if you enjoyed any piece of this chapter please leave a review!