There was something soft, almost gentle about the look in his green eyes, and it was kind of easy to forget that they were cat eyes and not normal ones. Like there was a certain point where all of his emotion poured through, and that gentle look distantly reminded her of Adrien without it being from him.
Marinette didn't even need to think about soft, green eyes from a gentle, more reserved boy when all that she could see was that same look on another's face, small smile peeking up, and with just an innocent, genuine expression on his face. She was done.
Her mind didn't let her even so much as realize that this look that crumbled her, that Adrien usually wore, was being worn by her partner. Nothing prepared her for the fact that her mind distantly was drawing similarities and her heartrate was picking up several times past what was normal in Cat Noir's presence, possibly even faster than it had as Ladybug.
She knew that this was her partner, but she hadn't known that he could look at her like that. It hadn't been anything even remotely romantic that inspired it, just the kind of casual, gentle friendship of theirs and a moment of quiet comradery.
Marinette would have just been putty in his hands except for the fact that her Ladybug confidence kicked on, flipped a switch, and she reacted almost as if she were transformed and this was her partner except for the extra romantic move.
She stood up on tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips as if saying, 'Hey, I care too,' and yet just the touch sparked a whole reserve of hidden feelings inside of her for him. Marinette felt vague recollections of how she'd often found her partner attractive before, and moments when she really did want to be more with him.
It was like that dam just burst, and she suddenly couldn't have enough. That first, gentle, caring kiss became a mess of tangling emotions and heartstrings that suddenly weren't sure where to align.
Marinette sighed softly, and in a way, it was a lot like how she'd imagine kissing Adrien or how she imagined her first actual kiss being, minus the fact that it was with someone else. Cat Noir held her gently, delicately, as if he were afraid that if he moved too much she'd crumble or fall apart from him and never want to go back.
He left her somewhat in control which was nothing that she'd have expected from either Cat Noir or Adrien. She'd somehow always expected that the guy would lead, and she'd follow as far as kissing went, but this was its own thrill.
Every gentle press of his lips on hers reminded her of the way that she'd always wanted to be kissed, the way that she'd wanted Adrien to kiss her for so long, and yet Marinette trembled as she pressed closer. For a moment, two boys blended into one.
She could feel his claws against her side, holding her close and still so gently, and his mask pressed against her face and yet she wasn't entirely sure who she was kissing as her mind took off on her as if calling up a sudden vacation and as her body warmed in the gentle embrace.
All that she could focus on was this feeling of being kissed, of being held like she mattered so much more than it was easy to think of even though she knew that her partner cared for Ladybug, would die for her. Marinette never felt like he knew her enough as a civilian to want to hold her so, so closely and keep her gently there for as long as their kisses lasted.
When he pulled away from her gently, arms still around her waist, she realized belatedly that she'd just surprised her partner with a kiss on the lips: no questions asked, no forewarning, nothing but an impulse had led her on. They weren't dating, and they'd only been friends so that probably didn't go well for her.
"I-I'm sorry. It was an accident!" Marinette squeaked, too flustered to raise her voice all that high, "I'm so, so sorry."
Pain flickered in green eyes for a second, "Did you not like it?" Something spelled dejected kitty in the look on his face, and Marinette's heart broke three places over.
"N-No, no. Just, if you saw the look in your eyes, you'd know why I did it. All gentle and sweet and caring, and what else was I supposed to do? Sorry, sorry." She kept on squeaking as her words started to rush together towards the end and as her nerves fully caught up with her and wouldn't let her out of their sights.
"I looked at you differently?" He now looked too confused and kind of flattered to even consider being hurt anymore over her constant apologies.
"W-Well, your eyes got all soft and then I-I guess, you looked at me the way that I've always wanted my crush to, and sort of like how he looks at me anyway, and it was so sweet, and all I could think about were your eyes and how pretty they are, and I-I, I just couldn't help myself even though I shouldn't of, and..." Marinette trailed off as her face became a much darker, more vivid red the longer that she went on.
"Your crush?" Cat Noir stammered for a second, probably too long, "You think my eyes are pretty?" He wasn't sure whether to be flattered that she found his eyes attractive in any way or horrified that his eyes weren't 'attractive' or 'handsome' or 'captivating,' or something of that sort and were 'pretty' like you'd call a really cute girl.
"Y-Yeah," Marinette stammered before her mind caught up with her mouth, "I-I mean no. They're green which is a very pretty color, especially that shade of it, but no, it's just the color and that color kind of look's like Adrien's eyes which are really pretty and easy to get lost in and you kind of kissed me like a dream, and..." She trailed off, and her face said it all in big, bold letters, 'Oops.'
"Adrien? Th-The model?" Cat Noir stammered for another second. He wondered if it was okay to get overly confident since he'd just been told that he'd kissed her like a dream which had to be a pretty great compliment for his first ever kiss.
"Y-Yeah. It's not like I have a crush on him or anything, but I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't say anything." She waved it away as best as she could as Cat Noir gave her a pointed look.
"Okay, it's fine to have a crush on someone that you're friends with." Cat Noir tried for as he tried not to just savor how big of a boost this felt like to his own confidence. One of the prettiest and kindest girls that he knew just kissed him out of nowhere and basically admitted to having a crush on his civilian self without admitting it.
"B-But he doesn't know, and so many other girls already like him alot, and he'd probably be happier with someone else, and really, I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I'm sorry." Marinette muttered, looking absolutely devastated by the news that she believed wholeheartedly that Adrien couldn't like her, that there were somehow better fish in the sea than her.
"Look, Marinette. I'm not friends with just anyone, and I don't normally just show up at random civilians' houses. You're one of my best friends, and you're so beautiful and kindhearted and selfless, and everyday there's another reason for me to be happy to know you. Any boy would be lucky to just talk to you and unbelievably lucky to date you. Don't work yourself up over something that isn't even true. If he even knew you could kiss like that, he'd never want to so much as look at another girl and want to kiss her again." It was technically true, and he did know now. He wasn't sure if he'd completely moved on from Ladybug then or even had a chance to, but Marinette was probably one of his favorite people ever.
He'd love dating her honestly, getting a chance to truly go out with someone who could banter back and forth with him and yet was so selfless and sweet too, someone who could kiss him into all that he saw were stars and yet could leave his head spinning with a look if she really wanted to. Marinette would be one amazing girlfriend, and in her own way, Cat Noir decided that he'd rather date her than deal with all of the drama and the onesided feelings of dating Ladybug. With Marinette, he had a future, something that Ladybug couldn't even promise him right now.
"O-Oh." Marinette's face stayed a light tulip pink, and Cat Noir wondered if she'd even consider letting him steal a kiss from her and light that amazing fire up again that flamed beyond what he'd ever expected.