A/N: This was inspired by a comic by the amazing Raunchy_Bird on Instagram (find the link to it on my AO3). Enjoy!
Marinette felt like she was slowly being lit on fire as she watched Chat Noir playing in the street with several small giggling children. She'd doubled back after leaving at the end of the akuma attack, not expecting her partner to still be there.
Her partner, who she'd been watching over the past several years as he'd grown into his role as one of Paris' heroes.
Not to mention how much he'd grown to fill out that suit.
She'd had a harder and harder time keeping her eyes off him – damn that cat and his inability to look anything but delicious all of the goddamned time – and the effort to keep her hands to herself had never needed more concentration than it had as of late.
But she'd been doing her best to remain professional and focused, especially since he'd pulled back on the love confessions of their youth.
All of that effort was in the process of flying out the window as she watched the man put all of his energy into entertaining the kids that had just been involved in the frightening akuma attack. He didn't know a single one of them, and yet he smiled and laughed as he distracted them from the memories.
He was going to be an amazing dad, one day.
The thought made her burn for him.
As the kids finally dispersed, she began crossing the now deserted area, determination fueling her every step.
She was done holding back.
Chat Noir turned to look at her, surprise and something warm crossing his features. Good, she thought, taking encouragement from the look.
Chat's mouth opened. "Hey–"
She tugged him down by his bell, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say as her lips crashed into his. A sharp intake of breath was the only delay before he moved beyond his shock, his gloved hand coming up behind her neck to hold her as he moved his lips in time with hers.
She lost all sense of time as she kissed him, lost all sense of anything as something within her screamed "Mine, mine, MINE–"
She only became aware that she'd lost her senses completely when he broke off with a groan. "God, Marinette–"
She froze, her breathing coming to a complete halt.
Wait, how did he know…
It was then that Marinette realized her fingers were gripping his hair, the strands soft against her skin.
Her ungloved hand spread across his back, taking in the feel of the cool leather.
Damnit, she'd completely forgotten she'd already detransformed before doubling back.
The panic swirled for a very brief moment, until she met his eyes, clearly seeing her own desire mirrored in them.
Desire… for her? For Marinette?
Finally, she shrugged the panic off completely, finding that she really didn't care.
She'd take what she could get from her amazing, inspiring, loyal, caring, sexy, goofy superhero partner she'd slowly been falling in love with.
In whatever form he wanted her.
She jumped up into his arms, wrapping her legs around him as she kissed him once again, marveling at the eagerness with which he responded.
"-and that's why I told him… Adrien? Dude, are you even listening to me?"
Adrien nodded absently, not hearing a word Nino was saying. His entire attention was taken up by the incredibly beautiful woman across the room. A woman he'd been figuratively admiring from afar for a while now, though it hadn't been until she'd shown up after the akuma attack the day prior and kissed him – kissed Chat – that he'd believed he even had a shot at making something work with her.
He nearly melted again at the thought of the kiss. God, the way she'd looked as she'd walked up to him, all fire and beauty and strength; he'd been such a goner.
It had taken him hours after she left to finally make his way home, with all the awestruck and aimless wandering he'd done.
Plagg had given him an earful for that.
"Bro, you've been staring at Marinette for like 30 minutes. Let's go." Adrien barely felt Nino's hand on his shoulder as he watched Marinette laugh at something Alya was saying to her. The way her face lit up when she laughed was nearly magical.
Did no one else in the room see just how breathtaking she was?
"Dude, come on. Let's go get another drink."
"Five more minutes," Adrien said, not taking his eyes off of Marinette.
How had he never truly noticed this amazingly wonderful woman before recently?
He missed the unamused frown Nino threw his way. "You have issues, Bro."
"He sure does," Plagg snickered from where he hid below in a pocket.
Adrien finally pulled his gaze away from Marinette to frown down at his Kwami, though luckily Nino hadn't seemed to hear the words through the noise in the room.
They turned and walked towards the bar, Nino speaking again. "You can't finally be crushing on her now, man. Didn't you hear her telling Alya earlier that she just met someone new recently?"
Adrien kept his face neutral. "I know, Nino. It's fine. I'm not crushing on her." Inside, he held back the words he really wanted to say.
It's me. She met me, kissed me.
He turned his head to glance at Marinette one more time, catching her eye briefly. She smiled at him, giving him a little wave before turning back to Alya.
He smiled back.
How had he gotten so lucky?
Sure, dating her as Chat Noir would be more difficult than it would have been as Adrien.
But they'd figure it out.
He was sure of it.
A/N:… Oh lookie there, I just wrote a prequel to The Stand In Bodyguard. Thank you Raunchy_Bird for your wonderful art and comic that inspired this!