12. Chapter 12

Marinette couldn’t explain to you how they’d gotten into this position even if she tried.

The pair slid heatedly against each other, chests mashed together and hands freely wandering the newfound edges and curves that crested from behind skin-tight suits of red and black. Chat groaned into her mouth, hand ghosting up her ribs in a frenzied dance that matched the beating of the organ below his wandering fingers. Ladybug responded in earnest, letting her tongue blaze a path along the inside of the boy’s check before dipping down to meet his own.

This patrol wasn’t exactly going according to plan.

Had she have been in a clearer state of mind, Marinette just might have entertained the thought that perhaps Ladybug and Chat Noir making out atop a very public, very visible rooftop wasn’t exactly an ideal situation. But she wasn’t in a clear state of mind, as evidenced by the half-formed pleas for “more” that spilled from her lips as Chat moved his way down her neck.

This kiss was different than their first. Feelings sure when they had once been tentative; Motions effortless where they had once been stiff. Marinette was rising and falling all at once, lost completely in the hypnotic feel of teeth scraping at her jaw, of claws biting softly into the inflamed skin of her lower back.

“You want this.” Chat breathed against her aching flesh, gazing up with an unholy expression written across his angelic features. She couldn’t decide if the words were a question or a command.

 She couldn’t decide which one turned her on more.

“I want this.” Ladybug confirmed, a bit breathlessly, drawing his face up to connect with hers once more. She shivered as he drew up to his full height, their kiss becoming impossibly deeper at the new angle this position allowed for. Marinette felt all traces of doubt evaporate as she positively writhed in the sense of rightness that came with being entwined with Chat Noir like this.

 She felt powerful. Powerful in a way that went beyond the superficial sense of confidence that came with her suit.

Because with his eyes closed like this, body shaking and hands begging for more, Chat wasn’t responding to Ladybug. He was responding to her, to Marinette. To the girl behind the mask and the very same girl who threaded her fingers through his hair as she pulled their lips apart with a gasp.

“You want me.” She whispered into the darkness, voice sluggish with desire.

“I want you.” Chat affirmed in what could only be described as a growl.

Eyes flashing, he slowly backed her against the wall to their left, pinning here there despite his body hovering just inches from her own. He leaned down to whisper against her lips, “All of you.”

The words caused her back to arch pleasantly against the mattress beneath her, hands twisting themselves into the sheets as Marinette gave a moan.

‘Wait…’

All too quickly, the heat of Chat’s body was fleeing, the scene around her shifting in and out of focus before fading into darkness. Marinette felt her eyes slide open, flitting their way around the walls of her bedroom before snapping shut once more.

‘I didn’t…’ She thought with a groan that wasn’t completely out of frustration. Marinette unconsciously squeezed her thighs together, reveling in how the pressure made her insides squirm. Her blankets felt too hot, only managing to magnify her uncomfortable state of arousal. With a twist of her stomach, she pressed two fingers to the crotch of her panties, the dampness there only confirming that she had, in fact.

‘Oh my god’ Marinette thought, trying to find the strength to be embarrassed through the overwhelming waves of desire that still coursed through her brain to shudder down her form. ‘I just…and it…with Chat???’

Marinette tried to find her bearings, listing out facts to help bring her back down to earth.

It was late Tuesday night. Or possibly early Wednesday morning.

Hours ago, she was on patrol. Hours from now, she’d be back at Alya’s.

Her name was Marinette, her favorite color was pink, and she just had a wet dream about Chat Noir.

‘Shit.’

She threw the covers off suddenly, climbing down the ladder on shaking legs before booking it to the hall bathroom. Flicking the light on, Marinette blinked through the sudden brightness, bracing her hands on the counter as she sucked in lungfulls of air.

“What the hell was that?” She asked the empty washroom, trying desperately to tame the lust that still licked at her core with heated flashes. Her forehead practically sizzled as she laid it against the cool porcelain of the sink, Marinette swallowing down a lump of shame as the image of those eyes, the ones that weren’t the correct shade of green, refused to leave her brain.

This certainly hadn’t been the first time she’d experienced a dream like that. She had been getting them since the vague idea of sex had even presented itself to her, maybe around the age of 13 or so.

Of course they predominately featured Adrien, but Marinette had also come to accept the fact her subconscious mind would sometimes wander to other boys, mainly her other classmates or possibly a handsome movie star or two. She never really read too far in to it. After all, dreams don’t often contain a lot of logic or deeper meaning.

 But this, this was something else entirely. This wasn’t something she could dismiss as a product of hormones.

Because now she and Chat had made the decision to become a thing. And because Marinette wasn’t just simply bothered by the dream, she was positively aroused.

Even now, standing here minutes later (by which time she would have normally wound down from her tightly coiled state) Marinette still wanted nothing more than to pick up right where her dream left off, moaning and bucking under…

‘That stupid fucking cat’ Marinette thought angrily, helplessly. “Him and his stupid flirting and his stupid tight suit and his stupid sexy voice and the stupid way he just-“

He liked her.

No.

He liked Ladybug.

Marinette glanced up at the mirror, feeling less like the Superhero than she ever had before.

Reflected back from the toothpaste-stained surface before her was a rats nest of blue-black hair, sweeping it’s way over tired, dull eyes. She regarded the red splotches that marked up her bare face, not the work of some delicate blush but the pattern of acne she tried so desperately to cover up during the day.

Her gaze traced the stretchmarks that bent their way around her stomach, down her thighs and across her hips, frowning as her fingers wound around the jagged path they carved out. She turned every which way, examining her reflection while mentally cataloging each bump and mark and flaw that dotted its way across her body.

Marinette wasn’t Ladybug.

Ladybug was smooth, flawless. The only spots she had where the ones that fanned out along her costume, the only red on her face was that of her mask. Her hair was smooth and her eyes where bright. She never stuttered or tripped or made dumb mistakes. She was never embarrassed, never conflicted, never confused.

Chat loved Ladybug, wanted to be with Ladybug.

She wasn’t Ladybug.

Still staring at the mirror before her, Marinette yanked her sleepshirt down as far as it would go, suddenly fighting the urge curl up inside of it until she was completely hidden. Her arousal had all but fled, leaving a dull feeling of inadequacy in its place to settle like a stone in the pit of her stomach. Marinette turned on the cold faucet, splashing some water to her deadened face before drying off and exiting the bathroom.

As she climbed back up to her bed, she wanted nothing more than to just sleep. No dreams, no expectations, just sleep and sleep until she woke up as a new person. Someone who didn’t trick people into feeling things for girls who don’t truly exist.

Just as she was settling in however, Marinette perked up at the tiny vibration working its way from under her pillow.

Pulling her phone out to glance at the banner spanning the top of the screen, Marinette couldn’t decide on whether she should laugh or cry. She settled on weighty sigh, staring at the message until her eyes crossed.

It was many minutes before Marinette typed out a reply, heartbeat faster than she would have like it to be.

[ sweet dreams my lady <3 ]

[ goodnight chat ]

Us.

The word echoed in Adrien’s ears as they went about their patrol.

It slid around his tongue as he bent down to kiss Ladybug’s hand when the time came for them to part. It stuck in throat as returned to his room, plopping down on the floor in a state of pure elation.

Us.

It punctuated his thoughts, his moans, the jerk of his hips as he recalled the way his Lady had said the word. The look in her eye told Adrien she meant it as something so much more than a simple pronoun. It settled deep in his stomach, bursting in an explosion of light and feeling right alongside him.

Us.

When he woke, it was the first thing that came to mind, causing a sleepy smile to stretch its way across his face. The warmth of its meaning kept Adrien floating all day. From his lonely breakfast, to the grueling 6 hour fitting session, to another boring piano lesson, nothing could dent the sense of perma-happy he was feeling.

“You’re doing that thing again.” Plagg said, scowling as he gestured to his chosen’s expression.

“If by ‘that thing’ you mean smiling, then yes… I am.” Adrien responded shortly, unlocking his phone so he could re-read Ladybug’s little “goodnight” text for perhaps the hundredth time in the 24 hours or so since she had sent it. Setting the device down on the desk beside him, the teen commenced his nightly bedtime ritual of checking the Ladyblog.

Adrien prided himself on being Ladybug’s biggest fan. Throw him in the ring with Alya or Chloe, or any other die-hard fangirl, and Adrien would have them bested in no time.

With a hand tied behind his back.

Maybe two.

He tracked the #Ladybug tag on every social media platform known to man, always looking for hints as to what his Lady could be getting into without him. Twitter and Facebook where always good sources, but the Ladyblog was leagues beyond, compiling all the trending data into one convenient site. It was a stalker’s dream.

‘Of course, I’m not a stalker’ Adrien assured himself, bringing up dozens of images of Ladybug across all three of his computer monitors. ‘I’m just a concerned partner is all.’ He clicked over to the blog’s homepage, stopping up short at the sound of his phone blinging out another alert.

He tilted his head in confusion. The sound wasn’t the same ring he heard when his phone was asleep, it was the subdued ding of another text popping up in his currently open conversation.

A.K.A, his Ladybug message thread.

Adrien tried not to get too excited, giving up when he saw there was, in fact, a new little chat bubble floating right under her name.

[ How are you doing? ]

It was simple question that sent a jolt right to his Lady-centric heart. His smile widened, earning a groan from Plagg before the Kwami flew off to busy himself elsewhere.

‘Stop acting like a twelve year old with a crush and respond already’ Adrien commanded himself, straightening with a manly huff when he noticed he was sitting in a fetal position atop his office chair. Part of him wanted to tease her about sending “non-akuma related” messages, but then again, she’d probably never text him again. And Adrien couldn’t bear that.

[ Well rested and eager to see my Lady once again ;) ]

[ and you? ]

Adrien held his breath as the typing icon popped up on her end. Where they really texting each other in real time and not amidst a panic? He quickly exited his open windows, shutting his computer down and instead settling comfortably on the large bed just across the room. ‘Why settle for stories and pictures when I have the real thing right here?’ Adrien thought giddily, returning his attention to the screen below.

[ I’m good, if less rested than you are ]

[ ??? ]

[ Do tell ]

He had to fight down an irrational flash of… what? Jealousy, perhaps, at the implications of her words. What (or who) was keeping her up at night. 

[ oh, lol its nothing ]

[ my friend insisted on having an end of summer sleepover and we haven’t been doing much sleeping tbh ]

[ sorry didn’t mean for it to sound like I was complaining :/ ]

[ no, no its cool! ]

[ my friend and I are planning on doing the same thing tomorrow actually ]

[ sounds fun! ]

It was true, Nino had somehow managed to secure 4 tickets to the 18+ music festival coming up at the end of the week, and boy was he excited about it.

“Nine bands, three stages, one night only!” Nino had told his friend, practically yelling over the receiver. “It’s gunna be soooooo lit!”

Honestly, Adrien was hyped as well. He had never really been to a concert before, and certainly not one of this magnitude. Plus, as Nino had also wryly pointed out over the phone, it would be nice to show up with two very pretty girls on their arms…

‘Not the lady you should be thinking about’ Adrien scolded himself, returning his attention back to his phone.

[ What are you up to right now? ]

‘Wow, how smooth and not at all creepy.’

[ horror movie marathon ]

[ sounds like fun to me! ]

[ not really…wanna hear something embarrassing? ]

[ always >:D ]

[ Im a bit of chicken so I thought maybe texting you would help keep my heart rate down ]

[ hope you don’t mind! (I can stop if it’s annoying) ]

Adrien was caught floating between pure elation and dejection.

On one hand, Ladybug relied on him enough to turn to Chat when she was frightened. He imagined being there to wrap an arm around her during the scary parts, being able to watch her blue eyes peek out from behind latticed fingers as she burrowed in to his side. The thought made Adrien’s stomach do backflips in the most satisfying way.

Of course on the other hand, Ladybug had just essentially said texting him slowed her heart rate. ‘Not really something you wanted to hear from the love of your life.’ Especially when Adrien was sitting in his room, practically giddy over a string of casual messages.

[ you could never annoy me, my lady ]

[ your texts are the very highlight of my life ]

[ you must live quite a boring life then ]

[ HOLY SHIT ]

[ SOMEONE JUST GOT THROWN INTO A WOOD CHIPPER ]

[ savage! ]

[ is he still alive???? ]

[ YOU ARENT HELPING ]

Adrien couldn’t help but snicker, the mental image of his ever-so-brave Ladybug huddled under a blanket as some B-rated slasher film flashed in the background was just too good.

[ LEGS ARENT SUPPOSED TO BEND THAT WAY ]

[ oh god quick please tell me something to take my mind off of this]

And so he did.

For the next hour or so the two went back and forth, sending nonsense messages and exchanging small talk interspersed with her hysterical movie reactions and his own gentle teasing at her theatrics. It was light and comfortable, neither of them taking the conversation in direction that could potentially reveal anything about their identities. It was like a scene out of one of Adrien’s cheesiest romance fantasies.

‘But of course, they did have to go to sleep sometime.’ He thought glumly, as Ladybug hinted at the fact she was beginning to settle in for the night.

[ oh wow ]

[ I just realized how late it is… you’re not tired? ]

[of course not, cats are nocturnal remember? ;) ]

[ CATS are, BOYS aren’t ]

[ don’t get it twisted hero ]

[ well it’s my guess that neither ladybugs nor girls are nocturnal ]

[ so if anyone should be tired, it should be you princess ]

[ HA not likely ]

[ I used to be a morning person, but years of being chased across rooftops by a certain someone after dark has changed all that ]

[ you saying I keep you up at night?? ;) ]

[ that you do ]

[ but im not complaining… ]

[ besides, I’m sure there’s been times I’ve kept you up as well ]

[ you’ve got that right ]

[ for patrol I mean! ]

[ of course, of course ]

[ CHAT ]

[ Ladybug? ;) ]

[ that’s it im going to sleep and so are you ]

[ alright ]

[ but for the record… ]

[ we don’t have to be on patrol for you to keep me up at night ;) ]

[ GOODNIGHT ]

[ goodnight, my lady ]

Marinette locked her phone with a small click, peeking over to confirm Alya was still sleep. Thankfully, the redhead had passed out for the night, good news considering she might have (definitely) been suspicious at seeing her friend blushing in the blue light of her phone screen at nearly 1 am. And Lord knows Marinette couldn’t handle a second interrogation after the one she had been subject to earlier that day.

“I want. To know. Everything.”

Alya was nearly frothing at the mouth by the time they had met up at their usual corner coffee shop, the teen dragging Marinette into an empty booth before grilling her on every single detail of her little night off.

“We went for a walk. We talked. At the end of the night, he kissed my hand. The end?” Marinette tried sheepishly, nursing her grande sugar-filled abomination between nervous hands. The previous night’s patrols (both real and imagined) still weighed heavily on her mind, and the intense look Alya was giving her made Marinette feel completely transparent. Like she should just give up and spill every secret she was keeping bottled up.

Somehow, she didn’t think “I’m Ladybug and I’m kind of a thing with Chat Noir” would go over too well. Not well at all.

“You’re killing me here, Mari.” Alya moaned, hands out in a pleading gesture. “I think I’ve been pretty understanding, considering you kept this guy a secret for God know how long! At least give me the dirty details.”

“C’mon, girl. This is me we’re talking about. Do you really think there’s all that many dirty details?”

Marinette took another sip of her drink, expression miraculously neutral considering the entirety of last night’s fantasy was flashing though her head. Alya eyed her friend suspiciously, not at all convinced.

In fact, the two spent nearly an hour going back and forth before her curiosity was sufficiently sated.

“And finally, I gotta ask… what is this boy to you anyway?” Alya questioned, finishing off her 3rd latte before slamming the empty cup back onto the table

 “I’m not sure yet.” Marinette responded quietly, fingers picking at the lid of her half-finished frappuccino.

“Do you like him?”

“Yes.”

“Does he like you?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m happy for you!”

Marinette looked up, Alya smiling at her like a proud parent before continuing in a pleasant voice.

“You guys both like each other. You’ve been texting back and forth and now you’ve finally gone on a date. My little Marinette is growing up!” She concluding, wiping away a fake tear.

‘Little Marinette’ for her part, just sat stunned at her friend’s uncharacteristic change of heart.

“So…you’re not going to dig further?” She asked tentatively, earning a laugh.

“As much as I want to know all about this guy, I trust you to tell me more about him once you're ready.” Alya looked at her kindly, still smiling almost in a look of almost-wonder. “Honestly, I’m just pretty proud of the fact you seem to finally be getting over Adrien.”

‘Ah, there it was.’

Marinette groaned, leaning her head on the table dejectedly.

“That’s the problem,” she whined “I don’t know if I’m over him, Alya!”

“Well I mean, you have been less stuttery around him. Before he left for the summer I mean.” Her friend pointed out, shrugging. “Plus you seem to really have feelings for this new guy...”

Another groan.

“Listen, I know he was your first crush, but maybe it’s time to face the fact you just aren’t into Adrien anymore.” Alya rationalized, poking Marinette’s nose until the smaller girl looked up at her.

 “And maybe that’s even a good thing.” She finished with an encouraging smile.

Marinette just didn’t know anymore.

Not then, and not now, as she laid on Alya’s couch hours later.

‘Maybe tomorrow will be less…’

‘Confusing?’

‘Frustrating?’

Marinette couldn’t decide on a word.

These days Marinette couldn’t decide on a lot of things.