7. Evillustrator Part Three

The world vanished.

The sky turned dark, the deck beneath his feet became a gaping void and Chat Noir was left bereft in a sea of panic and horror. Only two solid facts remained:

Marinette had fallen. And he was still trapped.

Time no longer felt real, everything happened too quickly and yet slow enough to burn into his mind every painstaking detail. Time stretched on, and he was still on the wrong side of the glass.

And time, as well, was running out.

“CATACLYSM!” he heard himself yell. Because he no longer cared. Because the girl he loved was no longer on the boat. What did it matter if he was yet again too emotional to focus the attack on one specific place? What did it matter if his attack spread, like a virus, infecting the whole ship until the wretched thing disappeared?

He’d destroy it. He’d destroy the whole damn thing if it meant getting to her, if it meant her being safe. She had to be safe. She had to be.

The box was the first thing to disappear under his fingers, but the inky blackness of his attack was spreading. He ran. Even as the deck began to disintegrate under his feet, as he felt each footstep grow heavier and heavier under the weight of the collapsing ship, like running through sand, he kept going.

By the time he reached the spot where Marinette had fallen, half of the boat had gone. As soon as he jumped, it vanished completely, a smattering of black dust was all that remained as he leapt headfirst into the river. He didn’t look back.

The cold hit him almost immediately, a million icy daggers stabbing every exposed bit of flesh unguarded by his suit. Even with his powers protecting him from the brunt of the pain, he still felt it, and it only made him more fearful for Marinette.

He kicked his legs, his lungs burned, and still he swam further down. Every part of his body was screaming at him to close his eyes, to clamour back to the surface. Doing his best to block it out, Chat forced his eyes wide open, ignoring the stinging as his vision shifted to the familiar night-vision green. It only improved his visibility by a fraction. The water was murky, as most city rivers tended to be.

Where was she?

A glimpse of what looked like a shadow was all Chat needed to dive deeper. Swimming harder than he’d ever done in his life, fighting against the current, fighting against his own body, fighting for her, Chat fumbled semi-blind until he finally, finally felt something.

A hand. A hand that squeezed back.

Chat pulled until Marinette’s form appeared from the darkness of the river. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he kicked upwards and prayed he wasn’t hurting her further. Water flooded through his nostrils at the change of direction and he choked. All at once, his mouth was consumed by the river, the rancid water flowing through him until he felt like he was merging with it. Still he clawed his way to the surface, Marinette in his arms.

It felt like an eternity had passed before they finally broke the surface.

Chat gasped, his lungs desperately hacking up the water he'd accidentally swallowed moments before. Hearing Marinette’s choked, water-lodged splutters next to him gave him only half a second's worth of relief. With one arm, he paddled towards the water’s edge.

Not stopping until they were both free of the river’s hold on them, he placed Marinette onto the river bank as gently as he could, collapsing right beside her in an exhausted, sodden heap.

“Mar- Marinette!” he coughed, crawling over to her. She was sitting up, still coughing, and the sound haunted him. It echoed through his mind like a gunshot. When he reached her, he clutched her shoulders lightly, untangling the strap of her purse (which had twisted around her arm in what looked like a painful way) and began frantically scanning her features for any traces of injury.

Somehow, incredibly, her head seemed to be ok. There wasn’t any blood, although he could just about see the beginnings of what was shaping up to be a nasty bruise. But she still wasn’t breathing properly, and her whimpers in-between coughs broke something inside him. “Marinette, sweetheart breathe. Princess, look at me please.”

She complied, looking up at him as he cradled her chin in his hands. It was only then he noticed just how blue her eyes were. They were so blue… so…

“I’m-” she tried to say, before leaning over and coughing some more and disrupting his train of thought.

“Don’t speak, love. Please? It’ll hurt. It’s ok, I’m here,” Chat whispered, pulling her close so that her head was against his chest. “Breathe with me Princess. We have to get you warm.”

He couldn’t stop the terms of endearments slipping from his lips, couldn’t stop cooing and stroking and uttering words of adoration and comfort as she got back to her regular breathing pattern. It was near hysterical, and he was doing it in part to comfort himself too, to tell himself that she was really there. She was there in his arms. She was awake.

Then his ring began to beep.

“Chat,” she said, much clearer than before, though her voice was still rasping. “Your miraculous.”

Marinette pulled away from him, gazing into his eyes as his face fell. His hair was dripping wet, yet even so he was still so warm. Or maybe she was just that cold?

Chat looked at her, utterly distraught, and a part of her loathed herself because it was her fault. Because, for a split second, she’d forgotten she wasn’t Ladybug- had tried to help him- and it had nearly cost her everything. It was a stupid mistake that had placed Chat in the worst of situations.

Now he was watching her like the world had ended, his ring was still beeping and he wasn’t moving. Not one inch.

Then his face scrunched up, his eyes shone, and Marinette’s heart shattered.

"I don't care if the whole world sees who I am. I don't-" Chat collapsed onto her shoulder, yanking her close in desperation. He was shaking. Marinette could feel his tears, warm and terrible, as they landed on her skin and cascaded past her collarbone- "I only care about you. I don't care about that. Not now. Not ever if you weren’t- are you ok? Marinette please, please tell me you're ok? Please."

“I’m ok, I promise. Besides, Ladybug will be here soon won’t she? She’ll fix the mess I made,” Marinette mumbled, running her fingers through his wet hair numbly. A coldness crept into her, one which had absolutely nothing to do with her recent river trip.

“You didn’t- it wasn’t your fault, it was mine.” Chat’s ring began to beep again, and he held onto her protectively. “I can’t leave you here by yourself.”

“You have to,” Marinette soothed, pushing at his shoulders so she could look at him directly. Smiling in what she hoped was a comforting manner, she leaned in to kiss him, even as the river water left a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste, and she fought to control her shivering. “I’ll be ok! I promise I’ll be fine. Ladybug’s Miraculous Cure will fix me right up! You know that.”

Chat didn’t say anything, his head bowed low as he stared at the ground. Marinette took that as encouragement, and stood up on shaky feet. At the movement, Chat wheeled his head upright. Horror-stricken, he leapt to his feet and clung to her arm.  “Are you sure you’re ok to stand?”

Marinette rolled her eyes fondly. “I took a dip in the river. I’m not going to die. Especially not with you around!”

When Chat winced, and winced hard, she realised her mistake. Oh god. Had she taken idiot pills today or something? Was the Seine spiked with some sort of IQ reducing drug?

For once she remained silent, her back tensing, because there was nothing she could say here that wouldn’t reveal her superhero identity. She couldn’t reassure him the way she wanted to.

Ladybug knew why he’d winced, what things in their past he secretly blamed himself for (though he’d never stated it outright). Marinette, on the other hand, wasn’t supposed to know any of that. He hadn’t told her those kinds of things yet. So she had to let it slide, feign ignorance, even as the cracks in their relationship were beginning to show.

“I’ll wait for you here,” she offered, reaching out to touch his arm. In less than a second, Chat’s hand was on top of hers, and he was caressing it again, both of them seemingly desperate to comfort the other. “After you get rid of the akuma, I’ll wait for you here, so you can see I’m ok. Ok? But you have to go now.”

The agonised expression Chat gave her as he stepped away, when the beeping of his ring grew too loud to ignore further, and his grim nod of acceptance, made something unpleasant twist in Marinette’s chest. It settled like a deadweight as she watched him disappear.

Only when she knew he was gone did she stumble backwards, fingers clinging to her soaking, freezing clothes. “This is messed up. This is so messed up. What am I going to do Tikki? Oh my god TIKKI!” Her eyes widened, her hands flying to her purse. As she was about to open it, however, the Kwami phased out of it, floating above her. “Tikki! Are you ok?! Are you hurt? Are you going to get another cold?!”

“I’m fine Marinette,” Tikki soothed, and Marinette clutched her chest, almost doubling over in relief. “But it’s you I’m worried about.”

“I’ll be fine, it was just a dip,” Marinette replied, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s like I said to Chat, you know the Miraculous Cure will help.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Tikki said with a sigh, nuzzling into the crook of her chosen’s neck. “I meant emotionally.”

Once again Marinette fell silent, staring into the distance, where Chat Noir had run off to.

“Marinette?” Tikki’s voice rang in her ears, but it seemed so distant to her. Even with Tikki’s prompting, it still took a while for her to respond.

“I’ll be fine,” she lied, plastering on a fake smile. “Right now, it’s not about me, it’s about making sure Nathanael is ok. Let’s go Tikki.”

***

It didn’t take long for Chat Noir to catch up to the akuma. Once he’d recharged a very wet and grumpy Plagg, he tracked the akuma’s movements to a nearby park.

Breaking the lock on the fence (it would repair itself when Ladybug used her special ability) Chat Noir trod a few paces into the eerie stillness of a place usually throbbing with people. A numbness settled inside of him, the kind of numbness that comes after feeling too much too quickly. And all the while his mind viciously attacked him, reminded him of his failures both past and present.

You almost lost her, you almost lost her, you almost lost her played in his head like a mantra, so many times, so much so that Ladybug and Marinette blended together to make one person. One person he’d almost lost twice. Both times being his fault. The spiritual representation of his worst memories to date. His mother was there too. His father. Everyone. He wasn’t strong enough for any of them- he hadn’t been enough- hadn’t been-

“I guess you’re here for the akuma?”

Nathanael’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he stopped. Peering to the side of the path, he spotted Nathanael sitting on a park bench, looking about as miserable as Chat felt.

For a split-second rage roared inside him like a towering inferno, and his lips curled. Because it was his fault too- the akuma. Nathanael had unwittingly almost caused Marinette’s death. Alongside Chat, he was the main reason she’d been hurt. He was the reason she was in that situation to begin with. In that moment, Chat loathed Nathanael, his akuma, and everything it stood for.

But, as quickly as his anger had reared its ugly head, it faded. Nathanael looked up at him, an akuma on a park bench of all things, his eyes glistening as he held out the stylus pen of his tablet. “It’s in here, I swear. Take it and give it to Ladybug. I don’t need it anymore. I guess, really, I never needed it. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to go home now.”

Wordlessly, Chat Noir took the offending item from Nathanael’s hand. When he did, Nathanael nodded glumly, standing up and walking away until he disappeared from view, fading out of sight as he slipped into the shadows and went where the lights didn’t reach him. He left the tablet behind.

Chat made no efforts to follow him. To comfort the victim where he normally would always. Instead he stood there, silently, looking down at the pen in his hand and fighting very hard not to crush it to pieces. A flurry of emotions, each one more extreme than the last, whirled inside him. Each emotion fought for control. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to do.

Once again, his train of thought was disturbed by the arrival of his favourite spotted hero.

Ladybug landed next to him, graceful and elegant, smiling widely.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said. “Did you track down the akuma? Where is he?”

Chat lowered his head. He could hardly stand to look at her, but handed her Nathanael’s pen regardless. “He’s gone.”

“He’s gone?!” she spluttered, her eyes widening as she stepped closer. Chat felt himself wilt at her words, even though her voice held no form of rebuke. In fact- she seemed baffled. That was almost worse. “What- I mean- Chat did you just let him go? I mean he could be a danger to himself right now! He’s an akuma, he’s not in his right frame of mind- did you talk to him at least?”

Chat couldn’t stand it any longer. He threw his arms around her, pulling her into a bone crushing hug.

“I’m sorry, Ladybug,” he whimpered, apologising for far more than he was letting on. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Ladybugs arms were limp by her sides and she seemed to tense before sighing and wrapping them around his middle. “It’s ok.”

“No, I- I don’t. Ugh I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. My brain feels soggy,” he choked, reluctantly stepping away from her, only to meet her fond gaze with a frown of confusion.

“Well, you are all wet,” she chuckled lightly, gesturing to his hair and then to her shoulder, which had gathered little droplets of water. They caught the light, glistened like glitter. Chat had to blink heavily to look away. “Silly cat, always taking everything so seriously. You know it’s all alright in the end, don’t you? And you’re a big part of the reason why.”

Chat smiled at that. Genuinely smiled. Gratefulness warmed him where he’d previously felt so cold. He really didn’t deserve her. “Thanks, Little Lady.”

“Any time Kitty-Cat!” she beamed, brushing the remaining water drops from her suit. “I’m always here if you need to talk. Or give hugs to. I hear I give excellent hugs. It’s my right as a superhero to say so.”

“I guess I have to agree to that, right?” Chat teased. It was weak, feeble sounding even to his own ears. But it was good to banter with her. Bantering made things feel like they were normal, like they’d be ok. Still, he didn’t want to linger any more than necessary. “You know I’d love to stay and talk more LB, but I promised your friend I’d take her home. If you don’t mind? Don’t freak out but… she almost got hurt today. I’m sorry. I couldn’t look after her the way you thought I could. But I want to make it right.”

Ladybug didn’t speak for a while, an unreadable expression on her face, and Chat worried that he’d upset her in failing to protect her friend. He braced himself for the anger, the disappointment, the justifiably harsh words.

They never came. Instead, Ladybug reached up to ruffle his hair, standing on tip-toes to kiss his forehead fondly. He naturally lowered himself to her height level, used to the friendly gesture by now. “You’re too sweet for your own good you know, Kitty-Cat. I’m not mad.” There was something so warm, so caring, in her tone that Chat leaned into her touch, closed his eyes. “Of course, I’m not mad. I’m sure she isn’t either. I bet you did everything you could to help her. I’m- I’m really glad you were there. I’m so glad it was you there.”

When he looked up at her again, her smile widened. It lit up her whole face. “There’s nobody else I’d trust so much.”

Her hand was still in his hair, but the petting had stalled to an almost gentle caress. A moment of silence passed between them, before Ladybug snapped her hand back to her side, a faint redness apparent on her cheeks, even in the dark. “Umm,” her voice warbled and she giggled lightly, “I- I know this is totally ask a lot- I mean a lot to ask- but could you check Nathanael gets through the park ok whilst I do the whole cleansing stuff? It’s not safe for a civilian to be in the park all by themselves. Marinette will be ok waiting a few minutes more. The parks not so big and you know like I don’t want Nathanael to get robbed or anything. So, if you could totally watch him that would be swell. Ohmygod did I just say swell?!”

“LB,” Chat chuckled, stroking his chin in an attempt to cover up just how amused he was at her familiar ramblings. He wasn’t too worried about being caught though. Currently she was looking at the akuma’s pen as though she wanted to impale herself with it. “It’s alright. I’ll watch him. As if I could ever say no to you.”

Ladybug’s head snapped up at that, her eyes wide for a reason Chat couldn’t fathom. There was a flash of something in them, but it was too dark to see, and she lowered her chin again, with a frown this time. “I should get this cleansed.”

Chat didn’t understand her shift in mood, but agreed with her nonetheless. They shared a hurried goodbye, and he left her company in higher spirits than he’d been before. He still worried for Marinette, wanted to get back to her as soon as possible, but Ladybug always had a certain knack for being the sun, parting the grey clouds whenever they formed in his mind.

“Chat?”

He paused, tilting his torso so he was staring back at Ladybug, who gave him a solemn look. “Are you going to be ok? Seriously.”

Sighing, Chat Noir shuffled from foot-to-foot, wanting to be as honest as he could. Aside from his identity, he’d never really hidden something from her this way. It didn’t sit well with him, but what choice did he have?

Regardless of how secret his relationship with Marinette was, he still owed his partner of four years some semblance of an explanation for his odd behaviour. “I don’t know,” he answered, and that was the truth. “Not right now, but I think I will be. I guess I have a lot of things on my mind. Sometimes it’s hard to make sense of them. Feels like following a red dot, only to have it disappear.”

Ladybug chuckled at his awful attempt at a half-joke. “Yeah. Yeah, I know how that feels Kitty-Cat. But like I said, any time you need to talk…” she left the last part unspoken, didn’t feel the need to clarify further.

“Likewise, Little Lady,” he replied and with a flick of his tail, and a green glint in his eye, he vanished into the shadows.

***

Ladybug landed in the spot her civilian self was last seen, having cleansed the akuma and sent it on its way. Hiding between the wall and a rubbish bin, she ducked and de-transformed, admiring the power of the Miraculous Cure as well as its effect. Her bones no longer felt frozen, her hair was dry and her dress was back to its normal state- no repairs required.

Marinette stepped out from behind the bin, heart pumping, half-terrified by the conversation she’d just had with Chat, and by the realisations she’d come to.

“Marinette?” Tikki prompted, before Marinette shook her head, eyes tearful as she crossed her arms over herself.

“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t go on lying to him,” she choked. “It’s not fair. I have to tell him my feelings. I have to end this. This can’t go on.”

Tikki flew forwards, landing on her shoulder. “You only listened to your heart Marinette. Sure, your decisions haven’t been…entirely wise. But it’s not like you wanted to trick him into a relationship, or you deliberately set out to deceive him. He came to you first remember?”

“But I should have told him who I was, or at least admitted my feelings as Ladybug sooner instead of being so afraid,” Marinette gritted her teeth, suddenly angry with herself. “This was wrong. It was wrong to withhold the truth from him for so long. He’s my partner, Tikki. What should I do? I don’t know what to do… it feels like anything I do will hurt him. And I can’t hurt him. I can’t. I’ve made such a mess of this. I want to fix it, because if I don’t fix it now, I feel like something bad is going to happen. What do you think Tikki?”

Tikki floated up to her face, giving her a gentle kiss on the nose. “I can only tell you to do what you think is best Marinette. You’re a kind person, you always have been. I know you’d never want to hurt someone, especially not someone you love so much. Love can’t last unless you’re both honest with each other and yourselves. Love thrives on honesty, not secrets.”

When Marinette cringed, Tikki widened her eyes and waved her paws frantically. “I’m not saying something bad will happen, like you think it will! I only think that sneaking around won’t make either of you happy. You both care for each other a lot. He certainly thinks the world of you. I can tell by the way he looks at you. So, I really don’t think either of you are going to be satisfied hiding your relationship for much longer. Something has to give, and I thi-”

Tikki froze mid-sentence. Her antennae twitching. Without another word, she flew into Marinette’s bag, disappearing from view. Marinette wheeled around, just in time to see Chat Noir approaching.

He stopped when he noticed she’d seen him. The pair stood several feet apart, on the bank of the Seine, with nothing but the running river beside them to break the stillness of the moment. Even Marinette’s heart had ceased beating.

What a pretty picture they made, she thought. The superhero and the civilian, standing so close yet so far apart. Two people, seemingly belonging to two different worlds, together at a time when the city slumbered and the moon was their guiding light towards each other, the breeze pushing and pulling them so gently. A perfect metaphor for their relationship; their minds always pushing them apart, their hearts always pulling them back together again.

The pretty picture was broken, or maybe turned real, when Chat stepped forwards. In three large strides, he was in front of her, sweeping her into his arms. Her feet left the floor, and she buried her face into his now dried hair. One of his cat ears brushed her cheek, and it flicked in response to her. “You’re okay,” Chat whispered, letting her down only a fraction, so that he could pick her legs up and carry her princess style. “You’re ok.”

Marinette was glad she could avoid looking directly at him like this. She didn’t think she could stand to see the earnestness in his gaze. His relief was infectious, however, so she silently tucked herself further into his embrace and nodded.

Taking that as his cue, Chat nuzzled against her and told her to hold on tight as he carried them away, back to her home. It wasn’t a long journey, as she lived so close to the Notre Dame, but it gave Marinette time to close her eyes, to surround herself in the comfort of his embrace. Because honestly? She had no clue how many more moments like this they had left. She had to savour every last one.

The thought destroyed her. Just a little bit.

“Home sweet home,” Chat grinned as they finally landed on her balcony, and Marinette’s heart swelled with affection for him. She knew he was putting on a brave face for her, trying hard to be strong. For her.

She loved him. She loved him and wanted so badly to say it. But how could she say it? To him, they’d barely known each other for two months. He seemed to care about her a lot, seemed to have fun with her and loved listening to her stories. Occasionally he told her his own too, ones she already knew but sounded fresh whenever he told them to her, locked away in her bedroom. There was no way, however, that he could possibly love her back. Not so soon. She knew her Kitty-Cat was the sentimental type, but could he really have fallen so fast?

“You both care for each other a lot. He certainly thinks the world of you. I can tell by the way he looks at you.”

Marinette walked over to the door leading back down to her room, she lifted the latch, making eye contact with Chat. Still not trusting herself to speak, she beckoned him to follow her instead, before dropping down out of sight.

Chat watched her go, torn. Now that Ladybug was gone, now everything was over, the weight of his stupidity had come back to hit him full force. The mistakes he’d made since the very beginning of his relationship with Marinette.

God, why was he such a fraidy-cat? Why couldn’t he have told her just how much she meant to him as Adrien? Granted he’d never, ever, intended to be with her as Chat. In an ideal world, he’d have dated Marinette, treated her the way she should have been from the very start, eventually revealing his superhero identity as long as Ladybug was ok with it. They’d always talked to each other in regards to identity reveals to other people (and staunchly avoided any conversations regarding identity reveals to each other but that was a whole different mess which Chat was unprepared to deal with at that moment in time).

That all depended, of course, on whether Marinette would have agreed to date him. If she hadn’t? He would have moved on.

But it hadn’t gone that way. It was like this instead. Somehow the threads had gotten tangled. They’d tripped and fallen into a web which he was now trying desperately to get out of. Because he couldn’t have this again, he couldn’t let her down again, he couldn’t lose her.

And in order not to lose her, he had to be true to her.

He had to tell her.

He had to tell her who he was.

Ladybug would forgive him, she’d understand that this was a delicate situation, she’d understand the need to stay truthful to someone you loved. Of that he was sure.

He had to tell her. He had to. He couldn’t leave it another minute.

So, he climbed down the ladders, all the while knowing that he could very well be climbing them soon- never to return, until he came to a stop on the lower level of Marinette’s bedroom. She stood with her back to him, kicking off her shoes and delicately placing her bag on her desk, lightly patting it. The cuteness of the gesture made him blush and he turned his gaze to the mannequin instead. He had to resist. He had to be strong.

Making his way over to mannequin, he was startled to see the outfit he’d commissioned from her as Adrien, already near its completion. He focused on it, admired the intricate details, fingers lightly skimming the fur around the jacket. It was easier than focusing on the way his Adam’s apple throbbed weirdly, or how his tongue felt so dry, how even with his superpowers he felt powerless under her gaze.

“I was working on it when Nathanael arrived,” Marinette explained. “In the craziness that followed, I forgot to put all my stuff away.”

“Are there any pins I should watch for then? Wouldn’t want to get one stuck in my paws,” he joked, his voice cracking as she rested her hand on his. It was too much, it was all too much.

“No don’t worry. We’re out of the danger zone,” she smiled, eyes sparkling, and Chat didn’t have the heart to tell her how very wrong she was. “I’m really glad you were there tonight Chat. Thank you, so much. For everything. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

She hugged him then. A soft embrace where, if Chat closed his eyes, he could imagine something like love coming from her. What fantasies he could concoct! As if he could ever hope that she would love him. Maybe one day. Maybe when he was finally honest with her. But not now, certainly not now.

They pulled back, and the kiss she placed on his lips was as soft as her hug had been, but much briefer. Neither of them went very far.

This was it. This was the moment. Chat knew he couldn’t deny it any longer, couldn’t hold back anymore.

Say it! His mind cried as he froze, staring at Marinette’s suddenly quietened expression. She seemed to be in her own little world. Say it now! Be honest with yourself, be honest for her!

“I love you.”

And there it was. The thing he absolutely did not want to admit. Under any circumstances. He’d accidentally blurted it out, in a moment of sheer desperation. As if something like his love for her could save him.

What have I done?!

But it had saved him. It had. Marinette had taken his hand and brought him into a world full of happiness and colour, had allowed him to find people he could care for and who would actually care for him in return, no questions asked. She’d breathed life into his decaying civilian side. She’d given him so much, and he was still trying to catch up to her, still trying to give her the moon when she’d already gifted him the sun.

Now he stood, with his arms wide, with her filling the space between them, her heart facing his own. Now she stood, having heard half of his confession, and Chat had every intention of telling her exactly who he was, of telling her everything.

Until she uttered the phrase, “I love you too,” and his resolve turned to ash.

Chat lips crashed onto hers and Marinette responded in kind. Yet all the while, her mind screamed at her- over and over again.

This was wrong.

This was so wrong.

They needed to stop.

She needed to stop this. Now.

But he loved her! He said he loved her. Three words, and suddenly all of the late nights spent pining, the lonely patrols, the longing gazes, the empty space in her heart which she’d left for him, it was all worth something. It all meant something. Her love for him wasn’t a waste, had never been, because he’d somehow, someway, fallen in love with Marinette. With the girl behind the mask.

So she kissed him, almost knocking over her mannequin as they stumbled backwards, and Chat broke the kiss to trail loving, heated kisses from her jawline to her neck. She moaned in response, losing herself to the feeling of Chat, of him holding her, his hands roaming freely and near-frantically, as though he were trying to learn her every curve. Standing on her toes, Marinette clutched his hair tightly, tugging it back until she could get at his neck instead, leaving hot, open-mouthed kisses against the skin there. He gasped, something between a groan and a purr escaped his chest and it set Marinette’s soul of fire, made her crave more, more, more.

Instead of telling him the truth, she allowed him to pick her up. Wrapping her legs around his waist, and her tongue around his, Marinette felt her back come to rest against her wall. She used it to tilt her hips, and felt him shudder against her.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips, breaking apart for air, both of them panting still, yet coming back together again because it seemed as though they’d always be that way. “I love you,” he said again, as he nipped her neck, and her fingernails dug into his back. “I love you Marinette, I love you so much.”

He said it almost like a prayer, Marinette thought, and wasn’t that the worst thing of all? How reverently he spoke of her? How even at their most intimate they could still wear masks, both real and metaphorical?

They were running on fumes. This relationship, the way it was, couldn’t stand. Tikki was right about that. But maybe for tonight, just for tonight, they could forget that. They could forget about the ticking clock, they could forget about the secrets, and instead only remember the love they shared.

Maybe, just for tonight, things could be perfect.

Marinette pulled Chat’s lower lip between her teeth ever-so-slightly, and he moaned, pressing into her, his fingers gripping her thighs tighter. They were sure to leave marks. Marinette liked the idea. She wanted to be marked. She wanted to mark him too. She wanted his civilian self to wake up and remember her, to look in the mirror in the morning and remember how her lips felt on his neck, biting and sucking the skin there until a little bruise formed.

She pushed his collar as far down as it would go, and did exactly what she wanted. Chat responded by crying out her name and she smirked against his skin.

And then her feet were dropped onto the floor, and her arms were pinned by her head, and Chat was growling as he kissed her again. She felt dizzy, breathless, completely lost to a world of their own making, a world which they’d both set alight and were now dancing amidst the flames knowing it was only a matter of time until they burned.

“You- you say- you love me-” Marinette panted in-between kisses, and Chat lifted his head. Never had she seen green eyes so dark, and it sent a shiver straight through her.

“I do,” he replied, his features turning gentle as he brushed his nose against hers.

Squirming out of his hold on her wrists, she used one finger and prodded him backwards. Her heart raced as she reached up to the zipper on the back of her dress, tugging it down as she watched Chat’s eyes widen, his jaw drop.

“Prove it,” she said as her dress fell to the floor.

***

Alya: I don’t understand!!!!!! DID YOU BONE OR NOT?! XXXXX

Marinette grinned. Walking down the street, she typed a response to her friend and half tripped over a poor stranger’s dog. Apologising profusely, she made her way to the coffee shop near campus.

Mari: Yeah we totally boned. Didn't ya know? That suit is just one big condom. Seriously Alya? Xx

It took a minute for Alya to respond, allowing Marinette time to soak in the beautiful day around her. The sun was shining, spring was making an appearance, and for once she was determined not to worry about her relationship troubles. Not after the way things has gone last night anyway.

Alya: Ok first of all I did not raise you to sass me this way. Only other people.

Alya: Second of all if you didn't bone what DID you do?

Mari: ....Stuff <3

Marinette smirked to herself, knocking into someone again right as she reached the outside of the coffee shop. When she looked up, she was surprised to see a familiar mop of blonde hair and her heart lurched, before she realised it was Adrien.

Though it was Adrien like she’d never seen him. Adrien with a rapidly reddening face, his hair dishevelled with traces of cowlicks which refused to be tamed, his clothes rumpled all apart from the scarf wrapped around his neck. Which was strange, she thought, considering it was shaping up to be such a warm day. “Woah Adrien, I didn’t take you for a party-goer,” she teased, giving him a friendly hug in greeting. “I’m impressed Mr. PhD still has a wild side. Fun night?”

Adrien was completely silent, his eyes darting from her to…anywhere else. It looked like he was trying to be polite but, at the same time, was doing everything his power not to look at her. She panicked, looking down at herself to check she’d gotten dressed properly, she’d been in a bit of a daze this morning and sometimes the t-shirt she was wearing could get a little see through, depending on the bra she wore with it. A quick inspection told her she had nothing to worry about on that front, so what was his deal?

“Fun!” Adrien blurted out and Marinette might have thought his response strange (as high and squeaky as it was) were it not for the fact that her phone chose that moment to ping as Alya’s response came through. “Yeah- yeah. It was fun. Cool. Kinda tired now though, you know?” He gave a huge yawn in response, stretching his arms above his head and promptly dropping half his research papers behind him.

Marinette smiled kindly whilst Adrien scrambled to pick up the documents. She knelt down to help him absent-mindedly, one of their hands brushing as they reached for the same document. She paid it no mind, as half of her attention was on him, the other half on her phone and a now hysterical Alya.

Alya: STUFF?! WHAT KIND OF STUFF?! I swear to GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Well take it easy today!” she chirped, once they’d gathered all his research papers. “If you’re on campus ‘til late again, let me know and I’ll send some cookies your way.”

“Ok, that- err- thanks Pr- Mari. Thanks Marinette, I’ll see you tomorrow!” he stammered, fixing her with an odd stare, before ducking his head and hurrying away, his face redder than she’d ever seen it. Wow. It really must have been a wild night, she thought, for him to be so completely ruffled. She’d have to go out with him some time. A morning spent so unkempt surely meant a night well spent.

“Hey Mari.”

Marinette turned around to see the person she’d come to meet. Standing opposite her looking guilty, almost wilting, was Nathanael.

Mari: I'm sorry Nath is here I gottagoloveyoubye xxxxxx

She smiled. Putting her phone on silent and back into her bag, she stepped closer to hug him. “Nath! I’m glad you’re here.”

Nathanael seemed surprised at first, but hugged her back before rapidly pulling away. “Before you say anything else, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for putting you in that situation, and even before that I’m sorry for confessing I liked you when my feelings weren’t genuine.”

Marinette took his hands and squeezed them in her own. “Nath. No, it’s ok. Really. I know what it feels like ok? I’ve done something similar. Being single for ages sucks when you don’t want to be single anyway. It makes you do crazy stuff and see things that aren’t there. And I really didn’t make things easier. I should have told you from the start that I didn’t return your feelings… I just didn’t know what to say without hurting you.”

Nath nodded, running a hand down his face. “It’s ok. I get it. I’m just so embarrassed though. I did a lot of soul searching last night, after it happened. I think what you said before, about staying single for a while, I think it was getting to me.”

“It gets to everyone sometimes, everyone who’s looking for love anyway,” Marinette agreed, motioning for them to enter the coffee shop. “But this won’t change anything between us? We’re still friends, right? Even though I acted like a jerk?”

Nathanael scoffed as they joined the line for the counter. “It’s not like I acted much better. And of course we’re still friends! You did nothing wrong. The only thing this changed is that now I’m officially giving up on love completely. Men and women both.”

“Oh, don’t say that!” Marinette whined, as they approached the counter, where a handsome, tanned barista was waiting to take their order. Prodding her finger into Nathanael’s shoulder, she prompted him to order first. “You never know when love will hit you. Like all ka-blammy, in the movies!”

Nathanael wasn’t listening, and Marinette was about to pout but her frown turned to a sly grin as she saw where his attention was diverted to. Seemed that Nathanael had noticed the good-looking barista as well.

“So that’s a venti vanilla latte for the dashing redhead,” the barista said with a grin and slight Italian accent. Nathanael flushed before the barista turned to Marinette. “And for his lovely lady companion?”

“Oh we’re not companions,” Marinette chuckled, eyes flicking to Nathanael and back to the barista. “Just friends.”

The barista’s eyebrow quirked. “Really now?”

“Thanks for taking my order!” Nathanael squeaked, tapping his card on the reader and disappearing to the other side of the counter so quickly he almost blurred at the edges.

Marinette shook her head fondly. “He’s shy,” she explained as she ordered her drink from the cashier next to the flirtatious Italian and headed down the bar to flick Nathanael’s ear. “Hey! That was rude you know! Didn’t you see that? He was totally into you!”

“No he wasn’t!”

“Was! Go tell him you think he’s cute! I wouldn’t normally say that ‘cause, you know, he’s working and all. But he was checking you oooout! He called you dashing. Dashing. You can’t argue with that!”

Nathanael looked like he had every intention of arguing with her but, as if by the will of the universe, his drink arrived. On the sleeve was a name, and a phone number to go along with it. “Wow!” Marinette giggled, impressed, whilst Nathanael stared dumbly. “He’s bolder than my macchiato! Nath you’ve scored! Hate to say I told you so.”

It was then her phone buzzed frantically in her bag, and she had to check it lest she annoy Tikki. The messages she saw made her almost double over with laughter.

Alya: WHAT?! NO!

Alya: Mari you can't leave me hanging like this

Alya: I will END YOU

Alya: OMG

Alya: MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG!!!!111!!

Well, Marinette thought, she’d just have to leave her best friend guessing for the time being. Because she couldn’t really explain what had happened last night over text. To be honest, she couldn’t really describe it to herself.

But she couldn’t help but feel, sitting outside the café, teasing a very flustered Nathanael amidst flashes of memories from the previous night, of her and Chat’s shared confessions, that maybe things would turn out ok.

Maybe, just maybe, it would all work out.