Chapter Text
It was an ordinary evening, just like any other. Chat Noir had come to visit his favourite civilian on her rooftop balcony, which was dimly lit with fairy lights.
The pair sipped on hot chocolate as they leaned over the railing and gazed at the beautiful view before them. The sun had begun its journey to the horizon, leaving a stunning array of oranges and reds amongst the sky.
Marinette set down her mug on the table behind her, rubbing her hands together to gather warmth from the slightly cool air.
"I'm probably going to regret asking this," Marinette mumbled to herself, but Chat's keen ears picked up on it anyway. "But why did you fall for Ladybug?"
Chat Noir's jaw dropped open in shock and he stared bug-eyed at her as if it was dumbest question he had ever heard. Which, in his mind, it just might be.
He put his hand to his chest as if the question personally offended him.
Then, a silky smooth cheshire grin slowly overtook his initial expression.
Now, he looked like the cat that got the cream.
Marinette was already regretting her question.
"Marinette. Princess. Mousinette. My little lady. Heh. I'm so glad you asked—even if the answer should be blindingly obvious," he spoke with a smug grin and air of total confidence. "Ladybug is amazing."
He paused dramatically, giving her time to brace herself for the holy reasons that only she would have the privilege of hearing. During his silence, he set down his mug as he would need both hands for his impassioned gesturing.
"... That's it?" she asked, clearly unimpressed.
Chat burst into laughter, the thought of that being all there was to say was completely laughable and insane. He loved Marinette, but she sure could be silly sometimes!
Wiping away the tears that had sprung to his eyes, he shook his head emphatically and put his hands across his chest in a big "X" to indicate she was totally wrong.
"No, you didn't let me finish—haha—my impatient princess," he finally managed to say as his laughter subsided.
"Well, you stopped talking, what else was I supposed to think?" she said, a wry grin on her face. He may have been laughing at her, but she still enjoyed hearing his laughter. It felt good. It felt free.
"I was pawsing to build up the anticipation—the excitement," he stated as if it should have been obvious, throwing out his hands as if measuring said excitement.
Marinette rolled her eyes.
"Well, purrdon me then. Carry on," she encouraged, bowing and gesturing that he had the floor now.
Chat beamed, glowing at her usage of a pun and her dramatics that mirrored his own. He was really rubbing off on her and it brought him immense glee.
"Well, where do I even begin? There's just so much! The first thing that made me realize she was amazing was when she threw me into the clutches of Stoneheart's fist. I thought she was crazy, but it turned out she was brilliant—a creative genius!" Chat gushed, relishing in the wonderful memory of their first battle together.
Marinette covered her mouth, kind of surprised he not only remembered it, but that he remembered it fondly. She also felt a bit embarrassed to hear him calling her a genius. He really did like to exaggerate and be all theatrical.
"It didn't take me long to fall for her. But the actual moment I knew I loved her—I'm talking head-over-heels in love—was when she stood up to Hawk Moth when she first met him. She made her declaration that we would find him and take his Miraculous and then she proceeded to capture and purify an enormous amount of Akumas. After that, she promised to all of Paris that we would protect everyone and keep them safe. It was the coolest speech I ever witnessed and I know I'm not doing it justice, but it was incredibly impressive and awe-inspiring. She was just... so badass and I'm lucky I got to witness it firsthand. I'm even luckier that I have the honour—nay, the privilege—of being her partner. I seriously love that girl..." he trailed off with a lovestruck expression and his hands clasped to his chest in pure adoration as he stared off into space, remembering the moment she stole his heart.
Marinette couldn't stop the liquid hot warmth that spread through her cheeks, her accelerated heart pumping blood throughout her body at ridiculous speeds.
His moment... it kind of reminded her of her moment with Adrien. Like her, Chat was able to pinpoint the moment his heart no longer belonged to himself; the moment the lightning had struck. She had that same moment on a stormy school day, outside with a new student who gave her a terrible first impression but spun things around so fast, she fell so hard and couldn't stop herself.
But with Chat, there was no specific moment she could pinpoint falling for him.
Wait.
She shook her head. That was a strange thought, seeing as she hadn't fallen for him.
Right?
"Anyway, that's just the beginning. There's so many more moments and things about her that I love," he continued, complete oblivious to Marinette's inner dilemma and flustered state due to his own reminiscing.
"O-oh yeah, like what?" Marinette struggled to ask in a normal voice. She felt like she was in a sauna with how warm she had gotten.
Maybe she was getting sick?
(Of course! That would explain her delirious thoughts.)
"Milady is incredibly witty. No one else I know can banter with me like she does."
"Oof, I'm hurt," Marinette teased—having recovered slightly from her abnormal thoughts after chalking them up to her being unwell—and not actually offended due to obvious reasons (that is, her being Ladybug).
"Sorry, Marimouse, it's true you have sharp wit, too. Actually, thinking about it, you would probably give Ladybug a run for her money. I'd love to see you two go against each other in a battle of wits," he said, eyes alight at the idea.
"Eep!" Marinette squeaked, tugging at her sleeve nervously. "Uh, I bet she would win that. Haha."
Not that that can ever happen, she thought.
"Hmm, purrhaps. Anywho, back to my 101 reasons for catching the lovebug for my LoveBug," he sighed in bliss, his thoughts once again drifting to the girl of his dreams.
Marinette rolled her eyes again, trying to resist the blush that threatened to return. Her kitty was so silly.
Yet so cute.
Wait, what? Marinette mentally swatted away the totally uncalled-for thought.
"Ladybug can take the most hopeless and grim situation and turn it around. Her Lucky Charms are obscure, yet she always figures them out. She always manages to come up with a plan and I love how quirky they often end up being. It's exhilarating waiting to see what surprising ideas she'll come up with!"
"So... basically, you like her because she is crazy and weird?" Marinette asked, not really realizing what was so great about that.
"That's not how I see it. She's creative and unexpected. She makes things fun and exciting. She keeps me on my toes," he corrected her.
"O-okay. Well, is that it?" Marinette asked, kind of hoping that was all. She wasn't sure how much more praise she could handle.
"Not even close!" he retorted, as if shocked she could even harbor such a ridiculous thought. "Ladybug is a great leader. She takes responsibility, makes snap decisions, delegates tasks, and successfully executes her plans to thwart Hawk Moth. She trusts her instincts—and her instincts are good. She's a great problem solver. She really has a great mind and laser-sharp focus. She truly cares about Paris and her teammates. She is a good person, through and through," he listed with ease.
Marinette was speechless and felt a bit dizzy. She knew her partner liked her, but it never really sunk in how much and how highly he thought of her.
Marinette turned her face away. He was painting her way more highly than he should.
"Doesn't she ever make mistakes? Doesn't she ever get on your nerves?" Marinette asked. Surely, he recognized she had flaws as well.
"Of course she makes mistakes, she's still human even with the superpowers. But she does her best to fix them. Sometimes I wish she would rely on me and the others a little more than she does, but she's strongly independent. Still, when it really matters, she has always found the solution or gotten the help she needs. She's always been able to overcome whatever obstacles or mistakes she's made and come out stronger for it. Ladybug's resilient like that," he answered, still clearly filled with love for her.
Marinette didn't know what to say, so she just bit her lip and waited for him to continue.
"As for getting on my nerves? Sure, we've had our fights. Usually it's because she's stubborn about her responsibilities, so I can't really fault her for that. For example, I hated feeling left out about some things and I told her as much. I could tell she wasn't withholding information to hurt me, though. And shortly after telling her my feelings, she managed to convince one of our... 'teammates' that I should also be in the know regarding some matters. So she had taken my feelings seriously and I appreciate it. And when I was upset with her for not showing up that night—the one where I set up all the candles for her—she explained and apologized to me later after we fought Glaciator. Ladybug always has good reasons for doing what she does. She never intentionally hurts me or gets mad at me," Chat explained, a fond smile on his lips.
He was too good, too pure.
Marinette struggled to remain composed at how understanding he was. She hadn't fully realized before just how thoughtful her kitty was.
"Anyway, I love Ladybug. I love her for her strengths and how amazing she is, but I also love her for her flaws and how human she is. Everyone else probably just sees her as a responsible superhero—and she is—but I get to see her as so much more. I trust her with my life and with my heart," he confessed lovingly. Then sorrowfully added, "Even though she doesn't feel the same way."
Marinette felt her heart twist and put a comforting hand on his back. Even though he didn't know it, it was Marinette that had put that sad expression on him.
"You know, to me, Ladybug is like the sun," Chat admitted, his face suddenly brightening again.
Marinette raised an eyebrow at the change in subject, curious as to how he came to that conclusion.
"Her smile shines brilliantly," he began.
She couldn't stop the smile that spread. She quickly self-consciously covered her mouth, as she waited for him to continue.
"She's strong, mentally and physically," he continued. Then, with a chuckle, he said proudly, "She can lift and throw me like I'm the weight of a feather."
Marinette giggled at that, as well.
"She can give some good burns, with her sharp comebacks. I would know, as I've experience first-degree burns from her," he laughed again.
Marinette laughed too. He was very witty himself. Though he was usually too nice to "burn" her.
"She's impossible to miss. Rather than saying she lights up a room, I guess you could say she lights up any area she leaps into," he said with awe, gesturing widely with his hands.
Marinette shyly played with one of her pigtails. He was just exaggerating again, surely.
"She's warm and caring, she obviously loves Paris very much and I'm sure all of Paris can feel her warmth."
Paris wasn't the only thing feeling warm, Marinette thought as she began feeling like she had stepped back into that sauna again.
"She is needed and very important. Like the plants need the sun to grow, Paris needs her to survive and thrive," he spoke with sincerity, as he truly meant it.
Marinette was pretty sure she was going to combust any moment. She wasn't sure she could actually handle any more.
"Her mind is bright—blindingly so. I have never met anyone else quite as clever as her," he stated. Then he turned to Marinette with a wink, "Then again, I seem to know a few clever people. You're also one of them, of course. Again, you could pawsibly be competition for LB in that regard."
Marinette was about to protest again, but he spoke up before she had the chance.
"I cannot spend all my time with her. Just like the sun sets, she too must leave after a battle. But my heart is assured that she will reappear. Just like the sun rises, Ladybug will return when Paris needs her again. Though I wish it were more often." A bittersweet sigh escaped his lips.
Marinette just stared at him in wonder at this point, mouth agape and cheeks flushed.
"And, finally, I'd happily let my life revolve around her if she'd let me. Just like the planets revolve around the sun, which is centered in the solar system, I'd love her to be the centre of my life." He raised a hand to his heart as he gazed at the setting sun.
Then, Chat turned his whole body towards Marinette. He was looking at her with unconditional love in his eyes—the look he so frequently showed to Ladybug.
The look of pure love and adoration.
Oh.
And on instinct, without any coherent or logical thought, Marinette lurched forward, grasping his cheeks, pulling him down toward her, closed her eyes and kissed him point blank on the lips.
Chat froze in shock, eyes wide and pupils dilated.
Before he could even properly react, it was over.
Her lips suddenly felt cold from the sudden onset then absence of warm, soft lips. It took a moment for her to process what had just happened; what she had just initiated.
Oh god, what had she just done?