Chapter Text
Chat paced up and down Marinette’s balcony. His tail lashed out behind him with nervous energy. He was meeting her parents today. Which would normally be fine. Except that this was the first time he’d ever done it as her boyfriend.
Honestly, he was pretty certain that meeting Sabine would go smoothly. It was Tom who worried him. He shuddered as he recalled the Weredad incident. If only he had realized his feelings for Marinette earlier! Then they wouldn’t be in this mess!
Chat smacked a palm against his forehead. He leaned into it, groaning in embarrassment. An ice-cold shiver penetrated his spine once more as he realized just how big Tom Dupain was in comparison to him. He was so screwed.
Removing the hand from his face, he gazed out into the city of Paris. His fingers fiddled with his baton, debating on whether or not he should just leave now. But he couldn’t do that to Marinette. No matter what happened today or what Tom thought of him, he’d stay and fight for her. He loved her and he wasn’t afraid to prove it.
With a determined nod and a clenched fist, Chat was ready to knock on her trapdoor when it swung open. Marinette’s face greeted him as she blinked up at him with a pair of wide, surprised blue eyes.
“What are you doing up there, Chaton?”
He opened his mouth to reply, but she didn’t give him the opportunity. Taking his hand in hers, she tugged him into her bedroom, closing the hatch behind them.
Chat flopped down into her bed in an ungraceful heap but Marinette was already scrambling down the ladder, running a hand through her hair as she began to pace. He sat up, watching her as a tiny smirk graced his lips. They were so alike sometimes.
“Are we really doing this?” she muttered. “Is this really a good idea? W-what if something goes wrong? What if papa gets akumatized... again?”
Before Marinette could continue to spiral into panicked ramblings, Chat made his way over to her. He stopped her pacing by cupping her face in his hands, gazing down at her sweetly. In place of pacing, her eyes darted around, looking like she was ready to bolt just like he had moments prior.
He placed a gentle peck on her lips, watching as the wild look in her eyes was soon replaced by adoration. Good. They couldn’t both be antsy.
“It’s ok, Marinette,” Chat murmured, resting his forehead on her own. He watched as her eyes fluttered closed and felt another shiver of happiness at the sight. “Everything’s going to be alright. We’ll get through this together. Do you trust me?”
Her eyes fluttered open and she gave him a small, hesitant nod. “I trust you.”
His heart practically exploded at her words, nearly tripping in his chest as he let her words resonate within him. The fact that Marinette trusted him was everything.
He hoped that she loved him even a quarter as much as he did her. Because that would still be astronomical. It was ridiculous just how much he loved this girl.
Chat moved his hands from her face and watched as Marinette absently began worrying her bottom lip. Fidgeting with her fingers, she gazed down at the floor.
“What’s still bothering you, purrincess?” he whispered.
She shook her head, glancing back up at him as her gaze softened. “I-I guess I’m still worried about akumas. Because even—even if my papa asks me to break up with you... I won’t be able to, Chaton. I love you too much for that.”
Chat was suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to hug her. He did just that, holding her tightly in his arms as he buried his face down into her hair. He breathed in the warm, sweet aroma of her shampoo, letting it calm his own frazzled nerves.
“I love you too, Marinette. More than you will ever... ever know,” he murmured before leaning back slightly, gazing into her eyes. “Do you really think he’d ever do something like that, though?”
Chat could see his father doing that in a second. If he didn’t like Marinette for some reason, which would be completely ridiculous, he would try and force him to break up with her at every opportunity. Not for the first time, he was a little glad that he was dating her as Chat Noir and not Adrien Agreste.
Luckily, for them though, Tom Dupain was nothing like his father. He couldn’t see him doing anything like that.
Marinette hesitated before nodding her head. “I-I can’t... but there’s always a possibility that I’m wrong.”
Once again, her gaze moved down to stare at her feet. Gently, he brought a claw under her chin and tilted her head back so that she looked up at him again. “Then we’ll just have to date in secret. We’ll just have to be more careful. But, honestly, purrincess, I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
Now it was her turn to tackle him into a hug. Burying her head in his chest, she murmured, “Thank you, mon minou. I really needed to hear that.”
Chat ran a hand down her back. He melted into her hug, relishing her touch.
“And, lest we forget, he only got akumatized after he thought that I had broken your heart. He seemed rather enamored by the thought of us being a couple. And that’s what we’re about to tell him, afur all.”
A soft chuckle left Marinette’s lips. She leaned back, her eyes glimmering with amusement. “What makes you think he’s gotten over you breaking my heart, by the way? He may still be mad about that.”
That was exactly what Chat had been worried about all day. He gulped harshly, suddenly nervous once more. Her eyes sparkled even more and he sucked in a deep breath for courage. Waving a hand in the air, he scoffed. “That was months ago. Surely he can’t still be mad about it. Especially when he hears how utterly in love with each other we are now.”
Marinette’s lips twitched with amusement. With a quiet snicker, she made her way over to her trapdoor. Looking at him over her shoulder, she called out teasingly, “We’ll see.”
Now that she was out of his arms, Chat felt bereft. He wanted to hold her again. He wasn’t even thinking about her parents when he quickly made his way back over to her. Practically leaning on her back, he sighed happily.
She released a long, drawn-out exhale and he felt her shake her head. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“I missed you,” he whined, nuzzling closer into her.
Chat could practically see Marinette’s eye-roll.
“Whatever,” she muttered.
He heard the smile clear as day in her voice though and it made his own form across his lips.
When she leaned down to open the trapdoor, Chat slipped off her back. When she began making her way downstairs, he caught up to her, taking her hand in his. He squeezed it, causing her to grin over at him.
When they reached the bottom, they spotted her parents sitting together on the couch, watching a television program. He heard Marinette clear her throat before calling out to them. “Maman, papa, I have something important to share.”
They turned around, their eyes widening in surprise as they spotted the two of them hand-in-hand. Sabine stood up first, making her way into the kitchen as she looked between the two of them worriedly. “What’s going on? Is there an akuma attack we need to worry about, Marinette?”
“No. There’s nothing to be worried about, maman,” she said, glancing up at Chat with a pair of flushed, pink cheeks. “It’s something a lot sweeter than that.”
Understanding lit up Sabine’s grey eyes as she noticed their entwined hands. “Ahh, I see.” A smile began to tug her lips at the sight.
Tom entered the room next, looking surprised before a smug smirk formed on his face. He crossed his arms across his chest as a loud laugh burst from him. “Came to your senses then, Chat Noir?”
Instantly, both Marinette and Chat turned a bright red. Their faces lit up as they both began choking. Sabine gently elbowed her husband with a scowl.
“What?” Tom held up his hands even as his smirk grew wider. “I’m joking of course.”
After gulping down a breath of air, Chat eventually managed a quiet chuckle. “Well, you might be right about that.”
He looked down at Marinette, squeezing her hand. She met his gaze, causing the embarrassment to fade away. Yes, she was more than worth it.
Now it was Tom’s turn to choke as his lips parted with surprise. “Really?”
Letting go of her hand, Chat stepped forward with a nod. “Yes, really. When I first came here, I didn’t recognize the true extent of my feelings for Marinette. I was too distracted by my feelings for Ladybug. But, while my love for Ladybug was like a rapid river, my love for Marinette is like that of a roaring ocean. The more time I spent with her, I realized just how deeply my love for her ran. And, after many, many apologies, she decided to give me another chance.”
He glanced back at her, seeing the misty look in her eyes as she grinned over at him. I love you, she mouthed, erupting his stomach into a million different butterflies.
Tom gave a happy whoop and suddenly he was enveloped in the other man’s arms. He wheezed silently as Tom squeezed him tightly, taking his fist and ruffling Chat’s hair.
“I knew it would happen! I always knew that you two made the perfect couple. I’m so glad that you realized how precious our little Marinette really is.”
As Chat struggled for air, he heard her step forward, tugging on Tom’s sleeve. Amusement was clear in her voice as she said, “Papa, please let go. Can’t you see he can’t breathe?”
“Oops,” he giggled, stepping back and allowing Chat to finally suck in some much-needed air.
As he slowly managed to get his bearings he heard Sabine’s voice interrupt the sudden quiet. “Is this true, Marinette? What about Adrien?”
Chat’s head snapped to his girlfriend, surprised to see that her cheeks were stained a dark red. Why was she asking about... well, him? And why did Marinette suddenly look so shy?
“H-he didn’t like me back, I suppose,” she mumbled, looking anywhere but at him. After a few moments, though, she took in a deep breath, her eyes blazing with determination. “But none of that matters now because I moved on. I’m in love with Chat. I can’t imagine feeling any different.”
Slowly, Sabine nodded, an almost sad smile on her lips. “Of course, Marinette. I’m glad that you found love.”
“I’m sorry,” he interrupted, practically bursting with curiosity. “But are we talking about Adrien Agreste?”
Chat didn’t think it was possible but Marinette’s cheeks turned even darker. She shuffled lightly before muttering, “He may or may not have been Buttercup.”
A soft, surprised gasp left his lips. He had been Buttercup? He was the lucky guy that Marinette had been in love with this whole time? Then that meant that she somehow managed to fall in love with him twice. How was that possible?
Chat was struck by the urge to destroy Monarch so that he could reveal who he really was to Marinette. He was now desperate to know her reaction.
“I know.” She snorted, waving a hand in the air. “Pretty ridiculous, right?”
“No,” he murmured softly. “It’s not ridiculous at all.”
Marinette blinked at him, looking shocked at his sudden shift in tone.
Shaking his head, Chat took her hand in his once more. A smile lit up his face and voice as he said, “I’m just glad that you moved on to me first. I may or may not have heard that Adrien had fallen in love with you too.”
Marinette's hand tightened around his, and a mix of emotions flickered across her face. “Adrien’s a wonderful person, but even if that’s the case, my heart belongs to you and only you, Chat. I love you now. Forever and always.”
Both of Marinette’s parents watched the exchange with understanding and warmth in their eyes. Sabine spoke up once more, breaking the silence. “Marinette, Chat Noir, we're both glad that you've found love in each other. Now why don’t we all have a nice dinner together? I’m sure Tom and I can whip something up.”
As Sabine dragged Tom into the kitchen, Chat and Marinette shared a short, brief kiss with one another. This meeting had gone more perfectly than either of them had hoped for.