Chapter Text
“Almost there…hnn…come on Chat,” Marinette whined, biting her lower lip anxiously.
“I-ah-I don’t think I can hold it back anymore, Princess,” Chat Noir panted, tongue sticking between his teeth.
“Just a little longer,” Marinette pleaded. “I’m coming Chat; I’m almost there!”
Marinette’s hands tightened around the hard, throbbing black material in her hands, teeth clenched together and sweat rolling down her brow. Chat was almost spent; she just needed a few more seconds…a few more seconds and she would be ready to blow.
“Come on,” Chat whined. “I can’t wait anymore!”
“Just wait Chat! I’m almost-”
“Ryujin no ken wo kurae!”
Marinette sighed, watching the Genji named [GatoNegro] zip ahead of her into a hail of bullets, green sword blazing as she struggled to maneuver her Reaper into position.
“Wait wait wait my ultimate is up! Why am I getting hit?!” Chat Noir whined from behind her, black and green laptop balanced on his legs as he sat on the fainting couch cross legged behind Marinette’s desk.
“Because Dragonstrike doesn’t make you invulnerable you dingus!” Marinette groaned, boosting up onto a ledge and lobbing a few rockets at an entrenched Bastion before fleeing behind cover.
“Since when?!”
“Since the game came out!” Marinette laughed, waiting for Chat to scamper back to the final check-point with the rest of their team. “Why would you be invincible and have greater melee reach that does more damage?!”
“…because it would be cool?” Chat pouted, tapping his keys idly as he waited to respawn. “It looked easy on YouTube.”
“That’s because YouTube streamers get paid to do nothing but play video games,” Marinette said, taking a sip of her soda as [GatoNegro] returned to her side.
“Where’s our Mercy?” Chat asked.
“Probably glued to our Pharah’s tail,” Marinette sighed, taking a potshot at nearby Bastion before ducking behind the wall again.
“Where’s out Pharah?!” Chat asked, chasing down the enemy Symmetra and finishing her off with a series of shuriken.
“Nowhere near the objective!” Marinette growled, hands clenching around the soda can as she ghosted out of the way of an enemy Dragonstrike. Thirty seconds left in the match, and they still hadn’t made their way onto the final checkpoint. The enemy team had dug themselves in, turrets and tanks everywhere. Marinette had managed to open a path for her team early in the game, flanking, harassing, and killing with impunity while Chat distracted the enemy team by trying to climb every wall he saw.
Five minutes later, the enemy team had gotten wise, and their own team had gotten dumb.
“If I could just do something about that Bastion,” Marinette growled, watching the massive turret shred through D.Va who managed to waddle through Symmetra’s laser turret grid.
“Lemme try and reflect his bullets back at him,” Chat said, coming up beside her.
“Because that worked so well last time?” Marinette snorted.
“Hey, I’ve gotten better!” Chat insisted.
“In the last five minutes?”
“Just pop him once,” Chat said, sitting up straight and glaring at his screen. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re gonna die, but this match is a wash anyway,” Marinette sighed, peeking out from behind her cover to shoot the turret once. “Your funeral; don’t blame me when you-”
[GatoNegro] stepped into the line of fire as the Bastion’s turret swept over him, sword blazing and arcing from its sheath as Chat’s Genji reflected the hail of bullets back at the Bastion that fired them. The robot exploded in a shower of sparks, leaving the enemy flank wide open.
“Oh my god, I didn’t think that would work!” Marinette squeaked, angling her Reaper’s teleport into the thick of the enemy team.
“Getonthepointgetonthepoint!” Chat said, rushing in and drawing the enemy team’s attention. “Ult’s ready!”
“Not yet…” Marinette said, waiting until the teleport animation finished and her black-clad assassin materialized in the thick of the enemy team. “Go!”
“Ryujin no ken wo kurae!”
“Die! Die! Die! Die!”
Marinette’s Reaper twirled, shotguns blazing as Chat’s Genji rushed forward, green blade backstabbing the few that managed to escape her wrath. Within seconds, the final objective was cleared; only [GatoNegro] and [BelleNelle] standing on the final objective.
“Comeonecomeoncomeoncomeon!” Marinette whined, bouncing in her seat as she watched the objective bar slowly fill. The enemy team was pouring out of its base in a hail of bullets; Team Pharmercy had apparently stopped making out long enough to land on the objective behind her. The small loft was filled with frantic clicking and feverish whining as the game went into overtime. A flurry of shotgun shells and shuriken slung across the checkpoint, ripping the enemy team apart as time mercifully slowed down, a bright blue Victory flashing across the screen as both teenagers slumped over, mice clattering to the floor as they let out a deep sigh.
“That was an ordeal,” Marinette whined as Chat stood up from the couch, stretching languidly overhead and leaning over her shoulder as the highlight reel played. “And play of the game is-”
“Me?” Chat asked hopefully, ears drooping as the enemy Bastion’s username popped up.
“Of course,” Marinette sighed, flicking her empty can into the trash and crossing her arms with a scowl as footage rolled of the enemy Bastion sitting in one spot, holding down the fire key and killing half their team in one burst. “Why wouldn’t it be Bastion?”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m sure you were third in line at least,” Chat said, patting her on the shoulder.
“Behind what?” Marinette asked, turning around and watching him flop back on her fainting couch.
“Uh, that sick Bastion kill I got at the end?” Chat sighed, shaking his head as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What’s more POTG material than that?”
“Killing more than one enemy?” Marinette laughed. “For a start?”
“Oh please; I practically paved the way for us to sweep that final checkpoint,” Chat said, crossing his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling. “It’s not just about kills, it’s about-“
“Trying to climb every wall you see?” Marinette snorted, taking a bite from the cookie on the napkin beside her.
“I was…repositioning,” Chat said.
“Repositioning while getting shot?” Marinette asked, watching his lips purse with a small smile.
“…I was creating a diversion!” Chat said, rolling over onto his side to look at her. “You know; being all tactical and stuff to help out the team.”
“So you were only pretending to not know what you were doing,” Marinette ahhed, nodding along as she flicked a cookie across the room for Chat to catch. “You got yourself constantly murdered to lull the enemy team into a false sense of security.”
“My only regret is that I have but one kill/death ratio to sacrifice for the good of my team,” Chat said solemnly, noshing on the lemon meringue cookie with gusto.
“Brave soul,” Marinette said, picking her mouse up from the floor as the pair of them were queued into another game. “Time for one more?”
“I think so,” Chat yawned, tugging his laptop back into his lap. “Don’t think there’s much of a danger of anyone bed checking tonight, so I think I can stay out a bit longer.”
Marinette suppressed a small wince, thankful that her back was turned. What little she knew about Chat’s home life made her squirm and hug her parents all the tighter before going to school. He was clearly not hurting for cash, his laptop appearing to be a custom made monstrosity out of Max Kante’s most lurid fantasies. But she got the distinct impression he was lacking in familial support.
Whoever he was, she expected he would have a lot in common with Adrien if they ever met.
“Going with Genji again?” Marinette snorted as she picked D.va for a change of pace.
“I feel like our team is in need of my brilliant diversionary tactics yet again,” Chat laughed, running around and punching every video game console in the lobby as he waited for the game to start.
“Let me know how that works out for you, partner,” Marinette snickered, waving to her teammates as she waited to start. “Hopefully we won’t be the only two on the objective this time…”
“Too bad Ladybug doesn’t like video games,” Chat sighed, tapping his keys idly. “Otherwise we’d be a shoe in.”
“Yeah…kinda sucks that she doesn’t,” Marinette laughed a little nervously, scratching the back of her head. “She’s just never had the time, you know?”
“You would know,” Chat said, rocketing out of the gate as soon as the round started. “I mean you’ve—turret on the left—you’ve known her longer than me, right?”
“Much longer,” Marinette said, throwing up her defense screen while her teammates destroyed the turret. “I’m surprised she didn’t tell you.”
“Well…we’re not exactly as close as most people think we are,” Chat laughed, wincing as he slipped off the roof onto Junkrat’s mine. Marinette shifted a little uncomfortably in her seat, nearly getting wiped out by the enemy Hanzo as she lost focus for a moment.
“Shame,” Marinette said, rocketing forward and bumping an enemy Roadhog off the ledge. And it was a shame; Marinette had spent the last few years fighting alongside someone who she didn’t even know outside the suit. Maybe that was why she had impulsively agreed to his offhand offer to play games together, surprising herself as much as she apparently surprised him. She knew Tikki would be disappointed, but where was the harm in getting to know someone who had saved her life on multiple occasions?
And so far she hadn’t regretted it; what Chat lacked in anything resembling video game skill, he more than made up for with a much less pretentious version of Chat Noir than she had ever known.
And yet…
“You know,” Marinette said, heart pounding as she ventured into uncharted territory. “I have to say I’m surprised at you, Chat.”
“Surprised how good I am at this ga-aaaaand I’m dead,” Chat sighed, glancing up at the back of Marinette’s head.
“It’s just…when I told you I knew Ladybug, I expected you to be pestering me for her identity by now,” Marinette said, glancing at his reflection in her window. “I’m kind of surprised you haven’t been.”
“Would you tell me if I asked?” Chat snorted.
“No,” Marinette laughed. “Still-”
“You’re surprised I’m not going behind my partner’s back, trying to crowbar her secret identity out of her friends?” Chat clucked, shaking his head. “Have to say, that hurts, princess. Really wounds me that you think I’d put you in that position.”
“I’m sure you’ll live,” Marinette said, crouching behind the payload as it left the station. “…you’re not curious, though?”
“Who says I’m not?” Chat shrugged, flanking and eliminating the enemy healers in a rare display of swordsmanship. “I just…well, she thinks it’s better if we don’t let each other know who we are; more responsible that way, you know?”
“I guess,” Marinette said, biting her lip. “I-I mean I’m not a superhero, like you are, but I would imagine it’s better just not to know your partner’s identity, right?”
“Sure,” Chat shrugged, frowning as he deflected an incoming Dragonstrike. “I mean…she’s happy with it, so…”
Marinette glanced over her shoulder for a split second, waiting to respawn as she studied Chat’s intense expression, his shoulders tensed, tongue sticking out between his lips as he tried to hold the fort down until she got back.
“You don’t…resent her for it?” Marinette asked, almost dreading the answer.
“Huh?” Chat said, glancing up at her back as he was gunned down in the middle of the street. “Why…why would I?”
“I don’t know,” Marinette shrugged, moving back to the payload and detonating her mech. “If it were me…I’d be a little cheesed that Ladybug told a friend her identity and not me.”
“Yeah, well…it’s her identity, you know?” Chat said, scratching the back of his head. “I mean, she can tell anyone she wants, right? And I’m…I’m sure she’ll tell me when she thinks the time is right.”
His lack of bitterness stung worse than if he had resented her secrecy, and yet his implicit trust warmed her. Part of her had been worried she would try and pry, and make her regret opening up to him. But so far, other than the damage he did to her player level in the beginning, Chat had hardly brought up Ladybug at all, almost as though…no, he was only interested in hanging out with her because he wanted to get to know Ladybug’s friends…wasn’t he?
Despite her brooding, she managed to push the cart onto the final objective, picking up a relatively easy win for a change as Chat flopped back on her couch with a sigh.
“Aaaaand another one bites the dust,” Chat said, fists raised in the air as highlight footage of one of Marinette’s mech detonations played. “G-freaking-G, princess.”
“Is it just me, or is this getting easier?” Marinette snorted, standing up as Chat stowed his laptop in the black travel bag he brought with him.
“I think I’m just getting better,” Chat said, rubbing his knuckles on his shirt with a small smile. “These matches aren’t gonna last a minute in a couple of weeks.”
“Of course,” Marinette snorted, following Chat up the ladder as he headed for her balcony. “Hey, mind the hatch this time; I had to explain to my dad that we had raccoons because you slammed the hatch last time you left.”
“That explains the peanut butter covered traps,” Chat mused, stepping out into the cool night air with a sigh, squinting across the street at a figure in a purple trenchcoat that had been there when he arrived. “Might want to circle around; think the press is onto us.”
“God, that’s the last thing I need,” Marinette snorted, glancing over Chat’s shoulder at the would-be reporter below. “To be on the front page of tabloids.”
“It might be good for your parents’ business,” Chat snorted, leaning against the balcony.
“Yeah I’m sure my parents would just love to see their daughter on the front page of every gossip rag on the web,” Marinette sighed, rolling her eyes. “I can see it now; ‘Chat Noir Cheats on Ladybug with Bakery Hussie!”
“I’m not exactly spoken for, so it’s not exactly cheating, is it?” Chat snorted. “Are you worried people will find out about our passionate forbidden love?”
“So worried,” Marinette swooned, hand to the back of her head as she fell back against Chat. “No one must know of our love, Chat; Ladybug will kill us both if she finds out!”
“I can’t help it,” Chat sighed, arms holding her up under her armpits. “My love for you knows no boundaries, princess! Every moment I spend away from you makes my heart ache with loneliness!”
Marinette laughed, looking up at Chat as she leaned back against his chest. They had gone silent as the gentle waft of his shampoo tickled her nose, his smile slowly fading as they realized how close they were. She noticed a few stray cookie crumbs on his upper lip; he noticed the way her pajama top hiked up ever so slightly above the waistband of her bottoms. They caught each other's eyes, pulling back with almost identical nervous laughter.
“Well!” Chat said suddenly, as thought he remembered that he had left the oven on. “I-I should, uh, g-get home!”
“Yeah, same!” Marinette said, heart thudding a little painfully as she stood back up. “I-I mean I’m already home but-”
They both shared another awkward laugh, avoiding each other’s eyes as Chat perched on the edge of the railing.
“Well, same time next week?” Chat asked, fiddling with his straps.
“Y-Yeah!” Marinette said, plucking a petal from her potted plant anxiously. “Have a good one!”
Chat saluted, leaping across the street towards the opposite roof and into the city night. She watched him go for a moment, blinking hard as the smell of his floral, coconut shampoo lingered.
“…huh,” Marinette said to herself, heading down the ladder. “Well…that’s weird.”
Across the street, Alya clutched at the sides of the café table, fingers trembling as she replayed the video of Marinette swooning into Chat Noir’s arms, looking up at him as he enveloped her with a warm embrace.
“Oh…my…God!” Alya breathed.