Chapter Text
You’re breaking more than just my heart, Marinette.
Blue eyes opened to the dark. The shiver traveling along her frame had little to do with the cool air. This time, Marinette carefully arranged herself and focused on her breathing against her anxious heart. The dream was escaping again but she focused on holding onto just one grain of sand in the hourglass. She had seen Chat Blanc cry. The world took on a strange tilt, the girl aware of warm covers even as she fell half asleep.
A forlorn figure. An apocalyptic landscape. A fight for her Miraculous.
Marinette, her name filled with sadness.
Something shifted on the pillow next to her. Tikki, she realized, as Marinette became more awake than asleep. A couple blinks revealed there were tears clustered to her lashes. The bed was suddenly too warm. And the ravenette eased the covers off before impulse struck. The cover came away easily as the girl climbed up onto her balcony.
Nighttime air still clung to autumn despite the turn of the month. The cover was pulled about her like a cloak as Marinette allowed the tears to do what they will.
He had been crying, conflicted even with his akumatization.
Chat Blanc has gotten into some mischief.
The images of a destroyed Paris were fleeting but she understood now where they had been.
I’ll fix everything.
With the moon for her witness, Marinette mourned for this other Chat. Several parts of the memory eluded her still but the terror had been in full effect. Her heart raced even now at the thought of fighting to save her Chat.
“Marinette?”
An unattractive squawk escaped her mouth as Marinette jumped, eyes blown wide as she spun to see a familiar black figure on her roof.
“Chat Noir!? What are you doing here?”
“I felt like a midnight run.” The hero hopped down easily so he could stand in front of her. Time had done him well, Chat gaining lean muscle, a defined jaw, and a full head’s height over Marinette. It was easy to see why his fan base had tripled and how Chat Noir had been named the celebrity crush of the year, succeeding even in beating out Paris' golden boy Adrien Agreste.
“O-oh.” She blinked only to realize a tear had clung to her lashes. One hand came up to wipe at her face briefly.
“You’re crying,” his voice was soft as he took a small step forward. One gloved hand had begun to reach for her before he second guessed himself, the claws curling inward slowly.
“I just had a dream, is all.” Marinette put on a smile for him. How ironic that he should want to comfort her when she was crying for him.
“A bad dream?”
“More like…a sad one.” She adjusted the blanket over herself.
Chat moved smoothly to the space next to her. “If you want to talk about it, I can listen. I’m a great listener,” and he indicated both the cat and human ears attached to his head.
“Thank you but I’m okay. Just having some company helps.”
“Glad to be of assistance.”
Having him so close now in light of the memory was surprisingly frustrating. She had failed him? “Actually…” and Marinette blushed as she peered up through her bangs, “I could use a hug.”
Chat Noir smiled gently, turning towards her and opening his arms in welcome. The sensation of holding him nearly brought her back to tears with relief. She hadn’t failed, Marinette firmly told herself. Ladybug and Bunnix had saved him. Chat was safe. The sense of warmth and a scent she’d come to associate with him enveloped her, Marinette clinging to him even as the blanket slipped away.
“You’ll get cold,” but it didn’t feel like he was ready to let go, either.
“You’re warm.”
There was a short chuckle and she could sense him smiling. “Here,” Chat pulling away briefly to grab the dropped cover. It was with strange clarity as he fixed the blanket around her before picking her up. Marinette's face was aflame as Chat carried her towards the single chair on the patio. It was with miraculous grace that her partner sat down with her held against him. “Now you won’t get cold.”
“Chat! This is-!“ except she didn’t know what this was. It was intimate and surprising and pleasant with her legs draped over his thighs and a strong arm at her back. When the best word failed to present itself, Marinette simply fell silent. “Nevermind,” the word muffled as he kept waiting for the conclusion.
“You only had the one chair,” he pointed out casually.
“I usually only need the one chair.”
“Maybe you should consider two.”
That earned a grumble in reply. Maybe two would be good for when Alya was over but telling him she might get a second sounded like an invitation.
“This is nice,” Chat broke the tension. His eyes were turned towards the moon, one arm supporting her back with the other hand resting casually over her bundled calves. “I don’t get to relax like this with my friends.”
The fight left her all at once. Marinette sighed and relaxed into his chest that she followed the rise and fall of his breathing. “Why not?”
“Ladybug is usually busy.” His tone was more amused than anything but Marinette still felt a little guilty over it. Perhaps she would reach out to him around the holidays.
“Ladybug can’t be your only friend.”
“She isn’t, but my other friends are also the busy type.”
Again, his tone was free of judgment or bitterness yet guilt wedged itself further into her chest. I promise. You’ll be happy. The sudden thought to admit her secret here and now ran rampant through her brain. It could be as simple as dropping his nickname and seeing if he caught it, or it could be as complicated as actually trying to tell him though that would likely play out as well as her love confessions to Adrien usually went.
“Chat Noir, can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“If you and Ladybug could share your identities, would you? I mean, I’m assuming that you two don’t already know but, if you could, would you?”
His reply was instantaneous. “Of course. She’s my best friend.”
“What would you do, once you knew?”
A bright smile pulled at his mouth. “I’ll ask her on a date, take her to a nice dinner, get her flowers, everything. I really hope she likes dancing.”
Nope, she was so not ready to admit to anything.
“And if she says…no?”
“Then she’ll still be my best friend.”
It was all Marinette could do to keep the guilt at bay.
“What if you never reveal your identities?”
He was silent for a bit, one claw lightly tapping the blanket in thought. “If that’s her choice. I’ve wanted to be honest with her for a long time but she has to be ready, too.”
“You’ve been waiting for her?”
He nodded his golden head, an action she felt more than saw. “And I’ll wait however long she needs.”
It was fortunate she was tucked up against his chest, Chat unable to see what she was confident was a giveaway as Marinette’s face contorted with emotion. He had been waiting and would continue to wait. For her.
“What if she’s not what you expected?”
“Impossible.”
“What?”
“That’s impossible. She’s my best friend. I know her.”
“But you only know one side of her.”
He attempted to peer down at her, the light from the moon catching his eyes at just the right angle that they shone a brilliant green. “Tell me, Marinette, do you think that knowing only part of someone prevents you from knowing them?”
Could she say that she didn’t know him? Was the Chat Noir she knew limited to the mask he wore? Marinette knew him as brave and silly; she had caught hints of a lonely personal life but that didn’t stop him from being kind. Anytime she needed him, Chat was there with playful banter and sweet words. He had seen her through some of her darkest moments, all unasked for, because that was who he is. “N-no…I guess not.” Turning the question on herself, Marinette finally understood that sharing identities with him wouldn’t be as scary as she thought. Circumstances changed, Bunnix had said. Marinette adjusted to better fit against Chat. Not now, the girl enjoying their closeness. But soon, Chaton. “You don’t need to be anywhere?”
“Nah, I got plenty of time.”
“What about your midnight run?”
“Already done,” amusement coloring his voice.
Her mouth quirked into a small smile as she enjoyed simply being. “Thank you for keeping me company. This is really nice,” Marinette echoed him from earlier, relaxing further into his frame. The comfort of his warmth and scent was soporific. With her ear was over his chest, she took to counting the steady beats of his heart as his breathing lulled her deeper.
“Marinette,” his voice spoke softly after a time. When there was no answer, Chat glanced down to see her fast asleep. His free hand moved hair away from her eyes before brushing her cheek feather light. He fixed the blanket more firmly closed before turning his eyes to the moon again. The corners of his mouth quirked up with a smile as he quietly began to sing; “Black kitty on a roof, cuddled up with his pink Lady.”