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Adrien was pretty sure that this whole business wasn’t his fault at all and, as a matter of a fact, he had a really good reason to believe that Marinette’s clumsiness was the culprit to blame. However, he didn’t really care about the who, what and why, anymore. All that mattered was that he had finally found someone who would love him back just as much as he loved her.
It all started in September of their last school year together, which was about sixteen months ago. Mlle. Bustier had given her class a seemingly ordinary assignment – by the end of their first semester they had to find, learn about, experience, and write a report on a part of Paris they hadn’t known yet or at least something that wasn’t usually associated with the City of Love’s reputation. Adrien had considered many places but when he had spotted one of his classmates researching Parisian catacombs his mind was made up immediately. Firstly, the mysterious underground world sounded much cooler than anything he had considered. Secondly, he had an unfair advantage – the night vision of a cat. And lastly, when else would his Father allow him to go there if not now, under the pretense of a school project?
Said classmate happened to be Marinette Dupain-Cheng and they had agreed to go explore the underground tunnels on November 01 together. Marinette, thought, caught a nasty flu and spent that day buried under a mountain of blankets, missing their tour. As far as he knew, her next visit was planned for November 11 th , which she politely declined Adrien’s company for, not wanting to bother him more than necessary. Which was why Chat Noir had been surprised to see her staring forlornly at a closed Catacomb tour door the next day, as he ran by, finishing his morning patrol.
“Why such a long face, Princess?” He landed in front of her with all of the grace of a feline. “Did the world end and I just haven’t noticed it yet?”
“Yours probably didn’t but mine is as good as done,” Marinette was barely holding back tears. “Almost three months of hard work and research- ruined- all down the drain- and all because I’m so scatterbrained and can’t remember dates correctly!”
“What happened?” he asked if only to avoid the suspicions of having already guessed what was going on. They hadn’t talked since school ended on Friday so Adrien had no way of knowing if she’d missed yesterday’s date too but it certainly looked like it.
“My school project on the catacombs,” Marinette sighed. “I mixed up the stupid dates and now all my work is useless because I can’t experience them for myself.”
“Hey, don’t say that,” Chat smiled. “Just come back when they open next time.”
“Next time will happen next year , Chat,” Marinette grumbled. “The catacombs are open to the public only a few days a year and I need this project done by Christmas holidays.”
“Oh.” He had completely forgot about it. “And writing without going in isn’t an option...” Chat murmured the grim conclusion under his breath. Looked like somebody was in a bit of trouble.
“Yes. Unfortunately, visiting the site is one of the major requirements for this project,” Marinette sighed and got ready to leave. “Well, I guess I’d better not waste any more time and get started on a new one. See you around, Chat Noir.”
“Hey!” His mouth spoke before thinking (but, honestly, Marinette's clumsiness was at fault here in the first place for making her mix up the days. Otherwise, he would've never offered what he was about to offer to her or anyone else for that matter).
“If you want I can take you down there.”
Marinette frowned, looking in confusion at his unnaturally nervous grin. He obviously spoke before he really thought about it but it was too late to back away now. Chat Noir was a hero, after all, and helping citizens in need was his calling. Ladybug would certainly have helped Marinette. Why wouldn’t he?
“I went there once,” he continued. “And I can see in the dark so I can take you in if you want. We’ll walk around for you to get a feel and get out.”
“But the doors are closed, Chat.”
“You are forgetting that I’m really good at sneaking around, Princess.” He smirked. “I’m sure I can find a way in. In a structure like this the official entrance isn’t the only way in, you know.”
Marinette visibly hesitated but gave in pretty soon. He guessed that the prospect of saving the project instead of spending all of the next month doing a new one was just too good to pass on. Plus, Chat was also pretty sure the opportunity of spending some one-on-one time with the hero of Paris up close was just as alluring.
While exploring the catacombs underneath Paris the first time, Adrien would have never suspected that they would change his life forever. Yet his second visit started a change that would soon be hard to ignore.
They agreed to meet in a few days and until then Adrien spent his free time doing some additional research to find an entrance that they could sneak in relatively easily and undetected. Thursday evening, a night when Adrien didn't have any additional commitments, Chat Noir, armed with a few possible entry points, escorted Marinette below the ground. His third try worked like a charm.
Under Chat’s watchful eye, they moved slowly through the catacombs, and, with the help of Marinette’s flashlight, were able to enjoy the view. Soon, they covered quite some distance and, of course, Chat got bored and decided to make this visit not only educational but fun, to lighten up the mood a little, help Marinette relax. You know, what knights usually did for their Princesses… So he might have tried to scare her…
He could swear it sounded much better in his head than what happened in reality…
Marinette’s clumsiness surfaced again and she fell down, almost petrified by his jump scare. A twisted ankle was a result and as an apology, or more accurately, a necessity at that moment, Chat had to carry Marinette all the way back to her house, begging for her forgiveness every step of the way.
That night he dreamed of a tiny, delicate girl, holding onto him for comfort and protection, as they walked through the dark tunnels, yet at the same time showering him with sass and clever remarks only his Lady could rival. In a way, it felt really nice. Who would've known that Marinette could be so much fun? She didn't stutter or freeze with Chat as she did with Adrien and that made a world of difference. That helped him notice that there was something else to Marinette Dupain-Cheng that Adrien Agreste was not allowed to see.
The next day, Chat Noir went over to check on her. After all, it was his fault that she got hurt in the first place. That visit had marked another turning point. Marinette’s clumsiness, that time verbal, struck again and all because of his choice of berries! Did you know that Marinette was close friends with Ladybug? No? Well, Chat Noir hadn’t either. Not until he handed her a bowl of raspberries as a get-better gift and said they were his Lady’s favorite. Without a second thought, Marinette had corrected him.
“She prefers strawberries, Chat,” she had giggled. “So much for your claim to know everything about her.”
After that, it only took him a few coaxing questions to figure out the astonishing fact of their friendship. Apparently, balcony rendezvous with treats and warm drinks were a regular thing between Marinette and Ladybug. They also had a lot in common from what Marinette let slip and that gave Chat an idea. Plagg hadn’t been much help in uncovering his Lady’s identity and not like Adrien would violate her trust by going behind her back…
Still, he couldn't help but wonder how much more effective his wooing of Ladybug would be if he were to know more about her? Her likes? Her preferences? The things that made her tick and the ones she despised? More knowledge about his partner’s character could change everything! It could easily put him on the next level in the quest for Ladybug’s heart. And to obtain it Adrien needed to make use of his adorable classmate’s occasional slips of the tongue.
Decision made, Chat Noir started to visit Marinette at the end of November on a weekly basis. At first, it was at least once every six or seven days. Then he would run by more often until eventually it became whenever he could.
Marinette was not pleased. She tolerated him the first few times and even treated him to some sweets. However, as soon as it became obvious that Chat Noir would be a regular intruder, she got annoyed.
“A girl should have a space to call her own and not be afraid of a random cat busting in every now and then,” she would say and push him out the window. “What if I want to walk around naked? You can’t come by whenever you want!”
Despite that, Chat persisted because Adrien couldn’t just walk in and start inquiring about random Ladybug facts. Chat Noir could. Adrien Agreste would never be able to openly spend hours and hours a week in Marinette’s room without some questions he would rather not answer, but Chat Noir could. Chat Noir had all the excuses in the world and was free enough to act upon them. Adrien Agreste didn’t. He just became more careful and considerate, asking Marinette’s permission for a visit in advance and to keep pleading until he got one.
Marinette still wasn’t pleased in the slightest but his changed antics made her softer, allowing him more frequent visits. Eventually, she accepted the fact that the annoying cat would keep coming back no matter how many times she pushed him out the window. So, to compensate for the discomfort, Marinette, being Marinette, decided to be clever and put him to work. As a result, for the next while, Chat Noir cut, drew, glued, wrote, modeled, delivered, helped her study and did so many random chores he couldn’t possibly remember them all.
By the time the spring had started, the “personal slave” stage was over. Thankfully, it lasted only a few weeks at most and ended with Marinette and Chat being the best of the buds. That was when his effort had finally paid off and, as a friend, Marinette started to release little details of his partner’s preferences.
Ladybug liked pink. She liked to draw and design. She was graduating school this year. She loved sweets just as much as her kwami. Gabriel Agreste was her idol and she had a female best friend, which wasn’t Marinette. She dreamed of becoming a designer and knew absolutely zero Chinese.
Ladybug thought the world about Chat Noir but she had a crush on someone else. Sadly, an unrequited crush.
That info was a little upsetting but didn't stop Chat at all because the word "unrequired" was a very hope-inspiring one. It meant that if his Lady would one day decide to look somewhere else for love he would be right there by her side, knowing exactly how to please her and finally having a chance at winning her heart. And for that, he needed to come to Marinette's house more often and learn little by little as much useful information as he could. The company of a good friend and random treats were just a nice bonus. Marinette’s episodes of sporadic clumsiness and tripping where they would end up a sprawling mess on her floor were kind of nice as well. Chat liked the way Marinette blushed and stuttered when that happened but never thought much of it. After all, being so close to a superhero and a model in disguise must have been quite intimidating. One time he even accidentally landed a smooch on her cheek but since Marinette hadn't noticed, Chat decided to spare her the embarrassment. She was crimson enough already. Plus, he needed to come back for more info and for that he had to be in a good standing with her.
Spring flew by fast. Their friendship stepped into a new territory at the start of June when, for her birthday, Chat Noir took Marinette to one of his favorite places in the whole Paris – the top of the Eiffel Tower. Cliché, he knew that, but while he was almost used to the breathtaking views he was pretty sure that Marinette, who had no means of her own to get there, would be impressed and inspired by the beauty. The right inspiration could do wonders for such a talented person as Marinette, so this looked like the perfect present for ESMOD’s newest student. At least Chat really hoped so.
Thankfully, judging by the way Marinette’s eyes shone as she silently took in the view of the night city, it looked like Chat had succeeded. He couldn’t help but smile, seeing how mesmerized Marinette looked, how peaceful and happy, even tranquil she was, holding onto a beam for safety. Wind softly brushed her hair as she gazed into the distance, paying absolutely no attention to her companion. She was glowing, emanating a soft halo reflected from the lights all around them. It complimented her natural beauty incredibly and for some reason he couldn’t take his eyes off her. In that moment Marinette turned around and said something but it was lost on him. His mind was too busy connecting the ethereal, alluring loveliness of his best friend he barely noticed before with her other amazing qualities, including all of her little faults he had come to like so much. Her stubbornness, for example. Simply irresistible.
“Hey, Chat?” Marinette’s voice finally cut through the thick clouds of his thoughts. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, totally fine,” Chat assured, feeling much warmer than a moment before. Must be those unpredictable hot Parisian nights. “Why? What happened?”
“You keep smiling and ignoring my questions. Almost seemed like you weren’t here at all,” she smiled. “Listen, if you are in a hurry, we can go now. I think I got all the inspiration I needed. Plus—” Marinette’s voice obtained a hint of teasing as she started to walk towards him, “—I have something-”
The rest of the sentence was abruptly cut because the stupid clumsiness had nothing better to do than to make Marinette trip at one of the most dangerous places in Paris. Really, what was that? There was nothing to trip on!
“Marinette!” Chat cried and launched ahead, falling to his knees but catching the precious person in his arms just in time. He closed his eyes and let a relief escape his lips, pulling her closer. “You’ve got to be more careful,” he whispered into her hair, refusing to let go until all the confusion and fear would go away, until she would stop trembling.
“I’ll try my best,” Marinette quietly replied and cuddled closer. She looked a bit distraught by almost falling down and in need of some comfort. So he held her tighter and didn’t move. Not until about five minutes later when she sneezed.
"Bless you," he chuckled. Adorable, really. The air was hellishly hot, why would Marinette sneeze? She didn't look cold and he certainly hoped she wasnt getting sick. But just as a precaution Chat wrapped his arms tighter and pulled her flush against him to share some warmth.
“I wanted to say I have something for you at my house,” Marinette murmured into his chest a few moments later.
“Hmmm,” Chat grinned, leaning closer and sniffing. “Do I smell something sweet?” Marinette often spoiled him with her baked goods. Must be either macarons or cookies.
“Possibly,” the girl giggled and pulling back, poked his nose with her finger. “But the only way to find that out what exactly is to take me home.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” he purred and picked her up princess style. Just the way she deserved to be carried. He quickly brought her home and patiently waited while she brought out a box of his favorite macarons. Settled on her balcony, they spent some time chatting about nothing in particular and just as Chat was leaving Marinette leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you for the present,” she whispered against his flushed skin and pulled away.
“I’m happy you liked it,” Chat replied, stilling instantly at the intimate contact.
"And for the rescue." She kissed his second cheek, rendering him speechless. What he had considered to be a hot evening earlier seemed like nothing but a light breeze comparing to the way it felt now. Seriously? What was wrong with the weather these days?
“No problem,” Chat squeaked and scattered away because something in his chest was also beating way too fast to be normal. He’d better get home and lay down. It would have been quite inconvenient to die on Marinette’s balcony for both his father and her.
After the summer followed September and Marinette began attending ESMOD. Adrien had his own school but visiting her weekly as Chat Noir had become somewhat of a tradition now. She was one of his best friends and coincidentally played an important role on both sides of his persona. As Adrien, he saw her a little less than usual due to the conflicting schedules but Chat Noir had free rein of when he could come and visit his Princess. He might have used that and tried to compensate for Adrien’s absence in her life. Just a tiny bit.
Little by little though, unbeknownst even to him, his intentions for those visits had changed. No longer he had tried to pry into his partner’s life through Marinette and, to be completely honest, he had even caught himself thinking that maybe if Ladybug didn't want him, he should look somewhere else. He could , for example, look at someone who was adorably cute, amazingly awesome and already had a crush on him.
Oh, did you know that Marinette had a huge and embarrassing crush on Adrien ever since they met? He hadn’t either. That is until he saw her screensaver sometime back in his “servitude” months. Of course, he had noticed all of the posters and photos of his civilian self before but they could easily be explained (a close friend and a handsome model wearing her idol’s designs, nothing unusual). The multitude of hearts all around his face on her screen was not.
Marinette didn’t even deny it. Chat blushed under his mask and said nothing but that knowledge found a permanent place in his heart and now suddenly it surfaced and forced him to compare the two.
Marinette loved him. Ladybug didn’t.
It hadn’t bothered him before. When Ladybug gushed about the boy she loved, he listened. When she said there was someone else who was recently catching her eye, he said nothing. Even when in the middle of the summer, Ladybug had mentioned her intentions to pursue the other boy, it was okay. She said she was spending more time with him and was discovering what an awesome guy he was. Chat hoped that, maybe, he was her third choice because clearly, he wasn’t spending much time with Ladybug these days. His evenings were devoted to Marinette, so it couldn’t be him. He didn’t mind being the third at all. He tried to convince himself that as long as he stayed loyally by her side, sooner or later she would notice him.
But then October came and The Misunderstanding TM happened. The knowledge of Marinette’s crush and this practically forced him to admit that maybe yes, being the third choice sucked and yes, Marinette was just as good if not better than Ladybug because for her Adrien was first and if he dared to dream her second choice was also him, just in the black leather and donning a pair of cat ears.
And all it took for him to admit that was an old trusty case of a damsel in distress. Well, at least he thought it was that.
By that time Chat had been visiting Marinette for over a year and it happened so that most often than not he always was at her place on Thursdays. It almost felt like an unspoken tradition between them. Exactly at seven he would come over and Marinette, for all her adorable clumsiness and forgetfulness, would be there. For the whole year he’d been visiting, she’d been late only three times and by no more than five minutes. So, when a few weeks into the new semester Chat waited for almost an hour with no Marinette, he got antsy and went out to scan the streets.
After all, who would know better than him just how clumsy she was? The city was enveloped in darkness already so she could’ve easily hurt herself somewhere! He had to find her and make sure she was okay. He couldn’t just leave and sleep peacefully, knowing that Marinette might be in trouble.
His first destination, of course, was her school. It wasn't that far away and soon he was already scanning the building. There were a lot of windows lit but only one of them had shouts and screams coming out of it. Someone was in a heated argument, a possibly violent one from the sound of it. What’s worse, Chat clearly recognized one of the voices and the second he did, blood boiled in his veins and he rushed to the rescue.
The dimmed lights made the room look smaller. Marinette was at the front arguing with some not very friendly-looking guy. There were a few more people standing in the middle of the room and not a single one of them did anything about the knife the guy was threatening his Princess with. A low growl rumbled through Chat’s throat as he smashed the window open and landed between the assaulter and Marinette.
“I dare you to take a step,” he seethed through his teeth and got ready for a fight. To his amusement, instead of attacking, the guy backed away and frowned in confusion. The rest of the people in the room collectively gasped yet pretty soon a few giggles were also heard. As for Marinette, her exasperated groan Chat could feel with his back. Not a moment later she grabbed his hand and pulled him out in the hallway.
“Chat.” She crossed her arms over her chest as soon as the door was closed. “What are you doing here?”
“What was that ?” he frowned instead of answering. “He was attacking you and no one did anything!”
“Because it’s a play , Chat, and the knife is a fake.”
“A play?”
"Yes, a play," Marinette sighed and pitched a bridge of her nose. "Listen, Chat, I haven't told you about this because this isn’t exactly the highlight of my day. I’ll explain later. For now, just know that I didn't really had a choice.”
“How did you manage to hide it for so long though?”
“Because the practices were on Tuesdays and you never visit on Tuesdays,” she explained. “It was quite convenient, actually.”
“Oh yeah,” Chat murmured under his nose. Adrien had Gabriel photoshoots on Tuesdays. That’s why Chat was skipping out. “So what kind of a play is this?”
Marinette narrowed her eyes on him, searching for any signs of mocking but he looked sincerely curious. “I'm a victim who survives an attack,” she replied, “and later catches the serial killer, using her amazing fighter skills."
Chat raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Marinette resented. “I have you to know I’m the best fighter in this club.”
“You trip over nothing.”
“Only when mangy cats cross the road in front of me!”
“Really?” his lips were trembling, threatening to explode in laugh.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me!” Marinette threatened, poking his chest with her finger. “I didn’t have a choice! That’s all you need to know. Better explain what you are doing here?”
“I came looking for you since you were late,” he explained, lightly chuckling at her antics.
“Late for what?”
“What do you mean for what? We always meet on Thursdays so I came and you weren’t there so I thought-”
“You thought I was in trouble if I hadn't shown up one day? Even knowing that we had never agreed to meet every Thursday?”
“Yes?” Chat’s ears dropped flat as the ridiculousness of his conclusion started to dawn on him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in a short while, his gaze falling to the ground. “I shouldn't have assumed that Thursdays were my days. You probably have some new, more interesting things to do now. Like this drama-”
“Oh, Chat,” Marinette lips quivered in a soft smile. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his torso, a gesture that was so familiar yet so dear to him now. “I’m sorry,” she murmured into his chest. “I should’ve told you.”
Chat closed his eyes as he automatically laid his head atop Marinette’s and wrapped his hands around her. For some time now she really had been spoiling his affection-starved self with hugs and he treasured every single minute of it, often finding himself unwilling even to breathe in fear of spoiling the moment. Savor the touch, enjoy the closeness and soak up the affection. Hold back that pleasant rumble in your chest!
He barely succeeded.
“For what’s it worth you played really convincingly.”
"Well, it was really amazing of you to jump in and save me too. Adorable even."
“I am one of the heroes of Paris,” Chat boasted. “That’s kind of my job.”
He could feel Marinette’s smile against his chest right before she pulled back, stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek awfully close to the corners of his lips, sending his poor heart into a frenzy again. He did, however, saw the way her own cheeks blushed and noticed that this time she withdrew much slower than the last time. Not that he remembered that first peck by heart. Every single millisecond of it.
“You are my number one hero, Chat Noir,” she said quietly, looking more beautiful than ever. “Thank you for worrying about me.”
“You’re welcome,” he mumbled, frozen in place. “I- I ca- can wait- yeah, wa- wait for you and- well- walk yo- you home, if you want,” he added, his mind in a complete shutdown.
“That would be nice,” Marinette smiled, brushing away a stray hair behind her ear. “Give me another ten to fifteen minutes and I’m all yours.”
In a moment, she disappeared into the room and all that Chat Noir could do was to slowly slide down the wall and be shocked. Shocked because it hit him so suddenly and so unexpectedly. Shocked because something he thought would never happen just did. Or rather he realized it just now.
He was in love with her. He was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He wanted to be by her side. He wanted to protect her, to marvel at her beauty as long as he could and enjoy every single touch she was willing to give him. He wanted to have fun together and be silly. He wanted to be with her.
And he was weirdly happy about it. A dopey smile stretched his lips as he covered the place she kissed with his palm. In a second he grinned harder because the nice part of this was that Marinette liked him back! He knew she did! He saw her screensaver! But… Could he dare to dream that she liked Chat Noir too? It certainly seemed so, judging by the way things between them were going. Just over a year ago he was an irritation and an inconvenience to her. She hugged and kissed him now and was always happy to see him. Could this really be…?
There was only one way to check this and that was to tell her how he felt. If only that was so easy.
For the next few months, Chat tried to, first, make sure he wasn’t imagining his feelings and, second, find a perfect moment, or at least gather the courage to say the words. As for his first point, there were no mistakes. He was hopelessly in love. Even he couldn’t deny it anymore. Chat still respected Ladybug and thought she was cute but Marinette was the one holding his heart right now. Yet similarly to his Ladybug attempts, he tried and failed to tell her about it a couple of times. Every single one of them ended up rather embarrassingly and at the end, Marinette hadn’t understood a thing. At nineteen, you’d think he was more than capable to do such a simple task. Apparently, not him and not to such an awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, mind-blowing girl as Marinette.
Today, however, as Chat was visiting her at the end of the Christmas Day, an opportunity came knocking on his door. The day was perfect. It wasn't too cold but it snowed those nice, fluffy snowflakes. They had spent the day with their families but once the night fell on the city, Chat Noir sneaked out of his room and soon was presenting his modest gift in a form of a diamond bracelet to Marinette. In return, she made him the most amazing Christmas ugly sweater. Chat could only imagine how disgusted his Father would be the next morning when he would parade it around the house.
Then the time came for signing of her cast because as it would happen, his dear, clumsy Marinette slipped a few days prior and broke her wrist. Nothing serious, but the cast was put on and signatures were signed. He could see his own, Alya’s, Nino’s, Tom and Sabine’s and a few of her other friends. There were flowers and hearts and someone even drew her a cookie. Chat Noir, however, had something else in mind because, finally, her clumsiness (can you see why he had grown to adore it now?) provided him with an opportunity to say the words he hadn't been able to tell anyone yet. After all, if he couldn’t say it, he could always write it.
“Go, on, kitty,” Marinette asked again. “Sign it.”
“Can you not look while I do it?” he asked.
“Sure,” Marinette was surprised but closed her eyes nevertheless. “Why?”
"I'll write you something special," Chat replied and was about to start when a loud crash and a distant evil laugh echoed through the room. Marinette's eyes flew open. For some reason, she glanced at her cast immediately, looking a little bit more concerned than usual when these things happened.
“Akuma?” she almost whispered.
“Afraid so,” Chat sighed. Another chance seemed to be gone. But then Marinette shifted her worried eyes at him and his mind was made up. He wasn’t sure what was different this time but his Princess shouldn’t be afraid of some random akuma. She should know that he loved her and he would always protect her no matter what. And that meant…
“Close your eyes,” he asked again. “I’ll write it quickly and will go deal with an akuma.”
“Okay,” Marinette nodded and complied. She sensed something scribbled on her cast and heard the sound of writing. She heard barely audible “I’ll come back to talk about it later" and felt a light kiss on her lips. She saw only the tail of an escaping cat-boy when she opened her eyes. Amongst all the signatures the new one made her smile. With eyes full of adoration, Marinette whispered her own confession to the one who was already at the battle field.
“I love you too, Chat.”