Chapter Text
“Chat Noir,” Marinette says through a yawn. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Chat asks, ears momentarily drooping, despite the excited grin he has on his face.
Marinette rubs her tired eyes before fully climbing through the trapdoor to the balcony, careful to close it behind her with a quiet click. She’s met with the chilly air of a Parisian night, and suddenly her pink pajama set isn’t quite enough to keep her completely warm.
But, she enjoys the cool breeze against her skin nonetheless.
“I’m not going to lie and say you didn’t,” she tells him with a shrug, “but since I’m up now you might as well tell me why you’re here at midnight.”
He scratches the back of his head awkwardly, before clearing his throat and perching himself on her railing, just like he did the last time he was here, before the Glaciator had attacked.
“I needed to tell someone,” Chat replies, “and after going through all my options I concluded that you were the best person to tell.”
She raises a questioning brow at the superhero, starting to feel slightly uneasy about what he has to say. Marinette wonders why he can’t tell Ladybug whatever it is he’s hiding, given that they are in fact, partners.
“And what exactly are you needing to tell me?” Marinette asks, nervously tapping her bare foot against the ground.
“Remember the last time I was here?” Chat questions, and she responds with a swift nod. “Well, it’s related to what we talked about last time.”
Her face scrunches up. “What we talked about last time?”
Suddenly, a lovesick grin appears on his face and Marinette is blinded by it.
“Oh!” Marinette shouts a little too loudly for this hour. “You wanna talk about—about Ladybug?”
Chat blushes, but nods at her with the pink blossoming from under his mask. It’s hard to see with a majority of his face covered, but it’s there.
Marinette is unsure how she feels about this. On one hand, she thinks it’s kinda adorable that Chat gets all lovesick talking about her, and on the other she thinks the irony of her being the only confidante to hear about... herself, is weird and maybe a little bit conflicting. But, he looks like he’s about to explode if he doesn’t say something to someone soon, and she figures she’s the best person to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid around her, or, Ladybug.
”Is that okay?” Chat Noir inquires softly, looking suddenly insecure about his plan.
Marinette hates it when he looks like that. “Yes! Of course it’s okay Chat, I’m all ears.”
The smile he gives her in return makes the discomfort of the situation worth it for now, she decides.
”I kissed her cheek!” Chat announces happily, looking happier than she’s ever seen him. “And I gave her a rose and she actually blushed! Like, her cheeks were pink and everything and it was just—just amazing being there with her in that moment. I can’t describe how happy I was for that brief moment!”
Marinette laughs. “Wow, that’s awesome for you Chat. I’m glad you’re happy.”
His happiness starts to turn into disappointment right before her eyes. “Well, I was happy. But... she’s in love with someone else.”
The designer winces, forgetting that that part of the conversation had happened with Chat Noir too.
“It happened after the Glaciator was defeated, actually. The same day I came to see you, so it’s been a couple days since I’ve processed this information, and it still hurts just as much.”
Marinette feels her stomach twist instead into knots as he speaks. She hates hurting Chat, but she can’t give up on Adrien.
“I’m sorry,” she tells him, reaching forward to place a hand comfortingly on his arm. “I’m sure she cares about you very much, Chat Noir.”
He smiles wryly. “I know she does, just not in the way I wish she did.”
”We can’t help the way we feel,” Marinette says with a shake of her head.
“You’re right,” he agrees, “but I was thinking that maybe I could get her to finally understand how much I really love her. At least... one more time.”
The baker’s daughter freezes. “W-What do you mean?”
Chat takes in a deep breath, before a determined look settles in his green eyes. “I’m gonna try to lay out all my cards, one last time, before I give up on her.”
”How so?” Marinette’s voice is barely a whisper at this point, and she has a bad feeling about this.
Chat Noir moves from the railing to the ground, smiling proudly. ”I’m going to confess, and say everything I’ve always wanted to say to her, and maybe she’ll understand how I am truly and fully in love with her and maybe she’ll choose me.”
No... she won’t, Marinette thinks to herself, internally screaming at this cat boy that is reckless because of his love for her superhero persona.
”And if she doesn’t?” Marinette asks tentatively.
The blonde sighs. “If she doesn’t then I’m going to respect her wishes and stop pursuing her.”
Marinette blinks. So, if she just rejects Chat one more time he’ll stop pining for her? Sounds simple enough... except she hates hurting him more than anything. But, as long as she can let him down gently, their friendship can be preserved and romance will no longer affect their partnership.
“Well, good luck with that!” Marinette chirps, offering two thumbs up to her partner.
”Thank you, Marinette,” he responds, “for everything you’ve done for me.”
“I’ve hardly done anything,” she argues, “just listened to you talk.”
Chat rolls his eyes. “And that’s more than most people do for me, so seriously, thank you.”
”Oh,” her voice says, a little saddened by the thought of Chat not having people to go to. “You’re always welcome to stop by if you need someone to listen.”
A part of her feels so stupid for saying that, it’s dangerous and could jeopardize her identity or his. They aren’t supposed to know too much about each other and here she is offering him a place to spill all his personal details. But, when he wraps her in a hug and whispers thank you ten times in her ear she can’t find it in herself to really care.
Though it certainly won’t make rejecting him any easier...
”Maybe you can help me!” Chat Noir shouts suddenly, pulling away from the hug. “You’re a girl right?”
Marinette gives him a look.
“I mean,” he backpedals, “I know you are, I just meant you know how girls think so you could help me with my confession.”
“I—what?!” Marinette yells.
“Think about it! If I practice confessing to you, you can tell me what I need to fix so that Ladybug will like it!”
“Chat, I don’t think that’s—“
“Please?” Chat Noir begs. “This is my last ditch attempt and I really want it to be perfect for her.”
Marinette hates the brokenness of his tone, and against her better judgment she actually considers saying yes. Tikki will scold her, Marinette will scold herself later.
But...
”Okay,” she finds herself saying. Despite how incredibly dumb this is, she can’t deny her partner this. Not when she’s hurt him so many times in the past. It can’t be too hard, she hears him flirt with her all the time anyway. It’ll just be like that, and then once he confesses it’ll all be over and they can go back to their normal friendship.
Right?
”Oh thank you so much Marinette!” Chat says with glee, picking her up and spinning her around before she can even react. “You’re the best! You’re an angel! A princess!”
“Woah, okay I mean I wouldn’t go that far—ah!” Marinette cuts herself off when Chat’s spinning comes to a sudden halt.
“I’ll let you get some sleep now,” he says as he puts her back down. “Thanks again.”
And before she can say goodnight, he launches himself away, practically skipping across rooftops and it’s nice to know she made him that happy.
The underlying feeling of knowing she’ll also be the one to take that happiness away hurts more than she wants it to.
Marinette will worry about that later.
When she has to.