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Marinette had lost track of the number of times she’d seen Chat Noir die for her. It was something she hated and yet couldn’t do anything to prevent, most of the time. It didn’t matter how it happened, right in front of her eyes or somewhere she couldn’t see, it always hit her squarely in the heart. She could always feel it happen and even when she repaired the damage and brought everything back to normal, a whisper of the feeling remained with her. She didn’t know how many times it had happened, but she remembered each and every one, they were enough to haunt her dreams and make sure she tried harder to bring him back every time.
The fact that she knew who was behind that mask hadn’t changed much. Their team dynamics were the same and she prided herself on this. It had always hurt her immensely to see Chat take a hit meant for her or sacrifice himself. Knowing that it was Adrien doing that didn’t make things easier but also not much harder. What made things harder on the other hand was the fact that she had to restrain herself, to wait patiently for them to be back home and out of prying eyes before she could hug him and kiss him and cry to her heart’s content. It was still better than not being able to do it at all but sometimes waiting seemed almost impossible to do.
She didn’t even pause after purifying the akuma, she threw her Lucky Charm in the air and was already running. She could feel the cleansing energy around her, repairing everything. But she didn’t notice much besides the young man propped in a half sitting position right there on the street, eyes still closed, chest impossibly still. She felt her breath hitch for the hundredth time since she’d seen him get hit, tears blurring her eyes. She was in front of him just as the Miraculous Ladybugs swept through him.
His eyes opened, a vibrant green that stared straight into her soul. His lips curved into a smirk, ready to dish out a witty remark. She drank him in, alive and well and hers. She didn’t give him a chance to speak. A soft touch of their lips was absolutely not enough in this case, she decided after brushing his mouth with hers. And then her lips enveloped his in a heated kiss, stealing his breath and hers in one smooth move. She felt him stiffen in surprise, because yes, this wasn’t what they were supposed to do. Not there, for everyone to see. But she didn’t care, not this time. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer and not giving him much room to pull back. Not that he was trying. He must have caught on the desperate edge of the kiss and was pulling her into a tight hug. If they were doing this, outing themselves after all the careful scheming and hiding, they might as well do it thoroughly.
They say something about near-death experiences. How you need to feel alive after them, to do something that reaffirms that you’re still here. And while it hadn’t been her facing death in the face just now, she couldn’t think of a better way for this to happen. To lose herself in the warmth and sweetness and familiar touch of his lips. To feel his heart beat strongly and a little bit faster than normal, perfectly matching her own. To revel in the way his arms tightened around her, trying to bring her closer, although she was practically already in his lap. It had started as a simple way to reassure herself that he was still there with her, to keep the nightmarish images of him lying there lifeless at bay. But it quickly got out of hand. And while a simple kiss would have been more than enough to put an end to the secret part of their relationship, literally making out in the middle of the street was well, a bit too much.
She tried desperately to hold onto the remaining shreds of sanity and pull back from him, She could hear people talking around them, not too close but close enough that she was sure the cameras were clicking and this would be all over the Internet in no time. But she didn’t see anything beside him. He was breathing heavily, but his eyes were steady on hers. Waiting for her next move. She knew they would have to face the music, there was no going back. But the strange thing was she didn’t care. As long as he was there with her, alive, she could face anything, she was sure.
So before she got up and put on a brave face, she leaned in, her forehead touching his for the briefest moment and she whispered the words she so desperately needed to say. They were the reason for them to be in this situation. The “I love you” sounded breathy, her voice hoarse from the earlier exertion and thick with emotion. But he heard it loud and clear. His reply almost got lost in the quick kiss he placed on her lips to accompany the statement. But she heard it too.
And then he took her hand and they got up. Together, ready to face anything and anyone that could try to get in the way of their love. Let them try, they didn’t stand a chance.