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Ladybug POV
I have been staring at Chat Noir for the past ten minutes, and I don’t think he has even noticed for a millisecond of my attention on him. To be honest, it has been like this since the first day I have met him.
He has always been confident, strong, independent, funny, sweet, selfless, generous, passionate, and so much more.
The first day I meant him, I was hypnotized as my string wrapped around the both of us. His beautiful eyes stared into mine, leaving me utterly defenseless in his arms.
“Umm… Ladybug?”
“Yes?” I asked dreamily.
“You okay?” He raised one eyebrow at me.
I immediately shook out of my dream state and finally registered what was happening.
“AH!” I yelp as I realized I was slowly getting closer to him subconsciously. I jump back and laugh awkwardly with a hand behind my neck, scratching it.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t realize…” I trailed off as I looked anywhere but his face.
Don’t stutter. Don’t stutter.
I continuously chanted this in my head as Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders at me.
“What were you thinking about?” He asked as he went back to staring at the sky.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing. Why would you think otherwise?! I was thinking about nothing!” I shut my mouth shut, clenching my teeth to keep from talking anymore.
“You were staring pretty intently at me. You sure?” He asked, his eyes scanning the area boringly.
“Why would you think otherwise?” I asked while I looked anywhere but him.
“You don’t think I don’t know that look?” He asked, shaking his head mockingly.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“You always look at me with your bright eyes. Looking at me like I’m this perfect person.”
His voice took a bitter tone as he glared at the ground below us.
“How would you look at me if I wasn’t this good little soldier? If I didn’t always follow your lead, I instead chose to stop being a hero even!” He laughed a little crazily, and I was getting really worried about him.
“Chat?”
“WHY?!” He yelled, anger heavy as tears pooled in his eyes.
“Why what?” I meekly asked. My eyes were starting to water too as he continued to yell at me.
“Why do you like me?” He finally asked.
He was breathing heavily like he ran a marathon. His tail was lashing aggressively as his pupils became slits.
I gasped in shock, never thinking he actually knew about my feelings for him.
“You think I am so oblivious to not know your feelings about me?” He asked sarcastically.
“You never mentioned that you noticed!” I shouted defensively.
“Because I was waiting for you to confess! I have been crushing on you since day one, but you never tried to talk to me. You just stare at me, creepy!” He shouted.
“You-you think I’m creepy?” I stuttered as my heart felt like it got harpooned.
He finally looks at me, and he immediately shuts down any other words he was going to say.
“Ladybug?” He asked. He reached his arm forward to touch me, but I stumbled backwards.
“I need to go,” I pull my yo-yo out and throw it in some random direction.
He yelled my name, but I was already gone.
“Ladybug!” I could hear his voice screaming my name. I kept swinging until I landed in a random alley, destransforming.
“Tikki?” I asked, sniffling.
“Oh, Marinette?” She comforted me as she nuzzled my cheek.
“Do you think I’m creepy?”
I was shivering in the cold as I was in my pajamas at this moment.
“No! Well! I mean, the schedule is kinda creepy, but you aren’t creepy!”
The only reason I had that schedule is so that I don’t forget anything important!
“Chat yelled at me. He knew I had a crush this whole time! Tikki! That’s so embarrassing!” I whined as my hands covered my face in mortification.
“And!-” I struggled to let the rest of my words out.
He likes me.
I started to grip the sides of my arms tightly, never noticing the pity glance Tikki sending my way.
“He said he likes me, but thinks I’m creepy. He was yelling at me, and he took his anger out on me. That wasn’t right.”
I glared at the floor as Tikki slowly floated towards me.
“Marinette?” She asked comfortingly.
“I… I don’t want to see him for a while. I think we need space from each other. We will fight when akumas are around, but I am not sticking around for him. And, separate patrols would also be a good thing.”
“If that is what you think is best,” she nodded her head before asking me, “Are you ready to transform back into Ladybug?”
“Y-yea, I should be getting home anyway. Tikki, spots on.”
The magic flowed through and I was soon wearing the standard Ladybug suit.
I walked out of the alley, and I swung towards the bakery. I landed quietly on the trapdoor, and let the transformation fall. Landing with a thump on the bed, I covered my cold body with the mountains of blankets I had.
“Marinette? Chat Noir left a message,” Tikki spoke once I had settled down and she finished eating her cookie.
“Should I listen to it?” I asked.
“I think it’s worth hearing what he has to say,” She said softly.
“Spots on,” I whispered as the magic rushed one more time.
I grabbed the yo-yo and listened to the recording.
“Hey, Ladybug. Listen, I’m sorry about earlier. I was being unprofessional and a complete jerk to you. I shouldn’t have snapped at you the way I did. I understand if you don’t want to talk to me for a while. What I said… I’m so sorry. And you staring at me, it’s not creepy. It’s enduring but I just kinda get tired of people looking at me like that. That probably sounds conceited and all, but I…” I heard him sigh before continuing to talk. “I live a life I wish I don’t have to return to. You were the first person who treated me like I was this normal being. Not some kicked puppy so to say, giving favors or doing whatever I asked you to. It’s thrilling to be your partner. I have a crush on you and had one since Stoneheart. I assumed you had a crush on me, but I figured confident Ladybug would confess to me. But, Plagg helped me realize that you aren’t just Ladybug. You are also this human being that I had managed to hurt. Epically.”
I gulped as tears started to pool in my eyes once again.
“I just wanted you to know if you do want to date, I would be open to that. I will also be okay giving you space. Bye,” he hung up and I tightly clenched my eyes shut.
“Spots off,” I said.
“Marinette?” Tikki asked.
“Go to sleep, Tikki. Rest and we’ll talk tomorrow. Night,” I turned on my side as I breathed at a steady slow pace.
“Night,” She whispered as she nuzzled my hair.
What in the world am I going to do?