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In retrospect, she probably should’ve kept it down, and she probably shouldn’t have decided to try to listen to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album all over again while waiting on Chat Noir. She didn’t necessarily regret it, but she did have some embarrassment that lingered when reminiscing about that night. Marinette was in love with the artist’s new album, SOUR. Especially a certain song that she had deemed her favorite.
Marinette was in the middle of her room with all the lights out, only a lamp and some fairy lights adding some life to the otherwise dark room. It was ignited in a rich golden glow, and it made the moment much more heartfelt to her. She had set it up that way for her and Chat’s weekly movie night, but it was working wonders for her midnight heartbreak session.
She had “favorite crime” blaring on her speakers. Her parents had soundproofed Marinette’s room a few months back because of her love for blasting music in her room at ungodly hours of the night. They trusted her, and she gave them no reason not to trust her, so they immediately set to soundproofing Marinette’s level of their home. However, if they knew Chat Noir was a frequent visitor on her balcony and in her room...she didn’t even want to think about how much trouble she could get in.
Her parents wouldn’t care about her visits with Chat, but they would care about Marinette hiding it.
Marinette was pushing the time, and she knew it. But this was her favorite song, okay! She was at her favorite part of the song. Where she let it all go. If she could scream this in a certain blond model’s face, she totally would. But, her nerves wouldn’t even allow her to stutter a single note in front of him, she knew it.
Look what we’ve became!
Almost there…almost at her part…
If she had been completely intact with her surroundings, she would’ve noticed the blob of black and flash of blond at her trapdoor, but she was too busy crying and singing her heart out to Olivia.
All the things I did
Just so I could call you mine.
The things you did
Well, I hope I was your favorite crime.
She could feel her tears pouring down her face as she sing-shouted into her hairbrush. This song was close to her. It was beyond relatable. She loved it. She sang the rest of it, a newfound anger bubbling inside of her. It was unfamiliar. She’d never felt mad after singing that song, just content and lingering with sadness.
But at that moment? She was just mad. Why couldn’t Adrien love her back? Why was he so adamant at saying they were “just friends”? Why was he the one she was in love with? Couldn’t he see what he did to her; how much he was hurting her?
So she chunked the hairbrush. Said hairbrush hit her mirror and shattered it. Cue Marinette’s freak out. And action, Marinette was in full panic mode and repeated a mantra of “no, no, no” to herself as she strategized how to clean up the mess of glass on her floor.
Ah, perfect timing, in dropped Chat Noir.
“Princess?” he asked hesitantly; softly. “What’s going on?” She exhaled shakily and swallowed thickly, turning back to the mess on her floor. She wrung her hands.
“I made a mess,” she mumbled. He nodded and walked over to her, then grasped her hand and stroked her knuckles with his thumb.
“I know,” he returned, just as quiet so he wouldn’t startle her. “I meant, ‘what’s going on in your head?’” She turned and met his eyes, shuddering from the burst of anxiety at her busted mirror, oh my god—
“I was just singing,” she whispered, explaining herself. He nodded, never ceasing his continuous, rhythmic stroking on her knuckles. She looked back at the mess, frowning deeply.
“I know, Mari,” he chuckled under his breath. “I saw. I also heard. Great album choice, by the way. “favorite crime” is my scream-cry song, too. Although your scream-cry is much more on-key and controlled than mine is.” She huffed a laugh and leaned into him, sighing.
“The boy I’m in love with, he,” she paused, swallowing down her tears that threatened to trickle down her cheeks. “He doesn’t know how I feel, or what he even does to me! He’ll never know. But every single day is just painful because he doesn’t know how much he’s hurting me. He doesn’t realize it at all. But it does, it hurts.” Chat had interlocked his fingers with hers and turned her into his chest, tucking her head into the crook of his neck.
“Do I need to threaten his life?” he asked, dead serious. She shook her head with a small laugh. “He’s hurting you, Marinette. That’s not fair to you.” She sighed and flicked the bell on his suit.
“He doesn’t know that, kitty,” she mumbled. “He’s too sweet and oblivious. He has no idea. I’m not upset with him. It’s all my fault; I can't ever tell him how I feel. I’m a literal wimp. And a failure.” He sharply pulled away from her with an angry pout on his face.
“Hey!” He scolded her. “That’s my Princess you’re talking about!” She gave him an unimpressed smirk, booping his nose affectionately.
“It’s true,” she laughed. “Plus, I don’t think the Adrien Agreste would ever even think of me as anything other than a friend. I mean, he even says it. All. The. Time. If anything, given I have some semblance of good luck or something, I would be designing his clothes in the future. I would literally play the role of a maid.” She was laughing, but Chat Noir was not.
His mouth was hanging open, his eyes were wide as saucers, his cheeks were flushed a deep red, and his entire body was taut in shock.
“Did you die while standing?” Marinette asked, poking the apple of his cheek experimentally. He blinked rapidly, snapping his jaw shut so quickly you could hear his teeth clack, and his blush only deepened.
“N-No,” he stammered, his mouth opening and closing around unspoken words. She raised a brow, and he gave her a weak smile.
“What’s wrong? Do you think Adrien is a bad guy to have a crush on?” she asked, her brows creased in concern. He jolted and shook his head like a madman, gripping her shoulders with a wild grin.
“No, nope, absolutely not!” he spoke excitedly. “In fact, he’s the purrfect candidate! Quick question, though.” Marinette nodded at him to continue, a small smile etched onto her face. “Are you sure you don’t like me instead?” Marinette’s face fell dramatically into a deadpan expression, and she flicked the tip of his nose. He yelped, sounding more like a cat than human.
“No,” she spat. “I’ve been in love with Adrien for forever. Almost three years, actually!” Chat’s eye twitched and he coughed, his ears shot straight up in the air.
“ What,” he said rather than asked. “You’ve loved m—Adrien—for that long?” She nodded with a disappointed sigh, plopping her head forward to rest on his shoulder.
“Ever since he gave me his stupid umbrella outside the school,” she grumbled into his suit. “I didn’t like him at first, then I saw how kind he was. And genuine. And I noticed how nice he looks in the rain. Honestly, I think he looks better against rain than in the brightest sunlight.” Chat slowly pulled her away from him, nothing short of awe covering his face. He searched Marinette’s eyes, his own wide and full of interest.
“Do you really mean that?” he asked, his voice quiet and bordering on breaking. Marinette nodded, and he shook his head. “No, I need you to say it, Marinette, do you really mean all that?” She looked at him, confused, but obliged nonetheless.
“I mean it,” she spoke honestly. “All of it.” He let out a shuddering breath, pursing his lips as his eyes welled with tears. “Woah, Chat, are you okay?” He blinked away the pools in his eyes, looking down and away from her.
“I’m fine,” he spoke, sounding more forced than he meant for it to.
“Wait,” she whispered, almost silent. “Chat, do you like me? Is this upsetting you?” He looked at her with a crooked smile, his eyes making more tears against his will.
“ Purrhaps this ol’ cat developed a thing for the Princess of his kingdom,” he croaked, each word lighter than a whisper in the wind. “But hearing you talk about him that way? Marinette, there’s no other way I’d rather see you happy. You have to tell him.” Although he couldn’t tell her, his tears were of joy, not sadness. Relief. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.
“I can’t, Chat,” she groaned, covering her face with her hands. “He doesn’t like me like that, and he won’t ever like me like that.” Chat pulled her hands away from her face, squishing her cheeks together to lighten the mood.
“Yes you can,” he encouraged her. “And maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he loves you, Marinette.” She scoffed and crossed her arms, looking away, and effectively escaping his grip on her cheeks.
“Yeah, right,” she laughed dryly, “as if.”
“Hey! Don’t diss until you miss!” he chided. “You never know. Regardless, I vote that you tell him. Tomorrow!” Marinette groaned dramatically and smacked the side of his head playfully.
“Fine,” she gritted out. “Fine, I’ll tell him. But if all goes south and I end up screaming Olivia Rodrigo for the rest of my life, I blame you!”
“Blame taken, Princess!”
“I’m confessing to Adrien today,” Marinette told Alya as they walked up to the school grounds. Alya stopped, her sneakers squeaking against the concrete—how did they squeak against that—and her expression was priceless.
“You what now!” Alya practically shrieked. Marinette covered Alya’s mouth with her hand, shushing loudly in her face.
“I’m telling Adrien how I feel about him!” she whisper-shouted through gritted teeth. Alya pulled Marinette’s hand away from her mouth and grinned slyly.
“Are you really, though?” she teased. Marinette scoffed and whipped around, seeing Adrien and Nino conversing about god knows what in front of the staircase to the school. Now or never, Dupain-Cheng.
“Watch and you’ll see,” Marinette shot over her shoulder as she stalked up to her target rather angrily. What! She hated the fact that Chat Noir had this much control over her decisions!
“Oh, hey, Mari—oh peanuts, she’s mad,” Nino squeaked out as he hid behind Adrien. The blond boy turned and met Marinette’s fierce gaze. She didn’t really look mad, just...determined. Set. Yeah. That.
“Hi, Marinette,” Adrien greeted her. Marinette sighed as she stopped before the two boys, her eyes squeezed shut and her fists clenched by her sides. She inhaled deeply, then opened her eyes and bored them into Adrien’s.
“Hey, Adrien,” she said punctually. “I’m in love with you, and I have been ever since you gave me your stupid umbrella, and I’ve been screaming Olivia Rodrigo’s new album in my room because of you for the past four days. Thought you should know.” She whirled back around, stalking away, her fists still clenched by her sides as she approached Alya. The two boys watched, mesmerized, as Marinette snatched her friend by the wrist and guided her inside the school without so much as a peek toward them again.
“Adrien, dude—”
“I think I’m going to go kiss her now.”
She honestly wasn’t expecting Chat Noir to show up the following night. It wasn’t like she didn’t want him to, she just didn’t think he’d want to show up after that knowing she liked someone else. But, lo and behold, there he perched himself on her banister, grinning proudly.
“Hi princess,” he cooed, his tail flicking back and forth leisurely. She glanced over, sending him a smile, and continued watering her plants.
“Hi, Chat,” she greeted him, pushing some leaves aside to water the roots of her ferns.
“How’d it go?” he asked. She immediately knew what he was asking about. She sighed and moved onto her next plant, watering it methodically.
“Let’s just say,” she huffed, “I don’t know how my boyfriend would feel about a superhero showing up on my balcony and calling me ‘Princess.’” Chat hopped off the banister and murmured his detransformation words, leaning back against the railing.
“I don’t think he’d mind all that much,” Adrien returned smugly. Marinette still hadn’t turned around yet.
“Really?” she laughed. “And why do you think you’re in the position to speak for him?” He hummed a laugh and pushed off the railing, walking up to his girlfriend—man, his girlfriend— -and took the watering can from her, setting it aside. She whipped around to chastise him, but was only met with the soft, warm face of her boyfriend.
“Maybe because I am your boyfriend,” he snickered. She reached out, cupping his cheek, her thumb brushing where his mask would normally end.
“How didn’t I see it before?” she whispered, mostly to herself. He grinned and pressed his cheek into her hand, holding her wrist in place so she wouldn’t pull away.
“Maybe because Chat Noir is a lot more dashing than I am,” he laughed. She raised a brow at him, pinching his cheek with the hand pressed against his face. He yelped and swatted her hand away. Marinette laughed. He smiled.
“Remind me again who I fell for?” she teased. He rolled his eyes and let his hair fall into his green eyes.
“And I still don’t understand why!” he pouted, narrowing his eyes at her. She shook her head, grabbed his hand and led him inside her room. He followed without protest.
They did the things Marinette and Chat would normally do, but engaged in them more couple-like. They held hands, and stole quick kisses in the faint glow of her fairy lights. They laughed and held one another, just thankful for their love.
And Plagg decided it was a wonderful time to blow Marinette’s cover and zip out of Adrien’s pocket, tackling a kwami that was peeking around Marinette’s picture frames to watch her holder and her boyfriend. Tikki was revealed. Adrien connected the dots. Adrien cried. Adrien held Marinette in a deathly tight snuggle for the remainder of the night.
Adrien did not go home.
He fell asleep while death-snuggling Marinette.
And yet, there was nowhere else Marinette would have rather been.