Work Text:
Marinette had never seen Alix so fed up. She was usually so easy-going. But after another trip from the future to help their younger selves as Bunnyx, it seemed that she’d had enough. She’d grumbled about being subjected to their bickering throughout the fight. Marinette didn’t know what her problem was. This was their usual fare.
“This is my pencil,” she said, snatching it from her younger self’s hand after they were already done with the akuma. “And I’ll do something very useful with it. It’s high time I did it anyway.”
Marinette watched in astonishment as older Alix used a loose sheet of paper to jot something down and handed it over to her. No one could blame her for hesitating. With Bunnyx's power, the range of information available only to her was hard to wrap one’s head around. It could be anything on that piece of paper. Maybe something Marinette was not ready to know yet.
I can’t wait anymore for you to realise it. You love him. Stop wasting time!
She reread the words again, just to make sure that she wasn’t imagining them. Then looked at Chat and felt her cheeks heat up.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she mumbled.
“Yeah, this is why you knew who I meant without me mentioning him by name.” The cheeky bunny winked at her. “See you, Minibug,” she called over her shoulder before disappearing into her burrow, leaving Marinette with her mouth gaping.
“What happened?” Chat asked, suddenly standing next to her and making her jump. He moved as noiselessly as a real cat.
“Um.”
“Go easy on her,” the younger Alix told him before leaving as well. She could probably sense that what her older self had done had left her shaken. Which made Marinette wonder when she'd switched sides. Alix knew she was in love with Adrien. She was sure that with the power of time travel on her side, she was very aware of Ladybug’s identity in the future. Then why was she suddenly pushing her towards Chat?
“Chat?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you still in love with me?”
It wasn’t the question she should be asking. She should be asking something along the lines of “How did I fall in love with you without realisig it? How come everyone else knows and I don’t?” But this was something she also wanted to know so it was a good start.
“The heart wants what the heart wants,” he shrugged, not at all perturbed by her sudden interest. “I’ll wait for you until the end of the world if I have to. Maybe someday I will get lucky.”
Marinette couldn’t deny that this did something to her. Her heart wasn’t made of stone after all. His loyalty and devotion always affected her. But this wasn’t enough to convince her. She needed more concrete evidence.
She balled the sheet of paper and threw it in a nearby bin. Let’s see about that, Bunnyx.
She walked up to him and pulled him down to her. The fight went out of her the moment their lips touched. She wasn’t prepared to feel it down to the tips of her toes. She didn’t expect the overwhelming need to surrender and just do nothing else but kiss him until the end of time. Oh. So it was true.
“M’lady?” He asked when she pulled back, swaying a little on her feet. He looked totally perplexed and so, so vulnerable.
“Well, it turns out I love you after all,” she admitted begrudgingly, not missing the way his eyes lit up. “You can thank Bunnyx for this.”
She could barely finish the sentence before she was lifted in the air, Chat’s laughter filling her ears as he turned around and around with her in his arms.
“I’ll get all the carrots in Paris for her,” he exclaimed, when he put her back down. Marinette couldn’t hold back her own laughter.
For some reason she felt lighter, as if finally admitting her feelings had set her free.
“She deserves them,” she agreed. And then kissed him again. Because she could.