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If there was one pattern that was bound to happen every time Marinette got worrying about the present and the future and the whole world, it was that Chat would do his best to distract her or reassure her. Often it came in the form of a joke. Some were so terrible, that she would groan and shove him playfully off a rooftop. Some were actually very touching and instantly made her feel cherished and safe. Ultimately, she would reply in kind and the bad mood would be forgotten.
It was innocent, it was efficient, so there was no reason not to allow this to happen. Of course, neither of them could have predicted how a particular joke would play out.
"You don't have to worry about forgetting everything, m'lady," he said, his tone just a bit too bright, enough to show her how much the thought that she could forget him actually troubled him.
The thought was equally troubling for her. She hated even contemplating this, let alone actively fearing it. So she played along.
"Why is that, kitty?"
"I read a study that linked the consumption of passion fruit with protection from memory problems. I love passion fruit and eat it often, so rest assured that this mind won't get less sharp anytime soon. I will remember everything for you," he concluded proudly.
It was honestly the last thing she'd expected him to say. A part of her wanted to point out that knowing that he would never forget her even if she did wasn't exactly comforting. But this would defeat the purpose of the exercise.
Also she couldn't help focusing on a particular curious fact that she had just learned about her partner.
"No way," she snorted. "I must really have a type."
Chat just blinked in confusion at her reaction.
'What do you mean?"
"You love passion fruit, so does Adrien," she giggled, absolutely delighted with this discovery for some reason. It was distracting enough not to let her fully notice the suddenly horrified look on Chat's face. "He occassionally seems fond of the same annoying puns you have a penchant for, it's a miracle I hadn't thought of this before. But mostly, God this is so embarrassing, you both look the same," she all but howled with laughter.
"Ha-ha, very funny," he mumbled. "This is a joke, right?"
"I mean, it's definitely fate's cruel sense of humour when you think about it," Marinette gasped, still trying to catch her breath. "Otherwise you would be nothing like him. But I definitely have a type since I like both of you."
Now he looked stricken by surprise.
"Huh?" Was all he managed to utter and she found this extremely funny.
"Oh dear, come on! I'm not blind, kitty," she laughed. "It never really escaped my notion that you can pass as a model. Well, a more rugged version of one, but there's something for everyone, after all. I know this and the problem was never that I wasn't attracted to you. It was always that there was space only for one guy in my heart. Adrien got there first."
She said this almost solemnly, although she still felt on the verge of giggles. She had just blurted out all about her crush on Adrien to Chat! Not to mention that she'd admitted something she hadn't fully realised before about how she felt about him. This was hilarious.
"No way," he muttered, staring at her as if seeing her for the first time.
It was definitely not the effect she had been aiming for. Why wasn't he laughing? Why wasn't he just a bit entertained by the irony of it all?
In the midst of her own amusement, she couldn't help noticing just how flattering the setting sun was on him. The orange glow setting his hair on fire, drawing her attention to a lock falling in his eye that her fingers itched to push away, only to bury in the glorious lushness of it. His eyes, ordinarily full of mirth, looked like there was a storm of emotions brewing in them. It was a striking look. She could imagine a pair of elegant eyebrows furrowed behind his mask, as he obviously contemplated something important to him. His lips were slightly parted in surprise and there was no way around this, she had to admit that they looked extremely kissable.
All this joking about his inconvenient good looks had done her a number. She couldn't help focusing on this now. He was in no way inferior to Adrien, that was the truth. This was no good and she had to do something.
Thankfully, her jolly mood was still there, waiting to be coaxed back to the front.
"Like, imagine this. There is a girl who looks so much like me that you hadn't noticed at first but it's there when you think about it. And she's your friend and you enjoy spending time with her. And part of you has always felt that there was something more but you couldn't put your finger on it, possibly because you were already in love with me. You suddenly realise that you might as well have fallen twice for the same person," she finished with a flourish, proud of her delivery.
And it was funny! There was no way he could deny this. Marinette couldn't think of a more entertaining idea. If only he knew that he'd actually met her outside of the mask and this was a very real possibility. Except that it couldn't be real, right?
Once again, Chat didn't react the way she had expected him to.
"Damn," he cried out, jumping to his feet and startling her. Then he was right in front of her, his hands gently but firmly holding her head in place as he looked at her intently.
She gulped, suddenly a bit frightened. What had she done?
"Marinette," he whispered, his voice wrapping around her name like a caress. It was all too much, making warmth rise to her cheeks. "It's really you, I was right," he broke out in delighted laughter.
A bit too late for her liking. This was no longer a joke.
"Wh-what do you mean? You couldn't have known!" She exclaimed, the realisation that there was no going back dawning on her. He really knew and she hadn't even tried to deny it.
"Oh, but you just said it, m'lady, it was right in front of my eyes all this time," he grinned.
Which was not fair because it was her turn to feel shock and confusion and not be able to be in on the joke.
"It was just a joke," she protested feebly.
"Oh no, you know very well that none of what you said was a joke, just think about it," he teased her gently.
Thinking was hard. Because he was so close and there was no escaping the fact that his eyes shone with love for her even when he knew who was in front of him.
What was it that she had said? He was just like Adrien. She had a type. So did he. It was like falling for the same person twice.
The truth crystalised in her mind with surprising clarity.
"Adrien," she murmured, knocked sideways by the strength of her feelings. It was no joke that she now knew that she loved him much more than she'd ever suspected.
"There it is, you've always been the smart one," he smiled softly.
There was so much she wanted to say but couldn't. She was overwhelmed by the butterflies flooding her belly. She had never imagined feeling as happy as she was now.
Thankfully, he seemed content to speak for her.
"Let me get this straight. I was the other guy?" He asked.
For this, she only needed to nod. The way pure joy brightened his face made her heart skip a beat. God, she had been so blind and had hurt him so much. But she could make it up to him.
"So... You're not disappointed now?" There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but it couldn't fully mask the vulnerability in his eyes. He really thought that it was possible that she could be!
She tried to shake her head as energetically as possible but he was still holding her. But his sigh of relief showed that it had been enough.
His eyes held hers for a long moment and she hoped that he could read in them the same pure love she saw in his. Then they moved lower and sent her pulse higher.
"Does this mean that I can kiss you?"
The question was unnecessary. His desire was so obvious it hurt. Maybe because it mirrored hers.
She nodded once, a jerky movement that must have betrayed her nervousness. The truth was that she couldn't believe that this was happening. Finally!
His thumbs caressed her cheeks and it felt as if they dispersed some of the heat that had gathered there. He gave her time to back out, but also to collect herself. She did neither. She felt as if her heart was about to burst, but she trusted him fully, so she closed her eyes and waited for him to put an end to this agonising wait.
It happened just as her desperation reached its limit. The warmth of his lips was barely there, a feather-like touch that just made her long for more.
It was that need that propelled her forward and just like that she was no longer on the receiving end of his kiss, but an eager participant. He caught up quickly, putting just enough heat into his movements to match hers.
It was almost too much, the way her heart unfurled like a blossom avidly drinking in the sunlight it needed to thrive. It felt as if she fell apart into a million tiny pieces, because she couldn't possibly hold in this many sensations and emotions in herself. Her whole being transcended onto another plane of existence. There it was just him and her and she could lose herself in his kisses. The most divine feeling.
When he eventually pulled back, she was panting and needed more than a minute to go back to her senses.
"Feeling better?" He asked, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. But his eyes were wide with wonder that made his inner turmoil evident. He was just as moved by all this as her. If not more.
Just like that she found her voice again and it took the form of something only he could bring out.
"Not enough," she admitted, flirty and bold. "I need more kisses."
A distant part of her was panicking and spiralling over the fact that she had practically begged Adrien to kiss her again. But Chat's touch grounded her, warm and reassuring as always. His gaze was steady, even as it revealed a hunger that made shivers dance up her spine. She revelled in the knowledge that she could fully embrace her quirkiness with him, because she knew that he loved it all.
"Delivering this won't be any hardship," he said, his smile widening just enough to take her breath away. She loved him so much.
He kissed her again and every kiss told her the same thing without words, until she heard them whispered against her lips.
"I love you, m'lady."
She tried to smile, the bright fire of euphoria too hard to hold in. But her lips just sought his again. They were already addicted.
Adrien didn't seem to mind. He had coaxed her into the warm coccoon of his arms and kissing like that was easy. It was now her hands that moved up, seeking and finding what she had craved. Feeling the rustle of soft hair between her fingers made her kiss him harder. This right there was perfection.
"I love you too, kitty," she said eventually, because she had to. Surely, if there was any chance that he didn't already know this, she had to change that. To her delight, his reaction was the same as hers - more and more kisses. Soft and loving and hot enough to make her dizzy.
Marinette didn't need anything else anyway. She had it all there with her - another heart, not just any but his, beating wildly against hers in perfect harmony. Kisses encapsulated their feelings better than any words ever would.
For both of them it turned out that having a type was the best thing.