The Miraculous Marichat

Part Nine

Marinette groaned and tested her restraints once again. The akuma had taken her to the Pont Des Arts bridge and locked her to the fencing.
The cat-girl smiled down at her.
"Soon, Chat Noir will come and he will fall in love with me!" the girl declared.
"I wouldn't count on it," Marinette sighed. That boy was so head over heels for Ladybug he wouldn't even give this girl a second glance.
"I wouldn't be so sure," the girl said brandishing her baton. The end of it glowed with a sparkly pink mist. "If he doesn't fall in love with me on his own, I can simply force him! One blast from this and all he'll have to do is look at me and see me for who I really am! His true love!"
"That's despicable!" Marinette called. "You can't force someone to love you!"
"I am his biggest fan!" The girl proclaimed. "While everyone else fawned over Ladybug, I was the only one who stayed truly loyal to him. He is my soulmate! Not yours!"
Marinette groaned once again.
"I know you're not going to believe me, but let the record show that I am not dating Chat Noir and I am not in love with him."
"She's right!" Chat Noir declared as he landed on the bridge. "Marinette is my friend. Not my girlfriend. Sorry to ruin your fan fiction."
"Welcome to the party, Kitty," Marinette smiled.
"Chat Noir!" The cat girl said. "I am Fangirl! Your biggest fan and true love! I want to know who you really are so we can be together forever. Give me your miraculous so our love can prosper!"
"Sorry to disappoint, Fangirl," Chat Noir replied, brandishing his baton, "but my heart is already spoken for."
Marinette watched as her partner charged at the akuma. The girl matched his every move and soon knocked him off his feet.
"You can't defeat me!" Fangirl cried as her baton began to glow with pink energy. "I know everything about you. All your fighting moves. All your jokes! I love you, and now, you will love me too!"
Marinette felt the chains attaching her to the bridge give way as Tikki undid the lock. Not wasting a moment, Marinette sprinted forward.
She crashed into Chat Noir just as a pink beam burst from the akuma's baton.
"Marinette!" Chat cried as she blinked open her eyes.
Her vision was tinged slightly pink with sparkles at the edge as she looked down at her partner. In tackling him out of the way, she had somehow rolled to be on top of him.
He was gorgeous. The most handsome man she had ever seen. Her heart beat hard in her chest as she stared into his beautiful green eyes.
Butterflies stirred her stomach as he said her name again.
She couldn't bear to be apart from him, so she grasped either side of his face, leaned down, and kissed him.
Marinette barely heard the shriek of outrage behind her as she kissed the boy she loved. How had she been so blind for so long? He was perfect. He was amazing.
He was pushing her off of him.
In the next moment, he cradled her in his arms and took off. More shrieks of anger followed, but Marinette couldn't have cared less as she grasped his strong shoulders and buried her face against his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent. Leather and sweat and something sweet.
Marinette was barely aware of her surroundings as Chat set her back on her feet.
"Stay here, Marinette," Chat said as he tried to pry himself from her grip. "It's not safe."
"No!" Marinette gasped, hugging him harder. "I won't leave you."
"Come on, Princess. Once Ladybug and I defeat the villain, you'll go back to normal, but until then I need you to hide and stay safe."
Marinette pushed her fingers into his hair. It was so soft and gleamed so beautifully in the sunlight.
"I love you, chaton," she whispered.
Chat Noir's eyes widened at her declaration.
Marinette seized the moment to bring herself up for another kiss.
Chat Noir didn't kiss her back and Marinette felt frustration bubbling in her chest as he pulled away gently.
"Don't worry, Marinette," Chat croaked, his voice sounding funny. His cheeks were bright red. Marinette smiled at the sight, he was so cute. "Ladybug and I will fix this."
Before she could protest further, Chat Noir extracted himself from her grasp and vaulted off the building back toward the villain.
"No, chaton!" Marinette called after him.
Tikki appeared in front of her chosen's nose.
"You'll be able to help him much better as Ladybug," the kwami reminded her.
"You're right, Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed. "And then I can tell him how much I love him and—"
"Marinette, no!" Tikki interrupted. "Whatever you do, you can not let Chat Noir know you're in love with him once you transform into Ladybug."
"But—"
"No buts! If Chat Noir sees that Ladybug is suddenly in love with him, he will realize that you're Marinette."
Marinette hung her head.
"But if he knows, maybe he will love me back. He always says he loves Ladybug."
"Absolutely not," Tikki huffed, crossing her little arms. "If you can't promise to me you will be careful and not let this spell reveal your identity, then I will not transform you."
Marinette bit her lip. Her heart ached with the thought of not showing Chat Noir how much he meant to her, but if she didn't transform, she wouldn't be able to help Chat defeat the villain and he might fall in love with the akuma instead!
"I promise. Tikki, spots on!"