When Duty and Desire Meet

Origins: Prologue

"Absolutely not!" Chat pressed a hand to his heart and Marinette hummed in disbelief, even as she slipped out of his arms and made her way back up to her bed. His eyes trailed after her. "Though now you mention it, that's an unintended purrk."

He was rewarded for his flirtations by a cushion flying straight at his face. Chat laughed, cuddling up to the cushion as he waited for Marinette to find his present. He hoped she would like it...

"Chat NOIR!"

Ok. Maybe not.

Marinette was stomping back towards him, face red and full of righteous... fury? Embarrassment? Awe? Chat didn't know but the look (coupled with the shrieking) made him unexpectedly terrified. "Princess?" He replied tentatively.

She shook her head, showing him the red box which contained her present. "I can't accept this!"

His heart sunk and he tilted his head, trying not to look too hurt. God, he knew it. He just knew when he bought it that it was dumb. He should've bought her something practical, like a lifetimes supply of sewing materials, or an internship at his father's fashion house- though it'd be complicated to explain the latter one. "Is- is something wrong with it?"

Marinette gaped at him, then at the box, then at him again and Chat got the distinct feeling he was missing something. After spluttering through a few garbled syllables, she managed to blurt out "CARTIER!"

Chat blinked, tilting his head. "Yeah, that's where I got it...err...do you not...like...Cartier?" Maybe he should have gone to Tiffany's instead.

He'd never seen Marinette's eyes so wide. It would have been cute, if he wasn't so lost. "Chat! I- that's not- I mean, no. Cartier is fine- good? Amazing! But I can't accept it- it's- how did you even afford it?!"

Oh.

Oh.

It was then that he understood, and he wanted to kick himself. The idea of it being expensive hadn't even crossed his mind. Of course Marinette knew the price tag, she was a fashion student! And now she was standing there, wondering how a seemingly every day, run of the mill superhero could afford something like a Cartier bracelet.

Shit.

When Chat didn't reply for a while (frozen in his own stupidity), Marinette prompted him a little bit. She sighed, stepping forwards. "Chat..."

"I had a cu-paw-n!" he blurted, in a strangled voice.

She frowned. "Chat."

"I have a superhero salary!"

"No you don't," she snorted.

"I'm a cat burglar?"

"Really?"

"...No."

Marinette laughed, making sure she held the box and didn't accidentally drop it as her shoulders shook. "Is this the part where you reveal you're like, Bruce Wayne? Rich guy by day, black-clad superhero by night?"

She giggled again, wiping at her eyes, before becoming acutely the aware that she was the only one laughing. When she glanced back at Chat, at his pale expression and tight lips, her jaw dropped open again. "Oh my GOD, you arrrre!"

"NO! No," Chat adjusted his volume to something less incriminating, waving his arms frantically. Then panicking as the beads on the charm Marinette had given him rattled. He clutched it to his chest tightly. He'd messed up, he'd messed up so badly. "I'm not rich! My- my parents are rich."

"That's just what a rich person says!" Marinette's eyes sparkled, her face filled with glee. When Chat's face dropped, his ears flattening against his head, Marinette patted his arm. "Relax kitty. I'm just teasing! One of my best friends comes from a wealthy family too. I promise I won't treat you differently now I know. Though-" she looked down at the bracelet box- "are you sure this wasn't expensive for you? It's just so much."