"Do you have to go?" I whine, pulling Chat closer to prevent him for slipping away.
"I've been here for hours, Princess. I can't get caught having snuck out." He grins, thumb caressing my cheek.
"How will I know when you'll come by again? I was really worried about you these last few weeks." I admit, feeling my cheeks burn. After the romantic evening we've had, just kissing and talking, you would think admitting that I've thought about him wouldn't be so embarrassing.
"I thought about that, and I've come up with a perfect solution. I'm going to make an Instagram account with some long weird name that only you will know. We don't have to follow each other, just keep an eye out for a message request from me."
I smile, the idea is almost fool proof. No one would find it suspicious because we wouldn't be following each other, but we could use it to communicate still. It's actually genius.
How did I never think of this?
"What are you going to make your username?" I beam up at him, toying with the ends of his cute shaggy blond hair.
"Uhhh, maybe something long and silly. Something no one else would use to reach out to you with." After a few beats of silence, he chuckles. "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt."
I burst out laughing, "his name was my name too!"
Chat Noir smiles, singing the next line, "and whenever we go out, the people always shout-"
"There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!" We both finish, laughing like maniacs.
"Perfect idea. You're kind of smart, huh?" I tease him as he takes a dramatic bow.
"I'm a lot of things." He smirks, winking at me in a gut wrenchingly adorable way.
"Egotistical is one of them."
"I prefer the term endearing." He leans in, pecking my cheek with his soft lips. I giggle, shoving him back, ignoring my brain screaming at my to pull him closer.
"Well, Mr. Endearing, I look forward to your messages." He smiles as I say this, pulling me in for one last quick kiss before heading out.
"Talk to you later, Princess." He takes off without another moments of hesitation, making me flop down on my bed with a dramatic sigh.
That was the most happy and carefree that I've felt in such a long time.
"Marinette! You're so in love with him!" Tikki's voice interrupts my lovey-daze, making me realize how I was just swooning for Chat Noir.
"I-I am not! No one is saying anything about love right now. I'm just, uh, just having some fun. I'm allowed to have some fun." I defend myself, carefully hiding my embarrassed face from my little Kwami.
"Fun is fine, Marinette. I just don't want to see my favourite holder get hurt. You've been so sad lately." She nuzzles up to me, her sincerity making my heart happy.
"I know Tikki, I'm sorry. Thank you for always looking out for me. Want something to eat? I'm starving." Tikki eagerly nods her head so I hop out of bed and prepare for the long night ahead.
After my long nap and all that time with Chat Noir, I doubt I'll be getting a good night sleep.
Especially knowing I have a lunch date with Adrien tomorrow.
Goodness gracious, when did everything become so complicated? Even the one constant in my life, my love for Adrien, is confusing me.
I suppose only time will tell.
—————
I jolt awake, dazed by the bright lights in my eyes. It takes a few moments to recognize my surroundings, the unpleasant scenery of my classroom and the judgemental stares of a few of my classmates.
"If there's an issue with my teaching, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, please feel free to let me know why I seem to bore you so much." The teacher frowns at me, causing a lump to grow in my throat.
"S-sorry, nothing is wrong, I'll pay better attention." I gulp, eyes shifting to see everyone looking at me. My pulse races, most of these people are my friends, I'm sure they're not thinking anything mean about me.
Or they all see me as the loser I am, unable to even stay awake in class.
A pressure of someone's knee presses against my own, and I quickly turn to see Adrien smiling apologetically to me. His knee brushes against mine again, almost exactly like he knows the thoughts in my head.
I watch the clock tick by, counting the minutes until lunch rolls around.
When the bell rings, I'm fast to slip out of the room in the mass of all my other classmates before the teacher can pull me aside to give me detention.
"Hey! Marinette! Slow down! Trying to skip out on our date?" Adrien jogs to catch up, an amused expression lacing his features.
"I-I, uh, no! Not at all! I just didn't want-"
"To get in trouble, I know, don't worry. Just teasing you." He smiles, reaching out to offer me his hand. I hesitate, staring at his limb like it's a weapon being used to hold me hostage.
"Relax, Marinette. I won't bite." He chuckles, my eyes snapping up to his face. This isn't the Adrien I know, he's acting so much more bold. I grab his hand, lacing my fingers through his.
I like confident Adrien. I don't know what's changed, but I like it.
"You seem different." I smile, trying to make conversation with him as we walk out of the front doors. I'm not sure if he has anything planned, but I'll leave it up to him to decide.
"Different? How?" I hear the slight panic in his voice, looking over to see his serious expression and laser focused eyes on me.
"N-not different bad! Different good, more confident. That's all I meant, I'm sorry if I offended you." I stumble out, quickly trying to fix whatever I said that caused him to look so panicked.
"Oh, I mean I just hope I always seemed confident." He admits, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward but cute lopsided smile.
"You are, trust me." I settle with just saying that, not wanting to make the situation any worse.
It's so strange to have such strong feelings for two very different people. The attractiveness of both Adrien and Chat Noir is unparalleled, but their differences are so vast. Where Adrien is a people-pleasing sweet boy with such a gentle air around him, Chat Noir is confident and knows what he wants. Chat isn't afraid to pursue what his heart desires, putting himself first, being extroverted and charming in his own goofy way.
Adrien will always put everyone's needs above his own. He's more introverted, keeping his thoughts to himself and carefully selecting the right things to say and do. He's more serious, more sincere.
Having someone like Adrien love me would probably feel amazing.
With that being said, being loved by Chat Noir is so fun. It's thrilling, electric and passionate. When Chat Noir loves, he loves with his whole heart.
Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir are two halves of the same heart; put together they'd make the most perfect person.
I shake my head, mentally kicking myself for comparing them. They're fantastic in their own ways, hence why I have such confusing feelings for the both of them.
"What are you thinking about?" Adrien asks, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I smile to myself, thinking of how my parents communicate their love through small gestures of comfort like what Adrien just did. Maybe we really would make a great couple.
"Thinking about what you've got in store for us, do you have anything in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking we could grab a slice of pizza and eat it by the river. Maybe grab some ice cream from Andre's, sound good with you?" His smile is dazzling, making me feel all warm and fuzzy as though I'm floating on a soft and fluffy cloud.
"Sounds like a dream come true." I sigh, snapping myself out of my daze, unable to hide the embarrassment that floods throughout me.
"Yeah, I agree." He chuckles and we do exactly as he planned, stopping by a mom and pop's pizza place to buy a few slices of pizza and making our way over the the river. Andre's ice cream stand is conveniently right there, making me giddy with excitement.
"Wow, that's really good timing!" I exclaim, pointing over to Andre. Adrien laughs, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand while the other holds the box of pizza slices.
"Yeah, I maybe called in a small favour for him to be here around now." Adrien admits, a rosy tint to his cheeks. My heart soars, the urge to kiss him on the cheek overwhelms me. I can't do that, I'm not in that kind of relationship with him. I know I've kissed his cheek before, but this feels different. More intimate.
"That's so sweet of you." I say, settling down into a bench overlooking the river. Adrien joins me, offering me a slice.
"I wanted us to have a good first date." His sincere voice makes my heart skip several beats, goosebumps littering my body.
"It's perfect." I say sheepishly, chowing down on the pizza to avoid having to say anything else. We sit in silence, finishing the pizza faster than we would have if we were talking.
"Got room for ice cream?" Adrien asks, walking back over after throwing our pizza boxes into a recycling bin.
"Always." I beam up at him, taking his hand as we head over to a giddy Andre.
"Adrien Agreste! Pretty Marinette! How are my two favourite lovebirds doing?!" Andre exclaims, voice as cheery as ever. I giggle, unable to hide my amusement.
"We're doing great, thank you Andre. We'll take one of your special lovers ice cream." Adrien smiles at the man, as he gives a stern nod.
"I will give you the most perfect combination to describe your perfect match! I see it clear as a cloudless blue sky. We have vanilla as the base, a mix of mint chocolate chip and blue moon ice cream in the middle, and topped off with red rose! A new flavour that is delicate and delicious, made of rose water and vanilla extract that compliments the base." Andre explains everything as he scoops the ice cream and serves it to use with two small plastic spoons.
We thank him as Adrien pays and the two of us walk off together smiling at the ice cream concoction.
Taking a spoonful, I make sure to get a scoop of each flavour as the delicate but cold treat melts on my tongue. I sigh, the taste is perfect. Sometimes Andre sounds like he speaks nothing but nonsense, but the man knows his ice cream.
The mint chocolate chip overpowers all other tastes, making me hesitate. It tastes like Chat Noir.
Staring at the ice cream, with the blond base, green and blue middle and red top, I can't help but think of Chat Noir and Ladybug.
Blond hair, green eyes. My blue eyes and red suit.
Could this mean that my perfect match really is Chat Noir?
"You're staring off into the distance again." Adrien chuckles, offering me some ice cream from his spoon. I hesitate, staring at the sweet boy and his offering.
I open my mouth, leaning in as he pops the spoon passed my lips. Silence fills the air as the two of us stare at each others. When he slowly drags the spoon out of my mouth, he leans in ever so slightly. The look of desire in his eyes overtakes my own thoughts.
The very thoughts that are screaming that I wish I was here with Chat Noir right now.
"I like you Marinette. A lot." Adrien says, voice just barely above a whisper. "I might even go as far as to say I love you."
When he leans in, lips brushing so gently against my own, I gasp. Jerking back, I drop my plastic spoon. Adrien looks panicked and immediately regretful.
"I'm sorry, I should have asked, that was wrong of me. I'm so sorry-"
"No. No, it's okay. I just... I have feelings for you Adrien. I have for a really long time. I-I.. I have feelings for someone else too though. And I think I just figured them out."
Adrien waits patiently, eyes never leaving my own. I want to be sure of myself, so I walk up and cup his face. His eyes widen before fluttering shut, my lips pressing against his own. Sparks of electricity shoot throughout me, making my body come alive.
But in my mind, I'm kissing Chat Noir. The same smell, the same taste. All of it is here with Adrien, and I think that's because I want this to be Chat Noir.
I want to open my eyes and be met with Chat Noir.
"I'm sorry, Adrien." I sigh, pulling away. "It's nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me. I really, really like you. But I think I'm in love with someone else. I don't really know. But until I know, I shouldn't be here with you. Kissing you, and going on dates. It just doesn't feel right. It's not fair to you, or the guy I like."
"I'm really happy you feel comfortable enough to tell me all of that, Marinette. I'll always be here for you, as your friend, not matter what." His smile is gentle, no anger or malice behind it. No hurt or dejected nature.
He's genuine.
It makes me feel a twinge of guilt, wondering if I hurt him and he's just really good at putting that aside so he can be my good friend still. Adrien will always put his own needs last.
But at the end of the day, I can't date someone because I'm afraid to hurt them with rejection. I need to put my needs first.
And I need Chat Noir.
We walk back towards our school side by side, sharing the ice cream with his spoon. After our kiss, it doesn't feel so scandalous to eat off the same spoon. Even if we did agree not to keep dating.
Oddly enough, conversation flows nicely between us now. I think without the pressure of saying the right things because I wanted so badly for him to love me, we can behave more like actual friends.
It's freeing.
I stop by my locker before heading back to class for the rest of the day. Quietly filling Tikki in on the details of my date, I open up Instagram super quick to see if I have any messages from Chat Noir.
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt: Hey gorgeous, how did the date go?
The message had just come in. I smile to myself, wondering how he has such good senses when it comes to me.
Me: Actually, I just got back. It was a good time, as far as hanging out with a friend goes. I don't think I'm going to be dating Adrien Agreste anytime soon.
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt: Why's that? Couldn't stop thinking about your favourite stray cat??🐈⬛
I giggle at his use of the black cat emoji, rolling my eyes as I type out my response.
Me: Surprisingly, yes. Couldn't shake Mr. Egotistical from my mind.
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt: Mr. Endearing*
Me: I'm heading back to class, Mr. Pain-In-My-Ass. Coming over tonight?
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt: The second I'm free, I'm all yours.
Me: Perfect
Clicking my phone of, my eyes lock with a smirking Tikki.
"Told you that you're in love with him." She points out, her stance filled with attitude. I laugh, rolling my eyes at her.
"Not in love. Just... happy. I'm happy. And that's a huge step up from before." I smile at my Kwami before grabbing my purse and shutting my locker.
For the first time in a long time, I can't wait for the day to blow by so I can see Chat Noir tonight.
Maybe life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.