Marinette
She jumped at the sound of the trapdoor opening, and Chat popped his head into her room.
"Hey princess."
"You couldn't have knocked? You almost gave me a heart attack."
He smiled, climbing into her room.
"Sorry. What are you up to?"
"Finishing calculus."
He made a face, plopping down next to her.
"Will you take a break? We need to talk."
That didn't sound good. She slowly sat up, looking up at him.
"I don't want to fight today. I already told your parents I'd stay for dinner."
She looked away, her stomach turning. Why did he assume they were going to fight?
"Okay."
"I want to know what your answer is."
Of course he did. What was she supposed to say?
"Chat... I don't know what you want me to say."
She breathed, and he sat back a little, looking up at the ceiling.
"Oh chatton, let's get married and have a litter of kittens and-"
She smacked his arm, and he grinned, looking back at her.
"Oh come on princess, at least the voice was funny."
She shook her head, smiling slightly.
"I can't promise you forever. It wouldn't work. All I can do is right now."
He frowned at that, and she wanted to look away. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wouldn't lie to him.
"If Adrien had asked you that question, would you have answered the same?"
"What?"
That felt like a blow to the gut, but it didn't look like he had intended for it to be. He just looked curious.
"If Adrien had asked you, what you wanted from him, what would you have said?"
She scoffed, looking away from him. Why did that matter?
"I don't know. Why?"
"I'm curious. Would you have given him forever?"
Was this him being jealous? It felt... weird.
"I'm with you. I rejected him on Monday."
"That's not an answer."
She definitely didn't like this.
"Yes it is. Why are you suddenly acting jealous? I thought he wasn't a threat to you."
"I am jealous. He could take you on dates. Kiss you in public. Get married. He could have a normal life with you. I can't do any of that, because you don't care about who I am under the mask."
This was going to turn into a fight if one of them didn't stop it.
"I do care."
"Not enough to want to know, apparently."
She shoved the books aside, leaning forward into his face.
"I love you. Can't you just be happy with that?"
"Are you happy? Being in a relationship you know is doomed to fail?"
She sighed, laying her head in his lap. His hands went to her hair, working on pulling out her hair ties.
"I'm happy with the way we are now."
Another lie. She wanted them to have a normal relationship, it just wasn't possible. Not without her knowing who he was, under the mask. She didn't want that. It was too dangerous for anyone to know.
"But would you be happier with someone else?"
"No Kitty."
He didn't respond, and she closed her eyes, trying to relax as he drug his fingers through her hair.
"We'll figure something out. Right?"
She nodded, though she didn't believe it. The road they were barreling down was a dead end. He just didn't know it yet. Was it cruel? Should she just end it with him now, to save them both some pain later? The thought made her chest ache, and she wanted to cry. Chat meant everything to her. Maybe there was another way. She just needed to figure it out.
* * * * *
He fit right in surprisingly. Her dad seemed so welcoming, and her mom was ecstatic to have Marinette's boyfriend over. Marinette pushed her plate back, sighing softly. She was so full.
"So, we need to talk to the both of you."
Her dad said, and by the tone of his voice, she knew it was serious.
"Yes papa?"
Chat seemed to stiffen beside her, as if he knew that what was coming would be awful.
"Your mother- I mean, we, need to know that you're using protection."
He seemed just as embarrassed saying it, as they did hearing it.
"Papa!"
She hissed, and Chat cleared his throat, setting down the roll he had been eating.
"Honey we need to know. We just want to make sure you're being safe. Children are a blessing, of course. But having a child early can be hard."
"Please stop."
She murmered, her face burning. Chat seemed to be uncomfortable too, his face matching hers.
"We know you've already had sex, the walls are a bit thin."
"Sabine!"
Her dad snapped, and she stared at her in horror. Chat spit out his drink, turning away from the table to cough.
"Mom!"
Her mother rolled her eyes, sitting down across from them.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're both consenting adults. But condoms should be used."
"Okay, okay! Stop, we used a condom!"
She shouted, and Chat turned to her, his arm covering his mouth. He looked at her like she had just betrayed him.
"Good, now that we know you have had sex, we need to set up doctor's appointments and-"
"Mom! Let's talk about it later okay?"
She pleaded, and her mother sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"Alright. But, If Adrien plans on being with you for a while, you'll both have to get over being embarrassed. It's natural for couples to know these things about one another."
Chat wheezed next to her, doubling over, his coughing fit kicking back up.
"What are you talking about? I'm dating Chat."
"I thought I heard you... saying... Adrien's name the other day."
Oh God, her mother had heard everything.
"That was... different Maman."
How was she supposed to explain why she was moaning Adrien's name? Chat groaned next to her, his face hidden by one of his arms.
"Are you okay?"
"I almost died."
He mumbled, and she rubbed his back.
"You almost killed Chat Noir."
Her dad turned to her mother, shaking his head.
"I did not. We needed to talk to them about it."
"I could have lived with not talking about it."
Marinette mumbled, and her father nodded his head in agreement. Chat lifted his head, wiping his eyes. His face was practically pale. He grabbed the glass of water, taking a small sip of it.
"Mari, can you help me clear the table?"
Her mom stood, grabbing plates. Marinette helped, and when they got to the sink her mother whispered at her.
"So were you with Adrien the other day?"
"No Maman. It's hard to explain. Can we please not talk about it?"
She shrugged, taking the dishes from Marinette and putting them in the sink.
"I'm happy for you honey. He seems to care about you alot."
Marinette glanced up at Chat, who was staring down at the table in shock. She bit back a giggle, turning back to her mother.
"Thanks Maman. Chat? Want me to walk you out?"
He nodded, quickly getting up. She watched her dad shake his hand, before Chat scurried over to where they were. Someone was impatient to leave.
"Thank you for having me over. Dinner was lovely."
He mumbled, and Sabine grinned, giving him a tight hug.
"You're welcome anytime."
He smiled, hugging her back. It felt good, to know that they would accept him. Not that it mattered. He pulled away from her, and Marinette followed him outside.
"Well that was.."
"Horrible."
She finished for him, and he chuckled, nodding.
"Absolutely. But it was kind of nice. I've never really had someone that... invested, in what I was doing, or who I was doing it with."
She sighed, shaking her head. That had been embarrassing to her. Not nice. Nice would have been doing that in private, not in front of Chat.
"I'm sorry Kitty. I told dad I didn't need to have that talk, but I guess mom didn't get the memo."
He laughed, grabbing her hips and pulling her closer.
"Don't apologize Mari. I had a nice time aside from almost choking to death."
She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers, as if he had suddenly gotten tired.
"You okay?"
"Just a little jealous is all. Your family is so nice."
She kissed his cheek, wanting him to feel better, wishing his uncle would show some interest in him. Chat deserved so much more than he had been given. He sighed, looking into her eyes.
"I love you Marinette."
"I love you too Chatton."
He smiled softly, starting to lean in for a kiss, before something stopped him.
"Why do I feel like we're being watched?"
He asked, and Marinette snapped her head to the side, staring in at the bakery. He followed her gaze, her parents were behind the counter, peeking over the top of it. He laughed out loud, and she rolled her eyes.
"No privacy."
She snapped, pushing him a little, until they were out of view of the windows. She kissed him hard, wanting to convey just how happy he made her. Because she was. She was really happy with him. It made her regret all the times Ladybug had denied him. It made her wish things had been different. Maybe if she had met him in his civilian form, they could have a relatively normal relationship. But the universe worked in mysterious ways. He slowly pulled away, his breathing sounding a little labored.
"So I'm guessing no more sex in your room."
"Absolutely not. I can't believe she didn't tell me before."
He shook his head, before burying his face in her hair. This felt good, not having to hide from everyone. Hell, they were standing in plain view of anyone passing on the street, though no one was. She wished it could be like this. No more secrecy, no more lies.
"You think you'll ever want to marry me?"
She didn't mean to, but her body tensed when he asked that. He sighed, hugging her tighter.
"It's okay princess. I'm not asking you to."
She relaxed in his arms, closing her eyes. She already knew the answer to that question, but he didn't need to know it. She would. She would marry him. At least, she would want to.
"I should go princess."
"Okay kitty."
He seemed to cringe at the name, and she fought to keep a frown from appearing on her face. What was wrong with that?
"Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Oh, that reminds me. Adrien is throwing a party at his house tomorrow. Will you come?"
He paused, a look of amusement crossing his face.
"I'll see if I can. Goodnight princess."
"Goodnight."
She leaned forward and kissed him again, and he pulled back grinning.
"Until we meet again love."
He extended his baton, flying high above the buildings and disappearing over one. She went back inside, where her parents were still waiting.
"You walk him home?"
Her father asked, and she laughed, shaking her head.
"I wasn't out there that long papa."
He smiled, nodding.
"You were. But it's okay. I'm glad that the boy you're dating is Chat Noir. I know he'll take care of you, not that you need it of course."
She felt her face warm, the thought of Chat taking care of her making her heart swell. He would be a good husband, in the very far off distant future... for someone else. Someone he wouldn't have to keep secrets with. Someone that could tell him anything and everything. Someone that could give him their entire heart. Someone other than her.