Appreciating Chat Noir

Chapter Thirteen

She felt herself grasping for straws, not sure how to respond. "I-I- you have feelings for me?"

"Yes, I thought that was obvious," Adrien stated embarrassed knowing he was crossing a line but he had come too far to just stop now. He had to know. Why not him?

"I had no idea you had feelings for me!" Marinette said, not expecting this rather unexpected turn of events.

"You didn't?"

"No." She shook her head.

"But I thought it was obvious, I shared I had feelings for you –

"Yeah, in the past!"

"- and I told you that I was falling for you-

She looked at him incredulously. "That was a 'sign'?!" She made air quotes with her fingers while saying the word. "I thought that was just a stupid pun to break the tension of you literally falling on me."

"Stupid?! Puns aren't stupid." He looked at her with an almost angry expression. It confused her.

"Adrien, how was I possibly supposed to know that if you've never said anything?!" Marinette couldn't believe they were in this situation. Could it possibly get any worse?!

He stuttered, grasping at straws. "It's not my responsibility to tell you how I feel!"

She scoffed looking away. "If you want me to know about it, it is." She got up, walking to the other side of the elevator. "And also, about the pun thing, debatable."

Marinette crossed her arms, starring at the elevator doors. Adrien looked down at his lap, ashamed. "Marinette, if you had known earlier about how I feel about you, would that have changed anything before you started dating- you know."

Marinette heavily sighed. "I really don't know."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Adrien sighed deeply before he spoke next. "Marinette, I'm sorry that I- well, you know."

Marinette looked over at him with a wounded look in her eyes. Adrien sighed and looked at the wall. "I respect your decision. You did the right thing, I- I was in the wrong here, Marinette. I'm so sorry. Chat Noir is lucky to have you."

She smiled; glad he could at least admit it. "I don't know, sometimes I wonder if he's too good for me. He's been there for most of the process of getting the projects ready for the competition, and whenever I have no one to talk to, he's there. Meanwhile whenever I meet confrontation I run away."

Adrien stood up and walked towards her, grabbing one of her hands. "I'm sure that isn't true." He looked at her with longing, hoping she'd see how much he appreciates her. He remembered earlier and let go of her hand, trying to be a better friend.

Her eyes flicked to the doors one last time, nudging Tikki discretely, before gently guiding his head with her hand, urging him to look at her. She leaned forward and gently kissing his cheek, using that moment to whisper in his ear. "Under different circumstances I would have loved to... have kissed you somewhere else. It's unfortunate that things are different."

Adrien felt his chest swell, and his cheeks grow warm, holding a hand over his cheek where she had kissed him, blushing deeply. He struggled to regain composure to know what to say, how to respond. However, when he looked up, the doors were somehow open, and Marinette was gone.

His heart fell, as he realized she had left. He felt as if she was sand, slipping through his fingers. Would he ever have her?

Just as he was wondering this, he felt a nudge from his shirt pocket – plagg. "Adrien, I know what it's like to lose something – as I lost my favourite cheese once – but we need to go! There's an akuma out there!"

Adrien gave plagg a look. "Loosing camembert is not the same as being rejected by the person whom you love. It's completely different."

Plagg bumped his nose. "Look kid, there's a bad guy out there who will destroy Paris unless someone can stop it. And you (as well as Ladybug) are the only ones who can stop it right now. This is not a joke. This is not a drill."

Adrien sighed and looked up determinedly. "You're right Plagg. It's just that sometimes it's... hard."

"I know." Adrien saw the flash of sadness in the kwami's eyes and knew that he was thinking of previous owners of the miraculous. He nodded, the two having a fist bump moment.

"Alright. Plagg claws out!"

Marinette quickly ran out of the elevator doors that Tikki had managed to open and ran out into the hallway, wiping away tears. As much as the wanted to be with him, being Ladybug would always have to come first. Well, that is until they defeat Hawkmoth that is.

She ran around a corner and peered around, seeing no one. She quickly transformed into ladybug and threw her yoyo, zipping back towards the elevator to make sure Adrien made it out okay and to look for the akuma.

To her great concern, both weren't there. "Glad you could... fly in M'lady." She heard a voice whisper.

She looked up and saw Chat Noir standing on top of the elevator, through the hatch. As she climbed up to join him, he offered her a hand, which she accepted. As she was about to speak, he gently placed a finger on his lips and shook his head, gently pointing hers up.

Up above was the event crasher, looking through one side of the elevator shaft to the other in a floor higher up, oblivious to the two superheroes down below him. Her eyes widened as the saw the hoard of event crashers cronies – innocent Parisian citizens turned into spider-like creatures all looking for them, crawling obliviously above them on the walls.

She focused her eyes determinedly, trying to think quickly of a plan. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at Chat Noir who was standing right in front of her, gestured to the hatch below them.

Climbing back down into the elevator, everything was silent, silent before the calm, just as Chat Noir accidentally squeaked his foot on the metal contraption. He looked up, panicking.

Event crasher and all of the other spider-like creatures looked down at him with a flash and Chat Noir only had a single moment to look eyes before the first one came down to attack.

The creature flew down at him and nearly nocked him over. He yelped and brought out his baton, extending it a bit to fight with. The spider creature was soon joined by others just like it. Ladybug moved quickly and moved through the hatch before it was too covered by others just like it. She threw her yoyo and attached it to a bar high above, flying up above close to Event Crasher.

Finding a secure spot to land, she then threw her yoyo down around the spider creature attacking Chat Noir and threw them in another hallway. He got up and extended his baton, moving to join her, narrowly avoiding several other spider-creatures.

They quickly leap into the hallway, running as fast and as quietly as they could away from Event Crasher and his cronies. The spider-creatures were fast, but Event Crasher was faster. "Oh Ladybug, Chat Noir! Give me your miraculouses!"

They ran down one hallway seeing several spider-creatures chasing after them. Turning around to go the other way around the corner they saw more spider creatures. Behind them was none other than Event Crasher. Once more, they were trapped!