Amnesia [MARICHAT]

23

   Chat Noir met up with Marinette as she walked from her school to her home, and immediately began speaking.

   "I have to leave for an hour or two. Ladybug promised me she will take care of you until I get back. I'll call her to let her know when, okay? She'll meet you up in your room."

   He left after that, without a goodbye. He seemed to rush a little bit and she worried about him.

   How exactly was she going to pull of the Ladybug thing? She supposed she would have to transform while he was gone so she could receive the call and let him know that she was going to leave right before he got there. If he found out she was Ladybug.. she didn't know what she would do.

   Marinette knew that Chat Noir once had a crush on his spotted partner, but it had faded when he fell in love with her. He had never told adybug about his feelings for either of them so as far as Ladybug knew, he was just over her.

   She had asked him about it as Marinette once. After she had lost her memory. He said he didn't know. But he had. He had lied to her.

   Honestly, Marinette was nervous. She was paranoid about being out in the open without Chat, even though she let him go before she actually got in her room. She felt like there was a gun trained on her all of the time, but she had no idea when it would shoot.

   The second she climbed up into her bedroom, she transformed.

   She had no idea what to do for an hour - or longer.

   She concluded going about the city was a bad idea, assuming Chat was still in Paris and could most definitely spot her. She didn't know where he lived or where he had gone, so it wasn't safe. Plus, just in case her parents came up and discovered her missing, she didn't want to leave. They tended to call up to her room every once in a while. Ever since her memories had gone haywire, they had been extra cautious with her about everything. She was supposed to be in her room, so there she would stay.

   She decided to pull out her homework and start on it. It would make more sense if she had already began when Chat came back.

   It felt incredibly strange to sit at her own desk and do her homework dressed in a spandex suit and wearing a mask. She felt bad for Tikki, who had to stay in her earrings for an hour for no reason.

   An hour and a half passed before her yoyo buzzed, and she snatched it off her hip to flip it open. Chat's face appeared. He looked as if he was almost there.

   "I'm on my way. Is everything all right?"

   She nodded. "Yes. I have to go now, so I'll leave it to you."

   She was about to shut her yoyo when Chat Noir spoke again. "Wait.. Did she... Did she say anything about me?"

   She didn't know how to respond. It was few seconds before she answered. "She told me about the nature of your relationship."

   He winced, obviously feeling bad that he hadn't told Ladybug himself.

   "And she said... that she hates that it has to be this way."

   He had stopped, and was looking out over the city. He nodded, took deep breath and said, "Thanks."

   He ended the call. Ladybug took a deep breath herself and ended her transformation, her nerves shaken.

   Tikki gave her a look, one that said she didn't think any of this was a good idea, and flew off the her stash of cookies, out of sight of Chat Noir.

   Marinette knew that Tikki was beginning to understand. It wasn't like she could really hide it from her - not when Tikki was by her side 24/7. And she was smart. Marinette would bet a thousand dollars that her kwami was aware of their affections - if only just.

   Her trap door opened and Marinette's attention immediately flew to her homework, wanting to ignore the handsome (as far as she knew) green eyed boy in the catsuit. She heard him hop down to her bed and - stay there.

   Neither of them said a word and it was all suddenly awkward.

   She could hear her own heart beating.

   "So what did you think?" He asked, shattering the silence into a million little pieces.

   "Of what?"

   "Ladybug. You haven't met her before, have you?"

   "Oh." She still didn't turn to look at him. "She was nice. We talked."

   She almost laughed - one of those nervous, bizarre laughs. She was literally talking about herself.

   He didn't say anything after that.

//

   Chat Noir was in pain - so much pain. He watched her as she worked. He couldn't stop staring.

   Every time he breathed, it was for her. Every time his heart beat, it whispered her name.

   Marinette.

   Marinette.

   Marinette.

   All he could think about was Marinette.

   This was how if felt to be in love so desperately. He smiled a grim smile. He had never, not once, felt anything to this magnitude for Ladybug. But he had liked her. A lot. But it was never love.

   Chat sat on her bed, knowing that she had slept there a thousand times, and his mind wandered to places it shouldn't go.