I'm always here for you

9

Marinette's POV

"I just can't believe I kissed Adrien Agreste!" I say for the millionth time to Tikki as I pace around my room. "But what's worse, is that he kissed Ladybug, not Marinette!"

"Oh come on, Mari, when are you going to learn?"

"Huh?"

"Marinette and Ladybug are the same person," she replied. "Adrien just hasn't fallen in love with plain old Marinette because you act so s-s-stuttery around him, but he fell in love with the confident side of you, which is more like the Marinette I know."

I throw a pillow at her. "I don't sound that bad."

"You're right. You sound worse."

I groan.

Suddenly, there's a knock on my window. I shriek, but relax when I notice it's just Chat.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him, as I open the window.

"I-I don't want to be alone."

I soften. Maybe he was lying when he said he was okay before.

"Do you want to spend the night?"

"Y-yeah, if you d-don't mind?"

"Of course I don't," I assure him. "Here, you can sit on my bed while I go find a sleeping bag."

I quietly walk down the step ladder out of my room, and head towards the linen closet.

"Tikki, what do you think is going on?" I ask, grabbing a foam mattress and some sheets.

"I'm not sure," she answers. "But I think it's wise to let him stay here."

"Yeah. I hope he's okay. Maybe something's happened at his home."

I bring the stuff back upstairs, but I find Chat already asleep on my bed.

"Aww, kitty."

I sit down beside him, dropping the blankets and sleeping bag. I'm tired, so I lay down beside him.

I try to fall asleep, but I'm unsuccessful. I'm finally starting to drift off when I hear a whimper.

"Chat?"

He's shaking uncontrollably, tears running down his cheeks. He's tossing and turning, as if having a nightmare.

"Kitty?" I whisper, poking him. I repeat the action a few more times, until he jerks awake with a gasp.

"It's okay! You're okay," I assure him, running my fingers through his hair.

We whimpers again, and curls up into my lap, like a sweet little kitten.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Just want to stay like this?"

He nods.

So that's how we stay, holding onto each other, until we both fall asleep.

—————-

I awake to the sound of my alarm.

"Oh, no! Not again!" I cry, jumping out of bed.

"What time is it?" Chat asks, rubbing his eyes.

"Time for school," I answer, tying my hair up while trying to pick out an outfit. "Come on! You don't want to be late!"

"Nah, Collège Françoise Dupont is a pretty chill school," he replies sleepily. "You go on ahead, Mari. I'll meet you there."

"Wait..." I freeze. "We go to the same school?"

Chat is speechless for a moment, likely thinking about how to cover that up. In his moment of silence, I start thinking about who Chat could be. Obviously he isn't a girl, and of course he'd have to be blond... oh my god.

"Adrien?"

Chat's head shoots up, confirming my thought.

"Oh my f**king god, I rejected Adrien Agreste!"

"You... rejected me? When?"

"Uh..."

Sh*t.

"There's only one person who's ever rejected me... and that's..."

I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, not wanting to see his look of disappointment.

"M'Lady," he whispers into my ear, as he surprises me with a hug.

"I don't understand," I say pushing him away slightly. "Aren't you disappointed?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

"Because... I'm just a girl who can barely get a word out around you. I'm simply a baker's daughter, and there's nothing special about me..."

"Whoa, that's not true. You're amazing, Marinette. You're smart, talented, beautiful, caring... which is all a friend could ever ask for."

"Oh," I sigh, remembering that he only sees me as a friend. "Right."

"But... to me," he says, lifting my chin with his finger. "You've always been more than that."