Adrien was twenty years old when he first became Chat Noir and met Ladybug. Four years later, amidst the toughest time of his college career, he meets Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
A College/Reverse Crush AU exploring what would happen if Marinette was fo...
Sunlight streamed through the windows. Outside, Chat could hear the buzzing of a bee and his ear twitched, but he remained put. It would take something a lot bigger than a bee to get him to move from his current spot, nestled on Marinette's bed, playing with her hair as his girlfriend snoozed against his chest.
He sighed, staring up at the ceiling.
"You ok?"
Marinette lifted up her head, as if sensing his mind was a little far from the paradise it should've been. Her thumb stroked against his chest in a subconscious comforting manner and he pulled her tighter in reassurance. "Yeah," he sighed. "I'm fine. Just thinking."
"Uh-oh," she giggled, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth, and he tilted his head in response, pulling her into a softer kiss. "I've heard thinking is a dangerous pastime. Whatcha thinking about?"
"Ah nothing, it's stupid," Chat looked away, embarrassed to have been caught out. Because it was stupid- it was. Before she had a chance to press further, he perked up, bringing them both to a sitting position. "But I do have something for you! For our anniversary. Well I guess it's not technically an anniversary, though I've never been in a relationship for six months before so I- err-"
He was saved from his bashful babbling by Marinette, who casually bopped him on the nose. "Easy, Fluffy, I bought you a gift too."
"Fluffy?" His mouth dropped open, but he didn't have a chance to respond to the nickname before Marinette hurled herself off the bed, almost tripping down the ladder as she beckoned him to follow her. He complied, letting her lead him to her desk.
"Ta-dah!" she cried, beaming as she held out the gift. "I made this myself years ago. It's always brought me luck but...well-" she lowered her head for a moment, a pink tinge to her cheeks. "I don't need luck anymore. Not since I met you."
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Tentatively, Chat reached out to take the bracelet from her. It was intricate full of beads of varying sizes, and looked like it had taken hours to craft. He stared at it for a while, a lump forming in his throat.
Nobody had ever given him something so personal and, whilst it was a gesture that meant more to him than he could ever put into words, it also made him acutely aware of the gaping hole in his chest. The hole where things like this should've been, an everyday part of life that he'd never gotten the chance to experience. It was moments like this that reminded him just how deprived he'd been. "Thank you," he whispered, still staring at the little charm. He couldn't look at Marinette, couldn't look up and see the love he'd been lacking his whole life. Not now.
He felt her step into his space, wrapping her arms around his middle and snuggling into his side. He smiled, and the lump in his throat faded into obscurity. "Don't meowntion it!" she said with a giggle, then wrinkled her nose, looking more than a little offended by her own pun. It was too cute.
Chat grinned, kissing the top of her head. "The gift I have for you- I hid it when I came over. Check under your pillows."
Marinette's eyebrow quirked and she pulled out of their embrace to shoot him a suspicious look. "You're not just saying that so you can check out my butt as I climb the ladder, are you?"
