Marinette
She looked around the hospital room, her gaze landing on Chat, who was streched out over a chair. Where were her parents? What time was it?
"You didnt have to stay."
She mumbled, pushing off the freezing blanket. At least she didn't feel like shit anymore. He jumped, and quickly sat up, giving her a grin.
"Hey princess. How you feeling?"
"Better."
She sighed, looking under the blanket. She was wearing a hospital gown.
"Where are my clothes?"
"Your mom went to go get you some. They had to cut them off."
"Oh, great."
He chuckled, moving to sit next to her on the bed.
"You scared me."
"I seem to be in the habit of scaring people lately."
She mumbled, and he kissed her forehead. Her eyes closed, and she leaned into him.
"Sorry about all of this Chat."
He shook his head and she looked up at him.
"Don't apologize. I'm glad you called me. The doctors don't really know why it happened, so your parents are probably going to start keeping an eye on you more. Good thing they know we're dating now, or I wouldn't be able to see you as much."
She flinched, sitting back. Why did he tell them?
"You told them?"
He made a funny face, tilting his head slightly.
"Do you not remember the car ride? You asked for a kiss. Then said that I didn't love you, and tried to say, in front of your parents, that I said you tasted sweet."
Oh, she had forgotten about that. She felt her face get hot, and he frowned, running his hand along her cheek.
"Don't blush princess. You'll make me nervous."
He murmered, and she turned her head, kissing the palm of his hand.
"Don't worry kitty. I'm okay. What did papa say?"
He smirked, and she shook her head. Well that couldn't be good.
"Well, after threatening me a little, he called me son and told me next time to use the front door."
She giggled, shaking her head again. That definitely sounded like him.
"Where is he anyway?"
"Down in the cafeteria, judging their rolls probably."
She grinned, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone.
"Call him so he knows you're awake."
He got up, walking to the door and poking his head out. He trusted her with his phone? It was already unlocked, and she pulled up the phone, shocked to see her number was the only one he had called. Ever. She shook it off, dialing her dad. He answered on the second ring, sounding exhausted.
"Hello?"
"Hey dad. Chat said you were in the cafeteria. Could you grab a sandwich or something for me?"
There was a small pause, and she heard a relieved sigh on his end.
"Of course baby. I'll be back in a second."
She hung up, handing the phone back to Chat. He stuck it back in his pocket, taking his spot on the bed again.
"Mari?"
"Yeah?"
She glanced at him, and frowned at the concern on his face.
"Who is Chat Blanc?"
She hadn't forgotten that part, but she had hoped he did. Lying to him was getting harder.
"Uh... just a story Ladybug told me a while back."
He seemed to sit back a little, raising an eyebrow.
"What story? I know Chat Blanc is supposed to be me, but I don't understand."
She didn't want to tell him. He didn't have to know. He didn't need to think about it.
"Please princess. The truth."
He must have known what she was thinking. She leaned back into the pillows, closing her eyes.
"Chat blanc is an acumatized version of you."
"I've never been acumatized."
Not that he remembers. She sighed, turning onto her side.
"Ladybug said you were. Once. That bunny girl helped her fix it."
She mumbled, trying not to think of that day. Of how broken he was. Of how broken everything was. She couldn't let that happen to Chat. Not again. She fixed it once, she may not get that chance again. The thought made her heart ache, and she shivered.
"Are...are you scared of me?"
He sounded so heartbroken. She sat up, shaking her head.
"Of course not. I know you'd never hurt me."
He looked unsure, and she pulled him closer, giving him a quick kiss.
"I could never be afraid of you."
He sighed, wrapping his arms around her. The door opened, and her dad walked in, holding a stack of sandwiches.
"They had like four different kinds, so I just grabbed them."
Chat pulled away from her, grabbing a sandwich from the top of the stack. She grabbed one, and he leaned over, touching her forehead.
"You look better."
"I feel better."
She unwrapped the sandwich, it was just peanut butter and jelly.
"Your mom said she was on her way back."
She nodded, taking a bite. At least her appetite had come back. Chat leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, straightening up.
"I have to head home to get ready for.. work. I'll see you later?"
She nodded, and he squeezed her arm slightly before walking around the bed. Her dad nodded at him, and he smiled.
"Stay safe out there."
"Yes sir."
He grinned at Marinette as he walked out, and her dad set his sandwich down.
"Mari... how long have you been with him?"
"Not that long papa. I didn't want to tell anyone, because I wasn't sure it would work out."
Another lie, but what was she to do? Tell the truth? Chat really would be a dead man.
"Do we um... need to have the uh... the talk?"
"Ew no. No papa."
She said quickly, her face starting to get red again. He looked relieved, and he nodded, looking down at his sandwich.
"If you have any questions-"
"Papa please. Let's just eat."
There was no way in hell she was going to have the sex talk with him. He nodded, picking back up the sandwich. She busied herself with hers, completely embarrassed. Thank god he had waited until Chat left to ask her.
"When can I leave?"
"I'll go ask."
He got up and walked to the door, flagging down a nurse that was passing. She wanted to get in her own clothes, and go home. She hated when people fussed over her and this is exactly what it felt like. A stupid fever made Chat and her parents worry. Chat was probably going to ask Ladybug about Chat Blanc, and her stomach churned at the thought. She assumed he was in the past, a mistake that wouldn't be made again.
* * * * *
"Hey honey, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine mom."
She mumbled through the thermometer. It beeped, and her mom took it, smiling as she read the numbers.
"Oh, good it's normal."
"Its been normal the last six times you've made me check. I'm okay Maman. Really."
She pinched the fabric together, working on the corset.
"Im just worried about you. What's this you're working on?"
"My prom dress."
She glanced up, her mother wearing an apprehensive look. Maybe because black wasn't really Marinette's style.
"Ah... a black one?"
"The theme is a costume party. It's a Chat Noir themed gown."
Her face lit up, and Marinette shook her head, sticking a few more pins in to hold it.
"Oh how sweet!"
She didn't respond, running her hand over the pins. This dress was going to take a little while to finish.
"Well, Chat is downstairs, he'll be up shortly."
"What? Why didn't you start with that?"
She snapped, jumping up and grabbing a sheet, tossing it on top of the sewing mannequin.
"Oh honey relax, I'm sure he'd love your dress."
"Thanks Maman."
She mumbled, looking down at her clothes. She had worn a baggy t-shirt and sweats all day, that was super attractive.
"Sure honey."
She headed back downstairs, and Marinette looked around her room, trying to figure out whether to change or not.
"Hey Mari."
So much for changing. She turned, smiling softly.
"Hey kitty."
"How are-"
She interupted, exhausted from repeatedly saying that she was fine all day. Her parents had checked on her constantly.
"Please don't ask. They've checked my temperature a thousand times today. I'm fine."
"Just checking. I missed you today."
His confession made her warm, and she rolled her eyes.
"We texted most of the day."
"Right, yes, but I missed seeing you."
"We don't see each other every day kitty."
She poked his chest, and he smirked at her.
"I can't just miss you?"
She shrugged, moving to pick up her sewing supplies. He tugged on the sheet, and she dropped everything she had on her desk.
"What's this?"
"A surprise. Get away from it."
She snapped, gently swatting his hand away. He pouted, rubbing his hand.
"I'm sorry kitty. I love you though."
She murmered, kissing the back of his hand. His tone seemed to change, and not in a good way.
"How do you know?"
"What?"
She let go of his hand, her eyes meeting his. He was upset.
"How do you know that you love me? You don't know who I am."
Of course, this was about the other day, when she told him not to show her who he was.
"I love the part of you that I do know. Isn't that enough?"
"Maybe for you."
He said curtly, and she sighed, walking away from him to tidy up the materials on her desk. Why couldn't he just leave it alone?
"I love all of you Marinette. Why can't you do the same for me?"
She closed her eyes, shaking her head.
"Your identity is important. It's secret for a reason Chat."
"For how long? How long do you expect me to parade around in front of you with a mask on? How long do I have to lie to you?"
She didn't answer, focusing on the pain in her stomach. It felt like the butterflies were attacking her with weapons. Oh well. This was how it had to be, they could just get over it.
"God, I don't understand you at all. I want to tell you who I am. I want to show you every part of me, and you hate it. Most girls would kill to have their boyfriend be completely open and honest with them."
"And most girls would regret that decision later."
She snapped, and it wasn't even the truth. But he needed to understand how much she didn't want to know. She was fine with the way things were.
"Are you saying you wouldn't love me without my mask?"
"Of course not. I love you. Period."
She finally turned around to face him, and she immediately wished she hadn't. He was sitting in her desk chair, his face in his hands. He looked so defeated.
"What do you want from me Mari? What's your end game? I know exactly what I want with you. I'm starting to think we don't want the same things."
What was her end game? She knew they couldn't be together forever. Not like he wanted. Not like she wanted. They didn't have a choice. Ladybug and Chat Noir couldn't be together. It was too dangerous.
"I don't know."
"I think I do. I don't think you ever got past the point of our arrangement. I think you're just with me to pass the time."
When he looked up he had tears in his eyes, and she moved, kneeling down in front of him.
"That's not true."
Was it? She knew they could only end in a break up, so what was the point? Was she just stringing him along? He pulled away from her, shaking his head.
"It is. You don't care who I am. You only care about the cat. The person under the suit is completely irrelevant to you."
"Chat, I love all of you. I don't have to know your name."
He stood, stepping around her.
"That's the difference between you and me. When I loved Ladybug, I would have died for her name. I would have done anything to get her to trust me enough."
"It's not about trust. Its about protection."
He scoffed, and turned to look at her. His eyes were still watery, but he wasn't crying.
"You sound exactly like her. Neither of you cared about the person under the mask."
The comparison made her flinch, and she looked at the ground. Of course she cared. But they had a job to do, and knowing who the other is could fuck it up. This was for the best.
"I do care."
"You know what I want from you? Forever. I want to wake up next to you and fall asleep there too. I want to have a family. I want us to be happy together. Now I know you don't want that. You need to figure out what you want from me."
His words were cold and controlled, but she could tell he was trying to keep from getting upset any more than he already was. He walked over to the trap door, leaning down and opening it.
"You're leaving?"
"I'm gonna go home. Tomorrow you can tell me what you want from me, and we can go from there."
What the hell did he expect her to tell him?