Redemption.

Hello reader, we got another fairly long chapter for your enjoyment. I don't personally like it to be long, usually around the range of 3000 words is okay but beyond that may seem be too long. But at the same time, I wanna cover everything that is necessary for this chapter so I've been wondering. Do you guys like it this way or you want it to be shorten a little? When I write, I like to be precise and descriptive. That way, it is more enjoyable and understandable. Let me know through your comments. That's all I want to address so enjoy todays chapter.

"That's crazy!"

Adrien stood still, trying to process everything that he said. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. From things like corrupt souls to transforming into the dangerous Chat Blanc. Even to his knowledge, he doesn't know anymore than he does because during the span of the incident with Marinette to the great battle. There are no context to the things he's done in between.

For all he could know, he could have committed major crimes, destruction, pain, and possible murder. Adrien couldn't take it and started to hyperventilate. Master Fu tries to calm the boy down, reassuring him that all those are past behind him but it does not seem to work. Despite what he says about Chat Blanc who's now gone, the sins he has committed still remains with him.

His crimes could not easily be dismissed.

Adrien asked what had happened to Marinette, saying that the last time he remembered her was with the two akumas. He reassures her that she was okay, matter of fact. He explains that Marinette was one of the key parts in saving him during the final battle. Adrien stood there confused,

1. Adrien.

1. "What do you mean "key parts?" Are you saying you willingly allowed her to fight Chat Blanc? How could you do that?"

.

2. Master Fu.

2. "I had no say in the matter. Marinette insisted on coming."

.

1. "You could've easily turned her down, couldn't you? You are the miraculous guardian, surely you had some higher authority to tell her not to go?"

.

2. "If it was only that simple, Adrien. You must know that I believed it was a good choice to put young Marinette in the team."

.

1. "You're saying it was an okay idea to allow herself to be put in danger? To put Chloe, Luka, and Alya at risk!"

.

2. "She is the only one who encountered Chat Blanc in multiple occasions. We needed her insight on how you behaved."

.

1. "That is not a good enough reason. You could've grabbed the information from her and leave her out but you still brought her?"

.

2. "I had to! When it came between the 5 of us. Young Marinette had the biggest drive to rescue you than any one of us. She was determined to bring you back at any cost. I was in no position to turn her down."

.

1. "I know but still-"

.

2. "Adrien, you believed that all this was orchestrated by me correct?"

.

1. "Well who else would come up with this plan? You're the miraculous guardian so obviously it would be you."

.

2. "No, you are wrong my boy. The one who planned all this was Marinette."

.

(What?)

(Marinette?)

(Why would she do that?)

.

1. "You are lying."

.

2. "Believe me, Adrien. It's true."

Master Fu saw the shock in his eyes, "for the past weeks you were gone. Marinette was the one who was suffering the most. She was the one who personally came to me about planning out ways to bring you back." The boy didn't know how to react to this. Whether to be mad at her for doing something so reckless or be grateful about how much she cares for someone like him. Happy even to know how far she was willing to go for Chat Noir.

"Wait, you mentioned that in the final battle. It was against Ladybug and Chat Blanc correct? If so, what happened to you guys beforehand?" Master Fu was hesitant to answer his question which he could guess for the worse, "sadly, I don't even know myself. Chat Blanc was about to unleash a very bright, powerful attack and after that. I do not remember, it is a mystery to me. I am sorry."

Adrien grows impatient as the old man was not telling him what he needs to know, "You have to remember. Please?" he goes on but he refuses to answer. Instead, his eyes and expression was enough for him to get the message.

He understood the extent of what the elder was trying to say but it was not enough. He is still not sure to what extent are his sins. The blondie's heart aches at the possibility. Although it wasn't directly his fault, it was still his body nonetheless and he needs to take responsibility.

Adrien looked out the door to see that the sun is setting and night is slowly approaching. Perfect timing really as this old geezer seems to have nothing else to tell him about. It was believed that he left him on bad terms, unable to understand his thought process to bench Mari.

Regardless, he's useless to him now and needs to move on to someone else, somebody else who could answer his questions. He thanked the man for his hospitality as he grabbed his miraculous and headed straight out the door.

If he was going to get more answers, he had to confront Ladybug next.

Back in Marinette's room, she is distraught. It has been weeks since the battle and the encounter with Bunnix and still there was no sign of Chat Noir. With the daily and nightly patrols, fighting akumas, or even just scanning the city of Paris. He was nowhere to be found. All she has been doing is worrying about him constantly about the worst possible fates.

(I wonder what he is doing.)

(Is he okay?)

(Where is he?)

(I'm worried he might still be out of it.)

(Why can't I see him?)

(I want to see him?)

(What if Bunnix is right?)

(What if he never recovers?)

Because of what Bunnix has told her about Chat's "supposed" fate. The thought of him passing away suddenly came across her mind and she couldn't help herself but wonder about it. She is afraid that all the struggle and pain they went through would have all been in vain.

Tikki was there to calm her down, "don't worry Marinette. I'm sure Chat Noir would be okay. Let's focus your thoughts on tonight's patrol" she reassures her.

"Easy for you to say. No matter what happens, your precious little friend Plagg will be okay. His life is not the one who's in danger right now" she scoffs with a sense of displeasure. "Please don't say that Marinette. I take back what I said before so let's just stay positive okay?"

Mari brushed her off, "Whatever you say. Besides, you made you priorities clear as day so let's just get this patrol over with already" calling out to her transformation.

Now standing firm is a hero without her partner. Unfortunately, as much as she wants to stay optimistic, going on patrols without her kitty is really what she has envisioned. In a sense of how annoying it can be to cover the whole city of Paris by herself and the amount of time it takes to patrol has now doubled with him gone.

The lack of motivation to pull through with her duties as Ladybug already feels irritating as it is without his sarcastic remarks and puns to keep her entertained. Without him being here, it can get pretty lonely.

Calling back to the good times when he was here, Ladybug wiped away the lingering tears from her eyes as she headed out through her hatch. As much as she wants to start the patrolling, she finds herself zipping towards the usual spot where Chat and her would always meet up before partaking in their patrols.

Unbeknownst to her, she believes that her eyes started to play games because in a far distance, she spots a vivid silhouette of someone sitting on the edge of the roof. She can't make it out yet because of the darkness but someone is definitely there.

Maybe it was just an illusion or of how much she misses him has started to mess with her mind in making her see things but as she got closer. The more she was convinced that maybe it was not fake.

For the first time in what appears to be forever, a genuine smile began to form upon her face as she saw her precious little on a roof....all alone without his Lady.

Ladybug was eager to land and give him the biggest, longest, heartfelt hug she could offer. The sudden hug from behind did indeed startle him a bit but he slowly opened up to her embrace as he gently hugged her back.

Tears of joy streamed down her mask and to his leather back as she listened to the soft purrs coming through from his chest. This was indeed her kitty, alive, here and safe.

Ladybug felt her hands loosen the grip around his waist because it was Chat himself, signaling her to let him go. She didn't bother to question because it might bring up needless drama between them and that is the last thing she wanted when he just got here.

1. Ladybug.

1. "Chat Noir, you're here and well. How ya been?"

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2. Chat Noir.

2. "I've been doing pretty well lately. Thank you Ladybug."

.

1. (Ladybug?)

1. "No more flirtatious manners Chat?"

.

2. "Sorry.....M'Lady, it's just that I got some stuff on my mind."

.

1. "I'm just kidding kitty. What's on your mind. I me help you in any way I can."

.

2. "I actually do have a couple things I like to ask."

.

1. "Okay, shoot."

.

2. "Is it true that you fought with Chat Blanc?"

.

1. "Uh....Yeah."

.

2. "By yourself?"

Ladybug was taken aback as she saw his expression. It looked like he was in pain, confused, frustrated, and lost. "uh...yeah, I did" she quietly admits. Chat asked a follow up question, "so what happened to your team. Master Fu says he doesn't remember beyond a bright light."

Ladybug was quiet, refusing to help elaborate his explanation and he took note of this. "He mentions it was the final fight. One between you and him. With how dangerous I was. I only assume-"

His voice started to shake as he drew to his conclusion. Ladybug idly stood by as he watched Chat struggling to make out the words and that broke her heart.

1. Chat Noir.

1. "I don't get it. You would have prevented this. Were you even there during the fight? Master Fu never mentioned you during his explanation."

.

2. Ladybug.

2. "Not exactly. I can't say"

.

1. "Okay! Care to explain where were you then?"

.

2. "I can't really explain but.... I can't say. I'm sorry Chat."

.

1. "You can't explain?You can't tell me the reason to your partner We've been working together for years and yet you still can't trust me?"

.

2. "You're getting mad. I can see that."

.

1. "Anger is the overstatement of the century, Ladybug! You weren't there when they needed you the most and you can't give me a proper excuse?!."

(He had every right to be angry at me but I can't simply drop the bomb so suddenly. It would throw all sense and logic away in his head and break him. Right now he is not ready for the reveal, despite how much I want to tell him.)

(This is hard. I don't want to lie to him anymore but I also don't want to hurt him either.)

"You left them alone Ladybug. You were supposed to protect them from people like me" Chat's entire starts to shrivel up at the mere thought of hurting, possibly killing the one person that means everything to him.

"I killed A-Alya? Luka? C-Chloe Right? Tell me, with these hands. D-Did I kill Marine-"

"NO!" calling out to the broken kitty. Chat snapped out of his mental breakdown as he darted his attention to his beloved partner. "You didn't kill them Chat. It wasn't your fault to begin with and you weren't yourself at the time so please don't blame yourself." Ladybug's leg lost strength as she fell to the floor, constantly reminding him that what he did was beyond his control.

"YouDidn'tDoIt.ItWans'tYourFault.PleaseDon'tBlameYourself.PleaseDon't.ItWasn'tYourFault.It'sMine.YouDidNothingWrong.ItWasn'tYourFault.YouWeren'tYourself.It'sNot.It'sMyFault.AndI'mSorryForThatMyKitty."

"It's my fault."

Chat lashes out in a fury of distraught, "I don't know if I should be mad at you for not being able to be there or mad at myself for not being strong enough. I don't know if I can even forgive you for not protecting Marinette sooner..... At this point, I don't have anyone else to blame but myself."

Chat quickly embraced the emotional girl, "I know It's not your fault Ladybug. You did your best to help me and I appreciate that so don't put this blame on you because you don't deserve it. I didn't mean what I said."

1. Ladybug.

1. "Please don't blame yourself. It was because I was not there when you needed me the most that you lost yourself. For a while, I find myself being too late in saving people I care about."

.

2. Chat Noir.

2. "Well, I tend to disagree, Ladybug."

.

1. "Why?"

.

2. "You did the best you can."

.

1. "So why does it seem like all the pain you went through was because of me?"

.

2. "It wasn't, I trust you enough to know that you give it your all for us. You've sacrificed so much for us. I was just too angry because not knowing what I did is terrifying."

.

1. (Oh no kitty. I'm so sorry.)

Chat reassured his partner, "I'm just a little mad that I could have possibly hurt people and I have no memory of it." Chat looked down to his hands as he clenched it to a fist. "Who are you directing your anger towards?" she asks weakly.

"I don't know. I tried with the old man, you, maybe Marinette as well but the reasons don't match up. If I'm being honest, I'm mostly angry at myself" growling to himself.

Ladybug rests her hand upon his, allowing him to release his anger. Chat Looked up to meet his eyes with her saddened ones, "anyways. Thank you for telling me your side of the story. All that's left is one more person."

Ladybug stood on her own, "what do you mean one more person?" she asks curiously. Chat stood up right after her and turned his back on her as he readies to start patrolling.

"I still need to ask Marinette for her side of the story. I need to know why she would put herself in danger for me. Only then will I make my final decision."

(Final decision?)

"Oh!" turning his head back to her. "Thanks for saving my life. I owe my life to you my sweet bugaboo" sending a cheeky smirk her way.

(There it is!)

The blushed Ladybug remembered how much his energetic charisma affected her as she turned bright red, even unconsciously smiling. Before they knew it, both of them went off their separate ways to do their nightly patrols.

Ladybug was first to finish her patrol and it appeared that Chat wasn't done as he was nowhere to be seen. Ladybug was willing to wait and before she knew it, about half an hour passed by. She couldn't believe that it took this long for him to do a patrol but then again. After the battle and a long, well needed rest, it would take a while for him to bounce back.

Chat finally appeared,

1. Ladybug.

1. "You're quite the slow-poke aye Chaton? lol"

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2. Chat Noir.

2. "Hah very funny. This black cat may be a little off his game tonight."

.

1. "Understandable. You've been through alot."

.

2. "Yeah, but there's still more to know."

.

1. "And you think this Marinette girl will be able to clear everything up."

.

2. "I know she can. She was there during the akuma attack and Master Fu said she was the one who came to him first about the Chat Blanc."

.

1. "Oh, that's right."

.

2. "I believe that if I confront her about it, everything will be clear....but."

.

1. "But?"

.

2. "But I'm afraid that if I see her now. She will be scared of me."

Ladybug's eyes widened to her surprise, "why do you think that she will be afraid?" Chat looked hesitant, "because of what I did to her as Chat Blanc. She may sustain some traumatic or physical damage." Chat grips his own arm to force it to stop trembling. "I want to see her but I don't want to hurt her anymore. What should I do? Should I visit her or wait a little longer?"

Ladybug approached her vulnerable partner and grabbed one of his hands to reassure him. "I'm sure Marinette wants to see you just as much as she wants to see you, Chat. Go to her and let her know that you are okay" sending his way a gentle smile. Chat immediately cheered up and his eyes shined bright as he made his decision, "thanks Ladybug. I decided to see her. I want to see her."

Ladybug blushes at his indirect confession, "then go ya silly kitty. Go to her" bidding him a farewell as he jumps to the night. Once he was out of sight, Ladybug made sure to take a slight shortcut, that way she could make it to her balcony a lot faster than Chat Noir.

Ladybug landed on top of her balcony and with no kitty in sight. "Tikki, Spots Off" and she was immediately de-transformed. Before Mari had any chance to tell Tikki to hide, the little kwami already went zooming off by phasing through the floor and into the room. The dumbfound bluenette stared at the floor in confusion but was quickly snapped out of it as soon as she heard a familiar, loving voice.

"Hello purrrincess. Long Time no Chat."

Marinette was on the verge of tears just by his gentle voice calling out to her nickname, oh how long she yearned for him to say those words. For weeks she has missed his genuine voice. Mari had to recollect herself before facing her kitty, "hey kitty! Haven't seen you for so long. How are you doing?" trying her damndest not to stumble upon her words.

Chat made himself known as he appears to the light, "I've been wanting to talk to you for a while. Will paw-lease make time for me?" he asks in a gentle tone.

"Of course! I always make time for you- I mean yes. Yes I would, I mean now is a good time, despite the fact that it is late at night but you always visit me at night and I miss that so much- I mean I missed you so much- I mean-" she continues to ramble on and on while he just stood there.

Chat watched her ramble on her own and that reminded him how cute she could get and how much he missed this. How much he missed her. As much as he wants to let this charade keep going on, Chat grabbed her attention by grabbing her hand, "Marinette, focus. I need you right now." She blushes as she feels his leathered glove. "Okay, right. Sorry."

1. Chat Noir.

1. "I heard from Master Fu that you came to him."

.

2. Marinette.

2. "Yes, that's true."

.

1. "Why did you go to him?"

.

2. "Well. At the time, I was the only one who's met Chat Blanc personally on multiple occasions but I was too weak to confront you. I needed help from him."

.

1. "I did? Did....I hurt you?"

.

2. "No! Of course not! You would never hurt me."

.

1. "That wasn't me at the time. I'm still in the dark when it came to my actions."

.

2. "You never hurt me Chat."

.

1. "Then what is that?"

Chat pointed to her bandaged leg, "why is you leg all bandaged up?" Marinette stood silent as there was nothing she could say but that only irritated the cat. "Mari, can you unwrap your bondage. I need to see." she tried her best to refuse but he looked so determined. Eventually, she complies and begins to unwind. Chat looked in horror at what he saw. It was a gaped scar, lengthening from the feet to her thigh. It was visible and scary to look at.

1. Chat Noir.

1. "What happened to your leg?"

.

2. Marinette.

2. "Oh this....was my fault. I tripped over some rubble and injured myself. You know how clumsy I can get-"

.

1. "Don't play with me Mari! Answer me truthfully. Did I do that or not?"

.

2. "Not...exactly."

.

1. "Then tell me."

.

2. "This happened when you triggered a cataclysm on the floor. We both fell pretty far down and my leg got trapped between some debris. But Ladybug luckily saved me."

.

1. "So I did cause this?"

.

2. "Not willingly! Like I said, don't blame yourself."

.

1. "How can I not when the proof is righty there?"

.

2. "It's just a scar. Don't make it a bigger deal than it already is."

.

1. "It's a big deal to me!"

"Mari, stop sugarcoating it. I know of the sins I have committed. I laid my dirty hands upon you and this is what happens. Everything I touch, I destroy. All I do is bring destruction to things that are precious to me and hurt the people I care about. Fate display's that my bad luck harms anyone who dares to get close to me and I can't take it anymore. I even dared to hurt someone who means everything to me."

(Everything to you?)

The situation has gone out of hand. No matter what she says, it doesn't seem to get through his head. "It's just a scar Chat. Thankfully we came out of it alive and the others don't seem to remember what happened anyways." . "So why is it that you remember?" He blatantly asks.

(Crap) She didn't think to come up with a good excuse for that one. "Because.... I wasn't amongst the people who died by your hands" she explains. Chat was a little confused so she had to elaborate her excuse, "Luckily, before you had your chance to cataclysm me. Ladybug came in just in time to save me."

"She did?" Almost feels like he was too afraid to ask more about it. Mari grabbed hold of his face gently, "I didn't care if you hurt me at the time Chat. I only cared about bringing you back. Do you have any idea how much pain and sorrow I've been through while you were gone?"

Chat placed one of his hands upon her cheeks, "no. I can't say that I have Mari. And I don't want to even think of the things I've done to make you cry."

Mari grabbed ahold of his warm hand, holding it tightly close to her face. "The fact alone that you're here with me is proof that all the pain and suffering that we've endured together has been worth it because now I find comfort by touching your warm embrace. Finally."

1. Chat Noir.

1. "You may not care but I do."

.

2. Marinette.

2. "I know but-"

.

1. "You don't understand. Do you have any idea how I feel when you hurt somebody that means everything to you? With my body but not my mind?"

.

2. "No, can't say I have."

.

1. "Then you don't know true fear."

Marinette looked up to try reason with him but he refuses to make contact. Chat is shouldering all this burden with himself and she could see that it is physically killing him.

2. Marinette.

2. "This is not fair. It was supposed to be over. Were supposed to move past this and move on."

.

1. Chat Noir.

1. "I don't think I can move on that easily. I need to make this right with you."

.

2. "Let me help you. I'm here to support you. You're not alone in this Chat."

.

1. "Really?"

.

2. "Yes. I promised to Chat Blanc that I would accept all sides of you. The broken, the person beyond the mask. Your true self, I am willing to learn all the sides you have to offer. All the secrets you hide, the emotions and frustration you bottle up inside. Everything you have, I will accept it all.

.

1. "Mari."

.

2. "So don't be afraid to open up to me. Share a portion of your pain, your burden with me, Chat. I want to be able to carry some your weight. That way, you don't drown in your own guilt."

.

1. "Thank you princess."

Chat looked upon the stars so she didn't see tears of joy escaping from his eyes. "What is it, Chat?" Looking up to the sky as well. "Before I met you. I loved and admired Ladybug for so long because she was the "perfect" hero. Sometimes, I would look up to the skies and see stars. I would envision the stars as Ladybug, a figure that shines brightly and beautifully but she was also someone that I could never reach for. For the longest time, that was how I pictured M'Lady."

Chat looked down to meet her eyes. Once again, the gentle green colors meeting the bright blue ones. "The stars have been so captivating that I never once stopped to look down and appreciate the flowers I have here" he extends her hand to her face, caressing it gently. "Those beautiful plants, rich with color and life. Something that I could actually hold onto and never let go."

"Ever since that night, you have always been on my mind. How joyful, energetic, and sweet you can be, snarky even at times. You are so down to earth that I feel like I can be true to my nature around you. Able to talk about anything that occupies my mind and you will be right here by my side to listen. Every moment that I'm with you has been the best time I have ever experienced and you are the sole reason for it. Marinette, I lo-"

"I love you Chat Noir!" Marinette suddenly blurts out, interrupting him.

(I'm sorry. What?) Chat widens his eyes in shock to her sudden confession. "I feel the same way kitty. I also enjoyed our company together. Even during my toughest times without you. It was through the sheer memories I shared with you during the nights that keeps me going. Those precious moments led me to believe that you are worth it. The pain and suffering I endured were worth it if it meant that you would come back to me. I love you kitty, more than you know."

1. Chat Noir.

1. (What the hell just happened?) "Princess?"

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2. Marinette.

2. "What is it?"

.

1. "Did you just confess to me?"

.

2. "Uh....yes, I did. Is that bad? You didn't like it?"

.

1. Chat started to chuckle to himself, "what! No. Heh, this is so stupid. That's not fair, princess."

.

2. "What do you mean?"

.

1. "You ruined the tension I was setting up. I was gonna confess my love first."

.

2. "Oh...well. To bad, so sad Chaton. You were just too slow."

.

1. "Are you kidding me? I liked you way longer before you started to realize your own emotions. I should've confessed my feelings first."

.

2. "Yeah! Well, I endured more emotional trauma than you. I even got rejected by you thanks to Chat Blanc. Do you have any idea how I felt when he did that? I was heartbroken."

.

1. "He did that?"

.

2. "Yeah, I mean like can you believe the nerve of that guy? He did it very coldly too you know?"

.

1. "Wait. I'm sorry, I don't understand. I mean why? You are the sweetest, purrfect, lovable, most chill person to be around. I mean by far, the best person I ever met. He must be blind to not see your exceptional qualities."

.

2. "Aww, thank you kitty."

.

1. "I can't believe he did that. With my body no less."

.

2. "I know right? Being rejected for the first time really hits different in not a good way."

.

1. "Tell me about it.I had to experience that with Ladybug a choke amount of times and let me tell ya. It does not feel any better the firsttime as oppose to hundreth time."

.

2. (Yeah, sorry about that. I mean, you kinda already have your lady's heart) "Well, this was my first ever time being rejected and it sucked."

.

1. "That bastard. I'm gonna kill him."

.

2. "No don't do that!"

.

1. "It'll be feline purrincess. I still got my 8 lives left."

Marinette actually had forgotten about his cringe puns and forgot how much she used to despise it as Ladybug but now. the puns were tolerable and even to be found funny at times. Chat still loved her snarky attitude to this day. A ridiculous competition as this brings out the best, true self and he has never felt so comfortable around someone..... not since the times with his mother.

The two teenagers started to laugh, going back to the good times where they enjoyed each other's company. For a brief moment, They forgot about all about the bad things that have happened and just enjoyed their company. In their little world, they were having fun.

1. Chat Noir.

1. "You are unbelievable, ya know that?"

.

2. Marinette.

2. "Yeah? Well, take one to know one."

.

1. "I'm sure it does."

Marinette starts to fiddle her fingers together. "S-So what are we now? I-I mean, isn't this where we become a thing or- I mean we can be if you want...or not" she nervously mumbles to herself. That was when Chat's expression slowly fades away, "princess. You know I want nothing more than to make you mine." His straightforward comment made the bluenette blush in happiness but his facial expression says otherwise. "Unfortunately. I don't think we can go that far yet."

1. Marinette

1. "What? What are you talking about?"

.

2. Chat Noir.

2. "I've come to a decision."

.

1. (Decision? Was that what he was talking about?) "What decision?"

.

2. "I'm not ready for you. Not yet."

.

1. "What? Don't be silly kitty."

.

2. "I'm serious Marinette. I can't be with you because I personally feel like I am worthy of you yet. I'm too weak and might put you into danger if we get together now."

.

1. "What about how I feel? Do my opinions not matter?"

.

2. "Your opinions always matter but this is something I have to do on my own."

.

1. "So you're just gonna leave me again? Just like that?"

.

2. "I will never leave you ever again but I also don't want to hurtyou anymore. I promise you that but I need time to myself so I can become better of a man. One that can keep you safe. One that is deserving of you."

.

1. "Wha-Hah. What am I? Your prin- never mind, don't answer that. Anyways, you don't need to do this. I can handle myself just fine."

.

2. "I know you can but whether I can handle this guilt of being weak is another story. This is not about you this time princess. This is something I have to do. This is my chance in redemption Mari and I need to take it. I hope you understand."

.

1. "No-heh, you see this-you're doing it again. You can't leave me alone again. Let me help you."

Chat brought his loved one close as he held onto her tightly. "I'm sorry princess but I only ask you to wait for me just a little longer." She wraps her arm around his waist to hide the flowing tears escaping from her eyes, "how long are you going to make me wait? Days? Weeks?...a month?" Chat rests his head on her shoulder, trying to keep the tough act up for a little longer, "as long as it needs. Will you wait for me?"

"I will, kitty. For you, I will wait as long as it takes if it means you will come back to me" every word she says holds a broken meaning and it pains his heart. Chat's super hearing could make out the tiny sniffles coming from her.

(She's crying?)

Upon this, Chat made a promise that this will be the last time. From this point on, he will work very hard so that she would never shed a tear again. No more hurting her. No more pain, sorrow, regret, none of it. All of that ends tonight.

Chat broke off the hug with a weak smile. "Thank you." The longer they stared at each other, the more it became hard to believe that they would be able to pull this off.

One wishes that he doesn't go away. She wishes that he would just stay with her, they would come up with a solution. It's been a long week of isolation and now that he is here. Both confessed their honest feelings and she could not be happier but then he leaves once more.

The other believes he is not ready for her. Believing that he has done more harm to her than good. That is why he needs to take the next step. He needs to take lead in his life and walk towards his redemption and atoning his sins. That way, he can truly be with her.

The longer they stare, the closer they get. Until they're faces were inches away, finally they will get what they hoped for so long. It was to the point that they couldn't resist each other any longer as both their lips finally touch, inducing themselves into their sweet sensations. A tender and gentle kiss quickly turns into a heated embrace.

The stimulus from the kiss seems to take over as none of them seem to want to back out from this overwhelming feeling. Sooner or later, both of them broke out of their kiss. The tension was thin and heat was radiating from their bodies as they gasp for air.

The two tomato heads didn't utter a word as they couldn't believe what they had done but just throughput the eyes, they understood their mutual feelings.

"Umm. that was nice" he fiddle with his hair in a panic. Mari comments, "yes it was. That was my first kiss." Chat looked at her with shocking eyes, "as are mine princess. I guess we took each other's first" he teasingly comments. She laughs it off, "I guess we did."

The awkward silence rooms the atmosphere and the heat tension only rises despite the cold weather. That reminds the bluenette, "oh that's right. I have something to give you Chat. Wait there" pointing at where he stands. Before he could answer back, she immediately dashes down the hatch to her room. Leaving him alone to his thoughts.

(I kissed Marinette.)

(I kissed Marinette right?)

(I'm pretty sure I did.)

(Her lips tasted sweet. Like strawberries.)

(I JUST KISSED MARINETTE!)

The sudden realization hit him like a truck. It was so random, the atmosphere wasn't even properly set but they did it regardless.

(Did she hate it?)

(Was it awkward?)

(That was my first kiss ever.)

(I hope I didn't mess it up.)

(I kinda liked it tho.)

(Is it getting kinda hot here?)

(But were outside in the cold weather.)

(NOOO!)

Marinette finally comes back up to find Chat pacing around the balcony. "Hey, are you alright?" she asks curiously. The boy jumps upon hearing her voice, "oh hey! Got what you needed?" speaking quickly. Mari giggled, "yeah I got it. Close your eyes please. I have a gift for you" she nervously asks.

He spotted both her hands were behind her back so he figured it was something special. He easily complies and closes his eyes. Marinette did her best to build up the courage needed.

(Come one Marinette. You can do this. You've been holding it off for so long and right now he's here. I can give it to him along with my honest feelings so it's either now or never. Here we go.)

"Okay. open your eyes." Chat opens his eyes to see Mari holding out a medium size present. The present seems to angle in a way where it blocks her face. "What is this?" he asks curiously.

"I-It's a gift from-for you and from me. It's nothing special but is special to me. I did this while you were Chat Blanc and I hoped to give it to you along with my honest feelings so you can accept it or not if you don't like it. It's okay, I can make something else if you like or-"

There she goes again, rambling on and on and not once has he ever felt annoyed by her cutesy quirk. Chat takes the present from her hand, "I will gladly accept this Mari. Thank you" genuinely smiling at the blushed bluenette.

Mari was filled with overwhelming emotions, mixed with love and happiness as her teeth shines through with her smile. "You're welcome."

It was getting really late so Chat started to prepare to leave while Mari stood idly behind him. He looks back to have both their eyes meet once more. He gesture's the bluenette to come closer with her having no idea what it is going on. Once she was close enough, he leaned close and landed a small kiss upon her cheek, causing Marinette.exe to stop working.

"I'll see you later purrincess. Don't miss me too much" he teasingly comments. Mari snapped out of it, feeling somewhat annoyed. Mari decides to make her move, aggressively pulling him by the bell closer as her lips connected to his. She broke it off and this time it was he who stood silent, "what's wrong kitty, cat got your tongue? I just one uped you kitty. How do you feel? Feel free not to come back if you don't want another one" she playfully tease back. Chat sent a gentle smile as his love for her was at an all time high.

"Oh, don't worry princess. I will be back."

Another long chapter. I had so much fun with this one and thankfully got to cover everything I need in this one chapter. Let me know by commenting if you don't mind long chapters like this. Comment what you like or dislike, share, and upvote. Other than that, have a good day/night.