maricat love story

Part 6-"I like someone else."

Chat Noir took the mug of steaming cocoa from her with a smile, feeling its warmth through his paws. She settled next to him with a knowing look. He took a deep breath and told her, "Let's see here. Tonight we have, a Belgian Chocolate no doubt. It smells like a beautifully melted piece of fudge. There's, a swirl of caramel, sugar, milk," he took another deep breath for show, watching Marinette squirm as she waited, "And... cinnamon."

"Dang it!" She said disappointed.

He could only laugh. This had become one of the games they played lately. Guess the secret ingredient in the hot chocolate. The first time it had been nutmeg. The second time, peppermint. The third, coffee. That one had by far been his favorite. He took a sip and told her happily, "It is a clawsome addition though purrincess."

She smiled, her eyes shining in determination, "I'll trip you up one day. I haven't given up yet."

He raised an eyebrow at her teasing, "We'll see about that. This Chat has senses unlike any other."

She rolled her eyes at his bravado, but he noticed it again. She looked upset. He didn't want to pry if she didn't want to talk about it, but he needed to make sure, "You okay princess?"

She smiled instantly, and far too brightly, "Oh yeah, yeah everything is great."

He held her eyes in silence, knowing that she would cave eventually. When she looked away suddenly, she let out a heavy sigh, "Honestly, it's nothing Chat. I'm just, tired, I guess."

He could hear the small lilt of sadness in her tone and asked worried, "Everyday problems kind of tired, girl troubles, or, boy troubles?"

Her grip around her cup tightened at the last one and he knew that was it. He asked softly, "Did he hurt you?"

She instantly shook her head, "He doesn't have the capacity to hurt anyone on purpose. I'm sure there isn't a mean bone in his entire body. It's hard," she hesitated slightly, "feeling like you will never be good enough to be noticed."

Chat stared out into the night, taking another sip before telling her, "I know how that feels."

He heard her small gasp and he gave her a small smile, admitting it out loud, "Don't worry, I'm a big Kitty. I've sort of, come to terms with a few things."

She asked like she was pleading for an answer, "How? How do you come to terms with something like that?"

"Being in that state in between, knowing you are a friend," he sighed heavily, "and even knowing how important you are to the person you love, without knowing if they really feel the same, or without being able to even fathom that you can live up to how amazing they are. Knowing that there is a real chance they may never love you the way you love them," he hesitated before looking at her, "it's not easy. You cling to the hope that one day they'll see you, really see you the way you see them, but then they remind you how great of a friend you are, and it's like,"

"Having a door slammed in your face without warning." She finished knowingly, adding it softly, "She is pretty amazing. It's no wonder you love her so much. Ladybug is crazy, for not seeing how amazing you are Chat Noir."

He stared at her confused, "Ladybug?"

Now she was the one who looked confused, "You are in love with Ladybug right?"

A small blush appeared just at the edge of his mask before he stared down into his hot chocolate, "I was, and I do love her, but I wasn't talking about Ladybug." He closed his eyes, a soft smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, "I realized that my heart was pointing me in a different direction. I like someone else."