Talk to Me, Princess | Marichat - Miraculous Ladybug

Chapter Seven - Thank you, George A. Romero

"Damn it!" Chat Noir curses, slapping a hand over his face. We finally died after 17 rounds, and I had a whopping 317 kills and 2 downs, with Chat only accumulating 251 kills and 6 downs.

"You're a bit rusty, aren't cha'?" I tease, poking him in the ribs.

"Yeah, apparently so. That or you're just really good." He smirks, inflating my ego more than it deserves.

"Probably a healthy mix of both." I giggle and he smiles brightly. He looks so cute sometimes, if I wasn't so head over heels for Adrien I would definitely be crushing on him.

I pull out my phone, checking to see what I've missed in the last hour or so. The first thing I see on my Instagram page is the fundraiser coming up next week for the animal shelter. I notice it's advertising a need for volunteers still, and an idea comes to mind. Maybe it would be good to get involved with such a thing, it'll keep me distracted from everything else and at the same time doing something good for a cause that I care about.

"Do you think I should volunteer? I think it would be fun, getting out for a day surrounded by a bunch of cute dogs."

"That's a really good idea, Marinette." Chat Noir smiles at me, pointing at my screen towards the picture of the little black cat. "You're just so drawn to black cats, aren't you?"

"Ha ha, very funny. Who keeps showing up on whose balcony? So, with that logic, who is drawn to who?" I point out, laughing at his blushing cheeks. Jeez, Chat's been real easy to get all flustered lately. I wonder what's gotten into him. Maybe I'm making him uncomfortable? He did say he's in love with someone, I suppose I should stop with such banter.

"You make a very fair point, Princess." He stands up, stretching his arms above his head. Turning off the console, I turn to face him. He looks a little lost in thought, so I ask him what he's thinking about.

"If I should go or not."

"It's up to you." I shrug, hoping he stays. He smiles, pointing to my bed and laptop.

"Well, I got all the time in the world. Wanna watch one of the zombie films you were talking about?" 

I excitedly grab my laptop and rush to my bed, Chat following closely behind. We get cozy, sitting back against the wall with the laptop between us. I pull up Night of the Living Dead, explaining how it's a classic.

"He set the precedent for zombie movies with this one, forever changed the image of zombies into what we know now as the creepy walking dead. He's to thank for basically every zombie horror classic!"

"You're a huge horror fan?" Chat asks as I load up the movie.

"Surprisingly, not really. But they don't scare me like they used too when I was a kid. I enjoy them a lot more after seeing some of the real world terrors. Ready to watch?"

"Sure am." He says quietly, and I press play.

—————
Waking up, I immediately realize what happened. My eyes spring open but I don't move a muscle, realizing my head is leaning against Chat Noir's shoulder. Not only that, but his head is resting against mine. It's comfortable, and peaceful. It feels right, and that scares me. It shouldn't feel right, I should have only Adrien in my heart.

Chat Noir is just one of my closest friends, at the end of the day it's the same as snuggling up to Alya, something I do frequently with my best friend. This isn't that weird, I just hope he doesn't think it is.

I lift my head, causing Chat Noir to pull away and look at me. His face is tinted pink, lit up only by the screen of my laptop. The movie is still playing, but I recognize the scene to be one of the lasts. I slept through most of the movie.

"Im sorry, I didn't mean to do that." I say quietly, embarrassed by my actions.

"It's okay, you were sleepy. You can rest easy with me whenever you want."

That's true, I slept better than I have in a long time. Having Chat Noir here, ready to spring me awake, keep me safe if something happens, and jump into action to defend Paris. With Chat Noir by my side, I feel a lot more at ease.

"Thank you." I say softly, my heart skipping a few beats. I can't help the smile on my face, but slowly it fades as I stare at him. The urge I feel to reach out and cup his face is overwhelming, so much so that it scares me.

Instead, I clasp my hands in my lap and look at the screen. We finish the movie in silence, and as the credits roll I look towards him expectantly.

"Well? Did you like it?"

"It was pretty good, I liked the old look to it, felt kind of... nostalgic in a way?" I nod my head in agreement, and once again we're quietly staring at each other. My heart starts hammering in my chest, and I will it to knock it off. This is wrong, on so many levels. We both love other people, what's wrong with me?

He leans in, and I realize to my horror that this isn't a problem pertaining to just me. The both of our hearts are confused. Yet as his face grows near, I don't have it in me to move away. I want this, in some unexplainable way. Maybe it's curiosity, or maybe I'm lonely, or maybe it's because a cute boy is showing interest in me.

He kisses my cheek swiftly before pulling away and hopping off my bed. I feel my face burn, disappointment spreading throughout me. I should feel relieved, it's better this way. Once we step over that boundary, there's no going back.

"I should get going. I'll see you shortly, Princess." With that, he takes off into the night.

Tikki comes out immediately, a look of shock on her face.

"No. Nope. Not right now. We're so not talking about this. Let's sleep."

Yet, despite my best efforts to shove all thoughts aside and fall asleep, I can't stop thinking about the black cat who keeps showing up and making my heart react in confusing ways.