In the Midst of Candlelight
Alyanette April Day 5 - Candlelight | AO3
Marinette startles awake at the sound of footsteps above her. She could see through the skylight that it was still dark out, but she also saw a faint glow that seemed out of place. Her fairy lights were unplugged, and there was no street light nearby to illuminate the deck.
Curious and just a little wary, she nudges Tikki awake. A silent message passes between them, Tikki flying into her hiding place while Marinette moves to peek out of the hatch in her ceiling.
The sight that greets her makes her heart race, but there’s no trace of the wariness she’d felt just moments before.
Candles were placed along the bars of her balcony fencing, emitting a soft glow and creating shadows that danced gently in the night. In front of them, bathed in candlelight, stood Rena Rouge, a suit on in place of her normal transformation. Her hair was down, and her fox ears stood proudly erect through the waves of hair- a show of confidence that was betrayed only by her tail flicking anxiously.
Marinette made to speak, promptly biting down on her tongue when she almost calls her Alya. She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, takes a deep breath, and opens them again, finding that Rena’s gaze (so adoring) hasn’t left her yet.
“Rena,” she begins, and emerges completely from her room. “What, um… What’re you doing?” Where it was a fair question to be asked, Marinette can feel her cheeks heat up in spite of it.
Rena blinks at this, and she straightens up, her movements a little stiff and her smile nervous. “Oh! Well, you see, I was talking to Ladybug the other night you know.” She stops there, and in the silence that stretches between them, she realizes that she hasn’t actually explained anything.
“That is, I asked her for some advice. On, um. How to plan a perfect… date.”
“Oh.” Marinette blinks in surprise. She remembers the conversation well, but hadn’t expected Alya to take her tips to use them on her. She wants to say something more, and so she says, “Oh.”
She wants to slap herself.
Not wanting Rena to backtrack or try laughing it off, which Marinette knew was a large possibility in these kinds of situations, she did the only thing she could think of to get her own feelings across when words failed her.
She closes the distance between them in three steps, looks Rena in the eyes, and took hold of her tie, pulling her down so their lips would meet. Her eyes slide shut, and she relaxes when Rena’s surprise fades enough for her to return the kiss and rest her hands on the small of her back.
It felt like a scene out of a movie, magical but real. Tangible.
When they break apart, Marinette has the brief thought that she should give love advice more often. It’s fleeting, though, and when Rena pulls her back in, Marinette loses herself in the sweetness of their candlelit kiss.
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