Fictober Day 22 - I Know You Love To Play Games
Back to my old favorite - Marichat! With sleepover games!
Marinette angrily put aside her latest design, frustrated with the lack of progress she’d made over the last few hours. Hoping for some way to vent, she turned to the black clad hero lounging on her chaise. “So, Chat Noir. I know you love to play games…”
Chat Noir sat up and eyed her suspiciously. “Yes…”
“Would you like to play one?”
“This isn’t going to be like the time you said that and tried to have me chase lasers and string, is it?” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.
“Oh come on! That was hilarious and you got into it after a little while.” When his stare refused to let up, she sighed and added, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning anything like that. I was just figuring since it’s late we could do a sleepover game?”
Stroking his chin and grinning at her, he asked, “I dunno, princess. I’m purr-tty sure that I can beat you in a pillow fight.”
She rolled her eyes. Boys. “You know there are more games than pillow fights? And pillow fights are kinda rare anyway, alley cat.”
“Well, what were you thinking of then?” He began twirling his tail, trying his best (and failing) to sound uninterested and cool.
“How about Never Have I Ever?”
His ears twitched and a smirk found its way onto his face. “I’ve never heard of it, so I’d say I’m off to a good start.”
Her chair swiveled towards him and he obligingly sat up, facing her with his body. “Okay, kitty. So we hold up one hand,” suiting actions to words, she held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers, “and the person whose turn it is says something they’ve never done. If the others have done whatever they just said, then they put a finger down. Once you’re out of fingers,” she clenched her hand into a fist, “you lose. Got it?” He nodded. “Okay, since you’re the guest you can start.” She opened her hand again and he mirrored the motion.
“Um…” Chat shuffled in place, grasping for an idea. His eyes fell on a platter now holding only crumbs and his ears perked up. “Oh! Never have I ever made a cake from scratch.” He seemed awfully proud when she rolled her eyes and lowered a finger.
“That was a bit obvious, don’t you think? I live in a bakery, after all.”
Chat shrugged, his grin growing wider. “I think you’re just being a sore loser.”
Glaring at him, she said, “Never have I ever appeared on a civilian’s balcony and begged to be fed.”
Dropping her voice as low as it would go, she did a terrible impression of Chat’s voice, “Oh please, purr-ncess! This poor kitty is starving! Do you have any food to spare?”
“Fine, fine.” Tail flicking in irritation, he slowly lowered a finger. The smirk returned. “Never have I ever worn earrings!”
“Ugh, really?” She lowered another finger. At this rate, they weren’t going to last very long. “This is supposed to be a game where you learn about each other, not state the obvious!”
“Oh? Trying to figure out my identity, princess? Curiosity finally overwhelming you - who is that gorgeously handsome man, my knight in shining leather?”
Ignoring him, she used her free hand to tap at her chin. She glanced at her laptop, turned off for the moment. “Never have I ever binged an entire series in a single night.” She looked back at him, watched his face slowly drift from gloating to put-upon. Silently, he lowered a finger. “See,” she added with false enthusiasm, “I’m learning about you!”
“Ha ha,” he deadpanned. “Never have I ever been on a dinner date.” The smug expression returned only to break into confusion when her fingers stayed resolutely where they were.
“What?” She said defensively. “I’m just…waiting for the right person, you know?” Shrugging, she added,” Besides, it’s not like I get asked out a lot.” She seemed surprised when he snorted. “I’m not drowning in admirers over here, Chat.”
“I find that hard to believe, but I’ll accept the dinner date response at least. You win… for now.” He gestured to her. “Your turn.”
“Never have I ever dyed my roots.”
“Cold, princess. I’ll have you know I’m all natural.” She quirked an eyebrow as she met his stare and he made a dismissive gesture. “Ignore the eyes, that’s just the miraculous magic.”
“Back to you then, kitty.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… Never have I ever stolen something.” Her stomach dropped and she groaned as she lowered a finger. Chat’s eyes widened. “What?! I just wanted this to go on longer! What’d you steal? Was it from me?” He leaned forward conspiratory. “Is Johnny Law still after you? I promise I won’t turn you in.”
Pushing him away while blushing she explained, “I stole a phone because I left an embarrassing message on it. And I gave it back after I was done, with him none the wiser. So no - no one is after me.”
“Uh-huh. Well I’ve got my eye on you anyway, sticky fingers.” He made a tsk noise. “My own princess… a thief. Oh the drama!” He threw an arm over his face dramatically.
She rolled her eyes and stared off into space as she struggled to come up with another question. Yawning, she watched Chat’s tail flick back and forth. “I dunno. Never have I ever had a tail.”
Frowning he lowered a finger. With his voice a couple octaves higher, he did a terrible impression of her, “That was a bit obvious, don’t you think?”
“Oh hush. It’s getting late and I’m tired.”
“This game was your idea and we aren’t even done with the first round!”
“Chat, there probably won’t be more rounds after this. I’m going to have to kick you out soon so I can get some sleep.”
“Well, I know what will get you awake.” His smirk had returned and Marinette stared at him suspiciously in the silence. “Never have I ever… hung up twenty pictures of the same model in my bedroom.”
“CHAT!” She whisper-shouted, scandalized, making her displeasure known by smacking him on the arm while he cackled. The first time he’d seen the pictures he’d been dumbfounded, but he’d steadily gotten used to them over the months he’d been visiting. Rarely he’d tease her about them, being surprisingly thoughtful about ignoring their presence. Clearly, today was not one of those times.
In the heat of the moment, she huffed and scrambled for anything embarrassing she could throw back in his face. She struck upon a fitting memory and asked, “Never have I ever almost sneezed myself off a roof because of a bird allergy!” She smirked and waited for his finger to go down. When it didn’t she glared and reached over to put it down herself. She met with no resistance.
“Marinette…” Something in his voice made her look back at his face, which had lost all sense of tiredness or silliness. Instead, he was watching her intently, as if seeing something he hadn’t before. He stood up and started circling her.“What did you just say?”
Going back over her last dare, she struggled to find what had caused this shift in attitude. It had seemed like just another clear shot. The memory of Chat Noir nearly falling off a roof was very vivid in her mind. He’d just appeared out of nowhere, lounging on the roof, before sneezing and rolling to the edge. After he’d explained his allergy they went right into business-
Right into the business of… fighting akuma. He had saod that as Chat Noir, to Ladybug. She had been Ladybug. Not Marinette. She had just said something only Ladybug could have known. And from Chat’s reaction, he had realized that too.
“Now Chat…” She held up her hands as a shield. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
“You’re Ladybug!” He was pointing wildly at her, eyes lit up with excitement. He wore a dopey grin as he made his accusation.
“Oh come on, that’s pushing it. There’s a perfectly valid explanation.”
“Really?” His smugness returned as he sat back down in front of her, chin on his hands and peering at her intently. “Tell me then.”
Her eyes widened and she scratched at the back of her head. “Well, I, uh…” SHe caught sight of one of her Adrien posters. Which is simply another way of saying she looked at almost any patch of wall in her room. Inspiration struck. “If you must know, then I simply confused you with Adrien Agreste. One day we were in school and he nearly sneezed himself off the edge because of his allergy.”
He pointed a finger at her, grinning. “Liar! I never did that as Adrien!”
There was a silence in the room. Chat (Adrien) was paling at his own stupidity. Marinette (Ladybug) sagged against her chair, her soul having left her body in a mix between mortification, relief, and absolute joy.
Nervously laughing, Chat broke the silence. “I guess the, uh, cat’s outta the bag, my lady?”
That did it for her. The puns. The two halves came crashing together into one beautiful mess of a boy. “Of course you would react by punning, you mangy cat!”
“Well, start as I mean to go on, right?” He slinked out of his chair to sit on the floor in front of Marinette, resting his arms on her lap and looking warming up at her. “Do you… well, would you like to…?”
“Are you… asking me on a date?” The thought was almost too much for her to believe, but the fact that it was Chat Noir that was asking gave her the confidence to respond in real words instead of gibberish.
“Only if you are going to say yes.” He chewed his lips, shifting worriedly. The only consolation to her inner strife is that he seemed to be suffering right along with her. “I mean, I understand if you don’t. In fact forget I-”
He didn’t get much further than that before she pulled up him by the collar and kissed him. Hopefully, even Mr. Oblivious himself could take that hint.
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