#marichat may
MariChat May Day 1: Rain
rainy day rendezvous
HELLO BABY WE’RE BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE MARICHAT MAY!! It’s been a long, LONG time but I’m trying to get back into the groove of making art more frequently
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Five Times Chat Noir Met Marinette’s Parents (And One Time She Met His)
Hi, I’m back!! I survived my exams despite a few hurdles (my exam platform’s logo change to a purple butterfly was definitely fitting), and I am now officially on holiday! Very belated @marichatmay contribution, based on day 7, “meet the parents” (I couldn’t sit it out when this is where it all started <3)
The power of procrastination was of no help to get me to post it on time, but at least it’s still May so all is good… Hope you’ll enjoy!
—
Five Times Chat Noir Met Marinette’s Parents (And One Time She Met His)
The first time Chat Noir met Marinette’s parents through the proper channels (excluding any encounter without his mask), things hadn’t gone well. At all.
Retrospectively, he supposed it couldn’t have gone any other way, given how the whole occasion had been based on a misunderstanding, that Marinette was in love with him, and that he was interested in dating her. Tom’s akumatised form had been a sight to behold, and one he hoped never to confront again.
He’d gone home later on, relieved that the ordeal was over, that everything had been resolved, and that Marinette was still his friend. Just his friend.
(Retrospectively, he’d laugh about the irony of the situation.)
—
The second time Chat Noir met Marinette’s parents had been planned. Tom and Sabine had insisted that she invite him again, to make amends for their previous encounter. Marinette regularly had her friends come over for various occasions, why should Chat Noir be excluded? If anything, him wearing a mask and saving Paris on a daily basis more than justified him being offered a break and some home-made pastries, fresh from the oven.
Not to mention that his presence meant that they could turn their family game time into a competition with fair teams…
“Kitten Heels style, boo-ya!” Marinette and Chat Noir exclaimed, fist bumping as their team name glistened on the screen, their characters doing a victory dance while Tom’s and Sabine’s cried in the background.
“We need a rematch, my controller was jammed!” Tom complained while Sabine gently patted his back.
“You’re such a sore loser, Papa!” Marinette giggled. “It was obvious that we’d win, we had the best team name.”
As she babbled about how it was the perfect balance between her (fashion), and him (kitten), Chat Noir had thought that the excited blush Marinette sported looked very good on her.
A strictly platonic observation, of course. Marinette was objectively a very pretty friend of his. Just like Ladybug, he’d thought briefly, before reminding himself that it wasn’t exactly like Ladybug, since she was a friend he was in love with, unlike Marinette.
He did enjoy spending time with her just as much, though. So much so, in fact, that he stayed for another round of UMS IV, but purely to help his friend show her dad who was the superior team, of course.
(The power of friendship always so strong.)
—
The third time Chat Noir met Marinette’s parents, well… He still wasn’t entirely sure how he’d gotten roped into actually spending time with them. And not just them, but Marinette’s whole family.
He’d completely forgotten about the Epiphany, since his family never celebrated it on the day, or at all since his mother had died. He’d therefore turned up, uninvited, on Marinette’s terrasse on the day in question (a Saturday, or the day of the week he frequently made his way to Marinette’s anyway, being bored in his room and knowing they’d find fun activities to do together– even just lying on her floor in silence), and stumbled onto a full Dupain-Cheng reunion, complete with grandparents and great-uncle. Sabine and Marinette had insisted that he stayed, reiterating that he was always welcome.
He’d hesitated a bit for appearances’ sake, but deep down his mind had already been made up.
Thus he’d found himself laughing with Marinette’s whole family, enjoying the warmth of the company and that of the galette. He didn’t mind the sweetness, either.
Marinette had gotten the fève, and he’d observed her glee as her father placed a crown on her head. Sitting next to her, he had the best view of her flushed cheeks, and couldn’t help the adoring smile pulling at his lips.
Between two pictures to commemorate the occasion, Roland had reminded everyone that the queen of the day should choose a king, and surrender her crown to him if she wanted to keep her prize. Marinette hadn’t hesitated a second before transferring her crown to Chat’s head.
He’d felt very giddy at the thought that she’d chosen him. His smile had grown larger as the feeling washed over him before freezing. Marinette had probably done it because he was sitting the closest to her. Not for any other reason.
He knew he shouldn’t feel disappointed by the thought; it wasn’t her fault that he’d fallen in love with her. He’d ignored the tight feeling in his chest, put on a brave smile, and joined the others to laugh at one of Tom’s jokes, even cracking one himself.
“Ah Chat Noir, your humour fits right in!” Gina had commented, wiping a tear. “Will he be joining us next year as well, my little fairy?” She’d turned towards her grand-daughter.
Marinette’s cheeks had pinked and her eyes had darted towards him.
“I, um, I don’t know, Nonna, it’s really up to him…” she’d stammered. “But, um… I guess I’d be happy to have him as my king every year,” she’d added more quietly.
Chat Noir still blushed when he thought about it. His heart had skipped a beat, and all he’d thought was: oh. Oh.
“That implies that you’ll be the queen every year, and I wouldn’t be so sure about that!” Tom’s contagious laughter boomed in the apartment, soon joined by his family’s.
While they bickered on who would be the king or queen the next year, Marinette remained quiet, smiling shyly and avoiding Chat Noir’s gaze. He discreetly took her hand under the table, giving her a bit of a start, and ran his gloved thumb over her knuckles with a smitten smile.
I’d be happy to be your king every year, too.
—
The fourth time Chat Noir met Marinette’s parents, Chat Noir would’ve liked to melt into Marinette’s divan. After a week of tiptoeing around the unsaid of the Epiphany (both literal and figurative) weekend, he and Marinette had finally sat down and talked about their feelings for one another.
When the conversation had started, they’d been sitting on opposite ends of Marinette’s sofa. Before they knew it, their smiling lips were brushing against each other’s, and their eyes fluttering shut…
…only for them to open wide again with the creak of Marinette’s trap door bursting open.
“Aha, I knew I’d heard Chat Noir’s voi–” Tom’s own voice had faded as the two teenagers jumped apart, cheeks ablaze. “Oh.”
“Hi, Mr Dupain.” Chat Noir had scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Tom, honey, you know you need to knock before going into Marinette’s room,” Sabine chided, her head appearing next to Tom’s. “Sorry, children, we’ll give the two of you some privacy. Although I guess we should maybe find a system to keep the door ajar when Chat Noir is over?” She’d given Marinette a knowing look, and Marinette’s cheeks turned even redder than Chat Noir had thought possible.
He’d been glad to see he wasn’t the only one who wanted to disappear.
They’d made sure to find more private places to make out after that.
—
Everything indicated that the fifth time Chat Noir would meet Marinette’s parents would go smoothly, and yet Chat Noir couldn’t help the anxious feeling gripping his chest in the moments preceding the encounter.
“Do I look okay?” he asked Marinette, fiddling with his magical suit’s cuffs as he observed his reflection in his girlfriend’s mirror. He fidgeted a little more, checking every seam with a doubtful pout, before taking a second look at his hair. It was too messy, he decided, creating a middle part and tucking some strands behind his human ears.
Marinette grimaced at the sight; she crept up behind him and ruffled his hair back to its usual state, before coming to stand next to him.
“Hey!” Chat Noir protested.
“Relax, kitty, you’ve already met my parents!” She laughed, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“But it wasn’t the same, we weren’t dating,” he complained, resting his head on top of hers.
“Weren’t we, though?” she replied, eyes full of mirth.
“Ugh, you know what I mean…” He sighed.
“Chat Noir, my parents love you already.” She turned towards him and cupped his cheeks with her hands. Chat Noir’s arms immediately wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. She adjusted her hold on him, her arms finding their way around his neck.
“Easy for you to say,” he mumbled.
“You’ll get your revenge when I meet your parents, I promise.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, pulling away after a small peck, which brought a smile to her boyfriend’s lips. “Now come on, you don’t want to be late. My parents wouldn’t be impressed.”
“But I thought they didn’t need to be impressed?!” Chat Noir’s panic flared up, replacing his comment on her mentioning his parents, as she gently nudged him towards her bed and her skylight.
“Only way to know is to show up. See you in a bit, Kitty.”
Tom and Sabine’s open arms and large smiles after he’d rang the bell, one minute after the time he was supposed to arrive, definitely reassured him.
The stray had truly found a home.
—
A week and a half later, Marinette cursed herself for her prediction when it came to meeting Chat Noir’s parents. She couldn’t have been more right; even Chat Noir’s tight grip on her as they almost literally flew across the Parisian rooftops didn’t soothe her nerves in the slightest.
She hadn’t thought Chat Noir would actually pick up on her joke about meeting her parents. At any rate, she’d thought that he would have consulted Ladybug before acting on it, and that she would have gotten a heads up that way.
But nooooo; Chat Noir had just swung by her place to pick her up, and casually thrown in that he was taking her to meet his parents. As if the event wasn’t stressful enough, she had to deal with the stress of identities. What if she recognised them? What if she didn’t but found out who he was anyway? What then?…
She bit her lips nervously, eyes unfocused as she tried to find a way out, completely missing Chat Noir’s repressed smile as he slowed down, craning his neck as he looked out for something.
“Ah, here we are!”
Marinette closed her eyes tightly as he set her down on the rooftop. This was her only option. The only one she could think of, anyway.
“Marinette, please open your eyes,” Chat Noir laughed.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she gulped. “I’m sorry, Mr and Mrs… erm… Noir? But I can’t know who you are, it’s too dangerous.”
Chat Noir burst out laughing.
“What?” Marinette couldn’t help but feel vexed. “I can’t know who you are, what would– AH WHAT WAS THAT?!”
She jumped out of her skin as something soft brushed against her ankle, her eyes opening in the process. Chat doubled over, struggling to catch his breath as he watched her take in their surroundings.
“Those are cats,” she stated, her heart still racing.
“They are.” He wiped a tear.
“They’re not your parents.”
“They could be.” He let out a long breath. “Wow, you should’ve seen your face. As if I’d do something like this with Hawkmoth still around.”
Marinette wanted to kiss his grin off of his face.
“I hate you, you know that?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I love you too, chouquette.” He took her in his arms and kissed her forehead, and she melted into his embrace.
“For the record, I really would like you to meet my real parents one day,” he told her later, when he took her back to her place. “Well. At least my mother. I hope I’ll be able to take you to see her one day.”
“I hope so too.” Marinette smiled.
“One day.” Chat Noir sighed wistfully.
“One day,” she promised.
