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nobodys-pearls · 7 years

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Hit on Me Ch 6

Summary: You can’t run away from your problems, Kim

Read on [AO3]

Kim focused on the familiar burn in his lungs as he pushed himself to run faster down the street. Soon he was onto the next block, then the next, and then the next.

‘He thinks I’m attractive.’ Kim thought to himself as he continued to pump his arms in a steady rhythm. He had decided that he was going to run this morning until the numbness in his body reached his brain. Maybe then he would finally be able rid himself of the overwhelming thoughts of his partner.

When he had come home that day after seeing Ladybug and Alix train, all he could think of was Max. His shy smile, the brightness in his eyes, the way he said his name. A few days had passed since then, and yet everything was still Max Max, Max. His head was full of Max, but it was more than that. Max was in his breath, in his eyes, in his chest. His skin burned where he had held his hand.

The bottom line was that Kim was in trouble.

He tried to focus on the music he was listening to, the feel of his earbuds, the sound of his feet hitting the pavement, anything to ground him in this moment. And yet it was no use.

“He thinks I’m attractive.” Kim said to himself a little out of breath. Then he groaned and ran a frustrated hand through his sweaty hair. “Get it together Kim, you’re better than this.”

It’s not like he didn’t know that he was attractive. Hell, he reminded himself of that fact whenever he looked in a mirror. And it’s not like he hadn’t had people tell him that he was attractive before. He had gotten plenty of attention from both genders over the years.

He wasn’t new to all this – and yet, hearing that Max thought that he was attractive, well, it did something to him.

But it’s not like it meant anything. It’s not like it changed anything. Max said himself that he wouldn’t let it affect their friendship. And that’s what they were, right? Friends?

Maybe he was making it a bigger deal than it was. It wasn’t like Kim didn’t find Max attractive as well. It’s not like he hadn’t felt his heart skip a beat when his partner looked at him. It’s not like he hadn’t noticed how good Max looked in a button-up. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about what it would be like to….

Kim let out another frustrated groan and began to run even faster, trying to convince himself that the sudden heat in his cheeks was only due to the exercise.

They were friends.

They were coworkers.

Kim was not about to make himself believe that it could be anything more than that.

He was not about to let himself even consider that he might want it to be more than that.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. Being friends with Max – it definitely was a challenge. Just not in the way he had expected.

But that didn’t mean that he was going to back down, he was too stubborn.

So, they were friends. End of story. Max didn’t want to make it weird, and Kim was determined not to make it that way either.

He could feel the sweat on his forehead and the welcome strain in his legs. This is what he did. He kept running. And he wouldn’t let anything cause him to trip. He couldn’t let that happen. Because he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if it did.

He spotted his destination in the distance and began to slow his pace. Soon he was standing in front of his favorite bakery. He had to go into the office this morning, but he chose to wake up early so he could go for a run and grab breakfast.

He took a moment to catch his breath and wipe the sweat off his brow before he swung open the door. He heard the familiar jingle of the bell as he stepped inside and sighed when he felt the coolness of the air conditioning.

“Good morning!” A voice said from the cash register. Kim looked up and saw a girl that was around his age. She had pretty blue eyes and dark hair that was pulled back into a high ponytail.

“Oh hey Marinette!” Kim said, walking further into the bakery. He had managed to come before the usual morning rush. He liked to come here a couple times a week, so he had the customer traffic down to a science. “I haven’t seen you here in a while!”

“Oh yeah, Papa has a huge delivery coming soon, and Maman has a lot of paperwork to fill out, so they asked me to man the register for the morning.” Marinette said, giving Kim a sweet smile. And yet Kim could’ve swore he saw a flash of, something, in her eyes. And there was something so familiar about it too…

“I’m guessing you’re going to want the usual?” Marinette asked, interrupting his train of thought.

“Oh, uh, yes, actually. I guess I’m that predictable, huh?” Kim joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, you have been coming here since we were kids, so it would be pretty pathetic if I didn’t know what you’d want.” Marinette said, letting out a soft giggle as she walked over to the display case.

“You have a point there.” Kim agreed with a chuckle. He watched as Marinette grabbed an apricot danish and carefully placed it in a white paper bag.

“Is that a new logo?” Kim asked, looking at the bag.

Marinette saw where he was looking and had a proud gleam in her eyes and she held the bag up. “Yup, Maman and Papa asked me to make it. They thought that it was time for a change.”

“It looks great.” Kim said. Marinette gave him a wide smile. “How’s that internship going, anyway?”

Marinette sighed as she walked back to the register. “It’s great, working for Gabriel Agreste’s company is…a dream come true.” She said. But Kim could see the tenseness in her shoulders, the strain in her smile.

“But it’s stressing you out, isn’t it?”

Marinette slumped her shoulders. “Yes.” She breathed. Then she looked around to make sure no one was listening, but the bakery was empty except for them. “Mr. Agreste can be a little…high maintenance.”

Kim chuckled. “You should find some sort of outlet for all this stress, Mari. What if you try running? It helps me relax.” Kim suggested. Thoughts of Max began to resurface once more, and he dug his nails into his palms until they went away.

Marinette crinkled her nose. “I can’t even walk down the street without the danger of me tripping over something. I think it’d be safer for Paris if I didn’t go on runs.”

Kim laughed. “Well how about I talk to Adela? I bet I can get you some time in the ring. I’ll even spar with you – as long as you stay away from the face, my dashing good looks are what landed me the sports casting job in the first place.” He offered with a wink.

“That’s very generous of you,” Marinette said with a smile, “but I’ve actually already found my outlet. It keeps me pretty busy, but it’s better than snapping under the pressure and tackling my boss.” She confessed.

“Don’t tell me you joined some underground gang. Or are you a masked vigilante now?” Kim teased, quirking an eyebrow.

“No, nothing like that.” Marinette said with a laugh. “It’s just some lessons with a trainer, no big deal.”

“I’m happy for you, Marinette. Man, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” Kim said, running a hand through is hair. “We should hang out some time, catch up.”

Marinette had a small smile on her face that Kim couldn’t quite read. “That’d be nice. Yeah, I have a feeling that we’ll see a lot more of each other.”

“I hope so.” Kim said as he pulled out his wallet and handed over some bills. “Keep the change.”

Marinette counted the money that he’d just handed over. “Kim, this is way too much I can’t –”

Kim help up a hand. “Tom and Sabine are practically family, and with all the free food they’ve given me over the years it’s only right. Besides, I’m actually on my way to pick up my paycheck.”

Marinette opened her mouth like she was about to argue, but then she simply sighed and smiled. “Thanks, Kim.”

“My pleasure.” He said with a wink, and Marinette handed over the bag.

Kim opened it and smelled the sweetness of the pastry. He could tell that it was still warm. “You know, your apricot pastries were a major reason that I had such a huge crush on you in lycée.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled. “I know, you tell me that every time you order it.” Then she rested her arms on the counter and Kim watched as a slow smile spread across her face.

“Speaking of your love life, anything interesting of note?” She asked innocently.

Kim felt a blush spread up his neck. “N-nope nothing interesting at all, if anything it’s been pretty uneventful.” He said quickly, clutching his bag a little more tightly in his hand.

“Really? That’s unlike you. Even when you’re single you have at least one crush to satisfy your romantic needs.”

Kim scoffed. “Romantic needs?”

Marinette just gave him a look.

Kim coughed and refused to look at her. “Maybe you have a point. But even so, nothing of note comes to mind. I guess I’ve hit a dry spell as far as crushes go.” He admitted, trying his best not to think about those curious eyes, or those random but endearing facts that always seem to make Kim smile whenever he hears them, or that warm and soft laugh that he makes when he…

Kim shook his head angrily. “Yup, there’s no one that I like.”

“Okay.” Marinette said with a shrug, but her smile showed that she didn’t quite believe him.

Kim grinned and leaned closer to her face. “Are you making sure there’s no competition?” Then he quirked an eyebrow. “Is it possible that you’ve finally realized that you’re madly in love with me? Because I’m sorry, Marinette, but I moved on years ago.”

Marinette scoffed. “Between the internship and my – training sessions – I barely have time to eat let alone have a boyfriend. So I’m sorry, but I haven’t fallen for you.”

“One of these days, Mari.” Kim said with a wink. Then he saw the clock on the far wall. “It’s been nice catching up with you, but I actually have to go. Try to pencil me in sometime though, okay? Preferably before your nightly vigilante patrols.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

Kim gave her a final wave as he headed for the door, and then he left the bakery. He took out the pastry and eagerly took a bite as he walked down the block. He groaned as he tasted the familiar sweetness of the apricot and sugar.

It was nice to see Marinette again. He couldn’t help but think back to when they were kids. He remembered when he had proposed to her on the playground. He also remembered her rejection and his decision to turn around and propose to the cute red head boy in their class instead.

Yeah, it wasn’t much of a surprise when he had come out to his parents in lycée.

Marinette had actually been the first person he told about his sexuality. She was a lot of firsts for him – his first friend, his first crush, his first rejection. Then they had both gone off to university. They had both grown up.

And yet, seeing her again, it was like nothing had changed. He could almost convince himself that they were still kids. Kids who were still chasing their dreams. It was a nice thought.

He took another bite of his pastry and smiled.

Kim ran a hand through his damp hair as he walked into the office building. He’d had just enough time to take a quick shower before going to pick up his check.

“Good morning, Sam.” Kim said to the security guard at the desk as he strolled through the hall.

“Morning Kim.” Sam responded, tipping his hat.

Kim reached the elevator and pressed the button. A few moments later he heard the ding and the doors opened. He stepped through, pressed the button for floor six, and leaned against the railing. Then he watched as the doors closed in front of him.

He sighed. He must’ve done this a thousand times at this point. Soon the doors opened and he walked down the hall and took the first left.

“Good morning, Rose.” Kim said, greeting the secretary at the desk. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going great!” Rose said with a bright smile. “You’re here to pick up your check?”

“You know me so well.” Kim said with a wink.

Rose giggled and began to type something out on her computer. “I just have to fill a few things out, you know the drill.”

“Of course.” Kim replied. “How’re the twins doing?”

Rose beamed as she scribbled something down on a piece of paper. “They’re wonderful, Kim, I’m so happy.” She glanced up at him as she said that last part. Kim couldn’t help but smile as well. “And they love the little toy wrestlers that you gave them. I’m beginning to fear that they might grow up to be pro-wrestlers themselves.” Rose said with a laugh. “I don’t think my heart could take it.”

“They could always follow in the footsteps of Uncle Kim.” Kim offered.

“Very true. They would make quite the team.” She said with a smile. Then she carefully ripped off the check and handed it over. “You should stop by sometime, they love when ‘Uncle Kim’ comes around for a playdate.”

“I’ll make sure to visit soon, I miss those little guys.” Kim confessed as he put the check in his wallet. “See you later.”

“Bye Kim!” Rose said from her desk.

He started to make his way out when he stopped in the doorway. “Don’t work too hard, or Juleka will call me again to complain.”

Rose giggled and shifted in her seat. “She worries too much.”

“Love does that to you.” Kim replied.

“Yeah, I guess it does.” Rose admitted, smiling into her lap.

Kim walked out the door and back into the hallway. As he headed for the elevator he couldn’t help but feel…weird. Before Monsieur Faure had given him that internship, Kim was working in the main building all of the time. Even when he had the internship he was still in the office most days. But now that he was going to be one of the head sportscasters he simply didn’t need to be here as much.

He loved the Charles Arena and couldn’t be more excited about working there more, but at the same time he was going to miss this place. He was going to miss seeing these people every day.

As he passed one of the office blocks on his way down the hall he picked up on a familiar voice that made him stop in his tracks.

“…and that is what you should do if the old software goes down before the new software is properly installed, which should be complete in about…Kim?”

Kim realized that he was staring right at Max, who was hunched over a computer talking to an orange-haired girl. Max had obviously noticed his presence; given that he was looking back at him with a puzzled expression.

“What are you doing here?” Max asked, that all too familiar curiosity in the furrow of his brow.

“Oh, uh, me?” Kim asked, trying to act casual as he leaned his hand against the doorframe. “I was just picking up my paycheck.”

‘Why are you so nervous, Kim?’ Kim thought to himself. ‘He’s your friend, don’t freak him out by acting all weird again. This is normal, you got this.’

“Soooo, what are you two up to?” Kim asked, looking between Max and the girl he was with.

“Oh, this is Sabrina, I’m just explaining to her the differences between the old software and the new one that the company is installing.” Max said, adjusting his glasses.

“Oh right. Max has told me about you. I’m Kim.” Kim said, walking up to Sabrina and offering his hand.

Sabrina stood up and shook it with her own, offering him a smile. “All good things I hope.”

“Of course.” Max said. “This department wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t for your help, and I can think of no one better to replace me.”

Kim saw the proud gleam in her eyes. “So I’m guessing that this is the guy who stole you away from us?” Sabrina asked Max, looking Kim up and down.

“I wouldn’t say he ‘stole me away’, but he will be my new partner.” Max explained with a smile, looking at Kim. Kim’s throat became dry all of a sudden.

“It’s so cool that you guys get to see all the action.” Sabrina said, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. “I try to make it to the matches when I can, but it must be a whole different world up there in the booth.”

“It seems like you’re a fan of pro-fighting.” Kim said with a smirk.

“Well, yeah, that’s one of the reasons I took the IT job for this company in particular.” Sabrina said with a shrug. “But I also like to go because my girlfriend is one of the head trainers. She likes when I can give her feedback from the audience. She ‘appreciates the objective perspective’, or at least that’s how she explains it. And she always gives me something in return.” Sabrina said with a shy smile. Kim could see a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I didn’t know you were dating one of the trainers.” Max commented.

“Yeah, you might have met her actually, her name is Chloe.”

Kim immediately remembered those ice blue eyes and blonde hair. He also remembered how easily she knocked Chat Noir down. “Yeah we met her a few days ago. She’s pretty…”

“Scary.” Max answered honestly.

Sabrina laughed. “Yeah, that’s the vibe a lot of people get when they first meet her.” Then she lowered her voice. “You can’t tell her I said this, but she’s actually a big softie.”

Kim chuckled. “My lips are sealed.” Then he glanced at Max and saw the amused smile on his face. “Well,” He coughed. “I should probably head home now; I didn’t mean to interrupt –”

“It was no problem at all. We were just finishing up anyway.” Max said.

“Okay, good.” Kim said, heading for the open doorway. “So I’ll see you tomorrow? For the meeting with Adela?”

“Of course.” Max said with a smile.

Something fluttered in Kim’s chest, and he had to stop himself from making a frustrated whine. Max was just a friend, a friend. A friend that found him very attractive…

No, just a friend. And he was going to prove how much of a mega-friend, bro, and totally platonic amigo he was even if it killed him.

“I was thinking,” Kim began, “we should go on a run together before the meeting, you know, like we talked about.”

Sabrina scoffed and looked at Max. “Have you ever ran?”

“No,” Max answered honestly. Then he straightened up and clenched his fists at his side, “but I accept your challenge!” He yelled seriously.

‘Crap,’ Kim thought, ‘that was really cute.’

“On one condition,” Max continued, pointing a finger at Kim.

“Name it.”

“Since I’m going to do something you like to do; you have to do something that I like to do.” Max answered.

“And what is that?” Kim asked, quirking an eyebrow.

A mysterious grin spread across Max’s face. “You’ll find out after the meeting.”

Kim could feel his neck heating up again. He saw the challenge in Max’s eyes as he made his demands, and he couldn’t help but find it…really hot.

“Deal.” Kim said, his throat dry. He had to get out of here before his whole face was red. “Then I’ll see you at 8 am, outside this building.” Kim declared.

“Sounds like a plan.” Max said, dropping his hand to his side. He still had that smile on his face.

“O-okay, I’m just gonna, um, go then. Nice meeting you, Sabrina.” Kim said, his head now being the only thing visible in the doorway.

“Likewise.” Sabrina said with a smirk.

With that, Kim hurried down the hall and toward the elevator. It wasn’t until he was safely inside the elevator, alone, that he released the breath he was holding.

They had just made plans together. Like, like friends do.

Yeah, they were just dudes being dudes, pals being pals, bros being bros.

And yet he couldn’t deny that when Max was smiling at him, the only thing he wanted to do was push Max down on the table and kiss him until hewas the one smiling like that.

He was so, terribly, undeniably screwed.

#Haha Kim good luck buddy #You've been hit by #you've been struck by #gay feeeeeliinggs #kimax #max kante #le chien kim #miraculous ladybug #sabrina raincomprix #rose lavillant #marinette dupain-cheng #pearl writes

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