Chapter Text
She needs to get over this stupid crush.
Marinette bangs her head on her locker for the seventh time that day (one for being late to school, again, two for Chloe, and the rest for Adrien, but not in a row) and wonders why she had even fallen so hard for the boy.
Oh yeah, she remembers, because he’s perfect.
When she voiced such thoughts to Alya, however, the girl had sighed and put her hands at her hips, tired of this endless conversation. “Marinette, nobody's ‘perfect’. And if you think Adrien is, then you're just not seeing his bad points.”
Marinette had almost argued that Adrien had none, but that was the point of this entire conversation. That was the fifth bang of her head. (Which is indirectly Adrien, but still Adrien, nonetheless.)
The seventh time she bangs her head, however, was because despite all of Alya’s protests on Adrien’s perfections, he is still amazingly wonderful. And just too easy to like.
She had tripped over her words when talking him today, which is nothing new. He gave an awkward smile and laughed, which is also nothing new.
But she’s done. She is so finished with being embarrassing and shy in front of Adrien. She hates her massive crush because she can’t even talk normally in front of him. If she could be strong and confident with Adrien, then maybe she could have a chance with him. But not being able to speak coherent words in front of someone? Like anyone would love someone like that.
And so Marinette bangs her head on her locker for the seventh time that day, mourning her incapabilities.
“Girl,” Alya says, coming behind her. Marinette glances at her, her forehead still glued to the metal of her locked. Alya’s arms are crossed, eyebrows furrowed but she’s giving an exasperated smile. “Are you trying to get a concussion?”
“Maybe,” Marinette says. “At least then I won’t be an embarrassment. God, Adrien probably thinks I’m an humiliating moron.”
“Marinette,” Alya chides, holding her friend’s shoulders. Marinette lets herself be pulled by Alya until she’s facing her best friend. “Sure, stuttering in front of your crush isn’t the best, but you’re not embarrassing or a moron.” She tips Marinette’s chin up, smiling. “If anything, it’s rather cute.”
Marinette gives a sarcastic smile. “Yeah, sure. Blabbing out nonsense is adorable,” she finishes sarcastically.
“I’m sure someone finds it cute,” Alya argues and wraps her arm around her best friend’s neck.
Marinette smiles sadly back at her and places a hand on top of Alya’s. “Not Adrien though, huh?” Marinette groans. “Why am I so awkward in front of only him?”
“Because you think he’s practically ‘perfect’,” Alya reminds. She points a finger accusingly at her friend. Marinette looks at it dejectedly.
“I know...but I really can’t help it. He’s just…” And it’s that perfect moment which Adrien chose to walk past them and leave school. Obviously, he caught Marinette’s eye, and she kept staring at him.
It seemed evident to Alya, too. “Oh, Mari,” she said, shaking her head. “You do need to get over this crush. At least, maybe to the point where you’re not obsessively fawning over him.”
Marinette hangs her head, lightly tapping it to her locker. She knows if she slammed it, Alya would scold her. But she counts it anyways. Eight. “I know…”
That night, after finishing her homework early (thank you for not assigning more physics homework tonight, Ms. Mendeleiev), Marinette goes up to the balcony, leaning over the railing to look at Paris’ night sky, thinking it'll help her mind get away from this Adrien business.
It doesn’t.
So Marinette just stands there, putting away the fact she should be using her spare time to finish the design project that she’s already spent weeks on to the far corner of her mind and racks her brain over this stupid crush instead.
...Maybe it would be easier to give up on this crush. She wouldn't be a babbling moron that way, right?
But then Marinette tries imagining not looking at Adrien everytime he enters the room or stop reading the magazines that Adrien stars in. She can't even picture herself doing it! Giving up? That's hardly anything Marinette would do.
Still. She needs to do something about the crush. She can't just have herself making a fool of herself for everyone to see. With horror, Marinette realizes that maybe half the class knows about her crush.
“Aaaargh,” Marinette groans, slamming her head on the railing (nine) and her hand clutches it as well, as her whole body sort of sinks. After a moment, Marinette lifts her head up, looking at the view just barely above the metal bar.
The last bit of today’s sunlight is just barely peeking over the rather small buildings when Marinette catches a figure in the edge of her eye. She turns, with the brief pondering if it’s Chat Noir. It turns out to be a mere bird, but Marinette still entertains the idea of seeing her partner in the area.
It’s a Tuesday, so it’s Chat’s turn to patrol. They decided to alternate the weekdays to squeeze in more time for homework, a conversation (she remembers, that she tried hard to avoid) they had after Marinette mourned over her dropping grades. (It seemed like Chat didn’t have that problem, Marinette thought, just a bit bitterly.)
She wonders if she would find her partner leap across Paris’ rooftops. It’s dark, and the chances of him nearing her bakery are low, but she could probably see a figure in the horizon is he’s near her neighborhood.
She smiles at the thought of that, of her partner going through Paris wherever he pleases, defending the city from any form of peril.
“Tikki,” she calls to the kwami on her shoulder. She's a little sleepy when Marinette looks at her; the creature is dozing just slightly on her shoulder, leaning against the folds of her cardigan.
Tikki opens her eyes. “Yes?”
“Got enough energy for a quick break?”
The kwami smiles lightly. “Maybe a bit. It'll be short, though.”
“That's fine. I just want to go for a spin.”
It's his turn to patrol tonight.
But Chat Noir isn't really putting his mind to it. He knows Ladybug would scold him for that if she were here, but she's not, so that's okay. Just for a bit. There isn't any imminent danger right now anyways.
He doesn't really have any real excuse for being out of it today. Other than the normal stress of work, school, and being a fantastic superhero, it's been all and all a pretty ordinary day. No traumatic disaster to throw him off his game.
Until he spots Marinette walking by the Seine.
She’s walking dangerously close to the waters, placing her foot over the other as she strides across the thin curb bordering the river.
He doesn't know much about his classmate, but he does know that she shouldn't be walking that close to the river, especially this late on a school night.
It's been a while since he last saw the light and he thinks his classmate should be home, finishing their physics homework or something. That’s his reasoning, anyways.
So Chat Noir decides to pay Princess a visit. He wasn't really focused on patrolling to begin with, and a little chat won't hurt right?
He might walk Marinette home too, if he's lucky.
She tries to ignore Tikki’s scolding.
“There are beeps for a reason, Marinette” and “I told you it'll be short. Plus, you're using your powers selfishly—it'll drain faster!” and other reprimands from Tikki are just floating through her head, statements she knows already. But still, Marinette managed to miss all five warnings from her Miraculous and ended up releasing her transformation on the banks of Seine. She blames the late ponderings she had regarding Adrien (and her partner, thinking that she might be able to catch him) for distracting her so badly to transform in public.
Luckily, she hadn't been jumping (she was about to jump on one of the boats lodged by; thank god her transformation had released earlier) when her transformation worn off. If she had, she’s probably be in the river by now. And—to be fair, Tikki, Marinette tries to rationalize—she had (sort of) heard that last warning in last barest of moments and ducked under a bridge to release her transformation. She doesn’t think anyone really saw her. Besides, it’s dark.
Still, Mariette is probably either going to walk home or beg the streets for food (for Tikki, not her).
“And what's a Princess doing at night without a guard?”
Marinette whips to her left and finds Chat Noir perched on the railing. Her partner is smirking at, absolutely smug, like always. Now she finds him, Marinette thinks distantly, a little annoyed. At least he wasn’t there when she lost her transformation; that would’ve been worse.
“What are you doing at night without Ladybug?” What is he doing? He should be on patrol, not flirting with citizens!
“Patrolling,” he answers simply.
“Really?” Marinette crosses her arms. “Doesn't look like it. Not very focused are you?”
Chat Noir chuckles and scratches his face a little. “Yeah, well, I'm a little distracted.” He leans in close, a hand at his face while his eyes dart side to side. “Don't tell Ladybug.”
The irony in that almost makes her laugh.
Instead, Marinette places a hand at her hip and raises an eyebrow. “Why? So she won't scold you? Well, it'll be well deserved. As a protector of Paris, you should take your patrols very seriously.”
Chat Noir laughs. “You're right, Princess. But it's my last couple minutes of patrolling so I think I'll be fine. What are you doing out here?”
“Just going for a quick spin,” she says, ignoring the fast vibration in her purse.
“Quick?” Chat Noir looks surprised. “You're a bit from home aren't you?”
“I guess I was lost in the clouds,” she defends. Of course she doesn’t mention how stupidly she acted as Ladybug.
“Makes two of us,” Chat Noir mumbles. He straightens and places hands at his waist, grinning. “Well, it's getting late and you're far from home. I hope you didn't actually plan on walking back.”
Marinette flushes because she really hadn't. She sees that Chat guesses from the look on her face, she really has no other way home.
“Well then,” he says merrily, picking her up, “we’ll be off.”
“Chat,” she protests and has just enough time to wrap her hands around his neck. “Wait!”
He doesn't. Before she knows it, they're flying through the air.
Adrien admits, carrying a person across high rooftops bridal style wasn’t his best idea.
He’s trying to be charming, he rationalizes, which is why he thinks this is much more effective than piggybacking Marinette or something equally as uncool.
But as he makes it across a couple rooftops, jumping high and falling low, his arms are getting tired.
Great, he thinks, smooth move. Putting Marinette down now would be kind of awkward and telling her his arms are getting tired is both emasculating and rude towards Marinette’s figure.
However, luckily, Marinette stares at him as he makes it across another building, and he almost stumbles at the look in her eyes.
“Princess,” he says, trying for a smirk, “are you enjoying the night air?”
Marinette continued to stare at him, obviously lost in thought, and he briefly wonders what she's thinking about before he breaks the connection to look up to see where he's going.
“If you're getting tired, Chat, we can walk.”
So she caught on. Part of him wants to roll his eyes and curse at her perceptiveness while the other of him wants to roll his eyes and laugh at her perceptiveness.
He also tries not to smile at the “we”.
“As you wish, Princess.”
“So do you go on adventurous night walks across Seine by yourself this late often?” Chat Noir asks, trying to make light conversation.
Marinette looks at him from the corner of her eye. A small part of her internally giggles at her partner. Dork, she thinks. “Sure,” Marinette answers, “why not? After all, it’s only on these ‘adventurous night walks’ do I get to be accompanied by a Paris’ superhero.”
“I’m not the only one,” Chat Noir makes sure to say and when Marinette turn to read his face , he’s smiling just a bit with a fond look in her eyes. The expression makes her heart trip just a little but Marinette makes sure to brush off any of that before continuing. “Ladybug, right?” she questions, as if Ladybug wasn’t a famous image of Paris, as if she wasn’t her. “Why isn’t she patrolling with you?”
“Busy. Being a superhero isn’t all we do, you know.”
“I know,” she says and briefly wonders what Chat’s dual life is like. It isn’t easy for her; hiding from her parents and Alya, her best friend, who is one of Ladybug’s biggest fan—isn’t simple at all. She hates it, but she knows she also needs to. But then she smiles brightly at Chat and asks, “So what else do you do?”
“Fancy an interview with me, do you, Princess?” Chat says slyly.
Marinette turns back to face the road and waves a hand away. “Oh please,” she says, “I’d be shoddy at that. That’s better suited for my best friend.”
“Of course,” Chat agrees in a voice that indicates anything but agreement. He gives her a look. “But if you ever want a personal talk…” Chat Noir pauses in his walk and holds up Marinette’s hand. She thinks he’s going to kiss it again but instead he just holds her hand in between them and stares directly into her eyes, “I’ll be here to talk.”
“Okay, Chat Noir,” Marinette replies, playing along. “I’ll be sure to grab Alya too; she’ll be wanting an interview with the famous black cat.”
“Purrfect,” Chat says and Marinette rolls her eyes. She takes her hand back and starts to walk again. “Does she want one with Ladybug too?”
“Duh,” Marinette replies, but obviously she doesn’t mention how Alya already got one. Yesterday, too, Marinette had finished her patrol early with extra time on her transformation to spare and met Alya on the sidewalk of a street. She quickly chatted with her best friend for a couple minutes before leaving. And of course, the girl had videotaped the whole thing. It was on the blog before Marinette had even gotten home.
“Then maybe I’ll ask her to see if we can get a dual interview.”
Marinette entertains the idea of the Parisian duo getting interviewed by a 15 year old who’s still in school while the professional reporters are rejected. She internally smiles at the thought of Chat taking the interview by storm, with his flirtatious smirks and expressions, him winking at the camera.
Marinette laughs. “I’m sure she’ll love that.”
Chat stares at her but Marinette keeps looking ahead. Soon, she sees the family bakery up ahead.
“This your home?”
Chat stops on the road before the small shop. Seeing it under the night glow of Paris with Chat Noir makes her a smile a bit.
Marinette nods. “Can you bring me to the balcony up there?” At Chat’s raised eyebrow (mask?) she explains sheepishly, “I snuck out. My parents still think I’m doing homework.” She could get up there herself, as Ladybug, but not only would bringing Tikki out to transform her another eyeroll and small scolding, but also Marinette does want to spend a little bit more time with her partner. She gets enough of him when she’s a superhero, so it’s nice to see him act just a little differently around her. It makes her giggle when Chat tries to impress her with the “savior of Paris” persona and it’s endearing to know that Chat is very thorough in making sure she gets home safely.
Chat shakes his head, a small smirk playing at his lips. “A princess sneaking out to walk across the Seine that far away from her home under the pretense that she’s doing homework? It’s amazing how your parents haven’t figured it out yet.”
Marinette rubs the back of her neck, smiling a little. “Well, my parents are bakers. They need to get up at at least four in the morning if we want to sell fresh bread. So they sleep early and generally don’t notice my disappearances.”
Chat gives her look and Marinette almost slaps her hand on her mouth. She had just implied she snuck out often. She feels her face burn; letting Chat Noir know she’s sneaking around isn’t a good thing, she thinks.
“Well, let’s still get you home.” Chat holds out his hand this time, instead of invasively soaring through the air with her in his arms. Not that it was too badly intrusive—only a little jarring. Marinette’s long ridden her minor fear of heights, and it’s not that she doesn't trust Chat, but she trusts herself more.
“Okay,” she says slowly and places her hand in his. She feels the smooth texture of his leather suit and when Marinette looks back at his eyes, his startling green eyes is piercing. Marinette has a sudden desire of wanting to know who it is behind that mask, who it is she risks her life with to save citizens.
But when Chat smiles and bends down so he can carry her on his back, Marinette brushes the thought away, knowing that not knowing is for the better.
She climbs on (a little self-conscious, but this is Chat; she knows she’s in good hands), placing her hands around his neck. Chat Noir needs his hands to hold the railing so Marinette just awkwardly wraps her legs around her torso. She feels just a bit too close to him, but he’s only carrying her to her room. She tries to ignore her slight rush she feels in her chest.
Chat Noir jumps, and her heart soars a bit at the movement—a feeling she’s not unfamiliar with as Ladybug. When his hands catch the railing, Marinette involuntarily tugs against Chat Noir’s neck due to the momentum. She feels her partner slip a little, the action probably a little too strong.
“Sorry!” she squeaks, both embarrassed and scared. Any harder and Chat might’ve lost his grip.
“It’s no problem, Princess,” he says smoothly and Marinette stares exasperatedly at his back. Always the charmer, she thinks, knowing that her slip up caused Chat more anxiety than he lets on. “Just hold on, okay?” he adds, placing a hand at her thigh and lifts her up just slightly. Chat Noir keeps his hand low, Marinette notices. She smiles a bit at his consideration, despite that if Chat places his hand higher, he would’ve had a better hold.
“Here we go,” Chat grunts as he climbs over the railing, with his right hand moved to Marinette’s the back of her knee so he could hold her better. When Marinette makes it to the safe floor of her balcony, she turns back to look at Chat Noir, who’s still sitting on the metal bar.
“Do you want to come in?” she offers, a little hesitant. She doesn’t know if that’s for the best, but Marinette does know she doesn’t mind a some kitty company.
However, Chat Noir shakes his head. “No, I better go,” he answers and Marinette nods. “I was supposed to finish patrol almost thirty minutes ago and there are probably people wondering where I am. I better go before I make more trouble.”
“Okay,” she says, “I’ll see you later, then?”
Chat Noir smirks. “Definitely.”
This time, he does take her hand and kiss it, but his eyes still never leave hers. “I’ll see you later, Princess,” he murmurs, repeating her words, “maybe sooner than you think.”
And with that, he leaps off her balcony, leaving Marinette’s heartbeat a mess.
“What was that, Marinette?” Tikki demands, coming out from her bag as soon as Chat left her balcony. “You could've scaled the building yourself as Ladybug or not tell him about your parents! I thought you wanted to keep your personal lives separate?”
Marinette fiddles with her fingers, heart pounding. She does. She really does. Chat finding out who she is isn't the best situation, she has to admit. She doesn't know how Chat Noir would react if the two people he thought were different people were actually one.
Of course, her most trusted partner is considerate and kind, despite his jokes and flirtatious words. She would trust him with her life, so why not her self?
But then...then there's the fact that Chat knows her as a superhero. As a lady who would not hesitate for second before jumping of a building because she knew she would catch herself. A person who was confident with people and didn't stutter at a 7.0 on the Richter scale.
She doesn't know how Chat Noir would react. She would rather not find out.
“I...don't know,” Marinette confesses. She doesn't want Chat to find out. So why bother telling him so much?
She knows. She knows she wants Chat to know her, to see how he would react with her true self, her alter ego. To see if he was a flirt with any girl, to see if he would see Marinette the same way as he saw Ladybug.
“I want him to see me,” Marinette decides. “I want to see Chat to see Marinette Dupain-Cheng, not Ladybug.”
Tikki doesn’t say anything and Marinette continues to sink into her own thoughts as she packs her schoolbag for the next day. She’s bidding Tikki goodnight and turning off her lights but her mind is still swarmed over her partner.
Marinette lies in her bed, closing her eyes and trying to force herself to sleep but she can’t help the fast beats that she can hear so loudly in her ears.
Her heart’s pounding, and for the first time in a while, it isn’t because of Adrien Agreste.
Perfect, she thinks sarcastically.
Marinette bangs her head into her pillow—which is soft so she suspects Alya won't scold her if she were here—and muffles her groan.
Her day ends with the tenth bang of her head, but this time it's for Chat Noir.