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If, in the beginning of her partnership with Cat Noir, anyone had told Marinette that she would spend one New Year’s Eve with Cat Noir dropping in for a visit and falling asleep at the foot of her bed, she would have either laughed herself silly or had a mental breakdown. Or both.
Regardless, this is exactly what happened one New Year’s Eve.
Sabine Cheng took Jane Austen very seriously and, years before, had committed herself to watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice mini-series every New Year’s Eve, from 6 pm to midnight. Tom always joined her because he loved listening to Sabine explain various Regency protocols. Marinette joined in because she loved analyzing the fashions and – as any sane woman would be – was madly in love with Colin Firth-Mr. Darcy.
This year, however, Marinette had decided to leave her parents to themselves and spend the evening up in her room with the kwamis. They easily kept her awake for the hours leading up to midnight, and when the clock struck twelve they all let out a quiet cheer.
Suddenly Marinette heard a quiet thump from above and they all froze.
“What was that?” Wayzz asked fearfully.
“I’ll go check it out,” Marinette said. “Back to your hiding spots, guys.”
The kwamis zipped away and out of sight as Marinette climbed up to her bed, then up and out of the trapdoor to her balcony. She stopped dead when she saw a black leather-clad shape with a shock of blond hair sitting on the end of her beach chair.
“Cat Noir?”
The superhero jumped and looked behind him. “Oh, hey, Marinette.”
“What are you doing here?”
He flushed. “I was… on a patrol of sorts.”
Marinette blinked. “Without Ladybug?” They had never made plans to patrol on New Year’s Eve.
“Yeah, I figured with all the celebrations there should be someone on alert just in case,” Cat explained. “And I didn’t want to bother Ladybug; she’s probably having fun celebrating with her family.”
“What about celebrating with yours?” Marinette asked.
He stiffened and didn’t answer.
Marinette climbed out of the trapdoor and moved to crouch beside him. She squeezed his shoulder. “Is something wrong, kitty cat?”
He looked up at her and Marinette felt her heart break a little at the defeated look in his leaf-green eyes. “In all honesty,” he said with a heavy sigh, “I also wanted to get out of my house. Things aren’t exactly… Well, let’s just say they could be better.”
My poor kitty. The look on his face reminded her so much of Adrien when he talked about his miserable home life. There was little she could do for Adrien, but for right now, she could help her partner.
“Well, if you like,” she said hesitantly, “you can come in and we could hang out for a while.”
His eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Of course.” Marinette smiled warmly. “We’ll have to keep the noise down, so my parents don’t discover that you’re here, but I think we could have a fun time.”
“I would love that, Princess.” He yawned deeply. “Though I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay awake.”
“It’s alright if you doze off,” she reassured him. “I’m feeling rather tired, myself.”
“In that case, no funny business,” Cat said earnestly. “I promise.”
She smiled. “Me too. Come on, let’s go inside.”
— — —
Marinette’s eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times. It was still very dark, the only light coming from the street lamps through the chinks in the blinds.
She turned slightly and saw Cat Noir, still curled up at the end of the bed where he’d fallen asleep. He appeared to be slumbering peacefully and she smiled fondly.
Marinette yawned and picked up her phone from the shelf behind her. The screen turned on and showed the time: 2:56 am.
Nearly three hours into the new year, Marinette thought. Another birthday, another Christmas, and another year of fighting akumas.
Marinette looked at Cat again and saw that his eyes were open and he was watching her. She smiled again. “Good morning,” she whispered. “And happy birthday.”
He grinned, but furrowed his brow, obviously confused. “It’s not my birthday.”
“I know,” Marinette replied with a quiet laugh, “but I wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday this year.”
He chuckled softly. “Thanks.”
Marinette pursed her lips. “I do wish I’d thought of this before; then I would have something for you.”
Cat shook his head. “Princess, you don’t have to–”
“Oh, yes, I do,” Marinette interrupted. She rested her chin on her hands for a moment, thinking. Then she got an idea and she sprang up.
Cat sat up, too. “What are you–?”
“Ssh.” Marinette climbed down the ladder and opened the trap door to go downstairs. “Don’t go anywhere,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.”
He smiled warmly. “Where am I gonna go?”
Marinette shrugged as heat flooded her cheeks and she quickly climbed down the steps, closing the trap door quietly behind her.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Marinette grabbed a napkin, placed a petit four in it, and got a small candle. She kept her movements as silent as possible, as both her parents were asleep on the couch in front of the TV. Then she climbed back up to her room.
Cat Noir was sitting up on the bed and staring at her, obviously confused.
Marinette climbed up the ladder and sat down cross-legged on the bed, facing him. She stuck the candle in the center of the little cake. Softly, smiling up at him, she sang “Happy Birthday” under her breath. He watched her and grinned.
“Now,” Marinette said, picking up her phone, “make a wish–” (she turned on the phone’s flashlight, focusing it on the tip of the candle) “–and blow out the candle.”
His smile grew. “Really?” he whispered, sounding close to laughter.
“Come on,” she urged.
“I haven’t done this since I was a kid,” he protested.
“Then be a kid again for a minute,” Marinette replied.
He exhaled and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and blew out a breath in a quick puff. Marinette turned off the flashlight at the same moment.
“Yay!” she whispered. “And all in one breath, too! Impressive!”
Cat laughed, then looked into her eyes intently. “Do you want to know what I wished for?”
“But then it won’t come true,” Marinette teased.
“I’m not so sure about that.”
Something about his tone made Marinette blush and she shifted, suddenly very glad that the room was dark. She cleared her throat and held out the little cake to him. “Well, here you go, birthday boy.”
He took it and broke it in two, handing one half back to her.
“Are you sure?” Marinette asked. “We’re celebrating your birthday.”
“Well, I want to share with you.”
Marinette smiled, took the piece of cake, and they both started eating.
“What kinds of things does your family do for birthdays, Marinette?”
She swallowed the bite she’d just taken. “Well, we always bake a cake, of course. Maman has come up with a different cake design for every birthday I’ve ever had.”
Cat looked intrigued. “Like what?”
“Well, when I was five, I had a Disney princess cake. For my tenth birthday there was a five-layer rainbow cake. And I think we had an ice cream sandwich cake when I turned thirteen.”
Cat grinned. “That’s a really fun idea.”
“After the cake we open presents and play games.” Marinette shrugged. “Pretty normal, I think.”
Cat’s gaze dropped down to the crumbs in the napkin he was still holding. “Not for everyone, I’m afraid.”
Marinette’s heart twinged. “What do you mean?”
He half-smiled. “Just that my birthdays are pretty lonely. My friends have tried to help before, but it didn’t end well. I probably shouldn’t tell you anything else.”
Marinette reached over and squeezed his hand. “Tell you what, Cat Noir. Next time you want to celebrate your birthday, just let me know, and I’ll get my parents to help me throw you a proper birthday party.”
He looked up at her, eyes wide with hope. “Really?”
“Of course! The Hero of Paris deserves the best birthday party anyone has to offer!”
Cat squeezed her hand in return. “Thanks, Marinette.”
“So,” Marinette said, “for the purpose of pre-planning, what would you love to have at your ideal birthday party?”
Cat’s mouth twisted in thought. “Well… I’d love to have all my friends there, but that can’t be helped. It would probably be a little weird if I invited my civilian friends to a birthday party for me as a superhero.”
“You shouldn’t risk your identity,” Marinette agreed. “Is there anything else?”
Cat shrugged. “Passionfruit cake?”
Marinette grinned. “Now, that I can do.”
“And…” He tapped a finger against his chin. “Oh! I would love to have a Marinette original.”
Marinette blinked in surprise. “A what?”
“You like designing, don’t you?” Cat nodded towards her sewing table down below. “Didn’t you win that contest that Gabriel Agreste held quite a while ago?”
“Oh!” Marinette chuckled self-consciously. “Yes, I did, but how did you know?”
“It is a knight’s duty to be aware of his princess’s successes, is it not?” Cat asked, assuming a dramatically dignified mien. “Then he can honor her properly.” Marinette laughed. “But in all seriousness,” Cat went on, “I keep my ear to the ground. I have to know what’s going on in Paris.”
“True, true.”
“So, if I had to pick one present,” Cat said, “it would definitely be a Marinette original.”
“Really? You don’t want anything else?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t really need anything else.”
Marinette pouted. “You deserve more than that, Cat.”
He laughed. “Well, then, you plan the rest. I’m sure that whatever you come up with would be way better than anything I could think of, anyway.”
“Very well,” Marinette said. She snatched up her sketchbook and quickly wrote Plan birthday party for Cat Noir on one of the blank pages. “Consider it done.”
“Now, then, since I already know when your birthday is,” Cat Noir said, “tell me what you want.”
Marinette shook her head. “But I couldn’t possibly–”
“Nope, I don’t want to hear any arguments.” Cat squeezed her hand. “You’ve done so much for me, Marinette, more than you know. Let me do something for you for once.”
Marinette furrowed her brow and fought down a rush of panic. What did he mean, she’d done so much for him? What had she ever done as Marinette for Cat Noir?
“Well, if you insist,” she said. She thought for a moment. “I suppose I would love to have any fashion-related opportunities come my way. In a couple of years I’ll probably apply for an internship somewhere.”
“Like Gabriel Agreste’s company, maybe?”
Marinette shook her head. “It would be a great place to start, job-wise, but I’ve never liked Mr. Agreste that much. I hate the way he treats his son like an asset rather than a person. Adrien is so much more than that.”
Cat smiled. “Adrien is lucky to have a friend like you, Marinette.”
She chuckled. “Good friends are treasures, and you have to value them as such. They can be lost all too easily if you don’t treat them right.”
Cat nodded. “Isn’t it interesting how it takes so long to build trust and friendship but it can only take one mistake to ruin it all?”
Marinette felt a rush of guilt, picturing all the times she’d rejected him as Ladybug and the effect it had on their relationship. “It’s hard to regain what you’ve lost,” she said sadly.
“Tell me about it.” Then he shook himself. “Alright, enough of that. Back to what you want. I don’t know how much I can do about getting you an internship, but I’ll do what I can.”
“No!” Marinette exclaimed. “I can’t ask that of you.”
“Why not?”
“Because people in Paris would do anything for Ladybug or Cat Noir. I want to be accepted on my merits, not my connections. If I don’t have what it takes to survive in the fashion world, having friends in high places isn’t going to make things any easier.”
Cat stared at her admiringly. “Princess, have I ever told you how amazing you are?”
She blushed fiercely. “I don’t think so, but maybe that could be your birthday present for me.”
He scoffed. “I can do that any day. It shouldn’t be for something special like a birthday.”
“And yet, you haven’t managed to do it yet,” she teased.
He laughed loudly, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand, muffling the laughter. “Sorry,” he whispered, struggling against the mirth. “I should probably do it now, then.” He reached over and took her hand, looking deeply into her eyes. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are the most amazing person I know. You are kind and funny and smart and everything a hero is. You don’t need a miraculous or special powers to be what makes you one of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
That took Marinette’s breath away. “Wow,” she said. “That was worth the wait, I think.”
He grinned wickedly. “So, what else do you want?”
“A boyfriend,” she blurted out. Cat’s eyes doubled in size. She slapped a hand over her mouth and then covered her eyes. “Please disregard previous statement,” she mumbled.
Cat laughed again, keeping the sound quiet. “Oh, Marinette, it’s no wonder that I’m always so happy around you.”
She peeked out at him. “Just pretend you didn’t hear that, okay?”
“Certainly. It just so happens that I went temporarily deaf and didn’t hear your answer to my question.”
Marinette giggled. “Well, then, to answer your question…”
They continued talking and laughing for a while, still making sure that they were quiet, until it was after 5 in the morning. Thankfully neither of them had school or work the next day, but Cat Noir reluctantly admitted that he should probably be getting home.
They climbed up to the balcony, and shared a quick hug. Then Cat grabbed his stick and prepared to extend it, but turned back to her with a warm look in his eyes. “Happy New Year, my Princess,” he said softly.
Marinette smiled up at him, her heart rate rapidly rising. “Happy New Year, Sir Cat.”
He smiled back, his gaze dropping to her lips. Slowly he leaned down, giving her time to pull away, but she didn’t move. Her eyes fluttered closed as he gently pressed his lips against hers.
Marinette had always expected her first real kiss to be passionate, burning, leaving her tingling with heat through her entire body and weak at the knees. This, however, was achingly soft and sweet and tender, everything Cat Noir was underneath his cocky exterior. There was no fire in it, but Marinette had never before felt so safe, so protected, so cherished.
She couldn’t say how long the kiss lasted, but eventually they both pulled back, a bit out of breath. Blushing, Marinette smiled shyly at him and he grinned, his face a bit flushed as well.
“That was my wish,” he whispered.
Marinette’s smile widened. “It’s what I would have wished for, too.”
His green eyes twinkled. “I’ll have to fulfill that wish when I give you your birthday present this year, then.”
Marinette laughed quietly and wrapped her arms around him. “Happy birthday, my knight. Will you come visit me tomorrow?”
He held her close. “Every day that I can.” He kissed her forehead. “Good night, Princess.”
“Good night, Cat.”
Smiling, he squeezed her hand one last time before taking his leave.
Marinette sighed dreamily and leaned against the railing of her balcony, hugging herself happily. It was flirting with danger, she knew, to be encouraging anything with Cat Noir. But right then she didn’t care. Cat was everything to her, and if he wished for kisses, then she would be more than happy to give them to him.