Simplicity
The night air blew gently on Chat's face as he sat on the edge of the Eiffel Tower looking out on a moon bathed Paris. Several clouds dotted the night sky, but none seemed to dare interrupt the silent romance between the City of Love and the moon. Chat sighed in contentment as the only interruptions to this blissful moment of peace was the occasional distant laughter of civilians headed home for the evening after a splendid akuma free day. Chat's luminescent green eyes stared transfixed on the moon that seemed to hang so low and full that he could surely reach it with a well-timed jump and some help from his staff.
This was one of those simple moments that Chat lived for. Everyday life was crazy and at times confusing as he had to balance his civilian life and his hero life. "Plagg," Chat mused, even though he wasn't one hundred percent sure his Kwami could hear him, "Do you think Ladybug is looking at the moon now, just like we are". The question, as he figured it would, went unanswered except for the sound of the ever present breeze softly whistling through the metal bars of the beloved Parisian landmark. "Figures," Chat smirked "you never want to talk about Ladybug. All you ever want to talk about is cheese" Chat said as his smirk grew wider as he stood up and stretched.
"Why do I even bother talking to you Plagg" Chat asked playfully as he gazed over Paris while mentally planning his first jump. Chat spotted a reasonably close roof to land on, albeit only reasonable thanks to his extendable staff. Chat chuckled to himself as he leaped and extended his staff. Upon landing on the adjacent roof Chat shook his head ruefully "If I'm not careful, people will think I talk to myself". Chat pondered on that statement a moment before answering himself "It's ok though, I doubt anyone noticed this cat a cool tin roof". Chat's smile grew wider as he again chuckled "I really need to save that kind of gold for m'lady. Can't go using my best material on the night now can I" he asked no one in particular as he began to run. "One more round and we will call it a night Plagg, I promise".
The buildings passed in a blur as Chat skillfully and stealthily ran over the rooftops of Paris while occasionally leaping to the ground and back up to the rooftops in a silent game only he was playing. Chat landed softly on a small rooftop balcony near the school he attended as a civilian. "That placed really changed my life, you know that Plagg" Chat breathed as he let his heartrate slowdown for a moment. "If I had never gone there, I never would have made the amazing friends I have now". Chat was about to turn to go when his green eyes met blue. "Ah" Chat yelped has he jumped backwards to where his back was pressed against the metal fencing that bordered the small balcony. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you Chat Noir" Marinette squeaked from behind her notebook. Chat blinked slowly as he gazed at his friend. 'I can't believe I didn't notice her sitting there' Chat thought.
Chat smirked 'Time to have some fun'. "Well good evening Purrrincess. Fancy meeting you here" Chat said with confidence that faded as he uncharacteristically ran dry on things to say. Marinette smiled shyly up from her notebook "Well, I do live here Chat Noir". Chat rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "haha, ya…you do. You…you didn't happen to hear what I said…did you" He asked worriedly as he eyed Marinette cautiously. "I may have heard something…" she said quietly "But I promise I won't tell anyone you go to school over there. I promise" Marinette said all while her voice getting stronger with conviction.
"Thank you Princess" Chat breathed. "I would say I owe you for keeping that secret for me. Whatever you want. Just let me know and this cat will make it happen" He stammered as relief washed away the worry that had gripped him only moments ago. Marinette looked shocked at Chat's offer, if only for a moment before she gave him a confident smirk he was sure he seen before, yet that did not go with the image he had of the kind and timid girl he had befriended as a civilian. "Well, there is something you could do for me. You know my friend Alya? She runs the Ladyblog. I was thinking you could let me interview you for her" Marinette said excitedly.
Chat stared at her silently before finally shaking his head "Sorry about that. Sure. I would gladly let you interview me for the ladyblog, but why would you want to interview me for the ladyblog? Wouldn't you rather me try to talk Ladybug into letting her have another one on one interview" Chat asked, his face still betraying his confusion. Marinette smiled knowingly "Well, I personally thing you are awesome Chat Noir. You need more attention than you get, although I'm afraid what that will do to your ego" Marinette laughed as she put her notebook aside. "Meowch Purrincess! You wound me" He said playfully placing his hand over his "wounded" heart.
"Well, Chat? Is it a yes or no? I'll keep your secret regardless, but I would really love it if you would let me. Alya would totally freak out if I gave her an interview with Chat Noir for her blog" Marinette said hopefully. Chat smiled "That is a simple request, one that is well within my poor power to grant. I'm all yours Purrincess" Chat said with a wink as he leaned against the fence as if he were some kind of model. Marinette shook that observation off "Awesome! Thank you Chat! Let me run down and get my phone off the charger really quick" Marinette exclaimed before lifting the latch and jumping through with practiced ease. 'I wonder how she can manage that, yet trip over air molecules at school' Chat wondered absently as he waited for Marinette to return with her phone.
Marinette had been gone for several minutes and Chat was about to lean in and check on her, 'Maybe she didn't make it as smoothly as I thought' he worried, but jumped back with a start as Marinette's head popped out from the open latch door "I'm back Chat! I grabbed you some cookies and milk while I was down there. Think of it as a thank you for all that you do for Paris and for m-ladybug" Marinette said with a quick panic there at the end of her first sentence since disappearing. 'That's the Marinette I remember' Chat chuckled to himself as Marinette placed the cookies and milk on a small table near the fence. "I hope you like chocolate chip" Marinette said calmly, apparently over whatever had caused her to spaz. "Chocolate chip is more than fine. Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies" Chat asked rhetorically while Marinette giggled in a way that caused his heart to flutter in a way that only happened when he was around Ladybug.
"That's good, alright, go ahead and pull up that chair" Marinette motioned to the small, yet comfortable looking outdoor chair in the far corner of the balcony, "and we can get started'. Chat smiled as he pulled the sun worn chair over next to the small table that held his cookies and glass of milk. Marinette pulled out her phone and opened up the camera to get ready to begin the interview. Marinette poised the camera at Chat Noir before leaning out from behind her phone "Are you ready Chat" Marinette asked while Chat gave a toothy grin coupled with a nod of affirmation that he was ready. "Thank you for this Chat, Alya is going to freak out when I give her this" Marinette said excitedly as she pressed a button on her phone that Chat could only assume was her pressing play. "Good evening Ladyblog viewers! Tonight we have a special treat as our one and only Chat Noir has agreed to an interview" Marinette said enthusiastically and with a confidence he was sure Alya, and he himself, would be proud of. "Hello Paris, I'm glad to serve" Chat responded with a roguish grin that he hoped Ladybug would see and fall in love with.
The breeze ruffled Chats hair as he picked up a cookie, broke it in half, and dunked in the milk before taking a bite. "Chat Noir" Marinette started "I would like to thank you on behalf of Paris for what you do every day. Now, would you mind sharing with us some details about our favorite Chat themed hero?" Chat chewed the cookie thoughtfully before swallowing. "Well, that depends. What would you like to know? I obviously can't give away too much, but I'm sure I can share some stuff with you without giving away my identity. I apologize in advance for not giving that detail away. Sorry Alya" Chat grinned mischievously. Marinette smiled from behind the phone "What do you like to do in your free time Chat Noir? What are some of your hobbies" Marinette asked having already formulated several questions she would like to ask as Chat tapped his chin thoughtfully as he pondered Marinette's question. "Well Princess, I like to read in my free time. Anything really. I particularly love stories over more fact based reading. There is a book series about warrior cats. I do enjoy that" Chat said winking into the camera.
"Interesting. Is there anything else you like to do, or are you just a book worm" Marinette pressed. "I also enjoy, like anyone else, hanging out with my friends and before you ask, they do not know I am Chat Noir". Marinette smiled "ah, so you are just your average nerdy guy in your real life, nice" Marinette laughed as she smiled at Chat from behind the camera. "Hey, I'm not nerdy…ok…not too nerdy. I like video games too. I really like playing Ultimate Mecha Strike three, but that's not all I do. I also like to exercise. I like to run and I am a fencer, if you couldn't tell from battle footage that Alya somehow manages to grab" Chat responded quickly. Marinette blinked at the amount of information Chat just gave so willingly and easily. Sure it wasn't in anyway revealing who he was, but it was still a lot for one question. She, as Ladybug, never gave that much in one interview let alone one question. "You are quite the balanced guy then Chat. So tell us, do you have a favorite food? A favorite desert perhaps" Marinette asked from her mental list of questions she had come up with while getting the cookies and milk.
"Hmm, I would say I prefur baked fish. Baked with lemon pepper and with some real lemon juice, oh gosh, just thinking about it makes my mouth water" Chat chuckled as he ate the other half of his cookie. "As for the desert, I would say I really enjoy a good plain cheesecake, but you can never go wrong with a Dupain-Chang bakery chocolate chip cookie. They are Clawsome" Chat said with a wink that caused Marinette to roll her eyes and blush slightly at the same time, from the praise of her families skill as bakers and not he fact he was the second cutest guy she had ever met. "Interesting, and thank you for your praise Chat. I'm sure my parents will be pleased to hear you enjoy our baked goods" Marinette said in a very professional manner, being sure to not to give the cat too much or else he would have his ego inflated far too much. "Do you have any favorite T.V. shows that you watch Chat Noir" Marinette asked as she plowed on into the interview.
"I'm not really much of a television kinda cat. I'm more into listening to the radio. I love music. So, the only television shows I really watch are those music competition shows" Chat said easily while grabbing another cookie to munch on as he desperately tried to make up for the cookies he did not get to eat when he and Marinette had been in the Ultimate Mecha Strike Three tournament. "Wow" Marinette gasped "I never would have taken you for a music show kinda guy. I figured you would be into action movies" Marinette admitted. "Well, I am a guy, so I do enjoy the occasional action movie, but that's usually when I'm hanging out with Ni-my friends" Chat said nearly biting his tongue in catching his near slip that would have given his identity away. "Oh, looks like we almost got a great hint into the life of Chat Noir there. Too bad you caught it. I'm sure Paris would love to know who they should hang out with if they wanted to possibly run into the real Chat Noir" Marinette said with a wink from behind the camera.
Chat gulped as he reached for another cookie to shove in his mouth. 'That was too close. I need to be more careful' he thought. 'I know its Marinette, but I can't afford to get too comfortable' he mentally chided himself. "Chat Noir, you appear to be school age, what would you say is your favorite subject in school" Marinette asked with a smirk as she glanced towards the school. 'Still hard to believe I go to school with Chat. I would have thought I would have noticed those dang puns by now' Marinette thought absently only to be brought back to the present by Chat's voice. "I love math to be honest, but I do enjoy history class too. I mean, as a hero I have to learn from my mistakes so I don't repeat them and make life too hard on m'lady" Chat chuckled as he ate yet another cookie from the plate that was rapidly starting to look rather bare.
Marinette smiled as Chat mentioned Ladybug "Ah, Ladybug, your partner in crime fighting. What would you say is your biggest strength as a team would be" Marinette asked thankful Chat had unwittingly steered the interview in the direction she had hoped it would go. "Our greatest strength as a team is our trust in one another. I trust Ladybug with my life. I would like to believe she does the same. I think that's how we work together so well. Trust" Chat said matter of factly. This left Marinette stumped. Did she trust Chat with her life? As she thought about it, she really kind of did. Every time there was an akuma she knew Chat would let nothing happen to her. He had proven that enough. He had more than earned her trust. "Wow" Marinette breathed as she came to her own realization about her partner that she guessed was always true, but never admitted. "That's truly awesome Chat Noir".
"Now, the question that I'm sure all the ladies are dying to know, are you currently available" Marinette asked. Chat smirked at her "all the ladies eh" he asked as the unvoiced question of "you" sat unattended. Marinette rolled her eyes and prompted Chat to continue in answering the question. Chat chuckled "Well. I'm sorry to report that I am off the market. My heart already belongs to m'lady" Chat said seriously despite the lighthearted way he said it. "What do you mean" Marinette asked "you and Ladybug aren't…a thing". Chat frowned slightly "That's true. We are not together now, but she still has my heart whether she wants it or not. That will not change. I do not go around flirting with any girl I see like she thinks I do. No. I only flirt with her. She is my lady. She is the real cat's meow" Chat said with a smirk as he chomped down on the last cookie. Marinette looked at Chat with a soft expression. Chat couldn't place what that expression meant, but it definitely seemed, nice? "Well folks, you heard it here first on the ladyblog! Chat Noir is out of cookies and we are out of time! Please be sure to stay up to date with the latest on our favorite superheros with the Ladyblog! Good night and thank you Chat Noir for your honest and revealing interview that lets us see and appreciate you that much more" Marinette said enthusiastically before hitting the stop button on the phone and slumping down in her chair.
Marinette sighed "I don't know how Alya doe it Chat. That takes way too much energy to by that spunky and upbeat". Chat laughed "Well Purincess, it's late. How about you go to bed and recharge. Be sure not to be late tomorrow for school again". Chat stood up and reached for Marinette's hand "Until next time Purrincess" he breathed against her knuckles as he lightly kissed her hand and strolled over to the fence before leaping from the balcony and pole vaulting into the light with his staff.
Chat smiled happily as he raced home to get to bed himself as he had school in the morning just as his dear friend Marinette did. Chat landed in his room and looked around at the mess he had made studying before he went on his solo patrol. "I'll clean up tomorrow" Chat sighed as he tiredly whispered "Claws out" while reaching into his mini fridge he had hidden Plagg's cheese in. Adrien smiled as he heard Plagg's over exaggerated sigh "Kid! Cheese me! You can't just go gallivanting with your girlfriend for as long as you want you know! I'm a kwami, not a taxi service" Plagg grumbled as he floated over to his "bed" on Adrien's nightstand and plopping down on the little pillow. "Plagg! She is not my girlfriend, you know I love Ladybug! Maybe if I didn't love ladybug, but…ah forget it. You wouldn't understand cheese ball" Adrien said in exasperation even though he couldn't suppress the grin that spread across his face from dealing with his friend as he gave him the cheese. "Please kid, just admit you like them both, eat some cheese, and let's get to sleep. I'm sure old hawky is gonna spring one on us tomorrow because it's been too quite this week" Plagg whined as he ate the offered cheese with pleased smacks. Adrien laughed as he kicked his shoes off and swiftly changed into his night clothes. "Hawky. I like it. I'll be sure to use that when we finally meet the guy".
At Marinette's
"Tikki" Marinette nearly squealed "I got an interview with Chat Noir for Alya! She is gonna love this! I am going to score some major best friend points for his one" Marinette beamed happily as Tikki smiled affectionately at her chosen. "Yes you are, now get ready for bed! Chat was right, you have school in the morning and you don't want to be late" Tikki warned, even though she knew trying to keep Marinette from running late was like trying to stopping a tidal wave. Marinette smiled happily as she emailed the video to Alya before plugging her phone in for the night. "I know Tikki. What would I do without you" Marinette sighed as she turned off her light and climbed into bed while Tikki settled in on the pillow just above Marinette's head. "Night Tikki" Marinette whispered. "Good night Marinette" Tikki chirped affectionately.
Across town the screams of a very excited Alya Césaire could be heard piercing previously silent Parisian night as she posted the video to her Ladyblog with a much speed as her internet connection would allow.
I would like to thank you for reading my little story. This did not go where I originally set out, but that's half the fun of writing stories. Seeing where you end up in the end. This was my first go at a Miraculous story, so I hope I did the series some form of justice. Stay tuned to see where this goes!