Alya Cesaire was many things, but a matchmaker she was definitely not. Marinette Dupain-Cheng sat next to the ombre haired girl, watching as she swiped down dating websites. They had been sitting there on the couch for the past three hours, looking at possible bachelors for Mari to try her luck with. It had been forever since she had been romantically involved with someone, she desperately craved that kind of companionship. Of course Alya's methods to hook her up with people weren't always preferable. Although she craved companionship, she maintained that she was happy being single. Marinette wanted to focus on her career and schoolwork, and dating somebody would only cause distractions, and prevent her from achieving her goals. The blogger was determined to set her best friend up with someone. Ever since her and one of their friends, Nino, had gotten togther, she hadn't left the subject alone. It was annoying, the blue girl had to admit, but it was also nice she was looking out for her./p

"Girl, what about this one? He's a college student, just like you..." She felt her best friend nudge her in the ribs, eagerly awaiting for a response, and as Marinette's head turned to face her, the ombre haired girl offered a wink.

"Alya," she groaned in reply, rolling her eyes and moving away so she couldn't hurt her ribs again. This was starting to get even more irritating. Why couldn't she just leave this subject alone?

"Fine, fine, I'll keep looking. I'm sorry girl, but I ain't resting until I find you a man, because who's gonna take care of my little Mari after I die?" she raised her eyebrow, grinning deviously. She turned her focus back to her phone and continued to scroll down the dating page with the wicked grin still sprawled across her face.

"Are you planning on it or something?" Mari raised an eyebrow with concern ./p

"Of course not. But you never know. Nino might murder me in my sleep for snoring, I might drop dead of exhaustion from work, and then there's always dangerous criminals that could drag me into an alleyway and murder me right then and there. There's always a possibility, girl, no matter how slight the chance is."

"Thats just your obsessive paranoia. And you're totally not exaggerating at all..." Alya ignored the underlying tone of sarcasm.

"Never."

Marinette shook her head in disbelief, she couldnt believe her best friend was going this far. But then she was hit with the realisation that she really shouldn't have been surprised, she could be pretty melodramatic whenever it came to situations like these. The raven haired girl glanced at the clock that was hung up on the wall just above Alya's bookshelf. Crap... it was past midnight and she had work at 9. With haste, she got up and walked over to the dining table, where her jacket was resting beside her keys and purse. She grabbed them quickly and slipped on her jacket as she made her way to the door.

"Alya, it's getting late, I should get home," Mari shouted at her from the kitchen. As if on que, Alya was up and over within the time frame of about three milliseconds. Her arms wrapped around her before she could process what was happening. Her body was warm, and she could feel the rising and falling of her chest as she breathing. Mari offered a grin as she pulled away and turned the handle slowly, preparing herself for the shock of the midnight atmosphere.

"Thanks for dinner, and for keeping me company," the blue haired girl smiled one last time as she opened it and stepped outside. The instant cool of the night air hit her like a slap to the face, as she knew it most certainly would.

"Have a safe trip home, keep the pepper spray at the ready!" She waved goodbye.

"I'm not gonna get attacked, I'm literally walking two blocks away." She glared at her. "Besides I can protect myself." and to this, Alya snorted with laughter.

"You never know, see ya Mari!" She turned away and heard the door click shut behind her. It was a very cold night. Winter had just started a few short weeks ago, so snow was expected to fall over the next few days as the temperature rapidly continued to drop. She had found that she needed to resort to using thick and fluffy woolen jackets in order to cope through the long freezing hours of each day.

Already shivering, and she had barely made it even twenty metres away. Her feet had automatically began to start their journey home, allowing Mari to glance up at the beautiful night sky whilst she did so. Paris was beautiful at night, granted there were many dangers due to the high rate of crime lately that seemed happen at any time, but this didn't detract from the beauty that was visible at night time when the entire city was illuminated by both lights and the stars in the sky. Having lived there her entire life, it was amazing how it still never ceased to amaze het. She could just make out the Eiffel Tower, in all it's lit up glory, it's top just poking out of its hiding place above some of the apartment buildings that lined the streets. Deciding to stick to the sidewalk instead of the middle of the road, she took the opportunity to appreciate the different varieties of bushes and shrubs that decorated the gardens of the city, even if it was dark and they couldn't be seen clearly. All of the branches stretched up high and had lost all their leaves to the cold, obviously they had been cut back to reduce hurting any pedestrians as they passed on through during the hours of the day. Although the temperatures and climate that came with winter didn't aggree with necessarily agree with Marinette, she longed more than anything to be able to walk through the parks and watch as the very same branches begin to hang low with the weight of the snow that would soon cover everything in a thick blanket

After a few more minutes spent appreciating the nature around her, the blue haired girl found herself regretting the fact she hadn't brought another jacket or something to cover herself with. The frigid air was starting to seep through the fabric and onto her skin. There was a howl as the wind started to pick up, and her arms shivered as they became covered in hundreds of tiny goosebumps.

Crossing her arms against her chest in hopes of preserving some of her body heat, the temptation of turning back and spending the night at Alya's apartment became all too appealing. As heavy breaths escaped her, she could see the air she was breathing out coming out as steam. Man, she could not wait until she could have a warm shower and cuddle up in bed underneath the comfort of her clean sheets.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. There was an all too evident sound of footsteps just ahead of where she was standing. Her heart began to thump faster than it ought to as she slowly reached into the purse for Alya's pepper spray. The frostiness lingered in the midnight air. The nearby sound was pricking at her nerves and diminishing what little was left of her courage. She could feel goosebumps rising on her skin, and adrenaline pumping through her veins, and this impulse continued to haunt her as she just stood there. Her breath caught in her throat as a long shadow cleaved through the light spilling out of the street lamp that was situated just ahead of her.

The adrenaline was screaming for her to run, her mind lingering on the idea for her to turn back and just stay with Alya for the night. But her body was frozen. Frozen in fear. She was glued to the spot, unable to move a muscle.

"A figure jumped down from the building infront of her. She screamed as loud as her lungs would allow her to, and without thinking held out her can of pepper spray, her only defense and let it loose without a second thought.

"AHHH SHIT MY EYES!" The figure screamed launching backwards immediately, holding their face in their hands. Marinette recognised the shape as he stepped back into the light. A black leather cat suit with wild blonde hair? It was none other than the saviour of Paris himself.

"C-chat Noir?" She whispered, quickly getting disposing of the pepper spray as panic replaced all of the fear she had just experienced. She had just wounded Chat Noir! "I am so s-sorry! Oh my god, do you need me to take you to the hospital? Fuck I am such an idiot!" She rushed over to the man in the cat suit, hoping desperately she could assist and undo the damage she had caused him.

He looked up and into her eyes with a sly grin plastered on his face and started giggling like a little school girl. "Gotcha!" he winked panic that had once been seeping through her system instantaneously faded. Instead it faded into a sudden rush of rage.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY YOU EVIL CAT! You scared the absolute SHIT out of me!" Her yells echoed through the empty street, disturbing the silent and peaceful atmosphere. A few lights in the neighbouring buildings flickered on as Marinette death glared the superhero, contemplating whether or not she should bash him over the head with her purse or not.

"Careful now, Princess, you're waking people up, wouldn't want them to miss out on their valuable sleep," his voice warned. It was masculine yet soft, and sounded somewhat friendly. And she could definitely understand why he was in his current profession. Someone with that much muscle tone would certainky be able to hold their own in a fight. His black skin tight suit accentuated these features on his arms and chest, so it wasn't completely her fault for noticing. She took a huge deep breath in to completely calm down before she turned to directly face the man that stood in front of her.

Chat Noir was Paris's saviour, having protected the city from many ruthless thugs and terrorist attacks singlehandedly. Not only that but he patrolled making sure every citizen was safe, and woke up at insanely early hours of the morning in order to ensure the city was safe. There wasn't anything evil about the black cat. There had been blogs made about him, fanpages and all sorts. He was also extremely popular with the female side of Paris.

"Lucky I'm wearing a mask that covers my eyes," he winked again.

"Just as well! Goddamnit, that was so reckless and irresponsible! What do you want Chat?" She rolled her eyes at him, hoping he would see through the darkness of the night, and at the very least feel bad.

"What's your name?"

"Marinette," she replied.

If he saw the look on her face, he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he leant down on one knee and gently grasped her arm, pulling the back of her hand up to his face. He pressed his lips softly to the skin and then returned the hand back to her side with care. She definitely hadn't expected this. If she was completely honest it did make her heart rate increase at a very rapid rate, something she hoped he couldn't hear.

"A lovely young lady such as yourself shouldn't be wandering the streets alone at night, Princess," he whispered, standing up again, but she was too preoccupied gazing into his deep emerald green eyes in mesmerization. They were stunning.

"I can handle myself, but thank you for the concern." To this he chuckled quietly.

"And you would risk it?" He offered a friendly looking smile. "The streets are dangerous at night time, crime is at an all time high. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to you."

She felt her eyebrows raise at this. "Are you threatening me?" She teased, not entirely serious, but it was fun to watch the expression on his face go from happy to worry. But it didn't last. He placed a hand over his chest, pretending to act hurt, like the drama queen he was.

"Me-owch, how you wound me. I would never hurt a Princess! It's part of my knightly code of conduct," He continued, "I was simply going to offer you a ride home, considering how it's such a chilly night. Don't think I didn't notice you shivering back there."

That statement made her stomach do a backflip. Did that mean he had been watching her walking in the dark from Alya's place? Had this cat been following her? She decided to ignore the pressing thought, and instead, accepted his offer because she was undoubtedly cold and still had a block and a half to go before she reached her apartment. If she had indeed returned to her best friends place for the night, the blogger either would have been asleep or condemned the poor blue haired girl into looking at more dating sites.

"Where am I taking you, Marinette?" He smiled as he placed one arm under her legs and the other over the small of her back, picking her up bridal style.A little startled by the sudden action, Marinette glanced up at his face as he awaited a response.

"Head towards the Notre Dame, I'll let you know where the go when we get closer," and with that Chat began to sprint down the length of the street, building up enough veloctiy to jump on top of the buildings with his baton and run across the rooftops towards their destination. The blue haired girl gasped in surprise as he was hurtling through the air, but she used the given opportunity to observe her surroundings. The view of Paris from the pavement was nothing compared to what she could see up there. There was a clearer view of the stars that were scattered all over the sky, and the Eiffel tower was much more visible. The glowing city was a sight to behold, she wondered what it was like to see this all the time, just like Chat would. She wondered if there were any crimes being committed at this very moment, and how Chat found out about them. There were a lot of questions she would love to ask him if she ever got the chance, all relating to how he managed to live a double life and combine that with the responsibility of making a living. A person would have to be super organised to be able to be successful whilst simultaneously protecting the whole city of Paris. Her train of thought was interrupted by a small chuckle.

"You know, most people are terrified being this far up from the ground."

Marinette glanced up at the man as he continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop. His face was relaxed, and she realised that he didn't actually look that old. She'd never really considered it before, but he looked very young, possibly even the same age as her.

"Yeah well, I'm obviously not most people. Heights have never been a problem for me, same with spiders, I don't scare easily," she replied with a smug smirk on her lips.

"Is that so?" Chat asked curiously, "what about needles?"

"Why are we talking about fears, Chat Noir?" She questioned.

"Just trying to make conversation while we travel, don't wanna make things awkward for you since I have no idea where I'm going and I don't know how long it'll take to get there," Chat spoke as in a tone that made Marinette shake her head.

"We are almost there, I can see my balcony from here," she pointed in the distance to a group of apartment buildings beside the length of the Seine. When she had decided a few years ago to move out of her parent's bakery near her old high school, she made the executive decision to rent her own apartment near the small boutique she was currently working at as an apprentice. It would be convenient for travelling purposes, and Alya was only a few short blocks away, so she had someone to crash with for the night if she ever felt lonely. The apartment she had rented was small, but it was on the top floor of the building it was in, which was perfect because it came with a large balcony that reminded her of her old home. She often found herself sitting outside gazing over the wonder of the city, watching as the pedestrians and cars all past by during the late hours of the night and early hours in the morning. Sometimes it was the only break she got from her stressful work life. As an aspiring fashion designer, Marinette was expected to follow specific instructions when creating a textile product for her boss, and although she loved that kind of work, it kept her up most nights and she found that she was constantly exhausted.

Gracefully and with much care, Chat gently landed on the flat expanse of her balcony, and gently placed her legs on the floor. It was almost as if he had integrated the behaviours of an actual cat into his personality, the way he ran silently through the night, leaping almost elegantly from each building to another. Marinette was so curious about the strange man. She'd always admired his work on tv and everything but she had never actually met the guy until that night.

"Well, here we are, the princess's knight in shining leather has safely delivered her home for the night," Chat bowed like a gentleman.

"Would you like a hot chocolate or anything? It's the least I could do, considering you just carried me nearly two blocks home," Marinette was trying to be polite. He shook his head in response.

"Thanks, but I have to pass, it's getting late." He reached for her hand again and placed another gentle kiss there before making a two finger salute and clicking a button on his baton. "Sleep well, princess and stay safe."

She watched as he jumped off her balcony and for a second she was worried he was going to hurt himself by hitting the ground below them. But he rose from top of the building and jumped over other buildings close by. And then he disappeared just like a shadow in the dark.