A/N: Uploading my first ML one shot on here (This is the first one I ever published, not literally the first one I'm posting here XD) Half of my fics are posted on here but if you want more here's a "link" to my archive account (pls remove the underscores for it to work): archiveofourown_._org_users/ramenrulz8P
Chat fixed the cuffs of his sleeve for the fifth time that evening. His glowing green eyes swept across the venue as he did so. Everything seemed still. There was the quiet mingling of guests all across the dimly lit banquet hall. He could have easily walked around, joining conversations. But that's not why he was there.
Someone in this room knew his real identity. They'd invited him to this event tonight with vague instructions. He'd figured his Lady might have received a message like his too. However, he'd been unable to get through to her all day.
It had been driving him nuts. What if they were using him as bait to lure his Lady? What if they were the reasons he couldn't contact her?
Before he could flesh out his nightmares, his cellphone buzzed.
Chat's eyes widened as he saw the picture in the text.
It was Marinette! The fact that her hair was pulled back into a neat bun made her look so…different. The hair definitely matched the heavily embroidered dusty rose dress she was wearing.
She looked absolutely stunning…
The background looked oddly like this building, which made him wonder if she was here.
Then he read the words under her photo.
The clock stuck midnight and Cinderella lost her slipper as she ran from the ball~
Chat angrily locked his phone. He scowled, wondering what the person who sent him the message wanted from her. Other than Chloe, he couldn't think of anyone who he'd had to keep safe more than once. Marinette had attempted to help him before even in a semi-hostage situation, and this was clearly different. He didn't know who or what sent him that message, but he had a feeling it was the same person who'd sent him the invite.
Instead of mulling over who it could possibly be, Chat decided to just go looking for her. Obviously she was here…somewhere.
Marinette was definitely not in the banquet hall. He'd scanned it enough times to know that.
Chat guess it was finally time to get out of his comfy shadowy corner and look for her. The halls were quiet for the most part. He'd run into a few guests here and there, none of whom was Marinette.
After running up and down the floors, a faint familiar laughter filled his ears. He followed the trail all the way to the atrium's second floor balcony. Looking down, he saw her.
Marinette was even more beautiful in person. Her gown was floor length. The silk, sweet heart number had pattered chiffon cloth layered over it, adding a dynamic flare which screamed Marinette. A glittering gold belt cinched her waist making the fall of her dress emphasize every curve. Her hands had been covered with elbow length white silk gloves.
Tonight, she was every bit the princess he'd endearing referred to her as.
But she wasn't alone.
She was dancing.
And laughing.
With a boy he'd never seen before.
Should it have bothered him? Not really.
Did it bother him? More than he realized at the time.
It was a fact that he loved his Lady very much and he loved her more every time he saw her. However, part of his heart remained with the kind girl who'd welcomed him, if not a bit grudgingly, when he accidentally found his way on her roof.
Strangely enough he made it a habit of getting lost and ending up on her roof.
Chat frequented the house Dupain-Cheng enough figure out her adoration of him was more light teasing and mockery. But it was all in jest.
He could see it in her eyes. She trusted him. Cared enough to let him sit on her roof, eat cookies, and complain about his life.
He regretted not having visited her in the last few months. He saw very little of Marinette after graduation. The summer months had kept his civilian life so busy he'd barely had time to keep up with his superhero duties, let alone visit friends.
Looking at her now, he saw how happy she looked as she danced with the, dare he admit it, handsome stranger. The whole scene made his throat grow dry with the familiar anxiety of loss.
A sensible little voice in his head told him he had a job to do when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket once more.
He had to keep her unharmed. And if Chat didn't know the guy who had his arms around her, then he couldn't be trusted with Marinette.
"Marinette!" Chat called out when he got a hold of himself.
The jubilant smile on the girl's face dissipated at she turned her head to where he stood. Sky blue eyes looked him over with shock. Her lips forming an "O" as she sucked in a stunned breath. In a star stuck daze, she stepped away from her unknown partner and towards the superhero who was descending the grand staircase.
"Chat?" she uttered his name in disbelief, her corner of her eyes wrinkling with concern.
Marinette's attention was completely on Chat, much to her dance partner's displeasure. It almost made Chat want to smirk with smug satisfaction, but he restrained himself. Training his eyes only on her, not that it was a very hard task.
He glided towards her and kissed her hand, looking up at her as he said, "I've been for you everywhere, Princess."
There was not even a hint of usual annoyance in her gaze. Her worried brows remained furrowed as she looked down at him.
Chat pulled himself up from the bow before pulling her even closer. He rested his hand on her back as he leaned into her ear and spoke.
"I have some things to tell you, but I'd prefer if we were…alone." A little malice slipped through his tone as his eyes locked with the stranger's gray ones.
The boy, whoever he was, was impeccably dressed in a white tuxedo. No dusty rose accessories graced his outfit, which made it hard to tell if he was her date.
"Uh, is it really important?" She turned her head back to the boy who tore his gaze from Chat's to look at Marinette. A silent message was exchanged between the two. A note Chat wasn't able to read.
Who was this guy? How had they grown so close? Chat gave a forced smile to the boy before speaking through his teeth. "If you don't mind, I have to borrow your dance partner for the rest of the night. Important city saving business and all."
Her eyes were back on Chat. She interrogated him without saying a word.
In the end she nodded at him, figuring he was most likely telling the truth.
Chat didn't bat an eyelash as he picked her up, bridal style. Marinette was about to fight and argue, like she usually did, but her dress restricted her movement. She blushed furiously as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Glaring icily at him all the while.
For a while, they roamed the halls in silence until she broke it.
"Where have you been?" she finally asked question that had been at the edge of both Marinette and Ladybug's tongue.
"Forgive me for my absence, but my civilian life kept me rather busy." It was all he needed to say for her tight hold to relax.
That was one thing about Marinette he appreciated.
She understood. Immediately she changed the subject.
"What's the important business you need me for? What kind of mission requires my help?"
He looked down at her before saying, "You are my mission."
"Excuse me?" Incredulity filled her voice while an adorable blush filtered through her freckles once again.
"I have to keep you safe, Princess." He said as pulled them into a secluded niche in the hallway, where he was sure it was only the two of them.
Chat explained the whole situation to Marinette, starting from the invitation he'd received to the eerie text message.
Her forehead scrunched up as her eyebrows pressed together.
"This is an exclusive party. One of my friends is hosting it. They're the only ones who could have sent it but I don't think that it would be them," she began listing off what she knew, like she was trying to come to a conclusion.
"I can't tell if this is the work of an akuma or someone else entirely. Whoever they are, they're out to hurt you Princess, it's my job protect you." Chat remembered how he'd shared with her some of his knowledge on the beings him and Ladybug fought. He'd taken a real chance with her, but he was glad to find his trust hadn't been misplaced.
"I can handle myself, Chat. You need to find out who this is. They're probably using me as a distraction. Stay focused."
It never failed to astound him how a civilian like Marinette could think so level-headily.
"Marinette, you're not the one with the super powers here. This could get dangerous," Chat gripped her shoulder shook her, trying to break through her nonchalance.
"I'll have you know I'm more used to that than you think I am." Marinette simply crossed her gloved hands over her chest and straightening her stance.
"That's not exactly a comforting thought." He let of her shoulders, his lips curling downwards at their edges.
"Don't worry, Chat." It was her turn to place a hand on his shoulder. "I promise I'll be fine. We should go scope out the hall again to see if there's anything suspicious." With one gentle squeeze of his shoulder and a reassuring smile, she headed down the hall towards the double doors.
"Wait!" he cried out, extending his arm towards her. "Before we head back inside, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure?" she flipped her head back to look at him, raising an inquisitive brow.
"Who was that guy you were with?" He let the words fall out of his mouth before he could regret asking.
"Oh," she blushed, taking her eyes off of his. "Um-he's uh- Phillipe. I'm with him because I didn't have a plus one." She bit her lip as she looked down at the floor.
Chat tried not to sneer at that. Did she really not have anyone else she could have asked? Why hadn't she thought of asking him? But he remembered he hadn't seen her in months and went for an easier question, "What about your friend who runs the Ladyblog?"
"Alya?" Marinette grinned at the mention of her best friend. "She should be here somewhere. Nino was her plus one. We'd all come together as friends but clearly they aren't with me now," she giggled at the last sentence.
"Then how about I be your date for the rest of the evening?" He raised a hopeful, questioning brow.
"Seriously, Chat? Stop joking around." Marinette's hands were crossed over her chest. She tried to chastise him, but he knew it wouldn't last very long.
"You're stuck with me either way, so might as well have some fun, no?"
"Okay, Chat. I give. Stop with the kitty eyes already." Her arms were raised in mock surrender as she laughed a little more.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my charms, Princess." He felt his smile stretch.
Marinette rolled her eyes and huffed, still smiling as well.
They linked arms and headed by into the banquet hall.
Much to his relief, nothing had changed. People were still speaking to one another in their split off huddles.
"Care for a dance?" he asked when he noted a few of the guests moving about on the square platform at the center of the room.
Marinette nodded and duo took their place in the center of the room.
They stood facing each other for a quiet moment and the finally the orchestra began to play.
An overture which Chat immediately recognized painted a brilliant smile onto his face. He placed his left hand on her waist, the heat of which poured through the silk of her dress. Hesitantly, she placed her own hand on his shoulder. Their gloved hands were kept in a loose hold. The duo skirted around the dance floor nodding when the beat of Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers became steady.
Falling into the step came second nature to him.
He grinned as he leading Marinette across the dancefloor, making her spin and twirl with ease. They glided gracefully about the room, never missing a single beat.
A split second glance in the mirror across from them allowed him to note how well their outfits melded.
The suit he wore was cut and pressed to make him stand out, even among the other sharply dressed gentlemen. A black suit with almost unnoticed pinstripes of dark green which shimmered in the light. His black on black ensemble embodied all that was Chat Noir.
In place of a tie he wore he bell collar, which should have looked completely off but somehow worked.
Luckily for him, Marinette was wearing gold jewelry, which matched his bell.
When he looked back down he locked his gaze with Marinette's.
A million questions lingered in her eyes, but for whatever reason, she was holding them back.
So the pair let the world around them fade into a blur.
As he held her close, he couldn't help to compare how she'd danced with the stranger. Though she was smiling and laughing the way she had before, the way she moved had changed. It was like they moved like wind or water.
All the while she never broke eye contact.
Chat could almost pretend they weren't in a life threatening situation.
Marinette fit into his arms like they were made to hold her.
He had to forcefully remind himself to keep a look out for anyone suspicious.
One quick sweep of the room and again nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However, something felt profoundly wrong.
He unwilling tore his gaze from Marinette's to look around again, still keeping pace with the music.
When he finally noticed what was wrong, he'd wished his Lady were here.
It was as if the same scene was being repeated around them in an almost indiscernible loop. This akuma was definitely more than he could handle alone.
He must have been unable to hid his disquiet because a warm hand pressed against his face.
Chat looked back down at his date for that night.
"Marinette," he said her name, reminded that even if there was an akuma out there he still had to look after her as well.
The orchestra was in the final stretch of the song.
Chat closed any distance which was between them, pressing his body to hers. She was practically standing on his toes as they turned and chasséd.
With this close, it was easier for him to lean down and whisper, "Things are about to get bad, Marinette."
"I noticed," her reply was brisk and simple. Her tone carried had an edge of finality. One clear message to him. She was staying.
"Princess, you'll be safer if you get away," his tied warning her again. He knew he couldn't protect her and stop an akuma at the same time.
She twirled away for the last step.
As the song came to stop, she spun back into his arms. Her blue eyes flashed up at him with determination, "In these heels, I'm not sure I'll make it very far. It's best if I stay here."
Chat gave a sigh of surrender, knowing there was no way he was going to get her to run. He kept his hand on her waist as they stepped off the dance floor and towards a table. If she wouldn't accept the protection of a faraway place, then safest place here was right next to him.
"Hide," he told her his ears sensing danger as they approached a nearby table. "Do whatever you can to stay out of trouble, Princess."
Just as he finished his sentence the akuma in question burst through the door.
"That's Jacqueline…," Marinette said with surprise, quickly hiding behind Chat as they moved their way out of the center of the room towards one of the exits.
"Who's Jacqueline?" Chat asked, keeping his arms out in a protective stance as the two of them slowly backed away.
"To put it simply, Jacqueline and Phillipe have feelings for one another and haven't told each other," she muttered, keeping herself hunched as she clutched at the ends of his suit jacket.
"And you were dancing with him tonight?" The emphasis only slightly indicative of his envy.
"Because he wanted to make Jacqueline jealous," she instantly defended.
"Well Princess, I think it worked." Chat's eyes never left the akuma, who was obviously scanning the room for someone.
"MARINETTE! WHERE ARE YOU?" the akuma shrieked, a noise that was painful enough to make Chat want to hiss, though he didn't.
"Not here," she mumbled into Chat's hair as she hid behind him.
The funny side note mixed with the air of her breathe tickling his neck made Chat want to laugh, but he held it in his throat. He wasn't going to let the akuma anywhere her victim of choice.
They reached the exit door without being seen and had almost remained out of harms way, but the squeaking of the door handle alerted the akuma of their position.
"Good L'éditeur, it seems you've found Chat Noir as well as your target," Hawkmoth's voice rang inside Jacqueline's akumized ears. "The fact that he's alone make this a lot easier. Go get Chat Noir's Miraculous!"
L'éditeur growled, making Chat tense up. He tried to make himself bigger in order to block the doorway so Marinette could run.
"Go! Hurry!" he hissed in a low voice. She stood behind him, her back pressing against his as she faced outwards. Her turned head looking from the akuma to him.
Marinette gave him one last fretting glance before she hoisted her skirts and ran. The sounds of her retreating footsteps echoed in the empty halls.
"No! Out of the way!" the akuma rushed at Chat throwing him back. He flipped in the air twice before using his staff to stabilize himself and land on his feet.
He could still hear Marinette making her way down the hall, not too much further from him.
L'éditeur's patience had reached its limits. She raised a hand, glowing with dark energy. He braced himself, ready to dodge the attack when he noticed that her eyes were looking past him. Towards Marinette.
Chat's body moved before his brain could process a plan. He jumped in front of Marinette. The last thing he saw was her shocked, panicked eyes, before blast of energy hit him square in the chest.
He thought he was flying backward. Falling. Somehow the world became a vortex of images and lights and he was just a flailing figure in the tunnel.
Chat landed, none too gracefully, on the same marble floor he'd been standing on just moments ago. Only now it was void of Marinette and of the akuma.
Voices from down the hall made him shoot up off the floor and hide in a closed off room.
As they came closer, he leaned his ear through the crack in the door.
"The kitchens have finished their desert selections, go see if it's up to par. It must be perfect, okay?" a feminine voice rang out.
"Yes ma'am," two people replied in unison.
Chat peeked through the doorway and saw Jacqueline.
The woman began to monologue to her phone screen. "Oh Phillipe, I know I've been busy with work for the past year. But tonight, I'll finally say yes to you." Moments later her expression changed "Oh gosh, that sounds so corny! He's going to hate it…"
"Miss! The invitations!"
"Oh right… the last minute invites…I'll be right there!" She shut her phone and went down the hall.
Last minute invites? This could be his chance to find out who sent the card!
Perhaps being attacked by an akuma could be useful for once?
He waited until the woman had went to her designated location before stealthily following her. It took a few moments but she exited the room. Once all the occupants left Chat snuck in.
He quickly scanned the named on the cards. They all looked like the one he'd received, but his name wasn't on a single one. He reread each invite again just to make sure he hadn't missed it. The clipboard next to the pile was the guest list which again did not contain his name.
Perhaps it was best to wait it out. And so he did. Time passed, perhaps minutes possibly nearly an hour, and still no one came into the room after Jacqueline.
The time on the clock indicated that the invites would have to be sent out, or else they wouldn't reach their last minute guests in time.
He clicked his tongue before checking the list for a third time for good measure. The results were the same.
"Francis! Mail out the envelopes would you!" he heard Jacqueline's voice call out. His ear picked up someone approaching at a sluggish pace.
Not knowing what else to do, he took a spare invitation from the pile and hastily wrote note to himself. He placed the note inside the card and tucked it into the middle of the pile. He'd even managed to scribble Chat Noir onto the guest list, copying Jacqueline's neat cursive.
Now no one would question why he was here later that night.
As the door handle opened, Chat felt as if he'd been knocked into the air by a gust of wind. When the wind around him no longer felt like it was pulling him apart he opened his eyes.
He reappeared in hall he'd disappeared from, standing in the same position. At least the lit chandeliers told him it was night time. A loud crash from the banquet hall made his ears twitch. He ran down to the dining hall and burst through the main double doors.
Ladybug was fighting off L'editure alone. By the looks of it, she most certainly needed back up.
Jumping from table to table, he'd at last made it to his Lady's side.
"We have to get that locket off of her!" Ladybug called back to him. The only thing keeping them from being attacked was the tight hold of the superhero's weapon.
As the duo moved closer to finish the job, L'éditeur grew angrier.
The akuma began to worm her way out of her restraints. "I will not be stopped!" A white light filled her palms once more, aimed towards Ladybug. Chat pushed Ladybug out of the way, taking the brunt of the blast. For the second time that night, only moments after he'd returned, Chat been dragged into the past. This time he'd woken up to find himself standing at a table.
There were few guests and the sun was just setting in the sky. He assumed the party had just begun, meaning his past self wouldn't arrive until later.
"Please be joking," he heard Marinette's voice from somewhere behind him.
"You should have asked that friend who you meet on the rooftops if he was coming, Marinette! I just saw his name on Jacqueline's guest list!" Alya had a wicked grin plastered on her face.
"You know I would have asked him if I saw ever saw him."
"Too bad Nino couldn't get a hold of Adrien… He might have been able to come with you." Alya gave her friends shoulder a slight, suggestive nudge.
"Alya. Stop. We all know he's busy." Marinette folded her hands as she pouted.
Now, Chat wondered for a brief moment what it might have been like had Nino been able to reach him. He wondered if Adrien would have been the one to share a dance with Marinette. If Adrien would have a matching rose gold tie. If Adrien would be the one who got to make her laugh.
The prospects of what could have been but never would be distracted him from Phillipe's approach.
The man entered the scene and Alya left.
Marinette greeted him warmly, as she did with most all of the people she was aquatinted with. He began to whisper to her quietly, the information causing a worried crease to form on her forehead. Her head moved to look towards the host of that evenings party, Jacqueline.
Her back faced Phillipe, Marinette, and Chat as she spoke to some guests.
"She won't even look at me…," Phillipe moped.
"Why don't you just go up to her?" Marinette replied as if she'd heard him say the same thing many times before.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin if I did."
"Oh, Phillipe," she gave a resigned sigh. "Fine. Just so we're clear, I don't approve of your methods, but I'll help you."
"Thank you!" His arms wrapped around Marinette, his volume drawing the attention of the very girl he wanted. "Thank you Marinette!" He vocalized his gratitude once again as he pulled back.
"And you have to promise to speak to her before the night ends!" The dark haired girl grabbed his wrists and made them fall back to the man's sides.
"Deal!"
The two of them began to laugh, completely unaware of how Jacqueline's heartbroken brown eyes were looking directly at them.
Chat was surprised with himself when he could pick out every detail of Marinette's discomfort. He see there was slight hesitance behind everything that she did. The tension in her shoulder and the way her smile didn't light up her eyes, made it very clear she was simply being polite.
Despite knowing all that, it still made Chat's blood boil when she took Phillipe's hand.
He stayed on their trail as they left the room and headed to the atrium. This time he noted Jacqueline was also there.
The brown eyed girl watched Marinette and Phillipe dance and laugh as she stood there feeling utterly crushed. Neither of the two seemed to notice her presence, or hear the small sob that escaped her throat.
Chat was unsure if he should try and console Jacqueline, but Marinette's yelp drew his attention away from the retreating girl. He leaned over the balcony to see Marinette being held in a rather suggestive manner. His grip on the banister tightened so much he'd cracked the marble.
"Those shoes of yours aren't the most practical," Phillipe said, looking down at Marinette's shoes as she stepping back from him.
"They took me forever to make. There is no way I'm taking them off!" The exasperation in her voice showed just how determined she was, even if she couldn't hold herself up.
"If you say so." The man simply shrugged.
The clock tower chimed, informing Chat that was seven in the evening. Any minute now he'd be getting the text from the stranger. Yet there was no one near Phillipe and Marinette except for him.
Déjà vu hit him before he could make sense of the situation.
Oh…
Of course! He was the one who sent the text! Just like the invitation!
Nino had shown him a trick once, when they were making harmless pranks calls, to make cell numbers untraceable. Thus, he had texted his own phone. He hoped altered timelines didn't matter when it came to phone connection.
With the mystery solved Chat laughed to himself. His own cryptic messages were what kept him wound up all day.
Chat was suddenly wrapped in light once more, being pulled back to his own time. He landed on his knees and saw the fight before him. Ladybug had cornered their opponent against a wall.
"Glad to see you're back Chat. Now let's finish this!" His Lady kept her eyes focused on the akuma twirling her yo-yo to block out all the objects and attacks behind thrown.
"Couldn't agree more, my Lady," he grunted as he shoved himself off the ground.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yelled, tossing her yo-yo upward. It spun and released sparkling light until it a red magnet with black polka dots appeared in her hands. "Chat the clasp!"
Before the L'éditeur could process what had been said, Chat jumped with the help of his staff and did a backflip, landing right behind the akuma. He used his Cataclysm to knock down a pillar which now held her in place.
With swift precision he was able to claw it off her neck without leaving a scratch. At the same time Ladybug tossed her magnet like a boomerang. It flew across the room to where the akuma lay and Chat stood, whizzing by, taking the necklace with it as it returned to Ladybug.
The magnet landed in her hands along with the necklace. The superhero promptly cracked the glass cover holding the photo of Jacqueline and Phillipe with a flick of her finger, releasing the black butterfly.
"Not so fast!" Ladybug simpered at the fluttering creature of dark. She threw her yo-yo towards the butterfly capturing it before it had any chance to reach the window.
Seconds later the now white butterfly was released, flying off into the night.
She performed her Miraculous Cure, all the damage that had been dealt during the fight disappearing. Somehow though, Chat remained at the scene. It seemed his time travel hadn't altered what was supposed to happen.
As they bumped fists, Chat looked over at his Lady, feeling almost guilty for the way he'd danced with Marinette this evening.
"I-." Perhaps it was a good thing that his ring beeped. Maybe it saved him from making a horrible fool of himself for apologizing to his Lady because he felt as if he had cheated her in some way when they weren't even together.
"You should go, Chat. Before you undo your transformation in front of everyone," she smirked at him and waved before heading to the window and opening it. She was gone before he could even say goodbye.
His clawed hands ran through his fingers as he began to exit the hall. A glinting pink object caught his eye and he approached.
Marinette's shoe! That's right! She lost it on her way out…
His ring beeped again, making him sigh. He'd have to wait to return it to her.
Chat picked it up and walked into a small empty room, quickly undoing his transformation.
As Plagg feed on the spare box of camembert cheese, Adrien thought over everything that had happened tonight.
Ladybug and Marinette filled nearly every part of his conscious. They were both amazing in different ways. Ladybug was everything he'd dreamed of. But that was just it. She was a dream. One of sheer bliss which left him feeling lost and sad every time he had to wake up.
Marinette…he held up the glittering footwear to the moon's light, unable to understand what she was to him. It never occurred how much she'd meant to him, how much he cared. He was made suddenly aware of how he always returned to her.
The thought of being with her made his insides feel like they were being pulled in different directions.
But the feeling of being without her made him feel hollow and empty.
He didn't like that he was lying to her every time he held her hand.
He was Adrien Agreste. Her former classmate. Her friend. And if Nino had been right, her former crush.
Adrien had grown up learning to live with what he could get. That way of life hadn't exactly worked, but for now, for this short period of time he had left with Marinette, he could live with his mask.
This whole situation felt almost pathetically laughable to Adrien.
Being Chat had always made him feel so free. This was the first time he'd felt so restrained by his alter ego.
Was that a good or bad thing? Adrien didn't have the chance to find out.
Plagg had finished eating by the time he was done contemplating his inner turmoil.
Chat Noir was back on the scene, ready to return a lost slipper. He wasn't surprised to see Jacqueline and Phillipe shyly stand next to one another. He nodded at the couple though they never him. Only a few other guests remained in the room. Most people had filtered out leaving the hallways sparse and empty.
Like before Chat nearly searched the whole building before he made his way to the rooftop gardens. All the while, her pink slipper still in his hands.
Marinette stood leaning on the side of the building's edge looking out into the stars. The loose strands of her midnight colored hair blew around her face.
He stepped towards her silently taking off his jacket in the process.
"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here too long, Princess," Chat chided, draping his jacket over her shoulders.
"Chat?" Her gaze was ripped from the stars as she faced him. "I thought you would have left…."
"I'm not exactly Prince Charming, but perhaps this knight wished to be the one to return the missing glass slipper." He held up the shoe for Marinette to see.
"You could have just left it for me to find." The words left her mouth gradually, as if she was taking in the fact that he was holding it.
"You are my mission." He'd uttered the words for the second time that night, knowing that they held a different meaning from the first time he spoke them.
"I know. I'm safe now, there's no reason for you to stay," she began to explain it to him, but it was almost as if she were trying to explain it to herself.
"I'll have you know, you're the kind of mission that's never over. I have plenty of reasons to stay." The grin on his face was Cheshire.
"Like what?" There was a hidden challenge in her timbre, daring him to move.
"Like this."
He was still grinning when he leaned down, closing the distance between their lips slowly. Her eyes fluttered shut before their lips touched, making Chat's heart beat increase as he angled further. For a few moments their lips brushed lightly against each other, being moistened by the vapor and heat of their collective breaths. Then he began to kiss her, with the delicate passion she'd unconsciously become accustomed to.
Suddenly the chill of the night air faded and all that remained was the warmth of his lips which gently moved against hers.
The hand which wasn't holding her shoe was cupping her cheek, his gloved thumb brushing her flushed, freckled face.
Just as he was about the deepen the kiss, she pulled back.
"Chat…I don't think I can stand anymore…" She looked down. The lips which had just been kissing him seconds ago curled downwards in a grimace.
"What? What can't you stand? Do you have boyfriend? Does this bell not match my outfit? Are you in love with someone else?" He pretended not to notice how she tensed for a short second at that last question.
Marinette shook her head, giggling at his antics.
"My feet," she lifted her dress just enough to show the singular crystal high heel on her foot. "I literally cannot stand anymore."
At that Chat bust out laughing and lifted her up into his arms.
"I guess it's time for your date to escort you home, Princess. After all, it's nearly midnight."