Marinette grinned to herself at Chat Noir's latest email.
Message from: chatnoirxx
Subject: Puns
When I was a kid I watched a lot of anime. I can't remember which show it was, but somebody broke their arm and their friend deadpanned, "Well isn't this humerus" on the way to the hospital. I cracked up so hard I hit my head on the wall behind the couch. My mom rushed into the room and asked if I was okay and I replied something like, "Wall, it could've been worse." I've been a hopeless punster ever since. There it is. My origin story.
Origin story. Like he was some sort of superhero. Chat Noir had a strange sense of humor but it always made Marinette's day. She sighed. She needed the lightheartedness. Her boss and mentor, Tikki, had been stressing about the rumors of Gabriel Agreste wanting to steal her away all day.
"You're our main source of revenue, Marinette," Tikki fretted. "We'd go under for sure without you. Your talent is unique."
Marinette gave her a soft smile. "Do you really think I'm going anywhere after all you've done for me?"
Tikki looked doubtful. "They'd be able to pay you a lot better."
"Like I care about that," Marinette scoffed. "I care about making a difference in the fashion world and helping out an old friend. This was your mother's business, I know how much it means to you."
"You're an angel, Marinette," Tikki said sweetly, giving her friend a hug.
Marinette waved off the compliment with a laugh and headed outside into the rain, ramming straight into a tall, blonde man. She bounced off him onto the slick sidewalk with an "oof."
"I am so sorry, I'm terribly clumsy," she apologized before looking into his face and gasping. He had the most gorgeous green eyes she had ever seen.
"Don't worry about it," the man said with a smile, offering a hand to help her up. "Where are you headed? To make up for kind of knocking you over, I'll share my umbrella."
Marinette's cheeks pinked. "A-are you sure? I mean, it doesn't look very big and I wouldn't want you to get wet."
He shrugged. "It should fit both of us. Unless you don't want to."
"Oh no, you're very kind, of course I want to," Marinette babbled. "Thanks."
The man smiled and repeated himself. "Where are you headed?"
"Oh!" Marinette blushed deeper. "I was going to go get some pastries from my parents' bakery. It's about two blocks that way."
"What a coincidence, that's exactly the direction I'm headed," the man grinned. "I never caught your name."
"Marinette."
"Interesting name," the man smiled. "Must be more common that I thought. I've been hearing it everywhere lately."
"Really?" She was intrigued. She'd never met another Marinette before.
"Yeah, it isn't one I'd forget," the man said with a chuckle.
If Marinette's face was pink before, now it was tomato red. "Thanks?"
The man laughed at her confusion. "You're welcome."
They walked in companionable silence until they approached the bakery. "This is me," Marinette said with a smile. "Thanks for sharing."
"No prob—" the man looked up at the awning on the bakery in horror. "You're Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"
She frowned. "Yes, is that relevant?"
"Uh, no," the man said nervously. "Not at all."
He started scurrying further down the street. Marinette called out to him. "Wait! I didn't even catch your name!"
"Adrien!" the man hollered behind him as he hurried away.
Marinette stared after him in confusion but brushed off the strange encounter once she was enveloped in the bakery's sugary warmth.
"Marinette!" her mother cried happily. "How nice to see you! Did you come by for lunch?"
She nodded. "The café across the street from work is atrocious. I'd rather walk in the rain to have a proper lunch."
Sabine Cheng smiled at her daughter. "That's my girl. Go on back, your father's in the kitchen."
"Thanks Maman!"
Tom Dupain turned at the sound of his daughter's voice. "Well look who dropped by! It's good to see you, sweetheart," he boomed as he crushed Marinette in a hug.
"Papa!" she protested, laughing. "Put me down!"
He shrugged and set the diminutive young woman down. "Tell me, what's new in your life?"
"You mean from when I saw you two days ago?" Marinette teased. "Let's see, Tikki's stressed about the Agreste label trying to steal me away and Nino's been clocking so much time in the music studio I hardly ever see him. Just like two days ago."
Her father held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I see your point. You should invite Nino for dinner one of these days. We haven't seen him in ages. Aren't you two getting more serious?"
Marinette hedged. She wasn't sure. Nino was hardly around anymore and she felt such a connection with Chat Noir, without even knowing who he was. Was it cheating, talking to a man on the internet? The thought hadn't occurred to her before. The internet being used for communication was still so new in Paris. What were the boundaries between the online world and the real one? "Maybe? Like I said, I've hardly seen him lately."
"Well, he's a very nice young man. A good match for you," her father concluded.
She smiled. "I'm glad you think so, Papa."
Her lunch hour was nearing its end so Marinette kissed both of her parents and headed back into the rain. She was greeted by Tikki the moment she stepped in the door.
"Marinette, I nearly forgot! The spring show next weekend, I need you to be there on my behalf."
Her eyes widened in shock. "What? No, no, no, Tikki, you're the head of the brand, I can't!"
"I have a family emergency and have to go out of town," she said ruefully. "Tonight. I won't be back for several weeks. I need you to man the fort while I'm gone."
Panic seized in Marinette's chest. "I can't handle that kind of responsibility. Please, what about Nathanael, or Mylene? Both of them are more experienced in management than me! I'm just a designer!"
"The head designer," Tikki corrected. "You're vital to our operation, even if Nathanael handles the finances and Mylene the marketing. I've chosen you and that's final. I'll see you in a few weeks."
"I—but—you—agh—" Marinette sputtered in protest but her boss was gone.
Her redheaded coworker popped up from around the corner. "So she railroaded you into being the head representative in her place, huh?"
"Nathanael," she moaned, face in her hands. "How am I going to do this?"
"Simple, you're going to tell Gabriel Agreste what's what. He'd probably take it better from you than Tikki anyway, since you're the one he's after," Nathanael said with a shrug. "Bring your boyfriend for moral support. He'll have your back, won't he?"
"Yes," Marinette said, warming to the idea. Nino knew how much Masson meant to her. She'd complained to him about Agreste as soon as the harassment began. He'd back her up. "Maybe I can do this after all."
"That's the spirit!" Nathanael winked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think that faint yell in the distance is for me."
Marinette laughed. Mylene never got up from her desk when she wanted someone. She just hollered and hoped they would hear it.
"I can do it," the young designer told herself. "I can totally do it."