Chapter 9: I Am a Tragedy

Marinette adored rainy days. When she was younger, she would slip away from her parents to run around outside without a coat or umbrella, which she was promptly punished for as soon as they caught her, but that had never stopped her.

When she'd seen the storms rolling in tonight, she couldn't resist going for a walk. Being a bit older now, she had taken an umbrella and slipped rain boots on over her tennis shoes so that she wouldn't track water into the house when she came back, but that didn't stop her from splashing through all the puddles she came across, and a few she had to cross the street for.

Now the rain was in full force and there was no one outside but her. It made her grin.

A burst of lightning lit up the street for a moment and she thought she saw someone sitting in the alley. That pulled her up short with a frown. No one should be just sitting out in this downpour. They'd get sick! Even a rain lover like her knew that.

She crept closer and, as another flash of lightning lit up a very familiar black mask and pair of cat ears, she realized who it was.

"Chat?" she asked, shocked that he would be out here now. "Chat Noir?"

Here's a dilemma
I set on this course I can't escape

Surely, he had a home. Why wasn't he there? With storms this bad there was no reason for him to be out patrolling and he certainly wasn't taking in a stroll like she was.

His eyes shot open and his head whipped around to look at her, clearly startled at being addressed. Maybe he thought no one was out or that no one would see him back there? He blinked rapidly at her for a moment, water streaming down his face.

"M-Marinette?"

Caught in the struggle
Longing for rescue from this place

Of course he knew her name. There had been the EvilIllustrator incident and he'd saved her during the Gamer fiasco, not to mention his extra concern yesterday with the Super Assistant.

"Chat Noir, what are you doing out in this? You're going to get sick!"

She moved closer and crouched down beside him so that they were both sheltered by her umbrella. It put them rather close, and though Marinette was unconscious of the distance since it was only Chat, the other superhero's face took on a red tinge. Marinette frowned in concern and put a hand to his wet forehead.

"Are you feeling alright? You look flushed."

"I-I'm fine," he said, shaking his head a bit and dislodging her hand.

If I had the power
To fix myself you know I would

She was still looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes though, face full of concern. For him. A person she barely knew. Sure, he was one of the heroes of Paris, but she didn't actually know him. They were virtual strangers at worst and distant acquaintances at best. Chat tried to wrap his head around the fact that she was genuinely concerned for him, and the idea flooded him with warmth.

"Why aren't you at home?" she asked, her sweet voice gentle as she gave him a little smile. "This isn't exactly the weather for sitting around outside, you know."

He dropped his gaze, suddenly embarrassed by his own stupidity. She was right. He should be at home and all his reasons for not being there in this weather were stupid. Still, he found himself mumbling a reply to her question as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Couldn't make myself go home. Didn't want to."

So I'll keep on waiting...

She cocked her head to the side for a moment, studying his reddening face. Then, she took his hand and pulled him up with her as she stood.

"Then come home with me."

"What?"

His eyes went huge with surprise and she giggled at his reaction.

Geez, was she adorable.

"If you don't want to go to your home," she said, still smiling. "Then come home with me. If nothing else, it'll give you a chance to dry off and warm up, right?"

Chat stared down at her, still disbelieving.

"But… um, why? I mean, you don't even know me, princess."

"You're Chat Noir. What else do I need to know?"

Stunned and not sure how to respond to such trust, he didn't fight when she set the umbrella in the hand and slipped her own hand into the crook of his arm. Then she was pulling him along next to her, out of the alley and down the street.

The lights go up
Exposing all that you see

If anyone had been around, they might have thought it a strange sight. The leather-clad superhero walking arm-in-arm with the cute little baker in a hoodie and jeans, an umbrella sheltering them both as it poured down around them. Chat wouldn't have let it bother him, though. He realized suddenly, as they walked in companionable silence, that this girl's warmth and light weren't exclusive to her baking. She showered them on everyone, even a stray alley cat.

He swallowed hard and stared ahead. No one had cared like that for him in years. Not since his mother had disappeared. It made it hard to believe it was happening right now.

Chat glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye and saw that she had a contented little smile on her face as she watched the rain fall. Then, a huge grin lit up her face and she looked at him, a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she pointed ahead to a huge puddle.

"Come on!"

I am a tragedy
Bound by this role I play the lead
Could you write a new ending?

Before his brain had entirely processed what she was about to do, she took off at a run, keeping him right beside her, and jumped straight into the giant puddle ahead of them. Chat could only blink in surprise at the turn of events, his feet several inches deep in water, as Marinette bounced through it and out the other side, waves, splashes, and Chat in her wake as she kept her hold on his arm.

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Out of the puddle, she picked up their previous pace again, grinning madly. When all she saw on Chat's face was surprise, her grin fell a bit.

"Not a fan of puddles? I guess you wouldn't really be a fan of water, would you? Cat and all."

She gestured to the top of her head to indicate his cat ears. He shook his head.

"No, no, it's not that. I mean, no I'm not really a fan of the rain, you just surprised me is all."

He paused and suddenly huffed a laugh, looking away.

"I haven't puddle jumped since I was a little kid."

Chat glanced sideways at his companion and then let a roughish smile take over his face.

"Bet I can jump in more puddles than you!"

"Oh, you're on!"

I'm finished fighting
All of my battles are in vain

It took much longer than is should have to get to Marinette's house after that. They zig-zagged across the road dozens of times, looking for the best puddles, making faces of disappointment when the splashes weren't as big as they wanted them, and only had two cars come along to honk at them for running in the road. They splashed and laughed and kicked water at each other until they were both breathless, leaning on each other, and giggling like idiots.

"Pri… Princess, I… haven't had that m… much fun… in ages," Chat managed between gasps for air and bouts of laughter as he wiped tears from his eyes.

Marinette waited until she had control of her own lungs and laughter before replying, which took several minutes. Then she looked up at the superhero, still grinning.

"And I haven't ever had anyone actually willing to go puddle jumping with me. Thanks."

She gave him the biggest smile he'd ever seen and he felt his heart lurch in his chest, making him swallow nervously. No, no, he was not going to fall in love with her. It was just the exhilaration of running around having fun.

Still, he couldn't help but grin back.

"Any time, princess."

And I'm tired of trying
Trying to make things work my way

When they reached her home, she had him wait in the entryway.

"Maman will be upset if I track water through the house," she explained. "I'll only be a minute."

Chat shuffled his feet a bit as he waited, but, true to her word, she wasn't gone more than a minute, reappearing with a blanket and several towels. She had him hold the umbrella again as they went around to the bakery and she let them in and led him back into the kitchen.

"Sit," she said, pointing to a stool.

He complied and was handed a towel. His suit was mostly water-proof, but not entirely, so he began drying himself off. Then a second towel was thrown over his head and he froze as Marinette began gently drying his hair, being careful of the cat ears. He felt his face heat a bit, but did his best to suppress it.

There's not much to salvage
But you see something here to save
So I'll keep on waiting…

The kitchen began to warm as the oven closest to him began to heat up and he realized she must have taken a moment to turn it on. Mentally, he shook himself and continued drying himself off as she finished with his hair and took the towel away from his head.

"So," the little baker said conversationally. "What's your favorite?"

Chat looked up, surprised.

"My favorite?" he repeated, blinking.

She laughed lightly.

"Pastry? Sweet? This is a bakery after all. What would you like?"

"Oh, um, anything is fine, princess."

She shook her head as she shook a finger at him.

"Nu-uh, you're not getting away with that answer. You were sitting out in the rain not wanting to go home. If anything screams, 'I need comfort food', it's that. So, I'll ask again, what would you like?"

The little baker put her hands on her hips and waited expectantly with an air of gentle firmness. She looked as though she'd wait all night if she had to and Chat had no doubt that she would. He hid his face for a moment in the towel he was holding, pretending that his face needed extra drying, to give himself a moment.

The lights go up
Exposing all that you see

She was too sweet. She really was. He couldn't wrap his head around how caring she was and it almost made him want to cry. He should have just texted her this morning to hang out instead of letting himself overthink it. She was the perfect friend and he didn't deserve that from her, with or without the mask.

Chat worked a thoughtful expression onto his face before he let the towel fall away. Then he looked toward the ceiling, pondering her question, before he let his gaze wander to hers again.

"Chocolate chip cookies?"

She grinned.

"Easy."

He watched her fall into her dance as she worked in silence, measuring and mixing. It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. He became so lost in her dance that it wasn't until she paused and looked over at him with a frown that he realized he was shivering.

I am a tragedy
Bound by this role, I play the lead
Could you write a new ending?

With a gentle smile, she grabbed the blanket and slipped it over his shoulders like a cape.

"Silly kitty," she murmured to herself as she went back to scooping out little balls of dough and setting them in neat rows on the cookie sheet.

When the cookies were in the oven, she went digging in the fridge and set a pan of milk to warming on the stove. She disappeared into the pantry for a few minutes, making Chat wonder what she was up to, before she reemerged with several bars of chocolate in hand. She broke them up into the milk and stirred them in.

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The cookie sheets came out a few minutes later and he watched as she expertly moved them from sheet to cooling rack.

He couldn't believe how much he was enjoying just sitting there, in a warm kitchen, watching his beautiful friend make him cookies and hot chocolate. It was so peaceful and inviting here. She made the place peaceful and inviting with her presence. She made his troubles slip to the back of his mind like they might not even exist anymore.

Ladybug did the same thing for him, he realized, but instead of peaceful and inviting, it was with confidence and action. Two girls who gave him the same peace of mind in completely different ways. It was no wonder he was feeling caught.

Chat suppressed a sigh.

I am a tragedy
Bound by this role, I play the lead
Could you write a new ending?

A mug appeared in front of his nose and he looked up to see that Marinette was grinning down at him. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts he hadn't realized that she'd finished.

Chat reached out and took the mug from her. She pulled a stool up to the big metal table in the center of the kitchen and he followed suit with his as she set a plate of the cookies down between them.

They smelled divine and he happily bit into one, unable to suppress a groan of delight. Nino had been right that first day. Everything she made was like eating a piece of heaven baked by an angel.

She laughed at his reaction and took one for herself.

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"Are they really that good?" she asked, taking a bit.

He could only make happy munching noises for a few moments as the cookie quickly disappeared, but he nodded emphatically through it all.

"Oh, trust me, princess, they are definitely that good," he told her as soon as his mouth was free.

That widened her smile and made her chuckle.

Half the plate disappeared into Chat's stomach before he slowed and sipped at the delicious hot chocolate she'd made. Heaven.

Then, he sat back and looked at her seriously for a minute. Surprised by the sudden change in his air, Marinette raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. He looked back at her for a long moment, but he wanted to know.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

Her head tilted to the side.

"About what?"

"About why I didn't want to go home."

"Do you want to tell me?"

I can't survive any longer
I'm calling you, calling you

Chat stared at her. He didn't know what to say. She wasn't going to ask him anything. He'd been expecting questions that were apparently never going to come. Most people would have buried him in questions if he'd admitted to them that he didn't want to go home. Why wouldn't one of the hero's of Paris want to go home? What was his home life like? Was it really so bad? Then they would have started pushing for more information than he should give if his identify was going to remain secret and then things would blow up in his face one way or another.

But Marinette… Marinette hadn't asked a single question about anything except what he wanted her to make. She hadn't pushed anything. She hadn't pried. She'd just… been there. She'd made him laugh. She'd made cookies just for him.

He stared at her for so long that she began to frown a bit with worry.

"Chat? Are you alright?" she asked in that gentle way she had.

I won't scrape by on my own here
I'm calling you, calling you

His vision began to blur and he blinked rapidly to dispel it.

"You're almost too good for this world, princess," he said, voice low to keep it from breaking. "If you were any sweeter, you'd be sugar itself."

She blinked at him once. Twice. Then she laughed.

"Chat Noir, are you flirting with me?"

That brought him up short and his eyes widened. Crap! He waved his hands in front of him.

"No, no! That's not how I meant it at all, princess! Ugh, I'm so sorry. I just meant, you're a really good person, you know? I haven't met anyone like you before. Anyone else would have been bombarding me with questions but the only things you've asked me are about what I want. I just… I haven't had anyone care so much about what I want in a long time and…"

He lowered his hands and looked away, feeling the prick at the back of his eyes of threatening tears again. Then he shook his head.

"Sorry. I just…"

Take me away
You've got plans for me, I'm listening
Take me away
You're my one hope for escape

Chat suddenly found the little baker's arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. He was so startled that he completely froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't breath. He couldn't think.

Then, slowly, his brain started working again. He swallowed hard, a lump rising in his throat as the tears stung his eyes. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her shoulder, and then, the flood gates opened and he let himself quietly cry.

He realized at one point that she had started running her fingers gently through his hair as she crooned soft reassurances in his ear.

"Oh, my poor chaton…"

I am a tragedy
Bound by this role, I play the lead
Could you write a new ending?

Marinette thought her heart might just break. She felt terrible. She didn't know what was wrong and she felt as though it was her own fault that she didn't know. Would he have told Ladybug? Should she have gone on patrol tonight after all? But then, they never talked about anything personal as their alter egos, and that was her fault too, for insisting on keeping their identities a secret from each other.

Certainly, she'd been wondering what was wrong since the moment she'd spotted him sitting listlessly in the rain, but prying would have put him in a tough position, and the last thing she wanted was to make his day worse. That was part of why she'd run through that first puddle, trying to cheer him up. It had worked in a roundabout way.

Baking always helped to cheer her up and she knew all too well the power of comfort food. That was why she'd promised herself as they walked home that she'd bake whatever he asked for, even if she'd never made it before. Cookies had been child's play.

Hot chocolate was the thing her parents had always made for her when she'd had a bad day, so she'd made that, too.

She didn't want to pry, but she did want to help. She felt so stupid for insisting on secrecy now. Did her partner have a bad home life? From the little he had said, it sounded like whoever he did have at home didn't particularly care about him or what he wanted.

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The little baker sighed quietly, disappointed in herself and hurting for Chat, though she didn't know why. As his tears began to slow, she made a resolution. She might still need to keep the professional boundaries she'd set as Ladybug, but that didn't mean Marinette couldn't be Chat's friend, right?

When he started to pull away, she let him, her hands falling away as he wiped his eyes, sniffling. He wouldn't look at her and she understood. They were, without her mask on, barely acquaintances, and crying on the shoulder of someone like that could be embarrassing.

She picked up her hot chocolate and sipped at it, though it was luke warm now.

"Sorry," she heard him say quietly after a long pause.

She looked over at him with a gentle smile.

"Don't be."

Chat looked up then and she turned so that she was facing him. She took his hands and gave them a gentle squeeze as he stared at her.

"I don't know what your life is like on the other side of that mask," she said quietly. "But it sounds as though it's pretty lonely. I just want you to know that you are always welcome here, Chat. Any time, any day, and I mean it. You don't ever have to tell me anything you don't want to and I will never pry, but no one should be alone."

Cause, I am a tragedy
Bound by this role, I play the lead
Could you write a new ending?

Chat didn't know what to say. He was at a complete loss for words.

Here was this girl, who hardly knew him, who had taken him in off the street, who had run through rain puddles laughing with him, who had asked what he wanted, who had made him cookies and hot chocolate, who had hugged him and let him cry on her shoulder without even knowing why he was crying, and now, now she was sitting there, offering her friendship and company whenever he wanted it, because she didn't think he should be alone.

He stood and scooped her right off her stool and into a bear hug.

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She was giggling as he kissed the top of her head and whispered.

"You really are a princess, princess."

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X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

A/N: Silly humans shall never stop me! Mwahahahaha! ::lightning crackles in background as cape flutters in the wind:: Lol. :P That's right, update number three. Bam! Lol. Not gonna lie, I loved writing this chapter. Also, did not end up using the song I thought I was going to use.

This song is actually called "Letter to the Editor" by Philmont, but obviously that would have been a weird chapter title so, you know, creative liberties and all. :)

Don't forget to drop me a line and let me know what you thought! Till next chapter! :)