A/N: Have you ever known exactly what you want to write - like word for word - but just can't make yourself type it? Ugh, please don't let me burn out before we're even halfway through the month!

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Day Eleven: Are you. . . doodling Chat Noir? In which Marinette's tried and true method of distraction betrays her, and no one will ever let her live it down.

Fire & Rain

Eleven: Autograph

The catnip thing was probably not Marinette's best idea. It was probably karmic justice that she was the one most affected by it. Chat had laughed - a little awkwardly, but mostly genuinely - when he figured out what she had done. He didn't mention the whole cuddling thing, and neither did she, and even though there was a conspicuous amount of space between them as they finished off the episode of Magnificent Century, there wasn't anything weird about it.

Chat Noir had smiled and saluted as he hopped away from her balcony as he always did.

Marinette had lain awake most of the night, wondering why she had felt so off-kilter since the moment Chat lifted his weight from her body.

It didn't get much better the next day. She couldn't really escape thinking about Chat Noir when her best friend, who sat next to her in all her classes, was constantly thinking about and discussing Paris' superheroes. Sure, Alya preferred Ladybug ("It's called the Ladyblog for a reason, Marinette!"), and most of her theories and daydreams focused on the bug, but every once in a while, the blogger went through a Chat Noir phase.

It was just Marinette's luck that she was going through one now (the black cat's mojo must be rubbing off on her). Probably due to the fact that she was still certain that Marinette had a thing going on with Chat, no matter how many times the designer insisted she didn't. Honestly, what was the point of the internet being forever if nobody actually listened to what you said on it?

Having had enough of Alya's harebrained theories on Chat's identity and how they could get him to reveal it (No, he would not drop his transformation just because she said 'pretty please!'), she turned her attention to the blank sheet of paper before her. Or, her un-attention, more like.

Marinette allowed her pencil to glide over the paper without any specific goal in mind. Whenever her thoughts got too hectic, she had found that mindless doodling was the perfect way to calm herself down. It usually ended up being illegible scribbles, but occasionally, she ended up creating some of her best designs. (Okay, that had only happened like once, but still!)

The point was, it was mind-numbing and relaxing and she didn't have to think about Chat Noir at all.

At least, she didn't until Alya intoned, "Are you doodling Chat Noir?"

Marinette jolted from her trance-like state, her hand twitching and smudging the tip of a sharp claw. And. . . yep, that was definitely Chat Noir. Why brain?

She wanted to not think about him! Not think about him so intently that she drew a detailed portrait of him crouched on her balcony, saluting the viewer with a roguish smile on his face. She was pretty sure Chat didn't even have a roguish smile! Those were for attractive men, not giant dorks.

Blushing, she threw her hands over the paper, "No?"

With a devious smile, Alya yanked the paper out from under her guard. Marinette was torn between lamenting the fact that it didn't rip, and feeling relieved that it didn't (It was a good drawing, don't judge her). "Ooh, this is nice!"

"Alya, we are in class!" Marinette hissed, face blazing red. For all her enthusiasm, Alya was sensible enough to keep her voice down to a level the teacher could choose to ignore, and so the only ones that so much as looked at them were those seated closest to them. Unfortunately, that included Adrien.

"Don't you think this is totally awesome?" Alya shoved the picture towards her boyfriend and his best friend. Nino turned in his seat to fawn over it, and Adrien. . . wait, was he blushing?

Why would he be blushing? Unless. . . oh God, did he have a crush on Chat Noir? That would be way worse than any luck that she deserved! Taking the page back, she tucked it away into her bag with a huff. She never wanted to think about that stupid cat ever again!

Her resolve lasted until she got home and picked her books out of her bag. Somehow, she found herself smoothing out any wrinkles on the page and placing it on her desk, in plain view of anybody that walked by. Not that she had to worry about that, since no one came into her room without her permission and Chat never dropped by two days in a row.

"Evening, Princess."

Okay, seriously, what was with her luck? Did she break a mirror? Walk under a dozen ladders? Knock over a gallon of salt?

"Hi, Chat," she sighed, not even bothering to hide his portrait. Why would she? The universe was obviously intent on humiliating her!

"Oh my, what's this?" Of course he zeroed in on the picture immediately. Sauntering over to the desk with a cheesy grin, he picked the paper up to admire it. "Who is this handsome cat?"

"I have no idea," she deadpanned.

Chat snickered and turned the paper towards her, holding it up next to his face. "Is this how you really see me?"

Was it? It was certainly an accurate depiction, but it was also. . . flattering, somehow. It was mostly that stupid smile, probably. And she had been right, he didn't have a roguish smile, he had an overlarge, too eager grin. It still caused something to lurch uneasily in the pit of her stomach.

She shifted on her feet and gritted her teeth, unsure of how to answer. His grin slowly dropped as he finally seemed to realize he was making her uncomfortable, and he rubbed the back of his head.

"It's really nice," he offered awkwardly and she barely managed to mumble 'thanks'. "Can I keep it? I mean, since you don't want it."

"Who said I didn't want it?" She wasn't sure why, she couldn't even say she worked hard on it, but she felt attached to it.

"Oh, I just thought. . ." he floundered for words and, eager to ignore the fact that she found his awkwardness adorable, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Can I have your autograph?"

Chat seemed genuinely surprised that she would ask such a thing, but then a blinding smile appeared on his face. "Yes, of course!"

Two days later, Marinette entered the bakery to find her signed sketch of Chat Noir hanging behind the register.

After a short screaming match - well, actually, it was more like Marinette shrieking nonsense between hyperventilating while her parents ignored her with knowing smiles - it was eventually decided that it would be taken down.

She decided to hang it on the far wall across from her bed. Only because the poster that had hung there before was conveniently the same size as the paper she had drawn on. It was not at all due to the fact that, since she slept on her side, it would be the first thing she saw every morning.

A/N: Denial is not just a river in Egypt! Originally, Chat was supposed to ask her for her autograph like he did as Adrien with the Jagged Stone CD, but then Marinette refused to part with the picture, and Chat doesn't get enough love in canon, so I figure he'd be thrilled somebody wants his autograph alone.

Will be doing another double post on Sunday because 12 hour shifts are terrible, and all I wanna do on Saturdays is sleep!

As always, drop a review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody