Hello everyone! I know I usually respond to every review, but my internet is still down, and it's difficult for me to send messages on the phone app.
This chapter was very fun for me to write. The closing line is one of my favorites so far!
Trials III
As the trio approached the door to Marinette's house, Adrien began having second thoughts about their latest scheme. A loud crash emanated from the other side of the door, and Marinette's annoyed voice rang out loud and clear from the other side.
"Manon, if you don't put that back, I'll put you in time out!"
Adrien turned to Alya with an anxious expression. "She doesn't sound like she's in a good mood," he whispered, fully prepared to retreat back down the stairs. Alya and Nino clamped onto either of his arms, preventing escape.
"She's babysitting. Nobody's in a good mood when they're babysitting," Alya explained with a dismissive wave of her hand. Nino promptly rang the doorbell, sealing their fate.
After a few more thuds and screeches, a haggard looking Marinette appeared in the doorway. Her left pigtail was nearly falling out, and the hem of her shirt was askew. Her blue eyes widened as they landed on Adrien, and she shot Alya an exasperated look.
"I came to help you with that little angel," Alya announced as she let herself into the living room. She squeezed by Marinette and made herself at home. "Those two decided to tag along because they didn't want to be lonely," she added, as if it was an afterthought.
"I appreciate it, but Manon's only going to be here for thirty more minutes," Marinette explained just before a crash came from the kitchen. The girl's eyes widened, and she rushed off in that direction.
"You guys can wait in my room!" Marinette called over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.
"Told ya it would work," Alya remarked. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a smug look adorned her face.
Nino sighed, "Well, let's get going."
In a matter of a few minutes, they were all seated rather comfortably as they faced the one they came to see.
"To avoid another round of Adrien's word vomit: the last two attempts were disasters. You see why we need your expertise," Alya explained, hands clasped together as she bowed in respect.
"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm an expert," a feminine voice drawled.
Plagg shot out of Adrien's shirt with an indignant scoff, "Oh please, you're always playing matchmaker. Why don't you just admit that you think you're cupid incarnate?"
"Plagg. Always a pleasure," Tikki replied sweetly before turning to Adrien with a kind smile.
"My advice is to be yourself, Adrien."
The blond shifted uncomfortably, "But myself is awkward and inarticulate."
Tikki giggled and shook her head, "Your true self. You're Adrien Agreste and you're Chat Noir, but most importantly: you're you."
He blinked, his mind swimming with half formed questions.
Tikki's deep blue eyes stared back at him, and he could see centuries of wisdom dancing in their depths. "What do you want to do?"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before turning to Tikki with a shy smile.
"Something really romantic," he murmured, a slight blush coloring his cheeks.
The ladybug kwami's smile grew, "That sounds great! What kind of location were you thinking of?"
Adrien's eyes filled with warmth as he glanced out the window as a flock of pigeons flew by, "Maybe a rooftop near the Eiffel Tower."
"But that's so cliché!" Alya chimed in. Nino nodded his agreement, and the blond boy frowned.
Tikki placed a tiny hand on Adrien's cheek to get his attention, "Tell me why you chose the Eiffel Tower."
"Because…that's where I first fell in love with Ladybug, and I've been falling ever since," he murmured, staring out the window once again.
"Aww," Alya and Nino chorused, causing Adrien's blush to deepen.
"You're such a sweetheart," Tikki cooed, clapping her little hands together with glee.
"You mean a sap," Plagg muttered darkly. The black cat kwami ignored the round of incensed glares.
"Since you decided on the Eiffel Tower, I think it would be best if you planned to go there as Chat Noir. Ooh, you could put together a moonlit picnic!" Tikki exclaimed twirling in midair while her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Nino dragged a hand across his face, "That's really over the top, though."
Tikki turned to the DJ with a smile that could only be described as smug, "Have you ever known Chat Noir to be anything but over the top? I think it suits him perfectly."
The kwami returned her attention to Adrien, "Tell me more!"
Adrien furrowed his brow in thought. "I've always wanted to put together a candlelit dinner with flowers and soft music," he explained, giving Tikki a hopeful look.
"That sounds lovely. My suggestion would be to have battery powered candles and the flowers in heavy containers to combat the wind," the ladybug kwami suggested. Adrien was nearly vibrating with excitement at the prospect of such a grand gesture, and Alya sighed in resignation.
"You can use a Bluetooth speaker for the music," the blogger suggested, unable to resist the temptation to help the plan succeed, no matter how far-fetched it was.
"I'll put together the playlist," Nino offered, already getting excited about the prospect of using the power of music to make his best friend's dreams come true.
"And I'll make sure Marinette gets there," Tikki exclaimed with a giggle.
The teens launched into plans for a date and time, while Plagg gave the ladybug kwami an annoyed glare.
When Marinette got home from school on Friday, she was more than ready to settle into bed for a binge-watching session with Tikki. They still had six more seasons to go before they were caught up on the show, and the episodes weren't going to watch themselves.
She flopped down on the bed and burrowed into the covers as Tikki opened up the laptop. After pulling the show up, the kwami settled into the folds of the blanket next to Marinette's head while the title sequence played.
Six episodes in, Tikki sat up at attention. "Marinette, maybe we should transform and do a quick patrol," she suggested.
Marinette frowned; her disappointment was rather apparent, "What? It's binge day!"
She glanced at the clock and giggled, "Well, binge night."
Tikki nodded, "I know, but it doesn't have to be a long one. Just to the Eiffel Tower and back."
"Is something wrong, Tikki?" the pigtailed girl asked, concern etched into her features.
The kwami shrugged, "I don't think so. I just have a feeling you should check it out."
Marinette groaned and buried her face in the blanket, "I guess I could use the exercise." With that, she extricated herself from the warm covers and closed her laptop. "Tikki, spots on!"
As Ladybug swung through the buildings of Paris, she wondered what exactly was going on with Tikki. It wasn't as if the kwami was never spontaneous, but this seemed a bit out of character for her.
The Eiffel Tower came into view, and it was immediately evident that there was nothing different about it. She alighted on a roof near the tower to stretch her arms, and was a bit surprised to see Chat Noir appear on the rooftop across the street.
"Fancy seeing you here, My Lady," he quipped, leaning on his baton as he flashed her a playful smile.
She quickly swung across the street and landed next to him, an inquisitive look on her face. "What are you doing here, Chat?" she asked, noting that there was something different in his stance. His usual charisma was there, but something else was brimming beneath the surface.
"There's only one thing more beautiful than Paris at night," he replied, gazing out at the skyline. The spotted superheroine laughed softly, "What could possibly be more beautiful than Paris at night?"
His grin stretched even wider as he leaned closer to her, cupping a hand around his mouth as if sharing a secret. "That would be you," he stage-whispered.
Ladybug felt a blush fighting its way to the surface as she gazed into his catlike green eyes; the same eyes as Adrien's and yet so different. Her breath caught in her throat as his clawed fingers slipped in between hers. Chat Noir gave her hand a soft tug, and she followed along beside him as he approached the other side of the rooftop.
"I want to show you something," he explained, voice full of excitement for some unknown reason. She didn't have to wonder for long, since the roof they were standing on was the perfect vantage point to the candlelit balcony below.
Two wrought-iron chairs sat beside each other facing the lights of the Eiffel Tower. The table was set up with two covered dishes and a floral arrangement in the center, and a small Bluetooth speaker played a soft violin melody.
She gasped as her eyes roved over the obviously romantic set-up and landed on her partner's hopeful expression. There was no way this could be construed as a friendly get-together, or so she hoped.
"Do you like it?" he asked, a shy smile on his lips that didn't seem like it belonged there.
"It's amazing! You did all this for me?" Ladybug asked, her blue eyes drifting between him and the candlelit dinner.
He fixed her with an intense look; "I'd do anything for you, Bugaboo."
The superheroine could feel her heart pounding in her chest at being on the receiving end of such an sincere statement, and took a deep breath to steady herself before swinging over to the balcony.
He landed beside her with a soft thud, and pulled out the chair while motioning for her to sit down. She accepted his invitation, and smiled as he plopped down into the seat beside her.
When he pulled the metal covers off of their plates, she was greeted by an absolutely beautiful meal that belonged in a five star restaurant.
"Courtesy of Chef Cesaíre," he explained with a sheepish laugh.
Ladybug gave a happy sigh and beamed at him, "Adrien, this is beautiful. Thank you."
He chuckled and nudged her with his elbow, "Who is this Adrien fellow? I'm Chat Noir."
The red suited girl laughed good-naturedly and picked up her fork, "Thank you, Chat Noir."
"It was my pleasure," he replied, mirroring her movements as she began to eat.
They finished their meal in companionable silence. The noises of the city blended with Nino's playlist to compliment the flickering candlelight and smell of flowers.
Ladybug sighed in contentment as her head came to rest on the blond boy's shoulder. After a few more minutes of watching the Parisian skyline, Chat Noir rested his cheek against her midnight hair. His leather tail made the occasional rustling noise as it flicked behind them.
The wind picked up, and he was grateful that Tikki had suggested the fake candles. Chat Noir took a cleansing breath.
"Ladybug, I'm finally going to tell you what I've been trying to say for the past few weeks," he stated with conviction.
She sat up and looked him in the eye, unconcealed curiosity in her gaze. "I'm listening, Kitty." His ears were flattened against his head, betraying his nervousness.
The wind whipped her dark hair around her face in an angelic halo, and he marveled at her beauty.
"The very first time we met, we were in these suits. You were nervous and I was reckless, and somehow we managed to save Paris together. When you faced off against Hawkmoth and you promised the whole city that we'd keep them safe…that's when I knew," he murmured, meeting her eyes with the most serious expression she'd ever seen.
"Knew what?" she whispered, afraid that her voice would shatter the delicate silence that stretched between them.
He took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, "That's when I knew-"
Lightning flashed as a crash of thunder shook the ground. Angry, dark clouds swirled in the sky as the wind threatened to carry off their tablecloth.
A fat raindrop splashed on the end of Ladybug's nose, and that was the only warning they received before a torrent of rain descended upon the picnic.
Chat Noir stiffened as the rain drenched his hair in a matter of seconds and glared up at the sky with all the malice he could manage. Ladybug doubled over with raucous laughter, clutching her sides as she snorted in a distinctly un-ladylike manner.
"O-Oh, Chat! The- The look on y-your face!" she hiccupped. It was hard to tell if there were tears streaming from her eyes or if it was just rain pouring down her face.
Another crack of thunder punctuated Ladybug's animated laughter, and her pigtails hung loosely around her shoulders, weighed down by the water that dripped from them.
Despite the frustration of another thwarted attempt, Chat Noir was unable to stay angry for long when his lady was having such a good time. Their laughs mingled with the pitter-patter of the rain on the pavement while lightening bathed the city in flickering brilliance.
There truly was only one thing more beautiful than Paris at night.
