Looking back, she should have known that Chat Noir would show up. It seemed to happen every time after she was out alone after dark, like she had been. To solidify her suspicions, he sent her a small knowing smile. "So, what happened to staying out of trouble? I saw you walking home alone, mon cher." Chat pointed out as she closed the balcony door behind him.
"Do you spy on me, Chat Noir?" Tiana asked teasingly, watching as he walked over to her couch and sat down while she stayed standing by the door.
Casting her a lazy smile, he patted the couch beside him and she walked over to join him on the couch. "No, mon cher, I don't spy on you. I was on pawtrol and saw you, out with a boy no less when I first saw you." Chat said with a smirk held on her that showed his pointy canine teeth to her.
Chuckling softly, she turned her body to face his on the couch as she leaned her arm on the back of it. "So you were watching my date then?" Tiana asked, watching as he turned on the couch to face her as well and propped one leg up on the other.
"Well, I was doing my due diligence and making sure everything was alright. I left when I saw the way he protected you from that bicyclist, I had to go have a talking to with that guy. He should know better than to be on the sidewalks." Chat tried to change the subject, so she chuckled a little more at his diversion tactics.
"Well it's a good thing you didn't stick around then. Wouldn't want to make you worry, Knight in Kitty Armor." Tiana teased before noticing the way the light in his eyes dimmed a little, but he kept up the smile.
"You mean with that kiss? I'm a little hurt, Belle, I thought it was me you wanted." Chat teased her right back and her face flared with warmth at the insinuation.
Why did she have to see that nuzzle he did to her as Rogue just from him teasing about that?
"I didn't kiss him." Tiana corrected, but Chat just snorted before facing his body away from her and leaning back into the couch.
"Don't be embarrassed, it's perfectly natural to kiss the person you care about." Chat said before leaning his head back on her couch.
Tiana rolled her eyes at the flirty tom cat before facing away from him as well. "I wouldn't let him kiss me. It's not fair to do that when he likes my friend too and I don't even know if I really like him. This was only my first date, but it didn't even feel like one for either of us." Tiana said before pulling her phone out of her pocket to see if Adrien texted her back yet.
Still, there was no response. She couldn't help but frown at the screen and wonder if he was upset with her.
"Hey hey why the frown?" Tiana looked up to see Chat now closer than he had been when she looked away from him. He looked down at her phone before back up at her. "A friend?" Chat asked as she put her phone away.
"I forgot that I had made plans with a different friend today when I made plans to go out with the other. I feel like I've probably disappointed him because of bailing on him. I tried texting him when I was walking home, but no response." Tiana revealed to the kitty hero beside her.
"I'm sure he's not disappointed. He's probably more happy for you that you got to go out on your first date today. All of your friends sound understanding, so I'm sure he's just busy and can't get back to you at the moment." Chat said with a comforting pat of his clawed hand on her knee.
Tiana just stared at his hand on her knee for a moment. Why did he have to come tonight? Why couldn't it have been any other night?
She was so confused on just being near him right now because of how she reacted to that nuzzle days ago. Because of how, when he did it, she felt like electricity entered her veins. How her breath stopped and she could literally hear her own heart beating. How she could feel his own breath against her skin before he pulled away and fled from her.
Why did she react that way? Why didn't she just tease back like she usually did, or at least shove him away?
Why did Chat Noir, of all people, have to have that effect on her?
"Hey, smile for me, mon cher." Chat lifted her gaze from her knee up to him by reaching over with his other hand and leading her gaze up with the tip of one clawed finger. When their eyes met, he smiled at her in attempt to make her smile back.
Hopefully he wouldn't notice that her own smile back was forced.
"Now come on, that's not genuine." Well, she tried at least to make it look real. "If I have to, I'll make you smile again." Chat warned with a devilish smile, sincerely making her wonder if he was in fact the devil in costume.
"I highly doubt that, you're too much of a gentleman to force me to do anything." Tiana replied with a smirk of her own, before realizing he just got his way. His devilish smile grew ten fold as her smirk fell away.
"No but I got you to smile without force. Now come on, let's talk about something else that won't make you frown. Like that "kiss" with your date." Chat said while punctuating the air with quotes.
"Wasn't a kiss." Tiana corrected him, but he just continued smiling her way like he didn't believe it didn't happen. "Please, you really think my first kiss would be with someone who isn't even sure if I'm the one he likes more?" Tiana asked with a dismissive wave at the idea itself.
Chat was silent, and upon looking his way she noticed the surprise in his face. "First kiss? My dear, you haven't had your first yet?" Chat asked, leaning down a little closer to her face with a mixture of incredulous and surprise in his green eyes.
Tiana looked away as she felt heat rise to her face again, but that obviously was the wrong move as Chat Noir chuckled beside her. "I spent much of my childhood alone, Chat Noir. What time would there be for any romance? It was bound to happen soon anyways, what with the play having me kiss the beast in the end." Tiana said with another dismissive wave because she knew it would likely be out of her control.
Like most things are when it comes to her Mother.
"Your first kiss should be with someone you care for, not staged for the amusement of others." Chat replied with surprising annoyance in his voice, Tiana looking back at him in time to see him look away from her.
Tiana smiled a little at the chivalrous devil beside her. "Don't get yourself annoyed, it's not like it effects you. You can't protect everyone all the time, Knight in Kitty Armor." Tiana reminded him of what she had to come to terms with when she was still the General Wolf.
"No, but I can at least try to help. Do you even have a say in it?" Chat asked, turning his eyes back to her with faux relaxation. It's easy to see his annoyance once she already knows of it's existence.
"No." Tiana admitted with a shrug, before watching as Chat turned himself on the couch once more to fully face her.
"You should kiss someone you care about then, before you're forced to kiss your partner in the play." Chat said honestly, before suddenly smirking devilishly at her once again. "You know, I do still have a little-"
"No." Tiana cut him off before he could even insinuate the idea of her kissing him, leveling him with a flat stare. His cat ears flattened against his head as he pouted his bottom lip out a little at her.
"You didn't have to be so harsh about it." Chat muttered before turning himself away from her once more, folding his arms across his chest to add to his pouting gesture.
Tiana didn't want to feel bad, she didn't want to give in to his pouting. But it seemed as though he genuinely wanted to help, even though he's just a flirty tom cat.
"Fine, what about any other boys you know then?" Chat asked, still facing away from her but turning his head to look at her with a flat stare of his own.
Great, now she felt bad for being so quick to shut him down.
"I'm sorry." Tiana said before turning away from him once again. She pulled out her phone once again, hoping to see a response only for there to be none.
Chat sighed noticeably beside her before her phone was suddenly taken from between her fingers by the cat and placed on the coffee table in front of her. "You don't need to apologize. I'm used to being turned down by now, belle." Chat said with a little hiss to his tone at the mention of his romantic downfalls.
Maybe if he didn't pine for a Ladybug he'd have better luck.
"Besides, I wouldn't kiss you ma belle. No offense to you, but I don't believe in kissing the lady before the first date." Chat leveled her with a little smile, but that's not what she was paying attention to at the moment. More so the sinking feeling she got in her stomach at his own turning down the idea of kissing her.
It's not like she wanted to anyways, but why does it make her feel sick just to acknowledge that he wasn't interested in it? He's the flirty cat of Paris. He flirted with her alter ego.
What was wrong with this version of herself?
"Tiana?" Tiana looked over at him upon hearing her name be called, Chat looking her way with slight concern before she forced a smile his way.
"I would expect no less from a gentleman like you, Chat Noir." Tiana replied to his previous comment about not kissing her. But his concerned look in his bright green eyes didn't fade away too much.
Chat opened his mouth to talk, but there was a trio of beeps from behind him. Of course, the bug would interrupt when he's here.
Chat pulled his staff out with a furrow of his brow upon looking at the flip up screen before returning it to his lower back. "Time to go?" Tiana asked before Chat scooted closer to her again.
"Not yet. She can wait for me, it's not important." Chat said as he placed his hand on her knee once again. "Did I upset you by saying I wouldn't kiss you, my dear?" Chat asked, completely serious as he looked down at his hand on her knee before back up at her own eyes.
Tiana snorted at the question. "No, no offense Kitty but I don't want to kiss a guy that's not interested in me." Tiana replied, taking his own no offense phrase to use against him now.
Chat just stared at her for a moment, silent as she felt the urge to look away from his intense stare. After a little longer of him just staring at her, he cracked a little smile at her before removing his hand from her knee. "I wouldn't assume things, chérie. You are certainly interesting, after all." Chat purred before moving away from her, Tiana fortunate enough that she could suppress the rising heat to her face that time.
Flirty tom cat.
"I don't want to bother you too much, so I'll let you be tonight. I'm glad you had a lovely first date with your...friend?" Chat questioned, Tiana nodding her head at the question. "Purrhaps soon I'll come take you on one of our own, I did promise to show you Paris." Chat reminded as he stood from her couch and stretched his back.
He's leaving already?
"You're leaving already?" Tiana asked, standing up to follow him when he made towards the balcony doors. That was the wrong thing to ask at the time though, as he grinned at her once he turned to her again.
"Will you miss me, chérie?" Chat asked, leaning a hand on her closed balcony doors.
When she didn't respond for a moment and he took a brave step closer to her, she chuckled at his persistence. "Your job is your priority, Chat Noir. I'll see you again, I'm sure. Since you think I'm interesting, after all." Tiana reminded him of his own words.
"Don't forget the taking you out on the town part." Chat also reminded her with a tilt of his head and a cute little smile at her that looked befitting an angel, not this devilish cat.
"Well if you're being serious about that, then you'd better make those plans soon. Or you just might lose my attention to someone else." Tiana taunted him, Chat's smile twitching away for a moment before he seemed to force it.
"I'd hope I'm interesting enough to keep your eyes on me, beautiful." Chat mused, Tiana unable to fight off the blush this time as he turned away to open her balcony doors. "I mean, I have heard rumors though about how you think of me." Chat turned to her with a sly smile that made her heart leap.
What rumors? What has he heard?
"What are you talking about?" Tiana questioned, but he just smiled at her before walking out the door. Following after him, he was perched on the railing of her balcony when she walked out.
"By the way, I know a lot of ladies of Paris think I'm purretty handsome, but I am flattered. I won't deny that you're pawsitively cute yourself, bellissima." Her breath caught in her throat at that one word he spoke in Italian, that combining with his own knowing of what she said about him making her blush heatedly as he smiled back at her.
"Who told you that?" Tiana asked, before remembering that Alya had her Ladyblog. The blog which she hadn't read since the job on the Louvre. Had she told all of her readers what she said?!
"You do know that you're not the only one of your group of friends that I've met, right?" Chat asked instead of replying to her directly. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Chat assured her with a wink, before leaping off the railing in front of her suddenly.
With a bow, he took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it once more before vaulting off of the balcony and away into the night.
Tiana didn't hesitate to turn and lock the balcony doors quickly behind her, Verro bursting into laughter the moment the curtains were drawn and flying out of his hiding spot.
"He knows about your saying he was cute! So much for keeping things secret!" Verro cried through his hysterical laughter, Tiana turning to face the little wolf as he rolled around on top of her bed.
Great, Verro isn't going to let this one go for a while.
Adrien twisted his ring around his finger, staring at his phone on the desk in front of him.
What had he been thinking? Why did he say those things to her?
He flirts a lot when he's Chat Noir, but why would he try to offer to kiss her? She's his good friend!
And she's probably going to be going out with Nathaniel. That's the other thing.
He knows when he flirts as Chat Noir that he's not typically being a hundred percent serious, but would she? Would she know it was all just fun and that he wouldn't actually try to kiss her?
Tiana's his friend, he couldn't do that. Why would he even try to offer to?!
He looked at his phone again as he twisted his ring one more time around his finger. "You twist it enough you might twist your actual finger." Plagg spoke up from the back of his chair where he was laying.
"Why did I say that?" Adrien asked himself, leaning over his desk and burying his face in his hands.
He couldn't even reply to her text because he was so embarrassed. Yes, it was Chat Noir and not he as Adrien, but it didn't make any less of an impact on him.
"Maybe because subconsciously you actually want to do it." Plagg replied to him even though it wasn't a question for him.
"Plagg, don't tease me right now about this." Adrien muttered, just wanting to try to think this over before he finally replied to Tiana with an excuse on why he couldn't reply sooner.
He felt bad not replying yet, because he saw how remorseful she felt about bailing on him. He told her the truth though in his hypothetical, he wasn't upset with her for making other plans.
He was happy for her that she was doing as planned and giving Nathaniel a chance, but at the time when she first told him he did feel a little...upset? He doesn't know honestly how he felt, he just didn't like how he felt about it and tried to ignore it.
He was happy for her, he wanted her to be happy and have fun. Even though he felt a little saddened that she wasn't doing it with him.
Then his black cat luck had to get the better of him, as always. She didn't seem too fazed by what he said to her when he saw her as Chat, fortunately. But he did notice how something seemed off about her. How she kept looking away from him, getting embarrassed when she usually didn't get that way. How she actually blushed, which was an extreme rarity for her.
Was it because of how he was coming off to her? Or was something else going on that she wouldn't tell him as Chat?
Adrien took a deep breath before pulling his face out of his hands and picking his phone up. It was nearing midnight, but maybe she would still be awake. He was just glad Ladybug covered the rest of his patrol for him tonight.
He's grateful that she's listening now and acknowledges that he needs to just think at times instead of focus on the patrol.
Opening the chat bubble marked with a kitten, he noticed she only left him one message. She tried to see if he wanted to play still after her date?
Fighting his rising guilt over making her wait on him, he typed back to her. "I'm sorry, Kitten. I was busy with my practices. We can do it again another day if you have time. How was your date?"
He already knew how her date went, but he wanted to see if she would tell him differently as Adrien than she did him as Chat Noir.
His phone buzzed a minute or two later, not hesitating even a moment to open the chat bubble. "It's fine, Lover Boy. You're busy." That was all he got in response? Was she upset because he didn't reply sooner, or was this something else.
"What's wrong?" Adrien stood from his chair and walked over to his bed, sitting down to wait for a response as Plagg floated over and took up a spot on a pillow to go to sleep.
"Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired." Had he woken her? It was late. But then again she openly admits to him that she doesn't typically sleep before midnight.
"Did I wake you?" Adrien turned to face Plagg as the Kwami snickered from the pillow.
"Don't stay up too late with your Kitten, kid." Plagg teased him before curling into a ball like he does before going to sleep for the night.
Glaring at him for a moment for the teasing, his phone buzzed and drew his attention once more. "No, but can we talk tomorrow? I'm not in a talking mood right now." Adrien frowned at his screen at that one message.
Was it because of him? Had he upset her? Or had something happened during her date with Nathaniel that she hadn't told him about.
He really wanted to know, he really wanted to help her. It made his stomach turn knowing any of his friends were upset, but for some reason knowing that she was made his chest twinge painfully too.
"You can talk to me, Tiana. You know that. I know something's wrong, I could help." He didn't receive a response for a little while, so he started to assume she might have just gone to bed or put her phone elsewhere to not have to talk to him.
He probably deserved it, making her wait so long just to hear back from him.
But...no he didn't deserve it. He's taken longer to reply to messages from his friends before, and he hasn't felt guilty about it. But why now does he when it comes to her?
It's probably because of the fact that he saw the regret in her eyes when she told him how she felt bad for bailing on their plans to play video games tonight. He really wasn't upset with her for it, it was easy to reschedule.
Even though they had increasingly busy schedules.
When fifteen minutes passed with no response, he stood from his bed to go change so he could try to go to bed himself. That's probably what she had done, she was tired after all.
Coming back to bed after finishing changing and brushing his teeth, he noticed his phone was flashing against the covers to let him know he had a message. Taking a moment to pull back said covers and lay down, he turned on his screen to see her response at last.
"I know I can talk to you, Lover Boy. But it's just something I'm not quiet ready to talk about with anyone else right now. I just want to try to forget about it for the moment." What could possibly be bothering her so much that she doesn't want to talk about it and just forget it?
Sighing through his nose, as he wouldn't push her to tell him, he typed a reply back. "Are you alright, at least?" That was the important thing, after all.
He knew her answer before even opening the next text just because of how quick it came. "Not really. I'm just confused right now, I just need time to sort through it myself." Adrien didn't hesitate to hit the green button beside their chat conversation.
It rang for so long he thought she wouldn't answer. Just as he was about to hang up himself though, there was a click that let him know she had answered. "You don't have to tell me what's wrong, Kitten. Just talk to me, I'll help you however I can." Adrien said after she greeted him in her native Italian tongue.
"Adrien you have-"
"Don't try to convince me otherwise." Adrien cut her short before she could try to tell him any reason she could think of for not letting him. "Here, how's about we talk about your date if it's not to do with that. Something to distract you." Adrien offered, silence overtaking the line for a moment.
His heart skipped surprisingly when her faint laughter entered the phone, finding himself smiling just at knowing he could make her laugh.
Marinette had to cover her mouth to keep from squealing when Tiana handed her box seat tickets for the performance. She may not have screamed, but she did throw her arms around Tiana in one of the biggest hugs she's ever given. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Marinette squealed that time as Tiana just laughed in front of her.
"I don't know why you're so excited. Honestly, it's not the going to be the last one. She already has next year planned before this one even premiers." Tiana revealed as Marinette finally let go of her and looked down at the opening night tickets that Tiana had gifted her.
She gave her enough for not only herself but for Papa and Maman as well. She could never express how happy and grateful she was to Tiana for giving her something that she knew her whole family will enjoy.
"Oh, really quick though." Tiana grinned slyly at her and she felt her giddiness ebb a little with worry. "Adrien and his father have the box next to yours." Tiana revealed, running away when Marinette's jaw dropped at the news before she took off running after the girl who was trying to set her up to be close to the boy she loved.
"What's going on?" Alya asked as they raced past her and into the classroom, Tiana laughing the entire way before she dove into her own seat beside Nathaniel, seemingly thinking she's safe from her.
"Oh come on, be happy! It's not like the boxes are that close to each other. I had the tickets I gave you before I knew that his father had reserved that box, but think of it as a good thing. Now you can see him, sorta." Tiana tilted her head with that last word in a small shrug.
"You're going to make me look like a stalker." Marinette complained, hands smacking down on her table as she noticed Nathaniel looking between them in confusion.
"No, you do a good enough job of that yourself." Tiana teased her, laughing when Marinette went to try to seize her out of the seat and ducking into Nathaniel's side to hide.
What's this? Nathaniel doesn't seem too bothered by how close they are, has something changed?
She heard that they went to the Louvre together a week ago, but she was just letting them have some time to decide if they would tell her directly.
She felt a little disappointed though, looking at them as Tiana teasingly stuck her tongue out at her while hiding against Nathaniel. Why? Was it because they were making progress while her own with Adrien seemed to just be frozen?
Yeah, that had to be it.
"What are you two doing?" Marinette whirled to face Adrien as he stopped beside his own seat, looking up at them with amusement in his gorgeous green eyes.
"Nothing." Marinette replied quickly, only for Adrien to snort and start laughing before he sat down at his seat.
"I gave Mari box seat tickets to the performance." Tiana answered Adrien this time as Marinette turned back to her to see her no longer hiding against Nathaniel from her.
"She gave all of us tickets? Girl, how do you keep getting all these?" Alya asked with a laugh as she walked up the steps to their table and sat down.
"I do get paid for all of this, even though it's my Mother's work instead of mine. That, and I also get a handful of tickets for my friends. A few of the other actors did as well. I just gave my tickets to you guys." Tiana said with a shrug, Marinette unable to really be mad at her for setting her up right next to Adrien's booth because she did do something amazing for all of them.
"What about your Grandfather?" Nathaniel asked as Marinette walked down the steps to her seat.
"He's working in it now. He's the conductor for the orchestra." Tiana revealed, Marinette having to put a hand over her mouth to suppress the urge to squeal at how almost her whole family would be working on a play that will undoubtedly be seen by all of Paris.
"Is your Father going to opening night?" Adrien asked as Marinette began pulling her things out of her bag before class started.
"Yes, he's going to be sitting with Mother during it. They've got balcony seats as well, right up front." Tiana answered Adrien, Marinette looking down at the blond boy in front of her to see him looking back at Tiana with a kind smile.
Marinette couldn't help but smile at him when his eyes shifted down to her, still holding that smile but now for her. Maybe it would be good that her seats were close to his and his fathers. Both of their families somewhat close by.
Maybe Gabriel would start to realize that she's good for Adrien, and even approve of the idea of them dating when Adrien is ready. That would be so amazing, having approval from not just her own parents but his as well!
Now it's just a matter of when he will be ready to give it a try. Or the even worse idea of if he will ever be ready. No, she's gotta stay positive. He said he would give her a chance.
"I wish it wasn't so far away." Marinette complained, folding her arms over the table in front of her as Alya chuckled beside her.
"Hey, it's less than a month now. Just be patient, we're all excited." Alya reminded her, Marinette turning to her with a small smile as Nino finally arrived to class, jabbing a thumb down in his direction.
"So are you going with Nino or with your family?" Marinette asked which earned a snort of laughter from her best friend.
"Nino, of course. If I go with my parents and the twins I won't hear a thing over those two asking what everything means. I'll leave it up to my parents to explain the entire performance to them." Alya said, Marinette laughing openly at her sisters.
The twins were a handful at times, but they were adorable.
"Then after the show we're going for a little fun out on the town." Nino spoke up from his seat in front of them, turning to face the girls with a sly smile sent Alyas way before Alya shushed him.
"You two can have all the fun you want, just leave the rest of us out of it." Adrien teased without even turning around to face her and Alya, but Marinette couldn't help giggle along with his teasing of their dating friends.
"Oh please, you say that like you wouldn't choose to go out on a date after a show with the girl you're interested in." Nino teased Adrien right back, which earned a hiss of his name from Adrien as Nino smirked at Adrien.
Marinette looked between the two with a small smile at their teasing. She couldn't help but wish that Adrien would ask her to go on a date after the show.
It would make what is already going to be an amazing night magical.
Both a little bit of a filler in the end, but a really big change in the beginning.
It looks like Tiana's starting to feel confused about the kitty cat. Doesn't help that said kitty cat teased her not just when they were both in costume, but when she was out of costume as well. I can only wonder how this will go
Anyways, thank you all so much for reading as always! I apologize if this chapter looked rushed at all, I've been doing doctors appointments and stuff for a few days now. Speaking of which, I gotta go because I need to go have a TB shot read. Which is why this is early today.
Thanks again for reading, I will see you next chapter!