Written for Day 11: Taking A Break of Marichat May.
Chat yawned as he watched Ladybug swing away. He was always happy to patrol with her but he was also exhausted. The activities in his civilian life had really picked up, to the point where he was worried if he would be able to sneak out for patrol later on.
It didn't help that he had to get back home to finish that assignment that was worth 30% of his grade. All Chat really wanted to do was to take a nice long catnap instead.
To top it all off, his father had forbidden him from having any coffee. Apparently, coffee was a major cause of acne and with it being the prime season for photoshoots, that wasn't a risk Gabriel could afford. Never mind whether or not Adrien could handle the pressure.
Chat sighed, resting his head on his baton. A flash of movement caught his eye and he found himself staring into a dark alleyway. A smirk stretched over his face as the proverbial lightbulb went off.
After all, what his father didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
With his destination in mind, Chat vaulted over to the alleyway, his mind conjuring dreams of the delicious coffee. He could almost taste it. He was so lost in his thoughts of the coffee that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going.
He ended up having to break rather suddenly, swerving to the side, to avoid crashing into a passing civilian. She had seen him coming and had put her hands up defensively to protect herself. Chat waited as he retracted his baton for her to put her hands down.
Marinette gave herself a once-over before giving him an unimpressed look. "We have to stop meeting like this," she said, gesturing between them to illustrate her point.
"At least I managed to stop this time," Chat gave her a charming smile. Marinette simply rolled her eyes at him.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she flicked her eyes over him critically. "Well?" She demanded to know. "Where was the fire?"
Chat rubbed the back of his neck letting out a nervous giggle. "No fire. Actually, I uh," he sighed, dropping his arm. "I got distracted thinking about coffee," he admitted.
"Coffee?" Marinette's face scrunched up. "Why were you dreaming of coffee?"
"I've been really exhausted lately and I just wanted to get a cup of coffee at the best coffee shop in Paris," Chat smiled.
Marinette looked taken aback. "Chat, if you're so tired you should get some rest! Not coffee," she scolded him.
Chat let his eyes trail to Marinette's bulging backpack. "Didn't take you to be a hypocrite, Princess."
She flushed but didn't let up. "I'm not a hero of Paris. We all depend on you being well-rested!"
Chat Noir didn't want to admit it but Marinette had a valid point. He bit his lip and racked his brain trying to come up with a good reason for needing coffee over getting some sleep but he couldn't find anything to tell her other than the truth.
"I'm really busy in my civilian life and sleeping isn't really a choice. I need to get some coffee to make it through the rest of the day."
Marinette's expression turned sad. "I'm sorry you're dealing with so much, Chat. Come on, let's get you some coffee," she grabbed his hand, pulling him along until they were standing outside the coffee shop.
She let go of his hand for a moment to find a couch in front of a table to set her bag down. In the meantime, Chat sidled up to the counter and ordered coffee for the both of them.
"Hazelnut mocha and a vanilla latte." He glanced back at Marinette as he did so. "That is what you like right?"
Marinette was staring at him; surprise written all over her face. "Y-you remembered my coffee order?" she stammered out.
'Of course, I did!" Chat confirmed cheerfully. "I remember everything about you!"
Marinette blinked at him slowly, her cheeks turning pink. Chat mentally reviewed what he had said and wanted to slap himself. "I mean, you're such an awesome civilian and I would never have found this place without you! So, obviously because of our friendship, I make sure to remember things," he rambled.
Marinette gently reached out to squeeze his hand. "That's very sweet of you, Chat Noir. Thank you," she smiled at him. He could feel his cheeks growing hot and hurriedly turned towards the counter to find the barista smirking at them. He paid for their coffee quickly before Marinette had a chance to offer.
Handing Marinette her cup, he hurried to sit down at the table so they wouldn't have to talk any further and he wouldn't be able to continue embarrassing himself.
Marinette chuckled as she took a seat next to him and pulled her work out of her backpack but didn't say anything, choosing to drink her coffee instead.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he sipped his drink. Chat really hoped that he hadn't made things awkward between them. At least the coffee was just as good as he remembered as he continued to watch her.
Marinette flipped through her sketchbook stopping suddenly. "What do you think of this?" She asked suddenly, turning the page towards Chat.
It was Jagged Stone playing his guitar, with flames covering the bottom of his feet and sparks in the background.
"Woah, this looks so cool," Chat awed. He still thought it was incredible that Marinette was the one designing Jagged Stone's album covers. She was so awesome.
"Are you sure? I feel like it's missing something," Marinette hummed.
He put his coffee down and fought off another yawn as he leaned towards Marinette. "Well, maybe getting some sleep would help you come up with some better ideas."
Marinette took a good look at him. 'I think you're the one who needs the nap, Kitty," she laughed lightly. He couldn't deny it, as he yawned once again. His head dropped onto Marinette's shoulder while he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"Just gonna rest my eyes for a moment," he muttered, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Marinette stilled before reaching up to pet his hair, her head coming to rest on his.
Pretty soon, both of them had fallen asleep on the couch, snuggled in each other's warmth.
Basically, this fic was my excuse to write the Adrientte scene in Startrain but Marichat edition. Thank you for reading!