Ladybug lifted her hand to the side as she fist-bumped with her partner, "Pound it!" The previously akumatized person stood in front of them, confused as they looked up at the duo. She walked up to the person, ready to talk a bit with the person like she did whenever she had a bit more time, with three minutes to spare she turned towards Chat who had used his cataclysm after her.
She opened her mouth, intent on saying something when he started talking, "Do you need me for anything else? I kind of have an urgent and important appointment I have to be at." She scowled as she remembered the date Chat had mentioned to her, Marinette just a few nights ago. She too wanted to wrap things up so that she could go to Liberty, she had already been late before the akuma attack but now she was obscenely late. And it had been just her luck that the fight had been a long one, it had taken far too much back and forth to figure out just how to deal with it. However, her responsibility came first, no matter if she now had to think of an excuse to tell Luka.
"It's okay, Chat. You can leave." She turned towards the victim Hawkmoth had chosen today, "I have to part as well, hope you're feeling okay now." She tried her best to smile, feeling the tension in both her cheeks as she lifted them even though smiling was the last thing she wanted to do now. The person nodded before lifting themselves and dusting their clothes from sitting down on the dirty floor.
"Thanks, Ladybug. Don't worry about me, go on." With a nod, she took out her yoyo, latching it on one of the tall buildings, before turning to look at the person and smiling. She swung unto on top of one of the buildings, breaking into a run as she swiftly pivoted over the buildings, swinging with expertise to leap over the alleys. She heard the last beep of the earrings, her calves burning from pushing herself, willing herself to get as close as possible to where the Liberty would dock.
Taking into account that she would de-transform any second now, she dropped between two buildings, landing on an empty alley. She surveyed the area with the few seconds she had left, letting the transformation drop with a sigh once she made sure she was alone. Opening her bad for Tikki, the kwami glanced up at her once she had settled in the bag, a small cookie in hand. "Let's go, Tikki. God knows what I'll tell Luka now."
If there was something that had proved to be difficult lately was coming up with excuses for her boyfriend, she felt that they were becoming more and more outlandish, and pinning the blame on the akumas didn't help shift the focus away from the fact that she was Ladybug. Perhaps she wasn't Lady luck as much as those around her thought she was.
She made her way to Luka's place, sighing as the boat came into view and she had yet to come up with an excuse. Crossing the bridge, she glanced around, noticing that there was no one up the deck. "Luka?" She entered the living area, only being met with silence. "Juleka? Anarka? Anyone?" the empty space made her feel uncomfortable, was it okay for her to be there while no one else seemed to be there?
She sighed as she walked slowly towards Luka's room, deciding that if she didn't see anyone there she'd go back to the deck, despite the blaring sun shining over the Parisian sky. She peeked into his room, only coming up with nothing. Scratching at her head in confusion, she took her phone out to glance at the time. It was almost midday, the two had agreed on meeting around ten-ish and she was extremely tardy. Had he gotten tired of waiting for her?
Huffing, she walked back up to the deck, sitting on one of the many crates they had laid out. This didn't happen often since she started dating Luka, but she was one for tardiness and despite him not seeming annoyed at her for it, it always made her feel like he should at least say something. Wasn't he worried whenever she arrived too late and there was an akuma attack? She presumed that he would but he always seemed to greet her with a smile and no questioning to her whereabouts whatsoever. Of course, she always gave one despite the lack of interest from her boyfriend.
She looked at her phone, scrolling mindlessly as she ventured through the internet. The sun beat down on her when she felt a slight shadow behind her, she smiled lightly as she turned around, cerulean meeting aqua as Luka hugged her loosely. "Hey, Luka. Where were you?"
"You didn't come around the time we had agreed on, so I figured you'd be really hungry when you got around getting here." Pulling a bag of take-out, he smiled at the grumble her stomach decided to oh-so-timely make. A blush spread across her cheeks at the embarrassment as she let herself get pulled by her boyfriend by the hand as they headed towards the bar that doubled as a dining table.
She lagged behind when he let go of her to set the table, staring as he moved from one way to the other. "You didn't have to get this for me."
"Maybe," he turned to look at her "but I wanted to. Plus, that stomach of yours tells me you needed it." He smiled cheekily as he took her by the hand again, guiding her to sit down. "Where Juleka and your mom?"
He bit his lip as he took out the plates of food out of the bag and placed them on the table. "I asked them to not be here today. I wanted to be alone with you." Her brows furrowed at his words, "Why so?"
"Guess you don't remember. It's our three-month anniversary." She looked at him with big eyes as she dropped what she had on her hand. "Oh." People celebrated those? She hadn't even realized that three months had passed since they started dating. "I have a surprise for you but I think we should wait until after we eat." She nibbled on her lip as she wondered what he could possibly have in store for her. She had come empty-handed and had nothing to offer him at the moment, how could she possibly been so clueless?
"Dig in." She puffed at her forgetfulness, the two falling into silence as they ate. She couldn't help stealing glances at him as they ate. Going through all the possible things she could gift him, one came to the forefront of her mind. It never failed to make those around her happy, and she was proud of what she could do if she put her mind to it. Making a note to take a trip to the textiles store she continued eating happily.
Once finished eating, Luka disposed of what they used, and then made his way back to her. Extending his arm towards her arm, he looked at her expectantly, "Let's go to my room, I'll show you there." Marinette gulped as she looked up at his hand, shakenly lifting hers, letting his hand engulf her smaller one as he pulled her up from the seat, before he pulled her behind him as they made their way to his room. A million thoughts raced in her mind. Just what could he want to show her in his room? Shaking her head, she dismissed any thought that was any less than pure. Neither of them were prepared to take such a step in their relationship.
His room looked the same way it had the day they had met. The twin bed pushed into the wall adjacent was nicely put together, the Jagged Stone poster still on the wall and Luka's guitar was laid on top of a stand against the wall. "You can sit down on my bed if you want, I don't mind if you mess it up."
She glanced down at the immaculate bed, feeling bad for messing it up but at the feeling like the balls of her feet were starting to kill her she carefully laid herself on top of the bed. Luka grabbed the guitar from its stand, before making his way next to her on the bed. It felt reminiscent to almost every time they've spent on his room.
"I wrote you a song, this time I made a tune for us, for our relationship." With a smile, he positioned the guitar and strummed lightly against the chords, she closed her eyes at the harmony as the sound enraptured her with it's beautiful melody. The tune felt sweet and made her nostalgic somehow, it sounded a bit similar to the one he had played for her months ago by the Canal Saint-Martin but it was intermixed with something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but it made her smile nonetheless.
When he stopped playing she opened her eyes, as a small smile graced her lips when they landed on the boy that was looking at her with an expectant gleam in his eyes. "Luka, it was beautiful."
"I hoped you'd like it, you know I'm not good with words and I want to let you know just how much I care for you." The words made her smile widen as she grabbed his hand, "Thank you for that."
"I'm glad you liked it, but I still got something for you." Her eyes followed him as he stood up and took out a small box from his dresser. "Luka?" Her eyes were trained on the box, before looking up at the sweet smile and adoring eyes he held while staring at her. He sat back down next to her, taking her hands in his, laying the box in her hands. "Open it." She held her breath as she opened it, a pair of silver earrings with an intricate flower design and a small ruby where the pistil would be. She looked up at him, surprised that he'd go out of his way to buy her this.
"Luka, you didn't have to. I-I didn't bring you anything." He laid his hand on top of hers, smiling as he motioned towards the earrings. "It's okay, I wanted to. I just saw them and thought of you."
"Luka…" She glanced down at the piece of jewelry, knowing full well that she would never be able to wear these as long as she was Ladybug, and it hurt to imagine how much money Luka had spent on them.
"Thanks. I'll them in my bag to make sure I don't lose them." He looked at her weirdly, pointing at her ears, "you're not going to put them on?" She bit her lip as she brought her hand up to her miraculous. "I don't want to lose these either, so I'll do it home, when I know both will be safe."
"Fair enough." He stood up and offered her a hand once again, "Let's go, I promised Juleka and mom they could return in an hour, they should be here soon." Taking hold of his hand, she let him guide her to the living area, as she looked down at her bag, placing a hand over it where she could feel the shape of the box, a small nudge letting her know that Tikki understood what she was thinking.
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Adrien was at his wit's ends as he went to his date with Kagami, she had insisted they celebrate their anniversary, although it had been nowhere near today's date. She had been occupied with family matter's the past weeks, but it had been just his luck that an akuma decided to come out to bother him today of all days. It made him miss those few weeks where Hawkmoth was having mercy on Ladybug and him.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and ran to the spot he had left his driver behind when he had run out, claiming to have forgotten to buy flowers, thus the reason as to why he had done a pit stop at a flower store. Running up without with his excuse in hand surely would be a way of letting someone know that that was not the intended reason. So, with a small bouquet of what seemed to be petunias, which he only grabbed half-haphazardly without even checking what the meaning behind them could be. With a sigh, he pushed his hair back before smiling as his driver came into view.
"Thanks for waiting for me here, I know it was not the nicest thing to just run out like that," The tall man quirked a brow at his apology, "on a moving car." He added sheepishly, only to be responded with a nod as the burly man opened the door for him.
Settling himself on the back seat, he felt the exhaustion of fighting the akuma overcome him. He let his head fall back against the headrest, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he thought back to the fight. It had been easier lately to look at Ladybug, he hated to admit it but knowing she was happy, and knowing she couldn't be his made him realize that perhaps he had been placing her on a pedestal. He noticed it more often now, her short-fused attitude when he wasn't anything besides perfect on the battlefield, and although he knew she appreciated him, part of him wished she didn't take out her frustrations on him. His lips pursed as he remembered that one time he had been Misterbug, that hadn't been his finest moment for sure, but did she have to be so darn perfect when using his miraculous while he struggled with hers? It made him feel replaceable.
He grit his teeth at the thought of being replaced despite knowing that Ladybug would never do that to him on a whim or anything of the sort. A pat from Plagg was all he needed to calm down, he wouldn't leave him anytime soon and that was fine for him.
He got out of the car the moment it stopped in front of the reserved restaurant, not even glancing at his driver before he made his way into the building. It had been such a pain getting the whole restaurant for themselves, but his father had insisted on it. Something about not wanting any publicity around the couple, yet. His father's words left an implication that didn't sit well with Adrien, but what could he do about it exactly?
He scurried inside, quickly catching the eye of the girl that sat in the middle of the restaurant. He greeted the lady standing next to the door, quickly walking towards where his date sat. He looked at her more seriously as he approached her, noticing a slight frown as she kept staring down at the glass of water in front of her. He stood next to the table, biting his lip as he looked down at her, too uneasy to sit down yet.
"You're late." She finally tore her gaze away from the water, landing on him with a neutral gaze. "I know, sorry." He brought his hands out, offering her the bouquet, laying it on the table when she didn't move to take them. "I brought you flowers. Sorry, I have no excuse for my lack of punctuality." She sighed as she brought her glass up to her lips, drinking it as she tore her gaze away from him. "I was worried something had happened, you know? Couldn't you at least let me know?"
"Yeah, sorry. I would've texted you if I could. I didn't have my phone on me." Waving it off, she gestured him to sit down. "It's fine, at least you're okay." Taking the flowers into her hands, she brought them to her face, a smile gracing her lips as she looked down at the petals. "They're pretty." She laid the bouquet next to her plate, turning her gaze unto him. "Thanks."
"It's nothing, today we're celebrating our anniversary." She nodded at him, before calling the waitress, so he pulled out his phone while she talked with the waitress. "I had already ordered for you, hope you don't mind. I was getting a tad impatient with your lateness."
"Oh, what did you order me?" Adrien had a list of things he could eat, and despite eating sweets and such whenever he visited Marinette, as Adrien he still had to keep appearances. In fact, it wasn't uncommon for him to get a list of what he could eat at each given restaurant, which was outrageous if you asked him. "Nothing from that list Nathalie gave me to make sure you kept your diet intact." She smirked, as much as Kagami could smirk without looking offputting, as she drank from the glass of water. The smug look seemed completely Kagami-like, making a chuckle escape him as he stared at the girl in front of him. He grabbed his own glass as he tried to hide his own smile, he wouldn't have chosen anything from that list either, but it somehow pleased him that she hadn't as well.
Once the food arrived, the two ate in silence, conversation falling out as they opted to focus in their now rumbling stomachs. He could feel her stare on him as he focused on the plate on him, it shouldn't make him uncomfortable, but it did when it felt like she was looking for answers that he couldn't give her. He tried to continue eating, but five minutes in he couldn't ignore it. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No, I was just wondering why you like me." The question threw him off if he was honest, he hadn't imagined Kagami to have such doubts. "Why are you wondering that?" She shrugged as she looked down at her plate. "It's just that, I think that you're the only guy worthy of me, yet it's kind of a too good to be true. I mean, you were in love with someone else, and somehow I managed to get you to like me, but I still don't know what about me it was that made you change target. Guess I'm just curious."
He racked his brain for the reasons he liked Kagami, coming up short as he tried to think of anything besides her ability to understand his upbringing. Is that really it? All that he had to offer as a response? He sighed as he felt inadequate for not being able to give her an answer that would surely make her happy.
"It's okay if you can't think of any reason right now. I don't mind it." But Adrien could tell she did mind it. The slump on her usually straight shoulders, the downturn of her lips, the slight frown on her typically neutral face. These were not typical of her, it only made a lump form on his throat as he tried to sooth his friend. Because at the end of the day, no matter what, they were good friends.
"You can relate to me; it's no secret our upbringing's have been very similar. Both our families expect much from us, and give so little in return. I guess, our friendship is what made me like you." He kept his gaze on her, waiting for her reaction. Was it too little of a reason?
"I- I think that's one of the reasons that made me like you too. You were amazing, kind, gentlemanly and a great friend. When we first met I never would've imagined I would've felt this way for you. However now, I'm sure I-," Her eyes bore into him as she spoke again, "Adrien, I love you."
Adrien felt a lump form on his throat, he grabbed at his glass of water as he tried to ease the constricting lump. Technically he knew the most polite thing to do would be to say it back, but he couldn't. Things like feelings and love didn't hang on politeness, it lead back to whether it would be best to be honest or lying to get the reaction desired. But what did he want? What was the reason he was here, with Kagami, celebrating their anniversary? What purpose and what excuse had he given himself to being here?
He finally dared to lift his gaze, a frown settled unto her features, as her eyes slightly narrowed when all that met her confession was silence. Adrien didn't know how much time had passed since then, it all felt too much to acknowledge. He didn't know whether to break the silence or wait for her to do it, all he knew was that he wished he was anywhere else but here, where he felt like everything was being stripped away, her feelings, his truth. What more could be exposed today?
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kagami decided to break the silence, "Adrien, your silence is very hurtful. Although I know you don't love me, perhaps not yet," she grabbed his hand across the table, "not yet, but someday, right?" He couldn't answer. How could he? He wasn't a seer, he couldn't see into the future.
"Kagami, I-" She squeezed his hand, a forced smile just for him. "Don't. I understand. It's too soon." But he didn't understand, why couldn't he say 'I love you' back? He knew that would make her happy, he knew it was what she wanted. Yet…he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he tried to say it. Had it always been this hard to say three words?
"Kagami dabbed at the corner of her lips with a tissue, a screech echoing the space as she pushed back her seat. "I'll think I'll leave first, you can finish your meal. I'll talk to you later." Moving past him, he noticed she'd left the bouquet where she had previously laid it. Adrien looked down at the plate in front of him, he didn't think he'd be able to stomach the food now. He looked around the restaurant, glancing at the employees that seemed to be murmuring amongst themselves, he just hoped nothing of what happened would be talked about in the coming days. He didn't want to worry about his bouts with his girlfriend going public, surely they'd twist it one way or another.
He stood up, his own seat screeching in the otherwise deafening silence, yet he made no note of it before making his out of the restaurant without tossing a glance at any of the workers. In hindsight, he knew his behaviour would be considered rude.
Once he crossed the threshold to the outside he waited in front of the closed doors, he could see his driver waiting impatiently on the other side of the road. He glanced at the light, waiting for it to change before crossing the road once the pedestrian light changed to green. He greeted the driver and went into the car, swiftly pulling into the road as he stared through the window. He could feel a stare from the side of his face. With a sigh, he turned to look at the man that kept staring him from the rear-view mirror.
Adrien knew that the man cared for him, he could almost see the silent question in his eyes. The gesture brought a smile to his face, "I'm fine, just perhaps a bit shocked. Nothing to worry about." He nodded ins response before focusing on the road once the light turned green.
He didn't notice when the car arrived at the mansion, barely registered getting out of the car and going to his room. Once inside, Plagg let himself out, glancing curiously at his holder. "Kid, don't you think you're overreacting a bit over this ordeal? It was going to happen at one point."
Adrien looked up to the tiny god, a frown forming between his brows. "It's just that, I'm starting to understand Ladybug. Having someone love you isn't a walk in the park. I felt so much pressure to not make Kagami feel bad, but I also couldn't lie to her."
"Are you going to break up with her?" Walking towards his bed, he let himself fall on top of the comfortable cushions. "No, I just need some time. I come from loving someone else, it's only natural it'll take me longer, right?" Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh, "I don't know about that, and I honestly don't care enough." Without another word, he left to where his cheese stash lay leaving Adrien to his musings.
With a groan, he got up and got ready to go to bed despite it being much earlier than his usual schedule. He went through all his nightly routine almost automatically, before lying in bed once again, this time to finally rest off the day. As he drifted off to sleep, he barely heard the voice of Plagg… "God, you must be feeling weird if you're not going to visit Pigtails."
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Monday came around and Adrien kept dragging his feet as he walked up the school's stairs, a yawn breaking out of him as he looked up at the group of friends that were too busy talking to notice his presence approaching them. "Hey guys." The first one to glance at the blonde was Nino, who frowned the moment he took in the state he was. "Dude, you look like hell."
"Oh, I had an early morning photoshoot, I feel like I could just drop dead right in the stairs." He turned his gaze towards the two girls that had now stopped their conversation and were staring at him. "Hey, Marinette, Alya."
"Hey, Adrien. It looks like you got woken up by hell's hounds." He laughed at the brunette's words, "You could say that. Nathalie is comparable to a hell hound sometimes." He glanced towards the bluenette that stayed quiet, the ghost of a smile lingering on her lips as she looked at the rest of them with amusement.
He felt weird after not visiting her on Saturday, it was the first weekend he hadn't visited her in so long and it made him so much appreciative of the time he spent with her. As they walked side by side towards the classroom he stared at her side profile as she nonchalantly kept her gaze forward. "It's rude to stare, you know?"
He grinned despite her still not looking at him, but he knew her enough that he could practically hear the amusement in her voice. He turned his eyes forward, staring at the couple that walked in front of them. "They're cute, aren't they?"
"Nino and Alya?" She looked at him with a deadpan expression. "No, Ms. Mendeleiev and Mr. Damocles."
His sleep deprived took longer to process what she said, perhaps it hadn't even processed it before he blurted out, "Since when are Ms. Mendeleiev and Mr. Damocles together?"
"What kind of rumors are you spreading around this school, Mr. Agreste." Adrien felt his whole blood ice as he heard the clipped voice that unequivocally belonged to their chemistry professor. He cringed as he turned around as Marinette tried to stifle her giggles behind her hand. "Sorry, Ms. Mendeleiev, I must've heard wrong." The professor lifted her brow as she glanced towards Marinette, effectively stifling the girl's giggles as she straightened under the scrutiny of the older woman. "Ms. Mendeleiev, we don't intend to spread such rumors around, it was just a joke."
Looking between the two, she sighed before shaking her head, looking pointedly at the two in front of her. "I'll see you guys in my class today then." With that, she left the two tense teenagers, who stared at her disappearing figure before bursting out in laughter, leaning against each other so that they wouldn't fall with their fits of laughter. "Oh my god, I thought she would send us to the principal's office."
"Tell me about it, I was shitting myself and you were just giggling away even though it was your fault." She snorted as she lifted an eyebrow, before a smirk settled on her lips. "I'm not the one that's too slow to understand sarcasm."
"For your information, I understand sarcasm perfectly. I'm just too tired to even differentiate between left and right." He turned away, not wanting to embarrass himself any longer.
"Right, well, our classroom is to the left, Adrien." He stopped in his tracks before feeling a pull on his elbow leading him in the correct direction. "I knew that."
Class was the same old, same old. Chloe was clingy and slightly immature, perhaps not as bad as she used to be though. He liked to peg it on losing Pollen, but she had gone overboard last time.
The dull noise of the classroom kept drifting around him as he tried to focus in not falling asleep, that surely wouldn't be gain him anything with the professors. When lunch came around, he was positively exhausted and he could feel his eyes closing slowly. Suddenly, a slight giggle from behind him woke him up in a startle. He looked to his side and found Nino smiling as he talked with his girlfriend. Checking his phone he realized that not more than a minute had passed since he had nodded off, and he could feel his eyelids protesting under their weight.
He turned around to the source that had woken him up, landing on a Marinette that was engrossed on her phone. She held a smile that almost broke out across her entire face, while also slightly biting at her bottom lip. Her eyes were crinkled on the sides like when she laughed really hard or when she had a prank in mind. It also reminded him of when she would receive a text from Luka when they were together in her room.
He wanted to ask her what she was smiling so much about. Could it just be a really good meme? Or perhaps she's watching a stand-up comedy with all the volume off? He rolled his lip under his teeth as he just stared at her. God, he wished he had the audacity to just ask her. He had thought that project they'd done would bring them as close as they were when he was transformed, but who was he lying to? The two had shared a vulnerability he lacked with her as Adrien. It was normal for friends to ask each other what made them laugh so contentedly, right? In fact, if he were Chat right now he would've asked without a second thought.
That last thought might him purse his lips as he pondered on it. He had made progress with Marinette. Hell, she talked to him nowadays! Now he was being the dumbass treating her differently, although he couldn't deny the disparity between his friendship with her as Chat and as Adrien. For fuck's sake, as Chat he shamelessly lays on her lap. He'd die from embarrassment if he were to ever try that as himself, not that he wanted to, of course.
"It's rude to stare, you know?" He felt the slight teasing in the voice as Nino leaned in to whisper in his ear. He fought a slight blush that right to surface as he was caught for the second time today staring at the same person. "I wasn't staring." He turned to look at his friend, quickly realizing that Alya was staring at him as well, with a slight smirk tugging at her lips. "I drifted off, you know, sleepy."
"With your eyes open?" A teasing glint sparked in the couple's eyes as they stared at him. "Yes? I mean, yes." He stole another glance at Marinette, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized that she was far too engrossed in her phone. Definitely watching memes then.
"How are things with you and Kagami?" He turned to his friend, "What do you mean?"
"Nothing, it's just I haven't heard much about your relationship. I thought you'd be talking my ear off about your first girlfriend, I've yet to hear a peep. Are you guys still together?"
The question seemed odd to him, he lifted his brow before answering, "Yes, we're still together. Had our anniversary the other days."
"Dude, cool. Which anniversary did you guys celebrate?" He looked down at his phone, searching for the message from Kagami that said which anniversary it was, not that he forgot of course, not at all. "Three-month anniversary."
"Did you just check you phone to answer me?" Laughter left the brunette next to him as he himself tried to not laugh as well. "Can you blame me?"
"No, I can't, dude." With that the two boys laughed at their forgetfulness. "Just never let your girl know you forgot and you'll survive."
Adrien heard the usual ping in his phone, letting him know someone had messaged him. Nathalie's name popped up on his screen, her message short and direct, letting him know his driver would be coming in five minutes for his lunch at the house. "Leaving soon? Why doesn't your father let you stay every day for lunch?"
"You know that he needs to be in control of my diet, it's not a novelty. Anyways, see you after lunch, 'kay?" He got up before slinging his bag on his shoulder. Moving towards the door, he couldn't help but throw a glance towards the bluenette that sat behind him, who had ditched her phone and was now seemingly engrossed in conversation with Alya.
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Marinette had spent most of her weekend trying to find a satisfactory design for the gift she had planned for Luka. In fact, half her room had scrunched up pieces of paper thrown half-haphazardly. She could almost feel the gears in her head fuming as she glared at the paper in front of her.
"Why don't you just make him a scarf?" Looking towards her side, she saw Tikki eating a chocolate chip cookie with a smile on her face. "Probably because I feel like it's not personal enough. Besides I wanted to make something he'd be able to use for Kitty Section."
"A shirt then, a beanie, oh! I know another mask." A shirt would perhaps not be the best option, he preferred using shirts with Jagged Stone motif, and although she's designed for Jagged she doesn't think that quite seems the same. A mask would be far too focused on the whole band thing so she didn't even want to consider that. But a beanie…
She rolled her chair up to her computer, bent on searching different beanie styles. "So, beanie it is?" With a nod and a glance towards the tiny god she continued talking while scrolling through the different images. "Yeah, Tikki. I can make it custom enough where it has Kitty Section motif, but isn't restrained just under that usage. I think it could be extremely helpful."
"Yeah, imagine he has a bad hair day and has to play in front of others, it'd be perfect!" Giggling, she landed on her shoulder. "True, or if it's cold and they have to play outside!"
"Do you think I should make one for everyone?" she didn't look towards the kwami on her shoulder, but she could feel her eyes on her. "Isn't this supposed to be your anniversary gift?"
"Oh, right. I forgot. So, no beanie for anyone else." She smiled lightly, at least for now.
After half an hour of surfing the web and looking at every possible hair accessory she could find, she was overloaded with information. Now what type should she even do?
She had half a mind when she realized that doing the beanie by hand would be an absolutely nightmare with the design she had had in mind. She heard the familiar thump on her balcony but she didn't even turn around as she called out that he could enter. She looked at the clock on her computer, realizing that it was far later than she had expected as she looked at the warm wash of colors that lingered in her room.
"You're here early." She looked down at her notebook as she moved to tear the page with the design that was far too complicated for her limited time frame. She didn't turn around as she heard his steps approaching her, but suddenly she could almost feel his breath on her shoulder, causing her to look at him over her shoulder, the hand that was starting to rip the paper stopping in its motion. "What are you doing?"
"Looking at your design, it's pretty. Who are you making this for?" She turned her chair around, making him take a step back as she looked up at him. "Luka. You look like you could be a head model for the beanie I want to make him," she scrunched up her nose as she looked at the ears that sat on top of his head, "but your ears would be a hindrance for measuring them after they're finished."
"I could de-transform behind the divider, and try it on."
"No way in hell are you de-transforming in my room. We could always cut off those ears of yours." At her words his ears flattened down before he lifted his hands on top of his head, looking at her with a pout, "You monster, you better not be thinking about harming my ears."
"It's not like you feel anything from them, right?" He glared at her as she tried to stop the corners of her lip lifting into a smile. "You're disrespecting my ears, thank you very much."
She laughed before turning around back to her notebook. "Don't worry, your ears are safe from me. For now." He scoffed before getting close once again. "So, that's what you're going to make for him?"
She shook her head as she looked down at the design, "No, it'd be too difficult and I'm kind of late for this gift. I have to finish it as quickly as possible." She took the paper and started ripping it off the notebook when a hand stopped her suddenly. "What are you doing?"
"Ripping it out. I'm not going to use it."
"So? It's an impressive design, and it could make a great gift later on in a moment you have more time, plus you can adapt some of the less time consuming parts of the design to the one you'll make. Like this trim here." She looked at the part of the design he was pointing at, realizing that not all of it was completely useless. She turned her head to look up at him, his head just a feet from her shoulder. "Since when do you know so much about designing?"
He laughed nervously under her gaze as he pulled away, straightening his back so he stood up in his full height, avoiding making eye contact. "I don't. Just thought it was obvious." She quirked up her brow, she knew he was lying. If she, who technically breathes for designing didn't think she could use this design, how he knew how to incorporate it into her future design.
His eyes zeroed in on hers before he talked again, "It's more practical and less time consuming than starting fully over. You tend to overthink a lot, right?" She bit the inside of her cheek as she nodded. It sometimes still surprised her how well he knew her.
"Yeah. Thanks. By the way, I'm not going to be great company today as I'm designing so if you want you can come back tomorrow." He shrugged as he walked up to her loft, and she couldn't help the slight slump of her shoulders as she thought he was going to leave. "That's okay. I'll just stay here on your bed and read a bit." She looked up at him with a smile as she realized he wasn't going to leave, but instead keep her silent company. "Do you have a book?"
"I have yours." He lifted a hardcover book that she usually kept on her desk with a grin, before he settled on top of her bed. She turned back to the note book in front of her, before grabbing her pencil and tracing the start of the new design. She was about to say something to Chat when she was interrupted by her mom.
"Marinette, dinner's ready." Marinette looked up to the hero on her bed, before approaching the door on her floor. Opening it, she let her face be seen through the gap. "I'm kind of busy making something for Luka. Could I eat upstairs a bit later?"
"Of course, honey. Just don't eat too late." With a nod, she sat herself on the floor, leaning on her hands as she stared towards Chat. "Do want to eat actual food?"
"Won't they notice you bringing up two plates?" she shrugged as she stood up, approaching her desk. "My parents typically fall asleep in the couch an hour after dinner, so I can probably smuggle up an extra plate. Though I will probably have to make an extra trip for the drinks."
"Or I could help you." She glared at him as he smirked with amusement clear in his eyes. "Do you want my parents to know you come visit me multiple times a week?" He paled a bit, no doubt reminding the last time her parents had caught him in her room. "Thought so."
An hour in, she stretched her stiff shoulders and back, the pop startling her as she groaned. She stared at the design in front of her. It made her feel proud enough and she decided that this was it. "Ready for food? Cause I'm starving." Chat groaned from his place on her bed, "Thought you would never ask."
"Then get down here, there's no way I'm letting you eat in my bed." She walked towards the trapdoor, glancing towards the living room to make sure her parents were asleep. And surely, they were in each other's arms, heads on each other's shoulders. With extreme caution, she tiptoed down the stairs. Grabbing two plates, she cautiously filled them with lasagna. Grunting that now she had to eat her lasagna microwaved she walked up the stairs with the two heated plates, before doing the same with the drinks.
She passed Chat his plate before diving into the food silently, watching him eat from the corner of her eye. He ate as though it had been months since he last ate lasagna, which knowing him was perhaps not so far off from the reality. She had learned not too long ago that he had a very strict dad, it made her wonder how the hell he was able to perform his duties as Chat Noir. Curiosity won once she finished eating. "Hey, Chat. Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, what is it?" She stayed quiet as she tried to figure out the best way to approach the question. "You said your dad's very strict, right?"
"Yeah, very controlling too." She frowned as she imagined a Chat unable to do the things he wanted, "How are you able to do your duties as a hero?"
"Well, he's controlling and strict, but he's not exactly a helicopter dad. I can sneak out most of the time. I make it work somehow." She nodded at his words, she hadn't expected him to truthfully answer, since it could put his identity in danger, but she could tell the answer had been as vague and as truthful as possible.
Standing up he grabbed the measuring tape from her desk drawer, "Come here, I need to measure that big head of yours." He stood up form his place on the floor before walking towards her with a grin on his face. "It's only big because I'm so smart."
"Or it's just empty space." She snickered as he stopped in front of her with a pout on his lips. Lifting herself on her toes, she wrapped the measuring tape around his head, making sure to take notes after every measurement. "Huh, it's actually average sized. Definitely looks bigger though. Must be all that ego." She smirked at him, a teasing tone on her voice as she calculated how much yarn would go into making the beanie.
"Admit it, Princess. It's because I'm purrfect." She whirled around as she looked at him, searching for a sign over his features. "What? Do I have something on my face?" She shook her head as she approached him. "No, it's just that you hadn't made a pun in a while. I was starting to worry."
His brows furrowed into a frown, "Since when? I've always made puns." She nodded before bringing a hand up to his hair, ruffling it up just a tad. "Yeah, it's just you weren't making them as often. But it's okay."
"Does this mean you like my puns?" She huffed before turning away from him, "No way, never. They suck."
"Oh come one, don't lie to me. You know you love them." She grinned as she looked over your shoulder, "Only because you look so much happier when you make them."
This took me two weeks to write, yikes. I started online semester this week and like, I'm doomed because my dumbass thought I could juggle 2 Mandarin Chinese classes (Found out I have to find an online friend for an exam, so that kinda sucks)
Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing your opinions.