MiraculElse #29: Two Kits That Pass In The Night
by DFC
(Timeline: Season 4-ish. Near Halloween.)
Knock, knock.
Chat Noir knelt down by the hatch on Marinette's balcony, awaiting a response but receiving none.
Knock, knock, knock.
After about a minute, he stepped back and considered his options. "Claws in," he muttered, transforming back to Adrien.
"She is allowed to not be home," a tiny voice suggested. "Like, she's not on-call-and-standing-by every time a certain catboy feels lonely."
"Of course she's allowed, Plagg," Adrien countered. "It's not like I call ahead or anything. But you know how it is... I had something I wanted to talk about tonight, and, I don't know... I always seem to do my best thinking when Marinette's with me."
That drew a guffaw from Plagg. "I don't even know how to answer that," he chuckled. "On so many levels."
"But now I'm curious," reasoned Adrien. "She's usually around on these nights, and I do really want to see her... but I'm not going inside if I'm not invited."
Plagg watched as Adrien pulled out his cell phone. "So now what?" he wondered. "'I'm up on your balcony, come and get me?'"
"Not exactly."
He finished his text message and hit SEND:
[Adrien] Hi there... You wouldn't happen to know where Marinette is tonight, would you?
"Marinette's not showing 'online' on Messenger, or I'd just ask her directly... but Alya's usually pretty good at knowing Marinette's whereabouts," explained Adrien. "She's responding..."
A message popped up:
[Alya Cesaire] Actually, I do! She's at a costume party.
[Adrien] Oh? I hadn't heard her mention anything about that.
[Alya Cesaire] It's something with her family. Her father belongs to some Merchant's Association dealie, and they throw a Halloween ball each year.
[Alya Cesaire] She's said that it's usually pretty boring, she doesn't really know anyone there, but it's family so she feels like she ought to go.
[Alya Cesaire] Should be back late tonight. Why do you ask?
[Adrien] Oh... nothing important. I just had a question for her, but it can certainly wait 'til tomorrow. Thanks!
[Alya Cesaire] No problem.
Plagg watched as Adrien shifted into Junior Detective mode, turning up the likely location quickly; a similar-sounding event was mentioned happening north of there, in the Entrepôt arrondissement, scheduled for that evening.
"So, what now?" Plagg wondered. "Chat Noir's going to make an appearance at the ball?"
"Maybe he is," grinned Adrien. "From what Alya said, Marinette's stuck there for hours, she's probably bored out of her mind, and the last thing she'd expect would be a friend turning up there, right? She's helped me out of a funk so many times. Returning the favor is the least I can do. And I seem to remember passing a costume shop about three blocks from here..."
"Ah!" Plagg grinned back. "So you've got something special in mind, then?"
"Maybe. Let's see what that shop has to offer."
Oh, I have something special in mind, Adrien grinned. But it has little to do with my choice of costume.
A short time later, a masked young man stepped into a large room and surveyed the crowd of people before him.
The nice thing about a costume party, Adrien smiled to himself, is that as long as you're in a costume, people assume that you're supposed to be there. Nobody stopped me and asked me who I was, or for a ticket to get in... though, does this event even have tickets? he wondered. It's not some big public gala, it's just for friends and family of members of that association. If you're not part of that, nine will get you ten that you'd have no idea that this was even happening tonight. I know that I didn't.
The majority of the people that he saw were middle-aged types in fairly straightforward costumes, which made Adrien wonder for a moment if he'd somehow managed to overdress for a costume ball. Some of the people walking by him appeared to have put measurable effort into their outfits, which made him feel a bit better. For the most part, he had trouble spotting anyone around his own age; there were families sitting together, likely married couples out on the dance floor swaying to songs too old for Adrien to recognize immediately, some small children running around, but a distinct lack of teenagers.
I think that I'd be bored quickly, too, reasoned Adrien. If Marinette's here... ah!
Across the room, the hard-to-mistake bulky form of Tom Dupain was gyrating on the dance floor with a much smaller person, whom Adrien naturally assumed was Marinette's mother. The big man had on a bear suit; his wife wore an animal trainer's outfit, with a broken chain in her hand and the other piece connected to a collar around the bear's neck. Despite its having broken free, it appeared that the bear was content to accompany the fair lady and engage in light entertainment rather than to rampage through the partygoers.
All right, then, noted Adrien. I'm definitely in the right place. Now, where in here might I find a certain...
...
Whoa!
Why is...
HOW is Lady Noire here?
He stared down at his silver ring for a moment, as if reassuring himself that, no, he hadn't lost his mind completely. After a bit more examination from afar and realizing his mistake, his rush of adrenaline eased...
...at least a little.
Time to move in...
Sitting at a table in the back, sipping at a glass of punch, Marinette stifled a yawn and managed a small smile, instead.
Watching her parents boogie down to a song that she didn't immediately recognize, she thought, Well, at least they're having fun. That's what tonight was about. Papa will talk shop with some of the others here, a lot of meet-and-greet with people that they haven't seen for a while, and I can get out of here in, what, probably two more hours?
She stretched her legs out in front of her, admiring her handiwork. I really like what I did with these, she grinned. But unless they do a dress-up day at school, and I haven't heard anything about that yet, it's not like anyone else is going to see them!
A pair of black ankle boots on her feet had been transformed by her craftiness into kitten feet, with white fuzzy toes, tiny decorative claw tips and all. A dark, form-fitting bodysuit covered most of her slender frame, with a short black skirt around her waist for modesty's sake. She had white-tipped gloves on her hands, a dark domino mask across her face, and dark cat ears attached to a headband, under which she'd undone her pigtails and let her hair hang down. Glued-on whiskers and a touch of dark makeup across her nose completed the transformation into a distinctly feline form for the evening.
I'll get Papa to take a picture of the three of us, when we get home. I can show that to the girls, at least.
Quietly, she let her thoughts drift for a moment. This isn't THAT bad, I guess, she reasoned. Dinner was decent. I wish that I hadn't forgotten my phone at home, 'cause then I could play some games to pass the time or message back and forth with Alya. And I do have SOMEONE to talk to...
"How are you doing down there, Tikki?" mouthed Marinette, quietly.
"Ehh," a little voice replied. "This is supposed to be a get-together of bakers?"
"They're not all bakers," explained Marinette. "It's people and their families from all corners of the service industries. And Papa certainly didn't do the catering for the dessert table."
"I'll say," frowned Tikki, wrinkling her nose a bit. "Those eclairs were convenience-store quality."
"Hush, you," Marinette smiled. "Not that I disagree. But it's the best we've got until we get home."
"So... how are you occupying yourself?"
"Oh... people-watching, mostly," replied Marinette. "Checking out the costumes. Most of them are pretty generic, but some of them had a lot of thought put into them. And there are a couple that are..."
"Good evening," boomed a strangely familiar voice. "Might one wandering feline join another for a bit?"
"...extraordinary?" she trailed off.
Marinette stared at the newcomer, caught completely by surprise by his appearance.
He was her age, roughly, standing out amongst the crowd of mostly adults and small children. He wore a fairly elaborate pirate costume with all the trimmings, a fake cutlass and toy pistol on his belt, and a brown tricorn hat on his head covering a shock of blond hair. An eyepatch covered one eye of his mask, costume-jewelry trinkets adorned his outfit, and rugged boots stuck out from his long coat.
"H-hi," she replied.
"Greetings, once again. I am not interrupting you, am I?" the boy asked. "You were saying something to someone as I approached?"
"Oh! Oh, no, I wasn't," Marinette evaded. "I was... just thinking out loud for a minute."
"No harm in talking to yourself. It's when you answer yourself, that's when the trouble starts," he quipped.
"I suppose so," she agreed, cautiously. "Do I... know you?"
"It is hard to say, isn't it? For anyone could be behind our masks tonight, and we'd be none the wiser."
Marinette raised an eyebrow slightly, taking in his boisterous manner. "Well, if they had a costume contest tonight, you would win it... because not only is that a great pirate suit, you're certainly playing the part to the fullest," she ventured.
"Am I hamming it up a bit? Of course I am," the boy conceded. "But there's a certain freedom in putting on a mask and going out as someone besides yourself. Wouldn't you agree?"
With that, Marinette pulled back somewhat, weighing his words carefully. "I'm... not entirely sure what you mean by that," she answered.
"I mean, look at you tonight. My costume was store-bought. But yours... you must have spent ages attending to every little detail," he parried. "Those feet alone must've taken hours! They're exquisitely crafted. You've made yourself a perfect avatar of felinity."
"I... won't deny that I put a lot of work into those... and, thank you," Marinette smiled.
"You are as lovely this evening as I've ever seen you. And that covers quite a bit of ground," he continued, warmly.
That brought Marinette's radar to full alert. "Who is it that you think you're talking to right now?" she demanded.
"Who is it that you're talking to right now?" the boy echoed.
I... can't entirely place him! she panicked, internally. He kind of looks like... Adrien? And sounds kind of like him, too? But Adrien doesn't act like this or talk like this. Or... with the blond hair and the banter...
...wait.
"You said something about 'one feline to another' a minute ago," she challenged him. "What did you mean by that?
"Oh," he smiled, "a small joke, for those who've earned my trust. And you did that a long time ago."
He bowed before her, doffing his cap... and revealed a cat-ear headband, similar to her own, tucked underneath it. As he did so, his free hand reached behind him and flicked a cat-tail into view. "The Prince of the Cat Pirates, at your service," he intoned, in a dramatic tone.
Adrien wasn't sure how Marinette would react to his revelation... but a facepalm and laughter was probably not it.
"Chat Noir!" she half-hissed, half-giggled. "Sit down and put that hat back on, already! People might notice!"
With a grin, Adrien replaced his hat atop his head and sat down next to Marinette at the table.
I wasn't completely sure which way she would recognize me, he mused to himself. It's easier to explain what Chat is doing here than Adrien, so I figured that adding cat aspects to the costume might tip her in that direction...
...not that I would've complained if she'd seen me as me, though. And if I play my cards right tonight, I can have lots of fun with this!
Briefly, Marinette's smile faded a bit. "...Wait. You're not in here because there's trouble, are you? I don't have my phone on me. Is there an Akuma?"
Adrien marveled as he watched Marinette's sense of alertness kick in, as if she was analyzing her surroundings, verifying every exit, looking for signs of danger...
I have GOT to get Ladybug to give Marinette another Miraculous, he told himself. She's such a natural for what we do!
"No, nothing like that. As far as I know, anyway," he reassured her.
"Then... what are you doing here?" she wondered. "And how did you even find me?"
"Well... let's say that a friend of a friend of a friend dropped a hint where you might be, and that you might be feeling a little bored and lonely tonight... and we'll leave it at that," Adrien grinned. "And you seem awfully sure of your facts."
"What, that you're Chat Noir? I think that's pretty obvious," Marinette countered. "A friendly, sneaky, goofy blond with cat ears who knows me. With green... eyes?"
She peered closely at the mask.. and saw a green eye, but not one matching the oversized green eyes of Chat Noir. This eye was very normal, very human...
...and seemed very familiar to her.
"Allow me to dispose of this," Adrien smiled, removing the eyepatch and showing that his left eye was normal, as well. "You are too stunning tonight to view only halfway."
Lost in his gaze and her own sudden uncertainty, Marinette was silent.
"...Cat got your tongue?" he quipped.
'I don't... understand," breathed Marinette. "Who are you?"
"I am your humble companion tonight, Marinette," Adrien replied. "If you'll put up with me."
"I'm serious," she insisted. "You're... well, you move, you sound, you talk, you look like Chat Noir. But those aren't his eyes... not as Chat, at least! The eyes that I'm looking at now, they remind me so much of someone..."
"...Someone?"
Someone I'm in love with, thought Marinette.
"...someone else that I wouldn't expect to see here," she continued. "And someone... well... who's never said those kinds of things about me, like you've been saying now. Who... I don't know... if you are him, you don't seem like yourself tonight."
"Is that bad?" he wondered. "Isn't that what Halloween's all about, trying out something new for an evening?"
"N-no!" Marinette gasped. "No, it's... I don't know how to... I'm... auugh! I mean... of course you can hang around with me, if you want to," she backpedaled. "I'd love to have you here, whoever you are. I just don't know what to make of you yet."
"Then take your time," he smiled. "I'll give you lots of time tonight to figure me out. If you can."
"Do you mean to figure out who you really are... or what you're up to tonight?" Marinette smiled back.
He let his grin be his answer to that.
"Well!" boomed a friendly voice. "Someone found a friend here, after all."
The teens looked up to see an animal trainer and her favorite bear standing by the table, having made their way back from the dance floor.
"You might say that," Marinette smiled. "Though he caught me very much by surprise."
"...Do we know you, young man?" asked Sabine, peering at him closely. "I believe that we do."
"Definitely. We've met, Mrs. Cheng, Mr. Dupain," he answered, pleasantly. "It's nice to see you again."
"Now, are you... hmmm. Your voice sounds somewhat familiar," Sabine wondered. "I can think of two people that you could be, now that I think about it."
"And he won't tell me which," grumbled Marinette, maintaining her smile. "I'm surprised to see either of them here. Not complaining, though."
"Well, then."
Sabine considered him for a moment, deciding which option was more likely. "Is your father here?" she ventured. "I assume that he would be rather hard to miss."
"That depends on whom my father is, of course! But, no... I am here alone tonight," grinned Adrien.
Marinette weighed her mother's assumption in her mind, while Tom just smiled. "Come now, dear," he told his wife. "Halloween is supposed to carry a touch of mystery with it, isn't it?"
"I couldn't agree more," Adrien echoed.
"You would," Marinette sighed.
"Anyway... I believe that there's an opening on the dance floor, my playful kitten. Would you do me the honor of joining me?" Adrien interjected, standing up and presenting his hand in a slightly exaggerated flourish. The silliness of his gesture made her reach out and take it as much as anything else.
"Why not?" she grinned, rising to her feet and letting him lead her in that direction.
As they left, Tom turned to Sabine and noted, "I can't say that I saw that coming... and neither did she, hmmm? But she seems pleased as anything that he's here. Whoever he is."
"Oh, she didn't expect to see anyone she knew. Else, she wouldn't have rolled her eyes so much when she talked about coming here with us," Sabine agreed.
"Is that the handsome classmate she's been back-and-forth about... or the catboy?" wondered Tom.
"I have a hunch... but to be honest, it could be either," she mused. "But if he's doing what I think he's doing... we'll be seeing a bit more of him in the future, either way."
Out on the dance floor, Marinette paused and considered the music being played, very much "oldies" in her mind. "I'm... not what I would call a great dancer," she apologized in advance. "Can we even dance to this kind of music?"
"Our parents' generation did. And their parents, too," Adrien pointed out. "And I'm not very practiced at this kind of thing, either. I, um... I don't get out much."
Marinette studied him, based on that response. "Hmmm," she pondered.
"What?"
"Nothing," she smiled, shaking off her momentary suspicion. "How about this? We'll just move however we feel like, and we'll take turns being embarrassed."
They spent a bit more time dancing than either of them had anticipated, as it turned out. As if sensing younger folk on the floor and adjusting things accordingly, the music began to pick up somewhat in tempo and in recentness. By the time that the two of them felt somewhat sweated-up and weary, artists like Clara Nightingale were being mixed in.
"You have more moves than you thought you did," encouraged Adrien.
You look stunning, Marinette. That's what I want to say! Your costume is adorable, but the way that you're looking so relaxed with me tonight, so happy just to be here dancing with me... that perfect smile... I could never get enough of this.
"I don't have moves. I'm just feeling the beat and reacting," Marinette parried. "You're the one who looks better out here."
"I could bust out a little of this, if it'll help," he suggested, then began a series of exaggerated disco-era lunges until Marinette burst out laughing and ran at him.
"Stop that!" she demanded, laughing hard as she did so. "Everyone's going to look at us."
"Is that so terrible?" Adrien countered, but shifted back to more normal moves.
Marinette took a moment to simply grin at him while she gathered her thoughts. That was pure Chat Noir, she reasoned. But there's still... something... that doesn't quite fit about that!
And Adrien is used to being looked at and not caring about it. He has a silly side... it's super rare for him to let it out, but it's there. I think that I'm one of the only people who's seen it.
What he said about being someone else for a night, and enjoying that... not getting out much, and wanting to seize every opportunity...
...could it really be him?
The DJ chose that moment to announce a quick break, and shifted to a slow, romantic ballad... leaving Marinette and Adrien face-to-face, up close and personal. A little thrill ran through Adrien as Marinette put her arms around him, and this time didn't need Alya there to suggest proper hand placement.
"You are too much, you know that?" she smiled at him. "Whoever you are."
"You really want to know, don't you?" Adrien asked back.
"Of course I do. I'm having a wonderful time tonight... and I want to know who to thank properly," she purred. "And why he won't just tell me!"
"Let me put it this way, then," said Adrien, swaying gently with Marinette to the ballad, doing his best not to fall into the big blue eyes staring up at him. "Maybe I am Chat Noir... without his Miraculous active, so that it's just me under this mask."
"That's possible. I'm still not sure if a Miraculous has a masking effect... if it helps you hide your secret, or if you're just Clark-Kenting it," she pointed out. "But if you are him, you do seem a little different tonight. Not in a bad way... not at all. In fact, I really like it. A little less guarded... a little more free with yourself."
"And maybe," he continued, "I am the other boy that you think I might be... a certain classmate of yours?"
"That would be him," confirmed Marinette. "So you're either Adrien Agreste, and you're kind of acting like Chat Noir... or you're Chat Noir with your Kwami taking a break right now."
"Which would you prefer?"
Marinette frowned slightly at the question. "I don't want to answer that," she said. "If I say either name, and that's not you... the last thing I'd want to do is to hurt your feelings. Both of those people are... both are very important to me. And I don't like ranking friends."
"You wouldn't hurt my feelings, but I appreciate that," he replied. "But I'm looking at it like this. Whichever one I am... you've always seen me a certain way, you could say. If I'm Chat Noir, I've gotten to know you pretty well from all of our balcony talks, but we've never gone out and done things together outside of that, you know? Like... something social, whether it's a date or not, because I can't show you who's under the mask. And if I'm Adrien... well, I know that you don't see him in a certain light."
"You're sure about that?" she challenged him, quietly.
"You've told him that, twice," Adrien nodded. "But, again, you've only seen certain sides of him. So what I figured was that if I came out and found you tonight, I could show you a different side of myself... put another part of the real me out there, a part that I want you to see... and see what you thought about that."
In response, she pulled him just a little bit closer.
"I think that I'd like to know more," she smiled, just above a whisper. "Please."
And so the evening went. A happy, but nervous energy filled the air between Marinette and her mysterious companion, with each of them trying hard to keep things lighthearted and playful and focused on the moment.
A kitten who claimed that "she wasn't a great dancer" got lots of practice at it, as her feline pirate kept her jumping and spinning and laughing for as long as their legs would hold them up. All the while, he kept his eyes - beautiful green eyes, the kind that I've dreamed about so many times, they almost HAVE to be his, Marinette gulped - right on her, and an enigmatic smile upon his face.
Finally, upon returning to the Dupain-Chengs' table for a rest break, Adrien snuck a glance at the clock on the wall. "I regret to say it," he ventured, "but I should probably be going home quite soon."
"Are you expecting a ride?" asked Sabine. "Or can we give you a ride wherever you need to go?"
"I, er... I have transportation prearranged," he replied, cautiously. "But thank you for your offer."
"You're sure?" Marinette asked, a bit of pleading in her eyes. "At least let me walk you out. You've been so sweet with me tonight, I want to... at least..."
"You know," Tom interjected, "it is a very nice night outside, and there is a little courtyard out back of the hall. Marinette, perhaps you might want to take a little stroll first...?"
"I might want to what?" asked Marinette... then realized to what he might be referring. "Oh! Oh, um... I gotcha." She turned to her companion and asked, in a shy tone, "Would you... like to go for a walk with me before you have to go?"
"I would like nothing more," Adrien replied, glancing at Tom briefly as if silently asking, Are you sure? At Tom's reassuring smile, he reached for Marinette's hand once more.
The two of them walked towards the rear exit, each of them looking as if they were having to order their legs not to wobble.
"That was very nice of you, Tom," Sabine beamed.
"Oh, they both know what they want. They may not know how to ask for that yet," Tom grinned. "A gentle nudge in the right direction can work wonders."
In back of the hotel where the event was held, Tom was right; it was a nice night and there was indeed a pleasant courtyard. A walking path split into a couple of directions; straight on led to a parking lot, while a curved section wandered past some flowers and landscaping and a small fountain.
"Let's go that way," Adrien suggested, and Marinette followed at his side. Their hands reached straight down, as if each was positioned carefully, ready for the other to reach out and clasp theirs.
"I... I hope that you had as good a time tonight as I did," Marinette ventured, breaking the silence. "I'm not sure what I'd expected from this evening, but this wasn't it. And this was so much fun for me."
"The pleasure was mine as well, m'lady," Adrien intoned, as if reassuming his pirate alter ego so as to match his outfit. "Never have I spent such a..."
He stopped speaking as she elbowed him, gently.
"I mean it. Yes, you make a wonderful pirate, but I want to talk to the real you under there," she chided him.
"I'm all ears," he replied, dropping all pretenses.
"Whoever you are," Marinette began, "you've given me a night that I don't think I'll ever forget."
"Me, too. And it's not quite over yet..."
"It... isn't," she stammered. "So before we take any... last steps tonight... I feel like I need to ask you something."
"Who I really am?"
"What tonight means?"
Adrien gestured to a small bench by the fountain. "Let's sit over there and talk about that," he suggested, and the two sat side-by-side, Marinette's hands in her lap and her kitten feet a little bit restless.
"You went out of your way to make tonight special for me. And I'm very grateful for that," Marinette told him. "And you've been very... how should I put this?"
"Take your time," said Adrien.
"...Complimentary of me, I guess?" she ventured, turning her head towards him. "As if... well... uh..."
He watched in silence, listening, allowing her to form what it was that she wanted to say.
"I'm not very used to other people being... interested in me that way. If you are interested in that... and you seem to be, tonight... I think you might be, anyway... and whichever boy you are, you've never... um... shown that kind of interest in me before."
"Haven't I?" he asked, gently.
"If you're Chat Noir unmasked, you love Ladybug. You've told me that a thousand times. And if you're Adrien... I, uh... I think I know better than that."
She closed her eyes, looking frustrated. "Or you could be someone else entirely, for all I know for sure. You would tell me if you weren't one of those two, at least?"
A hand reached out and touched her cheek, very lightly, sending a shiver through her and reopening her eyes.
"I am one of those two. I promise," Adrien smiled.
"Look," she sighed. "Then you're someone who knows me pretty well, so you know that I'm... I'm complicated. I have sides of myself that are... that are really hard for me to share, just like you have. I don't open myself up easily. And on a night like this, where we're both in disguise and we're feeling playful and we're not acting like our normal selves... I want to make sure that we're both serious right now about this."
Adrien nodded, slowly..
"This... this is the kind of night that could change so many things," she breathed. "If we want it to. But then I'm in this impossible box because how can I fall for someone if I don't even know who they are-"
"If I was Chat Noir... would you want to know my secret identity?" asked Adrien. "You've told me before, many times, that you don't want to know that."
"I sh-shouldn't," she admitted. "But something's shaking up my willpower tonight."
"And if I was Adrien... how would you respond to that?"
Marinette watched as his eyes focused on her, clearly giving her his full attention... and a dozen answers battled to be first to emerge, but none of them made it out.
Adrien studied her face with hope in his heart. Is that expression... longing? he wondered. Fear? Happiness? Worry?
"I... I don't know if I can put it into words," she stammered. "There are so many ways that I could answer that..."
"You don't have to. Not right this minute," he jumped in. Once again, he couldn't quite read her expression; was she grateful for being spared saying it out loud, or regretful that I'd kind of cut her off before she could? he wondered.
"There is a third option, if you'd rather take it," he continued. "We could just say that tonight was a magical night, full of mystery and romance... like every Halloween should be... and that you and I had a little adventure together. And when you're ready, if you're ever ready, if you want to pursue who's behind this mask... you can approach whoever you think I am, and find out if you're right, and we'll take it from there."
"I could... do that," said Marinette, slowly. "If that's how you'd want to do this. If you can be patient with me, and let me try to work this out in my head."
"I can play this however you're the most comfortable, Marinette. That was my goal tonight... to make tonight a better night for you," he smiled. "That includes now."
"You so did," she grinned back.
"If you want to keep tonight mysterious and go home and think about it," he added, "there's something that I need to ask you before I leave."
"What's that?"
"May I kiss you goodnight?"
Marinette froze, but not from fear or anger... far more obviously from surprise. It was if her whole world around her had abruptly become pink and fuzzy-edged.
"You... want to kiss me?"
"I've wanted to for months," he admitted, his eyes shining through his cloth mask. "But only if it's something that you would want me to do."
"I did tell you that I wanted to thank you properly for tonight," murmured Marinette, sounding out the thoughts running through her head.
"You don't have to, if you'd rather not," Adrien replied. "If a hug would be better, I would be perfectly-"
Abruptly, she lunged forward...
Adrien felt firm pressure on his lips, his eyes widening from his own surprise, then closing as her kiss continued for a few more seconds. When he reopened them, a kitten was grinning at him, red cheeks standing out against her fair skin and black makeup.
"Marinette?" he breathed.
"Something inside me told me... just take a chance," she giggled.
"In that case... I'll take one, too."
Marinette quivered as her handsome pirate leaned forward, his lips brushing hers, his arms gliding around her... but where her kiss was nervous and firm, his was delicate and gentle and swirling in ways that made her legs go instantly weak.
He heard a muffled "Mmmph!" of surprise from her, and wondered if he should pull back... until her arms wrapping around him told him otherwise.
Tom and Sabine's heads turned as the rear door opened once more, and both broke out in a grin when they saw their daughter's wide-eyed face.
"Either he kissed her, or he tased her," Tom murmured, not loud enough for Marinette to hear as she wobbled back to their table.
"Fifty-fifty," Sabine grinned back.
"What was that?" mumbled Marinette.
"Nothing, nothing!" insisted Sabine. "Your friend received a proper sendoff?"
"I'll say," Marinette breathed.
"And that's all that I will be asking about that," Sabine noted. "So... my curiosity is eating away at me. Which one was he?"
Marinette shifted nervously, one white-toed cat foot tucked behind the other.
"There's... um... actually quite a funny story about that?"
One quite-a-funny story later...
"So he hasn't told you... but you kissed him anyway?" marveled Tom.
"Y-yeah," Marinette confirmed. "If I said 'I've fallen for you, Chat Noir' or 'I'm crazy about you, Adrien' and I was wrong, that would have destroyed the moment. This way, I can approach whichever one I think he was... the one that I'm hoping that he was... and test the waters without hurting feelings if it wasn't him."
"An interesting approach," Tom mused. "I can't believe that he agreed to that."
"Most of it was his idea, actually."
"Very... interesting," Sabine declared, with a calculating look in her eye.
"What do you mean by that?" wondered Marinette.
"I'll tell you later," she smiled. "You didn't see how he left? Was he picked up by someone, or...?"
"He had me close my eyes and count to twenty, after we... after we said goodnight," Marinette explained. "And when I reopened my eyes... he was gone."
"Clever boy," Sabine smiled again. "Clever boy."
Hah, Sabine grinned to herself. If I was Marinette, I'd be asking why my little blond crush and the blond superhero who can't stop visiting her look SO MUCH ALIKE that she can't tell the difference... and that he can say, "Date either one of us, and that's fine with me" and be happy about it.
My guess is, now that I've finally put two and two together... he wins either way!
My poor daughter, she smiled, who had to wait so long because he'd had his heart set on Ladybug. That's someone who'd be hard for Marinette to compete with... but it looks like he's made a different choice now.
Good.
I wonder if that'll occur to Marinette, once she can think straight again?
Once the family returned home, Marinette dashed upstairs and retrieved her phone. A group of frantic messages was waiting for her:
[Alya] Girl... you there?
[Alya] If you're on your way to that costume party, CALL ME!
[Alya] Adrien's looking for you; he says he has something that he wants to ask you.
[Alya] Let me know if he got through to you when you read this!
With a big grin on her face, she texted her friend back...
[Marinette] Hey! I just saw your messages. And I...kind of think that I have a boyfriend now.
Three... two... one...
[Alya] WHAAAAAAT?
[Alya] Spill!
[Marinette] He's blond, with green eyes and a dazzling smile. He's the best kisser in the WORLD. He told me that he's been thinking about kissing me for months!
[Marinette] And he's mine for the asking. I know he is. All I have to do is tell him so, that I'm ready.
A small volcano of emojis erupted in Alya's next few responses.
[Alya] OMG! I am SO HAPPY for the two of you! That's what Adrien wanted to ask you tonight?
Marinette stared at her phone for a moment. If I type this... she is going to explode. Literally and figuratively.
But it's true...
She prepared herself as she typed back:
[Marinette] Oh, MAYBE it's Adrien. It might not be. I can't be sure of that yet.
Marinette laid her phone down, closed her eyes and let her evening sink in... wondering if Alya's next response would be a message, a phone call, or physically hurling herself through Marinette's bedroom window.