Chapter 7: We make quite the pair.

"I'm sorry papa," Tikki heard Marinette say. She'd zipped under the bed as soon as she heard the man open the trap door to her room. "But I'm really busy today."

"But Marinette," Tom said, "It's been ages since we've had an Ultimate Mecha Strike battle, sweetie."

Her chosen sighed. "I know papa. But I've got lots to do today. I really can't. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

Her father sighed. "If that's what you have to do." He closed the trapdoor and disappeared.

Tikki flew out of her hiding spot. "Marinette," she said, "would it kill you to take a break?"

Marinette looked at the kwami. "You know I can't Tikki. I have so much to do. I still have pending homework from yesterday. I need to hand it in tomorrow. Miss Bustier wasn't happy when I asked for an extension today. And Adrien is coming over in one hour."

Tikki sighed. Her chosen was pushing herself too much. She deserved a break every now and then. Tikki knew all of Marinette's responsibilities were weighing heavily on her shoulders. Even if she didn't show it. She caught her experiencing anxiety and hyperventilating on occasions. But she'd always shrug her off when she asked what was wrong.

She had bags under her eyes and looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. Her personal and superhero life was really taking a toll on her.

"Okay," Tikki said, "But promise me you'll take a nap as soon as you and Adrien are done with your project."

Marinette smiled softly. "I promise."

She went back to her homework and Tikki sat beside her, watching. They had barely made it for five minutes before a shriek resonated from the window.

As if on cue, Marinette's phone buzzed with the notification of an akuma attack.

Marinette groaned and dropped her head on the table. "Why me?"

Tikki patted her head sympathetically. If only Kwamis' could channel their power devoid of a holder without causing a catastrophe.

"Tikki," Marinette mumbled tiredly. "Spots on."

Marinette dropped in through the trap door of her balcony and de-transformed. That wretched akuma had taken almost an hour to beat. Were people really that vulnerable to get akumatized over a speeding ticket?

She looked around the room. It was still a mess. She thanked her lucky stars that Adrien hadn't shown up yet. Maybe he got notified and stayed put until the akuma was devilized. Good. One less thing to worry about.

She danced around the room like a mad woman, trying to tidy everything up. She just about got done stacking all her papers in a neat pile when the doorbell rang.

Her heart skipped a beat. She panicked. Not again.

Okay, she wouldn't panic. Not this time. She would go out there and answer the door, greet him politely, draw a portrait, and send him off like a normal person. This wasn't going to be like yesterday. She refused to embarrass herself further after yesterday.

The bell rang again, making her snap out of her thoughts. She hurried down the steps and opened the door, revealing a flushed Adrien, carrying a plate of macaroons. All thoughts about staying cool flew straight out the window as soon as her eyes landed on him.

"Hi!" he said, sounding breathless. Oh God! "Sorry I'm late, there was an akuma attack."

She smiled tightly. All doubts of her thinking she looked constipated disappeared as she saw his brows furrow. She tried to relax her smile. "H-Hi! It's okay, c-come on in!"

He smiled at her and stepped in. Her gaze went to the plate of macaroons in his hands.

He followed her gaze. "Oh, your mom gave me these. U-Um…Bon appetite?"

She laughed softly. "Thank you." She picked up a single macaroon and bit into it.

She led the way up to her room, with him following behind. She opened the trap door and soon they were both inside.

Adrien looked at her apologetically. "So…um…I have to go to a photoshoot in one hour, so you'll have to make it quick. I'm sorry, the akuma delayed my schedule."

Marinette frowned. "Oh. That's okay," she said, surprising herself by not stuttering. She could get done faster and maybe be able to finish her homework before she called it a day. "I'll try to finish as soon as I can."

Marinette gathered her supplies and they sat down, this time she was on the floor, and he was on the chaise, modeling for her. She let out a dreamy sigh as she realized she would have to look at his face for an entire hour, before berating herself. Bad Marinette!

She flipped open her book to a fresh page and began sketching effortlessly. She only had to look up a few times to capture his current angle. Huh. Maybe staring at all those photos had done her well.

She was still mesmerized by his looks though. Blonde hair that looked softer than a cat's fur, green eyes that she would still get lost in and a perfect face that would make any girl in Paris with eyes swoon.

It was a pity he couldn't be hers. But he was allowed to love whoever he loved. She wouldn't come in between them. What kind of a person would she be if she did?

She just hoped that whoever he loved realized how lucky she was and treasured him for as long as she had him.

Maybe if she'd confessed a lot sooner, they would have been together today. But confessing was something she was horrible at. She didn't understand how people bared their heart out to the ones they loved. How they could be so calm about asking someone out, or not feel extremely vulnerable.

Her mind immediately went to Chat Noir. He wore his heart on his sleeve. And she admired that about him. He'd told Ladybug time and time again about how he felt for her. Even after facing rejection like a champion. She wished she hadn't hurt him so many times. She knew any girl in Paris would be lucky to have him. But her heart had already been taken.

Now that she thought of it, they were quite similar—Chat and Adrien. Blonde hair and green eyes. The same build as well. She was sure Chat Noir could give Adrien a run for his money if he ever considered becoming a model.

They were both incredibly kind too. Sweet, selfless and extremely compassionate.

But other than that, they were polar opposites. Adrien with his kind, modest and extremely sweet personality. And Chat with his confident, funny, conceited and cocky attitude.

Both were extremely important to her. But one of them had stolen her heart. She may have fallen for Chat if Adrien hadn't come in and swooped her heart with an umbrella. Maybe it was only a matter of timing.

But now she was nursing her heart, and Chat was nursing his. And who knew? Maybe they would both find someone who was more suitable for them. Who understood them better, kept them better company and someone they could actually talk to.

She finished her drawing of him and sighed. She was quite happy with the piece, but she wasn't able to capture the Adrien her heart had come to love. She doubted she ever could. Paper and photography simply didn't do him enough justice.

She sighed, her exhaustion for the day catching up to her. Her muscles were still sore from fighting the akuma. And she still had a mountain of work she needed to get done. All she wanted to do was lie in bed and never wake up. At least it wasn't patrol night.

"Hey," Adrien said, "are you okay? You look exhausted."

She snapped her head up to look at him. "O-Oh…I'm fine. Just tired."

He frowned. "You should've told me. We could've rescheduled this."

She tried not to swoon at his gentle voice. "T-That's fine. I know you're busy, I don't want to take up your time. I just n-need a nap."

He nodded, the frown still on his face. He glanced at his phone and looked at her sheepishly. "That's all the time I have."

She blinked. "Oh…that's okay. I'm done anyway. I just need to add in more shadows and highlights."

He looked surprised. "Oh! That's great! Can I see?"

She nodded and handed him her sketch book. His eyes went wide with surprise. "Wow…" he breathed. "This looks beautiful Marinette."

She felt the heat spread to her cheeks. You're beautiful. "U-Um…T-Thank y-you."

He smiled at her softly. "But you're right. It would look better with a bit more shading. You have a few photos of mine," he said, nodding towards her wall of pictures. "Maybe they could help you in the process."

A few? Ha! If only he knew how many were actually 'a few'.

"Y-Yeah."

He looked at her sheepishly again. "Sorry I can't be here for you to complete it. I wished I could, but my father…" he trailed off.

"It's okay Adrien." She said reassuringly.

He nodded gratefully. "Well, I look forward to seeing your end result."

She smiled shyly and led him down her apartment complex and bid him goodbye at the front of her bakery. Today had gone a lot better than yesterday had—in terms of her embarrassment anyway.

She turned around and found both her parents smirking at her. "Well," Sabine said, "he didn't seem as flustered today. Are you sure you were really doing homework yesterday?"

"Mama!"

Marinette wrapped her jacket around her tightly. It was cold tonight. As it always was during winters. And all she wanted to do was cuddle someone—someone warm—and cocoon herself under blankets.

The cold never bothered her much before she was Ladybug. But since she received the miraculous, she couldn't stand even the slightest temperature dips without warm clothing. She guessed it was the tendencies of a ladybug rubbing off her, making her want to hibernate during the winters. Tikki was far worse. The kwami absolutely refused to leave the bed unless she absolutely had to.

She tipped the watering can over the next plant. Droplets of water rolled over the rose petals and into the soil supporting it.

Winters really helped the flowers. She was glad that her plants had survived the summer. They normally withered up and dried, what with her inconsistent caring. She had a busy schedule—being a full-time student, a part-time superhero and a regular helper in the bakery sucked all the energy out of her. So sue her for not having the time to tend to her potted companions.

She ought to thank Tikki for making sure she watered her plants before going to bed. The little kwami couldn't bear to see the beautiful flowers dying. It was the ladybug tendency again—which soon passed on to Marinette as well. She also ought to thank her for making sure she got some sleep after Adrien had left. She felt a lot better.

Her plants had been growing well. A little too well, for several roses were starting to grow out of the pots. She needed to clip them out. But she didn't want to keep them in a vase. With how clumsy she was, she'd most likely trip and shatter the vase into a million pieces.

And then cut the underside of her feet as she attempted to clean it up.

She rolled her eyes. She had been Ladybug for over a year. Shouldn't her luck have rubbed off on Marinette by now?

She thought of Tikki and her love for flowers. Maybe she could make her a small flower crown. And when it dried, she could keep it inside a book as a memory.

She went back in her room and fetched her sewing kit and clippers. Tikki lay snoozing softly in the little doll house she had made. Marinette smiled at the adorably snoring figure, hoping she'd like her little flower crown.

She climbed back to the balcony and clipped the plump roses before plucking out the petals of one. She folded each petal to make flowers of their own and threaded the needle through. She threaded a few leaves in between each petal and crossed the string at the end.

She smiled at the crown. It was really cute. Just like her kwami.

But she still had cluster of roses left. She had only used one after all. She frowned down on them. Maybe she could make matching ones for her and Alya. But Alya hated flowers. Hated them with a passion.

She giggled as she remembered Valentine's Day two years ago, when a boy above their grade had given Alya a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Marinette had swooned over it. But Alya obviously had a different mindset. Her best friend had simply rolled her eyes at the boy before promptly dropping the bouquet in the garbage.

The look on his face could have pleased even the least sadistic person on Earth.

She heard a clank of metal from above her and looked up. Chat Noir stood on the roof directly in front of her balcony. He had his back to her, and he was watching the streets below him. No doubt looking for any lurking danger. He surveyed the area for a few moments before leaping off.

Chat Noir gave Ladybug flowers all the time. maybe she could give him the crown tomorrow when they had patrol together. They could match!

With that thought, she picked up a rose and threaded if through.

She sighed as she rolled her shoulders to release some of the tension. She was constantly exhausted and anxious these days.

She supposed Tikki was right. She was overworking herself. Her anxiety was building up.

She had so many responsibilities.

School, bakery, the city itself. She was anxious all the time.

She was anxious about doing well in school. Her grades were dipping. Not because she didn't understand what they were teaching. But because she hardly had time to complete her homework—let alone prepare for future tests and classes.

She was anxious about helping her parents in the bakery. She knew her parents would give her her much needed time out, but she didn't want to disappoint them. They were only two people. And two people running an entire bakery—from production to marketing—was stressful. She wanted to help them as much as they helped her. And the extra cash was always welcome.

She was anxious about her career. She had a passion for fashion designing. And fashion designing was a profession that required constant creative thinking. Just the process of thinking of a creative and unique design was stressful. She wanted to join Gabriel's. And God knew that a person without the ability would never even cross his threshold.

But mostly, she was anxious about being Ladybug. Protecting the city. At least if she failed school, her parents or her career, she'd only let herself down. But failing as Ladybug meant letting Paris down. She thought back to the day she had accepted her miraculous. She'd always second guessed herself since then. She was sure there was a better Ladybug out there, who could capture Hawkmoth and save the city from impending doom. Who could make sure Paris was completely safe from future villains. Who would fight along side Chat Noir and care for each and every citizen.

Who wouldn't disappoint.

That was her biggest fear. Failing. Failing as Ladybug meant letting Hawkmoth win and get their miraculous. And who knew what Hawkmoth had planned.

She felt her breathing quicken and tried to quell down the creeping anxiety. It wouldn't help to hyperventilate and lose her cool.

She focused on tying the knot of her finished flower crown. This was her alone time. She shouldn't spoil it.

She cut off a fresh piece of string and threaded it through the needle before piercing it through the flower, making a new crown. Focus Marinette.

First a flower, then a leaf. Flower. Leaf. Flower. Leaf.

She felt herself calm down as she focused on the task in hand, and soon she was close to done.

She was about to thread the final flower through when a pair of cat ears slowly slinked into her line of vision.

She slowly raised her head to follow said ears and found her partner's upside-down face, close to her own. His lop-sided upside-down grin gleamed like a crescent moon. "What'ch ya doin'?"

She screamed and flailed her hands about comically before falling backwards and promptly landing on her butt. She grunted in pain.

This seemed to highly amuse the cat, as he cracked up in loud laughter.

She spluttered. "Chat, you idiot! Can you not do that?!"

Her statement only fueled his laughter further and soon he was clutching his stomach, still suspended upside-down with his baton. She wondered where he had hooked his baton to be able to stay like that in the first place, but quickly realized she didn't care enough to ask. She looked about wildly. "Can you keep it down?! You'll wake the neighborhood."

He heaved. "You—You should have seen your face—" he broke off as a fresh bout of laughter hit him.

She huffed indignantly and got up, slapping his hand away as he reached down to help her. "Shut up." She said.

He chuckled as his laughter died down and he jumped down in front of her. He grinned. "You look a lot more energized."

She blinked. "What?"

His eyes widened and he waved his hands in front of him. "I-I mean—Um…you look good—not that you don't look good always! You look gorgeous." His cheeks turned pink. "I-I-mean…y-you look nice today."

Okay. "Um…thanks?"

He turned redder. "U-Um yeah. So…what are you up to?"

"Well, I was making flower crowns—" she paused as his eyes lit up and his ears perked up. She suppressed a smile. "I made matching ones, and I was about to give them to my favourite cat, but he's annoyed me now."

His tail drooped. "Aw. It can't have annoyed you that much. Come on Princess, pretty please?"

She smirked. He should've known that she'd given it to him anyway. But she could have a little fun with this. "Hmm…I don't know…"

Ha flashed her his kitten eyes. She winced internally. Not the kitten eyes. "Please," he drawled. "I won't laugh at you for the rest of the night. I paw-mise."

She gave him a flat look. Okay, maybe she would snatch it away from him because of his stupid puns. She shook her head with a smile. "Oh, alright."

"Yay!"

She laughed at his enthusiasm and picked up the abandoned flower crown. She tied it in a knot and reached up to place the crown on his head. She beamed. He looked beyond adorable with his ears peeking out between the roses.

He grinned and his eyes rolled to the top to get a look. She giggled. "Where's yours?"

She picked up her own and placed it on her head.

He beamed. "Awesome! We make quite the pair."

She smiled. "We sure do…" she trailed off as her eyes lit up in remembrance. "Wait here!"

She dashed down her trap door and into her room, leaving a confused Chat behind. She quickly rummaged through her drawers to find her box of charms. She opened the box and shifted through until she found the one.

It was a small cat charm. It was black with small green gems for its eyes and a little golden bell under its chin. Its tail was wrapped around a pink tiara.

Marinette thought it was perfect. She had practically begged her parents to get it for her when she saw it in the store. She had never cursed herself more for forgetting her wallet than she had that day.

She quickly climbed back out and dangled the charm in front of him. He blinked at it before beaming. "Oh! That's so purr-fect! Look how cute it is! It could almost rival me!"

She rolled her eyes. "I think this is way cuter than you."

He huffed, but there was a small smile on his face. "No way. I'm cuter."

She smirked. "Didn't you say you were too manly to be cute?"

His eyes widened and his cheeks turned pink. "B-But… I was a kitten before. And I was an adorable kitten. But now I'm a man. And I'm handsome." He winked at her.

She feigned innocence. "Oh? So maybe you're too manly to be wearing flower crowns and charms. I should take it back."

She reached forward to snatch the crown from his head, but he leaped back. "Okay, okay! I'll wear the charm!"

Marinette smirked. "I thought so,"

She walked up to him and reached on her toes so she could tie the charm in the middle of his flower crown. She looped the string around and tied it in a knot, letting it rest ridiculously on the middle of his forehead. "Okay. It's done…"

She trailed off as she found him staring at her intensely. His green eyes seemed to be boring into her soul. They were mesmerizing. She could see specks of emerald, jade and a hint of gold in there as well. It was getting difficult to look away. And he didn't seem to mind either.

Her lips parted and his eyes followed the movement for a split second.

That snapped her out of her trance.

She cleared her throat, hoping it would clear the intensity that had built around them as well. She stepped back to put some distance between them.

He blinked, as he seemed to come back to the moment, and grinned. He shook his head from side to side, the charm dangling adorably in front of his forehead. "Nice! Thank you, Princess."

She smiled at him. "You're welcome Kitty."

His grin widened. "Let's take a picture!" he opened his baton and turned on his camera, switching it to selfie mode.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She smiled and leaned into him, looping her arms around his neck and crossing her hands on his opposite shoulder.

She heard his breath hitch and the camera click. He all but jumped away as soon as he got the photo. She blinked at him. His face was as red as a raspberry. She frowned. "Are you okay?"

He laughed nervously. "O-Of course I'm okay. Never been better. Just peachy! Why wouldn't I be?" he rambled.

"Okay," she said suspiciously. "Can I see the photo?"

He squeaked and placed his arm out of her reach. "I don't think that's a good idea?"

She frowned, annoyed. "Why not?"

"U-Um…just because? The lighting isn't good here. Maybe we could take it another time—"

She reached up and snatched the baton out of his hand and looked at the photo.

And laughed.

Laughed until her eyes watered.

He had his arm around her shoulder, but he was looking down at her with wide eyes and a face so red he'd be mistaken for Ladybug if it weren't for his black suit. He was caught off guard, like he wasn't expecting to be hugged for a photo. She didn't blame him; they looked like a couple.

And she was sure he'd intended for a completely platonic photo.

"Oooh…" she teased in a sing-song voice. "You're flustered. What's the matter? Never taken a photo with a girl before?"

He spluttered indignantly. "Of course I have!"

"Then why the red face?"

Said red face turned redder. Ha! Revenge! Served him right for teasing her countless times before.

"My face is not red! It's a healthy flush. It's my natural colouring!"

"You're natural colouring is that of a tomato?"

"I do not look like a tomato!"

She laughed as he rambled on and on.

She felt a sense of…calm around him. Like she could be whoever she wanted to be, and she would never be judged. All the weight of her responsibilities fell from her shoulders, and she felt light. Duty felt like it could wait. All that was important was what was happening right now. All her anxiety seeped away when he was around, and she could just be. She guessed it was his aura. A person who goofed and joked around as much as he did had to have an impact on the people around him. She was grateful for that. She was grateful that he made her forget, even if he didn't know.

It was nice to just live for a moment.

"—why are you looking at me like that?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts when he finally finished his ramble and looked at her wearily.

She realized that she had been smiling softly at him for no reason. She winced internally. She could not even imagine how creepy that must've looked.

She smirked to hide her discomfort. "Well, it isn't fun to be the one getting teased, is it?"

He blinked at her before chuckling. "Yeah, I guess I deserved that."

"You bet you did."

He laughed softly. "Noted. Thanks for the gifts, Princess."

She beamed. "You're welcome!" And thank you Kitty.

Hey! Sorry for the late update. My half-yearly exams are starting from the first week of October, so I've been busy preparing. My updates are going to be inconsistent till I'm done with them. I'll TRY to post every week, but no promises.

But a huge thank you for reading this chapter!

IMPORTANT: If you're interested, head on over to archive of our own (Her Kitten's Love), where I've posted a picture of a little doodle of the charm Marinette gave to Chat in this chapter. This site does not have the option of pasting pictures.

Review with your thoughts! It makes me happy.

Until next time!