Chat Noir was gone.
She was never going to see him again...
Marinette stumbled into the kitchen in a daze, still not believing, no, refusing to believe what had just transpired on her balcony. He couldn't have just left her, could he? Not after she had just found him again after all those years!
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that her parents were standing in the kitchen until they rounded on her.
"Marinette, where have you been?" Tom demanded sternly, flinging his arms around her in a tight hug.
"We were worried sick!" Sabine added, her voice filled with concern.
Marinette tried to smile sheepishly, but she felt horrible under their glares. She hadn't wanted to tell them the truth, but she'd ended up worrying them all the same. "I was - at a friend's," she choked out, her throat feeling dry by her lie.
Her mother frowned at her. "Did you realize we were about to send out a search party before Alya called us to let us know you were safe? The least you could've done was tell us where you were!"
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, squirming uncomfortably. She hated lying, especially to her parents. But the last thing she could do was to tell them was the truth. I'm sorry, Maman, Papa... "We were working on homework and I lost track of the time. I didn't realize how late it was, and I didn't want to bother you guys."
"We appreciate your consideration for us, but please keep us informed the next time you stay with a friend," her father said sternly before adding, "And you're grounded for the next week!"
"I will," she mumbled sullenly. She couldn't argue with her parents for grounding her when she understood where they were coming from. Besides, this was barely anything compared to the danger she had almost been in. If Hawk Moth had kidnapped her, she would have gotten into far more trouble than just being grounded. "I'm really sorry, Maman, Papa."
"As long as it doesn't happen again, sweetie," Sabine murmured, leaning down to kiss her on the top of her head. "We love you, Marinette. We were so worried."
"I'm so sorry. And I love you guys, too," Marinette whispered, burying her face into her father's warm chest. She hesitated before asking her next request. "I-Can I stay home today? I don't feel well," she begged. She wasn't ready to face her friends at school, not after what had happened with Chat Noir.
Her mother gazed at her with concern in her warm eyes. "Is everything okay, sweetie?"
"I-I'll be okay," she mumbled. "I'm just tired. Can I stay home today, please?"
Her parents exchanged a worried glance, then turned back to their daughter. Marinette was the type of girl who didn't miss school for anything, so something was clearly wrong for her to not want to attend the school that she loved so much.
Sabine pulled Marinette into a reassuring hug. "Oh, sweetie," she murmured. "Does this have anything to do with a boy?" she guessed. Marinette groaned inwardly. Trust her mother to know what was troubling her.
At the mention of Chat Noir, she nodded glumly and burst into tears. She still couldn't wrap her head around the idea that she would never see him again.
"I-I had a crush on this guy," she sobbed. This part was true, at least. Her parents didn't have to know that the object of her affections was a notorious thief by the name of Chat Noir. "But he didn't like me back." She winced. Saying it out loud hurt even more. At least, in her mind, she could pretend that what had happened wasn't real. But admitting it out loud made it even more painful.
"A boy!" her father boomed angrily. "Who is this boy? I'll slap some sense into him for rejecting our daughter!"
"Tom!" Sabine scolded him sharply, then turned and patted Marinette's head soothingly. "Of course you can stay home today, sweetie. And don't worry. Even if this boy doesn't like you, I promise that there is a guy out there who will love and cherish you as much as we love you."
Marinette couldn't help but think back to when Chat Noir had patted her head, and how butterflies had fluttered wildly in her stomach from his simple touch. It was funny how the same action from two different people could elicit such different feelings to bubble inside her.
She sighed and looked up at her mother. She didn't think such a boy would exist, not after Chat Noir had turned her down. She probably couldn't ever bring herself to fall so deeply for another boy again... "Do you really think so?" she asked doubtfully.
Sabine smiled warmly and nodded. "I don't just think so, sweetie. I know so."
Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Maman! Thank you, Papa!"
"Try to get some more rest if you can. I'll bring some hot chocolate up for you later, dear," her mother offered with a smile.
She gave her parents a quick kiss on their cheeks before she climbed up the stairs that lead to her attic bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed and buried her face into her soft pillow.
"What am I going to do?" she whispered into the silent room, not expecting a response. She'd liked Chat Noir for all this time, since she was a little girl. But now that he had rejected her, she didn't think she could bring herself to ever fall for another boy again.
Because, like she had confessed to him, he had already stolen her heart...
The sound of her phone ringing impatiently brought Marinette out of her reverie. She looked down at her phone to check who was calling her. She wasn't surprised to find that it was Alya.
"Girl, what happened? Is everything okay? How was last night?" she burst out as soon as Marinette answered the phone.
"Everything's okay, Alya," she reassured her friend. She forced a smile, but her voice sounded too strained. She tried to change the subject to avoid getting more questions from the persistent journalist. "I'm just a little tired, so I wanted to stay home today. But enough about me. How's school going?"
"Oh, school's fantastic, girl!" Alya declared immediately. "Nino came to speak to us today, and he was so cool! And you'd never guess the project Madame Bustier just assigned us!"
She tried to be happy for Alya, but that just made her feel sad about her own feelings for Chat Noir. Why couldn't he like her back?
"What is it?" she asked.
"We're all assigned an alumni from our school, and we'll be writing a report on how they got into their fields!" Alya explained eagerly. "And guess who you've been assigned to? Oh, you'd never believe your luck, girl! You got Adrien!"
"Oh," Marinette mumbled, her mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Chat Noir. The night before, he had been all about protecting her. But then he'd left that morning without a warning, not to mention that he hadn't even discussed the plan with her! Just what had he been thinking...?
"Girl, are you alright?" her friend demanded, breaking her out of her reverie.
"I-Yes! Why do you ask?" Marinette lied. She had said that she was okay so many times that she almost believed that she was. Almost.
Alya paused before explaining, "Well, you'd usually get excited at any mention of Adrien, but you sound so...sad today."
Marinette shook her head, then realized that her friend wouldn't be able to see her actions on the other end of the phone. "I-I'm not sad," she insisted out loud. "You said I got Adrien? That's amazing!" she tried to sound as cheerful as she could.
"Yes!" Alya launched back into her excited mode. "I'm sure Madame Bustier will give you all the details when you're back tomorrow, so look forward to it!"
"What about you? Who are you writing your report on?" Marinette wondered.
"Lila Rossi!" Alya gushed, practically squealing into the phone. "You know, that famous actress who also went to our school?"
"That's great, Alya! I'm sure you'll write the juciest story yet!" Marinette tried her best to sound happy.
"You bet I will!" Alya agreed. "I gotta go, but talk to you later, girl! Hope you feel better!"
"Thank you, Alya," Marinette murmured, feeling grateful that the other girl hadn't asked her for details.
She ended the call, her gaze dropping to the black cat plush that sat innocently by her pillow.
She had a sudden urge to throw it away, to get rid of anything that reminded her of that certain thief, but then instantly felt that she would regret it. She sighed. She'd made the plush with love and care, after all. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She would keep it, she decided.
Feeling bored and having nothing else to do, she opened a new page on her phone and began scrolling absently through the news. Her heart lurched when a new article on Chat Noir popped up on the front page.
"Breaking news! Chat Noir pounces again!
Chat Noir, the most wanted man in France, has leapt for the Museum of Decorative Arts this morning at 8:45 AM and took off with the Blue Diamond, a timeless necklace with over one thousand years worth of history. The necklace is said to have been worn by Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine during the middle ages of France, but of course, this is just a rumor. We can only hope that we will be able to get such a valuable piece back from the thief.
And once again, he has left no evidence on how he evaded security in the middle of the day, but he did leave behind his signature paw print. Police are getting incredibly frustrated that he still hasn't been caught. And speaking of jewelry, a witness claims that she saw that he was wearing a ring with his symbol on it! Where did this ring come from? Did he steal it? What's the history behind it? Join us as we get to the bottom of this mystery!"
Marinette was tempted to throw her phone at the wall in frustration. Right after he'd left her, he'd went straight for a heist! And he was even showing off his ring! Did he feel nothing about leaving her?
Then again, maybe he didn't feel anything for her. All those years ago, she'd just been an annoying kid who wanted to help him. Maybe that was how he saw her, just an annoying girl who was younger than him.
"Chat Noir's already left. He's probably not interested in you anyway. So stop thinking about him, Mari. Stop dreaming," She told herself firmly. If he had already gotten back to business, then so would she. Moping around wasn't going to get her anywhere.
She hastily wiped her eyes and slapped her cheeks to get back to her senses. She decided she would help her parents in the bakery rather than sitting around and doing nothing all day. With her mind made up, she hopped off her bed and headed downstairs with renewed energy.
The rest of the day passed without further incident. Marinette busied herself by greeting customers or helping her parents bake in the back, and making sure that her mind was preoccupied so she wouldn't think of a certain thief.
It was towards the end of the night when the door chimed, and a new customer walked into the bakery. Marinette, busy counting the change, mumbled absentmindedly, "Welcome, how may I help - " before she looked up at the newcomer and gasped in recognition. "N-Nathaniel? What are you doing here?"
"Hi Marinette!" her quiet classmate greeted, smiling shyly at her. She noted that he was carrying a heavy-looking paper bag, which he set down by the cash register. "Madame Bustier asked me to bring your homework for you. She also wanted me to pass along a message from the class. 'We all missed you today!', they said."
Marinette couldn't help getting a little teary-eyed, feeling touched that everyone cared so much about her. "Thank you, Nathaniel," she mumbled, taking the bag from him. "I missed you guys too!"
"Oh, can I also get some macarons to go?" Nathaniel asked sheepishly. "One reason why I volunteered to come is because I know how delicious everything here is!"
Marinette smiled, but her smile wavered when treacherous thoughts of Chat Noir crossed her mind. She remembered how giddy she had felt when he had told her that he liked their macarons. Somehow, Nathaniel's praise didn't affect her the same way that Chat Noir's had. She shook her head to clear the thought from her mind. "I'll make sure to let my parents know, thank you! And sure, how many would you like?"
"Six please," he decided. "Thank you, Marinette!"
"Sounds good! I'll throw in one more for you. It's on the house," Marinette winked at him.
Nathaniel blushed and stared at her. "I-I couldn't!"
"Don't be silly, Nathaniel! We're classmates, of course you'd get a discount!" she said, and instantly got to work to pack his macarons for him. She didn't dare say that if Chat Noir had walked into the bakery, she would probably have offered him everything in her bakery for free (not that her parents would appreciate that).
Once she'd finished packing the macarons, she sealed the white box with tape and handed it to him. Nathaniel eagerly handed her the money, his cheeks turning red as he told her to keep the change.
"Thank you, Nathaniel," she said sincerely, and she meant it. It wasn't just to thank him for the change - she appreciated that he would go out of his way to bring her homework for her.
He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and shuffled his feet, as though he wanted to ask her something else. Marinette tipped her head to one side curiously, waiting for him to speak. Finally, he took a deep breath and stuttered, "I-Is there anyone you l-like, Marinette?"
It was Marinette's turn to blush. "W-Why do you ask?" she squeaked.
"N-No reason," Nathaniel mumbled. "I-If you don't have anyone you like, w-wouldyougoonadatewithme?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Marinette asked, furrowing her brows in confusion. He had blurted the last part so fast that she hadn't quite caught what he'd said.
He cleared his throat and asked again, "W-Would you go on a date with me?"
For a moment, Marinette was at a loss for words. It wasn't everyday someone asked her out!
Her insides churned with a million different emotions. She was flustered that he had taken an interest in her - after all, she had no idea that he liked her. But she was torn - torn between her unrequited feelings for Chat Noir, and the boy standing in front of her. A part of her wanted to say no, but she hated turning others down. Maybe...just maybe...this date would be what she needed to get her mind off of Chat Noir.
Is that what you really want, to forget Chat Noir after all that you've done for him? A traitorous voice hissed in her mind, but she shook her head to clear the thought away.
"I-Yes!" she squeaked, realizing that he was still waiting for her answer. "I-I'll go with you! On a date!"
He blinked at her in surprise, clearly not expecting her to say yes. Once the thought had registered in his mind, he beamed at her. "Y-You will? I-I can't believe it! I'm so happy right now, I don't know what to say! I-Meet me by the Seine at Notre Dame tomorrow night at seven. I'll see you there!"
He smiled at her again before he practically ran out of her bakery.
Marinette watched him go with a sigh. Nathaniel was usually shy and reserved. She had never seen him act this excited about anything before. Oh, what had she gotten herself into?
Just one date, she insisted firmly. One date, and then she'll turn him down if she had to. But maybe this was the change she needed to forget about that stupid thief for good.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I've loved hearing your thoughts on the story!
I'm so sorry for the delay! A lot has happened recently but I'm back with another chapter! Hope you like it! (Fun fact: Queen Eleanor was an actual queen consort of France, but I made up the necklace that Chat Noir steals, hehe). Let me know what you think with a review? ;)
Next chapter preview - Marinette goes on a date with Nathaniel, but things don't go exactly as planned...