I'll never forget that day, that afternoon…..
It was right before I met Tikki and transformed into the superhero, Ladybug. Apparently Cat Noir met his kwami right before I did. I had just started a new school year that week. Being the tender age of fourteen everything felt heightened and overly dramatic. My current preoccupation was if my best friend, Alya, would be able to transfer into my class; we'd always been in the same homeroom together since we started secondary school. My greatest fear was not having her by my side for the first time ever.
Little did I know that these insignificant worries were about to get a whole lot bigger in the near future.
At the time I had no idea that Cat Noir, Hawkmoth, or kwamis even existed. I just pattered along down the street in blissful ignorance. It was sunny out that afternoon- perfect for sitting outside in my little rooftop patio upstairs with a plate of freshly-baked cookies. Daddy was busy in his bakery as per usual when I got home. He put a loaf of bread into the oven and spun around, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand when the shop's doorbell rang. I naturally gave him a warm smile.
"Hiya, sweetie. How was your first day of school?" "Eh, it was ok. Alya and I aren't in the same class this year," I replied, shutting the shop's door. His eyebrow perked up. "Oh? But you two are always in the same class." "She's put in for a homeroom transfer so she might come," who knows with our high school's bureaucratic system. Daddy's hand gave a dismissive wave in my direction. "Bah! It'll work out. It always does. Here, I just baked some fresh chocolate chip cookies. Interested?" He then proceeded to display this delicious-smelling plate of steaming cookies. I took in a good whiff, letting my grin grow on its own accord. "Thanks, Daddy. I love you." "Love you too, pumpkin." Taking the cookies, I began to head up the staircase to my room, but not before giving my beloved father one last look. "I'm gonna go start on my homework." "Alrighty then. I'll holler when it's time for dinner," he turned back to his baking loaf in the oven. "Thank you! See you later!" With a single wave, I was off.
My room was neat and cluttered all at the same time. I had the habit of collecting cute, pink things- and stuffed animals. I LOVED stuffed animals. Munching on a still-warm cookie, I tossed my pink backpack onto my pink bed cover. Then I headed up to my own personal balcony. It wasn't really all mine but no one else ever came up here- something I'd be eternally grateful for very soon. By the time my cookies were polished off, I had managed to read through two chapters of history and complete one math sheet. Math and science were not my strong suits in academia; I was more of an artsy, fashion type girl. Still my parents were insistent that I get good grades in all my classes, so here we are. I popped the last bite of cookie into my mouth and took a sip of water from my pink water bottle. Nugh, I love history but this stuff was booooooooooring. Why couldn't I be reading about this history of Versailles or something instead? Ok, Marinette- focus! You've got a history test coming up this month already and you can't afford to let your mind wander. Pay attention! "Ok! Willian the Conqueror's reign successfully altered the inner composition of the English nobility and clergy….." Ok, so maybe reading aloud wasn't making it any better. But I couldn't help but be bored out of my skull; I'd already read two chapters on this guy.
My mind had just started to wander off when suddenly this crash sounded from the other side of the balcony. It was a pretty small balcony so it was fairly close to me, whatever it was. Thinking it was a bird or cat or some other critter, my head shot over to the source of the noise. Imagine my utter shock and disbelief to see not an animal but a boy there! Or… it was a boy anyway? Sort of a hybrid between a cat and a man. He looked young, maybe a year older than me, and had silky blonde hair and a jet-black cat suit on. I kid you not: he actually wore a full-body cat suit! Complete with eye mask, I might add. From the instant I first laid eyes on him, my body turned rock hard and into jelly at the same time. This…. This right here….
This was my spring awakening.
He was beautiful! Beyond beautiful! No words exist in the French language to do justice to how utterly gorgeous he was. Slender and toned, tall, slick, and very, very, very attractive. He was the hottest, handsomest guy I'd ever seen, and that was with the mask on. The moment our eyes made contact I felt like my cheeks- nay, my whole body- was on fire. I knew I'd never be the same after this encounter. Probably because I'd never had a crush on anyone before. But him…. Choo, choo- all aboard the train to crush-ville! And we hadn't even said a single word to each other yet.
While I sat there mouth-agape, his back arched up in equal surprise. It's almost like he jumped up onto my roof before thinking about it from a realistic standpoint. But he was here already, so might as well go along with it. His gloved hand rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes frantically turned every which way but straight at me again.
"Uh…. Um… H-Hi! Hi there! I just… I just saw you on the street below and wanted…. and wanted to make sure everything's ok!" Boy, did he sound flustered. But his voice… A voice that sounded it was generated just for me. It sounded like it was created especially to suit my tastes. For a moment I said nothing, only ogling him dumbfounded. My heart had never, ever beat faster than it was presently- and for good reason. Finally my lips parted a sliver by their own will; my brain wasn't functioning properly at this time. "E-Everything's ok….?" Realizing his mistake, his hands shot up assuredly. "N-Not that everything's not ok! That's not what I meant to say! Erm, l-let me start over!"
I merely blinked at him, still red as a beet. "You're a…. cat?" This caught his full attention. His posture posed to one of pride and he smiled for the first time. His smile… I think that was the most perfect thing about him. It was the best smile that has ever or will ever be. It was truly flawless- just like him. "Pretty cool, eh? It's my superhero suit; I'm Paris's new superhero!" "Superhero?" I blinked again, more puzzled this time. "That's right. I'm here to keep Paris free from supervillains." "S-Supervillains? Y-You mean you fight evil?" Slowly my legs straightened up, though they did crash me down onto my seat one time. They were still complete jelly.
The cat boy nodded, planting his hands on his hips. "Yep! Well, technically I haven't fought anyone yet, but that's my new job." "New job…..? A-And you're here…. because…. supervillain…. evil…. safety?" I couldn't believe the sounds coming out of my mouth. I sounded like a total blithering idiot! What's wrong with me?! This has never happened before! Why can't I speak to him like a normal human being?! Well, I guess he's not a "normal human", but still! It was impossible to construct full, articulate sentences around this guy!
His face immediately morphed to one of concern. Both his hands lifted up again in my direction. "B-But that's not why I'm here! Don't worry, no bad guys followed you home. I just…. I just wanted to stop by and….. and introduce myself! Yeah, that's it! I'm hmmmmmm," he had to think about it for a second, peering up at the sky and rubbing his chin. "I'm Cat Noir. Yeah, Cat Noir! And you?" "Me?! I'm uh….. uh…" What's my name again? It's whatever he wants it to be.
Cat Noir patiently waited a minute before chuckled ever so playfully. "Your name's "uh"?" I flinched, turning even redder- if that were possible. My arms were stiff as boards, my hands curling to fists on my lap. "M-Mari…! Marinette! That's my name! I'm uh…. um Marinette!" His grin widened pleased. "Marinette? That's pretty." Oh my god, he just said my name is pretty! This is the best day of my life! I was already so fascinated by him and wanted to learn everything I could about who he was. Again, I'd never experienced that with anyone else before, so this was all brand new to me as well. It didn't help matters when he looked at me and smiled to himself again. His eyes lowered onto me in the most tender way you can imagine. "Marinette….." I'm pretty sure he was repeating my name more to himself than me. Still the effect was predictable. My eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, the world around me turned deafless. Nothing else existed in that moment; it was just me and him. Me and Cat Noir.
Always me and Cat Noir.
Seeing my dumb-struck reaction to his sudden arrival and his words, a chuckle fell from Cat Noir's lips again. He laughed, and then he looked right at me for a third time. "I'm sorry to drop in on you outta the blue like this. I just saw you walking down the street and…. and…." His words pattered off as he continued to stare into my eyes. Our gazes lowered collectively onto the other. His face drifted to one of sincere, profound revelation, as did mine. There was this gentle, natural lingering pause between us, with neither person making a sound or moving an inch. He was the first to alter the scene by smiling yet again. Oh how he smiled…. He looked at me in a way no one has ever looked at me before, and that grin of his confirmed it. His eyes couldn't have softened more tenderly. "Hi…." The silence was broken. He said this and I don't remember doing anything but smiling in return. I mirrored his expression, beholding a boy like I never had before in my life. I beheld him, and it irreversibly changed something in me. To this day, I was changed.
"Hi."
