Today's Story is by Epcot97.
Author's Note: It's a party! Except, as we all know, Adrien is likely not going to attend, given how his father feels about such things. But as Plagg frequently reminds him, when Adrien is forbidden from doing something, it's generally a green light for Chat Noir.
MR: You threw a party and didn't invite me? I'm bummed!
Lyra: The wonders of teenage rebellion. I never did it - but then again, I didn't have a Plagg. I'm disappointed about that.
I slammed the door to my bedroom shut, the anger fresh enough to still remain as a slight flush on my cheeks. Why I thought the conversation would go any differently than it had a thousand times before, I wasn't sure; maybe it was the eternal optimist within me. Or the fact that, now that I was sixteen, I felt like I'd proven myself responsible enough to be trusted to venture out into Paris on my own after dark.
Apparently not, according to my father.
He has no idea! I yelled to myself. I'm out there every night, practically, saving this city from the worst Hawkmoth can throw at it! I think I can handle walking a few blocks to Marinette's…!
I slumped down against the door and pulled my knees up to my chin. Despite being awash in teenage hormones, I was reasonably sure my father was being an idiot. Again. What made it worse? He'd had Nathalie break the news to me. He couldn't even say no in person. Who does that? I put my head down on my knees, letting my longer-than-father-liked blond hair fall forward.
Plagg floated up and looked at me; we'd been together long enough now that he'd more-or-less dropped the grumpy cat routine and let his true feelings out. "I'm sorry, kid. That was rougher than normal. I'd offer some Camembert to lessen the pain, but…"
I looked up. "It's the thought that counts," I smiled slightly.
My kwami floated away and returned promptly with a slice of his favorite dish. "We're still going, of course," he said, narrowing his eyes as he popped the odiferous cheese into his tiny maw.
"Weren't you listening?" I replied. "He said no."
"To Adrien," Plagg pointed out.
"Oh, here we go," I sighed, putting my head back. "You're about to remind me that he banned Adrien from attending, but not Chat Noir."
"I wouldn't remind you of something you know so well," he smiled.
I looked at him. "Are you paraphrasing something? That sounds suspiciously familiar to me."
"No," he said hastily. "So, can we go already?"
"Chat wasn't invited," I pointed out. "And I can't appear as Adrien."
"Chat is always welcome, you know that," Plagg pointed out.
He had a point; I'd visited Marinette a few times as Chat - not frequently, of course - but each time, they'd been warm experiences that I'd treasured. She was a true friend - a rare find that both of my personas were fortunate to know. "I don't want to wear out my welcome," I protested half-heartedly. "And there will be kids there from school. Chat's not supposed to be a social creature."
"Even Superman went on a date," Plagg argued. "I think Ladybug will spot you one."
"It's not a date," I said, but I stood; Plagg, the little imp, knew he'd won and gloated slightly as I held out my ring. "But I think I could use a little fun tonight."
Before I could change my mind, I called for my transformation. As the green glow faded from around me, I took an extra precaution and queued up on my phone the endless track of me practicing the piano; I'd recorded it a few weeks earlier, random flubs and all, and found a smile appearing on my masked face as my claw ticked the play button.
One dutiful son… check, I thought grimly.
Two leaps and I was through the window, baton in hand; helicoptering, I landed on the fence and vaulted to the roof of the mansion next to ours, then ran across the rooftops in an easy jog. Despite every seemingly reasonable challenge father had presented through his proxy, I'd desperately wanted to go to this party. My close friends could be counted on one paw, even including Ladybug. I barely knew the rest of my classmates, given how I was generally hustled from school to a photoshoot or other extracurricular activity. Paradoxically, I spent the most time with Ladybug, and felt like I knew her the least.
I knew Marinette far better, especially now that she had started to feel comfortable around me. I'd not known that, early on, she'd crushed on me pretty hard - nearly from the first moment I'd walked into that classroom in Dupont. We'd both grown up a bit since then; I was aware she'd dated Luka Couffaine for a while, but it had ended amicably a few months earlier. I'd been a bit sad, for the two of them seemed like a purrfectly matched set; it just proved I was unable to divine true love accurately.
My own heart had remained true to Ladybug, though I'd come close to breaking that promise to myself during a particularly dark period for me a year earlier. Two years in, though, and I didn't appear to be making any headway on that front at all. Still, I was willing to keep at it. After all, hope springs eternal.
The festive lights from the Bakery appeared and I landed on the edge of a roof across the park from the building. Perched, cat-like, I could smell the wonderful scents wafting from the chimney even at this distance; my mouth watered as my stomach rumbled, reminding me of the sprig of lettuce and few berries that had been dinner. Looking to the rooftop patio, my feline vision could pick out Marinette moving to and fro, presumably setting up the space. I was early, and I leapt out into the night once more with the intent of helping her finish.
Gently landing atop one of the chimneys with a soft rubbery thump, I waited for a moment to ensure I'd not startled her with my arrival. I needn't have worried, for she had her AirPods in and was quite attractively dancing her way across the patio.
Twisting a feline ear, I could pick up the beat of the music she was listening to and smiled as a thought popped unbidden into my feline fur brain. Wondering if Plagg was affecting me more than normal that evening, I quickly (and nearly silently) vaulted to the tile and stood just off to the side of Marinette.
Tail tapping in tempo with the music, I waited until she spun on her heel, one arm above her head, the other across her torso, before gently swooping in and taking her hands in each paw to slowly spin her back out again.
Her eyes flicked open and connected with mine as she spun one more loop, ending with her hands in mine and facing me. She paused for just a beat before pulling me toward her and then pushing me away in a classic jazz-infused two-step. Spinning around her, I wrapped an arm around her waist and sashayed with her across the tile, pressed about as close to her as I'd ever been. Marinette's exotic scent of vanilla and spices filled my feline nose, nearly overwhelming me.
What was I doing? As insane as it was, it felt so totally, completely right.
We twirled at the end of the line and reversed position; she wrapped her own arm around my midsection and gently pulled me against her. Unexpectedly, she put her chin on my shoulder, which was something considering I was taller than her. I closed my eyes as we reached the end of the space again; spinning her away from me, I twisted around and put us into a more traditional ballroom style, one paw on her hip, the other outstretched.
Not that the music supported it, but we managed a nifty little tango around the space, twirling, twisting and dipping rather exotically. As the music rose to the finale crescendo, I rotated her one final time and rolled her out, landing on my knee with her hand in a paw. Looking up at her, I smiled.
Pulling out an AirPod and breathing slightly from exertion, Marinette smiled at me. "I had no idea cats were so light on their feet," she said as I stood.
"I was only following your lead," I replied as I leaned down to kiss her knuckle. Belatedly, I realized I normally only did that for Ladybug. What had gotten into me?
"You flatter me, sir," she said formally, tapping her hand against her chest.
"And you're worth it," I replied. "Look, I'm sorry - I didn't mean to drop in unannounced. But you looked like you were having entirely too much fun to be allowed to do it solo."
"I was blowing off steam," she said. "I had to cancel a party I was throwing this evening."
My eyes widened. "That's the first-" I started before catching her look. "I mean, that's terrible! What happened?"
"My parents," she said simply.
"Ah," I said, nodding. "I'd only met them a few times, but they don't seem like the type to do something like that," I added.
"They had reasons," she said as she settled in on the small lounge chair in the corner. "I failed an exam this week."
"That's out of character," I said before hastening to add, "from what I know of you."
"You're not wrong," she replied. "But I've been pretty busy these past few weeks. I didn't-wasn't able to study the way I normally would."
I nodded again; I could relate entirely. Though I'd not failed anything, it had been an especially manic period for Hawkmoth. There had been more than a few long, late nights catching up. "I'm sorry," I said.
"Don't be. I brought it upon myself." She smiled up at me. "Your magical appearance, though, has gotten me out of my funk. How did you know I needed to be cheered up?"
"I'm a cat," I laughed. "It's part of the gig."
"Thank you," she said warmly. "But I should get back to my homework."
"I need to get back on patrol," I lied, eliciting a narrowing of the eyes from Marinette. Turning, I leapt to her railing.
"Chat," she said, and I turned before leaping to watch her walk over to me.
"Princess?"
"You should drop in more frequently," she smiled. "I could use a little more feline in my life."
I smiled. "Four out of five Chats would agree," I laughed.
"I'm sure," she smiled wider before leaning up to kiss my exposed cheek. "Don't be a stranger," she whispered.
Leaping away, I wondered what had just happened; whatever it was, I realized something had shifted in how I was perceiving Marinette, and it wasn't all bad. Sailing through the night, though, I did know one thing: I'd never hear the song Party for Two without thinking of Marinette and our private dance atop her parent's bakery.