So, my writing may be a little off in this chapter since the flow was interrupted for months (stopped writing around the part where Nino and Adrien are talking) but hopefully I'll get my groove back. Good to be back, though :)
DISCLAIMER: Never in the show is it actually mentioned that Marinette is allergic to kiwi (or anything, that I can recall), it was just a random thought that popped up and ended up in the story.
Also, lots of line breaks/skips in this chapter.
"Mm..." Marinette uttered groggily. Her alarm blared by her ear from her nightstand, making her features contort to mild irritation. She turned over onto her side and reached her hand over to blindly seek out the clock. "Nh, shut up..." She grumbled just as her finger pressed the button. She let out a yawn and returned to her position on her back, lifting her hands to rub at her eyes with a sigh.
"Good morning, Marinette." Tikki said. She zipped over from where she'd been resting from, already appearing upbeat and ready to start the day.
"Morning, Tikki." Marinette replied. She dropped her hands and looked to the kwami with a small smile. She made a soft noise of effort as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, turning her body so her feet touch the floor.
She stood up and stretched her arms upward, yawning again before making her way over to her dressers to pick out and outfit to wear. She had about an hour and a half before she was due to be at school. Plenty of time for a shower and breakfast. She picked out her usual outfit and laid it aside, grabbed her toiletries, and made her way from her room to the bathroom. Tikki stayed behind of course out of respect for her holder's privacy.
As Marinette shut the bathroom door behind her she sighed slowly and gently, leaning against the door for a second. A simple thought of seeing Adrien in a matter of time surfaced in her mind and brought a smile to her face. While the years may have come and gone, her feelings for him never wavered. The only thing that changed was her demeanor around him. Yes, she would still get a little flustered and stutter on occasion, but she was faring much better in holding a conversation and inviting him to hang out with her. If only she could put into words how her heart lifted whenever she was around him.
With a slightly dreamy sigh, Marinette pushed herself off the door and set her clothes on the counter of the sink. Stepping up to the shower she started up the water and adjusted the temperature to a decent setting. She turned back to the sink and started to go through her toiletries to make sure she had everything, such as soap, deodorant, et cetera. She took them out and set them to the side. She was about ready to return her attention to the shower when her eyes fell on something in the bottom of her toiletry basket. Her heart skipped instantly at the sight. She reached in and tentatively wrapped her fingers around the white labeled bottle, as it she were afraid to even think about touching it. It was her prescription of heat suppressants. Recalling the marked calendar beside her computer, she would have to take another one in barely a week.
Has it really already been a month since I last took them?
The thought made her a little anxious to say the least. As much as she hated to take them, they were a necessity. At least in her line of superhero work. A small knot tied itself in her gut. Sometimes she couldn't help but think how different things would be if she weren't Ladybug. Would she still be taking the suppressants? Would she avoid them in hopes that her scent would entice Adrien? Or anyone for that matter? She remembered the look her mother gave her when she first asked about getting heat suppressants. There was no judgement, just worry. Because 'those suppressants can be damaging to your health', as her mother put it. But Marinette had no choice but to take the risk. Unless she wanted to risk her life. Did Chat Noir ever deal with the same things as she did? He must've, because she never noticed any sort of smell on him that would hint to what his presentation was.
Not that I care about what Chat Noir is or anything... She paused. Wow, that sounds vaguely familiar.
Marinette shrugged her thoughts off and hastily dropped the bottle back into her basket before she could give herself a chance to dwell on such troubles any longer than necessary. She still had two days left before she needed to worry about it. Pushing the basket aside, she moved on to undressing and getting in the shower.
"So what's the plan for today, Marinette?" Tikki asked, watching as the heroine started packing up her school bag.
Marinette smiled a bit as she arranged a few of her books to make space. "Alya invited me over to her house tonight for a movie marathon. She said she'd ask Nino and Adrien if they want to come to, but she hasn't texted me about their answers yet."
"Sounds like fun!" Tikki said eagerly, which made Marinette laugh.
"Hopefully." She breathed out slowly. "I know I've gotten better at talking to Adrien, but my heart still races when I'm around him... And I still feel those invisible trembles in my body when I look at him." She drops her head slightly. "Spending a long evening with him... I don't know what to expect."
"Everything will be just fine. You'll have Alya there with you." Tikki said.
"That's if she's not all over Nino. I won't be surprised if Adrien and I pay more attention to the movies than those two." Marinette said, her voice a little flat. Not that she was hoping to make out with Adrien or anything, though it would be nice, but maybe not in the company of her friends. She makes a small sound of dismission and zips up her backpack just as she heard her mother calling for her from downstairs. "Yeah, mom!"
Hearing the footsteps of her mother coming up the stairs to her room, Marinette hurriedly shooed Tikki to hide in her purse just before the hatch came open to reveal Sabine's smiling face.
"Alya's here to walk with you to school, are you ready yet?" she asked.
"Ah, sh-she is?" Marinette raised an eyebrow. Alya hadn't said anything about coming to her home this morning. Was something the matter? "Um- Tell her I'll be down in a minute."
Sabine nodded and disappeared back downstairs, leaving Marinette to finish packing her things. Tikki slipped out from her hiding place in her bag to hover before her. "Ready to start the day?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Marinette smiled at her kwami, who returned it before returning to the purse at her hip. She snapped it closed and grabbed her bag, making her way to the hatch and exiting her room.
She'd hardly made it into the door before she heard Alya's laughter coming from the bakery and the small smile on her face grew. She opened the door to the bakery to see her mom, dad, and Alya standing in front of the counter and talking cheerfully. All their heads turned to Marinette's direction when they heard the door open and Alya immediately brightened up with a grin.
"Hey, girl!" she greeted. "Ready to go?"
"Mhm." Marinette nodded. She made her way towards them, her eyebrows raised a little. "Is there a special occasion or something?"
"What? No," Alya waved her hand and threw her arm around Marinette's shoulders. "Can't a girl just want to walk with her best friend to school?"
"I...guess..?" The secret heroine muttered. She shrugged it off. "We should probably head out, then." She looked to her parents with a smile, inching away from Alya for a moment to hug and kiss them both. "I'll be back around dinnertime."
"Alright, sweetheart." Tom patted her shoulder with a grin.
"Have a good day." Sabine said.
Marinette nodded to both of them and turned to Alya when she felt her arm hook into hers. "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!" She waved over her shoulder as she led her best friend out of the building. Once the door was closed, Marinette gave Alya a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, Alya, spill." she said. "What the real reason you came to get me today?"
Alya grinned and reached into her pocket for her phone, pulling it back out and practically shoving it in Marinette's face. Marinette leaned back and blinked in confusion, focusing her gaze on the screen before her. "Guess who said yes to movies tonight!" Alya cheered a bit and shook her phone.
Marinette's eyes caught sight of Nino's name at the top of the screen and lowered down to read the texts with both eyebrows now raised. She read the most recent text from the day before.
Nino *heart emoji* (Tues 04/27/20XX, 6:44 PM): Yeah, Adrien's totally down for tomorrow night! Should we bring anything?
Following that was just a string of discussions of snacks, food allergies (Alya had actually remembered Marinette's allergy to kiwi, she was really thankful and it made her smile), movie ideas and so on. She lifted her eyes to Alya's, her mouth opening and ready to speak - until it finally dawned on her.
Adrien... Was coming tonight.
Adrien was coming. Tonight
"WAAAAAH! ALYA!" Marinette yelped. She grabbed her best friend's shoulders. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS LAST NIGHT, AT LEAST TO GIVE ME ENOUGH TIME TO MENTALLY PREPARE!"
Alya laughed and gently pushed Marinette's hands from her shoulders. "Girl, chill. It's gonna be great. And you're gonna be fine."
"Uh, hello? Do you not remember how long it took me to finally be able to speak a full sentence to him?" Marinette said, holding up two fingers. "Two years! And I still fuck it up sometimes!"
"You do, but tonight is going to be perfect." Alya said. She was only slightly deterred by Marinette's swear, though knew she only did it under extreme pressure or frustration. And talking about Adrien could conjure up either of those emotions easily.
"What makes you so confident about that?" Marinette said.
"Just trust me, okay?" Alya said. "You do trust me, right?"
"Of course, but-"
"Then stop your worrying!" Alya hooked her arm back around Marinette's and started dragging her off to the school building.
Marinette sulked in Alya's hold and looked down at the ground as she was led away. Tikki subtly poked her head out from Marinette's purse and gave her holder a small smile, to which Marinette returned before gesturing for Tikki to duck back inside.
Nino and Adrien slipped into their front row seats, simultaneously setting their bags aside and leaning forward on their desks. Nino turned his attention to Adrien and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "So, did you remember the stuff for tonight?"
"Oh, yeah." Adrien said with a smile, nodding. "I grabbed a case of soda, four different bags of chips, a variety of gummies, and a few other things. But no kiwi, like Alya said."
"Sweet!" Nino pumped his fist before turning the other way and bending down to unzip his backpack. "I asked my old man if I could borrow a few of the movies we have. I've got two horror movies, a sci-fi movie, and I think this one is a suspense." He face Adrien with both hands holding on to the cases of his movie selection. He tapped his fingers against the two horror movie cases. "Honestly not sure how the girls are gonna feel about these, but it's worth a shot."
"What's worth a shot?"
The boys looked up to see the girls entering the classroom with smiles on their faces, Alya's hand on her hip. She came forward and leaned over the desk to take a peek at the movies Nino clutched in his hands with a quirked eyebrow. Her lips pursed slightly and she pointed at the two horror movies. "Not quite sure that Marinette can handle these two."
"What?" Marinette hurriedly sidled up next to her to look at the movies. Her eyes skimmed over the titles and their covers, a sense of dread welling up in her stomach. She bit her lip. "Ah, well, horror movies aren't necessarily my strong suit, b-but if you guys wanted to watch them, then-"
"No worries, Marinette." Adrien said. He smiled warmly when her eyes fell to him, which caused a faint shade of pink to rise in her cheeks. "We can just stick to the other two."
"Yeah. Plus, I have a bunch of movies we can choose from, too." Alya promised. "Nothing to worry about."
The group shared confident, happy looks in their thoughts of the evening as Miss Bustier entered the room and tapped on her desk lightly to get the class's attention. "Alright, class, everyone in your seats." she announced with a smile.
Marinette and Alya turned around and sunk into their chairs while Nino tucked the movies away into his backpack and leaned back with Adrien, their focus now solely on the instructor at the front of the class. Even with the lesson plan at the forefront of their minds, the excitement for the night to come buzzed excitedly in the back of them too. Especially for Marinette.
"So who's ready for the greatest night of our lives?!" Nino raised his fists to the sky and tilted his head back as he called out his words, leading the charge down the school stairs to the sidewalk.
"If by the greatest night of our lives you mean the millionth greatest night of our lives because you literally say it about everything, then yes." Alya said, grinning from ear to ear at her boyfriend. "We're ready for the greatest night of our lives."
"Hell yeah, we are!" Nino slung his arm around Alya and pulled her in for a brief kiss, with Marinette and Adrien respectably averting their eyes from them to each other. It was within the heartbeat of a second that their eyes stayed locked and the smile Adrien gave her made Marinette's heart stutter in her chest.
In four years, Adrien had grown from the boy she met to a man she knew. And while she would never admit this to anyone else but herself (and maybe Alya), she'd noticed just how much his body had filled out over the course of time that they knew each other. Most likely from the strict diets his father kept him on (and he would occasionally break when out with friends), and the exercises he kept up with to make sure he was fit for photoshoots, interviews, et cetera. In Marinette's mind, it had certainly paid off in the long run. Just ask the ever growing collection of pictures she has of him in a hidden folder on her computer that she one hundred percent used for 'research purposes.' But seriously, save for the feeling she got whenever she saw Adrien's muscles and physique showing itself off in his photos, the designs of his clothes were considerable bonuses as she truly did get a lot of inspiration from them. Rare times even granted her the pleasure of showing them to him and allowing him to take copies of her work to his father for possible future use.
"-do you think, Marinette?"
"Huh?"
Marinette blinked herself out of her reverie and found three sets of eyes on her; two curious and one all knowing with a matching smirk. Her face colored and she tried to rack her brain for any recollection of what the conversation was about. Unfortunately for her, all it could summon up were her thoughts of how much Adrien's body had changed over the years.
Stupid brain.
"Uh-um..." She murmured. "What was the question again?"
"We were thinking about grabbing an extra snack from your bakery before heading to my house." Alya said. "Would your parents be okay with that?"
"Oh, yeah! Totally!" Marinette's features brightened with a grin. "What are you planning on getting?"
"No joke, I've been dying for some more of your famous macaroons." Nino said. He patted his stomach. "I can't remember the last time I had one!"
"I have to agree. Your macaroons are the best." Adrien said.
"They're not exactly famous.." Marinette said softly, however her voice was full of appreciation for the fact that her friends loved them so much. She cleared her throat and stood a little straighter. "I'm sure there's plenty left from the batch I made yesterday. I don't think my parents would have a problem giving us the rest."
"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" Nino said. He turned towards Marinette's home across the street, once again leading the charge as the others followed him.
The door to Alya's apartment swung open and she entered first, carrying the bakery box containing Marinette's macaroons. "Home sweet home." She said invitingly as she stepped aside to let the others in. Nino came in first, already rifling through his bag to get the movies out, followed by Marinette, and then Adrien. Alya used her foot to close the door behind them and they entered the living room, setting their things down behind the couch so they're out of the way.
"Alright," Alya shifted the box of macaroons under her arm and held her hand out to Adrien, gesturing for him to hand her something. "Give me your bag. Nino and I will set up the snacks and you two can decide on the movies."
Adrien complied, surrendering his backpack over to Alya and turning to face Marinette afterward. "Fine by me." he said. Marinette returned the smile he gave her and nodded.
"You guys know where the movies are." Alya said and turned to head to the kitchen with Nino close behind. Marinette was almost sure she saw her best friend wink at her before turning around, knowing that this was a set up to get her to talk to Adrien alone for a bit. Sometimes she really appreciated what a wingman (wingwoman?) Alya could be.
Marinette made her way over to the stacks of movies on the shelves beside the TV and knelt down in front of them, Adrien joining her a second later and leaning forward to run his finger over the titles. Her eyes may have been on the list before her, but every other sense was on just how close Adrien was to her; close enough that she could easily pick up on his cologne without trying and feel their shoulders barely brush when he had leaned in. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. Her nails dug weakly into her thigh as she took an agonizing breathful of his cologne one more time and tried to actually show interest in discussing the movie options with him.
"How about this one?" Adrien plucked one from the stack and held it up for Marinette to see.
"WALL-E." Marinette read aloud. She smiled and laughed a bit. "Didn't take you for sappy robot movies."
"Hey, how they write the dystopian future of earth and disruption of human behavior is amazing." Adrien defended himself, but the playfulness in his voice inspired more laughter from Marinette. "The sappy robots are just a plus."
"Mhm, sure." Marinette said. How she naturally fell into conversation like this with him was rare, but always so relieving because she knew she wasn't making a fool out of herself while doing it. It brought ease to the thudding in her chest and her breaths (while still full of his cologne) were starting to regulate themselves quicker than they usually would. "I'm okay with that, set it aside."
Adrien grinned and did so, thus creating a separate pile of movies to consider watching. Marinette was the next to pick one out, waving it lightly in front of her. "Okay, we can't not watch The Breakfast Club. It's like an unspoken tradition to watch it with friends."
"I'm afraid I have to agree." Adrien chuckled and took the movie from her hand to add to their selections. They continued on like this for a few more moments, suggesting movies and either agreeing or disagreeing with their own reasons why that they didn't argue with.
"Into The Spider-Verse?"
"Oh, definitely. One of the best superhero movies out there."
"Hm.. Pitch Perfect 3?"
"Meh, not as good at the first two. Does she have those?"
"Ghostbusters?"
"Which one?"
"The newer one."
"Um... Sure, why not?"
They had picked out about seven movies when Nino and Alya returned with the snacks now on trays or in bowls depending on what they were. Alya smiled to herself upon seeing the two interacting flawlessly, especially Marinette who seemed completely relaxed despite all previous fear that she would somehow mess it all up the way she used to. The smile on her friend's face and the laughter that would slip out as they discussed the movies made her happy to see Marinette happy and enjoying herself around him instead of panicking.
"You guys about done?" she asked in a way that only Marinette could pick up on her teasing tone. She smiled, noticed she'd succeeded in making the dark-haired girl flush slightly.
Marinette was thankful for Adrien answering instead as he picked up the movies and got to his feet, her following suit a few seconds later. "Yep. Seven movies plus the two from Nino."
"I don't think we'll be able to watch that many movies, dude." Nino said skeptically.
Adrien shrugged. "We don't have to. All we need really are options."
"True." Nino pointed to him, nodding in agreement.
Alya took the movies from Adrien, placing the two Nino brought with him on top, and switched places with Adrien and Marinette by the TV as she shuffled through them for a good starter movie. Nino, Adrien, and Marinette settled on the couch and she held one up for them.
"Okay, this one is Nino's." she said. "iRobot. I've seen this one before, it's pretty good."
"Yeah, we can start with that." Marinette said. She, herself, had only seen the movie once or twice but she couldn't deny that she liked it.
"Awesome." Alya set the other movies down and turned the TV on, taking the disk from the case and slipping it into the DVD player on the shelf under the TV. She returned to the couch, grabbing the remote on the table as she went, and settled beside Nino who instinctively placed his arm around her shoulders as she hit play on the movie menu.
They were about four movies in and halfway through the snacks into the evening by the time Marinette had noticed it'd gotten pretty dark outside. As she'd suspected earlier, her and Adrien were really the only two left paying attention to the movie (they were on WALL-E by that point) while Alya and Nino were not so subtly flirting it up with each other on the other couch sneaking kisses and murmuring to each other. It wasn't uncomfortable for Marinette and Adrien, per se, and they even shared a lighthearted chuckle about it when they looked at them and then each other. Still, it left both of them yearning for the objects of their hearts wishing that they could do the same with them.
When WALL-E came to finish, Marinette stood from the couch which caught Alya's attention and then Nino's.
"Time to go?" she asked.
Marinette smiled sadly with a nod and reached behind the couch for her backpack. "Yeah. I promised mom and dad I'd be home around dinner, remember? I'm late." She slung her bag over her shoulder and looked to all of her friends. "See you guys tomorrow?"
"Yep." Alya said and Nino nodded.
"You got it." Adrien said. Marinette's smile lingered towards him the longest.
"Great. Goodnight, guys." Marinette waved and made her way to the door, exiting out into the hall with a soft sigh and a much more happy smile. She felt her purse shift a little at her hip and stepped away from the door, heading for the stairs as she popped it open and peered down at her kwami staring back at her.
"I'm so proud of you, Marinette!" Tikki said, which only made Marinette's smile grow.
"Honestly, I'm kinda proud of myself too." she said. "I think that's the calmest I've been around him in a while. But maybe that's because Nino and Alya were there."
"Maybe so, but you were alone with him while picking the movies." Tikki pointed out.
Marinette laughed a bit and nodded once. "You got me there."
Not too much longer after Marinette left, Adrien decided it was his turn to head out as well. He'd gathered up his things and bid his friends a farewell before slipping out the door. One good thing about when he turned eighteen is that his father was a bit more trustworthy with him going out with friends and being out later without his bodyguard (however, Adrien was fully aware that he still sometimes sent his bodyguard out to spy on him just to make sure he was okay), so long as he at least checked in with either him or Natalie to prove that he was safe and where he promised he'd be.
And it was with this granted freedom that he would take time out of his day for extra patrols around the city before heading home for the night. This time, though, he had a different kind of patrol on his mind. Stepping outside of Alya's apartment building, Adrien glanced both ways up the street to make sure no one (especially his bodyguard) were around to see or hear him then opened up his shirt to allow Plagg to ease out of the inside pocket.
"Shame movie night is over." the kwami whined. "I was looking forward to more yummy snacks." He rubbed his stomach and licked his lips, recalling how Adrien was sneakily passing him snacks for him to enjoy once the lamps were turned off and attention was off him.
"Always thinking with you're stomach." Adrien teased, shaking his head. "Come on, bud. Time to power up."
"What for? It's not time for your patrol yet." Plagg asked.
"Marinette is walking home alone and she lives quite a ways from here. I want to make sure she gets back safely." Adrien said.
Over the years, his superhero alter-ego had become good friends with Marinette (ironically, not much later after the 'boyfriend' incident all those years ago) and he liked to stop by and see her on nights Ladybug wasn't available to patrol with him. It gave him something to do and he liked how Marinette always had a snack prepared for him to enjoy while he was out and about on the town. The girl had a heart of gold and he made a silent promise to watch out for her when he could. Especially as Chat Noir.
Plagg groaned but didn't argue, which made Adrien grin as he held up his fist. "Plagg, claws out!"
The kwami was sucked into the ring and there was a quick flash of green light as the transformation took place, encompassing Adrien's body in the black material of his suit along with his mask, ears, and belt-fashioned tail. He grinned at his now fully transformed self and took a leap up to the lamp post, swinging off of it into the direction that Marinette might've gone in to land on the next post. He continued to swing about freely, eventually switching to a better suited vantage point from the rooftops. His footfalls were near silent as he ran and leapt across them and only came to a stop when he saw movement on a sidewalk below. He crouched down and leaned towards the edge, his tail swishing as he smiled. There was Marinette. He poised and readied himself to jump down, aiming for the car a few feet behind Marinette. He pushed away from the edge into an effortless free fall with a perfect land on his feet on the hood of the car, making so little noise that Marinette didn't even turn around.
He slid off the car and fell in step behind Marinette, playfully mimicking her walk with a grin to himself. This went on for an amusing few moments before Marinette came to a stop. So did he.
"If you're trying to play sneaky, you'll have to try harder than that."
Chat's mouth dropped open and Marinette turned on her heel with a rather pleased and obviously teasing smirk on her face.
"How'd you know I was here?" he asked.
Marinette answered with a silent thumb jab towards the building beside them, to which it came to Chat's attention that at the angle he was standing he was casting a shadow along it from the street lights. One long enough to be seen in anyone's peripheral vision. He glanced back at the light, then at Marinette, and his shoulders sulked in defeat as she giggled and stepped towards him.
"Just out for late night stroll, I suppose?" Marinette asked him.
"I was." Chat answered. He corrected his posture with a smile and, when Marinette turned to walk again, sidled up beside her. "Then I saw what I originally perceived as a damsel in distress."
"A damsel in distress?" Marinette laughed some more and he thought that sound was the sweetest thing ever. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"Well, you're out late on your own. That's distressing enough as it is, is it not?"
"I'm a big girl, chaton. I can handle myself." Marinette said, though her voice wasn't full of hurt, anger, or offense. The complete opposite, really. She knew Chat Noir was simply being a gentleman and being his typical, playful self. And his presence was nice while walking home alone. She hummed thoughtfully and glanced towards him. "No Ladybug tonight?"
"Nope, she took the night off for something." Chat explained. His eyes were down on the sidewalk as he pretended to balance on the lines between the squares, a sort of wistful look on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Marinette. It disappeared with a nonchalant shrug and his smile was back when he picked his head up. "What are you doing out so late?"
"I was over at a friend's house. We were binging movies." Marinette explained.
"Yeah? What movies? Good movies or bad movies you just put on to make fun of?"
"Good ones. We watched Into the Spider-Verse, WALL-E, iRobot, and a few others."
Chat stopped and placed a hand over his heart, feigning a wounded expression. "And you couldn't so much as extend and invitation to me? Me-ow, Mari."
A giggle escaped Marinette's lips. "Oh, drop the act kitty cat." She teased.
It was funny how she could interact with Chat Noir this way and not Adrien. They were both guys, after all. Maybe it was mostly because she was in love with one and... well, as her civilian self, she liked to consider herself good friends with Chat. And as Ladybug, he was her partner in crime. Someone she trusted entirely with her life if it came down to it. Never once had he let her down despite the many times she did inadvertently by not returning his feelings. It did weigh on her a little that she couldn't love Chat the way he loved her, but she loved him nonetheless and she believed he knew that. They were still strong together and always had each other's back no matter what. That's what really counted in the end. And regardless of the mask she wore Marinette had a soft spot for the feline hero. Under the puns and occasional flirting, he was still a sweet guy. She wouldn't deny him that much.
"Sorry, guess I'm fe-line a little playful tonight." Chat said. His lips quirked with a suppressed smile.
"You're impossible." Marinette shoved his shoulder lightly and continued on her way, hearing his footsteps pick up behind her as he caught up.
"I disagree. I think I'm very paws-ible." He said.
Marinette groaned, dropping her head, and Chat's face broke out in a grin. This was something he loved about being Chat Noir. He could be someone else entirely, let go a little, and not have to worry about who thought what of him because they didn't know him under the mask. The gift of anonymity was a beautiful thing in his mind. Not to mention that he got enough attention as it was as his normal self. Yes, he got attention as Chat Noir, too, but that was different. The people of Paris loved Chat Noir because he protected the city and those that lived in it. People loved Adrien because he was attractive. That's mostly what it amounted to. He had a reason to appreciate this identity and wear it with pride. He didn't need the glory, the fame, any of it. He didn't really want it either. But if dealing with it meant his home was safe, he would take it in stride.
And that's another reason why Marinette stood out from everyone else. While it pained him a little that he couldn't reveal himself to her, he did appreciate (and somewhat adore) the fact that she didn't treat him like a celebrity in either of his forms. She was a friend to both and it eased him in a sense that at least he had one - no, two, if he counted Ladybug - true friends as his alter-ego self. Maybe he would count Carapace and Rena more if he saw them more often.
"This is me." Marinette announced when her feet met the welcome mat of the bakery, looking to Chat with a smile that told him she was a bit sad they had to part here. "Thank you for escorting me home, Chat."
"All in a day's work. Or should I say night's?" Chat bowed before her which earned him a laugh and a scratch behind the ear, making him purr a little. He straightened up and smiled at her.
"If you wait here for a moment, I can give you the macaroons I made for you." Marinette said.
"I can always spare a second for your macaroons."
Chat caught the flush that dusted Marinette's cheeks in the glow from the moon and lamp post alike before she unlocked the door and ducked inside the bakery quietly. Most likely as to not alert her parents. He waited patiently for a few minutes with a few glances around out of habit to check the perimeter. Marinette returned with a small box specifically decorated for him; black with a green paw on the lid and tied up neatly in a green ribbon. She handed it over and he took it gratefully, their eyes meeting.
"Goodnight, Chat."
"Goodnight, Mari."
Clutching the box carefully in his hand, Chat reached for his baton at his back and clicked it once to extend, lifting himself straight off the ground but his eyes didn't leave from Marinette until he saw her disappear into the building and the door was obstructed by the roof when he stepped onto it. He looked down at the box and, with a soft sigh, made himself comfortable on the railing at the edge of the roof. He untied the ribbon to the box and leaned back, picking up a macaroon and taking a bite as he overlooked the city with a small smile.
In the morning Marinette would find the box considerably placed on the table, empty and ready to be filled again for next time.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I really liked the idea of Marinette and Chat Noir having a friendship thing going, with him visiting her and stuff like that when he can. I hope it doesn't feel odd? I tried to write it as natural and true to the characters as I could.
Stick around for chapter 3?