Chat sipped his Pound-It Punch, happily looking around at the bustling crowds of Paris's first Mira-Con. His father would never have let Adrien go, but in the suit he could blend in as just another one of the cosplayers. So far he'd seen almost three times as many Ladybugs as he saw Chat Noirs and he was pretty sure there were even more Rena Rouges than black cats, so he'd turned it into a game for himself: every time he saw a black pair of ears, he got a sip of his punch.

As he scanned the crowd, he spotted another black cat suit. Score! he thought, taking a large swig of punch.

And promptly choked on it as he saw who was wearing the ears.

Marinette was walking towards him, flanked by a female Carapace - Alya - and a male Rena Rouge - Nino. She wore a homemade leather suit with a bell choker and a black ear headband, a simple black mask framing her eyes. Even her tail belt was there, although hers wasn't alive like his was.

She chatted animatedly with Nino and Alya, gesturing wildly around at the bustle. As her eyes passed Chat, she froze, doing a double take. He grinned, saluting her with his cup of punch.

Marinette facepalmed. "Come here," she mouthed, beckoning him over. Chat happily obliged, squeezing through the crowd.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a laugh as he finally made it to her side. Behind her, Nino raised his eyebrows and Alya's jaw dropped.

"Eh. I was bored and in the neighborhood," he said nonchalantly, ignoring the rapid flashing coming from Alya's cell phone camera. "Thought this would be a great place to hang out. Love the costume, by the way," he added with a wink.

Marinette's cheeks turned bright red. "Don't get too full of yourself, kitty cat."

Chat grinned, flicking the dainty bell on her choker. "It looks like I'm not the only kitty cat here today," he teased.

Marinette rolled her eyes, although not before Chat saw the fond smile flashing across her face. "Chat, these are my friends Alya and Nino," she said, gesturing to the two behind her.

"Nice to meet you. You're the one who runs the Ladyblog, right?" he asked Alya, holding out a hand. As if I don't know, he thought with a wry grin. Man, he was getting good at this secret identity thing.

Alya nodded rapidly, shaking his hand. "I only have about a thousand questions," she answered with a matching grin. "What are you doing at Mira-Con? Is Ladybug here with you? Can I get an interview on your opinion on all the cosplayers and themed merchandise? What do you think about-"

"Alya!" Nino said with a laugh, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Give him some room to think!"

Chat grinned. "Like I said, I'm here because I was bored and figured it'd be fun. You'd be surprised at how many people will give you free stuff if you can prove you're the real Chat Noir," he added with a wink. Marinette rolled her eyes in the corner of his vision.

"Ladybug isn't here," he continued, ticking her questions off on his fingers. "And sure, I'd love an interview. Tonight, after the Con?"

Alya squealed, grabbing Nino's arm. "That's a yes," he translated.

Marinette cocked her head, eyes Chat curiously. "Are you here alone?"

Chat shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm used to it."

Marinette shook her head. "Yeah, no. Come on, you're enjoying the rest of the Con with us." She grabbed his arm determinedly, pulling him into step with her as she started walking. "We're going to see the wax statues and maybe stop at a few souvenir booths on the way," she explained, smiling up at him. "Is there anywhere you want to see while we're over here?"

Chat shook his head speechlessly. He'd seen Marinette's stubborn side a few times, especially when she was helping out another classmate like Mylene or Max, but this was one of the first he was on the receiving end of it. He had to admit, it felt… nice.

"Then come on!" Marinette pulled him along, chatting animatedly as she pointed out some of the different attractions she'd heard of. Chat followed with what he was pretty sure was a goofy grin, only glancing once over his shoulder as they made their way through the crowds. Alya and Nino were having a heated whisper argument, probably about Marinette's closeness with a superhero and what to do to wheedle that information out of her.

There was no way he was sticking around for that conversation.