Okay, here's the next chapter. I'm sure the beginning scene in here will look pretty familiar.
Marinette gets a surprise visitor!
That evening, Marinette was in her room, reading a book by candlelight. The whole day, she'd been thrown off-kilter, and people were noticing. She did her best to keep her mind off Cat Noir, but it was no use - she just couldn't reconcile the rumored King of the Forest and the man she met. She was constantly perseverating on him and their encounter.
The wind was blowing hard outside, and for a split-second, she thought she saw something out there. She groaned, resisting the urge to shut the curtain.
Marinette tried to bring her attention back to her book, but it was tricky, because yet again, her thoughts turned to blonde hair, green eyes, and muscles.
She shook her head before thinking, 'Calm down. CALM. DOWN! You'll never see him again because you'll never go into the woods after dark again! Time will pass, you'll forget about him, and you'll move on. No problem...'
Marinette kept reading her book, trying to focus on the pages' contents.
Outside the cottage, Cat Noir had tracked Marinette (he picked up her scent and followed it), and was hiding in the shadows of the nearby trees. He had some roses in his hand (the same ones from the night before), and he was taking deep breaths.
'Maybe doing this is too risky?' He thought to himself, only to shake his head to squish that doubt. 'No! No! You gotta go for it! Faint heart never won fair lady, remember?'
He tucked the rose stems in his belt, and turned to the cottage. He took a few more deep breaths.
Quieting his footsteps and using the shadows for cover, he made his way to stand underneath Marinette's balcony. He saw her in the dim candlelight in her room through the French double-door windows, and his heart soared.
'There she is...' He thought, his smile growing. 'The most beautiful girl I've seen in my eternity. I have to talk to her again.'
But how was he going to get her attention without scaring her again and causing a scene? He couldn't just climb up the balcony to her window and knock, even if that was the cut-and-dry way of doing it.
He saw a few pebbles on the ground.
Marinette kept reading her book, but she heard light pelting noises at her window. She stiffened in fear, looked at it for a second, but after few beats of quiet, nothing happened. She sighed in relief before going back to reading.
'Probably nothing, Marinette. Don't psych yourself out.' She told herself.
More pelting noises at the window. Getting annoyed, Marinette got up from her bed and went out the double door windows to her balcony. She looked around for the perpetrator. At first, all she saw were shadows, but she heard a whistle from below.
"Down here!" Cat Noir whisper-called, getting Marinette's attention. She looked down to see where he was standing. Her eyes bulged, and she had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from shrieking.
What the hell?! How'd he find her?! What did he want? Did he come by to punish her?
"Um... Hi. Beautiful evening, huh?" He asked, smiling at her to make her feel at ease.
"Yes, it is..." Marinette agreed, still surprised. But she shook her head before asking him, fearful and angry, "Hold on, what are you doing here?! How'd you find me, and why?!"
Cat Noir gave an awkward, embarrassed expression while rubbing the back of his neck and confessing, "I... Um... Scent tracking. Cat-like senses."
Marinette went beet red in the face, and she asked, "S-Seriously? You scent-tracked me all the way here?"
"I know, I know, it's creepy, I'm sorry!" He apologized, his face red under his mask as he approached the wall of the house. "But I wanted to see you again, honest."
"But why? I mean..." Marinette began, gobsmacked. "I intruded on your territory and..."
"That's what I'm here about." He said, stopping her in his tracks as he looked at her.
Marinette couldn't form any words in her mouth. Her anxiety was building, her heart was pounding in fear, and her brain was going blank. Taking her silence as consent, Cat Noir grabbed some of the climbing ivy and began climbing the wall to get up to her balcony.
She panicked at the sight, going to the window to shut it in his face, but he made it up there before she could.
"Please, just... Hear meow-t, please?" He asked, loosing a pun. She groaned and face-palmed at that.
Marinette thought it over, wondering what the forest deity of destruction wanted with her.
She looked at him and saw the pleading look on his face, and she faltered.
'I honestly thought last night was the end of it...' She thought.
Deciding to let him pitch his view, she took a deep breath and gave him a nod before asking, "Y... You're here to punish me for any transgressions from last night, right?"
"No," He said. "I came to apologize to you."
"What?" Marinette asked. "You, apologize to me? But-"
He put a hand up to stop her, causing her to flinch. The stories about Cat Noir were that he could destroy anything with a touch. One false move, he'd kill her on the spot.
Seeing he had her on edge, he lowered his hand out of sight. He cleared his throat, sighed, and he insisted, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"But you're the King of the Forest Guardians, right? I was in your area after sunset and I..." Marinette began, not sure what to say.
"You just needed a safe place to break down," He continued, his facial expression not changing. "Everyone needs that on occasion."
"But-" Marinette tried to protest, but Cat Noir put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
The sensation of his hand sent a jolt up her body, but it was replaced with an alleviated sensation. She looked at her shoulder, then up to him him and saw his smile. The same smile from the night before. The one that made her feel at ease, made her feel like royalty. Seeing this, her heart and instincts were telling her he meant no harm. Did she believe those instincts? That was another story, but she decided to keep an open mind.
She gave him a nod to let him continue his thoughts.
"Listen, I..." He began, trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry for scaring you last night."
She gawked at him, did a double-take, and she said, "Excuse me?"
"I didn't mean to scare you." He repeated.
She went silent, and she pinched herself. Wincing in pain, she hissed, and she said, "Okay, I'm not dreaming... That explains the hat and cape."
"Yeah, I know I have a rep," He confessed. "It's just... When I saw you crying, I wanted to comfort you, make you feel better."
Marinette gave a shy smile and she said, "...And it worked."
His smile grew and he said, "Really? It did?"
She nodded and said, "Yes. Thank you for that. Playing tag was so much fun."
He chuckled, relieved, before telling her, "I'm glad I could help. And..."
Took the flowers out from his belt and he presented them to her.
"I think you forgot these last night." He said to her. She gasped in delight as she took the blooms from his hands and smelled them.
"Thank you." She told him.
"You're welcome," Cat Noir said as reached his clawed hand out. Marinette still leery, glanced at his claw, prompting him to pull back. He rubbed the back of his neck. "So, um..."
"Yes?" Marinette asked, turning her blue eyes on him. His heart pounded.
Swallowing a lump in his throat, he asked, "Will you... Come back tomorrow?"
"Huh?" Marinette questioned, blushing. "Tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I want to see you tomorrow night," He explained, confidence building. "We can sit in the trees and watch the stars and moon. Play another game of tag, pick berries and tree fruits. Take another walk around the forest. So... What do you say?"
His eyes became lidded, his smile was suave, and he had his hands behind his back. Inside, he was trembling with anxiety, hoping she would accept.
Mentally putting the cape and hat back on him, Marinette saw the same considerate, kind, playful man she met the night before. The one who listened to her, gave her roses, let her see the forest's evening beauty, and got her laughing with a game of tag. And he came to find her to make amends and clear up any misunderstandings between them. He was the first man to show romantic interest in her, too. Looking into his eyes, her heart began pounding and she started feeling warm from the inside-out.
She returned his smile, and fingering the petals on her flowers, she answered, "I'd love to."
He gave a light chortle before saying, "That's great!"
He took her free hand and gave it a soft, joyful kiss, causing Marinette to hold back a gasp.
He stepped away from her and made to leave. He gave her a look that combined relief and affection.
"Bonne nuit, Marinette. I'll see you tomorrow night." He said before jumping the railing and landing on the ground below on both feet. He looked up once more, gave her a smile, and ran off into the woods.
Marinette looked at the flowers in her hands, sighed in content, and she giggled.
"I can't wait for tomorrow night." She said before going inside her room.
When Cat Noir got closer to his usual tree, he was giddy with satisfaction. Understandably, Marinette was shocked and surprised to see him at her house. According to legend, the forest guardians never came out of the woods. For once, luck seemed to be smiling upon him, because despite his worries, Marinette was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Seeing her, with her beautiful blue eyes and inky hair, made his heart soar and get stuck in his throat. He was surprised he was able to talk to her without embarrassing himself. He thought about that earlier pun and chuckled at himself, embarrassed at his crush's reaction.
'I'm so excited!' He thought, looking forward to seeing her smiling again. He was already imagining how it was going to go, and he liked what his mind was conjuring up.
"Cat Noir!" Someone shouted from behind.
He screamed and turned around, readying his hand, only to see Carapace standing there, his hands up in surrender.
"Oh, Carapace it's only you," Cat Noir sighed, relieved as his back slumped. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that."
"Sorry, dude, but I was worried," Carapace told him. "You were taking a while."
"My bad," Cat Noir admitted. "I got a bit carried away."
"So, how did it go?" Carapace asked.
Cat Noir heaved a lovesick sigh before looking up at the sky with a grin, and he confessed, "It was something out of a book."
"You talked to her? Cleared things up?" Carapace asked, smiling.
"And then some," Cat Noir chuckled. "She's coming back tomorrow."
"Nice!" Carapace said, and the two of them shared a high-five. "So, I guess I should let the others know that you've got a date and we should give you some privacy?"
"I'd like that." Cat Noir said, smiling. He looked up at the moon and saw Marinette's smile in it. He heaved a sigh.
Marinette slept like a rock, and the next day, she was refreshed and feeling better. She put one of the flowers behind her ear. Her parents noticed her change in attitude, but they didn't question it. They were just relieved that Marinette was back to her perky self.
Out in the market, Marinette was running errands and deliveries again, while sighing, humming, and twirling.
She'd just finished dropping off some breads to Alim Kubdel (Alix's dad) and was now walking towards the next customer. Like the day before, blonde hair, green eyes, and black clothing occupied her thoughts, but this time they were happy thoughts.
'I don't know why I'm so excited to see him again, but I don't care! Nothing or no one can get me down!' Marinette thought, delighted.
"Well, well, well. Look who had the audacity to show her face in the market again." A familiar, snide voice snarked.
Chloé again. This time, with her red-haired, bespectacled lackey, Sabrina.
But Marinette was too occupied by her late-night visitor to pay much attention. She kept humming and walking between the stalls.
'I wonder what Cat Noir and I will do tonight? Maybe we'll play flower tag again? That would be so much fun!' Marinette thought, smiling and giggling as she thought of the blonde guardian.
"I mean, really, don't you have enough self-respect to know where you're not wanted?" Chloé asked, her confident, cruel smile still on her face.
Again, no reaction from Marinette. In fact, her joy was making her act like she was in her own bubble. It wasn't going to pop any time soon.
"You're nothing special if you can't even-" Chloé began.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Chloé, but I don't think she's listening." Sabrina stated, pointing out that Marinette was off in dream land.
"Um, hello?! How dare you ignore me!" Chloé spat at Marinette, angry.
Like before, Marinette didn't react, her mental "bubble" impenetrable.
"Here's your baguettes!" Marinette said as she gave the florist the baguettes they ordered.
"Thank you, Marinette!" The florist said before presenting her with some flowers. "Here, for your family!"
"Thank you!" Marinette said as she put the flowers in her basket before twirling and skipping on her way, humming along with delight.
Chloé gawked before roaring in frustration at Marinette's non-reaction to her.
Marinette looked at the flowers, and saw that some of them were yellow, and the way they seemed to shine in the sun reminded her of Cat Noir's blonde hair and bright smile. She giggled as she kept skipping along.
That evening, Marinette had finished dinner with her family, and was now in her room. She'd avoided lighting her candle, and she opened the curtains to her balcony window before walking out to it. She'd remembered how Cat Noir climbed the ivy to get up to her balcony, so she grabbed the vines before slowly climbing down herself.
Once safely on the ground, she looked back up to her house before tiptoeing into the woods. Once she was a safe distance away, she broke into a jog.
"Okay, last time I was in here, I was just running blind, so..." Marinette began as she slowed down her stride. She started looking around at the forest, which was once again bathed in darkness. Any moonlight was diffused by cloud cover, giving the area a softer, moonlight glow.
She took her time, walking through the forest and admiring nature at night, smiling and letting nature's scents waft around her, comforting her. She kept walking, feeling at peace.
The clouds parted, and the full moon was glowing again. The moonbeams were directed towards the center of the forest. One of the trees was taller than the rest, and the moon was acting like a spotlight on that tree.
"That's gotta be it!" Marinette said as she started running after the light, as if it were a beacon calling for her to come closer.
At the Mother Tree, Cat Noir was standing under it, anxiously pacing around and muttering to himself.
"She's late..." He murmured as he kept pacing. "Maybe she's not going to come because she's still afraid of me? Or maybe she was put off by the way I kissed her hand?"
But remembering her smile from when she promised to come, he took a deep breath to calm himself down.
His ears and nose twitched, and he looked towards the pathway that led to the tree. Out of the shadows came Marinette. He brightened, his posture straightening, his smile growing, and his eyes alight.
"Marinette! You made it!" He said as he jogged over to her and took her hands. She didn't object to his touch, and she smiled.
"Sorry I'm late," Marinette said. "I tend to do that a lot. Also, I was having trouble finding the Mother Tree. All I did was follow the moonlight."
He chuckled before saying, "Better late than never. So, shall we?"
"Let's." Marinette agreed with a nod.
Cat Noir, still holding Marinette's hand, started escorting her to another path in the area.
They walked through the woods, the moon's light gave their surroundings an ethereal glow. It was highlighting the two of them in particular, giving the feel that they were in their own bubble.
They were quiet, with Marinette's eyes flitting back to her partner every few seconds. Now that she'd spoken to him again, she felt more comfortable around him. She saw a bunch of wild lavender in the ground up ahead.
"Hey, check it out!" She said as she pointed the shrub out.
She ran over to them, knelt down, and started gathering some of them in her hands. Cat Noir chuckled as he watched her grab as much lavender as she could. Once her arms were full, she stood up in delight.
"That's a lot of lavender, Marinette." Cat Noir said, approaching her with a laugh.
"I guess I got excited. But this will be great for a lavender-scented bath!" Marinette laughed.
"I know what you mean. Lavender's a great scent to bathe with! I do it all the time." Cat Noir agreed.
But at that, Marinette's face went red as an apple as she imagined Cat Noir lounging in a small body of water, his arms spread out, his body naked and visible from the torso up. Her imagination began running wild again, and she could swear in her fantasy, he was giving her a suave, confident smirk, winked at her with a click of his tongue, and was giving her a "come here" motion with his finger.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked, and Marinette snapped out of it.
"Oh, sorry, just... Um, excited to try this lavender out! I hear it's great for more than just smelling good." Marinette said, trying to recover.
"It is," Cat Noir confirmed with a nod. "It's so therapeutic, and great for sleep and muscle relaxation. Anxiety and stress relief, too."
Marinette smiled, and they both blushed.
Small, yellow lights started floating around the two of them. She gave a light, quiet, slow gasp in joy as she saw what they were: fireflies.
"Wow..." She said, awestruck. Her eyes alight and her smile wide, she watched the bioluminescent insects.
Seeing her view the forest the way she did made Cat Noir's smile stick to his face. It didn't hurt that the insects' appearance and lighting changed the overall mood. He felt his heart pound and his cheeks were still warm.
The fireflies swirled around them before flying down the path.
"Aw, too bad..." Marinette said, watching the insects leave.
"Don't worry, I know where they're going," Cat Noir said as he came up next to Marinette. He gave a "Let's go!" gesture with his hand before telling her, "Follow me!"
He took off running. Marinette, giggling, ran after him, being sure not to drop her lavender.
'It's like our tag game the other night.' Marinette thought, letting the memory comfort her.
Following Cat Noir, they came upon a clearing on a hill.
"Ta-da!" Cat Noir said, presenting the scene that overlooked more of the forest.
The fireflies were floating around aimlessly, their lights twinkling, and that combined with the stars' sparkles and the moon's glow above made for a light show that, while dazzling, wasn't blinding or overstimulating to the eye.
As the lights bathed the treetops, Marinette looked at the scene like she'd seen an enrapturing stage performance. She couldn't tear her eyes away from it.
"This is so beautiful..." Marinette murmured.
"You are..." Cat Noir murmured, his voice absent as he was staring at Marinette.
"Huh?" Marinette asked as she turned to face him, wondering if she misheard him.
Cat Noir, realizing what he said, blushed under his mask before coughing into his fist and saying, "Y-Yeah, this is beautiful. I'm glad you see what I see."
Marinette went pink in the face with a smile. Cat Noir walked over to her, took her hands into his own, and lead her to a tree stump nearby. They sat down and looked up at the moon. Cat Noir's hand was on top of hers.
Marinette kept casting furtive glances at Cat Noir every few seconds. She pulled her hand out from under his, scooted closer to him, and tentatively reached her hand to his arm. He saw what she was doing, took her hand into his own, and pulled it up for a kiss before looking at her again. She blushed and giggled before smiling and getting closer.
Cat Noir chuckled. He looked behind him and saw another tree, this one with apples in it. Getting an idea, he looked down at Marinette.
"You know, this is a nice view..." He said before leaning down to make eye contact with her. He gave her bedroom eyes. "But I can get us to a better vantage point?"
"Really?!" Marinette asked.
He gave a confirming nod.
"Totally... A nicer view would be great." Marinette confirmed, her face getting beet red as she kept looking at Cat Noir's sparkling, green eyes.
"Then hang on tight, Marinette." He said as he stood up, and scooped Marinette up into his arms. She squealed in a playful manner before wrapping her arms around his neck.
He chuckled in response before using his agility to climb the tree behind him. He brought them to the strongest, thickest branch, and they sat down, with Cat Noir holding Marinette by the shoulder to keep her from falling. He used his other hand to pick an apple from above his head.
Marinette's eyes widened in wonder as she saw the landscape from their new angle.
"Wow, it's even better up here!" Marinette cried, delighted. Cat Noir smiled as he started looking at the scene, too.
"It is." Cat Noir agreed, pulling her in closer. He put the apple in Marinette's hand before using his claw to cut it in half. She smiled before taking one of the apple halves and began eating it. Cat Noir chuckled before doing the same with the other half.
A firefly flew around them, and one might argue its light drew a heart-shaped outline around the pair.
After finishing their snack, they sat in the tree in quiet, until the fireflies flew away. Cat Noir carried Marinette in his arms as he got them down from the tree.
He put her down before hooking her arm around his. They began walking through the woods again, neither one able to look the other in the eyes.
The silence, albeit peaceful, was a little awkward. Marinette wasn't sure what to say or do to move things along. It was her first time on a date, period, never mind on a date with the King of the Forest. Sure, she was having a great time, but she still had a lot of unanswered questions about her companion.
"So... Um..." Marinette began, trying to find something to say. "Y... You're the King of the Forest, right? So, um..."
She mentally began beating herself up, but all she heard was laughter.
"This, we've established. But I guess you've got a lot of questions," He said to her. Marinette gave a meek nod. "Ask away."
"Well... Where do I start?" Marinette began, not sure which question to ask first.
Cat Noir, patient, looked Marinette over with a smile on his face. Even when bashful and unable to ask a question, she was beautiful.
'What a cutie.' He thought, his heart pounding.
"So... The Mother Tree... You protect it?" Marinette asked.
"Right, but it's not just me. The rest of the team and I work together to protect it," He began. "Taking shifts, patrolling the woods, guarding the tree, reporting any unusual activity, the whole bit."
"Sounds like a lot of work," Marinette said. "I know the rumors, but is it true that each one of you has a specific power?"
"Yep. Me being the king, my power's the strongest of our group. In my case, it's destruction," He said before taking his hand away from Marinette and lifting it up. "The rumors about my capacity to destroy anything I touch does have truth to it. But the thing is, I have to call for the power to activate it."
"So you wouldn't use it on anyone?" Marinette asked, warily looking at his ring (right) hand.
Cat Noir could hear the underlying question: would he use his power on her?
"Hell no! I know how dangerous my power is, so it's never on a person, no matter how mad I get." He said to her, waving his hand in surrender.
"That's good," She said, sighing in relief. "The ability to destroy anything with a touch? I'm sure that comes in handy sometimes."
"It does," He said, but his ears flattened. "But I can understand why you were afraid at first. If I'm not careful, I could hurt someone."
Marinette gave a nod before he took her hand again. He lifted it up and gave it a kiss on the back. She once again went pink.
"And... What about the others?" Marinette asked.
"The others have their own powers and we each have our own roles within the team," He responded before looking forward to watch the moon. "Luckily, thanks to the legends and rumors, we haven't had a situation that called for all hands on deck in centuries."
At "centuries", Marinette looked at him in shock before parroting, "Centuries?"
Cat Noir looked at her and saw the uncomfortable, awkward look on her face. He rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous tick before saying, "Y-Yeah, centuries."
"So that means you're older than me by... quite a bit." Marinette concluded.
"Chronologically, yes. Biologically, no," He admitted. "The oldest member of our group is only about twenty to twenty-one."
"Say what?" Marinette asked. "So you're only about my age in biologic terms?"
"Nineteen human years." He confirmed.
"Oh," Marinette said in understanding. "Back to the rumors...?"
"Right," He spoke. "Which ones?"
"All of them. Starting with why it's dangerous to come in here after dark?" Marinette said.
"Aside from the obvious, common sense safety reasons?" Cat Noir started. "Well, we fed the rumor mills because we wanted to make people so scared that they wouldn't dare come in here at night, unless it was an emergency. The fewer people that come by the Mother Tree, the better."
"The Mother Tree is sacred for a reason, right?" Marinette asked as they kept walking.
"Right - It was the first tree that grew in this forest. It's the oldest and the tallest tree here, and all the roots and underground fungal networks connect the rest of the trees to it. The Mother Tree can direct nutrients to the other trees, be it its own saplings or neighbors. It's the source of the forest's life." Cat Noir explained.
"That's why you take defending it so seriously?" Marinette questioned.
"Bingo - if the Mother Tree is cut down, the rest of the forest will die, too. Animals will lose their homes, the entire area turns arid and infertile, air becomes unsafe to breathe, and the heat becomes unbearable." He explained.
"But what about the myths about you guardians attacking and/or hurting people who go into the woods at night?" Marinette questioned. "Is that only to defend the tree when someone openly threatens it?"
"Yep. We're good with people coming in to gather resources, so long as they don't take too much and avoid the Mother Tree." He added.
"But I was sitting right underneath it, so..." Marinette began.
"We all saw how upset you were. You didn't mean any harm. We looked before we leapt, if you will." He explained.
"Oh." Marinette stated.
"We're pretty careful not to attack until we know what's going on. People who get lost, flower picking, whatever - as long as the Mother Tree isn't put at risk, we just mind our own business. And we definitely show gratitude to people who try to help, whether they're planting more trees, cleaning up after themselves, preventing domesticated animals from running amok around here." He told her.
"Okay," Marinette began, nodding. "But I have to ask: our village's harvest festival - do you guys even appreciate the offerings or is it just annoying to you?"
Cat Noir laughed before saying, "Of course we appreciate it - it shows you guys still respect the forest and the rumors. And we honestly don't care how much or how little you offer - we know Mother Nature can be unpredictable."
Marinette smiled and blushed before Cat Noir took his arm and pulled her in for a side hug. Marinette leaned her head against him.
Once they were done for the night, Cat Noir escorted Marinette back to the edge of the forest, near her cottage. She had her lavender bundle in her hands.
"I had fun tonight, Cat Noir," She said, turning around to him. "Thank you for such a great time."
"I had fun too." Cat Noir responded, blushing.
"Well, this is my home..." Marinette said, looking over to the cottage. "I'll be going..."
Cat Noir nodded, red in the face. Neither one wanted to make a move, as neither one of them wanted to leave. Marinette resisted the need to heave a frustrated sigh before turning around to begin leaving.
As she took a step away, she hadn't realized Cat Noir was watching her, feeling his heart ache with every step she took.
'Too bad... I was hoping he'd ask me to come again...' Marinette thought, disappointed.
'No... I don't want this to be the end of it.' Cat Noir thought, wondering if Marinette was thinking the same thing.
Gathering courage, he spoke in an abrupt manner, "Maybe we can do this again some time?"
Marinette, her face turning red, turned around to face him once more. Smiling and without missing a beat, she responded, "Yes. I'd love to."
Cat Noir's smile grew and he said, "Great! So, I'll... Come by again?"
Marinette gave her answer by coming back to him. She stepped on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, telling him, "Yes. How about tomorrow night?"
His face burned like someone lit a match on his cheeks as she got back down.
"D... Definitely." He said, holding his kissed cheek in delight.
"Bye." She said as she turned around before walking home.
"Bye for now..." He spoke, breathless. He waited until Marinette climbed the ivy and went back into her room. He heaved a love-addled sigh, content, before turning on his heel and walking back into the woods.
Inside, Marinette drew herself a bath and put some of the lavender petals in it. The scent was soothing, and she felt the tension in her muscles melt away. She started getting drowsy after about ten minutes, she came out of the bath, changed into her night clothes, and climbed into bed. She let out a yawn before nuzzling her face into her pillow.
The memories of the evening, still fresh in her mind, replayed themselves as her blanket mimicked the feeling of Cat Noir's strong, tender arms around her. The combining sensations lulled her to sleep.
The following morning, Marinette was as perky as ever, her dreams about Cat Noir having been a welcome guest. She was dabbling around the house, smiling and humming, while helping her parents make their breakfast.
"Marinette, you've certainly cheered up," Tom laughed as Marinette ate with enthusiasm. "I'm relieved."
"I am, too," Sabine agreed. "You look a lot happier now."
Marinette said, "Yeah."
"I guess you got over what Chloé said pretty quickly." Tom suggested.
Marinette blinked. She'd been so excited and preoccupied by her date with Cat Noir that Chloé's words were the furthest thing from her mind.
"I... Completely forgot about that, honestly." Marinette confessed, embarrassed.
"Really?" Sabine questioned, surprised and delighted.
"Y-Yeah, though I wonder why...?" Marinette spoke, unwilling to give out details.
"I'm just glad you're feeling better, either way." Tom told her.
Sabine nodded in agreement.
Marinette just smiled in delight before turning back to her breakfast.
Once she was done eating, she helped clean up before stepping outside the cottage. Seeing nature at its finest in the early hours of the morning, Marinette took a deep breath and looked around at her surroundings with wide, happy eyes.
She saw a pair of small European goldfinches sitting in a tree, cuddling up next to each other. Remembering the night before, sitting in a tree with Cat Noir, watching the stars and fireflies, eating fruit... She couldn't stop a smile from growing.
"Morning, Marinette!" A voice said, and Marinette turned to the source to see Alya jogging up to her.
"Hey, Alya!" Marinette greeted back, smiling.
"So glad I caught you," Alya said. "The girls and I talked, and we think you should come out with us tonight to vent."
"Huh? Vent? About what?" Marinette asked, genuine confusion.
"Girl, don't you remember what Chloé said and did to you?! And you've been out of it for the past few days," Alya said, annoyed at Marinette's incomprehension. "You need to let off steam in a healthy way, so you're coming with us to the tavern tonight to talk!"
Remembering she promised to meet with Cat Noir that evening, Marinette began, "I... I can't, I'm sorry."
"What?" Alya asked. "Why?"
"I thought I'd catch up on reading some of the books I have," Marinette lied. "Besides, I've already forgotten about Chloé's antics."
"You actually forgot?" Alya deadpanned. "Are you serious?"
"Y-Yeah," Marinette said. "I mean... Isn't reading a great book a good escape?"
"I guess." Alya agreed, hands on her hips.
"Marinette!" Tom called as he came out with a basket. "We need you to deliver breads to the Hapréles!"
"Got it, dad!" Marinette said as she took the basket. She turned to Alya and said, "Sorry, Alya. Let's take a rain check on the tavern, 'kay?!"
"Well, okay..." Alya began as Marinette dashed off while her dad went back inside the house.
While Marinette was running to Myléne's home, she thought, 'I can't tell Alya about my date with Cat Noir! Knowing her, she'll want all the details and then she'll spread it around to everyone unless I swear her to secrecy!'
Watching her best friend leave, Alya crossed her arms and said aloud, "Yep. Something fishy's going on."
In the next chapter, Marinette's newfound love is making her happy, but it's gotten palpable to everyone else! So palpable that Alya decides to investigate...
