Okay! In this chapter, Marinette's lovesick demeanor is worrying her friends! And when Alya decides to find out what's up...
There may be an easter egg in here - hope you can catch it!
Marinette's nightly trysts with Cat Noir continued upwards of about a week and a half. From the start, it didn't take long for Marinette to realize that Cat Noir was every bit the man she thought he was when they first met, and more. Polite, generous, patient with her clumsiness, kind, the list was a long and beautiful one.
On one such evening, they were sitting at the lake that he brought her to when they first met. They were sitting on the grass, looking at the water. Rather, Marinette was looking at the water while Cat Noir was looking at her, a dreamy expression on his face.
"It's so magical." Marinette said to him.
"It is," He agreed with a chuckle as he held Marinette in a side hug before looking back at the lake. "I've always seen the forest's beauty at night. Everyone else does, too. But for you to see it just... Means something more."
Marinette blushed, saying, "I guess that's because I'm here with you."
They laughed, before falling back into a comfortable silence.
Cat Noir's eyes looked around, a little nervous, for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. He turned to Marinette and asked her, "Marinette, have you... Told anyone?"
"No, I haven't said anything to anyone. My gut told me not to. Why?" Marinette responded.
Cat Noir breathed a sigh of relief before telling her, "Good. Listen, think you can keep this... Us... a secret?"
Marinette looked incensed for a second, but she realized it wasn't about her. She asked, "Is this to protect the Mother Tree?"
"Right. I'm concerned about mass panic if the public knew that our existence is real." He responded.
Marinette's face fell a bit. She had a pit in her stomach feeling. She hated liars and lying, but lying to Alya, her friends, her family made her feel very uncomfortable. On the other hand, Cat Noir's duty to the Mother Tree was the priority. He'd brought her into his home and told her things that no mortal should ever know. If he put that much faith in her...
Marinette gave a nod and responded, "I understand. If anyone asks, there is no us."
He looked at her, a sparkle of hope in his eyes. A soft voice, he asked, "You... You mean it?"
"Yes. You have a responsibility to protect the Mother Tree and keep it safe, Cat Noir. I want to help you." Marinette said, nodding.
"For real?" He asked, brightening.
"Yes. I promise that I won't tell anyone." Marinette promised to him.
He grew a relieved smile before throwing his arms around her and pulling her in for a tight squeeze. He kissed her cheek and said in a whisper, "Thank you."
Marinette gave a silent nod to him as they sat in quiet, and Marinette relaxed into his embrace.
Later that night, as became the routine, Cat Noir brought Marinette back to her cottage. But unlike most cases, instead of staying in the foliage while Marinette went back alone, Cat Noir got an idea.
Holding her hand, he walked to the ivy wall, and said, "Get on my back."
"What?" Marinette asked.
"I'll bring you up." He elaborated.
Marinette, blushing, climbed onto his back, her arms around his neck, and he began climbing the ivy.
Once they got to her balcony, he let Marinette down, and he hung on the railing.
"Had fun tonight?" He asked her, smiling with hope.
Marinette blushed before telling him, "Yes, as usual."
She held back a yawn, and Cat Noir chuckled, telling her, "Get some rest. Maybe you should catch up on your sleep, and we'll meet up earlier than usual tomorrow?"
"Probably a good idea," Marinette agreed, her voice sleepy. "I want to see you again, and soon."
Cat Noir took her hand into his own, and kissed the back of it, before reciting, "'Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.'"
Marinette giggled before saying, "That's Juliette's line, you know that?"
"Who cares? It fits this situation," He joked, before paraphrasing the play again, "'Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat your eyes, To twinkle in their sphere till they return. What if your eyes were there, they in your head?'"
Marinette blushed and squeezed her eyes shut, turning her face away, and saying in a playful manner, "Stop it, chaton!"
She wasn't looking at him, but he was looking at her with bedroom eyes and a suave smile.
He once again paraphrased, "'The brightness of your cheek would shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp. Your eye in heaven, Would, through the airy region, stream so bright, That birds would sing and think it not night.'"
He put his hand on her cheek before gently turning her face to look at him again. She opened her eyes and saw his impassioned, affectionate look.
He finished the lines, once again reciting/riffing on the scene, saying, "'See, how you lean your cheek upon your hand. O, that I were a glove upon your hand, That I might touch your cheek.'"
"You already are," She laughed before giving him a coquettish smile. "Anyway, you should be going. The King can't leave his realm for too long."
He chuckled in response before saying, "No, he can't."
He kissed Marinette's hand once more before climbing down, their hands still interlocked. When he was too far away, he let go, before telling her, "Sleep well, Marinette. See you tomorrow."
Marinette gave a nod as Cat Noir dropped to the ground before running back into the forest.
Seeing him leave just made Marinette want to climb down the ivy and chase after him. But she stopped herself, knowing she would see him again, and soon. She gave a sad smile before retreating into her room.
Her dreams consisted of her and Cat Noir together, as always, which led to her sleeping in the next morning - about an extra hour or two. While she dreamed about her debonair tomcat, there was a loud knock on the door.
The dream shattered, to Marinette's dismay, and she moaned in disappointment.
"Marinette? Are you okay?" Her mother asked from outside before opening the door.
Marinette groaned before sitting up in bed before and grumbling, "I'm fine. Having a great dream..."
"Sorry to interrupt it, honey, but your friends are here," Sabine spoke as she gave her daughter a patient smile. "Should I tell them to come back later?"
"No, no, I'm awake now," Marinette said as she climbed out of bed to get dressed. "Tell them I'll be down in a few minutes."
Sabine nodded before shutting the door.
Outside, Alya and the girls were waiting on Marinette. Since the girl in question wasn't around, Alya turned to the group.
"Tell me I'm not the only one who's noticed how strange Marinette's been acting lately?" Alya asked the girls.
"I think the question should be who hasn't noticed, Alya," Alix admitted. "She's been all over the place."
"Yeah. After Chloé picks on her, she runs into the woods, then comes out acting all jittery. The next day, she's spaced out the whole time, and the day after, she's happy as a clam, humming and sighing, but still spacing out." Zoé added.
"And Chloé's taunts have been going over her head, which isn't like her at all." Kagami agreed.
"She hasn't been coming to hang out with us at night lately, either." Rose added.
Juleka mumbled something, and Myléne said, "Yeah, Marinette's been in her own world, and it's weird."
"Something's different, and it all started when she came out of the forest the night of the festival," Alya stated, a sly smile coming upon her face. "And I have an idea of what it is. I bet she met a guy!"
The girls gasped.
"You think so?" Alix asked, a skeptical tone. "Who would be in the forest in the middle of the night?"
"Good question," Zoé agreed. "And what makes you think that she met a boy anyway, Alya?"
"I've been catching her staring at roses lately, and when she does, she goes off into fantasy-land. If that isn't a tell-tale sign of a woman who's in love, I don't know what is." Alya informed.
"That sounds about right!" Rose giggled.
"Oh, I cannot wait to get the details out of Marinette about who her secret lover is!" Alya said.
"Are you sure that's wise, Alya?" Kagami questioned. "Marinette wouldn't keep secrets from us unless there's a good reason."
Juleka mumbled again, and Alix responded, "Come on, Juleka! Of course Marinette trusts us! But still, her not telling us anything? Something's off."
"So, what are we waiting for? Shall we get to the bottom of the Mystery of Marinette's Mindset?!" Alya asked.
Everyone cheered.
A few seconds later, Marinette came out of the cottage and said, "Sorry about that, girls."
"No biggie, girl." Alya responded.
"That must've been some book, if you were up all night reading it." Alix said, playing along with Marinette's excuse.
"Believe me, I kept having visions dancing in my head," Marinette giggled as she started twirling around. "It's no wonder I slept late - but I'm glad mom woke me up, otherwise I would've missed this. It's a beautiful day, huh?"
The girls didn't react as they began walking through town. They came upon a jewelry stand, and Marinette's eye caught sight of a bright green teardrop pendant hanging off one of the displays.
She gasped in delight before running over to the stand. She saw how the pendant caught the light, causing the green stone to sparkle. Her eyes widened in delight as she saw how the Peridot glowed.
'Just like his eyes...' Marinette thought, swooning over Cat Noir. She heaved a sigh, watching the pendant subtly swing back and forth, watching the light as it as if she were looking into his orbs again.
Marinette saw a black onyx pendant on the stand, too. She thought of Cat Noir's suit, how it didn't leave much of his muscles to her imagination. The light flecks of white in the same stone made her think of the stars in the night sky, how she and Cat Noir first met under that sky.
"See?" Alya said, gesturing over to Marinette. The others were looking at the scene in confused discomfort, too.
After a few moments of silence, Kagami spoke up, "Marinette, we need you to tell us the truth. You met someone in the forest the night of the festival, didn't you?"
Marinette's haze broke and she froze up before turning to her friends. Tense, she asked, "What? Me, meet a guy? Whatever gave you that idea?"
"You've been acting like a lovesick woman for over a week, and as far as we know, nothing has happened to make you act like this." Alix commented.
"Yeah," Zoé agreed. "Marinette, if you met somebody, why haven't you told us?"
Marinette, red in the face, responded, "B-Because I... I... I'm sorry, I can't say anything!"
Marinette turned on her heel before running off, away from her friends. They all shouted her name.
'I'm sorry, girls, but I made a promise to Cat Noir!' Marinette thought, tears flowing from her eyes as she kept running.
Myléne's face fell to the ground before asking, "Why isn't she telling us anything? Aren't we her friends?"
The rest of the girls, barring Alya, looked sad. Rose and Juleka hugged, and the others were just visibly upset. Alya, for her part, looked determined.
"That's it! I'm talking to her one-on-one. Tonight!" Alya declared.
That evening, Marinette and her family went about their usual evening routine of dinner, cleaning up, and talking about how their day went. As promised, Marinette withheld information about her romance with the king of the forest guardians.
Once everything was done, Marinette was in her room, getting ready to sneak out at night. She was wearing practical clothes. She rearranged her pillows to look like she was sleeping, and put the candle out to make it dark.
"Okay..." Marinette whispered before making her way to the window doors.
Alya was walking towards the cottage, determined.
"I don't care what it takes, I'm getting the truth out of Marinette!" Alya hissed to herself. She heard the rustling of leaves, and her head snapped to where the noise was coming from.
Alya's eyes widened when she saw Marinette climbing down the ivy on the walls. Alya was about to call out to Marinette, but the pigtailed girl landed on the ground with a quiet thud before quickly looking around, and running off into the forest.
"What on Earth...?" Alya muttered before stealthily following after her best friend.
At the center of the forest, Cat Noir was pacing around, waiting for Marinette.
"Maybe I can do more than our usual walk with her..." He said to himself, excited to see Marinette again. "Maybe I'll have Viperion play some music for us in the background? Or I can ask Rooster Bold for help writing a poem for her?"
"Cat Noir!" Marinette called as she came out of the bushes and ran over to him. He opened his arms and she flew right in, letting him wrap his muscular arms around her. They sighed as they stayed there for a few seconds.
"This wasn't soon enough, Marinette." He murmured before kissing the crown of her hair. She giggled.
She pulled away before saying, "I couldn't agree more. Today had me a bit rattled."
"How so?" He asked as they locked arms and started walking along the lake. "Did that girl pick on you again?"
"No, but my friends are getting suspicious. They outright asked if I met someone." Marinette admitted.
"Wow, they're sharp." He chuckled.
"Alya especially," Marinette added. "I guess I'm too obvious."
They laughed.
"But knowing my friends, they're going to keep pestering me until they get an answer," Marinette confessed. "I'm not sure what to tell them."
Cat Noir gave Marinette a sad expression before telling her, "Well, telling them the truth isn't an option."
Marinette nodded in response before saying, "I know."
Cat Noir unwrapped his arm from Marinette's before giving her a side hug and a comforting smile.
"Don't worry about it for now. Let's just relax and enjoy our time together." He said to her. Marinette blushed while leaning in closer to him.
They came upon another tree that still had some stray flower petals on the branches. Cat Noir's night vision let him see the beautiful, pale pink petals on the tree, which reminded him of the dress that Marinette was wearing when they first met, and her cheeks when she was flattered.
"Hey, check this out." He said as he jumped onto the tree trunk and started climbing it. Marinette walked after him and walked under the branch he climbed onto. He laid on his stomach on the branch, and with a suave smile, started giving light taps on the smaller branches.
The few remaining flower petals danced around as they fell over Marinette, with one full bloom landing on her head, near her ear. She took it off her head, giggled and teased, "You silly tomcat."
From up in the tree, Cat Noir watched the petals fall over his human sweetheart, and he gave another smitten smile and sigh, his hand on his cheek as he watched her laugh.
"More like your silly tomcat, mon coeur." He said, his voice above a whisper.
"Huh?" Marinette asked, looking up at him. Cat Noir got off from his stomach, swung his legs over the branch, and jumped down in front of her.
He held his hand out, and Marinette put her hand in his. He curled his fingers around her hand, and he slowly got closer to her. She reciprocated this. Marinette gave him a coquettish smile, and he returned it with a matching, suave one.
"There's more I want to show you. Come on!" He chuckled as he started leading her to another part of the forest. Marinette laughed in response.
Elsewhere, Alya was on the move, looking around for Marinette.
"Come on, where is she?" She muttered to herself.
She pressed on, looking around for her bestie. The mystery was building up in her mind. All she knew was that Marinette had been acting like she was under some love spell and was being evasive. All of it tied back to the forest, the night of the festival. Why would Marinette hide anything from her?
Her thoughts broke when she stepped on a branch and it snapped with a loud crack.
"Who's there?!" A voice shouted. Alya stiffened as the bushes rustled.
Meanwhile, Cat Noir and Marinette made their way to another part of the woods. The trees were closer to each other, and the branches were intertwined to act like a bench, with the leaves as cushions.
"Wow, that looks like a great place to sit and watch nature!" Marinette said.
"My thoughts exactly, Marinette." He spoke to her as he gestured for her to climb on his back. Marinette complied, and he climbed the tree.
They sat on the branches, with the two of them cuddling up to each other. Like the night before, there were fireflies flying around, only this time there weren't as many. And under the cover of the dim moonlight, she saw that the leaves were beginning to change color.
"I can't believe autumn is starting to get under way," Marinette said. "The temperatures are beginning to drop, and the shades of the leaves are beginning to change, too. The transitions never get old."
"I know what you mean. I've seen this so many times, but I don't get bored of it either." Cat Noir agreed.
"Like, hundreds upon thousands of times?" Marinette asked, briefly recalling that Cat Noir was chronologically centuries older than her. It made her fell awkward for a second, but it soon passed.
"Yeah. I like to think that each change in the season is a palate cleanser for the senses," He responded. "Like how looking at barren trees get old after a while, and then once the leaves come back on, it's beautiful?"
"Absolutely! Speaking of palate-cleansing, all the autumnal flavors that we have - apples, pumpkin, spices, so many kinds of nuts - are delicious, but once spring and summertime come along, a nice tarté au citron with strawberries is definitely a welcome change." Marinette agreed.
"Sound yummy." He said.
"Maybe I should bake something for you and bring it by some time. There's no shortage of materials in the house, given my parents run a bakery." Marinette offered.
"I'd love that." Cat Noir agreed.
"Hey, maybe there are some leftover berries and fruits around that I can gather up." Marinette suggested.
"Sure," Cat Noir said. "And I can show you what's safe and not safe to eat."
"Thank you, I'd love that!" Marinette thanked as her eyes sparkled.
"Shall we get down, then?" He asked, leaning in and purring. Marinette, her face beet red, nodded.
He took her into his arms, carrying her like a princess, and jumped down from the tree. Like the cat he was, he gracefully landed on both feet. Marinette laughed as he put her down.
Marinette tried standing, but she'd been thrown off-balance by their sudden drop, so she stumbled.
"I've got you!" He said, catching her by the wrist and helping her stand upright, putting his free hand on her hip and pulling her closer. Her hands landed on his chest and she looked up at him.
Their eyes locked, and they gave each other smiles. They started leaning in to each other and their eyes began lidding...
"Shell-ter!"
A giant barrier with green hexagons appeared nearby about ten or so meters away. Cat Noir, on alert in a snap, turned around, his eyes narrowed and a scowl marring his face.
"What's going on?" Marinette asked as Cat Noir stepped away from her.
"Trouble." Cat Noir responded.
They started running towards the barrier, and as they got closer, they began hearing voices.
"Hey! Let me out!"
"No way, dudette! You're trespassing!"
Cat Noir and Marinette made it to the clearing, and they saw what was going on - Carapace, holding his shield up, had someone contained in his barrier, and the person was slamming their fists against it.
"What's up?" Cat Noir asked the turtle.
"Caught this little spy snooping around, dude. Didn't want her getting too close to the Mother Tree or interrupting your date." Carapace explained.
When Marinette looked at the intruder, her eyes blew wide.
"Alya?!" Marinette shouted, surprised to see her best friend. "What are you doing here?!"
Alya looked towards her, and in relief, she said, "Thank goodness, Marinette! Please, get me out!"
'Hold on, that's Marinette's friend!' Cat Noir thought, his eyes opening in recognition. He turned to his compatriot and ordered, "Let her go, Carapace."
"But Cat Noir -" Carapace protested.
"Let. Her. GO." Cat Noir repeated, leaving no room for argument.
Carapace paused, and then grumbled through grit teeth, "Shield down."
The barrier disappeared, and Alya ran forward to Marinette.
"Girl, I'm so glad you're okay!" Alya said, giving her a hug.
"Alya, seriously, what are you doing here?" Marinette asked.
"Checking in on you," Alya said. "I came by your house for a one-on-one interrogation, but then I saw you dash in here. So, I snuck in after you."
"Alya!" Marinette said in a scolding tone.
"Well, what did you expect? You weren't telling us anything, and you just ran off when we asked about a man," Alya said before eying Cat Noir with an amused smile. "And what do you know? I was right - you did meet someone! The fabled King of the Forest Guardians, no less!"
Marinette blushed, as did Cat Noir, who was rubbing the back of his neck, nervous.
"Um... I..." Marinette began, twiddling her fingers to try redirecting the conversation.
"So, the forest guardians do exist! This is unreal!" Alya began, boisterous and excited. "What a scoop! I can't wait to-"
"Alya, PLEASE! Don't say anything!" Marinette begged, her hands clasped in pleading and putting on the baby-doll eyes towards Alya.
"But Marinette, if the entire town knows that the guardians are real, then maybe-" Alya began, but Cat Noir stepped forward.
"Listen, Alya, you can't expose us," He said, his tone serious. "I know you have the best intentions, but we can't take any chances of this getting out. It was a huge risk for me, asking Marinette out and letting her in on our secret."
He took Marinette's hand in his own, and he looked at her with the same affection he garnered for her when they first met.
"I don't want to lose her. Not now, not ever," He confessed, his tone filled with worry. "If we don't keep this on the down low, there's no telling what could happen."
"No kidding, dude," Carapace agreed. "We can't predict the consequences if we're forced out in the open. Best case, the humans come together with us to create an understanding."
"And the worst case?" Alya asked.
"Let's not think about it," Cat Noir said, changing the subject. "I made Marinette promise me not to tell anyone anything about the Mother Tree."
"So it's true - the Mother Tree gets compromised, the rest of the forest, and thus the village suffers as a result." Alya surmised.
"Bingo." Carapace stated.
"Now, if you'll excuse us..." Cat Noir said as he pulled Marinette away from the scene.
Alya went to follow, but Carapace blocked her with his shield.
"Now where do you think you're going?" He asked, giving her the stink eye.
"Going to watch the cuteness go down!" Alya said, as if it were obvious.
"Not happening," Carapace said as he used his shield to force Alya backwards. "I'm keeping an eye on you, dude."
Alya and Carapace started having an angry stare-down match.
A safe distance away, Marinette and Cat Noir were picking any stray fruits that were left. Cat Noir jumped down from a tree, a bundle of pears and apples in his arms.
"Here they are!" He said as he dropped the fruits in a small grass basket.
Marinette had found a bunch of grasses and quickly weaved it together.
"I still can't believe how fast you whipped that up." He said, impressed.
Marinette gave a hum in response as she kept picking wild berries.
"...You okay?" He asked her. Marinette turned around and looked at him, feeling a bit conflicted.
"You can talk about it if you want to." He suggested, sitting down next to her.
Marinette heaved a sigh and turned to her feline beau, before telling him, "I'm surprised you're not mad at me."
"For what?" He asked, quirking a confused brow.
"Alya found out about us, and about the forest guardians," Marinette elaborated. "You should be upset with me."
"You didn't tell her anything," He reassured. "She found out on her own."
"Either way, someone knows because of me." Marinette sighed.
"But if what you've told me about Alya is true, then she'll keep our secret. She's loyal that way." Cat Noir said to her.
Marinette gave a nod before saying, "That's true. Alya's always had my back, no matter what. But like we established earlier, the fewer that know, the better."
Cat Noir turned his head to where they left Alya and Carapace, only to grow an uncomfortable expression. Marinette could hear faint shouting in the distance.
"What's up?" Marinette asked.
"Like Alya is to you, Carapace is my best friend. He's normally one of the chillest members of the group, but..." Cat Noir began.
The shouting got a little louder, with Marinette and Cat Noir hearing things like "trespassing" "protecting my best friend", amongst others. They even heard Carapace yell something about putting Alya back in a barrier, with her shooting back.
"He can also be the most protective of the Mother Tree out of all of us, and of me by extension. Anyone he cares about, really." Cat Noir grumbled, his ears flattening.
"Carapace is the Forest Guardian of Protection, so isn't that expected?" Marinette asked, an awkward expression on her face.
"I guess." Cat Noir tentatively agreed as the yelling got quieter.
Marinette gathered more berries and put them in the basket with the other tree fruits.
"I'll get some walnuts." He said before jumping up into another tree. Marinette giggled, understanding the discomfort of having their background audience.
Later on, Cat Noir escorted both Marinette to the edge of the forest near her cottage. Marinette was carrying the basket in both hands, with Cat Noir's hand on her shoulder.
This time, they were accompanied by Carapace, who was still giving dirty glares to Alya, who was not shy about reciprocating them tenfold.
"As usual, this was a wonderful evening, chaton." Marinette said, smiling while holding the basket of fruit in both of her hands.
"I'm glad, especially since it had a few surprises." Cat Noir agreed, rubbing the back of his neck, bashful as always.
Alya gave an annoyed huff and crossed her arms, meanwhile Carapace covered his mouth, stifling a teasing chuckle. Alya whipped her head to look at him and hissed, "Don't tempt me, Turtle Boy!"
Seeing she had some luggage, Cat Noir scooped Marinette up into his arms and used his strength and agility to get her up to her balcony. Cat Noir took Marinette's shoulders before kissing her forehead, causing her to blush.
"See you tomorrow night, chérie?" Cat Noir purred.
Marinette nodded, her face still apple red and a smile on her face.
Alya had a big fat "squee" expression on her face, as did Carapace, albeit in a stereotypically masculine way.
Cat Noir jumped down from the balcony and blew Marinette a kiss. She pretended to catch it and put it to her cheek.
"They're adorable together, aren't they?" Alya laughed.
"No kidding," Carapace chuckled in agreement. "I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."
"Same here about Marinette." Alya spoke.
The two of them paused and looked at each other awkwardly.
"Did we just agree?" Alya asked.
"I think so." Carapace responded.
The two of them glared at one another before giving out "humphs" and turning away.
Marinette walked into her room. Seeing she was safe inside, Cat Noir approached Carapace and Alya, a satisfied, affectionate look on his face.
He heaved a satisfied smile, before saying, "I'll be going back to my tree. Carapace, think you can bring Alya home?"
"I can walk home by myself just fine, thank you." Alya spat, crossing her arms.
"Good," Carapace said. "Just make sure you don't blab about the Forest Guardians to anyone."
"Relax. I'll keep my mouth shut for Marinette, so long as you don't put me in another shield, Turtle Boy!" Alya snipped back.
"You wily little..." Carapace growled.
"Enough," Cat Noir said, putting himself between the pair. "Carapace, let's get going."
"Okay." Carapace agreed as he followed Cat Noir back into the woods, annoyed.
Alya rolled her eyes before starting her trek back home for the night.
The following day, Alya and Marinette regrouped in the latter's home kitchen - Tom and Sabine were out making their rounds with the rest of their goods.
"I still can't believe you're baking for the King of the Forest Guardians, girl." Alya said, sitting at the bench, while Marinette herself was baking.
Marinette had brought Alya up to speed on everything. Suffice to say, Alya was shocked and surprised at the information.
"I know, Alya. It took me a while to reconcile the rumors with the man, but he's a sweetheart." Marinette agreed, while working on a tarté au pomme de noyers - an apple tart with a crisp, flaky pastry crust, filled with a walnut frangipane (almond cream using walnuts instead).
She'd finished rolling out the pastry crust (utilizing some ground walnuts in it) and using the rolling pin, she laid it into the tart pan.
"That explains why you were out of it the first few days after meeting him," Alya said. "And after last night, I understand why you didn't tell me anything."
"I made a promise, Alya." Marinette explained while trimming the crust edges.
"No worries, girl, but now you can count on me to help." Alya vowed.
"Thanks, Alya. I don't doubt that you will." Marinette thanked.
Alya laughed, but she glowered in annoyance, "His turtle friend, on the other hand..."
"Carapace was just doing his job, Alya, and he was looking out for Cat Noir the same way you look out for me." Marinette insisted as she poked holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork.
Alya, still irritated, huffed out some air and said, "Okay, no argument there. But changing the subject, how are you going to hide this stuff from your parents? Obviously wild-grown nuts and fruits are gonna taste different compared to the stuff they usually use."
"That's why I'm making two of them - one using our usual stuff for mom and dad, and the other one to give to Cat Noir," Marinette said as she mixed the different batches of walnut cream and put it in their respective tart crusts. "Hiding it in plain sight."
"Good thinking," Alya commented while Marinette started slicing the apples. "But speaking of hiding, I know I promised to keep your secret, but what about the girls? They're aware something's up."
"Yeah, good point," Marinette agreed while layering the apples in a pattern in the tart. "Brushing it off like nothing is only going to make them suspicious."
"I'll come up with something next time I see the girls." Alya promised.
"Thanks, Alya," Marinette thanked. "You always know how to help me out."
"And I always will help you out, girl," Alya assured. "Just keep me in the loop about the details between you and that tomcat of yours."
"I will, Alya." Marinette responded as she put the tart pans on the peel and put them in the oven.
After the tarts were out of the oven, Marinette put the tart for Cat Noir in a wicker basket with some blankets, and hid it in her room (making sure to wash the tart pan and put it away) while letting the other one sit out for her parents.
The girls walked out of the cottage.
"Marinette!" Someone called.
The girls looked up to see Zoé leading the rest of the girl squad.
"Hi, girls." Marinette said as she and Alya walked up to them.
"So Marinette, are you ready to spill about your secret lover?!" Rose asked, her eyes alight with joy.
Marinette blinked before laughing, which sounded natural, before saying, "What secret lover?"
"Come on, you're not fooling anyone, Marinette," Myléne said to her. "You're smitten, and it all started in the forest. Alya talked to you about it, so are you willing to talk?"
"There's nothing to talk about," Alya said. "Marinette only got spooked by the rumors when noises in the forest frightened her, and she thought she heard something and ran off."
"But what about her distracted behavior the day after?" Kagami questioned.
"You know me: I was constantly running worst-case scenarios in my mind about what I nearly encountered that night." Marinette lied.
"And the lovesick behavior?" Alix asked.
"That romance novel I was reading was such a page turner that I couldn't get my head out of it. And with my active imagination, I was already dreaming up stories about me and some handsome, rugged gentleman sweeping me off my feet. Guess I got a little too into it." Marinette laughed off.
The girls looked at each other and shrugged, deciding to let the matter alone. Zoé spoke up, "Okay, now that we've cleared that up, shall we go to the tavern?"
"Great idea! Mme. Césaire is cooking up some delicious meals utilizing the harvest goods!" Rose agreed.
"Yeah, let's go!" Marinette agreed as she and Alya walked at the back of the group, on their way to the tavern.
Marinette and Alya gave each other knowing looks and nods before pushing on with their friends.
For those who didn't notice, the Easter Egg I utilized was the scene where Thomas O'Malley and Duchess first meet in The Aristocats.
Coming up, Marinette and Cat Noir's relationship continues to grow, meanwhile Alya's helping her BFF keep the secret. On the subject of secrets...
Now, let's keep the comments and kudos coming, people. Positive reinforcement and all. The more, the better!
I've caught up on most of the episodes that have been released in English! But I'm a bit anxious about the finale, though. On another note, Bryce Papenbrook (Adrien's VA) is good at singing and scatting.
