There's a rumor about magical animal humanoids living in the forest nearby. All are warned to never go in the woods after dark, for fear of upsetting the creatures and getting hurt.
But when Marinette gets humiliated at a festival at the hands of Lord Bourgeois' daughter, Chloé, she runs into the woods to get some time alone. Is she asking for death?
Never go into the forest after dark. It's said that there are magical, animal humanoids living in there that guard the forest day and night. The central tree is to be avoided and revered at all times.
Never anger the guardians of the forest, for you may never make it back the way you came.
In a large forest in the wooded/mountain area of France, night had fallen. A harsh wind started blowing, rustling the leaves.
Outside the tree line, there was a small village, and there seemed to be a festival of some sort going on. There were candles, lanterns, and many forms of light in the village. Decorations everywhere, and stalls filled with food, crafts, and services, and people coming and going through the square.
At one stall in the festival was a girl with bright blue eyes, bluish-black hair in pigtails, wearing a pink dress and a bandana over her head. She was setting up some breads and pastries on the display stands.
"This is going to be a great festival," She said as she finished the final adjustments on the stand. "Mom, dad, I'm done!"
"That's great, honey!" Her dad, a taller, buffer man with sideburns, a mustache, and green eyes said. His wife, a smaller woman with short, black hair, and grey eyes, was taking stock of what they had.
"Marinette!" A girl with tan skin, hazel eyes behind glasses, and dark red, wavy hair, called as she ran up to the stand. She was wearing an orange dress.
"Alya, hi!" Marinette said with a smile.
"This festival is incredible! And as usual, your parents' goods are looking delicious," Alya said. "The rest of the girls and I are wondering if you wanna enjoy the festival with us!"
"Oh, I-" Marinette began, smiling, only to look at the stall. "I wonder..."
"Marinette, don't worry," Her mom said to her. "Tom and I have it handled here."
"Okay!" Marinette laughed as she and Alya left the stall.
They were looking around at all the vendors, decorations, and festival-goers.
"I think this is the busiest harvest festival we've had yet," Marinette said as she saw some people at a woodwork stand, looking at the wood pieces that were on sale. "Certainly busier than last year."
"Especially since last year's harvest wasn't as bountiful," Alya added. "I was worried we would've had to go without the annual offering to the forest guardians."
"I still don't see how offering a portion of our harvest to the forest guardians keeps us on their good side, assuming they exist." Marinette confessed.
"Life's all about take and give, so we have to give just as much as we take from the forest. Besides, we only take what we need, and try to repair whatever harm we do." Alya explained.
"If the forest guardians are real, then I'm sure they appreciate us trying to keep our impact to a minimum," Marinette added. She saw a group up ahead. "Hey, girls!"
There were six more girls in a group, and they all had some items from the festival.
"Marinette!" A blue-eyed girl wearing pink with blonde hair in a pixie cut said as she waved them over.
Alya and Marinette approached them, and they were all smiles.
"Rose, Juleka, Alix, Myléne, Kagami, Zoé!" Marinette greeted.
"Awesome festival, isn't it?" Alix, a shorter, pink-haired girl said.
"Sure is!" Marinette giggled. "Great weather, great vendors, nothing can be better!"
She did a spin in delight, getting the group to laugh.
Marinette saw something out of her peripheral vision and said, "Hey, looks like André's stand is selling ice cream! I'm going to get a cone, okay?"
Marinette started to jog to the stand, only to trip and fall onto the ground below.
She heard snide, haughty laughter from above, and a shadow was cast over her. Marinette looked up and saw another blue-eyed girl with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing an ornate, yellow dress. She was holding a cone.
"Chloé." Marinette greeted in a flat tone.
Chloé just laughed before saying, "Pathetic! You couldn't even come with someone?"
"I'm with my friends." Marinette responded.
"Oh, please, you know that's not what I meant," Chloé snipped, letting the ice cream drip onto Marinette's dress, which was already dusty from the ground. "The fact that you don't even have a man on your arm is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
"My name's kettle. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, pot." Marinette grumbled.
"Stop it, Chloé!" Alya barked. "Don't you have any respect?!"
"Who needs respect when you have money?" Chloé laughed. "Especially since poor, pathetic Marinette will never have the money I do and will forever be a spinster!"
"I don't see any men falling at your feet, Chloé," Kagami spat, crossing her arms. "Now, I expect you apologize to Marinette. You owe her that much."
Chloé snorted before dropping her ice cream on Marinette.
"Oops, sorry about that." She said in a sarcastic, cruel tone before kicking the dirt on the ground and hitting Marinette with the soil.
"Hey!" Marinette shouted. "That hurts!"
Chloé started laughing in a maniacal, haughty tone. A crowd of onlookers was forming, and they were beginning to whisper to each other.
"No money, no man. I'll bet even those nonexistent forest guardians wouldn't look twice at you!" Chloé snarked.
Marinette felt her heart still and her stomach drop in dismay. She stood up before taking a deep breath and walking towards her friends.
'Stay calm. Don't give her any ammo.' Marinette thought.
But Chloé pushed Marinette down on the ground again, and this time she took a manicured fingernail and ripped part of her dress.
"Hey!" Marinette shouted as she stood back up. "I worked hard on this dress! But then again, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"Yeah! Marinette's a better person than you'll ever be, Chloé!" Alya roared, getting in Chloé's face. "What part of that do you not understand?! Honestly, how are you and Zoé half-sisters?!"
Chloé kept laughing before saying, "Need I remind you who you're talking to? The Lord's daughter. You should know better than to-"
A wooden sword met her throat, and Kagami was glaring her down.
"I'm of higher rank than you, and I have more authority. I order you to apologize to Marinette, and I expect you to be sincere about it, c*nt." Kagami growled.
"Apologize to her? When the forest guardians decide to take her as a sacrifice! But since those are just utterly ridiculous myths, that will never happen." Chloé spat back, but it was obvious she was scared by Kagami's order.
Marinette just turned around and began walking away. The idea of not being married at her age was always an issue at the back of her mind, but for Chloé to point it out...
"Marinette, are you okay?" Myléne questioned, noticing Marinette wasn't responding.
"I..." Marinette started, but she kept walking. Once she was a far enough distance away, she took off running, about to cry.
"Marinette!" Myléne shouted.
The rest of the girls saw Marinette was running away. Alya glared Chloé down before shoving the blonde away.
"You're insufferable, you know that? You'll never change!" Alya growled, a dark tone. "Marinette, wait up!"
Ignoring her friends, Marinette kept running, her tears blurring her vision. She was running to her parents' stall.
"Marinette, what's-" Tom asked, but Marinette just ran past the stall.
She kept running, and she didn't notice that she was on her way to the tree line of the forest, which was located on the other side of the village, near her family's cottage.
She heard her friends coming after her, but she tuned them out.
"Marinette, stop!" Alya called.
"Just leave me alone!" Marinette cried back as she ran into the forest, still not aware of where she was going.
Alya, instead of listening to her, made to chase after Marinette, only for Myléne to pull her back by the arm.
"Alya, don't!" Myléne cried. "What about the forest guardians?! We go in there, we're done for!"
"Tell that to Marinette!" Alya protested. "We gotta go in there to protect her from the forest guardians!"
"But how do we know they're malevolent?" Rose questioned. "Their existence is only in rumors."
"And you heard Marinette. She wants to be alone." Zoé added.
"Rumor or no rumor, I'm going in there and getting her out!" Alya stated before dashing in after her bestie.
"Alya!" The girls called as Alya ran out of sight in the forest.
Near the center of the forest was the largest, French oak tree of them all. It was glowing in the moonlight, big and bulbous with its leaves
Up in another, smaller tree in the forest, about halfway between the main tree and the tree line, was a man around Marinette's age. He was wearing skin-tight black clothing, including boots, gloves with claws, and he had ears on his head of blonde hair. He had a black mask that covered most of the upper half of his face, and ended at a point on his nose, and this mask framed his green, cat-like eyes.
He was lying on the branch of tree, looking up at the stars and moon in peace, and he breathed the fresh air of the woods.
"Hey dude!" A voice called from below him.
He looked down and saw a man with tan skin and hazel eyes behind goggles, wearing a green suit with a hood, and large turtle shell on his back.
"Carapace," The cat boy said as he jumped down from the tree and landed next to him. "So, all's quiet in the forest tonight?"
"As usual, Cat Noir. And the humans are doing their annual harvest festival, too." Carapace said.
"Nice to hear." Cat Noir agreed as he and Carapace did a fist bump.
"Cat Noir!" Pegasus shouted as he ran up to them.
He was a man with black skin tone, pale blonde dreadlocks in a ponytail, wearing black glasses, and a mostly-brown uniform. His shoes had wings on them and he had horseshoes on his back.
"Pegasus?" Cat Noir asked.
"We've got a problem! We have an intruder!" Pegasus reported.
"An intruder?" Cat Noir echoed. "This late at night?"
"Nice! Some action!" Carapace chortled. "Let's kick some greedy ass!"
The boys followed Pegasus to where the rest of their team was hiding. They were in the bushes near some trees that surrounded the main tree of the forest. If that tree was cut down or otherwise killed, the rest of the forest would go with it.
"Hey, what's up?" Cat Noir asked.
"Quiet! Our little invader is right there." Caprikid said, pointing out a girl running through the forest, and she was crying.
"She's headed for the Mother Tree! We gotta stop her!" Rooster Bold said as he and the others started to leave their hiding spot.
"Hold it, guys," Cat Noir whispered, putting his arm out to block them. "We can't just attack! Let's see what she's doing here. You know the rules."
They all watched as Marinette curled up against the tree and started sobbing into her knees. Everyone's expressions melted into pity/empathy at the sight.
"Poor girl... She's a mess." Minotaurox said.
"Looks like she just needed to be alone so she could cry," Viperion commented before turning to the others. "Let's give her some space."
Everyone gave agreeing noises and nods before quietly retreating into the plant coverage. Cat Noir, on the other hand, stayed. Examining her, her clothes looked pretty rough, and she looked like she'd been through something horrible, since she was crying that way. The moonlight cast an ethereal, sparkling halo on her. Her choked sobs were unbearable to listen to, mostly because it pained him to hear how miserable she was. How he wished he could heal whatever hurt she was feeling.
He wanted to approach, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw his tail's shadow. He looked at it before tugging at his ears and looking at his claws. He briefly went back into the foliage.
Marinette kept crying for what seemed like hours. Why did Chloé always have to pick on her? Couldn't she just leave her be? No matter how many times she stood up to Chloé, she wouldn't stop! And her parents enabled her behavior instead of stopping it, too. The only person in that family who stood up for what was right was Zoé, and even then Zoé sometimes had to just let Chloé steamroll her.
Even though she knew better, hearing Chloé's insults about her desirability hurt. Seeing her friends have her back was nice, but Marinette was so distraught over it that she didn't want to stay at the festival anymore. Suffice to say, she was too upset to keep a clear head, and just dashed into the forest without thinking about the possibility of the forest guardians coming and hurting her.
She didn't register the sound of footsteps approaching. Cat Noir had come back, with a hat, a cape, and he'd changed his gloves to hide the claws on his hands.
'Caprikid did a great job on this.' He thought to himself as he came closer to the girl.
He quietly cleared his throat, knelt down, and gently asked, "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I will be in a bit." She sniffled as she looked up.
One pair each of turquoise blue and Peridot green eyes instantly locked and widened a bit.
As they each stared at the other person, their mouths turned into small smiles.
In Marinette's eyes, her unexpected guest had the entire "tall, dark, and handsome" vibe going on. The black clothing he had on suited him perfectly, and while in the cover of night, the moon highlighted his green eyes, which were also framed by a black mask, making them sparkle like the gemstones they resembled. His blonde hair was given an ethereal halo effect, too. And the scent of wild berries, pine, and fresh waterfalls wafted off him. Like his ensemble, he wore the aroma well. She felt her heart start going a few beats faster as she kept looking him over.
To Cat Noir, the interloper was a work of art in flesh and blood. Her ebony hair shined in the dim moonlight, and her porcelain skin was glowing, too, with the faintest blush on her cheeks. And the bright light of the moon gave a glimmer to the pair of the prettiest blue eyes he'd ever seen in his life (even though they were red from her crying). And her pink lips looked as sweet as the faint bakery scents of fresh butter, flowers, vanilla bean, and sugar that he picked up on. Her pink-white clothing looked like an angel's dress to him.
Marinette seemed to snap out of the spell first, asking, "Hello? Is something wrong?"
Cat Noir shook his head and coughed into his fist before saying, "Sorry for staring. You're quite the beauty."
She went red in the face, and Cat Noir felt his heart flutter at her reaction.
He caught sight of a flower shrub nearby. He got an idea before saying, "Be right back."
Marinette gave him a quizzical look before he stood up and dashed off to the shrub. The roses in question were Great Maiden's Blush roses, and their color matched Marinette's (soiled) dress. He covertly took one of his gloves off to expose his claws, using them to cut a few roses off the bush. He also remembered to remove the thorns. He slid his glove back on.
He whirled around and ran back over to her. He presented three of the roses to her and he said, "Flowers for a lovely flower such as yourself."
Marinette blushed before taking them and giving them a sniff. Still blushing, she put one behind her ear, and she said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," He said, sitting down next to her. "You looked like you could use some cheering up."
"I really could." She confessed, sighing.
"So, what brings you here to the Mother Tree of the forest?" Cat Noir asked.
"I could ask you the same question," She quipped with a laugh. She let out a sigh. "I just needed to get away for a while."
Cat Noir questioned, "From what?"
"I just had the most embarrassing night of my life..." Marinette began. "This girl that's been picking on me for years won't leave me alone no matter what. And she took it to public humiliation tonight, including ruining my clothes. So, I just ran off, needing a break."
"I see," He began. "I can understand why you'd want some alone time."
Marinette gave a nod before saying, "Yeah, I know. My friends told me not to come in here, on account of the rumors. But I guess I wasn't the only one those rumors didn't stop."
Marinette looked at him, and while Cat Noir didn't register her meaning right away, he blushed under his mask when he realized it.
"Y-Yeah, those rumors might have some merit, but I don't think they would hurt a girl who only needed some space." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Cat Noir couldn't stop staring at the lovely girl before him. His heart was thudding like a battering ram against a locked fortress door, and he wasn't sure what his next move should be.
Seeing the moon was lighting up the woods, and how magical it looked as a result, Cat Noir stood up and held his hand out, saying, "Shall we go for a walk?"
Marinette looked up at him, her face still pink, and she put her hand into his. At his touch, she felt her heart throb. He curled his fingers around her hand and helped her stand up. While still holding hands, they started walking around the forest.
Marinette couldn't stop stealing glances at the man next to her. His features were sharp and chiseled, which were highlighted by the moonbeams that were bathing them. The way he spoke to her, how he treated her as if he were a gentleman raised questions about his background. But as she saw his green eyes paired with his gregarious smile, all those questions disappeared. She looked down at their joined hands, and blushed before looking away.
Feeling more at ease, she got closer to him, all while keeping her eyes on her surroundings.
"I've never thought the forest at night would look so beautiful." Marinette commented as she saw the moonbeams lighting the path and giving the trees a silver sheen.
"Well, I've... I've never thought that, either." Cat Noir said, catching himself before giving away any details about himself.
Marinette fingered the flower behind her ear with her free hand, a shy smile upon her face. The softness of the petals under her fingers was a soothing feeling, and she felt peace wash over her.
They came upon a lake in the forest.
"Wow..." She said, her voice above a whisper as she stared. The entire scene was gorgeous!
The water reflected the sparkling stars and big, bright, glowing full moon, as if it were the clearest, cleanest mirror in the world. A stray flower petal fell on the water causing it to ripple. The light diffusing on the water, rippling the image, was a sight to behold.
"The way the lake glows in response to the surface's movement is like magic," Marinette said as she kept examining the lake. "If I'd stayed at the festival, I would've missed this. The peace and quiet is soothing, too."
Cat Noir watched her and he felt his heart thrum a little. She was so cute!
'Is her name just as adorable?' He wondered.
She kept looking, feeling more relaxed. She turned to her company, held his arm, and said, "I guess running out of that festival turned into a lucky mistake."
Cat Noir's face turned red and he was lost for words. Her eyes were dried from tears and alight with awe, her smile was slowly but surely growing. It was like her troubles were far away. Before he realized it, his mouth curved up into a smile as he felt his heart fluttering in his chest.
An idea occurred to him, a sly expression forming on his face.
"Hey, wanna play a game?" He asked.
Marinette turned to him and asked, caution in her tone, "What kind of game?"
He took the flower out from behind her ear, did a two-finger touch to her shoulder, and said, "Tag! You're it!"
He began laughing as he ran off, waving the flower in the air in a teasing manner. A few beats later, Marinette started laughing as well before chasing him. Cat Noir looked over his shoulder to see her running after him, yet lagging behind.
Chuckling, he began to slow down to level the playing field for her. Marinette giggled as she started to catch up to him. She finally closed the distance between them, and snatched the flower out of his hand.
"Tag! You're it!" Marinette laughed as she two-finger touched him before pivoting on her heel and running away.
He stood there to catch his breath for a moment before chortling, "Oh, no you don't! Get back here!"
They kept up this routine for a little while. They would snatch the flower, tag the other person, run away, and repeat. At one point, Marinette dashed through some foliage while laughing, and Cat Noir followed her.
He chased her, blind to everything else around him, and he soon caught up to her. He reached for the flower, but he tripped. He wound up grabbing Marinette's wrist instead. He started falling to the ground, with Marinette coming with him, and he quickly put his other arm around her waist as they tumbled. After a few seconds, they stopped rolling, with Cat Noir underneath Marinette. The flower landed on the ground beside them, the moon making it glow.
After the shock of their fall wore off, they caught their breath. A few seconds later, they laughed.
"That was fun!" Cat Noir laughed, looking up at Marinette while still hugging her by her waist.
"I know!" Marinette agreed.
She came down from her laughter high before making to get off of him. But her heart stopped dead in its tracks when her eyes met his again. Getting a better look, she saw a detail she hadn't noticed earlier: his pupils were those of a cat. Marinette scanned him with her own eyes, examining him from the top of his head to his waist. She screamed, got off of him, and scooted back. Her eyes widened and her skin went pale.
"What's the matter?" He asked, hurt and confused at her reaction as he sat up.
"I-I-I'm sorry, but I gotta go, like yesterday!" Marinette shouted as she scrambled to her feet and started running.
'Oh, SHIT! He's the one of the forest guardians! What have I done?!' Marinette thought, panicked.
A confused Cat Noir sat there for a brief moment, a sad, hurt expression on his face. When he saw his hat was on the ground and his cape was torn and hanging on a bush, his eyes bulged and he said, "Uh-oh."
He stood up and gave chase to her.
Marinette was running up the main path to get out of the woods. She heard his footsteps coming from behind her, and when she turned and saw him coming after her, she all but shrieked. She kicked her running into high gear. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but the sound of her maker wasn't far behind. And to think she thought him a handsome, mysterious gentleman!
"Wait, hold on!" He called.
Marinette tuned him out and kept going. She thought, 'I can't believe this! The rumors of forest guardians are true! And my luck, he's Cat Noir, their king - the beast of destruction! Why hadn't I noticed the shape of his pupils before?! He's probably gonna hurt me for finding out!'
"Please, stop!" She heard him shout. She chanced a look behind her and she gasped when she saw he was getting closer.
She kept running, blocking out any curiosity. Frustrated, Cat Noir started channeling his inner cat to pick up speed and catch up with Marinette.
But another spicy scent came upon his nose.
They had company.
He skid to a halt and ducked into some bushes to hide.
Marinette slammed into someone in front of her, and she looked forward to see Alya.
"Girl!" Alya shouted, relieved.
Marinette kept breathing, but she smiled at her bestie, and the redhead returned the facial expression.
"Alya, don't scare me like that." Marinette said, still catching her breath.
"Back at you, Marinette!" Alya scolded while hugging Marinette. "Are you okay?"
Cat Noir was listening in, thinking, 'Must be one of her friends.'
"I'm good, just... A little out of breath." Marinette said as she broke the hug.
"I was so worried! When you bolted in here, I came after you to make sure you weren't hurt by the forest guardians!" Alya said, putting her hands on her shoulders.
Marinette stiffened a bit at that statement before saying, "I'm not sure they planned to hurt me. All I did was... let it all out."
Cat Noir held his breath and crouched down further.
"I'm just glad you're okay. Let's get back to town. The others are worried." Alya said.
Marinette gave an agreeing nod before she and Alya started leaving the edge of the forest, walking back to civilization.
Cat Noir watched them leave, catching sight of Marinette looking back at him. She gave a brief smile before turning and leaving.
Once she was out of sight and he felt safe enough, Cat Noir let out a held breath. With a wistful sigh and a smile, he spoke, "So, that's her name. Marinette..."
Her name rolled off his tongue, and to him, it sounded as sweet as her voice. He stood up and came out of the bushes, watching the girls leave. He still had a smitten grin on his face, but as he glanced at the sky, he let out a sad sigh. He looked at the claws on his hands.
"Human..." He murmured before balling a fist. "Fate just had to make her human, didn't it?"
Alya was escorting Marinette straight back to the cottage, but Marinette kept looking back every few seconds, wondering if he was following them or if he decided to leave her be.
"What's up?" Alya asked.
Marinette turned back to Alya and said, "Oh, nothing! I... Thought I heard something."
"It's probably nothing." Alya assured.
They heard the voices of their girl group from up ahead.
"Marinette!" Myléne called as she and the girls ran up to them. "Thank goodness!"
"I'm glad you're okay! I knew the forest guardians wouldn't hurt you!" Rose squealed.
Marinette gave a nod, trying her best not to let on that something happened.
"Let's get you home. We've had a rough night." Alya said as the girls began walking to Marinette's cottage.
The building itself was a two-story cottage. This was large by the standards of villagers, but given that Marinette's parents were the best bakers in the immediate area, they earned enough to afford a two-story cottage. The first (bottom) floor was the bakery itself, while the second floor was the living space for the family.
When Marinette got home, she was completely out of it as Alya told Tom and Sabine what happened. After they doted on Marinette, checking to see if she was okay, and screaming for disciplinary action for Chloé, Marinette went to her room. She got out of her dirty clothes and changed into a nightgown.
She laid on her bed, her heart and mind still going a million miles. So, the forest guardians were real, and so was their rumored king, the mythical guardian of destruction.
"Still can't believe I got away with my life..." She muttered as she closed her eyes and decided to rest up.
The following morning, Marinette went about her usual routine, but she was distracted by the night's events. At breakfast, she was absently eating her food, not fully aware of her surroundings.
"Marinette, honey?" Tom asked.
Marinette was thinking, 'Was I dreaming last night? Was the festival causing my imagination to go wild? How else can I explain what happened in the woods?'
"Marinette?" Sabine asked, waving her hand in front of her daughter's eyes.
Seeing this, Marinette's mind got back to reality for a moment.
"Sorry, did you say something?" Marinette asked.
"Marinette, you've been like this since last night," Tom told her. "The girls told us what happened. Did Chloé's words hurt you that much?"
"Um... Well..." Marinette began, not sure how to respond.
How did an eighteen-year-old girl tell her parents that the forest guardians were real and she happened to encounter their king and live to tell the tale?
Her eyes fell, thinking, 'What do I say?'
"Chloé's always been a bully, and she's not gonna change. As much as I wanna say, "Don't let it get to you", that's easier said than done." Sabine sighed.
Marinette gave an agreeing nod, deciding to roll with her parents' assumptions.
"I think she was just psychologically projecting her own insecurities onto you. You'll always be a better person than her." Tom assured Marinette.
"Thank you." Marinette said before continuing to eat.
'Maybe I should just keep my meeting with the forest guardians' king to myself.' Marinette thought.
After breakfast, Marinette's parents sent her out to the market on some errands.
She had a basket on her arm, and she was wearing her usual clothes, only this time, she was wearing a cleaner, more put-together dress. Marinette was standing at the fruit stall to get some fresh and dried fruits for her parents' goods. After all the money they made from the night before, they had to stock up on ingredients.
"So, that's fresh apples and pears, then dried figs and dates?" The vendor said as she put the items in Marinette's basket.
"Yes." Marinette confirmed, giving the vendor the money. Her mind was still stuck on green cat eyes and black clothing.
'He was so handsome... Why did he have to be the king of the forest guardians?' She asked herself as she walked away from the stall to continue her errands.
"Marinette!" A voice called. Marinette looked at where it was coming from and saw Alya was running up to her.
"Hi, Alya." Marinette greeted.
"You okay after last night?" Alya asked as they kept walking through the halls.
Flinching, Marinette said, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, just... A little distracted."
"To say the least!" Alya said. "You've been acting like this since last night! Did something happen?"
Marinette was about to answer, but she caught sight of something out of her peripheral vision.
In the nearby flower stand, she saw Great Maiden's Blush roses. Absently, she approached the flowers and began staring at them. Seeing the pink blooms triggered her into thinking about her enigmatic encounter. Taking a walk in the forest, playing tag, talking. The way his hand felt so comforting and gentle on hers, how he showed her the beauty of the forest at night, and made all her troubles become nonexistent, even for a little while. And all with the roses as part of the experience. There was just a huge disconnect between the rumored king of the forest and the man she met that it was boggling her mind.
The roses were teasing her with their sweet smell, and she couldn't stop herself from imagining Cat Noir holding that flower towards her.
"Earth to Marinette! Are you listening?!" Alya shouted.
Marinette's thoughts came to a screeching halt and she turned to Alya.
"Um, sorry, I tuned out." Marinette confessed.
"Seriously, what is it about those roses that made you space out like that?" Alya questioned.
"Just how... How pretty they are and how I wish I..." Marinette began, only to trail off and for her face to fall.
What was she supposed to tell Alya? That she met the king of the guardians and survived?
"Girl, you're perseverating on Chloé's words too much," Alya said as she put a hand on her bestie's shoulder. "Don't worry. There will be a man worth his weight in gold that will give you flowers."
'Someone already has...' Marinette thought, not voicing her thoughts.
In the forest, Cat Noir was up in his usual tree, lying on his back on the branch. The entire day had gone without him patrolling or doing anything other than sitting there, sighing. The rest of the guys had noticed, and every time one of them asked him what was up, Cat Noir didn't answer. All he could think about was blue eyes, black hair, a sweet smile.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd had such fun, nor had he seen such a beautiful girl. Marinette might as well have been an angel fallen from heaven - that's how breathtaking she was.
He heaved a sad sigh. He wanted to get close to her without her knowing who he truly was, but luck had never been on his side. There's no way she'd come back, after he'd scared her last night.
"You gonna come down from that tree today, dude?" Carapace called from below.
His thoughts broken, Cat Noir looked down and saw his green-clad turtle friend standing at the base of the tree. His arms were crossed, he was drumming his fingers in impatience, and he was looking at Cat Noir in an expectant manner.
"Sorry, Carapace," Cat Noir said as he leaped down from the tree. "Just... Thinking."
"About what?" Carapace asked, though he already had an idea.
"I... How do I say it?" Cat Noir began, his ears flattening on his head.
"Go on." Carapace prompted.
"It's about last night..." He continued. "The girl."
"Well, what about her?" Carapace asked.
Cat Noir didn't answer, only looking at a shrub of roses nearby - the same one from the previous night. He approached it, cut one with his claw, and brought it closer to him. He breathed in the flower's natural perfume, letting it relax him.
He heaved a sigh before reciting, "'Can the world buy such a jewel? In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that I ever looked on.'"
"Come again?" Carapace questioned, a confused expression on his face.
Cat Noir spoke again, "'Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.'"
"Dude, cut the Shakespeare crap! I know you have a penchant for it, but I'm not Viperion! I can't -" Carapace began, only for Cat Noir's meaning to dawn on him when he mentally repeated Cat Noir's second lines. "Wait, are you saying...?!"
Cat Noir turned to Carapace, and with a defeated smile, he confessed, "Yes. I think I'm in love."
Okay, end scene for chapter 1! Hope you guys enjoyed it!