"How stupid can this guy be?" Chat Noir announced, his eyes fixated on the tv. "Listen to what she's saying, dude! It's obvious she's only with you for a green card, and yet your dumbass still thinks she's your true love! She's using you, man!"
Marinette giggled. "And what do you know about true love, Kitty cat?"
She peered out the side of her eye and caught the overdramatic huff and puff, as he prepared to lecture her in all things love and romance.
"Where do I start?" he said, lounging back on her bed (hovering a good couple of inches in the air) and crossing his ankles as his eyes flickered between '90-Day Fiance' and her.
She was currently sitting at her dressing table, looking into the mirror and getting ready for her college reunion. That morning, she'd visited Dominic for a touch up, getting her extensions checked over before being expertly placed into the puffiest ponytail she'd ever worn. It was so bouncy and fun, and luckily for her, Dominic gave her a step by step guide on how to do it at home.
To save herself any additional stress, she'd agreed that for this evening Adrien would be meeting her at the venue rather than coming to get her from her apartment. Nothing to do with him, but everything to do with her cat.
Since the screaming incident, Luka had been in extra defence mode, and with the appearance of this guy 'he recognised but could not place' he seemed to be checking in with her more and more frequently. She hadn't the heart to remind him Adrien frigging Agreste was a popular model back in their teen days and his face was plastered everywhere, including the billboard opposite his bedroom on 'The Liberty'.
Luka had also taken to trying to come around and check there were no cats randomly roaming her apartment. Quite comical really, as most times he interrupted her as she played Trivial Pursuit with Chat Noir (thank you, Tikki, for lifting the cards) or they were chilling, watching trash tv. Hello, 90-Day Fiance.
"Oh, come on, M'Lady, you know for a fact I'm all into romance. You can't say you didn't feel special when we were together. You don't lie in the throes of passion."
Marinette started laughing. She couldn't argue with that. He was single handedly the most romantic person she had ever met, including the fantasy characters from some of her special novels, which was just one of the many reasons why she loved him.
Over the past week, she'd grown increasingly more comfortable with the 6-foot-2 phantom cat living with her, their old relationship blossoming once again with ease. They'd been laughing and reminiscing over their time together, and Marinette found herself with a dull ache in her heart. She didn't want to lose him again, not since she'd only just found him after so long. More than ever, she wanted to know who he was and enjoy time with him – out of the suits.
But more importantly, thanks to his random knowledge of just about everything, for the first time ever they'd come second at the pub quiz…maybe with the addition of Adrien's help too. She'd felt awful for not inviting him. But he didn't know anyone, and she didn't want to just push him into a restricted evening with her strange yet wonderful friends. It wasn't fair on Adrien, or the gang. Maybe after tonight, and Adrien spending time with others in the group, it would be easier to have him tag along, to really integrate him into the gang.
She looked over at her partner and sighed. If only her partner was there – in the flesh – joining them too. "I wish I knew who you were. I've never wanted to reveal identities this much before."
"You're just saying that because you want to hug me," he quipped, throwing her one of his devilishly handsome winks.
Marinette laughed. "That and a few other things. I've really missed you."
"I thought you wanted to get rid of me."
"Never! You're too precious!"
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up and heading towards her. "I bet you wish you could tickle my chin right now."
"Of course! I miss your purr."
She caught his eyes in the mirror. Her mind began to run wild with 'if only' thoughts. This man was her everything, and she wished she could transform and go find him, but there was no point. Neither of them had the faintest idea who he was, and Tikki couldn't find Plagg. Even when trying to demand that Tikki show her who his civilian self was, the kwami held strong, ignoring the request and keeping Marinette's partner's identity hidden.
The more she considered the Miraculous rules, the more she hated them. They were stopping her from being with her partner, and just knowing he was around somewhere in Paris made it even worse – every blond person she bumped into on the street screamed with possibilities.
He coughed, breaking eye contact and rubbing a hand on the nape of his neck. Had he been thinking the same? "So, Darcy's taking you out again tonight?"
Marinette rolled her eyes and continued with her hair, rolling it up and pinning it to perfection.
"He's not and never will be a Mr Darcy. What the hell is your obsession with Pride and Prejudice?" She placed a grip between her teeth, studying the mirror closely to check all the straggly strands, which had already escaped, were pulled up and off of her face. She grabbed the grip and placed it into the side, giving herself one last check.
"He's a pompous twat who has more money than sense. What else am I meant to call him?"
"Try Adrien," she said, standing up and heading to the closet. She pulled her dress out and threw it on the bed. The sounds of Chat Noir attempting to say Adrien's name had her chuckling.
"Aaaadrrr…Adddd…Addy…Adr..."
Laughing, she grabbed the bottom of her tee before stopping and glancing at her partner. Then she dropped the tee and crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you mind?" She drew his attention to the dress, then to herself.
He looked at her with an obvious smirk on his face. "Not in the slightest, M'Lady."
"Turn around," Marinette demanded.
Chat Noir remained staring, his mouth turning up at the corners. "Why? I've seen you naked before." He grinned and she knew her face was heating up by the sudden pricking in her cheeks.
"That's when we were together," she said through embarrassment.
Chat Noir came closer, standing beside her with a smirk on his face that she wished she could smack off. "We could be together again. Just say the words, Bugaboo."
"You're not real, Kitty." A laugh escaped her lips, yet the feeling weighed heavy on her heart.
"How about if I am? Do we get a second chance?"
Marinette shrugged, trying to play it cool as her heart screamed 'yes'. He knew her well, and she was quite sure he could read the colour of her cheeks as they progressed to a fire engine red. Was it possible for heads to explode?
"We'll just have to see. Who knows? Maybe when you return to your body you'll remember you have a wife and a kid on the way. Probably even a pet cat called Duke…and a Ford."
"A Ford!" Chat Noir gasped. "Do you really take me for a Ford kinda guy?"
"You'll need the space for all your kids." Marinette chuckled, turning away from him to start getting changed.
"No! No! No! I'm so much more than a Ford. I'm more a Citroen, or a Bugatti. No wait…I'm a Mustang!"
Marinette snorted, pulling her top over her head and stalling before she removed her bra. "That is a Ford! You idiot!"
"Since when did you know about cars?"
She shrugged and dropped him a quick wink, following it up with a flick of her finger and a demand for him to turn around again. He didn't need to know she had some sort of strange obsession with Top Gear UK.
With a dramatic sigh, he turned his back to her, his reflection catching her in the mirror. She raised an eyebrow and he slapped his hands over his face. "Happy?"
"Ecstatic!"
With a quick manoeuvre, Marinette was in her dress and ready to roll. She just hoped Chat Noir would behave himself tonight.
It seemed that her Kitty most certainly would not be behaving himself tonight.
Since arriving he'd managed to make her look as though she had some kind of mental issue or Tourette's. Her biggest fail of the night so far was when she tripped over a couple of steps after Chat Noir made a comment about a girl's dress, only to be joined by the least ladylike laugh ever heard – anywhere!
…And as Adrien appeared – looking incredible as always – she went to meet him on the side of the river, accompanied by Chat Noir belting out a loud rendition of 'In the End' by Linkin Park. In her need to stop the howling of 'I tried too hard', Marinette flung herself over towards Chat Noir and face planted against the wall.
They were currently on the plank leading up to the Liberty, Adrien's usual confidence slipping with every step.
"Are you okay?" Marinette queried, walking beside him, humour dancing in her eyes.
He looked like a nervous wreck, and she couldn't understand why. It wasn't like this was his reunion. The most that could happen to him would be a throwback to his old perfume advert, if anyone recognised him – radiant, carefree and dreamy.
"Why is the reunion on a boat?" Adrien asked as he followed her on board.
"The collège we all went to is shut for maintenance over the summer, and we didn't want to miss our reunion, so here we are. We all hung out here a lot as teens."
Marinette watched Adrien survey the surroundings, only to catch a glimpse of Chat Noir sliding up behind Luka and bending forward to whisper in the guy's ear.
No! He promised!
"Luka!" she wailed, Adrien jumping slightly beside her. "Luka, over here!" She waved her arm wildly at Luka, her elbow colliding with Adrien's shoulder and causing him to stumble a little. Thank goodness she wasn't any taller. She most likely would have knocked one of his contacts out.
Luka looked over, bewildered, lifting his hand and timidly waving back before setting his eyes on Adrien. The wave stopped and his eyes narrowed.
Okay, this isn't going according to plan!
Luka ended his conversation with Marc, before moving towards them, Chat Noir looking less than impressed for losing his next unwilling victim. She tried to keep her eyes on Luka as she attempted to keep track of where her Kitty was floating off to next. Maybe coming here tonight was a bad idea.
"Marinette." Luka moved forward, greeting Marinette with a kiss on the cheek before turning to Adrien. He went to offer out his hand before quickly replacing it back in his pocket and going with a simple 'hello' nod instead. Probably best, after their last encounter.
"Hey," Adrien said, looking at the guy quizzically.
"I didn't realise you were bringing someone tonight, Marinette. Then again, I haven't heard or seen much of you the last couple of days."
Marinette tried to hold a reassuring smile, yet she was sure the twitch in her lips was giving her away. She'd pretty much kept herself locked up in her apartment, enjoying her time with Chat Noir and only really leaving for quiz night, to get food and to go to work. Not that it was any of Luka's business.
She remembered the conversation that first night with Chat Noir. Maybe he'd been slightly right and she was leading Luka on – unintentionally, of course. She made a mental note to watch her actions and keep the line firmly drawn between them. They were friends and that's all they ever would be – just like she was friends with Adrien.
"I've been busy," Marinette said, catching Luka's gaze, once more, burning into Adrien. What was going on with these two?
"Sure, if that's what you want to call it!" Chat retorted.
Marinette couldn't help but be taken slightly aback by the implication that she was possibly sleeping with Adrien. He blinked and finally looked at her. It was about time!
"So, are you still coming to Dad's concert next weekend?" Luka asked.
Marinette cringe-smiled. "Actually, I kind of have other plans."
"With who?" he asked, before looking over at Adrien again.
A cheer erupted from the opposite end of the boat, thankfully ending the conversation. Marinette caught a glimpse of Kim jumping up and onto the table and doing a dance pretty similar to Joey's Broadway audition in 'Friends'.
Her curiosity spiked even more as Nino stood and threw something at the tall guy. It fluttered around him, before falling effortlessly to the table and ground around him. "You're a fucking cheat!"
Kim howled out loud again, and Adrien chuckled beside Marinette. She looked up at him. His eyes were sparkling wildly, causing her to smile too. He looked like a child in a candy store.
"What are they doing over there?" Adrien asked, nodding in the direction where Kim had now got Nino in a headlock (hat off and giving him a rather aggressive noogie).
"Poker game," Marinette said without a second thought. She'd seen this so many times, and without Alya there to kick Kim's ass, Nino was easy meat.
"Poker?" Adrien's eyes seemed to kick up a voltage. "Can anyone play? Or is it some sort of club? I've always wanted to play."
Adrien suddenly frowned, the excitement leaving him. Maybe he considered this to be some sort of exclusive club. She hadn't seen anything so cute… Well, not since Chat Noir had realised he couldn't eat Pop Tarts with her. She opened her mouth to answer, but Luka got there first.
"If you wanna play, I'm sure we could fit you in." Luka folded his arms, one eyebrow raised in challenge.
Even though he had obviously said this under the assumption that Adrien didn't know how to play, her plus one's eyes suddenly widened with even more excitement. He was so similar to Chat Noir.
Luka was a very skilled poker player - not that Marinette ever played him, but she'd watched many times while he'd wiped the gang out.
"Adrien, I don't know if this is a —"
"Play with me! Please! It'll be great fun." Adrien's hands had joined in front of his body and he looked as though he was praying at her.
Oh, dear! The last thing she wanted to do, again, tonight was embarrass herself with a game of Poker. "I'm really —"
Luka took a swig from the bottle in his hand, his eyes firmly placed on Marinette. "Yeah, come on, Marinette, bring your boyfriend to the table."
They seriously needed to have a chat.
"He's not her boyfriend!" The sudden sound of her partner's voice had her almost leaving her shoes on the deck as she launched herself into space. Where the hell had he been?
Marinette chuckled. "He's not my boyfriend."
Adrien was still smiling excitedly. He must really want to play poker. "Just the perfect plus one," he replied, beginning to head over to the table.
Chat Noir flashed Marinette a knowing grin which almost stretched from ear-to-ear. "Come on, M'Lady! Let's get gambling!"
Marinette sighed in resignation, trailing behind Adrien with Luka on one side and Chat Noir on the other. Her stomach flip-flopped with the thoughts of what was to come.
Reaching the table, Adrien had already struck up a conversation with Kim and Nino, the latter edging him into the seat beside him and grabbing him a beer. Marinette greeted her other friends - Max, Alix and Nathaniel - as they remained seated at the table.
She hovered, wondering if it would be incredibly juvenile if she just turned and ran in the opposite direction. Instead, she was ushered into a chair next to the one Luka had claimed for his own.
She looked over at Adrien, who was in animated conversation with Nino, and then almost lost her eyeballs as she finally took in his appearance for the first time that evening. She knew he was an ex model but, damn, this guy didn't even need to hear the word airbrush.
"Do you need a bowl for your drool?"
"What?" Marinette screeched and looked at Luka, who stared back in return like she'd gone insane.
"I didn't say anything! Are you okay? How much have you drunk?"
Why was everyone suddenly so sure she was drinking a lot?
"We've just got here, Luka! I'm not drunk."
A ferocious cackling behind her caused her nose to flare. Of course it was Chat Noir. Why would she think it was anyone else?
Max grabbed the deck of cards and began to expertly shuffle them, "You're not playing, are you, Marinette? I always feel guilty taking your money."
"I thought I'd give it a try again, see if I do any better this time," she retorted. The last thing she wanted was for Adrien to think this was just one more thing she couldn't do.
"Not that we mind you giving it another try, but you're not exactly known for your bluffing," Alix added.
Kim, tapping around on his phone, was next to comment on her expert skills. "Alix is right! Being a woman automatically makes your mind weaker. You'll be easier to read."
"How sexist!" Chat Noir suddenly stated. "You're not going to take that, are you, Bugaboo?"
She looked at Chat Noir before glancing over at Adrien. Both boys replicated the other's face. Their eyes were telling her not to take it sitting down, to stand her ground and prove that a woman's mind was as strong, if not stronger, than theirs.
However, there was also that little voice of common sense telling her that she was shit at bluffing and this might not be her brightest idea.
Last, she looked at Luka, his eyes apologetic. He knew she was crap at this and she hoped he felt guilty for his hand in this disaster waiting to happen.
"Come on, M'Lady. I'm here to help you."
And she knew he would. Although it might slightly be considered cheating, she didn't care. She'd prove to them that her mind wasn't weak, that she was a strong confident woman…with an extra pair of eyes, thanks to her spirit guide.
She could almost feel him beside her, as he came to a halt next to her, his body lowered down and his voice right in her ear, causing her to shiver with the memory of his hot breath tickling on her neck. "Take them down, Bugaboo! But save Ken for last."