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Chat Noir stopped dead on the rooftop, mid-run. There was an akuma on the loose, yes, but was also a smell that his cat senses picked up in an instant.
A delicious smell.
His curiosity called out to him. In all the years of having a personal chef, he had never once smelled something this richly flavorful. The smell beckoned him on, away from the battle.
'Just for a moment.' His brain said to excuse this behavior.
It was actually further than he expected. There stood a bakery, second story window open, that he had circled three times to ensure was the true source of The Smell™ that had drawn him in.
He moved to jump into the window.
"What the hell are you doing Chat Noir?" Rang out a voice behind him.
He had to suppress how hard the accusation had made him jump. Being so enthralled by the idea of this amazing meal, he hadn't stopped to consider...well, anything really.
Including the two biggest problems here. First, how was Chat Noir going to barge in on (what was likely) a family dinner? The second was a bit more...delicate, of a situation.
How was Chat Noir going to explain to Ladybug why he was prowling around a random home during an akuma fight?
'Later, food is waiting.' His brain demanded.
'Seriously, deal with this AFTER we eat okay?' His stomach gurgled out, snapping both of the teens' attentions to his abdomen.
Wordlessly, he jumped to the bakery's window, climbing in a second later. While in the air, he mentally noticed that this was actually Marinette's home. Her parents always were pretty awesome.
"Chat Noir!" Sabine gasped. Quickly after, Ladybug stepped in the room. She did NOT look happy. Sabine gasped again, but Tom spoke before she could.
"What are you doing here? Isn't there a villain out there?" His voice was filled with concern, Adrien felt bad lying to him, but then again he lied to all his friends due to being Chat Noir all the time, 'was this so different?' He reasoned.
His traitorous brain shot back a pang of guilt through him, 'Yes. It is! You aren't lying for personal gain when you lie about Chat Noir.'
The sudden doubts didn't deter him though. As soon as he saw the smorgasbord of food setting next to him, he knew there was no turning back.
Chicken pot pie, steamed asparagus with seasonings, a full bowl of dumplings, too many croissants to count, and a myriad of sides...he nearly dropped to his knees right there.
He ended up not needing to lie, as Sabine stepped up tentatively towards him.
"Chat! We really need to get back! What about the akuma?" Ladybug protested, clearly upset at him.
"I- well umm..." he tried to reply. Finding no words to explain himself, he turned towards Marinette's mother.
"Sabine wasn't it?" He asked, knowing full well what her name was.
"Yes..." she eyed the table of food, and then looked back at him. Her eyes completed the circuit twice more before she spoke again. She spoke delicately, a strange mixture in her voice. It was like she was speaking to a child, but her tone held far more respect than simply patronizing him.
"Chat Noir, if you would like something to eat, we would be more than happy to oblige." She said, wrapping the sentence up with a smile.
Ladybug's protests were ignored, Sabine simply waving her off with a "Growing boys need to eat too you know!" But before she settled Chat Noir into his seat, she turned to the super heroine. Ladybug when suddenly quiet, stiffening like a board.
"As a matter of fact," the motherly woman said, sizing Ladybug up, "you need to eat as well!"
In a hectic bat of an eyelash, Chat Noir found himself seated directly across from the Lady of his dreams with a full table of food between them.
It was his dream come true.
They both waited as Tom silently helped his wife make the final preparations. A small smile on his lips told Adrien that this was quite typical behavior from Marinette's mother.
Speaking of...
As Sabine placed a plate before each of the dynamic duo, Chat voiced his thoughts. "Excuse me, but don't you have a daughter? Last time I was here I remember you saying so."
He tried to act as casual as possible in asking, but he felt the awkward air rise at his question. It was quickly put down by Sabine,
"Oh yes! We do, but she's out with her friend Alya tonight so she shouldn't be joining us." As she spoke the words, Ladybug took on a look of confusion. Her eyes darted up to the loft stairway, and back to the kindly woman, who continued to dress up the dinner as though Paris's superheroes weren't sitting in front of her.
Finally, Tom and Sabine sat down across from the other at the table.
"Well! No time to lose kids, dig in!" The man said, initiating the feast.
"W-wait! Hold on!" Ladybug interrupted, borderline hyperventilating. "Chat! We REALLY need to go! We have to go save Paris! We were both chosen for this, it's literally like our destiny to save everyone!" She had stood at some point in her speech, hands gripping the table. Her breath was heavy and shaking, it seemed like a lot of things had hit her at once.
Chat stared up at her flatly, and spoke much the same. "Look, if it's my destiny to save the world, that means it's gonna happen no matter how little effort I actually put into it. And right now, my effort is going into this potluck dinner."
She stared at him in disbelief. Had he said that? Had he REALLY just said that?
He continued, "Paris has survived much longer against much worse. Somehow I don't think an akuma that makes everyone near them party is too much of a threat. Can we please eat now?"
The two continued to stare, wide eyed and conveying two very different auras (Chat's being patient and pleading as Ladybug's was frantic and generally out of breath), until finally she sunk back down into her seat, defeated.
Tom and Sabine began to place food from the bowls onto their plates, pushing both of the teens to do the same. They both picked out meager portions, knowing that whether the akuma was dangerous or not, it needed to be stopped. Multiple times though, Sabine took her own utensils and chided them wordlessly; she took nearly double of whatever they had already grabbed and placed her own idea of a portion onto their plate.
By the time it was all said and done, Chat had eaten more than he could ever remember. Thanking both of them generously, Chat and Ladybug jumped from the window to begin searching for the akuma victim again.
Merely 10 minutes later, Marinette stepped down from her loft.
"Oh Maman! That smells so good!" She spoke, overdramatically. She made a show of looking over to her mother, who was washing dishes. She even worked up a slight (fake) gasp. "What! You guys ate without me? But why didn't you call me down?"
Her mother simply smiled, still focused on the tableware.
"Well we did call you down, but then you came in through the window with your friend!"
Marinette's jaw hit the floor, her brain shattered into mere shambles. There was no possible way she could form words, but her mother continued anyways.
"You already ate so much!" Sabine spoke, voice still sweet. It was almost sarcasm, if it wasn't for how her mother was clearly making a show of force in that she KNEW. "Surely running around with your friend didn't make you that hungry."
Sabine glanced over, tilting her head. "Oh and Marinette," she paused, waiting multiple seconds for her daughter to look in her eyes. "Make sure you tell Adrien he's welcome here anytime!"
A true gasp left her mouth this time.
Marinette's eyes widened, rolled backwards, and finally closed shut as she passed out, collapsing in a heap onto the hardwood.
Sighing, Sabine placed the final plate into the soapy water and walked over to her unconscious child. She hefted her up and placed the girl onto the couch.
Sabine only chuckled to herself as she returned to finish cleaning up the mess from having two teenagers over for dinner.
'Those two are going to have a lot to talk about at school tomorrow.' She thought slyly.