Chapter Text
Author's Note: Hi! I've never written anything Miraculous-related before, so please forgive any mistakes or OoC moments. I'm trying to mostly build off of canon, but if I have an idea that's not in the show, I'll use it anyway. Also the MariChat will be pretty slow-burn. Enjoy :)
This chapter takes place the day before the story really starts, so it's in past tense, while the rest of the book will be present.
Marinette strolled along the Seine, smiling slightly as Luka took her hand. The Paris sunshine warmed her as she walked.
Luka ate his ice cream in contented silence, simply happy that Marinette was happy.
While Marinette licked her ice cream cone, she though back on the events of the previous day. Papillon had discovered the identities of every Miraculous holder except herself and Chat Noir. There was no way she could let her friends use the jewels anymore. It would put them in too much danger. Now that she was the Guardian, she had other things to plan too- for one, a way to get around losing her memory if she ever moved on.
Luka picked up his guitar from its place next to his bike. "Marinette, I finished your song," he said. "Do you want to hear it?"
She smiled up at him and sat down on a bench. "Of course."
Luka plucked a few strings, tuned them a little, and began strumming. Marinette closed her eyes and listened to the beautiful melody of passion and strength. It somehow seemed to tell her story, but not just the story of her as Marinette, but all of her, Ladybug included. He had captured every aspect of her character in one melody, and she couldn't help but marvel at his combination of natural talent and cultivated skill.
When he strummed the last chord, she stood and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. I've never met someone as talented as you." She smiled shyly before walking away. He stood by his bicycle for several minutes, blushing a little and remembering the feeling of her lips against his cheek.
Marinette walked back to her house alone. Her parents would be working in the patisserie for the rest of the day, so she had some time to herself. Her first thought was to finish a new Chat Noir and Ladybug collection of street wear that she was designing, so she raced upstairs to get out her sewing kit. Tikki flew out from Marinette's bag in a huff. "You have homework! You can't work on this yet, Marinette, you need to finish your schoolwork first."
Marinette sighed. "You're right, Tikki." With an exaggerated groan, she rolled her chair over to the shelf and stood on it to get her backpack down. Ms. Bustier had assigned more than usual, as if she needed more work right now. She barely managed to save Paris with Chat Noir the day before, and now she was expected to complete a whole chapter's worth of history reading? Not fair, she thought, opening her textbook.
A single photo floated down from the page. Adrien Agreste's smiling face stared up at her as she leaned over to pick up the photo. His green eyes seemed especially beautiful in that setting, right next to the Eiffel Tower with his friends on a field trip. She folded the photo up carefully and tucked it away. No time for daydreaming. Besides, she was with Luka now. She'd always love Adrien, but for right now, that love was only for a friend.
Marinette woke up a few hours later, her cheek smushed against her textbook. She'd fallen asleep while reading. It was almost eight o'clock; she needed to finish the rest of her homework. She breezed through her math and literature, finally closing her books with a satisfying whomp. Stretching, she stood and pulled out her sketchbook. Since Tikki was happily munching on some cookies in the corner, she climbed the ladder to her balcony alone.
A breeze blew by, gently lifting Marinette's pigtails from her shoulders. She settled into a chair and pulled out her sketchpad, eagerly setting to work on her design. Right now she was working on a Chat Noir hoodie with little cat ears. If she could find a glow in the dark fabric or paint, she'd trace a paw print on the left side, right over the heart. Her pencil flew across the page, lightly drawing the hoodie's outline and then adding in details.
As the sun set, the Eiffel Tower lit up and Paris came alive with the warm glow of a hundred homes and businesses. Marinette set aside her drawing for a minute to stand at the railing and admire the view. That's when she saw him.
Chat Noir perched on top of a chimney a few streets over. His cat ears twitched slightly in the wind, and Mari couldn't help but notice that he looked sad. She had asked him to do patrol by himself tonight, but that was only so she could work on the fashion line. She wanted to give him the hoodie soon to thank him for helping her so often and working so hard. Seeing him sitting by himself, shoulders hunched against the cold, tugged on her heartstrings. She lifted the trap door and dropped inside. "Tikki! Can I have some cookies, please?"
"Sure, Marinette!" Tikki flew towards her with the three remaining cookies. "Are you going back inside? I'm going to go to sleep; I think I ate too many." She rubbed her tiny tummy and flitted over to the bed.
"Yeah, I think I'm gonna stay up a little longer. Get some rest!" Mari cradled the cookies against her as she stepped out onto the balcony.
"Hey! Chat Noir!" She called for him across the rooftops, waving the cookies in the air. "Wanna take a break?"
His ears perked up as he turned to look at her. At the sight of the cookies, he stood and used his staff to vault across a few houses before landing on her roof. "Hi, Marinette." His smile seemed sadder than usual; she could tell something was up.
"Hi, Chat. I made some cookies this afternoon, want one?" She held the cookie out toward him and grinned encouragingly.
"Thanks," he mumbled, his mouth full.
"That was pretty impressive, what you did yesterday," she told him.
"Fighting Hawk Moth? We do that all the time. Me and Ladybug, I mean."
She giggled. "I know that. I was talking about fighting all the other heroes at once. You must be really brave."
He brushed some crumbs off his face and flicked them away with his claws. "I don't know about that, but I'm glad you think so. It's nice to know someone appreciates what we do. Ladybug and I just do what we can, and most of Paris seems to take it for granted that we're here."
"Well, I don't." She took another bite out of her cookie.
Chat glimpsed her sketchbook lying open on the end table. "What's that, Marinette?"
She turned and saw the hoodie out in the open, Chat Noir symbols scrawled all over it. "Oh!" Heat rose to her cheeks. "Um, just a project. For you and Ladybug."
"Can I see?" He slid down onto the balcony, his face genuinely interested.
"Um, sure, I guess," she replied, picking up the sketchpad. "I'm designing a streetwear line based on, uh, you and Ladybug. To remind people of all you do for them." She handed the book to him, and he flipped through the pages, smiling at all of her designs.
"We don't do that much," he laughed, but his eyes showed that he appreciated the compliment.
"I think you do. Like I said, you fought off all your friends yesterday. And you remembered my name."
"That's not the same thing," he protested. "It's easy to remember someone's name."
"We've only talked two or three times, but you've never forgotten. Not once. If you're this nice to all of Paris, then you're doing a lot more work than you give yourself credit for."
His cheeks pinked, and he scratched the back of his head and looked down. "Uh, yeah, all of Paris..." he mumbled.
Mari decided she should just go ahead and ask him. "Why are you so sad, Chat?"
"What?" He glanced back up at her, surprised.
"Trust me, I know firsthand what it looks like when someone's sad. You, my good sir, are definitely upset about something." She pointed her cookie at him. "And a cookie is not going to be all it takes to solve your problems."
He sighed. "I guess I didn't expect you to notice, but I should've known you would. You're just that nice, Mari." His grin made her face turn red. "It's Ladybug. She's the new Guardian, and all of Paris knows. Hawkmoth's going to be working even harder to take our Miraculous, and now she's got the whole box. Even worse, I think she's going to lose her memory someday."
"Why would you say that?" she asked, surprised that he would mention something like that to a civilian.
"Well, uh, can you keep a secret?"
"Of course."
"The old guardian was there yesterday. When he gave up the box to Ladybug, he forgot everything about his life, who we were, who he was. I can't imagine that happening to My Lady." He stared off towards the Eiffel Tower. "And I can tell it's weighing on her. From the second she got the box, it was like she wrapped herself in a whole new layer of secrecy. I know she doesn't want to tell me who she is, and that's a smart decision, but for a little while there... I was starting to think she actually cared about me." His voice broke, and he turned away.
"Oh, Chat." Marinette swallowed, her eyes tearing up. "I'm sure she cares about you," she murmured, pulling him into a hug. "It just may not be in that way."
He hesitantly hugged her back, wrapping his arms tightly around her torso. "It's okay, I guess. I've even met someone else, y'know, in my normal life. It's still hard to let go, though."
"I know." Marinette drew back and wiped away the one tear that had trickled down his cheek. "For now, you should focus on being the best Chat you can be, and that will always be enough. Ladybug appreciates you, and so do I. Even if you can't help her right now, you're still helping the rest of Paris."
"Thanks, Mari." Chat smiled slightly, embarrassed to be caught crying.
"Here, have some more cookie." Marinette picked up the last cookie from the plate and broke it, offering Chat the larger portion.
"Marinette!" Mrs. Cheng's voice carried up through the trapdoor.
"I have to go. Come see me again after your patrol tomorrow night, okay?" Mari asked. "I'll bring more cookies. And remember, you don't need Ladybug to be a hero. Some of us like you better, anyway." With that, she ducked inside the trapdoor, closing it softly behind her. She stood at the bottom of the ladder for a moment and watched Chat through the skylight. He grinned down at her, finished his cookie, and vaulted away on his staff.
"Coming, Mom!" Marinette shouted downstairs.