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For Marinette, the evening was perfect in every aspect. No clouds obscured the sky, the few stars bright enough to break through the light pollution twinkled above. It was getting colder, but she enjoyed the breeze after a long, hot summer day. It carried the smell of herbs and freshly cooked meals from the Italian restaurant across the street up to her balcony.
The girl had folded her arms on the railing, her head resting on them, unbothered how the position squished her cheek. People rarely looked up at the sky, even during beautiful nights like this one. And the balcony was her little kingdom.
Drops still glistened on the leaves of her freshly watered plants. A little puddle had formed underneath a cracked pot - she would have to get a new one and decorate it - but it would be dried by the morning.
A sight escaped her lips. Being the guardian, additional to being Ladybug herself, was exhausting. School wasn’t getting easier either, and it became harder to keep all those secrets from her family and friends. At least Alya knew. Honestly, Marinette wouldn’t know what to do without her best friends.
A rattle almost had her lift her head, but she decided to stay lazy and kept her head on her arms. It was probably the Kwamis doing some mischief again. She would scold them later, just five more minutes of peace…
“Pawdone the intrusion! Someone looks tired tonight! Need help getting back in?”
The girl shot up so fast she stumbled backwards, stepped into the puddle and slipped, already feeling gravity pull her down when a leathery arm slipped around her back, the hand holding her gentle enough the claws didn’t more than tickle her skin.
“Cha-Chat Noir!” Marinette squeaked. She jumped out of the cat themed hero’s hold and brought what she guessed was an appropriate distance between them.
“The one and only, just in time to save the princess.” Chat winked and bestowed her with a dramatic bow. What a flirt.
Too tired to roll her eyes, the girl found herself offering him an amused grin instead. To him, she was simply an ordinary citizen, so she had a role to play.
“Well, thank you, Chat Noir.”
“You’re welcome!” He beamed, not registering the slightly ironic undertone in her voice. Sometimes, she didn’t know if he pretended not to notice these things, or if he was just that oblivious.
“So, what brings you to my balcony? Don’t you have a city to save? I thought you and Ladybug usually patrolled during the day?” There was no hurt in knowing that much, was there? Everyone did. At least she hoped so.
“Well, my Lady is off doing… Lady things, I guess.” He scratched the back of his head, and averted his eyes. Despite the still happy expressions, his ears slightly flattened. Was he… Sad that Ladybug wasn’t around? Very likely, he did have a huge crush on the heroine- On her, Marinette internally flinched at the thought. Well, not her-her. More like confident, indipendent her. Her alter ego.
But more importantly, why didn’t Chat’s expression and body language match? Was he trying to hide his disappointment? It didn’t seem like him at all. He always spoke his mind, loved being a little drama queen, tried to woo his beloved partner while simultaneously flirting with all the pretty girls he encountered. What made him feel so vulnerable right now?
“But, that doesn’t mean your residential black cat will cower before crime! There’s always a lot to do!” The boy saluted, tail swinging between his legs, less enthusiastically than Marinette was used to. Now that she thought about it, he had only made a single cat pun so far. Against her wishes, Marinette found herself starting to worry about her partner.
He wasn’t out of breath, he didn’t look dirty, he certainly hadn’t been in a fight. But what else could he be doing out here? What would a superhero doing out in his costume?
Dumb question. She was a superhero herself, and she was out here, all on her own, watching the stars. But there was no way Chat would do just that. He wasn’t one to dwell on his thoughts. Though, that wasn’t quite true. They had often stopped after an uneventful patrol to just sit on the parisien roofs and enjoy the peace and quiet for a few minutes. Maybe she didn’t give her partner enough credit. Maybe she should start paying him more attention. Their latest battles against Shadow Moth’s akumatized minions had been hectic, demanding for more manpower, and Marinette ended up asking her friends for help. So many times, she lost count. She even let Alya keep the fox Miraculous, making her a permanent addition to the team.
Yeah, now that she thought about it, she did miss just hanging around with Chat a bit. It was probably nostalgia speaking, making her forget how exasperated and annoyed she had been by her partner’s early behaviour, but those were memories she treasured.
She heard rustling. Chat had moved towards the railing and settled on top, like he intended to stay for at least a few minutes. Without invitation. Marinette almost scoffed, because she didn’t ask for his company, she had been enjoying her quiet time, but then she remembered why she started worrying in the first place.
“Someone seems to have a lot on her mind,” Chat noted, softly dragging his claws over the stony surface of the railing.
Speak for yourself, the girl thought but didn’t voice it. Instead, she let herself plop down on the deck chair. She wiggled until she was sitting comfortable enough and shrugged. “Just have a lot going on.”
“School stuff? Are you a diligent student? Or,” he faked a gasp, “don’t tell me you are a troublemaker?”
A chuckle rattled her without consent. If he had been close enough, and she was transformed, she might have gently punched him in the shoulder.
“Definitely not more than you.” The implication was clear. With his behaviour, Chat had to be a troublemaker in his daily life. Teachers probably hated him, but he surely had a lot of friends. Maybe he wasn’t as straightforward as a civilian, Marinette wasn’t as confident outside of her costume either, but the foundation stayed the same.
At least she thought so until she saw the holder of the cat Kwami’s tail sagg to the floor. A somber smile replaced his ever present, mischievous grin.
“I wouldn’t say so.” It was quiet, barely above a whisper. Alarms bells ran in Marinette’s head.
“You’re… No way.” She took a deep breath. “Are you a model student?”
Chat shrugged before lying down on the railing, head propped up on his hand, the other playing with his retracted baton. He was looking at her, almost calculatingly, his eyes shining not quite as bright as when they fought that Akuma earlier today.
“What can I say, it’s always the ones you least expect.” His wink was accompanied by a grin. Neither felt particularly honest.
Marinette pushed herself up so she could lean closer to her partner, while still staying seated. “So you’re not like…” She gestured at all of him. “This in your day-to-day life?”
“Nope.”
Only one question. “Why?”
“Not all of us have the luxury to be ourselves, princess. Some parents can be very strict, and that means no fun, no games.” The hero rolled from his side to his back, arms folded behind his head, and looked at the twinkling stars above. Marinette had a feeling he did that to avoid eye contact.
To be honest, she never even considered that option. She had automatically assumed that Chat was the same out of his hero persona, just a bit less extreme. Being told he came from a strict household like Adrien made her reevaluate everything she thought she knew about her partner.
“So you do that because you… Because you can’t be yourself when you’re at home?”
An affirming humm came from the railing, almost sounding like a purr. It was kind of sad.
“I’m sorry, Chat Noir, I had no idea…”
“Don’t sweat it, Marinette.” If she hadn’t been gripping the armrest of her chair, she might have fallen out of it, because she didn’t remember the last time Chat called her anything other than ‘princess’ when she wasn’t Ladybug. “No one does. But there is no point in moping! Because right now, I am Chat Noir, the most cathletic boy in Paris!”
As if to prove himself, the hero jumped to his feet, assuming what he probably thought was a great pose to be photographed in. One arm was raised above his head, claws outstretched, while the other cupped an invisible ball in front of his waist. That, in combination with his overly straight legs, reminded Marinette of a very bad Tango dancer. She couldn’t suppress a snort.
Please by this, Chat Noir relaxed. He took a step back and bowed low.
“It is an honour to have been chosen as one of Paris’ saviours, just like it is to have your attentive ear listening, Marinette, oh princess of the clawesome kingdom balcony!”
Before she could come up with the right comeback, the hero reached for her hand, and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.
Marinette’s brain shut down. He had done it before, when she was Ladybug, but never to Marinette. Her cheeks burned. No, Marinette was not blushing because of her silly partner. Her body was a traitor.
The contact only lasted for a second and Chat let go, slowly moving back towards the edge of the balcony.
“But in all honesty, thank you for listening. I really needed this.” There it was again, that sincere, raw, vulnerable look in his eyes. It tore at Marinette’s heart.
“Su-sure. I’m glad I could help one of the bravest heroes Paris has to offer.” And she strangely meant it. Paris wouldn’t be standing if it wasn’t for Chat’s help, there was only so much she could do as Ladybug. And it seemed her words meant more to the boy than she could have hoped for, because the usual shine returned to his eyes, as he bid her his goodbyes, “At your service. Good night, princess.”
“Good night, Chat Noir.”
With that, the feline hero pushed himself off the railing to blend into the shadows of the building across the empty street, leaving the girl with even more questions than before. And she couldn’t help but ask herself; Was Adrien not in a similar situation? Was his life not as much of a dream as she always made it out to be? What if he as well didn’t enjoy what his father made him do? She knew he didn’t have much of a choice, but hearing how Chat felt about his situation….
“Marinette,” Tiki slipped out of the trap door leading down to her room, “are you coming back inside?”
She wished she had more time, but her duties and sleep were waiting, leaving Marinette no other option than to postpone the much needed reflection.
“Yeah, I’ll be right back inside, Tiki.”
And next time she saw Chat Noir, be it as Ladybug or Marinette, she might just try to be a little more understanding. Just as a thanks for broadening her horizon.