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Marinette stood in line at her favorite coffee shop. She was so hungry! And they had a quad shot mocha Frappuccino that was calling to her. She looked over the display case. What to choose?! Something sweet to go with the coffee. Cake? Pastry?
<<Content Removed>> Was that too much sweet? Nah. For some people might it excess, but if you asked her, it was the perfect amount.
<<Content Removed>> The perfect day to go for a stroll. She should go on one after the coffee. Maybe that would inspire her to design something.
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"I'm surprised your blood isn't pure sugar by now."
Her head snapped up to the voice finding a boy around her age - and seeming just as sleep deprived as she was - standing behind her eyeing her treats. Her many treats.
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Unfortunately, so far, he had no such luck. He was getting tired, and his nonexistent sleep schedule was making things hard for him. He needed some coffee and he needed it now.
Thankfully, he spotted a café nearby.
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After he had ordered and paid, all that was left to do was find a table where he could pull out his laptop and do some work before he had to actually go to... well, work, finding those heroes that he seemed to always miss. He scanned the room before his eyes fell on the table that would give him the best vantage point to watch all the doors and windows while also being secluded enough to not draw attention. The café was pretty crowded, so it wasn’t overly surprising when he found a girl sitting there as well.
The girl was probably his age. When he reached the table, he was surprised to see that the whole table was filled with sweets. So. Many. Sweets.
"I'm surprised your blood isn't pure sugar by now," he let the remark slip past his lips before he even realized it. He couldn't take it back though because her head whipped around, and she stared incredulously at him.
"There wasn't enough space for it. Spite and caffeine have filled taken the whole blood stream," the girl replied and Tim couldn't hold his chuckle back.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked, pointing to the seat in front of her, and the girl nodded. She was so bright. "The sun must be jealous of the light you radiate," Tim blurted out as he got situated.
The girl blushed at his comment. Now that Tim could look at her clearly, he could see that she was beautiful. She had a cute button nose with big and bright blue eyes.
"You look like you haven't sleep in a week," slipped from the girl’s mouth. Her eyes widened as if she had just realized what she said, and quickly tried to backtrack, "I… I... I mean you look good for someone who doesn't sleep... Ah no I mean it looks like you don’t sleep much. I am going to shut up now."
Tim couldn’t help the chuckle at the girl’s embarrassment. She was cute. If her mixed up words were any indication, she most definitely needed that caffeine.
"Sooo… I look good, huh?" Tim couldn't help but say. The girl blushed a deep red.
Marinette decided the best way to get out of this was simple. She grabbed the cup of coffee in front of her and took a large sip. The guy in front of her started laughing and she scrunched her eyebrows together wondering why, when suddenly the flavor of the drink registered in her brain. This was not hers...
She looked at her drink, which was sitting there. Untouched. And then she realized that she had drank the strangers drink by mistake. Someone help her, this day was a disaster. Hadn't she embarrassed herself enough?
"I am so sorry, sir! I'll buy a new one! I promise!" Marinette started rambling and apologizing over and over again.
"It's okay! But we just had an indirect kiss." Tim smirked. He didn't know where the confidence was coming from (probably because he was tired), but he loved it.
"I-" Marinette was probably malfunctioning. Someone press her restart button.
"I am kidding! I didn't even have a sip. And you don't need to buy me a new one."
Marinette frowned to herself as the butterflies that had exploded in her chest paused their fluttering. She was shocked at the... disappointment? Yes, disappointment that she felt at the fact that they hadn't shared a kiss even if indirect. Her face lit up a brighter red, she was sure. She should not feel this way about someone she just met.
"I insist. I drank from yours, let me get you a new one as you didn’t even get to enjoy it."
"If you really want to do something for me, you can give me your number. Only if you want to, of course!"
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"Tim, and I am sorry. I really should've respected your boundaries," he apologized again.
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"Ah well, you know, I just wanted to stalk your local heroes."
Marinette laughed at his joke. She really hoped it was a joke. She really didn't need a stalker.
"Seriously though, I am just here for a business meeting. Got to expand my business, you know?"
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"Well, yeah, kind of. It's mostly online. I design clothes for people as well as their pets." She could see Tim's eyes shining.
"That sounds so cool. I really don't have any artistic skills. So, it's amazing. What's your site's name? I want to see your work! If you want to tell me!"
"Oh, of course, it’s Miraculous Designs!"
<<Content Removed>> He recognized that outfit.
Jason had been walking around the house with the exact same outfit on at least once a week. He was bragging that he had commissioned it from some mystery designer.
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Marinette noticed the large change in his demeanor, as the blood rushed from his face, and he became stiff. She could tell it wasn't for himself, but she wondered why he would become so tense. What had happened? It was only a website. She sat in thought, wondering what could've possibly happened to make the boy in front of her so on edge.
A soft whisper, barely loud enough for her to hear, broke her out of her thoughts.
"Why would you need to design something so protective for something as simple as casual everyday wear? My brother, he commissioned this off of you, he's been attached to it ever since he got it, but it's not made out of normal materials. This isn't normal everyday wear. What happened in Paris?" Tim looked at her, clearly concerned in her well-being. So that's why.
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Tim could feel his face reddening out of embarrassment and looked at the table, trying to make it so she wouldn't notice.
"Yeah, yeah he's fine, he's just really cautious and has kind of been in life and death situations before," Tim's voice got small, and Marinette clearly noticed.
"I'm not going to push but that isn't all is it?"
"Gotham's kind of dangerous. And my brother likes to jump in danger. He's a bit reckless." A bit, might be an understatement but she didn't need to know that.
Marinette took a slow sip of her coffee, making sure to check it before drinking. She didn't fully believe that was everything. There were definitely somethings that he left out, but she would leave it be for now.
Tim grabbed his coffee and couldn’t help the small smirk that slid on his face as he took a sip out of the same side she used previously. He stole a bit of joy from the way her face heated up and she choked a bit on her own coffee. She looked down, suddenly finding her drink more interesting.
"You can have some desserts if you'd like? I have more than enough, I only bought so many because I couldn't decide which one I should get," she told him shyly.
"How about instead of the desserts, I have you?" Tim smirked.
Marinette's face was on fire. "You can't just go around flirting with people Tim." She groaned, banging her head on the table.
Tim chuckled at her embarrassment. He took great joy in how her face turned red.
"I don’t flirt with people Marinette," he made sure to catch her eyes, "only you."
Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to force her remaining brain cells to comprehend what he said. It took her a minute, but she managed. When she finally processed what he had said she tried to tear her eyes away from his but failed. She got lost in the blueness of his eyes. Blue, blue… so much blue, like the ocean that consumed the earth. As if she was the earth and he was the ocean - the beautiful, beautiful ocean. The ocean that held so much mystery, so much to learn about. The ocean that she knew so little about, the ocean that she had only met the surface level of. Blue… blue ocean. She wanted to be closer to him. Her eyes moved down to his lips - his pink, pink lips. The rest of the world disappeared, and she leaned in just a little, and so did he. Because Tim was as lost in her eyes as she was his. Neither of them was aware of what was happening in the space around them.
Bam!
The sound broke the two out of their trance. Marinette's phone buzzed. An akuma attack.
"Uh, I- I have to go, make sure my family is okay. You should find some place safe to hide."
"Wait, Marinette? What's happening?"
Aaand she was gone. Gone without even telling him her last name. Or giving him her number. Tim touched his lips. They had been so close.
So, so close to a kiss from the most beautiful girl he'd ever met.
He slouched defeated, before his eyes turned to the scene outside. He suddenly shot up as he saw a whir of red and black bolt past the cafe to what he assumed was an akuma attack. Now was his chance.
He ran to the hotel he was staying in. It was only a block or two away from the coffee shop. Grabbing the room key out of his pocket he sprinted to his suit and changed quickly. He grabbed his grappling hook and swung out of the window to the next building. Running across the rooftops he found the akuma and the Parisian heroes. He glanced around and ran up to the ladybug-themed girl.
"Hi, it seems like you don't have much time to talk right now, but I'm Red Robin and I've been needing to get in contact with you and your partner. Hopefully you two have time to speak to me after the attack, but at the moment I'm willing to help with anything you need."
"Just help distract the akuma, Chat Noir will need to stay in the sidelines in order to be ready with his cataclysm when I grab the akumatized object."
"Got it."
They quickly defeated the akuma with minimal destruction. The two Parisian heroes jumped over to where Tim was. He got to actually get a good look at the two and analyze how they could help. The ladybug-themed hero looked familiar, but not in a way that he'd known for a long time. Her eyes in particular looked extremely familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. The cat-themed one, Chat Noir he presumed, didn't though. Curious.
"You said you were trying to contact us?" A voice broke him out of his thoughts, huh, her voice was familiar too.
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"Well, they said it's been way too long, and you guys haven't done anything yet."
"So, they think we're incompetent?" Ladybug raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, I worded that wrong. I meant that, they want to offer some training to you guys, maybe some help and a chance to join the Young Justice team. So, you know, you can meet other heroes your age? Only if you want though! It's definitely your choice!"
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So, he waited in the café again. Sitting there by all the leftover sweets and coffee that came magically back and untouched from the magic the ladybugs did.
His hope for her return had started to dwindle down into disappointment, but before he could make up his mind on whether or not he should leave or wait a few minutes longer, the black-haired beauty barged through the door, red-faced and panting. None of the other customers lifted their gazes to her as if it was a common occurrence. His happiness that she had returned outweighed his musings on that.
"I'm so, so sorry to keep you waiting and rushing off," Marinette babbled as she slid into the seat across from him. "It’s just my friend Alya always gets into trouble whenever there’s an akuma attack because she insists on recording everything, and I thought I saw her and could convince her not to actually do it this time but..."
Her words flew over his head. He was stuck on her eyes, her voice. Her hands were waving widely as she attempted to explain why she had departed, but he had this nagging thought at the back of his mind that was basically screaming at him 'connect the damn pieces!'
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