Chapter Text
Good news: they now knew how the akuma’s power worked, and the akuma had run off and given them time to regroup.
Bad news: the akuma’s power meant she was now in Chat Noir’s body, and Chat Noir was in her body. Her body, which was currently still Marinette.
No no no no, Marinette thought, staring down at her hands. His hands. Their hands? The hands. The hands that were not her proper hands. The hands clad in black leather and claws.
The street they were on, two blocks over from her bakery, was hauntingly quiet. Paris had its share of sleepy residential streets, unbothered by the bustle of the rest of the city, but it was never quite as silent as immediately after an akuma attack. At least no one was around to witness… whatever this new nightmare was.
“This is fine,” she said out loud, and Chat Noir’s voice came out of her mouth. It was pitched way too high and sounded completely hysterical. “Ladybug can fix this.”
Her own face smiled reassuringly back at her. Her own face… piloted by Chat Noir. Oh god. Oh no.
“Exactly, Marinette,” Chat agreed. Marinette watched, horrified, as her own body stepped towards her and put both hands on Chat Noir’s shoulders. “All we have to do is stay calm and wait for Ladybug.”
Marinette had to work very hard not to scream. Instead she forced what was quite possibly the most pathetic smile any human had ever managed onto her face. Or, Chat Noir’s face. Which was hers now.
She was starting to feel dizzy.
Chat Noir eyed her critically. Or– she eyed herself critically–
A panicked Marinete non-word escaped Chat Noir’s lips.
“Hey,” Chat Noir said, plastering one of his flirtatious grins across her face. It looked incredibly sleazy on Marinette, who had never made a face like that in her life. “Look on the bright side. You look good right now. Black is really that face’s color. You’re welcome.”
“How is that a brightside?” Marinete half-shrieked. She sounded like a kicked cat.
“Although I bet I look good too,” Chat Noir said, staring down at her body. “You’re really pretty, Marinette.”
Marinette had passed out for a nap in her room after an all-nighter composed of a triple-whammy of helping her parents prep a rush order for the morning, trying to finish a design for Rose’s birthday, and another separate akuma attack. It was why she hadn’t gotten the news alert for an akuma and been attacked as Marinette in her own home, and why Chat Noir had had to whisk her away.
And now, Chat Noir was in her body, and her body definitely did not look good. A ton of random hairs had come out of her pigtails. Her mascara was smudged. Her clothes were rumpled and her front had an obvious drool stain.
Plus she kept making ridiculous Chat Noir faces. Even if they were charming on him (and she would never admit that outloud), they did not look good on her! It was weird! Creepy! Bad on every level! Even Adrien would be weirded out!
Adrien can never know about this, Marinette abruptly realized. He’d puke. She wanted to puke.
Chat Noir proceeded to be completely unhelpful by doing some sort of ridiculous model walk away from her, then turned on her heels and sashayed right back towards her, hips swaying. He posed her body for her, turning her body to the side and smoldering at her over her own shoulder.
“See?” he said, deepening his voice in a way that probably would have sounded goofy in his own voice but instead sounded like Marinette attempting to be sultry and then failing. “You look good, right?”
“I…” Marinette started. Her voice still sounded like Chat Noir. Her brain also might be starting to shut down, because she had looked good. Chat Noir had known exactly what he was doing. But it was– that was– Marinette could never walk like that!
“No!” Marinette found herself yelling, even more upset than she realized. “No, that was just weird! Don’t go parading around like this is a joke!”
“Oh,” Chat Noir said. Marinette felt like her-- Chat’s?-- brain was on fire, watching her own face collapse into sympathy. “Marinette, I’m sorry. I was just trying to distract you and cheer you up.”
Marinette’s body was shorter than Chat Noir’s. She had to look down to make eye contact with herself. It was so bizarre that she ripped her gaze away immediately, staring resolutely into the display window of a stationery store. Yep. Pens. The most interesting thing in the world.
She could see her reflection in the window. Chat Noir’s face looked panicked and slightly green. His body language was slumped over and totally off from the normally reassuring confidence of her kitty. She made another Marinette non-word.
“Everything about this is weird,” she said. “How can you look at yourself being all… all wrong, and feel so calm?”
Chat Noir shrugged. “Used to it, I guess,” he said. “Um– because I’m a celebrity, you know.”
He stood next to her, and Marinette could see the reassuring smile on her own face. It almost looked like a face she would actually make. Her shoulders were back and her spine straight, totally cool and confident, the way she hoped she looked to other people as Ladybug.
“I guess that makes sense,” she mumbled. With all the crazy stuff that happened to her, she wouldn’t be freaked out at all to see a doppelganger of Ladybug running around. It had happened before and it would probably happen again. It was just different, to see it happening to regular old Marinette.
Chat Noir’s blaisé attitude had calmed her, she supposed. With some sad spluttering, Marinette’s brain slowly switched to figuring a way out of this nightmare.
The akuma needed to be de-evilized and Lucky Charm needed to be used to undo this, but her Miraculous was currently on her body, which was under Chat Noir’s control, with Tikki presumably trapped in her purse. The easiest solution would be to just tell Chat to transform, but the identity reveal that would require was an absolute last-resort solution. Instead, all Marinette had to do was somehow get her Miraculous off Chat Noir and to Alya, who could then become Scarabella and fix everything. To do this she’d somehow have to get Chat Noir to take off her earrings and then abandon her purse so Tikki could sneak off. It would be tricky, but not impossible. She might not have Ladybug’s powers right now, but she always had her brain.
Although, right now she technically had Chat Noir’s brain, didn’t she? How did that work? Was she going to start thinking in bad puns? Would Chat Noir suddenly realize he was madly in love with Adrien Agreste?
“Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable–” Chat started.
“Call Alya,” Marinette said, trying to cut off her current panicked train of thought about Chat Noir reverse-engineering her identity by having a craving for passion fruit macarons. “Please. She’s, uh, my comfort person.”
Chat Noir patted down her pockets for her phone, and then moved her hand toward her purse, where, as far as Marinette knew, Tikki was currently hiding.
“I’VEGOTITDON’TLOOK,” Marinette shrieked, diving for her purse before he could. “Uh– I mean– you don’t want to see where I keep my tampons, do you?!”
“I… guess?” Chat Noir said, eyes wide. He politely turned her head away while Marinette retrieved her phone, cheeks dusted with pink.
From inside her purse, Tikki stared up at her with wide eyes. Marinette held a finger up to her mouth. Chat would notice if Tikki tried to escape right now.
Chat Noir used her fingerprint to unlock the phone. Marinette’s home screen was a photo of Adrien, which she’d drawn hearts around.
“An Adrien Agreste fan, I see,” he said, crinkling her eyes at her in an almost devious smile. “Is that who you dumped me for?”
Marinette felt her borrowed face go hot.
“It’s okay,” Chat continued, handing over her phone. “I’ve heard he’s real dreamy.”
He fluttered her eyelashes at her. Marinette snorted with laughter. It was still freaky to see her face make Chat Noir faces, but she was at least getting used to it.
“Don’t flirt with me,” she said. “You just found out I have a boyfriend.” She paused, a clawed finger hovering over the call button. “And don’t tell Adrien about this! It’s too freaky.”
“Um, sure,” Chat Noir agreed.
Alya picked up after two rings, her face worried on Marinette’s phone screen.
“Hey girl, what’s up with– whoa.”
They explained the situation. Marinette attempted to beam her plan silently to Alya with Chat Noir’s eyes.
“Are you, uh, sure you want to wait for Ladybug?” Alya said uncertainly, staring meaningfully at Marinette-in-Chat-Noir. “The akuma switched a bunch of zoo animals with guests and now they’re terrorizing Paris…”
That did sound bad. Oh jeez, and she’d just been here, worrying about herself.
“Do you have its current location?” Chat Noir asked.
“Supposedly it’s switching tourists with mannequins on the Champs-Élysées,” Alya said.
Crap, Marinette thought. She really couldn’t just leave it and wait for Alya to meet up with her, could she? But then, if she left Chat Noir behind while she went to help with the akuma, then she’d never get her earrings to Alya to fix everything. What to do, what to do…
“Marinette,” Chat Noir said, placing a hand on her– his– shoulder. Were Marinette’s own hands really that small? “I know you can do this.”
“Do what?” Marinette squeaked. There was no way this was actually happening.
“I’ll come with you and coach you,” he said. “Paris needs you.”
Oh my god, Marinette thought, feeling dizzy. She wasn’t particularly daunted by the idea of using the Cat Miraculous. She’d done it before, after all. She just– normally she was giving this speech– and she was supposed to– when he knew she was Marinette?!
“Uh,” Alya said. “Marinette, what do you want me… to do…?”
“I think I have to…” Marinette stared into the space slightly above her phone, at her reflection in the shop window again. Yep, still in Chat Noir’s body. Still slightly green. “Go… save Paris…?”
Chat Noir beamed at her with her own face.
“Ladybug will show up any minute to help you,” he said. “I promise.”
There it was again. The desperate, soul-deep feeling of wanting to scream as loud as she could.
“Alya, stay where it’s safe,” Chat Noir continued from behind her. He had to stand on tip-toe to see over his own shoulder. “No Ladyblogging.”
“Y-yep,” Marinette stuttered out. “Definitely do not come find us and steal my earrings, Alya.”
She winked exaggeratedly and ended the call.
“Why did you wink like that?” Chat asked. “Why would Alya steal your earrings?”
“Just– just getting into character!” Marinette laughed nervously. “It’s, um, a joke!”
“Okay, you might have to work on your jokes to be me,” Chat said, sounding unconvinced. “Well, I wanted to tell you without Alya overhearing, but I know for a fact you can do this. I know you were Multimouse, and you were awesome.”
“O-oh yeah,” Marinette squeaked out, entirely unbecoming for a cat. She’d forgotten she’d done that.
“And when we’re done,” Chat said, smirking at her and making her face look so sleazy, “maybe we can play a friendly game of cat and mouse.”
“I said don’t flirt with me,” Marinette groaned. She pulled Chat Noir’s staff from her (his?) back.
“Sorry, can’t help it,” Chat Noi replied, winking. He did it, perhaps, to show off what a proper wink looked like.
He did make her face look all flirty and cute when he did that. Maybe she should ask him how, so she could do that for Adrien…?
You’re being weird, Marinette, she thought. She tightened her grip on the staff. Focus.
As Lady Noire, she’d easily fought and vaulted herself around with the staff. She hadn’t been as skilled as Chat, but she’d been sufficiently competent with no prior practice. A Miraculous fit itself to the user; weapons were made intuitive so even an amateur could wield one with ease. The staff had molded itself to her and her hands and her needs. This version of the staff was molded to Chat Noir. Even puppetting his hands, it felt… off.
This was not going to be as graceful as being Lady Noire, she sensed.
“Oooh, carry me princess style,” Chat Noir said, not the least worried.
“Um,” Marinette said. Everything felt just not quite right. Holding him in her arms and maneuvering the staff? She’d drop him-- she’d drop herself. That would be so bad.
She made him climb on her back. She’d carried plenty of people before as Ladybug; a Miraculous made the average human feel light as a feather. She was still somehow shocked at how light her own body felt. Weird. Freaky. Bad.
“Hold on tight,” she said shakily, readying herself for the inevitability of vaulting them into a wall or something.
“I trust you completely,” Chat Noir said, with the same conviction he’d say something to Ladybug.
Oh geez, why? Marinette wondered. She wasn’t Ladybug right now. She was just Marinette, local human disaster.
“Here goes!” she announced, turning in the general direction of the Champs-Elysées.
She didn’t vault them into a wall. She threw them right over a building, missing the roof she was aiming for completely, screaming the whole way.
She didn’t drop him, though.
xXx
“Are you sure I can’t tell Adrien Agreste about this?” Chat Noir asked. “I think he’d like it.”
Good news: they knew what object the akuma butterfly was in now.
Bad news: the akumatized victim had switched places with the Arc de Triomphe at the last second and fled again.
Worse news: Marinette had Cataclysmed the Arc de Triomphe.
Slightly better news: at least by doing that, she’d removed it from the middle of the Champs-Elysées where it did not belong.
“It’s not that bad,” Chat Noir continued to ramble as the dust that was once the Arc dissipated around them. “The Eiffel Tower needed a break from being destroyed. We really needed to be diversifying the city monuments we destroy. I’m sure Ladybug will agree once she shows up… I wonder what’s taking her so long?”
“Aaaaah,” Marinette screamed quietly.
Alya sprinted into view, phone out and recording. She had to dodge around several of the mannequin people zombie-walking down the street. They were largely unthreatening without the akuma actively commanding them to attack, and Alya made it to them without incident.
“Hey!” Chat called, pointing accusingly at Alya. “I said no Ladyblogging!”
Alya did a double-take as her eyes moved between them. Marinette felt cheeks go hot under Chat Noir’s mask. This might be the weirdest thing she’d ever gotten herself into that Alya had also borne witness too. Even though Alya knew the situation, seeing the switched mannerisms must still be freaky.
“And Marinette doesn’t want this getting out,” Chat Noir finished, putting hands on hips. “No recording.”
“Right,” Alya said after a beat, pocketing her phone. “That was just for B-roll when I cover this later. I came to check on Marinette.”
Alya turned to her, looking… confused. That was okay. Marinette was also confused. And also feeling like she needed to scream some more, perhaps into some sort of bucket.
“Girl, are you okay?” Alya asked.
“No,” Marinette squeaked. “I Cataclysmed the Arc de Triomphe.”
“Well, that’s not so bad,” Alya said carefully. “Ladybug can fix that. Or– maybe since it seems like she might be busy– Scarabella?”
Alya eyed her with intense meaning, trying to feel out if she understood the plan. Unfortunately, Marinette had lost the plot the minute she’d Cataclysmed the wrong thing.
“No, you don’t understand,” she said. “I used Cataclysm.”
The ring beeped. Both Alya and Chat Noir’s eyes widened.
She was going to de-transform, and then ruin Chat Noir’s secret identity for all of time, and it would all be her fault.
“You can fight through it,” Chat Noir said immediately. “You don’t have to detransform. You’re strong enough.”
“I don’t think I am,” Marinette countered.
She felt bad. Everything was wrong, and she sort of wanted to cry. She could probably push through in her own body, even with the burden of her ongoing anxiety, but she didn’t even have that right now. There was no way she was fighting through this one.
Alya moved for her, arms open for a hug. Then she paused, because Marinette was not just Marinette. She was Chat Noir, and Alya wouldn’t just hug Chat Noir. This was so messed up, and Marinette was concentrating very hard on not hyperventilating.
“Maybe,” Alya said very carefully, “it would make you feel better to feel more like yourself. Put on your favorite jewelry, for example.”
“Oh yeah, sure,” Chat agreed. He carefully pulled the friendship bracelet she’d made to match Adrien’s off her wrist. “This is important to you, right?”
He held it out, and Marinette stared at it. How did Chat Noir know that? Was she really that obvious?
“Uh, I was thinking more like… her favorite earrings…?” Alya tried.
Chat Noir moved her hand to her ears, hovering centimeters from her earrings. Marinette’s heart thudded in Chat Noir’s chest. Thank god Alya was still on her game today, unlike Marinette’s current streak of being a walking disaster. All she had to do was get her Miraculous, hand them to Alya, and then she could go hide uselessly in a dark closet where she wouldn’t be able to accidentally see Chat Noir’s civilian face until Scarabella fixed everything.
Chat Noir frowned.
“Marinette never takes off her earrings,” he said. He turned to her. “You want me to just hand them over?”
“Uh,” Marinette said. Okay, so they’d gone on a date once, but since when was Chat Noir paying this much attention to boring old Marinette?
“Sure she does,” Alya said. “I think I’d know; I’m her best friend, after all. Go on, Marinette. Tell him. You feel naked without them.”
“I want… the earrings,” Marinette agreed slowly. “And also… my purse…”
Chat Noir shrugged and started to remove the earrings. “Good thing my ears are pierced, then!”
“Wait, really?” Alya, ever the investigative reporter, asked.
Two things then happened at once. There was the telltale combination of crashing noises and evil laughter that indicated the akuma was back, and also Chat Noir’s ring gave its one minute warning beep.
Marinette’s stomach dropped so hard it felt like someone had volleyball spiked it. Alya shot her a momentary look of deep sympathy before her face hardened in determination. She turned to Chat Noir.
“Sorry about this,” she said, and then made a desperate grab for the earrings, now in his hand.
Marinette had no idea what Chat Noir got up to in his free time as a civilian, but he easily dodged Alya and then hopped out of the way when she made an attempt to outright tackle him.
“Marinette, I think the akuma got her,” Chat Noir warned, earrings clutched in a fist.
“ATTACK, MY DOLLS!” the akuma screamed at the mannequins.
Marinette was going to detransform at any second, and now two of her best friends were fighting over her earrings while a bunch of mannequins started zombie-walking towards them.
New plan, Marinette decided.
“RUN!” she screamed, and then scooped up her own body princess-style and made a mad sprint for a chocolate shop across the street. “ALYA, HIDE!”
She hated having to leave Alya behind. But she needed Alya to be alone, so she could transform into Scarabella. Alya was smart and strong, and she could handle herself for now. Plus, she was Marinette’s best friend. They could talk over any hard feelings later.
Despite loving coming down here to look at the various high fashion displays, Marinette had never been in this shop before, because it was an overpriced tourist trap. Still, there was only so much variation to how a shop could be arranged, and it took her less than ten seconds to grab a box of chocolates, identify a storage closet, kick open the door, and then lock them both inside.
“Wow,” Chat Noir said, sounding delighted. “You said no flirting.”
“I have a boyfriend,” Marinette nearly screamed. Nearly, because she didn’t want the akuma or its army of slowly moving mannequins finding them.
The closet smelled of a strange mix of cleaning chemicals and old chocolate, and it should have been almost pitch black. The only light was from the crack at the bottom of the door, and Marinette shouldn’t have been able to make out anything besides the silhouettes of their shoes.
“I can still see!” she exclaimed, panicking. The whole point of this plan was to blind both of them!
“Don’t worry,” Chat Noir replied, looking completely calm in her body despite the circumstances. “Night vision is one of my powers. You won’t be able to do that the second you detransform.”
Oh. Right. Marinette felt herself relax, even as she felt herself detransform, the magic melting away from her body. Her own face smiling back at her vanished into darkness.
“Oh boy did you two mess up,” a tiny voice that could only be Plagg complained. “I can’t even explain how bad you both messed up.”
“Is that your Kwami?” Marinette asked. Whatever Chat Noir’s civilian voice sounded like, she went out of her way to pitch it high and girly to disguise it to her own ears. “I brought him chocolates.”
She held up the chocolate box in the general direction of Plagg’s voice.
“Plagg is more of a cheese guy,” Chat Noir replied. “You should have some camembert in your shirt pocket.”
It wasn’t too hard to find. Plagg ate it as eagerly as Tikki would have eaten the box of chocolates. If Chat Noir wondered how Marinette knew his Kwami needed to eat, he didn’t ask. She could easily say she’d learned it from Mullo when she’d been Multimouse, anyway.
“My boyfriend carries around camembert too,” Marinette sighed. “Even though it makes him smell weird.”
“What a freak,” Chat Noir replied.
“Chat,” Marinette whined. “Don’t make fun of Adrien! Just because he smells like cheese–”
“I like a kid who smells like cheese,” Plagg interrupted, and Chat laughed.
“Sorry,” Chat Noir said. “I’m sure your smelly boyfriend is great.”
“I wish he were here,” Marinette admitted. “This hasn’t been… well, I don’t mind playing hero, but I feel super weird in your body. This hasn’t been a great day for me, and Adrien always makes me feel better, no matter what.”
Less than a foot away from her, Chat Noir shifted. It was still weird to hear her own voice, but she felt more comfortable now that she couldn’t see herself making Chat Noir faces.
“I never gave you your bracelet, or your earrings,” Chat Noir said. “I know I’ve been joking around a lot, but I really do just want to make you feel comfortable.”
“Thanks, Kitty,” Marinette replied. “You’re always so kind and supportive, even when the whole day is awful. I really admire that about you.”
“Y-you said no flirting,” Chat Noir stammered, uncharacteristically shy. “I do have a girlfriend of my own, you know.”
They fumbled awkwardly in the dark as he tried to pass her things to her. It was weird, using Chat’s civilian hands. There were no leather gloves or claws, just soft skin and manicured nails. Marinette’s own fingers were more calloused, from sewing and her job in the bakery.
“Oops!” Marinette cried as she accidentally-on-purpose dropped her earrings. “Sure hope those don’t mysteriously roll away!”
She prayed Tikki understood the opening she was giving her. In the dark, Tikki could finally stealthily leave her purse and carry her earrings to Alya.
She kneeled to pretend to pick them up, but ever the gentlecat, Chat Noir also kneeled. They smacked their heads against each other.
At least he’s distracted from Tikki, Marinette thought, rubbing her– Chat’s head. Chat’s hair was filled with product, the same way Adrien’s was to keep every perfect hair in place. Of course Chat Noir would probably be gelling his hair into some ridiculous shape.
In order to further distract Chat, she said, “So who’s your girlfriend?”
“Now, now, you know the rules,” Chat Noir fake-chastised her. “No sharing purr- sonal details.” He paused briefly, and then said, “But she’s the best. She’s the bravest, smartest, strongest person I know.”
“Aw,” Marinette cooed, and the noise made her borrowed voice finally sound horrifically like Chat Noir. Continuing her tease, she said, “Even better than Ladybug?”
“Hands down,” Chat Noir replied without hesitation.
That's so cute, Marinette thought. I’m happy for him. His girlfriend is a lucky girl.
“If you have a girlfriend,” Marinette said, ramping up the tease in her voice so he’d know she was only playing, “why do you keep flirting with me?”
“Ummm,” Chat Noir said, and she could practically hear the blush in his voice. “It’s part of my cat-sona, you see.” Then he ruined her mood by saying, “Oh, I got your earrings!”
Crap!
Chat Noir stood, and then evidently offered his hand to her because he very gently hit her in the head. Marinette stood on her own. Well. This could be fine. She could put them on herself, and then she could… get away from Chat somehow, and… either get to Alya herself or just become Mister Bug or even Bug Noir… but that wouldn’t work, because then how would she explain to Chat where she got the Ladybug Miraculous from? Unless she just used her Lucky Charm without witnesses somehow. Or, maybe, if she could change the Mister Bug design, would Chat even recognize himself…?
“Bracelet first,” Chat Noir said, ignorant of her racing thoughts. “Give me your right hand. I already have one on my left.”
Marinette very awkwardly held out her right hand and waited patiently while Chat Noir awkwardly grabbed around in the dark for it, then held her (his?) wrist gently while he tied her bracelet around it.
“You guys really are too sweet,” Plagg complained. “It’s giving me a cavity!”
“We both already have partners,” Marinette replied. They were not flirting.
For some reason, Plagg blew a loud, wet raspberry at her.
“Can you put your earrings on yourself?” Chat Noir asked.
“Yeah,” Marinette replied, and then they were being pressed into her hand.
Well. Okay. At least she had them now.
“You can do this,” Chat Noir told her. “Because you’re the bravest, smartest, strongest person I know.”
“I said no flirting,” Marinette teased back. She took a deep breath. “Plagg, claws out!”
Transformation had always given her a sense of empowerment before, even when using Miraculous besides her earrings. Even though she still felt off in the wrong body, it did make her feel infinitely better to be Chat Noir. She had tools to protect herself and Chat now, even if she was bad at using them, and the Miraculous magic meant she wouldn’t learn a thing about Chat Noir’s true appearance.
Night vision returned. Her own face beamed up at her in the dark, all soft and gooey with affection. Lovesick, she’d describe it.
Is that what I look like to Adrien? She wondered. No, that had to be a platonic look from Chat Noir. He had a girlfriend, and he obviously liked her a lot.
“I think…” Marinette said slowly. “I think I’ve got it from here. You stay hidden here, where it’s safe, okay?”
“Sure,” Chat agreed. “You’ve this got this.”
Marinette opened the closet door, squinting slightly as light flooded into the closet. Chat Noir held up her hand to block the light. Outside, the akuma cackled something about switching the mayor of Paris with a baby.
Marinette paused before she rushed off. Chat Noir had been so good with her, keeping her calm, and she wanted to return the favor.
In her best impression of Chat Noir, she struck a flirty pose, leaning against the door frame and doing her best, flirtiest wink.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t get out of any bags.”
Chat just smiled back at her, although his smile definitely had the polite air of I have no idea what you just said. Marinette was intimately familiar with this look. About 90% of smiles she got from Adrien had looked like this, before they started dating and she’d calmed down.
“Er– like, I won’t let anyone know I’m not you…?” Marinette tried to explain, tripping over her words. “I won’t let the cat out of the bag?”
Chat Noir laughed.
“I trust you,” he said. “You’ll do fine. Just… don’t make any more puns.”
He giggled again, covering her mouth.
“Right,” Marinette said, and then gave him one last smile before she ran off.
Tikki appeared at her shoulder the second she was outside, and she found Alya camped out in a cafe, behind the bar, scrolling through her various news alerts with a worried frown on her face. It took a few moments to remind her that the Chat Noir squatting in front of her was still Marinette, who she could speak freely with. Alya explained she’d been blogging as if she were at home watching her news feeds, and she’d even held off on texting Nino that she was actively hiding from an akuma, to further hide her identity if she was to become Scarabella.
“Alya, you’re the cat’s pajamas,” Marinette said, passing her her earrings.
“Finally got in character, I see,” Alya teased. “Tikki, spots on!”
xXx
Good news: Scarabella easily defeated the akuma, and Marinette was back in her own body.
Better news: Chat Noir immediately ran back to the chocolate shop supply closet to make sure she was okay.
Best news: they nabbed some hot chocolate from the store and took it up to the Eiffel Tower.
“This isn’t a date,” Marinette reminded him, sipping her chocolate.
“I know, I know,” Chat Noir sighed, his legs dangling over the side of the beam they were currently stretched out on. “I just wish I could take my girlfriend up here, but, you know. Secret identity and all that.” He eyed her up and down, expression unreadable. “What do you think? Do you like it, Marinette?”
“It would be a pretty romantic date,” Marinette agreed, rolling her cup in her hands as she eyed the scenery. The sun was just starting to set, glinting off the Seine. She’d love to bring Adrien up here.
But, right now she was here with one of her best friends in the whole world, and that was just as good. She grinned at him.
“Yeah, I think your girlfriend would like this a lot,” she said. “Thanks, Kitty.”
Chat Noir reached over and squeezed her hand, just once.
“What do you think would happen if I threw my cup?” he asked a beat later, holding up his empty hot chocolate cup.
“Don’t,” Marinette laughed.