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It wasn’t the ideal way to spend Christmas Eve, but suffering never takes a holiday, and evidently neither did Hawkmoth. Thus, Ladybug and Chat Noir were called upon once again to defeat an akuma and save the city.
“YOU CAN’T brEAK UP with ME ON CHRISTmas EVE! I will SHATTer YOU!” shrieked the distraught akumatized victim. Shatter, as she called herself, waved her hand, releasing a flurry of sharp metal shards at unsuspecting last-minute Christmas shoppers in the shopping center she had decided to take over.
Exchanging a look with Chat Noir, Ladybug swung her yoyo, letting it wrap around the villain’s leg in an attempt to disrupt her balance.
“The locket!” she mouthed to her partner, who nodded and began preparing his cataclysm attack.
Her own lucky charm became tinsel, a brilliant red that could have been festive were it not for her signature black spots lining it. It was a mocking reminder that she was supposed to be at home with her family, enjoying the sparkling lights and laughing together with her mom and dad. Her thoughts only made her more determined to end the fight as soon as possible.
Acting quickly, she leaped so that she was directly above Shatter. Using her yoyo to wrap around the woman’s arm, she jumped down. Her tinsel blindfolded Shatter’s eyes, buying time for Chat Noir to rip the locket from around her neck.
In an instant, she purified the akuma that had been corrupting its poor victim.
“Bye bye, little butterfly,” she called to the pretty insect that flew off into the distance.
Without further delay, she used her power to bring everything back to normal. Ruined displays repaired themselves as terrified shoppers came out of their hiding places, leaving only a single woman lying on the ground, desperately clutching a silver locket.
Chat Noir jumped down from his position on top of hand rail, landing next to her. Their fists connected and they smiled at each other.
“Well played!” they cheered in unison.
She glanced at the large clock in the middle of the shopping center. 7:30 pm… How long had Marinette been missed?
“Gotta go. Merry Christmas, Chat Noir!” she called back to him, already halfway out the door. She raced over the rooftops, trying to get home as quickly as she could.
Chat Noir stared after her, a forlorn look on his face as he watched her run back to wherever it was she belonged.
Marinette had a lovely evening together with her parents. There was hot chocolate and twinkling lights, singing and laughter like Christmas bells, and most of all, love. When the three of them finally retired t their rooms, it was with huge smiles on their faces.
Marinette was entirely ready to fall asleep, smile still on her face, when she noticed something outside her window, No, someone. Someone was sitting on a roof across from her. Though the figure’s face was turned away, it was obvious from the silhouette just who it was.
“Chat Noir?” she called out, her voice starting out confident but lifting in confusion as she began to wonder what he was doing outside. The akuma had been defeated hours ago, so why hadn’t he returned to his civilian form? (Or, more accurately, why did he return to being Chat Noir? She knew he had to have de-transformed after using cataclysm in the battle.)
“Marinette?” he responded in confusion. “Oh, princess, I didn’t know you were awake. I didn’t realize that I…” he broke off before finishing his sentence, looking around as if he had truly forgotten the layout of the city. “Well, princess, PURR-haps I should take my leave and-“
‘Wait!” Marinette interrupted him. “Come here for a moment, Chat,” she insisted.
He hesitated for only an instant before nodding, leaping over to her roof so she could let him in.
“What are you doing on the rooftops all alone, kitty?” she asked softly, the nickname flowing from her lips without her meaning to.
“Worried about an alley cat like me, hmm?” he teased lightly, though his eyes held something pained.
“Chat…” she whispered, waiting for him to answer her question. He looked like he wanted to, even if he had tried to change the subject.
“Sorry, princess. I just couldn’t stand to sit around amidst our fancy decorations alone, not again. My fa- er, family is busy today, and I didn’t want to be there, that’s all,” he explained. “I’m more of a stray than a house cat,” he finished with a smile that couldn’t hide the loneliness behind the words.
“Did you tell Ladybug?” she asked, quiet but deeply concerned about her partner. She would have stayed longer, done something, anything with him as Ladybug if he’d only mentioned something to her. But he hadn’t. Why didn’t he?
“Oh, Ladybug was very busy tonight,” he answered, shrugging. “You’d think the bees would be the busy ones, but no, it’s the ladybugs. I didn’t want to be a MEW-sence to her,” he said with a grin.
Marinette sighed. “Chat, that was worse than usual.” She shook her head. “You should have said something to her. She would be sad to know how much she’s let you down,” she said, frowning.
Because she really had let her partner down. Thinking back on it, she had left him with hardly a spare glance. In her rush to return home, she hadn’t given him much… or any… consideration. Pain tugged at her heart. What could she do to fix this?
“She has better things to worry about, princess,” Chat responded, not willing to place any kind of blame on his lady for his current situation. “She can’t help that my family’s too busy to pet a straggly cat every now and then.”
Suddenly, his eyes widened as Marinette’s fingers brushed over his ears.
“D-Did you just-? My ears?” he stammered, unable to play cool in his surprise.
Marinette looked down, the lightest of blushed on her face. “Sorry, you probably didn’t mean it literally. I just thought… never mind.”
Chat Noir was silent for several seconds, before a smile, not one of his grins or teasing smiles, but a real, genuine smile broke over his face. It was gone in a moment, but Marinette was sure she had seen it.
“Thanks, Marinette,” he said quietly.
She nodded, and the two fell again into silence.
“Chat, will you stay here for a minute, please? I’m going to get you something to eat, okay?” she asked after a moment.
“Oh?” he looked up at her. “Princess, I don’t need-“
“I’m hungry. My parents are asleep. Don’t make me eat up here by myself,” she said, pleading with her eyes that he would let her do this.
Chat nodded slightly. “Okay.”
Marinette hurried downstairs. She grabbed a few macarons, red and green ones made for the Christmas season. They had made so many of them, in fact, that she was sure that no one would notice the few she had taken. She placed them gently onto a plate. She grabbed two small cups, filling them with milk. Placing everything on a tray, she made her way back to her room.
She placed the platter on the ground in front of Chat. She sat across from him, offering him a small smile as she grabbed a red macaron.
“I swear they’re good. My family makes desserts for a living, you know.”
Chat grabbed a green macaron and took a bite. He closed his eyes, a smile gracing his features.
“It’s sweet, Princess. But no dessert could be as sweet as you.”
“Drink your milk, kitty,” she muttered, taking a sip herself.
He pulled the cup to his lips, but then, instead of sipping it, he touched his tongue to the liquid and lapped at it.
“Oh my God,” Marinette whispered. “I can’t believe you- You’re such a cat. I can’t-” She couldn’t finish her sentence, for she dissolved into giggles.
Chat shrugged his shoulders. “I just wanted to see what it was like,” he replied with a grin. “I didn’t think you’d find it so a-MEOW-sing.”
Marinette would have groaned at the pun had she not still been giggling. She pressed a hand to her mouth in order to muffle the sound.
She took a bite of her own macaron. Its red color reminded her of Ladybug, her secret identity, and she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. She was the one who always insisted on secrecy. If she didn’t, Chat Noir… no, the boy behind Chat Noir… wouldn’t have to be alone. But no, she couldn’t do that. Marinette wasn’t ready to be “the girl behind Ladybug” to anyone, especially not Chat Noir. It was only right and fair that was doing this for him now, but if he knew she was Ladybug, his beloved lady, he would think too much of it.
It didn’t matter if Chat Noir was in Marinette’s bedroom because Chat Noir was head-over-heels in love with Ladybug. And it didn’t matter that she wanted him here; she was Marinette, just a girl with a crush on a boy in her class, perfectly normal.
If she didn’t hold Adrien so deeply in her heart, she was sure she would have fallen in love with Chat the second saw the look he was currently giving her. His green eyes, his sunny smile… She wanted him to look like that forever.
But she did have Adrien, and she wasn’t ready to give up on the boy who captivated her heart with every breath. She wondered, too, if that was how Chat Noir felt about Ladybug.
“Marinette… I should go,” Chat said quietly, breaking her out of her thoughts.
“Chat… You can stay if you want. I don’t mind. You said you’re a stray cat, but… You don’t have to be alone, you know? You can stay.”
Chat shook his head. “Thanks, princess, but don’t tempt me. I might never leave, but even my family would notice if I never came back.” He shot her a smile. “Besides, I’m all out of milk, see? That’s all we cats really come for,” he joked.
Marinette sighed. “Take a macaron for the road, then?” she offered, holding a red one out to him. He took it, and then, gently, he pressed a kiss to her hand. Before she could react, he was scrambling onto her roof.
“Sweet dreams, princess,” he told her, leaping away with feline grace.
Marinette sighed. She took their dishes downstairs, cleaned them quietly, and then finally got to bed.
When she dreamed of green eyes that night, she couldn’t tell if they were Adrien’s or Chat Noir’s.