Chapter Text
"Hold… still!" Marinette grunted, tongue sticking out between her teeth. "Honestly, aren't your costumes supposed to be like, magical? Can't you…" She waved her free hand around, spattering some paint across the sheet placed down for the express purpose of this issue, "woosh your appearance different?"
"I coooouuuulllldddd," Chat Noire drawled, wiggling excitedly as she leaned closer to Marinette, green eyes glittering in the dawn light. "But where's the fun in that! This is my first time doing something for Pride! Being part of the community, doing fun stuff with people I know and all that stuff." Her smile wavered a bit. Marinette paused her painting, tilting her head to look at her partner.
"You doing alright, kitty?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, just fine," Chat Noire said, waving off her concerns. Marinette didn't buy it for a second but it felt wrong to spoil a day like this by digging into what was obviously a capital i Issue. So she just nodded, giving a (hopefully) supportive smile back and dabbed the last bit of paint of the superheroine's cheeks.
"Aaand I think we've got it!" She leaned back, tapping the brush to her top lip, squinting this way and that before nodding. "Have a look, mon joli chat." Chat Noire hopped up and peered at herself in the mirror, faux-tail twitching with excitement. All at once the sun seemed to come back into her eyes. One cheek was painted with blues, pinks, and white. The other had a dappled sunset of oranges and reds. Around her eye mask were tiny cat paws of alternating color schemes as well, making a tiny, wandering trail. The claws of the suit had also been painted, each hand now matching the opposite cheek.
There obviously were better and grander displays getting ready today. A lot were probably already done, completed days ago rather than a spur of the moment sprung on Marinette late last night. But for Chat… It was meaningful. A small thing, a special thing. She traced her fingers over her face, shoulders hunching slightly at the realization that there had been a weight on them that she had never noticed before. Never understood before. The first transformation almost a year ago had been like jumping into a deep river and flailing around to get used to it. This? It might as well have been sinking into a warm bath.
"You good, kitty?" Marinette asked again, hands hovering and fidgeting by Chat's shoulder. "It looks right, nothing has smeared so far, I could do something bigger if you want, just need a-"
"No," Chat Noire interrupted, turning back to her, lips spreading into a beaming smile. The rising sun cast her long blonde hair aglow. A golden halo with stark relief in the twin emeralds that were her eyes. "It's perfect…"