Chapter Text
Now that she was on the final stretch of the school year before summer, Marinette promised herself that she'd stop leaving her homework to the last minute.
Unfortunately, that promise shattered within a single day.
Sitting on her chaise, worksheets resting against her raised legs, she cursed at herself for being in this pitfall again. Having to think while the rest of the city got to sleep through the silence, wishing that her parents could've been awake so their footsteps could keep her grounded. Tikki was fast asleep, too, cuddled into Marinette's heel.
As much as she wanted to tell herself to be more on top of things, she knew herself too well.
Besides, it wasn't all bad. A soft, purply darkness surrounded her room, only illuminated by her gentle amber lamp. Tiny specks of dust danced within the glow, and she only saw it because she was trying to look anywhere but the physics questions below her.
Questions one and two had been manageable, but the other eight had her groaning as she flopped her whole body down on the chaise, hand against her forehead like she was a Victorian princess with a fever. The fact she could barely keep her eyes open wasn't helping, and maybe changing into her white tank and pink pyjama shorts wasn't the best move.
Squinting her eyes at the window above her, pale moonlight filtering through, something golden whizzed by the glass.
At first, she assumed she was seeing things. People tended to see stuff in the dark, right? And she was barely keeping her eyes open, anyway, so maybe it was her imagination?
But the idea of being anywhere away from that stupid worksheet was so blissful, Marinette didn't realise that she was already pushing up the glass trapdoor.
(She didn't seem to have disturbed Tikki, thankfully).
The cold breeze circled around her skin, the wind whooshing in her ears as she closed her eyes, soaking in the sensation. Usually, she'd prefer the warmth of her room, but it was getting stuffy in there and that really didn't help her headache.
That same golden spot of light zipped in front of her, flashing behind her eyelids with a barely audible buzz. Opening her eyes, she watched as it zig-zagged its way to the rose bush by her lounge chair, settling itself on a decently high leaf.
She approached the bush, eyes transfixed on the glowing orb. Once she was close enough, she could make out antennae, six insect legs, and an abdomen, all quietly illuminated by the tiny sun at its bottom.
"What are you doing here?" she cooed, raising her finger to the firefly.
Her finger never made it all the way, because an idea began floating in her mind. The coolness against her skin, the fresh smell of the leaves, the view of the sleeping city... It was a welcome change of scenery.
And now, she had a light source.
After a while (longer than she would've hoped), her back was pushing the sun lounger against the wall, and her worksheets were once again resting against her legs. The firefly had even landed on a leaf closer to the paper, almost as if it knew.
Despite its valiant effort, the words were still hard to make out. Plus, the chirping of crickets wasn't so much grounding her as it was really, really distracting her.
All she'd done was make it harder to read and concentrate.
As she squinted her eyes again, hoping that she'd be able to actually read question five this time, the light in her peripheral somehow intensified.
Turning to face her firefly friend, she blinked rapidly, because she was seeing double.
Or... no, she wasn't. There really was a second firefly, perched one leaf over from the first.
"Oh, this little guy must be a friend of yours!" she whispered, hovering a hand near her second guest as she giggled.
While she turned her head, she noticed another ball of light shoot past her, idling on another leaf. Then another, and another, and...
Soon enough, the light next to her was just as sufficient, if not more so, as the study lamp in her room. Finally, she could read the questions clear as day. Although she felt super refreshed, and her mind felt clear and sharp, the solution to question five did not even try to jump out at her.
She couldn't help but run her fingers through her hair, pressing harder each time as if the pressure would force the answer to surface.
But what came to her wasn't an answer. Not exactly...
Instead, it was a whoosh, followed by a clang, followed by the metallic click of something that was somehow familiar...
Looking up, she locked eyes with slitted olive against glowing green.
"Chat Noir?"
The makeshift sun next to her shone into Chat, highlighting his hair with platinum blond. His black suit and cat ears stood out against the starry sky behind him, and white shone from the suit's silver accents.
Setting her worksheets down next to her, she readjusted herself on the lounger.
"Why are you here?"
His eyes were no longer on her, but rather the firefly lamp next to her. Instead of verbalising anything, he simply pointed at them, head tilted.
"Those are my friends." she stated with as serious an expression she could manage.
His gaze flitted between her and the fireflies a few times, before he stopped with a resigned sigh.
Marinette didn't miss the small smile playing on his lips, though.
"Sorry, I... I thought it might've been an akuma or something."
She turned her attention to the fireflies — at least two dozen if she had to guess — and supposed that it did look a bit abnormal. Suspicious, even.
"Oh, well, I'm not akumatised or anything like that. Just, uh, trying to do homework... and I guess they were... trying to help?"
She motioned to the fireflies, and they made a soft clicking sound, which Marinette took as a yes.
"You have good company." Chat said with a laugh, seemingly entranced by the majestic glow besides her.
"Well, if everything's okay over here, then I guess I'd better—"
He was turning away, retrieving his staff from his belt as he spoke, but Marinette grabbed his arm before he could vault away.
"Wait!"
She must've pulled him a bit too hard, for he lost his footing and had to scramble to stay upright.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"That's alright, Marinette."
Clutching her paper in one hand, she looked between his eyes and her knees, trying to figure out how to ask a superhero for help with her homework. Or if it was even appropriate to do so. If she were Ladybug, then she knew she'd oblige, albeit reluctantly. Besides, how embarrassing, to ask a superhero for help with homework, of all things.
"Are you on patrol?" she asked instead.
"Yeah, something like that."
Now that she thought about it, didn't they patrol that evening? Why was he doing it again? And without telling her...?
Before she could press him (and stop herself from doing so because that wasn't knowledge Marinette should have), he asked her something, rubbing his neck as he stared into the moon.
"Do you want me to help with your homework or anything? Or do the fireflies have you covered?"
He locked eyes with her on that second question, the semblance of a grin showing on his brightly lit face as he leaned down closer to hers. The faint scent of cologne wafted through her nose, and it smelled vaguely... like...
Radiant... Carefree... Dreamy...
Somehow, she managed to resist the urge to tease him.
"Actually, Chat, do you know anything about... physics?"
"I'm purrty good at physics, not to ring my own bell."
With a laugh she failed to suppress as she rolled her eyes, she flicked her finger against the bell in question, a quiet ring resounding in the midst of the night's stillness.
"Besides, the faster I help you, the faster you can get to bed, right?"
His voice was serious — uncharacteristically so.
"W-What? Oh, no, it's fine, I... This is nothing new to me, so—"
"You often stay up past midnight to do homework?"
Concern dripped from every word, and Marinette found herself wishing he'd stop being so serious.
"Yeah, well... I'm a bit of a chronic procrastinator."
It wasn't entirely untrue: even before she became Ladybug, trying to get herself to do work before the last possible minute was like trying to nail jelly to a wall.
"But you need sleep."
"You also need sleep!" she retorted, pointing a finger at him.
"Cats are nocturnal."
"No, they're no— you're not even a cat!" she said, more so to the stars than to him.
His mouth opened — probably to form an objection. Instead, he folded his arms and huffed.
"Look, do you want my help or not, Princess?"
That was the first time she'd heard him call her that in a while, and she refused to believe that the slight warmth on her cheeks was a blush forming.
"I— I don't— Okay, fine! Yes, yes, I need help, I don't get it at aaaaallll!" she whined with theatrical sobs, throwing herself back into the wall the lounger was leaning against.
"Let me see it." he offered, pulling the papers up to his eyes as the imprint of brows on his mask furrowed.
"Okay, so do you know how to find the gravitational potential energy? Like, the formula?"
Holding her forehead in her hand, Marinette felt her eyes widen as she shook her head, deliberately slow.
"It should be on the formula sheet..." he murmured, using his thumb to flick through the sheets in his hand.
Wait, how did he—?
"How did you know we got given a formula sheet?"
The question made Chat freeze, beads of sweat clearly visible as they glistened in the firefly light.
"Well, you know— you see, um— well, I— W-Whu-When it comes to these questions there's, well, there's always gotta be a formula sheet...!"
Man, he could not be more suspicious if he tried. She had no choice but to laugh.
"You sound like me when I'm near A—"
CRASH.
"What the—?"
Chat's head had snapped to the horizon beyond her balcony fence as the exclamation flew out of her lips.
"What was that?" she asked, as if he'd have any idea.
Well, he did. And she did, too. After all, this was their new normal by this point.
"There must be an akuma!" he answered, much louder than probably necessary.
"I'm sorry, Marinette," he turned to her, resting leather fingers on her bare shoulders, "but you'll have to figure it out on your own. Or get a classmate to help you tomorrow."
Two quick shoulder pats later, and he was vaulting himself over her balcony fence with one hand before bouncing off towards wherever the sound came from, spinning his staff into a propeller over his head.
"Yeah, I don't think my homework's getting done tonight." she sighed, before climbing down into her room where Tikki was now wide awake and zooming around the room like a traumatised housefly.
"There you are! I heard what sounded like an explosion or something, and I couldn't find you—"
"No time to explain! Tikki, spots on!"