Stray ~ A MariChat Love Story (Complete)

Chapter 1: The Chat's Meow

Chat Noir ran across the rooftops late that night, vaulting from one street to the other with his baton. Bright lights filtered through the countless windows beneath him; each with families blissfully aware of the superheroes that defended them, day and night.

He leapt off the edge and rolled mid–air until his silver–tipped boots dug into the moist grass. The park was always nice this time of day; a peaceful and quiet place for him to relax and gather his thoughts.

It had been days since he'd last seen Ladybug and even though he was glad no one had been akumatised, he couldn't help but feel restless without her.

Chat walked further in the vacant park until he reached the carousel and jumped on top of it. The Parisian streetlights were dim and all the roads were filled with parked cars, but something caught his eye.

A young girl with a bright red scarf walked towards him with two massive paper bags in her hands. He couldn't quite make her out, but when she passed beneath him he immediately know who she was. How could he not?

"Evening, Purrincess." he drawled.

Marinette froze and frantically searched around her. "Chat?" she whispered, eyes wide. He chuckled lowly and slid off the top of the carousel behind her.

"Right here." he replied. Marinette snapped her head to him and he grinned. The sleeves of her dark grey blazer were rolled down, but they didn't cover much of her arms. She shivered when the breeze picked up and hugged the bags closer to her chest.

"Late night shopping?" he asked, gesturing to her bags with his clawed finger.

Marinette looked down and smiled. "A baker's job's never done. What about you?" Her eyes widened and her back straightened. "Is there an akuma nearby?"

Chat took a step closer marveling at how short she really was. "Easy there, Princess. But even if there were one, I'd be here to protect you." His eyes fluttered shut and he flexed his muscles. He couldn't resist. "After all...who wouldn't want one of Paris's' greatest superheroes by their side?"

Marinette's posture relaxed and her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh, wow. The Great Chat Noir, protecting me? What an honor." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and noticed the shimmer in her eyes quickly die out. Her voice sounded flat too. Strange.

He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the unease burning through his chest and stomach. He forced his attention to the bags in her hands, "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, you don't have to –," gushed Marinette. But Chat Noir wasn't listening. He easily grabbed them from her and held them securely in his own arms.

"It's no problem, really." He winked, "Anything for a fan." He waited patiently for her to start walking and lead the way back to her house, but she didn't. She stood her ground and tried to reach for the bags back again.

"Chat Noir, you really don't have to –," She tried to grab one, but Chat moved them over his head and smirked. It might've been cruel messing with her but he was bored and there wasn't any way he'd let her walk home alone this late at night.

She huffed, her cheeks red and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine," she groaned. Chat frowned and Marinette's tone went upbeat again, "I mean –as long as it doesn't inconvenience you or anything." She waved her hands in front of her and glanced to the side shyly, "I wouldn't want to bother you."

He wanted to reassure her that it wasn't a problem, but something told him it wouldn't make much of a difference. She acted so much differently towards him when he was his civilian counterpart. And frankly, he wasn't sure which side of her was the good one.