"Mom! Dad! I don't need you two babysitting me," Marinette tells her parents as they watch her from the trap door. "I'm fine! Everything's okay now."
"We just don't want anything to happen to you, Marinette." Sabine grabs Tom's hands. "We wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves if something happened to you."
Marinette smiles. "Ladybug and Cat Noir saved me, Mom, and I'm sure they'd do it again if I was in danger." She sees a back figure drop onto her balcony. Her eyes widen. "Oh, I'm so tired." She fakes yawn. "I think I'm just going to sleep now."
"Okay. Goodnight, Marinette. We'll be downstairs if you need us." Her parents leave, closing the trap door behind them.
Marinette climbs on her bed and opens her sky door, taking Cat Noir's hand as he helps her stand. "Thanks, Kitty." She gently closes the door and faces him. "It's past midnight. I didn't think you were coming."
"I'd always come to see my Princess." Cat Noir grabs her hand and kisses it. "I just got caught up with some stuff."
"Choking on a hairball?" Marinette teases.
"Ha ha. Very funny." Actually, Adrien had to endure hours of screaming and lectures from his father. He was furious when he found out he skipped school to look for Marinette. "How are you doing? You know, after everything."
Marinette sits down, leaning her back against the railing. "I'm adjusting again, but it doesn't help that my parents are constantly watching me. I can't even go to the bathroom without one of them waiting on the other side."
"They're your parents. They love and care about you." Cat Noir sighs. At least you have parents that care.
"I took a nap earlier," She whispers, crossing her arms, "And I had a nightmare." She hides her face, embarrassed, and Cat Noir scoots closer. "I was there again, in that room. It was dark and I was alone. I woke up crying."
"You're never going back there, Marinette." Cat Noir grabs her hand and pulls her closer, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She gives into his touch and rests her head on his chest, closing her eyes. "I promise. As long as I'm here I'll protect you."
Marinette laughs. "I forgot to thank you earlier. You know, for saving me."
"Just a hero's job." Cat Noir smiles down at her.
Yawning, she mumbles, "I think you got a little crush on me."
You're not wrong. Cat Noir adjusts so he's leaning against the railing and opens his legs to give Marinette more room.
Instead of scooting away, she moves closer and her arms tighten around him. "Is it alright if I just... stay like this?" She asks him.
"Of course, Princess." Cat Noir starts playing with Marinette's hair, listening closely to her soft breaths.
"You're purring, Cat Noir," Marinette teases, giggling.
Cat Noir's eyes widen. "Well, cats purr when they're happy."
"I make you happy?" She whispers with a yawn.
Smiling, he leans down and kisses her forehead. "Goodnight, Mari."
"Goodnight, my Kitty."
***
Marinette rolls over into a pillow. Huh? She opens her eyes to see she's in her bed. Cat Noir must have put her here before he went back home. That's so sweet of him. Yawning, she climbs out of bed, looking around for Tikki. Her kwami's usually awake by now. "Tik— AHH!" She screams at Cat Noir laying her in chaise. So he didn't go home? "Cat Noir, you scared me. What are you still doing here?"
"Well, you fell asleep in my arms last night, and I put you to bed. I stayed around in case you had another nightmare." Cat Noir turns the page of a fashion magazine he found on her desk. "I'm taking this quiz. What kind of romantic am I? Hopeless, Flirty, or Daydreamer?"
"Good morning to you, too." Marinette rubs her eyes. "You actually stayed all night? Just to make sure I was okay?"
Cat Noir nods, circling his answer to the last question. "This chaise is comfortable." He turns the page and squints as he reads. "Huh. This says I'm a flirty romantic."
"Seems about right." Marinette checks her phone. Tons of new messages from her friends. She doesn't feel like answering them, so she shoves her phone in her desk drawer, and jumps when she sees Tikki munching on a cookie. She gives her a smile before closing the drawer. "I'm so glad it's the weekend. I don't think I can handle school right now."
"Do you really think I'm a flirty romantic?" Cat Noir asks her, looking up for her answer.
Marinette thinks back on the times Cat Noir has flirted with Ladybug while they were fighting a supervillain. All those roses. "Yes," She whispers, laughing. "But maybe deep down you're a hopeless romantic. I think there's a little hopeless love in all of us."
"You're definitely a daydreamer romantic," Cat Noir states, turning back through the pages. "I answered the questions how I think you would and it makes sense."
"How do you know what I'd answer for each question?"
He shrugs. "Cat's intuition."
Marinette rolls her eyes. "Well, it's true. I am a daydreamer." She glances up at the pictures of Adrien over her bed. She frowns. "Adrien must have gotten in trouble with his father, which would explain why I haven't heard from him today. But that's okay. I just hope his father doesn't ground him."
Gabriel didn't ground his son. That's what shocked Adrien the most. His father said he would give him another chance since his birthday was coming up, but he's unaware of his father's true intentions. "Maybe his father has a soft spot."
Marinette and Cat Noir both laugh.
"Marinette?" Tom shouts from downstairs. "Breakfast's ready!"
"I'll be down, Dad!" Marinette turns to Cat Noir. "Umm. I guess you could stay here for now?"
Cat Noir nods. "Can't get rid of me that easily, Dupain-Cheng."
The trap door suddenly opens. Marinette and Cat Noir stare in shock at her parents. "Cat Noir?!" Her parents shout, eyes wide.
"Cat Noir!" Tom runs over and hugs him, squeezing him. "You saved my daughter, so you're in my good graces again!"
"Thank you, sir," Cat Noir gasps in between breaths. Marinette pulls her father off. "You can count on me to always save Marinette."
Sabine walks over. "So, what are you doing here, Cat Noir?"
Marinette was not about to tell her parents that he spent the night. "Cat Noir came to check up on me. You know, after yesterday."
"What about Ladybug?" Sabine asks. "I wonder why she wouldn't check on you."
"Ladybug's busy," Marinette and Cat Noir say at the same time before sharing a look.
"You have to stay for breakfast." Before Cat Noir can refuse, Tom grabs his arm and drags him downstairs.
Marinette and Sabine follow them. "Dad, Cat Noir's probably busy with superhero stuff. Maybe we can pack him a kitty bag."
"Nonsense, Marinette! Cat Noir deserves a feast for saving you!" Tom pushes Cat Noir in a chair. He sets a plate in front of him. "Dig in, Cat Noir. Whatever you want. And there's some fresh cookies downstairs if you're still hungry."
"Thank you, Mr. Dupain." Cat Noir looks over at Marinette, trying not to freak out.
She sits beside him, reaching for his hand under the table. Her parents sit down and they eat.
***
"Thank you for breakfast, Mr. Dupain and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Cat Noir scratches the back of his neck. "I should probably get going now."
"I'll walk you out!" Marinette closes the door before her parents can say anything. "I'm sorry about my parents. They just get so excited easily."
"No, it's fine." Cat Noir shakes his head with a smile. "So, what do you do when I'm gone? Miss me?"
Marinette rolls her eyes. "Yeah, because I think about you twenty-four/seven, Cat Noir." She checks her phone again. "All I want is to see Adrien. I tried calling him, but he's not answering his phone."
"I wouldn't give up just yet." Outside the bakery, Cat Noir grabs Marinette's hand and kisses it. "See you at midnight, Princess."
"Bye, Cat Noir." She waves as he extends his staff and leaps over a building. Sighing, she pulls out her phone and tries calling Adrien again. Straight to voicemail. "Hey, Adrien. It's Marinette. I don't know what your situation at home is, but I really want to see you. I'm going for a walk. If you're allowed out, meet me at the park." Marinette tucks her phone in her pocket and runs back upstairs to grab her bag.
Tikki flies up to her. "You and Cat Noir were flirting pretty hard, Marinette."
"What?! No we weren't!" Marinette grabs a second jacket, zipping it up. "We were just talking and joking around like we always do."
"You fell asleep on him."
Marinette brushes her hair out, saying, "After everything's that happened, it's not a crime to be tired. Cat Noir was just comfortable. I've never fallen asleep that easy before." She smiles thinking about her kitty. "We're just friends, Tikki."
"Your smile says different," Her kwami teases. Shaking her head, Marinette gestures for Tikki to hide in her purse before running back downstairs. She sneaks out while her parents are watching TV, walking out of the bakery. "Shouldn't you tell your parents where you're going so they don't freak out?"
"I'm perfectly safe, Tikki." Marinette says, shrugging. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"That." Tikki points straight ahead.
Marinette looks up.
A supervillain starts attacking people in the park. "I am Channel Surfer! All of Paris will fear me!" The supervillain points her remote at a couple and a white light bounces out, making the couple disappear. "You think you can cancel my show?! I'll just use the people of Paris to make a new show!"
"Oh no, Tikki!" Marinette looks around. "I have to find a place to transform."
"Ah, another victim." Channel Surfer flies over to Marinette. "Hmm, pretty girl. You'll play the lead!" Marinette dodges the blast and takes off running. She zig zags through the park, jumping behind the water fountain as Channel Surfer tries to strike her. The fountain disappears. "There's no where to hide!"
Shielding her face, Marinette starts crawling away, terrified out of her mind. Why did she have to go on a walk?
"Marinette!" Cat Noir comes running over, tackling her out of the way as Channel Surfer presses a button on her remote. He picks her up and extends his staff towards the sky. "You're just a trouble magnet, aren't you?"
"Story of my life," She mumbles.
Cat Noir brings Marinette back to her balcony. "Stay here. You'll be safe." He actually wanted to give her an easier spot to transform. "I'll take care of Channel Surfer." He jumps off.
"No time to waste. Tikki, spots on!"
***
"Pound it!"
Ladybug smirks at Cat Noir. "Do you know what they're saying about you in the news, Cat Noir?"
"That I'm the most handsome man in Paris?" Cat Noir asks, fluffing his hair.
She rolls her eyes. "Apparently Kitty's got a crush on a certain civilian."
"What?" Cat Noir's eyes widen. "Who said that?"
"Just about every magazine cover in the city. Ever since you saved Marinette from Evillustrator again. They saw you dropping her off at the Eiffel Tower after she was found." Ladybug loves teasing him.
"You saved Marinette, too," Cat Noir counters.
Ladybug ties her yo-yo to another building. "But you were the one seen with her. They barely mention me in the articles. You should be careful, though, Cat Noir. I heard she's dating that model, Adrien Agreste, and I don't think rumors will help their relationship at all."
"You're right, Milady." Cat Noir reaches out for Ladybug's hand. She lets him kiss it without pushing him away or complaining. He notices. "Have a change of heart, did we?"
"I'm just being generous today. Bug out." Ladybug salutes him before jumping off.
Cat Noir runs in the other direction home. "Claws in, Plagg."
Plagg notices Adrien's frown. "What's wrong, Romeo?"
Adrien walks over to his computer. He puts a picture of Marinette and Ladybug side by side. Sighing, he whispers, "I think Ladybug's falling in love with Cat Noir."