Driving out on the open road, Marinette wrapped her left arm around Luka's waist, and held her right hand out in the air. Loving the feeling of the wind pushing against her palm.
Something about feeling this alive as Marinette was every bit just as special as how she felt leaping through the air as Ladybug. Free in every way.
Luka couldn't help himself, a soft smile stuck on his face, from sneaking glances at Marinette though his side view mirrors. The feeling of her arm around his waist feeling like a tether, the only thing keeping him grounded, yet the very thing making his heart fly out of his chest.
...
Reaching their destination, it was something out of a painting. A bit ways from the Bakery far down the Seine was a hidden spot Marinette had discovered one day out venturing as Ladybug.
The grass was a vibrant green with pastels and vibrant hues of red and orange flowers lining the patch of paradise, leaving a perfect space open to rest.
It was the perfect opportunity to rest... yet Luka couldn't help but feel something was off.
While guiding Marinette over to the patch of grass, Luka scanned the surrounding area, not sure what he was looking for, but feeling like something was looking for him.
This uncomfortableness stayed with him the entire night. It was with him as they shared a bag of goodies from the bakery. It was with him as they took turns skipping stones in the Seine, and it was with him as they laid on their backs, watching the watercolor sunset bleed into the night sky above them.
...
"UUUUgggghhhh, why do you care so much?" Plagg whined. Back in Adrien's room after the photoshoot, Plagg was having to deal with the denseness of his holder. If he physically could he would blurt out Ladybug's identity right then and there just to stop Adrien's confusion and indecisiveness, and to stop his own suffering.
"I... I'm not sure" Adrien responded. Not knowing what his sudden interest with his classmate has been turning into.
"Maybe you just need to give her the sketchbook back and you'll be perfectly fine again" Plagg said, knowing that was absolutely not true, but needing something different to happen.
"You're right, I should go see her, Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien said, the green hue of his transformation disappearing to show Paris' superhero, Chat Noir.
...
Landing on Marinette's balcony, Chat gathered himself. Taking a deep breath, he walked right over to her trapdoor. Knocking on the hatch, he expected a response, but there was nothing.
Thinking maybe she didn't hear, he knocked one more time. But still, no answer.
For a second, he thought maybe she could be asleep, but with her consistent tardiness to school and falling asleep in class, the likelihood that she was asleep was very low.
A soft hum of an engine in the distance was picked up by his cat like hearing. Moving over to the railing of the balcony, he instantly was able to spot the blue and pink helmets belonging to Marinette and Luka, headed his way.
Ducking down to stay out of their view, but keeping them in his view, he wondered, were they out for that long? Thinking they would've already been home by the time he went to visit.
As they neared, Chat rolled his eyes seeing how they were seated. Marinette had to hold tight onto Luka's waist so she wouldn't fall off. Luka must love that he scoffed to himself.
Staying ducked down on the balcony, Chat watched as he pulled up to the front of the Bakery. As they were getting off of the Moped, Luka said something a bit odd. "Was it just me, or did you feel like we were being watched?" he said, and then quickly hung his head at Marinette's confused expression, "I don't know, I just have this bad feeling, like something bad is going to happen to you". Luka took a hold of Marinette's hands while talking and held them firm, needing to feel that she was real, and right there.
Marinette didn't really know how to respond. She didn't particularly feel like she was being watched, but then again she was completely exhausted from the whole day. Being captured by an akuma, a visit from Adrien, and a sunset bike ride all in one day. It was a lot, and she couldn't wait to get some sleep. "Hey, Luka, whatever it is, I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen. And even if, I'm tougher than I look" she said, squeezing his hand to reassure him, brightening the front stoop with her smile.
"Look at me, I'm Luka, I'm so funny and handsome and blah blah blah" Chat said quietly to himself, mocking the blue haired boy. His arms crossed. Although as much as Chat hated to admit, he was having the exact same feeling that Luka had described. That looming feeling followed him when he left Marinette's bakery earlier as Adrien.
To his relief though, while he was deep in thought, Luka and Marinette must've said their goodbyes, because there was Luka riding away on his moped. That meant that Marinette was about to go up to her room, and Chat was determined to give her her sketchbook back.
After a minute or two, Chat was planning on knocking on the trapdoor, but without him even having to say anything, the trapdoor was now opening, and he knew exactly who was on the other side.
...
Right as Marinette was settling in her room, she remembered what she had wanted to do earlier. "Ok Tikki, let's go find my sketchbook"
"Wasn't it so sweet how Adrien brought you your backpack" Tikki exclaimed, her two arms pressed together with her head leaning on them.
"Tell me about it" Marinette said, suddenly lulled into an Adrien induced coma. Her shoulders along with herself melting onto her chaise.
"Marinette, the sketchbook" Tikki reminded her holder.
Shooting up from the chair, Marinette said, "Oh right, Tikki, Spo..." she began to transform, but was then interrupted by her kwami.
"Wait" Tikki told her. She then flew over to the trap door, and then back to Marinette, "It's Chat, he's here".
"Chat, as in Chat Noir, as in my partner Chat?" Marinette asked.
"What other chat is there?" Tikki asked, confused.
"I just wanted to make sure. I wonder what he's doing here?" she said on her way over to the trapdoor.
"I guess you're about to find out," Tikki replied. Going over to hide in Marinette's pink hoodie pocket.
Opening the trap door, she was met right away with those electric green eyes, belonging to none other than Chat Noir.
Even though she knew he was there, something about actually seeing him there, on her balcony, caused her to blush. Does he actually care about my civilian form? She wondered, thinking back to the thought circling her mind earlier, that maybe Chat knew her in his civilian form. And that meant she knew him.
Acting surprised, Marinette put on her best show, "Chat Noir?" she said, stepping out onto her balcony, closing the trap door behind her.
As soon as she fully stood up, standing face to face with Chat, he suddenly felt a bit breathless. Her blue eyes shone like sapphires, her dark hair was out of their signature pigtails, and flowed behind her in the wind. Her cheeks dusted a bit pink, he assumed it was probably from the wind.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, wanting to know what the superhero was doing at her civilian form's house.
Realizing he hadn't said anything yet, Chat remembered why he was there in the first place. "Marinette, I was looking for you"
"You were?"
"Yes I was, I believe this belongs to you..." he said, her sketchbook now held out in front of him for her to see.
He watched as her face lit up with excitement. How her nose scrunched in realization. Has she always had that many freckles?
"My sketchbook!" she exclaimed. "I thought it was lost forever!"
Still holding the sketchbook out in front of him, Marinette quickly leaped forward, wrapping her arms around the superhero, taking him by surprise.
When he realized what was happening, he wanted nothing more to wrap his arms around her, but she had already stepped back before he had the chance.
Taking her sketchbook from his clawed hand, she then looked right at Chat, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Where did you find it?" she asked, curious where it was.
Chat realized that if he told her he had it with him even when he saved her, that she might think it was weird he didn't give it to her right away. When really he only didn't give it to her as an excuse to see her again.
"Uh... Oh right, after the fight I realized that you never got it back, so I went out looking, and found it on the Eiffel Tower. It must've been knocked from Sabrina's hands when I was fighting her" Chat told Marinette, tilting his head to the side while once again nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
Marinette watched as he tilted his head to the side. He's so cute... her mind betrays any thoughts of logic remaining. But then it sunk in what he actually said. "You did all that for me?" she asked, confused. Especially because to him, she's just like any other civilian.
Yet that's what she failed to realize, that actually to him, she's not just any other civilian. She's so much more than that. "Of course I did, why wouldn't I?" Chat asked, confused by her confusion.
"I don't know, I mean, I'm surprised you remembered she had my sketchbook..." she began saying, now also wondering how he knew what that book was even a sketchbook, "... and I'm surprised you remembered me," she finished saying. Crossing her arms in on herself at that last remark, making herself smaller.
Chat couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Marinette really think that little of herself? He couldn't fathom how someone wouldn't remember her. She's very memorable...
Determination written all over his face, he walked right up to Marinette, placing his hands on her shoulders. So focused that he didn't realize how her face blushed as red as Ladybug's suit at the contact of his hands.
"Marinette, of course I remember you. How could I forget?! Your bravery, your quick thinking against the Evilillistrator, and that's not even mentioning your talent and creativity! You're our everyday Ladybug!" Chat said, more serious than Marinette's ever seen him. His eyes pierced into hers like a tractor beam, and she was caught in his hold. Lost in those emerald eyes.
Chat looked to Marinette waiting for a response, but he too was caught in her gaze. Looking into those captivating watercolor eyes. Their hearts beating in sync. Before he knew it, his eyes had traveled down her face, noticing how soft her lips looked.
But that's what snapped him back to reality. Get ahold of yourself, he cursed at himself. And then he realized what little distance there was between him and Marinette, causing him to take a big step back. Needing to physically distance himself, before he could do anything rash. Ladybug, you're in love with ladybug... Right?
As he stepped back, he profusely apologized to Marinette, fearing he made his classmate uncomfortable from the lack of space he'd given her. "I'm so sorry, I... I should go patrol" he said, trying to rush off the balcony. His face now is equally as red. And it definitely wasn't from the wind.
Just as he was about to jump off of the balcony, Marinette reached out, grabbing his wrist. Why did I do that? She asked herself.
Needing to say something now that she had his attention, she told him, "Come back tomorrow, I'll have something for you, as a thankyou". Thinking about giving him a goodie bag of Croissants for giving her sketchbook back to her.
"Tomorrow?" he said absentmindedly as a smile plastered itself on his face at the thought of Marinette wanting him back.
Seeing his smile restored her confidence. That goofy smile, just like she'd seen so many times as Ladybug. Without even thinking, she replied, "Tomorrow" as she went to flick his bell, letting go of his wrist.
The whole interaction felt so familiar to Chat. On instinct, he picked up her hand, planting a kiss to the back of it. "Until next time, purrincess" he said, right before jumping off the balcony, vaulting away into the night sky.
Marinette watched as he lept away. Already out of her pocket, Tikki said, "Who knew he cared so much about your civilian self"
Thinking about it for a sec, Marinette said, "yeah it's different... but I like it" with a smile on her face. One that wasn't going away anytime soon.