Chapter Text
Adrien Agreste hitched his bag higher up his shoulder, gazing at the Eiffel Tower with a small smile on his face. God, he had missed this place. The bustling streets, the people walking about, and even the smells… it all reminded him that this, Paris, was home. Sure, it had been fun getting to know Russia and everything it had to offer, but being in Paris once more made the homesickness that had plagued him in the last couple of months leave his body instantly. And even though his flight had landed just about two hours ago, he hadn't gotten the time to take in his surroundings due to the rush of getting his belongings into his temporary lodgings - Le Grand Paris.
He was glad to be back.
His phone chimed, and he looked down at it to find a message from his best friend, Nino. He was already at the restaurant they had agreed to meet up at and Adrien, apparently, was running late. A small chuckle escaped his lips, because he had never been late anywhere before in his life - his father had always made sure of that. The novelty of the situation made him feel odd. He quickly typed up his reply and started walking the streets that separated him from his destination, taking in the familiar sights as he did so.
Soon, he saw the familiar figure of his best friend. Nino was waiting for him outside, leaning casually against the wall of the establishment. His usually baggy shirt and snapback had been replaced by a sharp dark blue, button-down shirt and light grey dressing pants; the snapback was nowhere to be seen, and Adrien found himself feeling impressed. He wolf-whistled, making his first friend look up with a slack jaw and a small blush of mortification staining his cheeks.
“Aw, you dolled up for me, babe? You didn’t have to!” the blonde smirked as Nino sputtered in embarrassment.
“Sh-Shut up, Agreste!” he stuttered in reply as he stepped forward to greet his best friend with a hug. “This is how you decide to greet me after your 6 month hiatus? Seriously?”
The blond hugged his friend back as he laughed, feeling over the moon at being reunited with the bespectacled man. “Yep! You just look so dashing that I couldn’t help myself!”
Nino muttered something that sounded suspiciously as a “Fuck you, man”, but Adrien wasn’t quite sure if that was what he’d said. Still, the blond threw Nino a smug look, deciding against saying anything more. The two made their way inside the restaurant and asked for a table. Following the maitre d' to their spot, the men indulged in idle conversation and sat down once the black clad host gestured with a small flourish. After a couple of minutes, the waiter arrived with their menus, which they perused in comfortable silence before ordering their drinks and food.
Once that ordeal was set and done, the two friends leaned back into their seats and regarded one another curiously, noting the differences the other had acquired in the six months they’d been apart. Adrien realized that Nino had changed notably. Gone were the soft features of their teenage years; his jaw seemed more angular now, his shoulders were broad and he had a spark in his eyes that spoke of genuine happiness. His glasses were no longer oval; he now sported a pair of square eyeglasses, which made him look more refined. The finishing detail which made him look more mature, though, was the stubble on his face. All in all, time had blessed his friend with a sharper and more mature appearance.
The blond reached for the glass of wine in front of him and, with an exaggerated, innocent smile plastered on his face, spoke casually, “You’re looking really good, Nino. How’s Alya doing? I hope that you’ve told her about… us.”
A waiter who happened to be passing by blushed a bit as he accidentally overheard the conversation. Nino, upon noticing the embarrassed eavesdropper, hurriedly stuttered out explanations as Adrien laughed out loud, feeling happier than he’d felt in a long while. Once the waiter left, Nino turned to him with a glare.
“Dude, you’ve got to stop doing that,” the man crossed his arms and sniffed haughtily, doing a great imitation of Chloé Bourgeois. “And I will never choose you over Alya, you peasant.”
Adrien gasped, placing a hand over his heart in feigned shock. “Nino, you wound me!”
“As if,” he made a face. “I’ll cut you, bit--”
A resounding boom shook the restaurant, cutting Nino off mid-sentence. The sound incited fearful screams from the patrons and interrupted the playful banter between the friends. The door from the kitchen opened with a bang and out came the head chef of the restaurant in their akumatized glory. Adrien cursed colorfully under his breath. It was just his luck that on his first day back in France, he was already needed as Chat Noir. He wanted to have at least one day as Adrien Agreste, hanging out with his best friend before he had to go fight some akuma. But, alas, he was irresistible, especially to Lady Fate. The good thing about this matter was the fact that he would be able to see his own Lady.
With that last thought in mind, Adrien grabbed Nino by the wrist and hauled him off to a safe place, which happened to be in a small café further down the road. He gently pushed his friend inside and, once he made sure that he was alright and out of harm’s way, he slipped out of the coffee place and into a deserted alley. Even though he had wanted to have a normal day with his best friend, he was glad that he was going to be Chat Noir again. He hadn't been fond of the fact that he had been away from the action for six months. His kwami -and to some extent, he, himself- had been itching to get back into action for some time now.
Once safely ensconced in the dark alley, he opened his jacket and out came his kwami, Plagg, who was practically vibrating with eagerness before him. “Well, what are you waiting for? Transform!”
Adrien raised his brow at the creature, marvelling at the uncharacteristic excitement. Then again, he understood him completely. It had been too long since they’d done this - Adrien couldn't have afforded to patrol Russia as Chat Noir and risk even a wisp of suspicion as to why the black-clad superhero had been in another country, so both of them were eager for action. Still, Adrien couldn’t help but tease the black kwami for a bit. “Eager, aren’t you?”
“Come on, Adrien. Stop stalling and transform already!”
Adrien raised his hands in a placating gesture with a small smile on his face. “Alright, alright. Plagg, claws out!”
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Chat Noir hurried over the buildings, a sense of urgency burning through his veins as he moved. He wanted to find the akuma as quickly as he could. He had lost sight of it while getting his best friend to safety, so he looked for the nearest building and climbed up, leaping through the rooftops of the city while searching for higher ground.
He located the akuma soon after and started making his way towards him, readying his baton and expecting to see a red blur enter his field of vision any moment now.
As he continued to close in on the scene where the akuma was wreaking havoc, the superhero caught a glimpse of pink instead, and becoming curious against his better judgement, he backtracked. He instantly recognized the raven hair of a childhood friend he had lost contact with almost two years ago.
“...Marinette?” His eyes widened a bit in disbelief. He hadn’t seen her in so long, and there she was, right in the middle of an akuma attack.
“Wait, she’s too close!” The blond had no time to focus on how different her former classmate looked, changing his tracks in order to get to the girl who was seemingly about to walk into danger.
Marinette jumped at the sudden presence next to her, looking both startled and shocked. Her blue eyes were wide with shock and a spark of surprise. “Ch-Chat Noir!? When did you get back? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be, I don’t know, saving Paris?” A small smirk played on the corner of her lips at her own comment, although she was still shaken by the appearance of the superhero. Chat playfully smirked back at the tornado of questions thrown his way.
“Well, Princess, I happened to arrive very recently. And just in time, it seems. As to your other questions, you happen to be too close to where the akuma is, and it is my duty as your cat in shining armor to get you to safety,” he replied, gesturing a quick bow before wrapping an arm around her waist, not waiting for a response from her. He needed to get her to safety, quickly. “Hold on tight!”
Not expecting to be grabbed so suddenly, Marinette produced a startled shriek. Her arms tightened unconsciously on the black clad man’s neck, which prompted him to throw her a teasing smirk. Her cheeks warmed a bit in embarrassment. She glared at him, because she could just read the amused curve of his lips. She wanted to tell him that she was not afraid of heights. She was Ladybug - not that he knew that; she was not scared of much. But of course, she had to maintain her civilian façade, which annoyed her quite a bit at this particular moment.
Chat Noir extended his staff, elevating both himself and the girl, scanning the area for a nearby safe place where he could leave her while being assured that she would be alright. He noticed that they were relatively close to her parent’s bakery, where he presumed she still lived, and decided to take her to her room’s balcony. The superhero carefully maneuvered himself over the distance between him and the Dupain-Cheng establishment, mindful of not dropping Marinette or losing his balance. Navigating through Paris on his staff was easy when he was alone and he could use both of his hands, but it was a bit harder to keep control of his movements with one hand tightly gripped around Marinette’s waist.
Arriving at the familiar building, he deposited Marinette quickly on the floor, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be fighting an akuma as he finally allowed himself to take a proper look at her. His green eyes roamed over her very different physique and he was awed by the changes he saw. Even though she had always been cute, two years had made wonderous changes to her appearance. He reasoned that this was what usually happened when one didn’t see a longtime friend since graduating from high school.
Her hair, which used to be styled into short pigtails, now ran freely down her back in ebony waves. The silky locks framed her face beautifully and made her blue eyes stand out even more. She was wearing a light pink dress, which showcased her curvy and perfectly defined figure. Chat Noir was pleasantly surprised to notice the slightly muscled arms that hinted of evenings of diligent workouts. His verdant gaze went lower, noting the small waist and the slightly muscled thighs that made the black clad man’s mouth feel dry. He noticed, with a jolt, that he was having difficulty in tearing his gaze away from her shapely legs and, upon closer inspection, her butt. The man swallowed and then blurted, “Wow… I hadn’t seen you in so long.”
“The akuma, Chat!” Marinette exclaimed, cheeks flaming upon noticing the very obvious ogling that the blond man was giving her. She was used to his compliments as Ladybug, but she was not accustomed to having his partner staring at her civilian form in this very obvious manner.
Chat looked at her as if struck, having completely forgotten about the akuma and the chaos outside of the cozy balcony. “Why, thank you, Princess. I got a bit… distracted by how much you’ve changed since the last time I saw you,” he replied with a small smirk, preparing to extend his baton and return to the scene of the action. “Maybe I should swing by later so I can greet you properly.” Winking, he extended his baton and saluted the girl. “Stay safe, Marinette!”
As the girl watched her partner make his way to the location where the akuma was currently attacking, she sighed in slight relief. Her face was burning a bit, and she crossed her arms in disbelief at how flushed she felt over the exchange. A flash of red flew out of her bag, and she spoke to it. “Now it’s going to take us longer to get to the akuma, thanks to him.”
Tikki giggled. “He was just trying to keep you safe, Marinette,” her kwami assured her, flying close to her face.
“You’re right, Tikki. I know that, but-” she cut herself off, not knowing how to put her jumbled feelings into words, before looking at her friend and saying the magic words that allowed her to become the one and only Ladybug: “Tikki, spots on!”
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“Pound it!” The two superheroes bumped fists, smiling at one another for a job well done, as well as for their reunion. Chat Noir's green eyes ran up and down her body, and for a second, Ladybug shuddered slightly. Upon noticing her own reaction, the polka dotted superhero quickly gathered her self control.
“Flawless as always, my Lady.” Unbeknownst to him, Chat bowed for the second time that day to the same girl.
“Why thank you, kitty. You didn’t do that bad yourself.” The cat’s ears perked up, his face lighting up with a brilliant smile. His Miraculous beeped, signaling the time for his departure had arrived, but the man stayed put, his smile firmly fixed in place. “We don’t fight many akumas these days, don’t we?”
“Well, you’re the one who decided to travel around,” Ladybug replied, faking a hurt expression and bringing her hand to her chest.
Chat Noir wiggled his index finger from side to side in front of him, his smile becoming cheeky. “Ah, ah, ah. ‘Decided’ implies that I had a say in the decision. ‘Was dragged to’ sounds more appropriate.” In spite of what he was saying, he shot her an apologizing glance. “But I kept up to date with Parisian news. Apparently, there were only four akuma attacks while I was gone?”
“Three and a half, actually - that half one was… strange” Ladybug agreed, remembering the akuma that decided that people were too tall and just wandered through the streets of Paris shooting lasers from its wristband, turning people into two-feet tall adults.
Chat Noir chuckled. “I hope you didn’t miss me too much, my Lady,” he reached out his hand to hold hers and gave it a chaste kiss. The heroine smirked, determined to keep teasing her partner. It was a never-ending game, this banter of theirs, and over the years, she had learned to go along with it. She and Chat had already established their partners only boundary years ago - or at least, she had, and he had respected it; although the flirting and the teasing never really stopped. “Oh, don’t worry. Rena Rouge and Carapace are extremely capable partners.”
The man dropped the heroine's hand, bringing his palm to his chest as he gasped dramatically. “You cut me deep, LB. You cut me real deep just now.” This comment earned a whole-hearted laughter from the woman in red, and Chat's smile was back in an instant.
“You know no one can ever replace you, Chat Noir.”
“Not even the new partner?” he pointed out, referring to the latest addition to the team that had appeared some years ago, but whom they had only seen about just a couple of times.
“Bunnix is… a ‘desperate times, desperate measures’ partner. We still don’t really understand the full extent of her powers, but… she’s gotten us out of quite a few jams,” Ladybug replied, and Chat Noir nodded in agreement. “And no, not even her. You’re still my number one, chaton,” the superheroine added with a wink.
“Well, at least Paris isn’t in as much danger as it used to be some years ago. And, thank you for that, by the way.” The man stepped forward and placed gentle farewell kisses on her cheek, making a small laugh bubble from her lips again.
“So it seems. Maybe Hawkmoth actually has a life these days… or he’s planning something bigger, who knows?" She half-joked about the supervillain's recent absence, although it did make her wonder if there was something bigger in the works. She spoke again over the beeping of Chat's ring. "Now go, before you detransform!”
The blond stepped back and saluted cheekily. As he grabbed his baton from his back and turned away, his Lady called behind him. “Hey, Chat?”
“Hm?” he replied, turning around to look at the woman.
“It’s good to have you back,” she smiled, her words genuine. Even though his absence had been notable, both during akuma attacks and routine patrols, she hadn’t realized just how much she had truly missed him until he had arrived at the scene of the attack - even if he had dragged her back by saving her as Marinette.
Chat Noir returned the smile. “It’s good to be back. I look forward to seeing you again, Bugaboo.” He extended his baton and leaped away, blending into the dawning sky as Ladybug stared after him. The beeping from her Miraculous startled her out of her reverie. Making sure there was no one around, she muttered the deactivation phrase and Tikki flew up to her. With gentle hands, Marinette grabbed her companion and handed her a cookie which she produced from her pink bag. In between munches, Tikki reminded her of a very important thought that had eluded her brain until a few seconds ago.
“Isn’t Chat Noir ‘swinging by’ to see how you’re doing, Marinette?” the kwami playfully pointed out. The girl’s gaze focused on her small friend in confusion. “What? Chat Noir? He’s not going to show up, Tikki. He was just flirting with me, like he flirts with all the girls he saves.”
“I don’t think he flirts with all the girls he saves,” Tikki politely retorted.
“You don’t actually think he’s going to show up, right?” Marinette laughed, though she was suddenly starting to consider that what if.
“He could,” was her kwami’s response.
“W-well… if he does… If he does, I’m… I’m not there--!” the girl threw a panicked look at Tikki, who, while laughing quietly, urged her to transform herself again in order to get to her bedroom on time.
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When Marinette arrived at her building, she found that she was alone. She had made sure that there was really no one around before landing on her balcony and slipping down into her bedchamber to detransform. The blue-eyed woman found herself feeling a bit disenchanted by the lack of company. Even though she found it strange to feel like so, she had found herself hoping that Chat Noir would be a man of his word.
“See, Tikki? I told you he wouldn’t come,” Marinette said, chuckling a little and ignoring the hint of disappointment creeping on the back of her heart. The truth was, she did want to see Chat Noir and spend a bit of time with him outside of battle. He had been gone for a couple of months, after all, and she wasn't used to his absence. However, she knew that it would be better to meet him in her superhero form, and mentally added a preventive patrol on her near-future to-do-list so she could have the time to catch up with her friend without complicating things.
For eight years now, she had saved Paris alongside this man, though he was gone for the past six months for reasons unknown to her. She supposed it must have had something to do with personal matters, as she still did not dare let them reveal their civilian identities to each other. Ever since Master Fu had made her the Guardian of the Miraculous box, she was intent on keeping their identities a secret in order to protect everyone. It didn’t matter that her chaton was her most trusted friend; she couldn’t risk their lives just because of their curiosity about each other’s identities. Throughout the years and the development of their friendship, she had discovered that she, too, sometimes wished she knew who he was behind the mask.
It was ironic, really. She trusted this boy with her life even though she had no idea who he was, and yet...
Marinette shook her head, deciding that thinking about this was not productive. Privacy was a necessary measure, one that she would continue to uphold no matter what if she wanted to protect her team from Hawkmoth’s machinations. The young woman headed over to her desk, gazing at the various drafts of different designs. She was to hand in a couple of these models for her internship in two days, and she still hadn’t figured out the color palette she wanted them to have. The sketches on their own were fine, but the colors…
She heard a distant knock, which was promptly ignored, having become too caught up in her current designer trauma. The noise became steadily louder. With an exasperated huff, she turned around, trying to locate the source of the sound.
“It must be Chat Noir! I told you he would come, Marinette!” Tikki said, in an overly excited tone of voice. Marinette often wondered what it was about Chat that often got Tikki so overjoyed.
“Still… Why would he want to see Marinette instead of Ladybug? It doesn’t make sense,” the girl wondered out loud, talking more to herself than to Tikki, though she couldn't ignore the hint of joy that sparked uninvited at his arrival. Suddenly, the memory of the way Chat had looked her up and down before came unbidden to her mind. She didn’t know whether to be mad at him for checking her out, or to feel flattered. Maybe she felt a bit of both? Was that the reason he was here? Or was it because, upon coming back to Paris, he wanted to reconnect with the civilian that he had ‘saved’ more than once before?
Marinette made her way to the trapdoor on the ceiling which led to the roof, and opened it, expecting to see her partner. She was surprised to find her view empty, so she climbed the stairs that led to the open space of her small balcony. She found him, instead, inspecting the flowers she carefully watered every day with a soft look on his face.
“Um… hello, Chat Noir,”' Marinette was unsure as to how to approach Chat in her civilian form. It had been a long time since he had encountered her as Marinette. Gosh, she was pretty sure he hadn’t seen her since she graduated high school two years ago.
The black cat turned around, beaming at the young woman. “Hello, Princess. It’s nice to see you again,” he approached, respectfully grabbing her hand and kissing it. Signature Chat chivalry - or, as Marinette had said to Tikki before, his usual “flirting with every girl” behavior.
“I didn’t think you would actually have time to come. You know, being a superhero, having just saved Paris with Ladybug and all,” Marinette tried to keep her cool, while being sincere.
“Well, let’s just say I just arrived back from a… hiatus, and I am very happy to see a familiar face.”
“Familiar? We barely know each other,” Marinette replied, looking a bit confused by his sudden smile.
“Oh, Princess, we know each other far more than you think.” Marinette tried to recall all of the moments Chat Noir had crossed paths with her, and though there were a couple of them, she didn’t think there were enough to make him think that they were familiar with one another. Before she could come up with a reply, the man was speaking once more.
“And dare I say, you look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.” There was that wandering gaze again. Marinette wanted to feel uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his sultry look, but in reality, she wasn't. This was her partner, whom she trusted and had a soft spot for. She found it rather amusing to have him gawking at her. Yes, he had definitely not seen her since high school.
“Look at you, being all flirty. You’re going to make me think that I’m the only Lady in your life,” she smirked, deciding to play along, because, wasn’t that what she always did? She was sure that this was going to be the usual, harmless fun.
“Oh? Don’t tell me you’re disappointed?” He returned the smirk, knowing his former classmate so well as to know when she was joking around. Besides, she had never reacted to Chat Noir’s advances before, and obtaining the desired response for his behavior... that made him giddy.
Marinette hummed, placing one finger on her plump lips before nodding to herself. She leaned forward a bit and with a challenging tilt of her head said, “Why don’t you come in for a snack?”
Chat Noir froze, his mind trying to read into the girl’s expression. “W-what?” He stuttered. What is going on? What did she mean?
“A snack, Chat. You know, the kind you eat when you’re hungry? You must be starving after all that crime fighting, and since you came all the way to make sure I was safe and say hello, it’s the least I could do.” The girl’s words took a couple of seconds for Chat to decode inside his brain, and then he laughed out loud.
“A snack sounds wonderful,” he replied wholeheartedly. The truth was, Chat Noir was hungry, since he didn’t even get to start his dinner with Nino before the akuma attack. They had texted each other after the whole ordeal was over, rearranging their meeting for the next day and hoping this time, they wouldn’t be interrupted by a supervillain.
Marinette walked towards the trapdoor, Chat trailing behind her. She lowered herself into her room, earning a questioning look from her partner, as if asking for permission to come down. She smiled in return, and Chat followed her. “I’m gonna go downstairs to the bakery. Any special requests?”
Chat Noir’s cat ears perked up. “Oh, those croissants your father makes are wonderful! And also, the macarons…”
Marinette’s eyebrow lifted in surprise. “I take it you have tried our food?”
Chat smiled, keeping his composure. “Of course I have! Everyone in Paris knows that the best baked goods are found right here! I feel honored to have been invited for a treat by no other than the owner’s daughter herself,” he winked at her, earning a laugh from the woman standing in front of him.
“I’ll be right back, then,” she said, leaving the room.
While he waited for Marinette to come back, the superhero was left with nothing to do but to look around her room, immediately noticing the subtle differences within it. For one, there were no pictures of him - Adrien - on the walls and desk. Instead, the walls had a ton of finished and unfinished fashion designs. He stepped closer and admired the beautiful details of each piece. It was as if Marinette had poured her heart and soul into these drawings. The overall decor of the room, on the other hand, was still pink, and just so Marinette that he couldn’t contain the smile that blossomed on his lips.
He had missed his friend. Not seeing her since graduation had not been one of his smarter choices. He regretted not reaching out to her before this time, but he just didn’t know how to. Heck, he wasn’t really sure what had happened between them. Seeing her again, talking to her and just being close to her reminded him, quite brutally, how comfortable he always felt with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He always thought that she saw him, not as Adrien Agreste, the model, but as Adrien Agreste, the person. He silently wished he had approached her as Adrien tonight, and not as Chat, but that was just how it had happened. He made a mental note to contact her as Adrien later. He really hoped that their friendship had not suffered much, though he was sure that with a bit of effort they could become close once more. He was curious to see if she would react as differently as he thought she would towards his civilian persona, and honestly, it would be refreshing to spend some time with other friends now that he was back in Paris.
“Sorry for the wait, Chat! I had… an accident.” Marinette informed the blond with slightly blushing cheeks at the memory of the incident. Chat turned from the designs, and looking at her red cheeks, smiled a big, toothy grin.
“Let me guess… you tripped, didn’t you?” Chat Noir’s gaze wandered again, observing the subtle changes in her expression.
Marinette’s blush deepened in color and, with a stutter, she vehemently denied the event. “O-Of course not! I do not trip.”
The black cat snickered as the blue eyed woman pulled him to sit on the floor with her and shoved a croissant under his nose, successfully distracting him. He took a bite without hesitation, and hummed as he savored the flavor of his favorite diet-cheating snack. Marinette smiled at the man’s reaction, but was a bit amused to see that Chat’s smirk was back when he looked at her again.
“What? Why are you staring at me? Do I have frosting on my face?” she asked, half playfully and half worried. Chat’s smile not wavering, she saw him reach out to touch her cheek. He wiped off a smear of frosting that was, indeed, on the girl’s face, and brought his finger back to his mouth. Marinette’s face flushed a deeper red, as Chat Noir examined the taste in his mouth, his head tilted and his eyes closed. “Strawberry frosting?”
“Y-Yes.” She cursed herself for stuttering. She hadn’t done much of that lately, but Chat Noir was being exceptionally flirtatious. She was surprised that he had any more tricks up his sleeve, considering she had been the target of said flirting for the past eight years. Well, Ladybug had been...
“So you did trip,” he smiled. “At least I got something out of it. That frosting tastes delicious,” he said, laughing heartily. Marinette, regaining her composure and confidence, decided that she was not going to let herself fall prey to her partner’s teasing. “You still have some remains on your face, but leave it there. It makes you look cute”
“What do you mean? Am I not cute without frosting on my cheeks?” Marinette raised her eyebrows in a teasing, questioning gesture, deliberately searching for and cleaning the remaining frosting off.
“I didn’t say that, Princess. You always look cute. As a matter of fact, you look even better than how I remembered you.”
Marinette looked down at her lap, wanting to hide the blush that seemed to be permanently fixed in her face, and cursed her fair complexion. Nevertheless, the blue eyed woman rolled her eyes at the rather cheesy and very much Chat-like comment. “Chat, you’ve seriously got to stop flirting with every girl you see. What if one of them falls in love with you?”
“They won’t fall in love with me unless I want them to,” he replied with a sure nod of his head.
Marinette snorted. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that, if I really wanted to, I could make any girl fall in love with me.”
“Yeah, right,” Marinette scoffed, making a face in disbelief. Her eyes brightened in teasing glee as a question popped into her brain. She then asked, as innocently as she could, “Is Ladybug in love with you yet?”
The black cat raised a brow, licking the remains of the crumbs of his already devoured croissant from his fingers. “Ah,” the green eyed man said smoothly, “She’s different. I am sure that it is only a matter of time before she realizes how charming I am.”
Marinette chuckled at the answer, leaning back against her chaise as she marvelled at the sureness she detected in her partner’s voice. “No offense, Chat, but keep dreaming.”
Chat Noir, feeling a challenge rise up in the atmosphere, took the bait that Marinette didn’t even know she had set up. “Okay then, let’s make a bet.”
“A bet?”
“Yes, a bet.” Chat Noir’s voice sounded determined, all traces of playfulness gone. “I bet you I can make you fall in love with me.” Marinette’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief, and a nervous laugh escaped her lips, not quite believing what she had just heard.
“And not just that,” Chat added, “I bet you I can make you fall in love with me twice.”
He was being extremely cocky, she knew, and it made her furious, though she made sure her face didn’t show it. How dare he think that he had any of that power over her? This wasn’t him being confident around Ladybug, which was normal for her to see. This was him plain thinking he was so irresistible that he could get any girl he wanted. Her indignation and anger were so great that, without really thinking about her words or the possible consequences, she sarcastically blurted out:
“Oh, kitty, I’d love to see you try.”