3 Months Later

Marinette sipped her hot chocolate in silence as she sat on the pink striped deck chair that was set up in the corner of the balcony. It was at times like these she felt piece and comfort, no Akumas, no Adrien, just herself and Tikki overlooking the quiet streets of Paris.

There was a slight chill in the air as a soft breeze blew her navy locks over her Kwami, making Marinette pull the blanket that was draped around her closer to her chest. She could feel the warm sensation as Tikki curled up in the crook of her neck for warmth. She smiled and shifted the blanket so it covered her Kwami ensuring that Tikki was warm and out of sight.

Marinette's eyes then darted to the rooftops in search of her other usual midnight companion. Around 3 months prior the black clad superhero had started visiting her, his reason was still unknown but she was grateful for his comfort. He was always willing to listen to her ramble on about her daily life problems (She conveniently left out her Adrien dilemma) in return for free croissants, eclairs and macaroons. She always looked forward to his company and hoped that he did too.

There was only one thing that bothered her. Ever since she and Chat Noir fought the akuma 3 months ago he'd been acting a little strange. He wasn't making as many puns and his flirty persona now ceased to exist. She even found herself making a few bad jokes just to cheer him up but he just fake smiled and never laughed.

At first Marinette thought he had discovered her identity since he had shown up all of a sudden, but by the way he acted around her as Marinette compared to Ladybug was enough to expel the thought. Spotting the leather clad superhero in the distance Marinette gave him a small wave and beckoned him over.

"Why hello purrincess," he said doing his signature Chat Noir bow.
"Evening Kitty," Marinette replied gesturing over to a spare chair and mug of hot chocolate.
"I see you were expecting me," the boy said taking up on her offer.
"You've been coming round every Friday for 3 months Chaton how could I not expect you."
"Has it really been that long already, I wasn't keeping track."

Chat stared out at the moonlit sky and sighed.
"Are you okay?" Marinette asked adjusting her focus to him.
"Just another rough day," he replied continuing to stare at the sky recalling the days events.
"If your ever in need, I can lend an ear," Marinette said setting her mug down on the small wooden table next to her.
"I'm okay, don't worry." He smiled reassuringly at her but the slight tweak in his smile told a different story.

Marinette didn't want to push it any further, she wasn't going to get anything out of him tonight but she hoped she would in the future. From the amount of time she had spent with him, Marinette had gathered enough evidence to say that he didn't have a very stable home life, which might be part of the reason he was troubled but she thought that would've cleared up in a few days. Though coming from experience with Adrien she didn't want to interrogate him on topics he wasn't comfortable with.

Marinette had gotten to know Adrien quite well over the past 2 years. Her obsession had died down a bit and she was able to form more coherent sentences around him. She still had a crazy crush on him but it was less obvious. Not that it mattered as Adrien wouldn't know if it had slapped him across the face.

"Do you want to go inside and watch a movie? I'm afraid I haven't gotten any new ones since our last movie night but you seemed to enjoy the Disney ones."
"Yeah, I'd like that, Chat replied finally giving her a genuine smile.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Marinette stood up and offered her hand to him. Her hand was small in his as he gratefully took it and pulled himself up. Marinette hadn't really noticed how close his face was to hers until she felt the warm air of his breath grazing her cheek sending shivers down her spine. He too seemed a little surprised and quickly took a step back, suddenly becoming quite interested in the pot plants that were positioned along the balcony wall.

Chat eventually averted his eyes back to Marinette who had now left his side and was climbing down through the trapdoor.
"You coming or should I leave you to your thoughts."
"Yeah I am, just a moment," he replied taking the two mugs that were sitting empty on the small wooden table.

Marinette moved her hair and took the sleeping Tikki off her shoulder. She placed her Kwami in a little bed that she had made, before moving over to desk and retrieving her computer from the mess of paper that lay on top.

"Sorry my room's slightly messy, I didn't have a chance to clean it after school," Marinette apologised closing a draw in which contained her photos of Adrien.
"It's okay," Chat replied shifting some of her papers and placing the two mugs on her desk. His eyes looked over the assortment of papers that lay before him, school assignments, designs, notes. As he turned to leave a piece of paper with his civilian name on it caught his eye.

It seemed it was one of her older designs given the date that was neatly written in the corner of the page, but he wondered why his name was on it. He shifted the rest of her designs aside and picked it up. Chat wasn't sure what to feel when he saw her design. It was a detailed and coloured drawing of his favourite blue woollen scarf that his father had given him for his 15th birthday.

He wondered why Marinette would have such a drawing. His eyes quickly darted back to the date and was startled to see that it was 2 months prior to his birthday. He knew for a fact no one had seen it before the day after his birthday when he wore it to school. Plus she definitely wasn't close enough and had time to draw it so detailed.

Questions started circling his already clogged brain. Did his father buy it off Marinette? No that wouldn't make sense his father is a famous fashion designer he wasn't going to a child for a simple scarf. Chat certainly hoped his father didn't steal it or that would be illegal art theft but he wondered why Marinette never told him about it.

He looked up at the girl who was rearranging the cushions on her chaise into a more comfortable position. Chat wondered how she would have felt when he came to school the next day saying that it was from his father. He sighed and placed the paper back on the desk. This is Marinette we're talking about, of course she wouldn't say anything, to spare his feelings.

Chat strode over to her and placed her computer on his lap. The two sat in silence on her chaise as he played the chosen movie. Marinette felt his hair lightly brush her face as he rested his head on hers. She snuggled against him feeling his warm breath tickle her cheek once again.

"Are you sure you're okay Kitty, your awfully quiet, I haven't heard one pun since our first encounter this evening."
"I always knew you were looking out for those purrincess," Chat replied chuckling.
"Silly Kitty."

This was originally going to be the first chapter but I had already started a book that had a similar context so I merged them, I hope it still makes sense so far.

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-Paris07_49🐞😸🇫🇷❤️