Hey all!

Thanks for giving this story a shot! I understand that this chapter may be a bit rough and short, but I promise later chapters will be much better. The story itself will have about thirteen chapters give or take, with mature elements slowly working their way in, so be warned if that's not really your thing. I have several chapters written and waiting for editing, so updates will be fairly frequent. And as always, constructive criticism is always appreciated!

And that's enough of my ramblings. Enjoy!

It was a shame, some may say, that the moonbeams dancing off the Eiffel Tower were completely ignored by the blue haired girl who currently had a front row seat of the view. The full moon seemed impossibly bright, casting down its light in a downright cheesy, romance movie fashion. But as long as it gave enough light for Marinette to finish her sketch, she decided it could be as cheesy as it damn well pleased. Her tongue peeked out of her mouth in concentration. Was the lace on the sweetheart neckline too much?

No, she decided. She needed more. Perhaps have the black lace spread to form a mock-turtleneck collar? That would keep the dress teasing without being too revealing. Oh! She could take it one step further and add lace gauntlets as well. That would add some warmth. Spring may be just around the corner, but that didn't make it any less chilly in the evenings.

She nodded in approval at the finished product. "What do you think, Tikki?" she asked the red Kwami perched on her shoulder. "Good enough for the party?"

Her companion leapt up and did an excited twirl. "It's perfect, Marinette! You'll be the belle of the ball."

Marinette giggled, unaware of the tension that had suddenly overcome her friend. Tikki's pupils had shrunk to pinpoints, and she darted wordlessly into in the pink clutch resting beside them. The bluenette glanced into the bag quizzically, but held her tongue when the kwami held a paw to her mouth. Marinette swallowed. Someone was coming.

Nervously, the teen scanned the park around her. The silent carousel on the other side of the fountain gave off a ghostly vibe that made her shiver. When had it gotten so dark? She pulled her purse closer to her, ready to call for her transformation at a second's notice. She blindly gathered up her art supplies, carefully watching over her shoulder. "Tikki?" she whispered to her purse. "What did you hear?"
The complete lack of response did little to soothe her nerves. The sun had long since disappeared, far longer ago than she'd realized. She knew it was highly doubtful anyone with good intentions would be lurking around this late.

Yes, she decided to herself as she began briskly walking towards home, it was probably time to call it a night. Getting murdered wasn't exactly at the top of her to do list, and she was a firm believer that if it wasn't an akuma, it wasn't her problem. A prominent rustle came from the tree beside her and she froze in her tracks.

"Leaving so soon, Princess?" a voice called from above.

Her head jerked up hard enough to be painful, meeting two mischievous, green eyes that peered at her from the branches. The grin he gave her was almost frightening in the dark, and she bizarrely wondered if this was how Alice felt when she met the Cheshire Cat.

"Chat Noir!" she scolded in an odd mix of relief and exasperation. "You scared me."

"My apologies," he spoke solemnly. "That was not my intent."

She glowered. The playful glint in his eyes told a different story.

"What are you doing, Kitty?" She knew for a fact they didn't have a patrol tonight.

"I'm sitting in this tree." he answered matter-of-factly, straightening his shoulders.

Marinette drug a hand across her face. Sometimes, she really hated him.

He dangled a boot clad foot in front of her her face. "You should join me."

"I can't climb," she lied. Well, it wasn't a total lie, when she wasn't Ladybug, any sort of physical activity was a challenge.

"Not a problem," he replied cheerfully, a familiar black belt dropping down. "I'll pull you up."

"I need to get home, Chat."

The belt tail swung persistently in her face. "And I need someone to stargaze with."

She groaned as her heart got the better of her, it was no secret that Chat didn't have many friends. Sighing in defeat, she wrapped her fingers around the black leather. "Five minutes," she announced firmly. "Then I gotta get home."
If it was possible, his neon eyes got even brighter. The cry that left her mouth was completely involuntarily as he swiftly yanked her up, plopping her beside him. She struggled to gain her balance on the thick branch, and black claws gently grasped her shoulders to steady her. The blond smiled at her, then glanced up towards the sky. She did the same, blinking dumbly as all she saw was moonlight dancing through the budding leaves. "Chat," she spoke slowly. "You can't see the stars from here." He snorted. "We live in Paris, Mari. You can't see the stars anywhere. Too much light pollution."

She stared at him incredulously. "Then what are we doing?"

He shrugged, causing his bell to jingle softly. "I like to pretend."

Marinette stared at him blankly."You are the biggest dork I have ever met in my life."

He laughed, smiling like a little kid. "But you love it."

"I will jump out of this tree."

"No, you won't. It would pain you too much to leave my wonderful presence." Her eyes rolled up so far Chat was mildly surprised they didn't get stuck in her head. He wondered briefly if the amount of entertainment he got from annoying her was healthy.
"Now, I have to ask," he continued, eyes to the empty sky again. "What is a girl like you doing out so late? Other than to bask in my handsomeness, of course."

Chat bit back a laugh, feeling her glare burn into the side of his skull. He decided it was probably best not to agitate her further. She may be tiny, but he had no doubt she could and would deal him a shiner. Her silence was not exactly reassuring. "Inspiration," she said finally, her previous irritation slowly dissolving. "I needed some ideas for a dress I'm making." she retrieved her sketchbook from her bag and thumbed through a few pages, stopping on a page with a satisfied hum. She fully opened the book and handed it over. It was dark, but they both knew his powers granted him perfect sight with or without light. Chat raised an eyebrow curiously. The dress design was simple, knee length red skirt and a red bodice, black lace covering the collarbones and neck, and elegant black gauntlets that covered the top of the hands with a point.

"My best friend, Alya, is throwing a St. Valentine's party in a few weeks," she explained simply. "I wanted to wear something nice."

Chat nodded with a broad smile in approval. "This is great, Marinette! I'm sure you'll look lovely in it." Of course, he knew all about Ayla's party. He had been invited and was currently in the process of convincing his father to allow him to attend. "But will you have enough time to finish it?"

Marinette nodded firmly. "Easily. If I don't have too much homework," or too many akuma attacks, she added silently to herself. "I'll have it done in about two weeks."
He whistled. "Wow! Even my dad would be impressed with that."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Your dad?"

He froze. Shit. He forgot he wasn't Adrien.

Chat scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Y-yeah! My dad likes to make clothes and, uh stuff sometimes."

"Oh? Is he a designer?"

The blond quickly raised his gloved hands in dismissal. "No! No, just a...hobby, I guess."

Marinette hummed. "Interesting."

Chat panicked internally as his mouth refused to close. He was lucky that his previous statement hadn't raised any suspicion, why couldn't he leave well enough alone?
"Yeah… but it's an important hobby," he found himself saying with a bitter laugh. "Sometimes I feel like it's more important than me."

He tensed when a hand rested on his shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure that's not true. It's easy for people to get wrapped up in things. Maybe you should tell him that you feel ignored sometimes."

Feeling ignored didn't even begin to describe it.
Chat smiled sadly. "He's not exactly the talking type, I'm afraid."

She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You never know unless you try. Maybe he'll surprise you."

He reached for her free hand, and brought it to his lips. "Of course, Princess." he mumbled into her skin, planting a tender kiss on her knuckle. He appreciated her concern, and it wasn't her fault that the advice was useless. She didn't know the whole story.

Chat gently released her hand, genuinely surprised that she hadn't already yanked it away. He smiled warmly at her, slightly amused by the light flush in her cheeks. She cleared her throat.

"Well, chaton, your five minutes are up. My parents are gonna be worried, I need to get home."

He nodded at her, working to mask his disappointment. "Certainly." he jumped from his place on branch and landed silently on the ground. He turned, lifting his hand to assist her. She gathered her belongings and grabbed it, letting herself fall. She winced at the slight impact of her feet on the dirt. "Thanks," she said with a kind smile as she released his hand. "I'll see you around."
He shook his head. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I let you walk home alone at this time of night?" Chat didn't give her a chance to respond before he swiftly scooped her up in his arms. "Don't worry," he smirked at her surprised expression. "I'll have you home before you can say 'thank you'."
And with that, he broke into a run.

"Plagg, claws in."

The black kwami shot out of his ring like a bullet and the familiar green light consumed Chat, leaving Adrien in its wake. He closed his eyes fell back onto his bed with a contented sigh. That evening walk had gone far better than expected.

A small weight settle on his forehead. "What the hell was all that?"

Adrien stubbornly kept his eyelids shut. "Please get off my face, Plagg."

His kwami ignored him, taking on a falsetto voice. "Shut up, Plagg. She's just a friend, Plagg."

Adrien groaned, swatting him off his face and sitting up on the mattress. "Marinette is just a friend! A dear friend, certainly, but still just a friend. You know I love Ladybug." Plagg rolled his eyes. Oh well. He tried. That boy was as dense as they come. "Whatever. You promised me extra camembert for that unnecessary transformation."

Adrien sighed, sliding off the bed. "I know, I know. I'll be right back."

The giant marble house was empty, much to his relief. Explaining why he wanted so much camembert to the hired chef was getting awkward. The old man had started to assume he had an emotional dependence on it and had gone so far as to offer setting him up with a counselor. He grimaced at the memory. It was not something he wanted to relive anytime soon.

The kitchen was dark, the only sound to be heard was the quiet buzz of the stainless steel dishwashers.

His shoes squeaked slightly on the spotless floors as he made his way over to the over-sized refrigerator. Alright, he pulled the shiny doors open. Where are you, you little stinker? He hummed thoughtfully to himself as he dug through the various goods in the fridge. He dearly hope the chef had not gone through with his threatened cheese intervention. But if that was the case, Plagg had no one to blame but himself. After all, Adrien's bad luck had been inherited from the black kwami.

"Adrien?" A collected voice asked. "What are you doing?"

The blond yelped in surprise, knocking his head on the cold glass shelf above him. He stumbled back from the refrigerator, quickly closing it. The kitchen suddenly seemed far darker than it had before, and his eyes struggled to adjust.

"Oh, uh hi father! I was just getting a snack before bed."

"Oh?" The older man replied. "Did you not get enough food at dinner?"

"N-no?" He cursed the uneasiness in his voice.

Gabriel sighed. "Adrien, you know you are not to eat anything after six. It would throw your whole diet out of balance. Make sure you get your full portion at designated meal times."

Adrien sighed in defeat. Sorry, Plagg. "Yes, father."

The man nodded in approval. "Very good. But that's not what I was coming to talk to you about."

Adrien raised in eyebrow. His father had actually been seeking him out to talk? This wasn't going to end well.

"As I'm sure you know, next Tuesday evening is the anniversary celebration for Agreste."

The boy scoffed to himself at his father's nickname for the brand, always treating it like it actually had something to do with family.

"And," Gabriel continued. "I'm sure you know I want you to take a part in it. There will be a special showcase, where we will bring out some of our more popular retired designs from the archive."

"And you want me to model some?" Adrien guessed, trying to keep boredom out of his voice.

He nodded. "Yes. I've already ordered the designs of my choosing to be made in your measurements. However, alterations will likely be required. I've already informed your school that you will be absent until after the showcase, so there will be plenty of time for such changes to be made."

Adrien felt his heart plummet to his feet. No school, no friends, and entire week of people poking him with needles? No thanks.

"This is very important, Adrien. I need not remind you that this company is in the spotlight. It's very future depends on the success of this night."

He nodded dejectedly, knowing that any protesting would only make the situation worse. At least I got to hang out with Marinette tonight. "Of course, father."

Gabriel nodded in stiff approval. "D'accord. Bonne nuit, Adrien."

Plagg assaulted him as soon as he walked through door. "That took forever! You better have brought me some good stuff."

Adrien winced, rubbing his arm awkwardly. "I'm really sorry. My dad caught me."

The kwami visibly deflated. "Oh."

"Raincheck?" he asked sheepishly.

"Don't get used to it."