*inspired by true events ;)

"Ahem," she heard Alya clear her throat from behind her. "And just where are you going in such a hurry?"

Marinette cringed, recognizing by her tone that Alya most certainly already knew the answer and that Marinette was about as sneaky as she'd always been. Which was to say, not at all. At least, not when it came to her emotions.

"Umm," she turned with an abashed smile on her face. "I thought we'd go this way today. We always follow the park in the same route. Why not...switch it up?"

She continued to smile at Alya while the girl rolled her eyes and walked over towards her. Marinette really didn't know why she'd bothered trying to lie. This was week three following the same pattern. She wasn't fooling anyone, least of all, herself. That didn't mean she wasn't trying.

"I don't know whether this obsession is endearing or creepy!"

"It's not an obsession!" Marinette protested before realizing that in doing so, she confirmed Alya's suspicions. From Alya's self-satisfied smirk, Marinette knew she'd played right into her hands.

"Okay, fine it's a little obsessive, but," Marinette tried to redeem herself. "I mean, we bought season tickets for all these halloween parties, so I'm going to come and use them."

"This is true," Alya allowed. "But it doesn't change the face that we spend half the night each time in the same section."

"It's the least scary!" Marinette claimed.

"And he's there," Alya smiled, not letting Marinette avoid the heart of the matter. "Your Boop."

Marinette felt the blush seep across her cheeks, but she couldn't deny it. She would have come to the park anyway, of course. She usually didn't frequent the competing theme park, but Halloween had become an exception. She and Alya worked at the theme park across town, and while most of the year she was a snob as to the superiority of her workplace, this one had it beat for a truly spooky Halloween experience.

And it had Boop.

She wasn't really sure how that nickname had caught on, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere. She should have just held her tongue, but she had been surprised and it had just seemed to slip out. There were scare actors all around, popping out of bushes and from behind trashcans. Her and the girls had been walking around all night, so she'd gotten desensitized to people in masks trailing them ominously, beginning to grow accustomed to and savor the shiver of adrenaline in her veins. When they got to the heroes and villains section, she thought she was done with her thrills for the night.

Oh how wrong she'd been.

It was the last "scare section" of the park, and it was supposed to be the one to ease you out for the night. It wasn't too scary, channeling a Gotham-esque theme with various villains and masked vigilantes roaming the streets, acting out random hostage situations or superhero showdowns. It was the most theatrical part of the park, most closely resembling the movies instead of just a haunted house, but it also had the least crowd interaction. The actors weren't allowed to talk to the park-goers and there were only a few minor characters who prowled creepily, aiming for a scare or two.

That's how she'd found him….or rather, how he found her.

She had spent the night with some friends from work and they'd been standing in the same place for a while, just enjoying the spoopy atmosphere of the last zone and finishing their drinks before they headed out for the night. She discovered during the course of the evening that something in her face labeled her an easy scare, and time and time again she found herself the target of the group. It made sense, Alya had self-declared RBF, Juleka had her whole daughter-of-darkness vibe, and while Rose looked sweet, she'd chosen tonight to really go all out with the halloween makeup and her zombie theme definitely left Marinette looking the least intimidating of the bunch. She'd resigned herself to being the sacrificial lamb of the night, but when they'd hit the last zone, she'd thought that role had been completed for the evening.

The girls had just settled into a companionable silence when she felt someone hovering just behind her left shoulder. She saw her friends eyes start to dart in that direction, smilies threatening to break out on their faces. Still, even turning slowly and knowing what awaited her, she jumped.

"Boop," she said, the nonsensical word somehow describing his sudden appearance perfectly in her head. He smirked at her, and she couldn't help but smile shyly back, taking in his green eyes as they crinkled slightly behind his black mask. Far from the menacing looks she'd seen all night, they were...kind. She saw a spark of his vibrant personality peek through his persona as he stood, hands clasped behind his back and swaying slightly with an innocent look on his face. The mischievous grin on his lips contrasted with that facade, but as her eyes looked to the cat ears perched upon his blonde head, she couldn't help but be charmed.

Then her eyes started traveling down into more dangerous territory, skirting the long lengths of his body clad in skin-tight pleather. Her gaze darted back to his, a blush spreading up her neck as she realized she'd been oogling.

He winked at her, his eyes sparkling in amusement at her embarrassment. Then he was gone, fading back into the darkness of the night, and Marinette was left watching him go, wondering if it was ridiculous to fall in love at first sight without ever having seen the person's face.

Of course Alya just happened to have her camera out for that entire encounter, and now it was documented and preserved for the rest of time. It had been well distributed too, until all their close-knit friends knew of the tale of the star-crossed lovers, separated by competing parks and the fact that she didn't even know what his face looked like, let alone his name. Also, there was the small detail that he was just a scare actor doing his job and she was bordering on stalkerish by coming back each weekend and guessing correctly at his set-schedule.

That was why, although they came back once a week, she never approached him. It was his place of work. He couldn't escape her, and the last thing she wanted to do was harass the park employees. She knew herself how niceties were sometimes misconstrued into something more by vacationers. She worked in costume design and was mainly behind the scenes, but her friends who were out on the stage had to deal with handsy fathers more than a few times, and she was always disgusted and righteously indignant for them everytime they came home with a new story. While Alya joked, telling her to write her number in lipstick on his baton, she didn't want to put someone else in an uncomfortable situation like that.

So she remained silent, pining from afar, hoping he'd come to her, and venting to Alya during the week. It was almost ridiculous. She'd "known" him, if you could claim to know someone who was nameless and faceless in your mind, for a few weeks now. Every time they came to the park, there he was, never failing to spot her and never failing to "boop" his way over.

Even his buddies seemed to recognize her. There was a guy in a bizarre gorilla- Abraham Lincoln mask she swore had laughed at her the other week. Then he'd disappeared somewhere and her Kitty appeared moments later. Apparently, it was known just exactly who she was there for, and even complete strangers could see the heart she wore on her sleeve.

Yes, she was the one obsessing, but he wasn't exactly doing anything to discourage her. With that smirk and those eyes...He winked at her again last week...God, she was a mess.

At least tonight it was only Alya here to witness her crazy. She dragged her chuckling friend through the park, expertly weaving through the crowds and the maze of streets designed to get tourists lost for hours. When they arrived at his zone, she slowed, finding the bench she'd started to consider hers as it gave her the perfect view of the entire plaza, and sat down, staring straight ahead to avoid Alya's eyes. She heard her friend sigh.

"Fine, you weirdo. I'll go get drinks so at least we don't look like complete creeps."

Marinette looked up just in time to see Alya rolling her eyes, but gave her friend a smile. She didn't know how Alya managed to put up with her crazy, but took some consolation in the fact that her friend loved being the logical one and secretly craved the entertainment value that came with the drama Marinette created for herself. Alya got a laugh and Marinette got a voice of reason to tell her when she was spiralling or to back her up when she was ranting.

"You're the best!" She called as her best friend walked away and Alya just shook her head, but Marinette saw her shoulders vibrating with laughter.

She sat there for a few moments looking around before she started to overanalyze everything. Was she being too obvious? What if he saw her looking around and thought (rightly) that she was looking for him?

In a flurry, she pulled out her phone, nearly dropping it in her haste. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and started to scroll through newsfeeds and tumblr posts absentmindedly. Her concentration was elsewhere as her mind worked on overdrive, thinking through endless scenarios of what she would do when she saw him-while knowing that she was too shy to actually do any-when she heard a rustle to her left.

"What did you get us?" She looked over only to see that the person sitting next to her most certainly was not Alya Césaire.

As he got ready in the "actor's lounge" that was really a glorified locker room, Adrien couldn't help but smile. It was Friday. She came on Fridays.

It was stupid, really. She didn't even know him. He didn't even know her. He couldn't, he wasn't allowed to talk to the party attendees, but he was still drawn to her. And if her religious attendance every friday night was any indication, he hoped that she wasn't unaffected by him either.

It started off completely ordinary. He was walking among the shadows like he always did, spying out groups and picking the most likely target. You couldn't always tell by look alone, but usually there was one person huddling as close as possible to their group, their eyes darting around for possible threats. It was ironic, really, that the person who seemed on highest alert always ended up being the person easiest to take unawares. It was as if their paranoia fueled the reason for their paranoia, trapping them in a vicious cycle.

Her group didn't seem to have that person. They were all more or less relaxed, walking around aimlessly in the manner of people in-the-know. He labeled them immediately as park workers themselves, even though he was sure he'd never seen them here. They surveyed the tourists with a mixed look of amusement and disdain while wandered around leisurely, in no hurry to cram as much "experience" into one night as possible. Someone must have told them this was the least scary zone of the park, and Adrien felt a grin stretch across his face. He could have fun with this group.

He liked being a scare actor, using his innate grace from years of forced dance lessons to sidled up silently and scare even the most steely faced guests. But ever since the night he met her, there was a role he liked even more, and its end result was her smile.

Using the cat-like grace that mirrored his costume of choice, he walked casually up behind the group of girls, hovering just to the side of the brunette girl's peripheral vision. She wasn't necessarily the easiest target in the group, but she was in the back, and she had a kind face that hinted to him she'd take the scare the best. He'd more than once been hit by startled women who then burst out into tears. While it was a horror party, making people cry was never great for business. He tried to pick his targets wisely. After all, he was a vigilante, not a villain. He was supposed to be the good kind of scary.

But when she turned and their eyes met, nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. She gave a little jump of surprise, but her eyes looked directly into his.

"Boop," she squeaked and then a blush spread across her cheeks, highlighting the most mesmerizingly imperfect constellation of freckles.

He was at a loss for words, and was for the first time thankful that he wasn't actually allowed to talk. He gave her a grin that he hoped came off as mischievous and not starstruck before melting back into the shadows. Just as he went, he saw her smile in return and felt his heart flip delightfully in his chest.

"Gee, I wonder what you could be smiling about," Nino's voice sounded from behind him and Adrien looked up to meet his best friend's eyes in the mirror. "Oh, that's right," Nino tapped his head as if just remembering. "It's Friday."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adrien responded haughtily, literally turning up his nose at his friend as he powered it with the stage makeup dramatically. In his efforts though, he'd forgotten to shake off the loose powder and ended up choking on a cloud of makeup instead. Nino simply laughed his ass off.

"Do that," he commanded when he finally caught his breath again. "That will woo her."

"I don't need you help in the wooing department, thank you very much," Adrien replied and mock glared at his friend.

"Oh, okay," Nino nodded seriously. "So I shouldn't come tell you when she shows up again."

Adrien froze, remembering how just last week he was about to go off shift for the night, feeling more than a little downtrodden that she hadn't shown and berating himself for imagining a connection when there clearly wasn't one, when Nino came running up to him with the news. Or, Ape-braham Lincoln did. He smiled again, remembering how his pun gave birth to Nino's villain costume. It really was majestic.

"Ummm, actually…" he hedged, finally responding to Nino's empty threat and his best friend just shook his head in amusement.

"Don't worry, my dude. I'll make sure to be on high alert for your girl."

"Thanks," Adrien breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention back the mirror as he put on his mask. He checked his ears once more before nodding in satisfaction. Done, with not a minute to spare, as always. He turned to walk out with Nino to find the boy already way ahead of him.

"Just make sure to invite me to the wedding!" Nino called, halfway down the hall and chuckling. Adrien groaned and closed his eyes. He was never going to live this down.

He didn't even get a chance to retort as they stepped out onto the back alley, queuing up to go through various entrance points. They technically could talk in this area, but it was frowned upon. Sometimes guests mistakenly, or intentionally, wandered where they shouldn't be. It was best to keep the act up at all times just to be safe.

Nino was right in front of him, turning to lift his mask and wink before he descended into the hellish cityscape of their scare zone. Adrien rolled his eyes, waiting a few minutes before following. They didn't always work the same shifts, but they overlapped enough that Nino had every reason to tease him for this crazy crush he'd let get so out of control. Still, Adrien couldn't just let him get away with it. He was working on trying to store away witty responses to Nino for later, but then he saw her.

Sitting on a bench, she called to the friend that she always came with before her eyes started to dart around. He shuffled back behind the nearby bushes and watched her, hoping beyond reason that she was looking for him. Then, just as drastically as she had started, she stopped. Moving to fumble for her phone, she started scrolling through something with a fervor. He'd never seen someone trying and failing so spectacularly at being nonchalant before in his life. It was adorable.

She was adorable.

He smiled as she took a calming breath and crossed her legs, her elbow coming to rest at their intersection and her head falling against it. Her lips formed a determined pout as she forcefully focused on her phone screen. It was almost a petulant expression, but Adrien felt his breath catch at the sight of her, completely unaware of what she was doing to this cat's heart.

Taking a deep breath himself, he forced his feet to move forward, feeling clumsy for the first time in forever and sure she'd spot him coming. But even as he sat down silently next to her and mimicked her posture perfectly, she was oblivious to it all.

He deliberately shifted and he saw her start at the rustle of his costume. She was still shutting down an app on her phone, but smiled widely as she started to turn in his direction.

"What did you get us?"

She looked up then and froze. Realizing he was very much not her friend, her smile vanished as her eyes went wide. He was sad to see it go, and desperately hoped that one day he could steal one of those smiles for himself. One meant for him.

Not able to talk, he straightened his posture and held out his empty hands in front of him. Looking between them rapidly before turning back to her with a frown and shrugging in sadness at their emptiness.

The ghost of a smile crossed her face even as she tried to keep it expressionless.

"Is that right, kitty? You show up to our date empty handed? What am I supposed to think?" She answered him with a coy grin. Then he watched as her face fell, realizing what she had said and clearly not knowing where such boldness had come from. He himself was rendered speechless by the girl's flirty wit and easy use of a nickname, but luckily he didn't have to speak. He grinned widely, hoping to keep her from reverting back into a shy shell around him and to hang onto the glimpse of who she must be with her friends.

With a flair for the dramatic, he help up a finger for her to wait before clawing at his chest and pretending to cringe in agony as he pantomimed ripping out his own heart before holding his hand towards her in offering.

She laughed outright this time, although the blush from earlier still pinkened her cheeks, and reached to accept his gift.

"You are too kind, but to give your heart so freely?" She shook her head in admonishment. "We don't even know each other's names!"

He cocked his head at her, a plan forming as he mentally mapped an elaborate game of charades and then grinned. Sitting up straight, he held up two fingers.

"Two words," she caught on immediately and he tried to take a mental snapshot of the determined light that came to her eyes. So his Lady was competitive. Good to know.

He held up one finger.

"First word."

He pointed to his cat ears on the top of his head.

"Umm," her nose crinkled in concentration. "Ears? Sounds like?"

He shook his head, grabbing the tail attached to his costume as well, still pointing to the ears.

"Cat?" She narrowed her eyes and he made a see-sawing motion with his hand as if to say almost. Then he held up two fingers again.

"Second word."

He gestured to his entire costume.

"Suit? Um, leather? Pleather?" She furrowed her brow and he pursed his lips, trying to think how to act out an idea as abstract as a color. He hadn't picked this name, and if he knew he'd be playing charades with a pretty girl he'd have definitely picked something simpler, and probably in english.

Thinking of and idea, he pointed to his ear.

"Sounds like," she guessed correctly this time and he pointed to his back.

"Spine? Umm," she bit her lip. "Back?"

He spun and turned to her, pointing in triumph.

"Sounds like back," she muttered while he pointed again to his suit.

"Black!" she shouted too loudly before looking around self-consciously. He chuckled, unable to stop it from escaping and her eyes shot back to his, seeming to warm at the sound.

"So," she cleared her throat. "Black Cat? Or no, Cat Black?" She tilted her head at him quizzically and he made the almost gesture again. Then he grouped all his fingertips together and placed them at his mouth before moving them outward and splaying them.

"Umm, throw up?" She looked at him with her brow furrowed and he stopped dead in his tracks and gave her a sarcastic look.

"Okay, okay," she laughed at his antics and put her hands up in surrender. "Not throw up. Try again."

He straightened his posture again, arranging his tail with precision before looking over to see her watching him with amusement. He inclined his head as if to ask if she was ready. She rolled her eyes and nodded with a smile, and he continued doing similar motions, secretly thrilling at their easy understanding.

"Sing? Speak? Talk? Say?" She kept guessing, watching him intently and he nodded. They were all close enough. Then he moved his hands to cover his heart.

"Heart," she said before pursing her lips and bringing a finger up to tap her chin. "Speak heart...talk heart...Maybe love? Talk of love….Speak love…" she looked up and he made a circular motion with his hand. She was so close.

"Speak...Words of love...Language?"

He started nodding enthusiastically.

"Language?" she repeated. "Language of love? Oh!" She smiled at him in success and his wish from earlier in the night came true. Her smile dulled the brilliance of the moon.

"Cat Black...Chat Noir!" she exclaimed and he mimicked a round of applause as she brought her hand up for a fist bump.

"Pound it, Chat!" He smiled as he obliged.

"Well, nice to meet you, Chat Noir," she said and he turned their fist bump into a handshake, before bending over it formally and looking up at her expectantly.

"Oh," she blushed again, understanding his look. He was momentarily distracted by the way he wanted to see that expression every day for the rest of his life, but he still caught her response. "Marinette," she introduced herself.

He'd never had to focus so hard not to speak as he did in that moment. Everything in his being yearned for him to say her name, to taste it on his tongue, but then he saw his manager watching them from the corner of his eye, he stopped short. He'd been caught. Not only had he been fraternizing for much too long, but he was touching a guest. Marinette followed his gaze without looking and giving him away and just nodded.

"Go," she commanded, confirming his suspicions that she must be a park worker herself to have recognized the look of a scolding manager, even one in full costume like Natalie was. "I don't want you to get into too much trouble."

He nodded in thanks, but, even as he felt Natalie's eyes boring into him, was reluctant to leave, .

"Go," she whispered again, but then added more hesitantly. "I'll see you next week, chaton."

He smiled at her, getting up and bowing before moving to leave. As he backed away and melted into the crowd, he never felt himself smile so wide. Just before he was out of earshot, he managed to catch her voice again.

"What are you smiling at?" her friend asked as she walked back over, passing him completely unaware.

"Oh, just saw a cat," she responded casually.

"What? He was here and I missed it!"

"Alya! Shhh!" she admonished, her eyes looking around but not finding him as he walked out of view.

So it wasn't just him.

His smile grew impossibly wider.