I find this almost needless to say, but I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, and probably never will.
It started with the Evillustrator. Well, more accurately, it started with Nathanael's sketches. That was what made Adrien start to notice the shy girl who sat in class behind him. He had met her before, but she usually escaped his notice. He had tried to talk to her before, but she always seemed so flustered whenever he spoke to her. He knew she was shy, she didn't really like to draw attention to herself in class, but still, he had at least expected her to be able to form a complete sentence around him. When it was the four friends together, Adrien, Nino, Marinette, and Alya, Marinette didn't seem to speak at all. It was Alya who did all the talking in those situations. And for Adrien, the saying "Out of sight, out of mind," often rang true, since he was so concentrated on his school work, that he did not spare so much as a thought for the shy girl behind him. That all changed, though. That one day was when everything turned upside down for the blond model.
What caused him to think of the quiet girl, was the sketches that Nathanael made of her. When he saw the sketches fall out, his eyes were drawn to them. He saw the girl expertly sketched in the arms of…. A superhero version of Nathanael. Although he knew Nathanael was imagining himself as a superhero, the character drawn looked oddly like an Akuma. Even though he barely knew the shy girl, he wouldn't want her anywhere near an akuma victim. He felt oddly protective of the shy girl. But he also started to wonder, Would Marinette fall in love with Nathanael if he was a superhero? Would she fall in love with me, if she knew he was Chat Noir? Wait, where did that come from? He wondered, It's not like I have a crush on Marinette…. She just…. Interests me.
He thought about Marinette for the rest of class, not being able to figure her out. His mind was so occupied with the questions she brought to his mind, that he couldn't even focus on his school work. After school was done, Adrien was in the Library, trying to catch up on the school work he got behind in, and trying to convince himself to stop thinking about the girl who was filling his mind. He was all set to check a few books out, and go home, when suddenly an Akuma appeared. Seeming to attack Chole. He transformed as quickly as he could, and jumped into action. But Ladybug was already there. There was something eerie about this villain…. Adrien was sure he had seen him before. But that couldn't be, could it.
The Evillustrator, as the villain was called, escaped the two superheros by drawing a clear wall to block them. After he escaped, they followed Chloe to her apartment, knowing the Evillustrator would likely come after her again. Chloe was trying to hang all over Ladybug, but she was not having it. Ladybug was angry, Adrien could tell. And although he was annoyed when she left him to deal with Chloe all by himself, he understood. Chloe had gotten on his nerves as well.
Thank Goodness, Adrien thought, when Ladybug called him. "You can't just fly out of here, and then decide to make cat calls, Ladybug!" He said, his voice playful, but he was glad to be talking to someone other than Chloe. Ladybug told him he didn't have to protect Chloe anymore, and he gave a small sigh of relief. But then she said she needed someone else protected. Please don't let it be Marinette, Please don't let it be Marinette. He thought to himself, hoping out of any names, she would not say the one who was on his mind. But his silent pleas didn't work. That was the person Ladybug wanted him to protect.
"Pretty cute, isn't she?" Ladybug said. Yeah… That's one way to describe her…. But why is Ladybug saying it? Wait, why is she in need of protection?
"The Evillustrator is in love with her, and promised not to harm Chloe as long as Marinette comes to his birthday party." She told him, and he nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it. He said his goodbye to Chloe, and made his way quickly to the Dupan-Cheng Bakery. Arriving just in time to see Chloe's lacky (for lack of a better description) yelling at Marinette.
Well, that went….. That was certainly not what he expected. He had expected Marinette to be the same shy, stuttering girl around Chat Noir, as she was around Adrien. But she wasn't. Yes, she was putting on an act, pretending to be swooning over him. But he could tell that it was just an act. She seemed so different. Confident, Brave, Witty, all the things that he would have probably seen in her, if they actually talked in school. But she was so shy….. The worst part about it, though, was that she told him how to do his job. It was a big hit on his pride. She saved him, instead of him saving her. That's what got to him most. A civilian… The shy, retiring civilian who had occupied his mind all day…. Told part of Paris' foremost superhero duo, how to do his job.
He had to admit that he couldn't keep her out of his mind. Her sparkling blue bell eyes, and sassy smile occupied his thoughts. What he couldn't understand, was why she would talk to Chat Noir, but not to Adrien. She had the opposite reaction than he would expect. She should be able to talk, and be sassy with Adrien. And be stuttering around Chat Noir. He wanted to get to know her better, she surprised him. But since she was unable to say an entire sentence with Adrien, he would have to get to know her as Chat Noir.
One week. One week after the events of the Evillustrator, Chat Noir chose to visit Marinette. He knew she had a bad day at school, and wanted to make sure she was alright. And since he saw her light go on when he was passing by the bakery, after a quiet patrol with Ladybug, he couldn't stop himself from visiting her.
She had just returned home from patrol, and had let out her transformation only moments before.
"Oh, Tikki, I'm exhausted." She said to her kwami. Not only did she have a bad day at school, but she also had taken over the bakery for a few hours. She wanted her parents to have a chance to go out, so she told them she could handle it. She thought she could, but there were some very demanding customers, and although she bent over backwards, some of the customers weren't happy no matter what. So by the time she was done with patrol, she was almost too tired to stand. She changed into her pajamas, and started to brush her hair, before she noticed the leather clad figure on her balcony, looking out at the stars.
Why is he here? Marinette asked herself, heading onto her balcony. Hoping there wasn't something wrong. She watched him for a few moments, and he seemed very peaceful. So it couldn't be anything dangerous. The moon glinting off his blond hair is beautiful…. I wonder what Adrien's hair looks like under the moon.
"Hello, Kitty," She said, and Chat spun around, with a smile upon his face.
"Good evening Purr-incess." He purred, taking a small step towards her.
"To what can I attribute the pleasure of your visit?" Marinette asked, still trying to figure out the reason behind the sudden visit.
"You interest me." He took another step towards her, and she took a step back. What did he think he was doing? She wondered. "You are different than other girls….. So different. And you did help me out with the Evillustrator."
"I really didn't do anything," She said, trying to act the part of a star struck fan. Yeah right, I totally told you how to do your job. She laughed in her mind. Her eyes started to droop, now that she was over the surprise of Chat's visit, and all she wanted to do was fall asleep.
"You look tired," Chat smiled at Marinette. "Long day?"
"Yeah, school was hard. Then I had to run the bakery for my parents this afternoon. I'm so tired." She said, taking a stumbling step towards Chat, and going to rest her head on his shoulder. She put her arms around his arm, hugging it close to her. He felt his entire body go warm with her touch, and he was glad she didn't she the scarlet blush on his face. He had never felt this way before, even with Ladybug. Her presence warmed him.
"I'm sorry I disturbed you. May I visit you again tomorrow, when you are not so tired? I would like to get to know you better, Princess." He said, not having the heart to take her arms off of him. But he knew she needed to go to bed.
"Sure Chat, you can come by tomorrow." She said, too tired to think. Though she made no move from his shoulder. He, sadly, took her arms away from around him, and picked her up like a baby, carrying her down, into her room, and placing her on her bed. He turned off the lights, and gave her a kiss on the forehead, after making sure she was asleep.
"See you tomorrow, Marinette," He said, his voice warm. He liked how he felt around her. She warmed his heart, and he felt his heart pound harder whenever he thought of her. He was most definitely going to visit her as Chat again. He didn't know why, even though he barely knew her, he felt excited about the thought of seeing her again. He left her room, and headed home.
"Tikki?" Marinette said, waking up groggy the next morning.
"Good morning Marinette," Tikki said, smiling at the girl.
"What happened last night? I remember Chat Noir's visit, but I don't remember him leaving….. Did…. Did I fall asleep on him?"
"You did, Marinette."
"Oh no."
"There's something else you should know."
"What is it, Tikki?"
"You gave him permission to visit you tonight."
"I did?" Marinette asked, and her kwami nodded. "What have I done, Tikki? Chat Noir? I mean, seriously?"
"It will be alright, Marinette. He just wants to get to know you."
"Okay… I guess." She said, getting up, so that she could get ready for school.
That's how it all started. One simple visit, that turned into two, that turned into three, until Chat was visiting Marinette every single night. Each day, after their patrol, Marinette waited in her room for Chat. Sometimes with a bakery treat, or a hot drink. He always enjoyed his time with her, and she enjoyed it as well. Though, if you asked her, she would have said he was just a good friend. She didn't want to admit anything else. But if you went into her room, you would notice the pictures of Adrien disappeared from her room, instead, if you looked hard, there was a single picture of Chat Noir on her desk. Hidden away whenever he was there to visit. And she couldn't deny the tugging at her heart, whenever she was around him. She would never have admitted it, though, especially not to her best friend, Alya, or her Tikki, her kwami.
Adrien was surprised how quickly he had fallen for his shy classmate. He found himself looking forward to their visits together. The thought of them made his photoshoots bearable. And whenever the photographer asked him to smile, all he had to do was envision her bluebell eyes, and the smile came naturally to him.
Marinette started treating Adrien differently at school, and he wondered why. He couldn't understand. She didn't stutter around him anymore, but she also didn't seem to be around him as much. But she wasn't the only one who treated him differently. Ladybug seemed to be behaving oddly. Which seemed to start when he told her about his visits to Marinette. But then again, he was behaving differently around her. He had stopped flirting with her entirely, and seemed like a whole new cat.
"Tikki," Marinette said, one night after Chat's visit. She could no longer keep quiet. "I think I'm falling in love with Chat."
"You wouldn't be the first." Tikki smiled, taking another bite of her chocolate chip cookie, before continuing. "Why do you look so upset?"
"I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want to fall in love with him. He's Chat. He's just so…. So…"
"So what?"
"So annoying, and frustrating, and absolutely loveable." Marinette said, with a sweet smile. "I've really got it bad, don't I?"
"Are you going to tell him?"
"No, I can't, I just can't."
"You can, I know it. You're brave."
"But only when I'm Ladybug. Without the mask, I'm not brave at all. I'm just shy, clumsy, uninteresting Marinette."
"You're not uninteresting. And true bravery doesn't lay in fighting villains, and saving the world. But facing things every day that scare you. You're brave, with, or without the mask."
"Thank you….. But….. But what if I make a fool of myself?"
"He cares for you. All you have to do is be yourself. You'll be fine." Tikki said, but still saw worry in the girl's eyes. "I promise."
"Ugg…" Marinette said, dropping her head to her desk. Her talk with Tikki didn't help her much. She didn't…. Couldn't sleep for most of the night. Most of her night was spent checking the Ladyblog, knowing that her best friend would likely quiz her on it. Her head started to ache around 2:30 a.m. Her throat was sore, as well, and her nose runny. She felt absolutely horrible.
Marinette fell asleep around five thirty in the morning, having not moved from her desk yet. "Tikki…." She said, before falling asleep. "Remind me to not stay up this late, I feel awful."
"Sure thing, Marinette." The kwami replied, tired as well.