For anyone interested, I've created a separate short story for Never Drink and Drive (a Miraculous). It will be posted soon.

The akuma victim advanced, her body covered in thousands of pins and needles sticking out like a hedgehog. There was malice in her eyes as she stared down the bluenette, who stood, chin up and her face resolute, facing the oncoming threat. Despite the unexpected strength she was radiating, determination showing in every line of her body, Marinette couldn't hide the quiver of fear that shone from her eyes.

It was that fear that pierced his own heart as Chat Noir circled around the locked room, catching glimpses of the stand-off through the glass panels in the door. Ladybug hadn't arrived yet and one of his friends was in danger.

He didn't know what had caused the akuma, only that it was one of the students that studied textiles with Marinette who was currently wearing a garish ensemble of electric greens and oranges, a domino mask seemingly painted across their face. During some of the manic mutterings he had heard he had picked up on the name 'Pincushion'.

His time was up anyway, he had to get into the room and having tested all the doors and windows, he knew there was only one way.

"Cataclysm!" he cried, summoning a destructive ball of black energy and disintegrating the door that now stood between him and his target.

Then he stopped dead, awe leaving his mouth hanging wide and his eyes bugging out (pun fully intended).

"I'm here to... save... you?"

Marinette stopped in her tracks, ball of wool clutched tightly in her hands and a frustrated akuma sitting bound to a chair. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at the stunned superhero standing in the doorway.

"How did you do that?" Chat questioned, cautiously eyeing the still squirming villain before turning an equally cautious eye to the petite girl currently finishing the knot securing Pincushion. She had a smile of satisfaction on her face and the fear he had glimpsed before was long gone, replaced with a fire he thought he might have seen before in a different pair of bluebell eyes. He didn't want to admit it, but Marinette was kinda scary. Incredible, but scary. What civilian could hold their own against an akuma like that? None he had ever met.

Marinette smirked at him, standing up straight.

"How about we put a pin in that conversation?" she suggested with a knowing grin and turned towards the door. Chat Noir was once again left completely stunned. Who was this girl?

Marinette shot a look at him over her shoulder. "If I see Ladybug, I'll send her your way. I think you can take care of things from here. Cat-ch you later."

With that she was gone.

While he waited for Ladybug to arrive, Chat just sat cross-legged on a table staring at the akuma victim. He was making sure she didn't escape but Marinette had done a good job tying her up and he really didn't have anything to do but wait. And think. It took zero effort to purify the akuma once Ladybug was on the scene.

Marinette was amazing. How did he not know how much of a badass she was?

For the rest of school it was all Adrien could do not to stare at her, but then every time he chanced a look at her, she seemed to be the same nervous, blushing girl she always had been. It was frustrating.

Patrol was over and Chat Noir and Ladybug sat on a beam of the Eiffel Tower, looking over the lights of Paris. They had been sat in relative silence for about five minutes and Chat was getting twitchy.

"All right, Chat, spill it. What's the matter with you tonight?" Ladybug eyed her partner.

Chat scratched the back of his neck, the tips of his ears turning red. It had been on his mind all day, the way Marinette had handled herself in that classroom, alone with that akuma. She'd never really made much of an impression on him before. She was nice enough, and to be fair, she had held her own with the Evillustrator that one time, but this was something else.

"Have you ever met Marinette?" he asked uncertainly.

"Marinette?" she repeated, uncertainty colouring her tone. Chat swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing. He tried to avoid Ladybug's gaze, although he wasn't sure exactly why.

"Yeah, um... Marinette Dupain-Cheng, her parent's run the bakery on Rue Gotleib?" the statement came out as more of a question. A small frown marred Ladybug's brow.

"I... sure, I know who she is," she agreed.

"I just... you know how she handled the akuma earlier? It was just really impressive that's all. I... I don't know, I've just been thinking about it is all. I didn't know she had it in her."

Ladybug tilted her head. "I didn't know you knew her all that well, Chat. How many times have you actually met her?" Her tone turned a little cross, much to Chat's bewilderment. "Why would you be so surprised that she can handle herself?"

Chat held his hands up defensively. "I didn't mean-"

"And why are you so interested all of a sudden? For all you know maybe Marinette is some kind of martial arts expert, or... or... I don't know, but you shouldn't make assumptions about people you've barely met Chat Noir," Ladybug had stood up and had her hands fisted on her hips, glaring at her partner.

"Whoa, I didn't mean it like that, I know her well enough, why are you getting angry about it?" he stood as well, putting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to placate her. "I didn't mean to upset you."

At his words, Ladybug deflated somewhat. "I'm sorry Chat, I don't know what got into me. I must be tired, I guess." She bowed her head, then glanced up at him through her heavy fringe, suddenly shy. "Did you really think she was that good?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, she was no you, Bugaboo, but she was pretty amazing."

Ladybug's smile lit up her face, and Chat was a bit baffled by her reaction, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If his lady was happy, then so was he.

"Thanks, Chat."

They fell back into a companionable silence again, settling back onto the roof.

Later, when he was in bed however, it wasn't Ladybug that he was thinking about as he drifted off to sleep, but another blue eyed beauty with midnight hair. With a resigned sigh, Adrien finally closed his eyes, only for her image to be imprinted there, a fire in her eyes and a smirk on her lips.

Damn. Looks like he had a type.