Dear Reader,

It has come to my attention that there is a formula to a lot of MariChat fan fics. After this discovery, I challenged myself to throw one together relatively quickly. I've pieced together the recipe chapters and hope you enjoy the lead up to the final dish. Bon appetite.

Chapter One – Coarsely grate happiness with rejection, use comfort to season

The bass was so loud you could feel it. The lights so bright it was like day while Jagged Stone strummed his guitar and sang to his eager fans. Ladybug and Cat Noir danced at the side of the stage just out of sight.

"This is so awesome," Cat Noir shouted with a massive smile.

Ladybug nodded, "To think he actually wrote a song about us."

"Rock and riff baby," he raised his fist and bumped it against hers.

"Looks like we're up," she yelled as Jagged Stone started their new song. The pair raced onto the stage waving to the crowd as they moved to the beat. Jagged welcomed them and began to sing.

Ladybug laughed as Cat Noir spun his baton and showed off his flair to the audience. As the song reached its solo he held out his hand to her and the crowd let out an encouraging roar. They danced together and their eyes sparkled, when the song reached its end he dipped her and they both grinned liked kids on Christmas day. That shared moment stirred feelings in Cat Noir that he'd been wanting to express for some time.

They stayed on stage for the following three songs then made their departures via yoyo and baton. They moved away to the darker edges and found a roof to view the outdoor concert. "My face hurts from smiling so much," Ladybug said with a chuckle.

"Mine too," he beamed. "Hey how about we get some gelato?"

She gave him a thoughtful look, "Okay, got somewhere in mind?"

"I do, follow me milady." He threw her a cheeky smirk, "If you can keep up."

An easy camaraderie settled between them as Ladybug lost some of her seriousness and went along with Cat Noir's playfulness. They settled high upon the Eiffel Tower to eat their gelatos. "You've got some on your face," she said innocently.

He self-consciously raised his hand, "Where?"

She swiftly dabbed the end of her gelato cone on the tip of his nose.

"Hey!" he grumbled as he wiped off the offending mark.

She giggled, "Sorry I couldn't resist."

He laid his head against her shoulder and looked up at her, "It's my animal magnetism, resistance is futile."

She raised a brow and then squealed as he launched his mango gelato at her. She tumbled onto her back laughing as he got her chin. He placed an elbow either side of her shoulders and grinned down at her, "Just desserts."

She rolled her eyes, "I knew there'd have to be a pun in there somewhere."

"I know you secretly cherish my puns."

They continued to look at each other giggling. Then the laughing stopped and Cat Noir's eyes strayed to the gelato on her chin. His thumb slowly brushed it away, then swept back to caress her lips. He inched towards her then stopped and his gaze returned to her eyes. "You're something else, bug-a-boo." He sat up and unzipped his side pocket with his free hand and pulled out a small square of paper. "I've got something for you," he said with a hopeful smile.

Ladybug propped herself up on an elbow and he read to her,

"Roses are red,

Your suit is too,

This cat's feline

much love for you."

Her eyebrows drew together, "Cat Noir are you teasing?"

He shifted closer and his eyes turned serious, "No teasing just the truth. I love you Ladybug and I've been waiting for the right moment to tell you."

She sat up and held the gelato cone in both hands, watching as small streams melted down her gloved hands. "I don't know what to say."

He shuffled so his upper arm rested against hers, "You seem surprised. I thought I'd made my feelings pretty obvious."

She frowned, "But I thought you enjoyed flirting, I didn't think you were serious."

"I only flirt with you."

She gave him a pointed look.

"Okay, mostly you. I slip up occasionally." He took a lick of his gelato, "When it comes down to it though I'm a one-woman guy and that one woman is you."

She closed her eyes and her hands tightened on the cone, "I'm flattered Cat Noir but my heart belongs to someone else."

He didn't move and didn't speak. She had to open her eyes to see if he was still breathing. There was a look of utter pain and anguish on his face and she wished she could take back the words. His voice was low when he finally spoke, "I should have known. It explains why you always push me away."

She placed a hand on his forearm, "I'm sorry."

For the first time, he pulled away from her. The poem slipped from his fingers and drifted to the floor. He ran a shaking hand roughly through his hair then tossed the gelato aside. He didn't look at her but she heard the misery in his voice, "I need to go."

He extended his baton and fled. She watched him go then picked up the poem. Her bottom lip quivered. She'd hurt her partner and she wasn't going to let him suffer alone.

Cat Noir had never experience such emotional pain. The loss of his mother had been terrible but that had been a different kind of pain. His chest felt hollow yet heavy and his breathing was ragged as he tried not to cry. His vision blurred with unshed tears and when he stopped he found himself outside his school. Being night the school was empty so he sank down onto the front steps and held his head in his hands.

His cat ears pricked up as he heard soft footfalls coming his way. His tail twitched as he sat rigid and his heart sped up as a familiar silhouette came into view. He stood ready to move when the light spilled over her and he let out a relieved breath. He dipped his head to shadow his face as he hoped to hide his turmoil, "Hello Marinette."

Her voice was tentative as she spotted him, "Cat Noir?" She walked cautiously towards him as if nearing a startled rabbit. Her eyes studied him with concern, "Are you okay?"

He frowned and his hair swayed as he shook his head, "No I'm not."

She twisted her hands together, "I'm heading home, you're welcome to join me for a hot chocolate."

His chin lifted, the light exposed his face and she was able to see how distraught he was. He nodded, "Sounds good."

She considered holding a hand out to him but decided against it. Instead she walked side by side with him until they reach the bakery. On the way, she had cast glances at him and her heart sank. The usually bright and over the top Cat Noir looked deflated and defeated. His cat ears drooped, his tail hung low and the tip twitched. His infectious smile was replaced with a barely suppressed frown. Had Ladybug broken Cat Noir in a way no akuma victim ever could? She shuddered at the thought. She unlocked the door and led him inside. "Would you like something to eat with the hot chocolate?"

His eyes wandered over the empty display cabinets, "Are the treats invisible?"

She chuckled, "All of the remaining stock from today was taken off the shelf. Fresh is best my friend."

A small smile graced his lips, "Spinning me a line now, Princess."

"Nothing but the truth," she said as she led him to the bakery kitchen and dug out a couple of croissants and choc chip cookies.

"Your parents won't mind?"

She shook her head, "This stuff isn't so fresh which makes it fair game. Besides they're out visiting friends so they won't know."

Cat Noir blinked in surprise, "You're okay with me being here? I mean you don't really know me that well and…"

She lifted a hand to quieten him, "You're one of Paris' heroes, if I can't trust you who can I trust."

A genuine smile lit up his face as he took a bow, "At your service, little lady. Especially when hot chocolate is involved."

"Speaking of which let's go upstairs and I'll get that sorted."

It didn't take long for Marinette to get their late-night snack organised. They headed to the lounge room and sank into the sofas. She fiddled with her cuticles then hesitantly asked, "So, what happened tonight to get you so down?"

Cat Noir peered over the rim of his mug and sighed, "I made a stupid mistake."

"Can't have been that stupid, you're still in one piece."

The corner of his lip twitched but his eyes remained sad as he looked into the mug, "I told Ladybug I love her. She doesn't feel the same. Now I wish I'd kept my mouth shut."

Marinette tucked her legs and pulled a pillow onto her lap, "Maybe you took her by surprise."

He sighed, "I did. That was pretty clear."

She moved to sit beside him, "She might not share your feelings, but she does care about you Cat."

He sat the mug down, leant his elbows on his thighs and lowered his face to his hands. She gently laid a hand on his back and felt him shudder as he began to sob. Guilt consumed her, she had done this to him. She nudged his shoulder and guided him into her arms. He buried his face against her neck and cried. She alternated between rubbing soothing circles on his back and stroking his hair while cooing, "I'm here, I've got you." He held onto her tightly and when he finally relaxed they fell asleep together.

She was startled awake when she heard the door open. She blinked at the bright light from the doorway and Tom gave her a bemused grin, "That cat looks a bit big for your lap, Marinette. Why is Cat Noir here?"

She tried not to panic and decided to share some of the truth, "I saw him outside really upset. He looked like he needed someone to talk to so I invited him in for hot chocolate. I ended up hugging him and I guess we must have dozed off."

Tom's moustache lifted in a smile, "I guess even superheroes need someone to lean on." He picked up a throw rug and lay it over them. He placed an affectionate hand on his daughter's head, "You make me proud sweetheart but if he's anything but a gentleman he'll have me to answer to."

"Okay Dad," she said with a nervous smile and he closed the door mostly shut. She felt so guilty she wanted to curl in on herself, she was the cause of Cat Noir's distress, not that she could tell her father that. She looked down at Cat Noir's face, he was sound asleep on her chest. She laid her head on top of his and her nose twitched as it brushed one of his cat ears. She took a deep breath, cradled her arms around him and settled back to sleep.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm currently polishing my drafts and intend to publish as soon as they're shiny.