One: Cool Brushoff

Author's Note: If you've followed me for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of Chat and tend to tell most of my stories from his perspective. But recently, I had a PM asking me if there was a backstory to how Chat and Marinette became the couple that moved in together (as seen in my series, Roommates). As with most things, I did have a sense of how it came together for them but realized there was a tiny sliver of a story I could tell to get the two of them together – to start the Marichat train, as it were.

As if that wasn't enough of a challenge, the more I started to think about the story, I found myself seeing the scenes through Marinette's eyes, and thought maybe – for this story – it would be fun to watch the relationship evolve from her perspective. This is something new for me, so hopefully I can pull it off. Enjoy… -ep

Curled up against my cat pillow, I tried to ignore whatever it was Tikki was trying to say, my eyes rising to the photos I'd clipped and posted to the wall just above my bed. Adrien smiled back at me in all of them, though of course, he was actually looking at the camera; still, it brought a slight smile to my face to think maybe that shadow of an expression was one he shared only for me. I put a hand up to one of them, and felt the depression wash over once again.

He was supposed to have been there tonight. Alya had assured me Adrien had cleared it with his father, but when he didn't appear, I was crushed more than I'd anticipated. I knew Tikki, in her own way, was gently attempting to council me, for I'd had a typical Marinette meltdown in front of my friends and the very friendly ice cream maker, Andre. In other words, I'd made quite a mess of what was supposed to have been a fantastic outing with my friends.

Oh, as nice as Andre had been, his stupid insistence that there was something magical about his ice cream had been the final straw. I'd run from the bridge all the way back to my home, fighting back the tears and the fear that I had missed a chance to make an impression on Adrien.

Still ignoring my kwami, I pushed up from my bed and through the skylight, then walked to the edge of the rooftop. The evening was pleasantly warm, and as I leaned on the railing, I saw Notre Dame with all of her lights but really didn't see it. Bleakly, I found myself wondering if I'd ever get any better at this whole love thing. From the moment Adrien had walked into our classroom, he was never far from my thoughts – even when I was out fighting off Hawkmoth as Ladybug. That brought a bit of smile, for I'd had a few occasions to get close to him as my alter-ego; unfortunately, he'd no idea who was under the mask.

I sighed again, my eyes finally seeing the grand cathedral in front of me. Silently, I asked her if she could send me a sign – any sign – that there was a smidgen of a chance with Adrien. I waited a heartbeat or two and shook my head, convinced the universe was stacked against me and My One True Love.

Just as I was giving up, I heard a rubbery thump behind and above me. "Hello," came a plaintive voice that I immediately recognized.

I turned, eyes widening, and saw my partner sitting atop one of the two chimneys of our Bakery. "Chat Noir?" I said, shocked.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said.

"No – no!" I said. "I was just lost in my thoughts. Sorry." I looked at him, and even from where I was standing, could tell he was not his normal ebullient self – or, at least, the version of his ebullient self that he saved for Ladybug. That worried me for a split second before I remembered Chat had invited me (well, Ladybug) to hang out that same evening… and while I'd not exactly said no, I'd not committed to going, either – especially since I'd really been looking forward to seeing Adrien.

Which I hadn't. Suddenly, I knew exactly what Chat was feeling.

"Uh, don't you have, like, super-hero-y things to do?"

"Not really," he said in a desultory fashion, hanging his head. His hair fell forward and partly covered those wide feline eyes of his. "And to be honest, I'm not feeling much like being a superhero tonight."

He looked back up and directly at me. "And… I really don't want to be alone tonight. Do you… mind… if I hang out a bit? I could use a friend."

Still somewhat dumbfounded, I just nodded.

Chat leapt down from the chimney to the railing beside me, and perched along the thin wrought iron, completely defying gravity with so little effort I wondered if I could do that myself. "Marinette, isn't it?" he asked. "I think we've bumped into each other a time or two."

"All the time – I mean, yeah, a few times!" I said, a bit flustered. If we kept up this banter much longer, I might reveal more than I should. I blinked, for Chat had been saying something.

"…surprise for Ladybug tonight," he said sadly. "But she didn't show," he added with a sigh. "I guess I'm not very lucky in love."

My eyes snapped wide open. Up until that very moment, I'd written off all of Chat's flirting with me as just that – part of his act when he was working by my side. But now, seeing him there on my railing, the full force of his feelings for my alter-ego hit me. For the first time, it dawned on me that he really thought he loved Ladybug.

In pursing my evening with Adrien, I'd inadvertently hurt my partner.

Unsure of how to respond, I simply turned and silently watched the moon with him, trying to ignore the way his tail was twisting. I'd long known it telegraphed his feelings, and tonight, each flick cut me to the core. "I guess that makes two of us," I said quietly.

Forgetting Chat's superior feline hearing, I saw him turn toward me. "You… you've had your heart broken, too?"

"Yeah," I replied.

Before I realized what was happening, Chat had swiftly slid off the railing to stand next to me, his paw stretched to me. "Come with me," he said with a smile.

Unsure of what he was about, I smiled slightly and nodded as I took his paw. Gently, he wrapped his arm around me and lifted me off the tile. "Close your eyes," he said, "and hold on tight."

Nodding again, I did as instructed. Chat leapt up and away, and I felt the wind in my hair as he moved through the night. I'd never been this close to him – I mean, I'd fought side-by-side with Chat multiple times, but he'd never held me before. I could feel that his costume had a bit of a texture to it, much as mine did; what was more embarrassing for me, perhaps, was that the muscles I'd been ignoring up to now were very real and very solid beneath me.

Chat made one final leap and then very, very gently put me down. "One moment," he said, a smile in his voice. After a few heartbeats, I finally heard: "Okay! You can open your eyes."

Slowly, I opened my eyes and then swallowed in amazement. "Chat…!" I said, astonished.

We'd landed on a small rooftop that paralleled the river, with Notre Dame off in the distance. Small candles were flickering along the wrought iron railing and in a few stands; hundreds of rose petals had been spread along the roof tile, with several bouquets tied here and there along the railing. Two sets of comfortable looking pillows in pinks and reds were in the exact center. "Chat… this is beautiful!" I breathed, turning toward him.

He was leaning over the rail facing away from the river, his back to me and his tail twisting more. "I know she said she might not make it, but I had hoped…" he trailed off, looking up at the sky.

"Maybe she… maybe she got busy?" I suggested, knowing it was as far from the truth as it could have been. Standing there, seeing what he had done for Ladybug – for me, really – drove home just how real his feelings were. I truly had no idea, and felt even worse now for standing him up.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," he said, with a trace of humor.

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean—"

There was a whistle through the air, and I turned to see a giant glob of something heading toward Chat. "Look out!" I cried as I started to leap in front of him.

Shifting completely into superhero mode, Chat leapt over me and had already spun up his baton into shield mode, deflecting multiple bursts of… something… away. "Get behind me," he commanded.

I started to object – normally I was the one barking out orders – but then I remembered who I was at the moment and ducked behind his protective bulk. He fended off a few more bursts before unceremoniously grabbing me and leaping away from the rooftop.

"What is that?" he asked, voice full of wonder as we crouched together behind a brick wall.

I poked my head around him and grimaced, for standing more than several stories tall was a snowmanesque akuma, spouting the same sort of poetry Andre had been using earlier. "It's Andre," I said, sagging as I realized I'd likely created this one with my teensy-tiny temper tantrum hours earlier.

"The sweethearts ice cream maker?" Chat said, looking between me and the giant snowman. "He's not looking very sweet at the moment."

At that moment, Andre started to sing out. "Where are you Marinette…?" he sang. Mortified, I tried hard to shrink behind Chat.

He turned toward me, partial smile on his face. "Don't tell me – this is another akuma that is in love with you?"

I shrugged while seriously trying to figure out how to get away from Chat so I could transform. As I started to say something, Chat grabbed me again and we started to run along the side of the building, narrowly avoiding what I now knew were giant scoops of ice cream Andre was hurling at us. On the street below, I realized what I had originally thought were more of the same were people-shaped, immediately telling me it would be best to keep the ice cream from touching us. I also wondered what it might mean if those people-shaped globs melted completely before we were able to stop Andre, and shuddered slightly at the thought.

Faster than I thought possible, we were back on the Bakery's rooftop. "Hide, Marinette," Chat said as he put me down in front of the skylight. He turned to leap away and I caught him by the tail.

"Chat," I said, "be careful."

He smirked at me, the first Chat-like expression I'd seen from him all evening. "I just need to distract him until Ladybug gets here," he laughed. "But seriously? Stay hidden. I'll check on you later."

I nodded as I ostensibly started down the ladder to my room. In a blur of black fabric, Chat leapt away from me and toward the giant snowman; as he sailed through the sky, I heard him immediately start throwing bad puns at the akuma. For the first time, it warmed my heart to hear them, though I wasn't entirely sure why.

"I've never seen the softer side of Chat before," my kwami said softly as she floated next to me.

"No," I replied thoughtfully. This was a different view of my partner, one that I'd never expected to see in a million years. For now, I set my thoughts aside so I could focus on the problem at hand. "Tikki – spots on!"

Once the red wave of transformation washed over me, I lassoed my yo-yo to a nearby building and set out after my partner.