Once upon a friendship

After patrol

Hi guys I'm back with my new story. I'm gonna keep it short cause it was a brief weird idea I had so yeah but I'm planning a new idea so yeah.

Marinette sighed in contentment and stared at her pink bedroom walls. Her night patrol with Chat Noir had ended an hour ago and no akuma had reared its ugly head. To be fair, night patrols usually yielded no difficulties and rather served as an excuse to use her powers as free as a bird. This was her favorite time: The dark sky as a backdrop to the lights of Paris, nothing between her and the spirals of tiles lining the rooftops, her unwavering companion by her side, laughing to himself, and the feeling of the air rush by, as if she was soaring.

She enjoyed being the Ladybug who saved the people and waved at the crowd and signed the autographs, but she loved being the Ladybug who leapt over the roof of houses, with nothing between her and the sky.

In her daydreaming of Ladybug, Marinette nearly missed the slight knock that came from her window. Startled, she snapped up from her position lying on the bed and looked at her window. Upon seeing who had rapped her window panes, she nearly fell into cardiac arrest.

It was Chat Noir.

He grinned lazily and winked, motioning with his hands as if asking her to open the window. Marinette swallowed and tried to calm her racing heart. Did he follow me here? She thought to herself. Does he know who I am? Steadying her body and gathering courage to face the oncoming storm, she walked toward the window and raised it.

"Chat Noir," she said in mock shock "What in the name of sanity are you doing here?"

He grinned even wider and paced his gloved hands on her windowsill, holding himself up. "I was journeying home," he said "When I saw your house and thought I should check up on you. After all, the bravest cat in Paris always wants to know if his Princess is safe."

"Safe?" Marinette said in confusion, wrinkling her brow "Why wouldn't I be safe?"

"Well...I thought perhaps after the events of last week with the Evillustrator..." he began.

"Oh!" Marinette said almost sagging in relief. He didn't know who she was then. She was safe. She smiled, now feeling much calmer. "I haven't been bothered since," she responded to Chat. "In fact, I think that the Evillustrator will never bother me again after you and Ladybug dealt with him."

"Ah!" Chat Noir said "It was nothing! What kind of knight would I be without saving a few Princesses here and there."

For some odd reason, Chat Noir saying 'a few Princesses' bothered Marinette. She knew he was a flirt with Ladybug but she never expected him to be flirty with all the girls they rescued. Is this the first time he's stopped by someone's house? She thought, slightly annoyed. Has he stopped by Chloe? Or Alya? She frowned and turned away from the window.

"Princess?" Chat Noir said, suddenly confused. "Have I said something to upset you?"

"Do you always visit girls after you save them?" Marinette said before she could stop herself. As soon as she said it, she felt guilty. It wasn't any of her business if Chat saw other girls. It's not as if they were dating or even romantically involved. It made no difference if he saw just her or all the girls in Paris.

Chat Noir closed his mouth in surprise at Marinette's harsh tone. He hadn't expected this. Marinette had always been nothing but sweet in his experience. Even when she fought briefly against the Evillustrator, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Why was she acting upset now? Was she...jealous?

This thought stuck in his brain and he nearly chuckled. If only he could get Ladybug to act jealous. How could Marinette, a girl who barely knew Chat Noir have some sort of romantic feelings, while Ladybug, Chat's closest companion, feel nothing?

"I don't, Princess," Chat said maneuvering his body up from beneath the window sill to on it. He lay comfortably in the window, one leg dangling into her bedroom. "This was strictly a first and only."

Marinette bit her lip and turned back to face Chat. "I mean, I'm not upset or anything," she babbled waving her hands slightly, "It's just that, you know, everyone knows you like Ladybug and I'm just a nobody and its odd that you're visiting me when you probably have more important things to do and I-".

She was cut off by Chat's burst of laughter. It ran like music, high and low, full and rich. It was not like his usual chuckles around Ladybug but undeniably familiar in a way Marinette could not quite explain.

"Oh Marinette," Chat said jovially, more comfortable now that Marinette was her usual stuttering self, "If you wanted to know about my romantic life, you only had to ask."

Marinette blushed beet-red and placed her hands on her hips in defiance. "I do not give a hoot about your romantic life, Chat Noir!" she said "I just don't understand why you're here and talking to me when you barely know me."

"Maybe I want to get to know you better, Princess," Chat said leaping from the window and walking briskly towards Marinette. He was swinging his tail and grinning languidly, advancing upon her ever closer.

"And why would you want to get to know me, kitty?" Marinette said coyly, stepping forward to meet his challenge. "Why would the bravest cat of Paris spend his precious time with only one of his Princesses?"

"I'm interested," Chat said modestly, looking down at Marinette's shorter form. "I'm interested to see what you're really like."

What I'm really like? Marinette thought with laughter. Silly cat, you have no idea.

"Then will I be expecting more night time visits, Chat Noir?" she said, looking up at him from under her lashes.

Chat blinked in surprise under his mask. He'd never seen Marinette like this. He paused slightly. This Marinette was very different from the Marinette he knew at school. This Marinette was bold and fearless, teasing and quick, she was almost like...

"We'll see, Princess," he said at last.

At that moment his ring let out a sharp beep and he sighed internally. "Unfortunately, I must go," he said. "But this conversation is most definitely not over."

He grinned one last time and turned to jump out the open window. Marinette rushed to the window, moments after his departure to search for him, but not a single trace of his cat-like visage remained.

A few rooftops over, Chat Noir leapt from a rooftop to a darkened alleyway and released his transformation. Adrien once again, he stepped into the well light street and headed in the direction of his home.

"Well that visit was interesting," he mumbled to himself.