Stray ~ A MariChat Love Story (Complete)

Chapter 28: Undeniable

"Well, Girl? Tell me everything and don't even thinking of leaving out the details." demanded Alya.

Marinette rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the soft blush creeping up her neck. "Nothing big happened between me and Nathaniel. It was just nice."

"Nice?" asked Alya, "Just nice? You went on a date with the most artistic guy in the entire school. It had to be more than just nice." And it might've been, if Marinette's thoughts weren't so consumed with Chat Noir.

Their fight and encounter on the top of the art museum left her both confused and intrigued by him. He had so little love in his life, and yet he always looked on the bright side of things no matter how bleak they seemed. He was admirable and Marinette craved to spend time with him almost as much as she once had with Adrien.

Her heart still pained when she thought of him, but she couldn't help but notice how distant that pain felt when Chat Noir was near. It was like he chased away all the rejection and humiliation, and it made her feel confident enough to be herself.

So was it the mask that made Ladybug different or the partner that had been chosen for her?

They stepped inside the classroom, waiting for Mrs Bustier to start roll call and Marinette quietly pulled her sketch book out from her bag. She opened it on the nearest clean page and started drawing, drowning out the whispers of the students around her.

Chat once asked her to design him a jacket and now that he was the only thing she thought of she could hardly deny the urge any longer.

She started with the basic outline, then the hood, adding two small cat ears for character and three paw prints along the hem for his signature. She thought back to how the ring looked on his paw, luminescent in the dark of the night. Just like his eyes.

"Sweet designs, Marinette. You must be really into Chat Noir." Alya grabbed the sketch book out from her friend's hands and Marinette's eyes widened.

"Wait, Alya –,"

The brunette moved the book towards her side of the table and small folded pieces of paper fell out onto the floor. Marinette dove to pick them up, pressing them defensively to her chest. She counted only five in her hands and her face paled. She was missing one.

If anyone saw them she wouldn't know what to say or do. What if they knew Chat Noir? What if they told him? What if he found out? "Wow, this is really amazing, Marinette." Her head snapped to Adrien.

His golden hair was neatly combed over his brows and his green eyes were wide as he stared at her sketch. Nino peered over his shoulder and whistled, "Whoa, check out the detail. If I didn't know any better I'd think you actually saw him in person."

Marinette reached out, blushing furiously and grabbed the page from Adrien's hands. She quickly turned it over and her shoulders sagged in relief. At least it was one of the subtler ones.

Chat's cheeky face grinned back out her, with two fingers pressed to his forehead in greeting –saluting her like he always did when he left. His figure was the same, slim and defined in a way that made her sigh. But she always struggled with his eyes.

They were like a cat's in every shape and form, but there was a kind of humanity that shone just beneath the surface, a kind she couldn't capture on the page. And she'd drawn him at least six times over the past couple weeks to prove it.

Marinette pressed it to her chest and smiled nervously. "Thank you, Adrien." She glared at Alya who currently held her hand over her mouth, failing to prevent her loud, broken laughter.

"Oh, come on Marinette." she giggled, "Let me see the rest."

Marinette moved them behind her as Alya reached out, but her heart stopped when someone else grabbed them from her hands.