Chapter Text
Chapter 1
His wild blonde hair was swept back by the wind as he ran. His feet pounded on each roof as he raced along them, leaping to the next roof without breaking stride. This sense of freedom filled Chat Noir with joy. He loved being able to escape his lifeless home and see the City of Lights at night.
Granted, he was patrolling solo tonight. However, he didn’t allow not being able to see Ladybug dampen his spirits. Tonight, he would do his patrol route then look at the stars afterwards.
As he moved through Paris, he kept his senses on high alert for signs of trouble. It was a quiet night; it seemed even Hawk Moth was resting. For that, the boy was grateful. The onslaught of akumas for the past few days wore the duo down. He’d begun to worry about how it was affecting his civilian life; with him running on two-to-three hours of sleep for the past two days. He was sure that he looked like a zombie; it had worried his friends and they’d encouraged him to see about reducing his workload.
He knew better than anyone that asking his father to reduce his workload was like yelling at a brick wall. However, they cared and that was enough to make his day more bearable. Besides, Marinette had looked just as tired. Maybe she should lay off on late-night projects.
Chat Noir stopped on a rooftop not far from Tom and Sabine’s Patisserie to catch his breath. The smell of pastries emitting from the bakery made his stomach growl and he had to refrain from drooling. Smiling, he sat on the roof and overlooked the park. It was empty, minus the occasional wild animal that roamed around the well-kept grass.
A light flicking on returned his attention back to the bakery. Light flooded from Marinette’s window. He could see her silhouette as she sat on her chaise. His classmate was still awake at this hour? Granted, so was he, but he had a reason to be!
He stood and brushed off some dust particles from his suit. The blonde decided it would be good to head home and get a good night’s sleep since patrol was done. But before he could leave, Marinette climbed her way onto the balcony. One ear flicked at the sound of a dog barking in the distance.
His ears pricked as she leaned on the railing, her posture one of defeat. Tilting his head, he watched her for a few minutes. The hero’s brows furrowed in concern when she remained in that position. From where he was, his sensitive cat hearing could pick up the sounds of soft sniffling.
Green eyes widened and Chat Noir leaped onto her balcony.
“Marinette?” He kept his voice soft, trying not to startle her. “What’s wrong?”
His efforts did little as the girl spun with a wide-eyed stare. “Wha! Oh! Chat Noir, it’s you.” The girl put a hand to her chest and took several deep breaths. She quickly wiped her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong! I’m fine! Never better!”
Chat Noir narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her. “Marinette, you’re crying.”
“Hmm? Oh, right…” She sighed and lowered her head. “I’m just a bit… overwhelmed. I’m fine, really.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Concern etched his features as he watched her.
She shook her head and disappointment washed over the feline hero. “No… at least, not right now.” Marinette smiled at him as she said, “Thank you for checking up on me. But shouldn’t you be at home? It’s pretty late.”
Chat put a hand on his chest. “I was patrolling. Everything looked clear and I was about to head home when I saw a damsel who appeared to be in distress.” He grinned at the pigtailed girl.
Her deadpan expression and crossed arms elicited a chuckle from him. “I’ll have you know that I’m not in distress.”
“I know that meow!” Chat smirked, leaning slightly towards her.
Marinette’s giggle caused relief to flood through him. She really seemed to be okay. “Yeah, okay, Monsieur Noir.“
“Monsieur Noir is my father.” Chat Noir joked, winking.
Marinette merely rolled her eyes and continued where she left off. “Don’t you have some mice to catch? Or perhaps a kitty bed to curl up in?”
“Purrhaps.” He shrugged. “But this kitty doesn’t feel like going home until he knows you’re actually okay.”
A genuine smile played on the girl’s lips. “Thank you, Chat Noir. I’m feeling a lot better now. I’ll head to bed. You should do the same. We wouldn’t want you taking a cat nap in the middle of a battle.”
Chat Noir let out a gasp in mock-offence. “Oh! I would never!”
As Marinette descended into her room, he waved. “Goodnight, Marinette!”
With that, he headed back to the cold, lonely mansion.