Creeaaaak

Marinette eyes flew open at the sudden and suspicious sound. Her heart pounded.

“A-an intruder? A thief? A murderer?! No, wait, calm down. It’s probably not a murderer. B-But what if it’s worse? What if Hawkmoth discovered who she was and decided to steal her earrings in the night. That’s very highly unlikely as well. Then why would someone enter my room at midnight? There’s nothing valuable in here…,” Slowly, she rolled over, careful not to make a sound, and peeked over the railing of the bed. After a minute, her eyes adjusted and she could make out the figure of someone...with cat ears? “Maybe it’s Chat Noir. But there’s no reason for him to sneak around..”

The person’s figure seemed to turn towards her and she instantly laid back down, slowing her breathing to seem like she was asleep. The sound of her heart counted out the seconds for what seemed like eternity, the beating of drums resounding her ears. Finally, she heard the sound of stairs creaking. Slowly opening one eye and rolling over, she confirmed that the coast was clear. She went down to her room, stepping on the very side of the stairs to make as little noise as possible. She glanced around her room, searching for a suitable weapon. Her eyes alighted on a heavy book. Perfect.

Book in hand, she crept down the stairs. The perpetrator was a few feet ahead, just entering the bakery. Silently,s he walked over to him. The book slowly raised above her head. One second, two- and it comes crashing down.

“Ow!”

Marinette jumped back, surprised by the fact that he hadn’t passed out and that she knew that voice. Acid green eyes, brilliant in the dark night, met her own blue ones. She sighed in relief and went over to turn on the light.

“Thank god it was just you, Chat-” she froze, hand poised in mid-air after she had flicked on the switch. She turned, her calm expression becoming a scowl. Chat’s ears flattened against his head.

“What are you doing here, Chat?” her voice rose in anger. “No, forget the fact they’re you’re here. Why did you enter through my window at this time of night and creep through my house like some kind of criminal?”

Involuntarily, his eyes flickered to the white and pink spotted box tied with a black ribbon next to him. Marinette’s expression softened as she realized what he was doing.

“I-I’m sorry, M’lady, I-I wanted to surprise you with a gift,” he shrank back guiltily. “A-are you mad at me?” His voice quieted to a whisper at the thought of upsetting his lady. She breathed a long sigh, then looked at hm with a small smile. She walked over to him and crouched so she matched his height.

“I’m not mad at you, Chat. I could never be mad at you,” she ruffled his hair. “But next time, just leave on my desk at school or something, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied, a guilty expression on his face.

“I just don’t want you to get in trouble,” she explained, hating that she made him so upset. “If my mom or dad had found you, who knows what might have happened.”

“Okay,” Chat repeated. This time, he looked a little better.

“Good.” She glanced at the small box lying next to them, “May I open it?” Silently, he nodded.

Carefully, she picked up, untied, and unwrapped the present to reveal a small, dark blue jewelry box. Chat watched her as she opened the present, eager to see her reaction. Marinette gasped, a small sound filled with awe and delight. Nestled in the box was a necklace. The chain was silver and, as it reached the small charmed, had miniature white flowers. The charm was beautiful, a pink crystal rose surrounded by dark green leaves. The colored flower lay on a bed of gold filigree that was intricate yet elegant.

“I-it’s beautiful,” Marinette murmured. Her eyes then snapped to his, eyes slightly narrowed. “How much was it?”

“Not enough to make a dent in my allowance,” Chat said off-handedly as he walked to stand behind her. Marinette’s eyes narrowed further, but she decided to not press the issue. His hands reached in front of her to take the ends of the necklace.

“May I?” he asked, hands in a position to clip the necklace behind her neck. She nodded. She shivered slightly at the cold touch of metal, but otherwise did not move. Only when he finished did she look down at the jewelry. Chat moved around her and smiled.

“You look amazing,” his whispered, his voice sincere. Marinette blushed, the pink enhancing her beauty.

“T-Thank you,” she stuttered. She wished she could look away, but, at the same time, she was held captive by his gaze. Slowly, his hand reached to her and softly cupped her cheek. They stared at each for a moment before simultaneously moving in to close the distance.

Beep beep beep

They cursed and flew apart, their faces bright red as they looked at each other wide-eyed.

“I-I-I have to go!” Chat stammered, cursing Plagg for the unfortunate timing.

“O-Okay,” Marinette replied, replaying the moment and wondering if she was lucky or unlucky.

She walked over to the door and unlocked it, opening it for him. Chat walked out, then turned around to face her. They smiled.

“Thank you for the gift,” Marinette said softly.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, reaching out to touch the small crystal. “You look stunning on it.” They stared at each other again, warmth and love in both their eyes. Chat moved as if to say something, but then another beep interrupted them. With a silent bow, he was off, disappearing into the Parisian night. Marinette watched him until she couldn’t see him, and then closed the door.

She went up to her room and unclasped the necklace to put it away until the morning. She admired the delicate item, watching the light reflect off of it. Slowly, she raised it to her face and kissed it, before putting it next to her diary and smiling.