"CHAT NOIR!"
One shout.
It only took one shout to make Adrien's perfect, carefree escapade shatter, for a new sense of alertness to cause his ears to perk up and for him to whirl around.
He desperately searched for the source of the sound, adrenaline pumping in his veins, driving him to an almost insane version of protective instinct.

Suddenly he was on the prowl, and he was a cat- an alley cat, sharp and cunning and calculating, his pole descending to the roof on which it was perched.
He scanned his surroundings, and noticed a certain blue-haired girl gesturing wildly to her, on a pink balcony.
Marinette.
Adrien cocked his head to the side. She didn't seem in trouble, why call his name?
Nobody wanted to talk to Chat Noir, other than for help, support for a cause, or simply for an autograph.
And he was fine with it. He was simply a hero, after all- nobody really knew who he was under the mask.

Without thinking, he sprang onto the rails on the balcony, gripping it with his hands in a catlike stance.
He cocked his head at the bluenette curiously, meeting her cool blue gaze evenly.
Her cheeks flushed red, probably at how quickly he leapt onto her balcony.
He couldn't help it- it was instinct. An instinct that came with being Chat Noir- to help people.
And with Marinette, it was all the same.
A sudden rush of protectiveness rushed through the feline, causing him to look at Marinette intensely.
He felt connected to her, drawn to her presence.

"C-Chat N-Noir?" She stuttered timidly.
Adrien narrowed his eyes in confusion. It was Marinette that called him, right?
Yet the girl looked at him as if he was some kind of alien from Mars. What was up with that?
"You called?" He asked, tentatively.
Marinette seemed to remember something, fidgeting anxiously.
"Er, yeah. Sorry, I guess I didn't expect you to come so... quickly."
She was quiet for a moment, meeting his catlike green eyes evenly.
Then she drew a deep breath.

"Why were you frolicking around in the rain? Do you want to get sick? Don't give me any patrol nonsense, it was Ladybug's turn to patrol tonight."
Adrien cocked his head once more, to the side. Nobody enquired about his health before, as Chat Noir.
People assumed he was, well, invincible.
At times, Adrien felt like he was. Any thoughts of wariness of catching a cold was... foreign to him, as Chat Noir.
But Marinette' s concern touched him, and for some reason caused his heart to skip a beat and his stomach to flutter with purified akumas.

"Because I wanted to be free," he breathed.
Wait. Did he say that out loud? Why did he say that out loud? What was he thinking?
He didn't know, but somehow he felt he could trust Marinette- he wanted to pour out all his thoughts and feelings to her when he met those sparkling, sapphire like bluebell eyes....
"I- I'm sorry," he quickly said, suddenly noticing Marinette's gaze boring into his, expecting him to go on. "I didn't-"
"Oh- oh no, it's fine. I suppose... I suppose I've always wished I had superpowers too. Not for fun, but to... be someone else. To escape my own life for a moment, and help others' lives while at it," Marinette intervened, looking down, her voice laced with an emotion he couldn't detect. It was almost like she completely empathized with him, but that wasn't true, couldn't be..
"I.. I think I understand what you mean, Chat Noir."

Adrien's breath caught.
I think I understand what you mean.
"Marinette... I... thank you." He said incoherently,but full with all of the gratefulness he had.
Sure, Marinette may not have been perfect, maybe she wasn't Ladybug, perhaps she was not a superhero like him.. but at least she had tried to understand. Tried to comfort him.
It brought on a foreign, tingly feeling in Adrien, who was always used to being denied by his father with every flaw and mistake he may have had.

Ah, Marinette. Give it to her to make him feel better without knowing it. She truly was the girl of his dreams.
Hold on. No, that was Ladybug! His bugaboo. The girl of his dreams. Who he loved with all his heart.
Right?

"You're welcome Chat," she replied gently, breaking Adrien from his train of thought and putting her hand on his leathered one. "But be careful, alright? Freedom shouldn't cost you your health."
Chat's heart jumped at her touch, but he just winked at her.
"I'll keep that in mind, Princess." He replied, taking in her features, her cute little nose, soft lips, dampened blue hair, the way a few faint freckles dotted her face...
But then he remembered something.
"Wait, how did you know it was Ladybug's turn to patrol?"

This seemed to agitate Marinette.
She jerked upwards, her warm hand leaving his.
"Oh! Um.. well.. I saw her! Over there!" She pointed frantically to some building in the distance. "And I kinda have to go now, gotta finish an essay-"
Adrien titled his head to the side at Marinette's sudden fright.
"You mean this one?"
He retrieved a stapled paper from where it rested underneath a ledge on her balcony, the name Marinette at the top of it in neat script writing.

"Oh yes! Thank you so much Chat Noir! What would I do without you.. oh, bye! I'll catch up- I mean, I'll see you later!" Marinette said, relief sparking in her blue eyes as she waved to him shyly and rushed back into her room, her essay clutched close to her chest.
Chat Noir grinned at her sudden quirkiness, glad to be the source of her delight.
And like that, smiling, he extended his pole, the whole of Paris blurring around him.

A/N
Sorry for the late update aAAAAaaa but on the plus side I have a new fanfic up- it's not of mlb but of VLD so if your a fan, please check it out-
ANYWAY-
Why do you think Chat Noir is suddenly so fond of Marinette? And vice versa?
Flerpmerpderp I shall go die now- but don't worry, I'll update soon from my grave :) I haven't forgotten about you guys :)))