Chat Noir ran across the rooftops late that night, vaulting from one street to the other with his baton. Bright lights filtered through the countless windows beneath him; each with families blissfully aware of the superheroes that defended them, day and night.

He leapt off the edge and rolled mid–air until his silver–tipped boots dug into the moist grass. The park was always nice this time of day; a peaceful and quiet place for him to relax and gather his thoughts.

It had been days since he'd last seen Ladybug and even though he was glad no one had been akumatised, he couldn't help but feel restless without her.

Chat walked further in the vacant park until he reached the carousel and jumped on top of it. The Parisian streetlights were dim and all the roads were filled with parked cars, but something caught his eye.

A young girl with a bright red scarf walked towards him with two massive paper bags in her hands. He couldn't quite make her out, but when she passed beneath him he immediately know who she was. How could he not?

"Evening, Purrincess." he drawled.

Marinette froze and frantically searched around her. "Chat?" she whispered, eyes wide. He chuckled lowly and slid off the top of the carousel behind her.

"Right here." he replied. Marinette snapped her head to him and he grinned. The sleeves of her dark grey blazer were rolled down, but they didn't cover much of her arms. She shivered when the breeze picked up and hugged the bags closer to her chest.

"Late night shopping?" he asked, gesturing to her bags with his clawed finger.

Marinette looked down and smiled. "A baker's job's never done. What about you?" Her eyes widened and her back straightened. "Is there an akuma nearby?"

Chat took a step closer marveling at how short she really was. "Easy there, Princess. But even if there were one, I'd be here to protect you." His eyes fluttered shut and he flexed his muscles. He couldn't resist. "After all...who wouldn't want one of Paris's' greatest superheroes by their side?"

Marinette's posture relaxed and her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh, wow. The Great Chat Noir, protecting me? What an honor." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and noticed the shimmer in her eyes quickly die out. Her voice sounded flat too. Strange.

He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the unease burning through his chest and stomach. He forced his attention to the bags in her hands, "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, you don't have to –," gushed Marinette. But Chat Noir wasn't listening. He easily grabbed them from her and held them securely in his own arms.

"It's no problem, really." He winked, "Anything for a fan." He waited patiently for her to start walking and lead the way back to her house, but she didn't. She stood her ground and tried to reach for the bags back again.

"Chat Noir, you really don't have to –," She tried to grab one, but Chat moved them over his head and smirked. It might've been cruel messing with her but he was bored and there wasn't any way he'd let her walk home alone this late at night.

She huffed, her cheeks red and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine," she groaned. Chat frowned and Marinette's tone went upbeat again, "I mean –as long as it doesn't inconvenience you or anything." She waved her hands in front of her and glanced to the side shyly, "I wouldn't want to bother you."

He wanted to reassure her that it wasn't a problem, but something told him it wouldn't make much of a difference. She acted so much differently towards him when he was his civilian counterpart. And frankly, he wasn't sure which side of her was the good one.

Maybe it was the puns.

He flicked his head to the side and smiled, "Lead the way, Purrincess." Marinette rolled her eyes and sighed.

Yep. Definitely the puns.

Marinette led them down the pavement trail, passed the carousal, through the park gates and down the street between two large buildings. The bread in his arms was warm and smelt divine with his heightened sense of smell. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smelt bread this good before.

Gabriel Agreste had the top chefs in Paris under his roof, but Chat always felt like something was missing. There must've been. Nothing in his house ever made his mouth water this much. He licked his lips hungrily and tried to focus on anything but the food in front of him.

But nothing around him looked familiar.

The buildings were dark without a single light shining through the windows to guide their way. The place felt surprisingly eerie. Chat Noir's miraculous allowed him to see through the dark much better than he normally could and he was surprised Marinette could see at all.

"So?" he asked, "This is the way to your place?"

Marinette sighed and he saw her shoulders droop in front of him. "No, Chat." she replied, "I'm delivering something from the bakery. They should live somewhere around..." Her velvet voice broke into a faint murmur and she stopped in the middle of the road.

She glanced around, her scarf whipping around her shoulders. Chat saw her eyes brighten when they landed on a small blue apartment building ahead. "There!" she breathed.

She turned back to Chat and smiled, "I can take it from here. Thanks, Chat Noir." She held her hands out from the bag, but Chat was shocked. Didn't she want him around? The last time he'd asked her about her opinion about Chat Noir she'd had a good impression.

So what changed?

He didn't want to leave her just yet, especially so far from home. He would've been willing to help just about anyone, but Marinette was his friend and that only made him feel more inclined to protect her. Clearly she didn't feel the same way.

Marinette grabbed the bags from him and walked off without saying goodbye. Chat grabbed his baton from behind him and vaulted on the roof of the nearest building. Just because she didn't want him around didn't mean he was going to leave her.

He peered over the edge, careful to keep his body in the shadows. He saw her glance around, no doubt checking he was actually gone, and then continue walking. She strode up to the door, knocked and exchanged words with the tall woman inside.

She traded the paper bags with the woman and dropped the change in her small purse. Then the door shut and Marinette continued down the street.

Chat followed her, trailing closely behind in case she needed his help. But he just couldn't understand her sudden dislike for him. Didn't she want to be around him? Who didn't want to spend time with a superhero? Even Alya seemed excited to see him and she praised Ladybug.

Maybe Marinette preferred Ladybug? He sure did. And the thought of her made him smile.

Ladybug was amazing, brilliant, resourceful, honest, brave and kind in every sense of the word. He longed to know who she was, to get even the faintest hint about her life behind the mask. But she'd never tell him and it annoyed him to no end.

Marinette disappeared around the corner and Chat discreetly vaulted after her, careful to keep his preferred distance atop the Parisian rooftops. A sharp, shrill scream echoed through the air and sent chills down Chat's spine.

He launched himself down to the street in front of Marinette. "What's wrong?" he asked. He'd hoped Marinette would look somewhat relieved to see him. But she didn't. She looked more afraid than ever.

"Chat, look out!" Marinette dived into him, tackling him to the ground. Something bright flashed over him and his head shot up.

A young girl in bright pastel colors floated towards them. Her hair was braided with multi –colored ribbons that stretched from her pigtails to the ground. She laughed hysterically and her frilly pink dress swayed with her laughter.

Chat shot to his feet, pulling Marinette protectively against him. She winced and Chat felt her lean against him. "Marinette?" he asked, "Are you okay?" He couldn't look at her to see what was wrong. If he looked away and let his guard down for even a second he didn't know what would happen.

"Get us out of here, Chat. Now." she replied, clinging to him.

Chat wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and the villain cackled, "You think you'll escape from me that easily? Think again! I'll catch you, Kitty. Watch me!" She shot her ribbons out from her hand and Chat narrowly dodged them.

He jumped onto the lamppost and pushed off towards one of the main buildings. He heard the girl scream after him, but he had to ensure Marinette was safe first. He withdrew his baton from behind him and vaulted them five streets over.

He stopped on top of Major Bourgeois's hotel building and set Marinette down in one of the pool chairs. Her face was scrunched in pain and Chat felt a pang in his chest. "I'm so sorry, Marinette. Where does it hurt?"

But she wasn't concerned with herself. Marinette propped herself on her arms and frowned. "Don't worry about me, Chat Noir. Paris needs you to stop her." Chat reached out to her and Marinette grabbed his hand tightly in her own.

Her large bluebell eyes stared into his cat ones and he hated himself for putting her in this position. She shouldn't have had to save him. He gritted his teeth and withdrew his hand. "I'll be right back." he promised.

"I know." She looked relieved and sent him what appeared to be the first genuine smile he'd received all night. "Now go."

Chat Noir nodded and ran towards the edge of the building, baton ready. He jumped off and started his way back towards the villain. He couldn't do much without Ladybug and hoped that she'd already be there.

But even though he'd been waiting to see Ladybug, he couldn't wait for the akuma to be cleansed. The sooner the battle was over, the sooner he could take Marinette home. And, hopefully, keep her out of harm's way for the rest of the night.

Hello Miraculous Marichat Fans!

I've been waiting for season 2 to come out since March and now that some of the episodes are out already I just can't contain (or control) ;) my inner fan girl. Anyway I hope you enjoy this story and don't forget to vote or comment if you feel like it.