"This is your kitchen?" Chat jaw nearly dropped to the floor. His father's mansion was massive, but in that moment Marinette's kitchen rivaled his own. Shelves and cabinets of all sizes filled to the brim with baking supplies lined every wall with a pristine black marble island in the center.

Marinette reached over and closed his mouth with the back of her hand. "Careful now, we wouldn't want you catching flies, Chat Noir."

Chat chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Right, I just wasn't expecting it to be this big."

"Well, when you own a bakery this is actually on the smaller side of things. We could always make it bigger, but that would cost too much and besides..." Marinette gestured around them and grinned, "We don't really need anything more."

She beckoned Chat with her finger and he obediently followed after to her. She opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk and eggs. "So what do you feel like baking?" she asked, "I'm not too sure how much experience you have in a kitchen."

Chat shrugged and leaned against the island across from her, "How about something basic? I'd hate to ruin your purrfect kitchen with my bad luck."

Marinette pressed her finger to her chin and sighed. "Well we could always make cupcakes. I don't know anything more basic than that."

Chat grinned, "Sweet. Just like you."

She rolled her eyes at him, "You've been waiting on that line for a while now, haven't you?"

He pressed his palm against his chest and did his best to look insulted. "What? You wound me, Princess. I just a have a raw talent for puns. It's my specialty."

Marinette scoffed and gestured to the shelves behind him. "Get me a bowl, measuring cups and a wooden spoon. Try not to hurt yourself too much."

He saluted her and started searching through the cupboards. He found the bowl and measuring cups but he couldn't find the spoon.

Chat yanked open another cabinet door and something hard fell on his head. He flinched back and rubbed the injured spot, hissing quietly to himself. He saw the spoon on the floor by his foot and heard Marinette's stifled giggles behind him.

He turned to face her and found himself distracted. Her brilliant blue bell eyes shimmered against her flushed sky and her smile made the tips of his ears warm. He picked up the spoon and offered her a shy smile, "Found it?"

She walked towards him and plucked it from his clawed hand. Chat could smell the scent of strawberries wafting from her and it made his body tingle. "Silly Kitty." she murmured. Marinette dropped the spoon in the sink, grabbed another from the drawer by the fridge and turned back to the island.

"Okay, first you break the eggs like this." She poured the yolks into the measuring cup and threw the shells in the bin beneath the marble top. She handed one to him, but Chat didn't even need to try. His claws punctured through the hard shell and the contents fell into the cup.

Marinette covered her hand over her mouth. "Guess you're a natural then."

Chat did his best to fight his rising blush. He shrugged, "See, black cats don't always bring bad luck." She helped him pour the rest of the ingredients in the cup and told him to pour some flour into the bowl.

Chat ripped open the top of the bag and dumped all the contents in the bowl. The flour bounced back in the air, blowing on his face and covering a third of the table. He kept his eyes shut, but blinked when he heard Marinette coughing behind him.

She ran towards the sink and brought a damp cloth back with her. She bit her lip to hide her laughter, but Chat could clearly see the tears welling in her eyes. He glared half-heartedly. He shouldn't ask. He shouldn't ask.

But he couldn't help himself. "What's so funny?"

Marinette opened her mouth when she stood in front of him and a strangled, heady laughter fell from her lips. Her head fell against his chest and her whole body shook with laughter. Now he was worried. "Mari? Mari, what is it? Come on, what's so funny?"

She glanced up at him and reached up to wipe his face with the cloth. The rough texture startled him, but whenever he felt Marinette's hand brush against his exposed skin, he didn't mind.

"You know, Chat Noir, your suit actually looks real good in white." She chuckled and withdrew her hand, "Maybe we should rename you Chat Blanc." He glanced down at his suit then, only now realising he was completely covered in flour.

It matted in his blonde hair and dusted the very tips of his boots. He wouldn't be affected when he changed back to Adrien, but when Plagg saw himself there was no doubt he would be hearing about it for a very long time.

Marinette rinsed the cloth and came back again, this time wiping his forehead and around the leather mask that concealed his eyes. He closed them, scrunching his eyebrows together when he felt Marinette's body shift in front of his.

"Very funny. Very funny, Mari." he muttered. Marinette giggled and shushed him. He felt her hand stop just above his right eye and hesitantly opened them. She stood only inches away, her chest pressed against his and her breath mingling with his.

"Mari?" she whispered.

He smiled, "Well, yeah. Marinette is kinda a mouthful, so, Mari..." It felt right to call her that, a special nickname just for her. It suited her and he loved the way it rolled off his tongue.

Marinette smiled shyly and Chat felt himself smirk. How he wished she could be like this around Adrien. They'd have so much fun together, going places and doing things like they should be doing. She'd even be able to teach him how to bake without his bad luck and cat costume getting in the way.

But they couldn't do it. And he didn't understand why.

She shook her head and lowered the cloth to his chest. His breath caught in his throat at her touch and Marinette's blush darkened. "It's nice." she mumbled. She dropped the cloth between them and Chat reflexively caught it.

She turned back to the ingredients and sighed in defeat when she noticed the large pile of fresh flour in front of them. "You're not supposed to use all of it, you know?"

He sent her a cheeky smile and continued wiping the flour off his face and ears. Marinette moved the ingredients to the other side, closer to the sink and further from him.

"So how come you don't know how to bake?" she asked, adding more ingredients to the bowl and flour. She mixed it and Chat found himself transfixed watching her work.

"I've never really had to." he replied.

He knew he had to be careful, but being with Marinette was easy. With Chat she was confident, poised, graceful and completely in her element. She was like Ladybug and a surge of guilt swept through his body at the sobering thought.

"But didn't your mom ever make?" she asked, "I know Alya -she's my best friend -her mom bakes all the time."

Chat leaned his back on the island beside her and set the cloth down. "My mother...she, uh...passed away." Marinette froze.

Her head snapped towards him and she frowned. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Chat."

He shook his head and lowered his gaze to the floor. "It's not your fault. I was a lot younger at the time anyway."

"But I'm sure you still feel it. I can't imagine my life without both my parents. It must be hard."

Chat Noir smiled bitterly, "Every day, but being Chat helps. He's a good distraction and escape from the real world I guess."

"Why would you need an escape?" she asked.

"Ever since my mother's death, my father's been really overprotective of me. I've never really had a true friend until a couple years ago." And looking at her now made him realize that meeting her was the best thing he could've hoped for.

It felt good to get it out, to explain. Chat wanted to share it all with Ladybug, but she was so persistent on keeping their identities a secret that he was sure he'd never get the chance.

But Marinette was here. She was with him and willing to listen to whatever he had to say without question. "It sounds -,"

"Lonely? Yeah, it really was." He kept his gaze firmly planted on his silver-tipped boots and Marinette walked over to him. She stepped until they were almost chest to chest and Chat hesitantly raised his head to hers.

She wrapped her delicate arms around him and pressed herself closer. Chat returned the embrace, holding her tightly and enjoying the feeling of her in his arms.

Gabriel Agreste hardly ever hugged his son, Natalie thought it was unprofessional and even though Chloe tried often, it never felt the way this one did.

He held her tighter and leaned down until his nose was pressed beneath her ear. He willed himself not to cry, but it just felt so good and peaceful with her -like everything he'd ever wanted was slowly coming into focus. Marinette willingly offered him love and comfort. And it was hard to keep it from affecting him.

"It's okay, Chat." she whispered, "You don't have to be the hero all the time." Marinette's hand trailed up to his head and she gently stroked his hair, running her fingers through it.

His eyes burned and he knew he had to stop. If Chat didn't push her away now he'd end up a broken mess on her bakery floor and he was already an inconvenience to her.

Chat gently pushed her away and Marinette didn't cling. She stared at him and he gave her what he thought was an encouraging smile, "Thanks, Purrincess. You have no idea how much that means to me." She reached up then and her delicate hand cupped his cheek.

He felt a current flow though her fingertips across his skin and froze at the contact. Her thumb gently brushed against his moist eye and she pushed herself higher on the tips of her toes. And then her soft lips were gently pressed against his cheek.

Chat Noir couldn't think. His mind wouldn't function, lungs wouldn't breathe and his heart wouldn't stop accelerating. It was like lightning. She'd taken his breath away in every sense of the word and his world spun.

Marinette withdrew her head and gave him a shy smile, her cheeks a delightful shade of red. "There," she mumbled, "For the savoir of Paris."

Chat couldn't even process her words. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His voice was as stalled as his mind.

All he could think of was the feel of his lips against his cheek and the undeniable urge to have them there again.

She turned her back to the ingredients and clapped her hands together, startling him out of his trance. "Okay then, back to baking 101 Marinette Dupain-Cheng style." Chat grinned and stalked beside her, nudging her arm with his elbow.

"You're amazing." he breathed.

Her bluebell eyes glinted again and she grabbed the wooden spoon. "I know. Why else would you keep coming back?"

"Pawsibly because this purrfect purrincess is a magnet for disaster?" he suggested.

"Said the black cat, the unluckiest of them all."

But Chat didn't feel unlucky at all. In fact, he'd never felt better. And in that moment one thing was painfully clear. He couldn't stop seeing her. Not the Marinette at school, but the confident sassy one right in front of him.

He had to return. After all she was his princess and Plagg's words echoed through his mind like the remnant of a bad dream. The kwami was right. He was in too deep.

And there wasn't any way he'd ever let go.

I just want to take a moment to thank all my lovely readers for all the votes and comments on this story. Honestly I'm so honored that you all took the time to read it and give me feedback. It's been a great confidence booster and I can hardly wait to share the rest with you all.

Marichat Forever!

And please don't forget to vote or comment if you liked this chapter. I'd love to hear what you all think.