Accident of the Evening

Friendship

"You should head home when the rain stops," Marinette told him.

Adrien stood on a small stood in her living room with parts of fabric pinned over his body. He liked the fabric she was using for the vest he had pinned around him – it was basic satin, but it had a green tinge within the darkness. She had been very firm in her resolve not to let him see any of her design, so she was only working on the lining but he knew it would be amazing.

"Only if you're done, M-Marinette," he told her. He almost slipped and called her m'lady, a name he reserved for Ladybug. Maybe he could think of something else for her.

"I can work with this," she nodded as she carefully removed the pattern she had been pinning around his leg. She laid it over the arm of the couch and gestured for him to step down off the stool before unpinning the front of the vest and sliding it off his shoulders.

"Thank you for letting me stay," he told her with a smile. She gave a small smile back but as she turned around, he saw her lips tug down a little. "Why did you?" he asked. "Let me stay I mean?"

"Why not?" she replied. Marinette busied herself with neatly placing them on the coffee table which was now covered in pin cushions, scraps of paper and fabric, fabric scissors and a few other items Adrien recognised by sight as he had seen similar ones in his father's office.

"Am I ever going to get a straight answer from you, mystery girl?" he asked, leaning closer to her. She stared at him for a moment before sliding away, trying to recover.

"You seemed upset," she said quietly as she busied herself. "You really did look like a stray kitty left all alone out there. I invited you in because I didn't want you to get sick and you looked like you needed the company."

Chat Noir blinked as he tilted his head, watching her back as she moved around the room, refusing to look at him.

"You noticed that from up here?"

"Well, I saw a sulking black figure and figured I'd hope for the best," she shrugged.

"That wasn't very smart. I could have been a killer or something."

"But you're not a killer, just a lost tomcat," she said, turning to face him.

"Indeed," he said simply. The room fell quiet and the whirring of the heater stopped. Adrien checked on his clothes and found them toasty and dry. Without thinking he pulled the sweater off his head and put his shirt the right way. A squeak from behind him made him turn as he pulled his shirt over his head.

Marinette was bright red and all he could do was grin.

"I-I-I could have left," she stammered as she stared. He casually pulled his shirt down, covering his torso and smiled at her.

"Nah, it's okay, all done now."

"You, um, you..." she shook her head and moved to the kitchen, avoiding eye contact.

"What?" he asked, a playful smirk holding his lips.

"You, I mean, n-nothing."

"What? Marinette, what is it?" he probed, his smile growing wider. "Did you see something you like?" he teased and she turned to face him, her cheeks tomato red.

"N-no. W-wha-where did you get that idea from?"

"Wait, so I'm not attractive?" he said, mock offense colouring his tone as he stepped back from the kitchen island and lifted his shirt to show her his abs. Had he not been wearing the mask, he knew he would be a blushing mess also, but something about the anonymity gave him courage he never knew he had. It was freedom.