After an accident in the bakery, Marinette's having trouble getting back into the swing of life... But not because of her sprained ankle. After a certain cat drops in, he keeps coming back and just keeps 'helping' her with everything... Literally. A...
It was an average summer day in the Dupain-Cheng's Boulangerie-Patisserie, full of smiling faces, happy customers, and a whole lot of bread passing in and out of the double doors. The sound of the little bell above it tinkling could be heard all day, informing the Dupain-Chengs of an arriving customer. But one thing was off, the lack of Marinette. Marinette had been serving treats and warm drinks to customers the day before, and was distracted by a certain green eyed, blonde haired model sitting in the corner. When he smiled at her, she was completely distracted, and her leg had snagged on the leg of a chair. She had twisted in an effort to not spill the drinks on a sleeping baby in it's stroller, and ended up twisting her ankle... And looking like a total fool in front of Adrien. So, on this warm summer day, Marinette had to stay in here room wearing an evil device called an air cast. (They are pure evil guys, trust me)
Marinette flopped over onto her bed, cuddling her giant cat pillow, careful not to wake Tikki, who was sleeping on the cat's head. Oh how she wished she could transform into Ladybug and race along the rooftops with a summer breeze in her hair! But, alas, her ankle prohibited her from enjoying her first week of summer vacation, dooming her to the fate of boredom. She could not go to the pool, walk around town, or even go up and down stairs because they were a pain in the neck. Marinette sighed, twirling a strand of her blue hair. Thoughts were flooding her mind, and the quiet did not help to silence them.
"I really hope there aren't any Akuma attacks in the next few weeks, Tikki." Marinette finally mumbled as she stroked the sleeping Kwami's cheek. Lazily, Tikki opened one eye and gave Marinette a tired smile.
"Me too, Marinette, but I'm sure Chat Noir can handle an Akuma if necessary." Tikki reassured her as she yawned. "Besides, you needed a break anyways. Just enjoy this quiet time while it lasts." Marinette grunted, bringing her arm over top of her eyes. The thought of Chat Noir 'handling' an Akuma by himself terrified her. So far he had not exactly proved whether or not he could handle one without her help. Sure, he could deal with an Akuma's minions, but when fighting an Akuma head on, he never seemed to be able to do it without her assistance.
"But only I can purify the Akuma, and I'm already on summer break, why would I need a-" A soft tapping sound to the tune of 'Jingle Bells' coming from the skylight interrupted Marinette. "Quick, Tikki, hide!" She called. The Kwami quickly zipped away, hiding in Marinette's purse. When Marinette was sure Tikki was hidden, she cracked open her skylight. She was not sure if she was completely surprised to find Chat Noir standing above her, grinning and holding something behind his back in his left hand.
"Hey, Princess!" He greeted, using his foot to open the skylight enough for his to jump down onto Marinette's bed. "A little bird told me that a certain pigtail-clad princess was being held captive in her parent's dungeon with no one to talk to, and I, being your brave and noble knight, have come to rescue you!" Chat Noir bowed and gently kissed Marinette's hand. Marinette began to panic.
"Why is Chat Noir in my room? Does he know I'm Ladybug? What will my parents think if they come up to check on me and Chat Noir is sitting on my bed? Ewww... I really need to was my hand." Marinette thought as she sat up pulling her hand away. Chat still had a hand behind his back, and was now inching closer to her. Marinette could smell a mixture of leather and... Cheese?
"I never noticed you had freckles, Princess... They're pretty cute." Chat murmured as he brought his hand to Marrinette's cheek, running his thumb along her cheek bone.
"Nope nope nope NOPE!" Marinette's mind screamed as she pushed Chat away.
"Sorry, Kitty, but I need a little personal space." Chat shook his head.
"Ah yeah, uhm sorry about that. Anyways, I came by to give you this." Chat said as he handed Marinette a small wrapped box. "Adrien said he wanted to give this to you, and that he's sorry for not coming in person, but his father won't let him leave the house." Marinette's face flushed pink as she accepted the gift.
"A-Adrien wanted to give me a p-present?" Marinette stuttered. "Please t-tell him I said thanks if you get the chance." Chat Noir nodded as Marinette carefully peeled back the wrapping paper. The paper was white, with beautiful golden swirls dancing across the surface in beautiful designs. Wrapped inside the paper was a plain wooden box. Marinette assumed that there would be candy or something inside. Not that she minded. Eagerly she opened the box and gasped. Sitting delicately inside was a pair of silver earrings shaped like flowers and with beautiful designs on the petals.
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(These are the earrings. If I owned them, I'd almost want to actually pierce my ears... Almost.)
"Oh..." Marinette gasped. "Wow these are beautiful. T-tell Adrien I really love them, and that I'm very grateful." She said trying to be happy. It was the first gift she had received from Adrien, and she could not even use it because of her Miraculous. Plus it looked pretty expensive and she did not want Adrien to have wasted his money. Chat sensed something was wrong, but did not question it. Instead, he stood up, kissed Marinette's forehead, then slipped out of the skylight calling over his shoulder that he hoped she felt better soon.
