Perfume

Perfume- Chapter 1

Chat Noir jumped out of his bedroom window. After all that stress, from the akuma attack last night to his big photo shoot that he had just come back from, he felt like he needed a break. As if by instinct, his legs had led him to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. Marinette had become his solace; she always found a way to cheer him up after a bad day. As he approached her balcony, his eyes were greeted with a sight he wasn't used to seeing. Ever since he had begun to visit her every night, she would always be waiting on her balcony with a smile on her face, looking out at the night sky. But today was different. She wasn't standing in her normal position. She was sitting, looking away from the sky, with her hands covering her face. "She looks upset," he thought, "but why?"

"Happy birthday, Marinette!"

"Chat!" Marinette said, turning around only to reveal a face red from tears.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Chat asked sincerely.

Still sniffling, Marinette wrapped her arms around him. "Chat, I'm so glad you came! I'm so stupid! How could I have fallen in love with.. with him! I knew that Adrien would never like me the same way I like him. And yet, I let my feelings get the better of me," she cried. Chat returned the warm hug and affectionately stroked her hair.

"What have I done to upset her?" He thought back to that morning. Marinette had asked him if he wanted to go to the cafe after school. Shocked, and not knowing how to react because of his lack of experience, he had ended up standing there speechless. Before he could finish, she had gotten the wrong idea and left. "Oh no. I didn't know that it had upset her so much!" Chat worried. What if he had ruined their friendship?

When Marinette had calmed down, Chat reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. "Princess," he said, "I got something for you."

"Huh? You shouldn't have...." Marinette said between sniffles, her face turning a pale shade of pink.

"Just.. open it." Chat said, handing her the box. He didn't know why, but he was blushing too. Marinette opened the box and found a small, purple bottle of perfume. The top of the bottle was shaped like a cat. 

"It's.. it's beautiful." She said. Taking the bottle out of the box, she spritzed some onto her wrists. "Mm, it smells like roses," Marinette smiled. "Thank you, mon chaton, but I can't accept this. It must have costed way too much!"

"No princess, it's okay! I picked it out just for you. You're smart, sweet, and you are always there to cheer me up. Think of it as... returning the favor." Chat decided.

"Chat..." Marinette didn't know how to reply. She looked up at his face, accidentally locking eyes with him. She felt a warm blush creeping up her face. Not wanting the moment to end, they held their gaze for a little while longer.

"It's okay. Well, it's getting late. I better get going." Chat said, breaking the awkward silence that had started between them as they stood on Marinette's balcony looking out at the Eiffel Tower, brilliantly lit in the night sky.

"Chat Noir, wait!" Before she could stop him, he had jumped out into the night.