The Black Cat (a Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

Adrien: A Closer Look

   The rest of the day was very easy. I missed seeing everyone, but it hurt even more that I couldn't talk to them. Things did seem different, it wasn't a great difference, either. Chloe was more ruthless, and Marinette had a harder time at school, it was evident. Alya didn't talk to her all too much during lunch, and Nino kind of tagged along with Alya, I mean, they're a couple. Marinette slipped away from lunch after a little bit. She headed out, and we ended up eating lunch together nearby the school. When we got home, Marinette rushed to do her homework, and I was left to just sit there, so I stayed a cat for a little bit. 
   "Adrien, how was it?" Plagg asked me.
   "Well, you were there, weren't you?" I asked him.
   "Yeah, I know, and thanks for the camembert." he asked me, "So, why'd you help her?"
   "What do you mean?"
   "Well, first, the test, and then, the lab. You practically gave her all the answers!" he exclaimed, "I mean... I know you knew her before all of this happened, but why?"
   "Because I can't be there anymore." I answered, "Look, I used to do all those things before this all happened to me... and I just, I don't know." I sighed, "It's just that with Mari... she's the only one who can talk to me."
   "You could visit someone else." Plagg suggested.
   "I can, but I also know if I do, they'll react differently. I mean, like I said before, Nino and Alya will end up wanting to interviewing me and wanting autographs... they don't see a person. I think it's safe to say Chloe's favorite hero is definitely not Chat Noir. Ladybug just sees me as Chat Noir... her partner when akumas come, but not after that... because of the whole identity thing. Marinette is the only one who's ever treated me like a person, with and without a mask. She got nervous around me as Adrien... but as Chat, I've been able to learn and see so much more about her."
   "It sounds like this "friend" is more than you think she is." Plagg replied. 
   "W-What do you mean?" I asked him.
   "It's evident... you're starting to talk about her like how you talk about Ladybug." Plagg answered, "Kid, call me crazy all you want, but I think you like Marinette. I've seen it, almost all the Chat Noirs have fallen for someone... and I know how each of them react. I know how you feel when you like someone, and this isn't new for you."
   "Well, what do I do?" I asked him.
   "You're going out to dinner tonight, aren't you?" he asked me.
   "Yeah, I think so." I answered, "I could probably ask her again."
   "So, take this opportunity to really look at who she is, and how she treats you. Who knows, maybe you'll see something that wasn't there before." Plagg replied, "Don't overthink it, after all, everything I'm telling you now is speculation. It's your decision whether or not you wish to look at things differently."
   "You're right." I smiled, "Marinette's a great girl... and to think I have the opportunity to reconnect is amazing."
   "Exactly. Who knows, maybe you'll get some aspects of your life before back." Plagg assured me, "It'll be okay, kid. If anyone can help you, it's her. I can feel it."
   "I hope so." I sighed, "I feel useless."
   "Well, don't. You've done all you can, even a little more. Even after all of this, you're still selfless, and a hero. You're doing everything right."
   "Thank you, Plagg."
   "You're welcome. Now, ask her."
   "Okay." I transformed, and headed out of my room. It was a little chillier today, I wondered why. I headed to the living room, and Marinette was putting her homework away.
   "Hey, Kitty." she smiled.
   "Hello Princess." I approached her, "Did you still want to celebrate tonight?"
   "Of course!" she answered, "And good news, I didn't have any problems doing my homework. It was on the recipes in class... and I retained all of the stuff you taught me!"
   "That's great, Mari!" I hugged her, "See, I knew you could do it!"
   "There's no way I would've been able to without you, though." she hugged back, "Seriously, you saved me."
   "Well, it's no problem, really." I chuckled.
   "Where do you want to go?" she asked me, "We could probably eat out somewhere nearby. I don't know what's around here." 
   "Why don't we look it up?" I asked her.
   "Sure. Come on, let's look." we headed to her room, and she opened up a new tab. She looked up restaurants in the area.
   "There's a couple cafes, a couple Italian places, a Chinese place and a sushi bar." I read out loud, "I don't know about you, but Italian sounds good."
   "I haven't had it in a long time, I'm down." Marinette smiled, "Well then, I guess I better wear some sort of... disguise. Do you need to wear something different?"
   "I can't really take off this... suit." I answered.
   "I'm talking about something to put on top of it."
   "I don't have anything to put on top of this." I answered, "But maybe I can find something."
   "You don't have to, I just thought that since we're going to be out and about, I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable, seeing as your always in the media and stuff."
   "That's a good point... but I can't just go out and buy an outfit as Chat Noir, can I?"
   "I'll go! It'll be fun!" Mari quickly got up.
   "Are you sure? Maybe, I can go as a cat."
   "Sorry Chaton, they don't allow animals in too many stores. You can trust me, I know what I'm doing, I'm a designer!" she was about to leave the apartment, when she turned around, "I forgot to get your sizes... and to disguise myself." she laughed nervously, "Oops." I laughed, and told her my clothing sizes. She headed out after putting on a hat and some glasses, leaving me alone in the apartment. I headed to my bathroom, and Plagg asked me,
   "How else do you think you could change your look?" he was snickering.
   "Come on, she's just trying to help. She was excited about it, too. Besides, there's no harm in it." I shrugged.
   "I'm just teasing, kid. But in all seriousness, it's gonna be hard to hide that mask."
   "I know." I sighed, "Sunglasses? Then again, they don't really allow that kind of stuff in restaurants."
   "I say wait until Marinette comes home with the stuff. Maybe it'll be enough."
   "I don't doubt her... she'll probably find something good." About 15 minutes later, Marinette walked through the door with two bags in her hands.
   "Okay, good news, I found a lot of stuff. Bad news... there's wasn't too much for your mask. Are you okay with wearing it out?" she asked me.
   "Yeah." I answered.
   "Great." she pulled out a couple things from the bags, "I got some jeans, and a big sweater... to kind of hide the majority of the suit. I know you can't really hide your hands or your feet. I got you a beanie, to hide the ears." she pulled out a dark green beanie, "That's really it for you... it's not much."
   "No, it's great." I smiled, "What did you get for yourself?"
   "Oh, well..." she pulled out a couple of... unexpected things. "I've got a natural-looking wig. It's much longer than my usual hair, but it's the same color... I also got some other glasses, better than the ones I was using before. I think as long as I change my outfit... I should be okay." she answered. "Let's get ready."
   "Agreed." I headed to my room, and quickly threw everything over my suit.
   "It's a little warm to be wearing a sweater." Plagg groaned, "I'm hot."
   "Well, it worked." I headed to my bathroom again, and looked in the mirror. Everything was hidden... it was mainly the mask... that was a huge problem. I heard Marinette's door opened.
   "Hey, Chat? Are you done? I wanted to see."
   "Yeah, come on in." she opened the door.
   "Turn around." I did, and she immediately adjusted my hat. She was extremely close. She stepped back, and smiled softly, "Well, it does the trick, but your mask... I bought you some sunglasses... but I'm not sure they'll work."
   "Let's try them." I put them on, and Marinette laughed a little.
   "They definitely don't... your mask is too big. Oh well." I took the time to look at what she was wearing. The wig looked great, and she adjusted it well. The length was much longer than her natural hair. Her glasses were still black, but they had more of a cat-eye design than a square shape. She was sporting a light pink beret, and a black and white striped long sleeve shirt with a light pink shirt. Her shoes were black ankle boots, similar to some my father had designed previously.
   "You look great, Princess." she blushed a little before taking off the sunglasses, "Thank you, Kitty. Well, I guess I'm ready to go when you are."
   "Let's get going. How far is the walk?"
   "It's only 3 blocks." she answered.
   "Let's get going, then. It'll get dark before we know it."
   "Okay." And with that, we were off.

~~~~~~

   This was cheesy... oops. Well, it's get more cheesy from here, so here's a fair warning. I like writing this story. Not just because Miraculous is one of my favorite shows, but I've never a story like this, and I really like where it's going. I've wanted a Miraculous fanfiction like this so... I'm writing it myself! I hope you guys like it too! Make sure to vote and comment... it really helps me out, and lets me know that you guys want to see more! I will see you all very soon with another update, and thanks for reading! ♡