The Foul Florist

Midnight in Paris 1.2

Tikki lay on the pillow, burbling softly in her sleep. Marinette watched her tiny, serene face and wondered what, if anything, kwamis dreamed about.
Probably something dipped in chocolate and loaded with sugar, she decided. Her little bug had quite the sweet tooth!

Whatever Tikki's dreams held, Marinette was willing to bet they had nothing to do with fine, green-eyed boys. Her own sleep was plagued by thoughts of one in particular, but not the one she'd expected.
Marinette sat up and slowly extricated herself from the tangle of bedsheets. She didn't want her restlessness to disturb Tikki, and hoped that a few minutes of fresh air might clear her mind.

She descended the ladder and was immediately confronted by the dozens of Adriens pinned to her wall. The full moon cast its ethereal light across them, giving each picture a ghostly glow. Every pair of eyes bore into her with an accusatory stare, like they knew she'd been dreaming of someone else.
Marinette gave a squeak of surprise when a nearby bell began to toll suddenly. It was midnight.

A drowsy voice mumbled, "What's wrong Marinette?" as a yawning Tikki floated down to join her.

Grabbing her sweater from the back of the desk chair, Marinette hastily replied, "Nothing, I - I just couldn't sleep."

"Uh-huh," Tikki said, suspecting there was more to the story. "Are you sure it doesn't have something to do with a certain feline friend of ours?"

Marinette didn't answer. She clambered back up the ladder to her bed, only pausing for a second to put on the sweater, before she lifted herself up through the skylight and onto the rooftop patio.

Tikki followed and found Marinette already leaning against the iron railing, chin resting in her open palm. They looked out over the quiet Parisian streets together.

"Well?" Tikki asked, but the girl remained stubbornly silent. The spring air was crisp and laced with the scent of the season's first blooms. Tikki perched on the railing beside Marinette, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, while she awaited a response.

After another minute of consideration, Marinette finally admitted, "I don't know what to do Tikki. Cat Noir is in LOVE with me! And, I just..."

"Don't feel the same," Tikki finished for her.

"Yeah," Marinette sighed.

"Would it really be so bad to give him a chance?" Tikki hated to see her friend so disheartened, but Master Fu had forbidden her from divulging Cat Noir's secret identity.

Her expression serious, Marinette said, "We may be partners and all, but I hardly know Cat Noir!"

Tikki teased in return, "You know him better than you think!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Marinette eyed the kwami suspiciously.

"It means," Tikki rolled her eyes dramatically, "that he's stood by you through a bunch of bad stuff Marinette. He deserves a little more credit!"
Not to mention he's actually the love of your life, Tikki thought.

"But, what about Adrien?" Even if Tikki was right, Marinette felt like they had finally started to connect; she couldn't just give up on him now!

With a girlish twirl, Tikki mused, "Adrien is sweet, but don't you want someone brave and strong who can protect you from Hawk Moth?"

"I can take care of myself!" Marinette asserted, hands on her hips.

"Oh Marinette, you don't have to carry the world on your shoulders." Tikki stopped spinning to look at her friend. "Ladybug wasn't created to fight battles alone."

"We'll have to talk about this later. Look!" Marinette suddenly pointed at a familiar figure silhouetted against the moonlit sky. "Do you think someone's been Akumatized?"

Tikki wasn't sure why Cat Noir would be out at this hour otherwise, so she said, "Probably! Let's go lend him a hand."

Both of them thought, though neither of them mentioned, how ironic it was that their topic of conversation had suddenly appeared.

Marinette's stomach churned, but this was her job. She couldn't avoid Cat Noir forever.

Reluctantly, she commanded, "Spots on, Tikki!" The Kwami disappeared into Marinette's miraculous and was replaced by her infamous, spotted suit; its spandex wrapped her like a comforting hug.

She flung her yo-yo out and, once it was secured, jumped from the patio, zipping through the city after Cat Noir.