No room to swing a Cat?

3 - Balconies, balconies

Marinette closed the door to her bedroom with a sigh of relief. That dinner had been a nightmare. Alya was unbearable! All that questioning her (about Cat Noir) and Adrien (about her) was so obvious, that only a complete idiot wouldn't figure out what that was about. Luckily, Nino stopped his girlfriend finally and they could finish their pizza.

Yet, the atmosphere remained tense till the end of the meal. Adrien didn't say a word for all this time, then he muttered something about finishing a script before tomorrow and disappeared in his bedroom. Alya was so satisfied with her matchmaking progress that she let Nino take her to their room right after the dinner. Marinette was the one who stayed with a pile of dirty dishes.

She sighed and cleaned up. At least this she could do to thank them for hosting her so unexpectedly.

When she finished, she could go back to her room. 'Her room'... Right... She didn't feel it was her place. She knew it was temporary. As soon as she got confirmation her house was safe, she'd go back there. There was her room. Really hers. If only she could ever go back there...

She shuddered when she remembered the moment when the floor had shaken under her feet. Tikki immediately warned her, so Marinette took some most important things to her backpack and ran out on the balcony. She was about to transform when suddenly Cat Noir appeared just right next to her.

"Long time no see, Purrincess..." he greeted her.

"Sorry Cat, it's not a good moment for small talk." she muttered.

"Bad timing?" he asked, and she heard a hint of resentment.

"Actually... It's possible that my house will fall any minu..." she began but didn't finish, because he took her in his arms immediately and jumped on a neighbouring balcony.

She remembered that balcony... It was here, where Cat Noir had given her a rose and accepted her rejection. At that moment she discovered how important she was for him. As Ladybug, of course. As Marinette she was only a civilian who needed his rescue all the time. Despite the fact he kept calling her 'Princess'...

Cat Noir put her down and they both looked at Marinette's house.

"Are you sure it was going to fall?" he asked.

"If it was a movie, the house would collapse right now." she muttered, and he laughed.

"How did you know something was wrong?"

Marinette glanced at him unsure. She couldn't tell him that Tikki had told her about the danger. After so many years of keeping her kwami secret she probably wouldn't be able to talk about her openly.

"It was like a quake. I wasn't thinking. I just reacted by instinct."

"Which was very wise, Princess. I wouldn't like to drag you from under the ruins."

"Yeah, I don't like this scenario either."

"And your parents? Should I go back for them?"

"They're gone. I mean they're away..." she explained.

"Where?"

"It was like two weeks ago when my mom answered a phone after which she had to leave for China. My dad was required there too. I have no idea what's going on, because they didn't want to tell me. Probably some heritage stuff... I don't know my Chinese family too well..."

"And you've lived on your own?"

"What's the challenge in it, Cat Noir?" she laughed. "I'm an adult now. I should be able to live on my own!"

"Oh, right... Stupid question..." he admitted embarrassed. "What did you do with the bakery?"

"It's been closed for a while. Now I'll have to extend the shutdown because of that quake. On the other hand... It's still standing..." Marinette stated, observing the building.

"So, what's your plan?"

"I have no plans. I've started thinking that I escaped too rashly. I panicked. Maybe I should go back?"

"No!" he protested immediately. "Just wait a few days. Call some experts. They'll assess the risk."

"What about me? Am I supposed to sleep right here? On the balcony?" she asked ironically, so Cat Noir looked at her meaningfully.

"Maybe you have some friends you can stay with?" he suggested.

"My best friend and her boyfriend have an apartment in the city." she replied after a while. "Maybe they can give me shelter..."

"Call her now. I'll take you there."

Without waiting for her reaction he took her again in his arms. Before she reached for her phone and called Alya, they were already halfway to her friends' apartment. She didn't even notice that Cat Noir went in the right direction without knowing the address...

And that was how she got into this whole situation. Without a plan. Yet, with the major complication behind a thin wall...