When Walls Crumble

Chapter 13: Cookies

That night, while Marinette was writing the events of the day in her diary, she heard a familiar rhythmic tapping on her window.

"Come in, Chaton!" she called.

"Hey there, Purrincess!" the feline superhero smirked. "I heard that someone had a special date tonight."

Marinette leaned back in her chair. "And what is it to you? Curiosity killed the cat, remember?"

Cat Noir shrugged. "I happen to be on good terms with your boyfriend, and yes. Curiosity killed the cat. So? How was it?"

Marinette smiled. She was almost to the point that she could talk about Luka without trailing off in dream world, but his name always brought a smile to her face.

"He taught me how to do a toe loop and then kinda danced with me. He was incredibly patient with me being clumsy and mistiming my land. But yeah. It was really special."

Cat Noir smiled wistfully. She really was happy, wasn't she? The more he talked to her, the more he wished he realized how much he liked her before she met Luka. He would never hope that they would be separated, but he still felt like he was missing out. But there was something she mentioned that first night...It had been nagging him for a while.

"That night after the Evillustrator incident, you mentioned that he figured out your crush. Who was it?"

Marinette blushed. "I was a silly freshman swept up in a dream of an ideal boy that I put on a pedestal. He was kind to everyone and also really handsome. But I'm glad we're friends. When I was crushing on him, I couldn't talk to him."

Cat nodded slowly, waiting for her to get to the point. "Do I know him?" he asked.

"Probably. Well, you at least know of him. Adrian Agreste. Famous model and all that." She turned to face him and noticed his mouth hanging open.

She had...did she just...Marinette had been crushing on him? And he didn't notice?

But she was glad they were just friends. So...he definitely ruined his chance with her. Not that he wanted one, she was happy with Luka. But...Ugh, he was an idiot.

She pushed his chin up, closing his mouth. "Cat got your tongue?" she teased.

He shook his head. "Uh...yeah."

"Like I said, I was young and put him on a pedestal. But next year, I'm going to graduate. It's kind of a scary prospect." She finished with her diary and shut it in her self-invented lock-box. "Want to play a game?"

Cat smiled. "What kind? I will warn you I was almost a finalist in the Paris Ultimate Mega-Strike 3 Tournament."

"And I was one. One of the winners too. Done bragging kitty? Or do you want to play?"

He smirked and grabbed a controller. "Game on, Marinette."

Cat Noir won the first round.

"Good job, Chaton! You should have gone to the tournament with those mad skills."

"Nah," he answered. "It's the suit. I have boosted reflexes and speed. As a civilian, I would have lost to you, big time."

"Pfft, don't do that. Adrian did that too. It's a video game. You can't win without a big factor of luck on your side and from my experience, luck comes more if you believe you have it on your side."

"Well, it's a good thing Ladybug fights with me. Otherwise, I'd believe I had the luck of a black cat."

Marinette flicked the bell at his neck. "May I remind you that you are in fact a black cat?"

He laughed as they started another round which Marinette dominated.

"See? It's all luck," she assured him.

"So it's unlikely the black cat will be lucky enough to beat the purrincess another time."

"Don't be ridiculous. Here," she handed him a string of beads. "This is a lucky charm my friend made for my birthday. Hang on to it for the game and see if you've got luck, Cat Noir."

Cat Noir looked at the little string, the irony settling deep into his brain, and making it almost impossible to stifle his laugh.

They played another round, and he won. But he could tell she started pulling her punches at the end. Dang, that girl was sweet.

"You want a snack?" she offered.

"You know me too well! Absolutely!"

The duo walked down to the bakery.

"Oh, we don't have any leftovers today. There was a big birthday party that commissioned a lot of pastries. But I can pull together a quick batch of cookies."

"Cookies sound fantastic, Marinette. How can I help?"

She laughed and started giving directions. One big mess later, they had a batch of cookies baking in the oven while they cleaned the evidence.

"I think I like them better before they bake," Cat mused, licking some batter off his claw.

"Trust me," Marinette promised. "After they bake and the chocolate is melting with a glass of milk? Heavenly. Have you ever had fresh cookies with milk?"

Cat thought back. "Not since..." he stopped himself. He would not bring up his mother, He would not cry for Marinette like he cried for Ladybug. It was all very well to show some weakness with his partner, but with one of his few friends in both forms? She looked up to him as Cat Noir and he wouldn't ruin his reputation. "Not that I can remember, no." He did remember his mother's cookies, but like many other memories, the taste was lost to him.

"Oh," Marinette said, her voice suddenly soft. "You poor little kitty." She looked at him with genuine sorrow in her eyes, but then immediately brightened. "Well, at least you'll get some now! I'll take the cookies out. Grab two glasses and pour some milk."

Cat Noir turned to the fridge while she opened the oven. A blissful scent wafted out, filling the kitchen.

Marinette put the sheet down on the stove and inspected the cookies. Most of them were pretty round, chocolate chips bulging from the top, and peeking out between golden-brown peaks.

"Perfect," she announced. She grabbed the parchment paper and slid the cookies onto a plate and carried it over to the table. She picked up a cookie and dipped it into the glass Cat Noir prepared for her.

"You dip them?" he furrowed his brow in confusion.

Marinette gasped. "You've really never dipped a fresh hot cookie into a glass of milk?"

He shook his head. "Is something wrong?"

"You poor, poor kitty. You've got to try it!"

He frowned at his glass. Really? It didn't seem like they would go together. But he didn't want to offend Marinette, so he picked up a cookie and dunked one side into the milk. He made eye contact with Marinette, whose face shone with anticipation, her cookie forgotten on a napkin.

He shrugged and took a bite.

And she was right. It was heavenly.

"Mmmmm!" he exclaimed, his mouth full of cookie. "That is good!" he cried, spraying cookie crumbs on the table. He hastily swallowed and apologized.

"Oh, don't be sorry!" she laughed. "The chance to watch someone dip a cookie in milk for the first time? Priceless!"

He wiped the crumbs off and shoved the rest of the cookie into his glass and then his mouth.

"It's fantastic."

Marinette nodded. "I can't remember my first cookie in milk, but I've been enjoying it since I was a baby."

The two of them laughed and shared stories over the rest of the cookies. Once they were done, they cleaned up and went back up to her room where Cat bid her farewell and left her.

"That poor cat," Tikki sighed.

"I know," Marinette answered. "I'll be sure to make him lots of cookies from here on out."