In Love with a Black-Leathered Criminal {COMPLETED}

Part 2

Marinette woke in her bed, the early morning sun shining through her blinds. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched, only to see the black cat laying beside her. She thought back to the night before, thinking what happened before she fell asleep. "Chat..." she groaned, shaking him gently.

"Mm," He protested against the morning light, refusing to open his eyes.

"I thought you didn't like being out during the day?"

"I don't, but your bed is comfy," He pulled the cover's closer to him. Marinette got out of bed and went to the bathroom, turning on the shower. As she walked out, wrapped in a towel, she saw Chat sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal.

"You got up quickly," She smirked.

"Your shower woke me up," His face melted into a soft smile, unlike his mischievous Cheshire grin.

"Sorry..." She quickly changed into her outfit for her internship at the Agreste mansion.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Chat asked, pointing to the clock on the door.

"I don't have to be there until 9:30, it's only 8," She huffed, practically pushing him out the sliding door to the balcony. "But I have to meet Alya for coffee,"

"Fine, fine, but how about a goodbye kiss?" He pursed his lips, not actually expecting a kiss but his 'goodbye kiss' had become an inside joke between the two when she accidentally kissed him on the cheek after a late-night meeting.

"Shut up," She pushed his face away, feeling her heart rate quicken suddenly. Chat leapt off, running across rooftops.

"Marinette! Why do you always just let him stay? He's a criminal!" Tikki scolded, appearing from her assigned drawer in the kitchen.

"He might tell me something that's useful," She explained. Tikki cocked her non-existent eyebrow, crossing her tiny arms. "He might!" She insisted.

"Ok, you keep telling yourself that," She made her way to the cabinet, taking out a cookie for breakfast. Marinette left for the cafe she had planned to meet Alya at. She hadn't seen her best friend since the end of college, which was about a year ago. Though they did stay in touch, Alya was travelling a lot due to her job in the journalism business.

"Marinette!" The redhead waved from a table near the middle of the outdoor sitting the cafe offered. Marinette waved back and excitedly ran towards the table.

"Hey! I missed you so much!" She hugged Alya tight before sitting down in the metal cafe chair. The two chatted about their days apart, Alya was moved in with Nino and they had recently adopted a dog, naming him DJ. It didn't take long until Alya brought up the subject of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Did you hear he took a painting from the Louvre last night?"

"Yeah, I don't understand why he all of a sudden went from good to bad,"

"Me either, but I'm sure Ladybug will catch him soon," The assurance in Alya's statement left a feeling of pressure on Marinette's mind, but a slight feeling of confidence, knowing that her best friend still looked up to her as an idol. As they sipped their coffee, Alya poked at Marinette's love life, asking if she was seeing anyone.

"Uhh," her voice trailed. Her mind immediately went to Chat, but she couldn't tell why. His cheesy pickup lines and flirty comments had been getting to her lately, but she never acted on it, merely pushing it to the back of her mind. Was she falling for him? "No, I don't have time with the Agreste internship," She lied. She had plenty of time to find a date, Adrien rarely gave her too much work that she couldn't finish quickly.

"Ok, girl, you keep telling yourself that," Alya said, reminding Marinette of Tikki's earlier comment. The girls finished their coffee and were off their separate ways, promising to spend time together more.