Cinnamon and Vanilla

Chapter 5

It was well before sunrise when Marinette suddenly woke up. She'd had a very vivid dream about Chat Noir and herself in a rather compromising position that left her very red faced and feeling hot under the collar. She ran her hands down her face before grabbing the glass of water beside her bed to drench her parched throat.

Marinette opened her skylight, slipping out onto her balcony. The cooler early morning air fanning her sweaty face. She had to remind herself that it was just a crazy dream. After all it's not like she hadn't had very vivid dreams about being with Adrien. It was just a silly dream about her silly Kitty. Okay, so she had to admit though that Chat was hugely attractive. He had even beat Adrien for hottest male in Paris in Teen magazine. Years of fighting akumas and running over rooftops had him well toned and Marinette had to admit she would have to have been blind not to notice, especially with that tight suit. She shook her head, it was more than just the physical attractiveness though, Chat was sweet and kind and had loved her for years. Well Ladybug anyway. Plus there was that annoying familiarity about him that reminded her so much of...Adrien?

Marinette let out a sigh into the still dark sky. These two boys were starting to do her head in. Maybe Tikki was right. Perhaps it was time to reveal their identities. At least she could get her boys separated in her mind. She had been rejecting Chat for Adrien for so long now and she was tired of it. Tired of being alone. Tired of watching her friends enjoying relationships all around her. Tired of wanting to be loved. If Chat was going to give her the love she wanted, then maybe it was time to give him a chance. The next time she saw him, she was going to tell him.

Like her prayers were being answered, she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a black silhouette run across the rooftops in the distance. Why on earth was Chat out running on rooftops at this hour?

"You want to go follow him?" Marientte nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her Kwami speak behind her, her eyes still bleary.

"Well, I'm not exactly about to go back to sleep so I might as well see what has Chat awake so early. Spots on."

Pulling out the tracker on her yo-yo, she could see that Chat had settled on a rooftop not far away. Her heart was beating fast. Maybe this was a bad idea, but by the time she started to lose her nerve Chat had already seen her.

"Well this is an unexpected surprise." Chat beamed as he held out a hand for Ladybug to take, guiding her down to where he was perched. "What brings you out to watch the sunrise?" Ladybug sat down next to Chat and looked towards the horizon where sunlight was just beginning to glimmer.

"Restless night I guess." She breathed out. "What about you?" She turned to him and could see a shy smile on his face as he looked out ahead of him.

"Same. I've had a lot on my mind and I love the stillness of the early morning to just think." He looked down and started twisting the ring on his finger. It was a nervous twitch she had noticed before.

"You...do this often?" She asked, pointing towards the emerging light. Chat shrugged.

"Sometimes. It helps clear my head to start the day." Ladybug looked at her partner. He didn't seem upset, but clearly something was on his mind.

"Want to talk about it Kitty?" She asked, scooting over closer to him. There was something about him that seemed different, he was quiet and contemplative - nervous but also a ball of energy.

"Have you ever really wanted something but you were afraid to go after it because if you got it wrong, you could lose everything?" Chat turned his eyes towards Ladybug. She could see an intensity in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, like his whole world was depending on something.