Written for @surpassing-morningâ for the Miraculous Summer Exchange 2k17.
Paris at dawn is a beautiful sight; the sky is a brilliant array of blues and pinks, yellows and oranges as the sun begins to peek up over the horizon. The Eiffel Tower stands tall against the waking sky, a black silhouette behind the morning sun. Birds begin to twitter as they are roused from sleep, but the streets are still mostly empty, a blissful calm filling the city before the citizens rise and the chaos and noise of the usual working day begins. This is a magical time, hidden from most, a moment of quiet and peace in the busy city.
Adrien feels almost out of place here, as if he is intruding on an intimate time that should only belong to fantasy creatures he had read about in fairy tales. He half expects to blink and see a pixie flitter in front of him, or turn his head and watch a matagot slip through a fence to enter someoneâs home. Even Plagg is strangely quiet, not moving around in his pocket or mewling about wanting more cheese, though heâs peeking out of Adrienâs pocket, big green eyes looking around at the quiet city. Then again, if anyone were to belong at this secret time where day and night meet, it would surely be the mischievous black cat kwami.
The moment of stillness is shattered as the bus pulls in front of the school, its engine rumbling loudly and its brakes noisy as it comes to a stop. Seeming to not notice the time of day or simply not caring if he wakes all of beloved France, the bus driver honks the horn and opens the doors. Mrs. Bustier gives the driver a look saved only for the most difficult students, and he at least has the decency to look sheepish as he runs a hand through his hair.
The class starts to pile into the bus, the few who are awake chattering quietly amongst themselves. Alya and Nino were so tired when they arrived earlier that morning that they had fallen asleep together on the steps in front of the school, and Adrien had let them sleep after taking a few pictures for posterityâs sake. He wakes them up as the others climb into the bus, letting them sleepily head for the bus as he waits another moment.
He had noticed that Marinette hadnât arrived yet, and given that she tended to arrive late to school anyway, heâs not surprised she had struggled to pull herself out of bed even earlier today. While Mrs. Bustierâs back is turned as she watches students clamber into the bus, Adrien sneaks over to the Dupain-Chengsâ bakery and knocks on the door. Sabine answers the door after a moment, a bright smile on her face when she sees him.
âAdrien! Did you come for Marinette?â Her eyes twinkle mischievously as he sheepishly nods, lifting a hand to the back of his neck.
âYes maâam, I didnât want her to miss the busâŚâ he trails off as his gaze lands on Marinette herself, rushing down the stairs. Her hair is all over the place, her jacket pulled through one sleeve but not the other, and neither of her shoes are tied. This last detail proves to be her downfall as she steps on one, trips, and barrels toward the floor. Adrien rushes forward at the last second and catches her in his arms. Her hands come to rest against his chest, blue eyes squeezed shut from bracing for the impact that never came. Marinette looks up and their eyes meet; they share a breath together before they jump away from each other, blushes burning their cheeks.
âA-A-Adrien! What, uh, how, um, w-what are you doing here?â she stammers, peeking at him through her long lashes with a look that skyrockets his heart from his chest to his throat. He coughs in the hope that doing so will dislodge it.
âI, ur, wanted to make sure you didnât miss the bus.â Adrien grins shyly, and the words are out before he can stop them, âI-It wouldnât be any fun without you, Marinette.â
The blush that had been slowly retreating from her cheeks quickly returns as she throws him a smile that stretches her mouth so wide itâs almost comical â and definitely cute. It really isnât fair. He turns and opens the door for her, thinking the distance might help clear his head. âAfter you.â
Marinette and Adrien hurry to the bus, earning only a raised eyebrow from Mrs. Bustier before being ushered inside. They sit in front of Alya and Nino, who had fallen asleep again. Not wanting to invade Marinetteâs personal space, Adrien sits as close to the edge as possible, but she seems to have the same idea and crushes herself against the window, only sparing him a few quick, shy glances.
It takes him five minutes to come up with a plan to fix the gap between them, and another five to muster the courage to follow through. Slowly, he taps Marinetteâs shoulder and lifts his phone when she turns, a grin on his lips. âWant to take a picture?â
The plan works like a charm, resulting in the two pressing up against each other to take several pictures. Marinette doesnât even notice when he wraps his arm around her shoulders to âpull her closer for a better pictureâ. Their laughter joins the general noise from the bus as they look through the photos, giggling at silly faces they made or the awkward poses they caught classmates in in the background. Then suddenly Marinette snatches his phone and takes a few canon pictures of him, claiming that she is determined to capture one bad photo of him.
By the time they reach the art studio, his phone has a brand new album filled with pictures of himself, and Marinette is demanding to know his secret.
He has to bite his lip to keep from admitting heâd tell her anything for a kiss.
The Little Ladybug had opened in honor of Parisâs hero to encourage citizens to explore their more creative sides. The hope was that instead of Hawkmoth latching onto their wild emotions, they would instead express themselves through art. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didnât, but The Little Ladybug was always busy anyway. Shelves lined the walls, filled with paintbrushes and paints, pencils and pens, colored pencils and even crayons; art supplies were everywhere for any creative mind to get started. In one corner of the room, a young woman was teaching a small group how to paint a sunset scene, and in another corner, a man was instructing several people on how to make a small vase from lumps of clay. There were also tables filled with handmade pottery, sculptures, and drawings for sale to support the studio.
The class wanders around The Little Ladybug for the first few minutes, eventually breaking off into smaller groups depending on what interests them. Kim, Max, and Alix find themselves drawn to the group making pottery. They sit at adjacent potterâs wheels and are given lumps of clay to start forming their vases, along with a few brushes for them to create their own designs. Kimâs vase starts as short and round, not intended for any specific purpose but more for the enjoyment of creating it. Maxâs vase is much taller, an hourglass shape with a wavy lip, intended to be a gift for his mother. Alixâs appears to be more of a bowl than a vase at first, but Kim reaches over and guides her hands until a bulbous vase begins to form. She flicks clay on his nose as a thank you.
Ivan and Mylène find a table to sit at where a stack of papers and a tray of colored pencils and crayons lay. They go about drawing and coloring dogs and flowers and imaginary creatures, smiling shyly at each other. When Mylène shows Ivan her latest drawing, grinning brilliantly as her big golden brown eyes meet his, an idea hits him and he turns to work on his next drawing. He hides his work from her until it's finished, even as she attempts to peek over his shoulder, then reveals his crayon doodle of Mylène herself, the prettiest stick figure heâd ever drawn if he did say so himself. Her smile grows wide as she crushes him in a hug before turning to draw him as well.
Nathaniel, Rose, and Juleka go to the easels and try their hands at finger painting. Juleka is unsure at first, but with Rose and Nathanielâs encouragement and direction, she dips a finger into the black paint and begins working. Rose finishes first and proudly shows off her unicorn dancing through pink clouds. Juleka nervously displays hers next, a raven perched on a pile of pink, red, and white roses. Nathaniel is slow to reveal his work, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck as Rose gushes at his painting of Ladybug and Chat Noir while Juleka quietly tells him itâs awesome.
Nino and Adrien chat quietly as they follow Alya and Marinette, who look at the various sculptures and paintings for sale. Marinette lifts a small black cat sculpture that fits perfectly in her palm. The cat sits regally with its head held high and its tail curled around its feet, its glowing green eyes staring ahead. Around its neck rests a green collar with a little golden bell. It reminds her of Chat, down to the crooked smirk it appears to have, and she decides to buy it. Alya shows Nino a fox sculpture sheâd found, its features cartoonish but cute, and he points out a necklace with a teal sea turtle hanging from it. Marinette notices Adrien holding something red in his hand and steps over, a blush quickly rising to her cheeks when she recognizes a ladybug charm, meant to be added onto a bracelet.
âG-going, uh, going to get it?â she asks, peering up at him. Adrien jumps in surprise, then smiles when he sees her.
âYeah, I think so.â His eyes flicker to the cat sculpture in her hand. âA black cat?â
The heat in her cheeks increases. âOh, well, yeah, it just⌠it reminds me of Chat.â Her eyes flicker to the ground, then slowly meet Adrienâs gaze. Sheâs startled to find heâs blushing as well, eyes gone wide at her confession. âA-And heâs my favorite, uhm, of the two of them, so I⌠wellâŚâ
âF-Favorite?â he chokes out, sounding like heâs having trouble taking a breath. With how red his face is, that might be the case. âYou, you like Chat Noir⌠heâs your⌠o-okay.â
Marinette opens her mouth to question his reaction â and ask if heâs feeling alright because he looks like he might need to sit down â when a sharp laugh draws her attention to Chloe and Sabrina.
âLook at all this garbage, Sabrina, honestly, who would want to be seen with this?â Chloe lifts a clay pot, cracked around the edges but painted beautifully despite its flaws. âDaddy would never get me anything so tacky.â
Sabrina nods, though her eyes flicker longingly to the pot as Chloe moves on to another shelf. âAnd this one here looks like it was made by a child. Why on earth would I spend my money on this?â
Marinette scowls and whirls around, heading for the cash register to pay for her sculpture, grumbling under her breath about how some people simply canât appreciate art. Adrien follows her silently, paying for his ladybug charm once she finishes. Alya and Nino had already bought their trinkets, so the four make their way to the corner of the room to learn how to paint a sunset scene.
Nino sits next to Adrien on one bench, and Alya next to Marinette on another. Having never really painted, Adrien pays close attention to the artist as she shows them how to make the first basic strokes. Heâs slower than the others, trying to be as careful and precise as possible with each color and making them blend together just right. Reds become oranges which fade to pinks, blues, and finally black, with a few white dots scattered here and there. Mountain peaks cover the foreground, black silhouettes against the color-filled sky. The sun is the hardest part, the brush not wanting to move as he presses down lightly and spins it around as carefully as he can. The edges are a little jagged, the lines of color curved slightly, and the mountains appear to blend together, but heâs proud of his picture. Beside him, Nino draws a little forest in the foreground, dark green trees reaching out to touch the fading sun. Alyaâs is brighter, rays shining from the sun as the world she paints is awoken to the morning light. Marinette creates an ocean setting, the light of the sky reflected in the waves she creates. A tiny boat floats in the corner of her painting, the words S. S. Marinette invisible to anyone not looking for a signature.
Seeing Adrien looking at her painting, she tries to show him how she made such a small signature â and ends up accidentally painting his wrist in the process. Adrien reaches for his paintbrush and interrupts her apologies as he paints a little green mark on her cheek. Horror flashes through her expression, quickly replaced by a determined smirk as she dips her brush in some red paint. Nino and Alya watch, amused, as Marinette chases Adrien down to paint his own cheek red, earning another green smear on her forehead in return. She raises her brush to exact more revenge, but he gets there first, smudging green paint all over her cheeks. He then quickly ducks under a table to hide from her fury, giving her a sheepish grin when she lifts the tablecloth, grabs the front of his shirt, and yanks him up. His face stops inches from hers as she holds him still, clutching his shirt tightly while she dots red paint over his face. Adrien does nothing to defend himself, flustered from how close his lips are to hers. At last Marinette lets him go, satisfied with her revenge, and starts to step by him when she trips over her feet. She crashes into him and they both tumble to the ground. Adrienâs eyes meet Marinetteâs and they stare at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing, finally recognizing how silly their paint-littered faces look.
âYou⌠you look like you have chickenpox,â Marinette giggles, muffling her laughter in his shirt.
âAnd your freckles have turned green,â Adrien snickers, hugging her close.
When at last their laughter fades they start to sit up, pausing when their proximity is realized as their faces come within inches of touching. Adrienâs breath hitches and Marinetteâs heart skips a beat, their eyes drawn just below each otherâs noses for a moment. They share a breath, beginning to move closer, when Adrien touches his brush to her nose, painting it bright green.
âGotcha,â he whispers, but the playfulness is gone, another emotion swimming in his eyes. Marinette blushes and gives him a shy smile before pulling back.
The two slowly stand and make their way back to their seats, blushing brightly as they set to work on another painting, their minds reeling.
Other than quiet chatter, the studio is mostly silent, tranquility filling the air as the class enjoys their activities in the studio. The morning passes more quickly than any would have wanted it as they each explore their talents or discover new ones. Even Chloe and Sabrina seem to find a way to entertain themselves after discovering they can make their own jewelry â though Chloe was reluctant at first, she could tell Sabrina was interested and decided to humor her, though sheâd never admit she was enjoying the art herself.
The peace in the studio is eventually broken, however, when Kim dares Alix to flick clay onto Maxâs vase, and he in turn throws some at her in good fun and hits Kim instead. War arises among them, clay hitting glasses and hoodies and sneakers until the three are covered with clay, smeared on their hands and clothes and splattered on their faces and hair. A treaty is formed when Mrs. Bustier comes over to stop Kim from shoving Maxâs head into a lump of clay as Alix slips clay into Kimâs hood; lunch is announced not too long after.
After everyone has gone to the bathroom and washed off most of the paint and clay from themselves, Mrs. Bustier allows the class to split into groups to get some lunch, reminding them to meet at the Bastille at two thirty to drive back to school.
Adrienâs hair is still a little wet from his attempt to remove paint from it, and he hopes the way it falls isnât too reminiscent of Chat Noir to tip anyone off. He sidles next to Nino as the class leaves The Little Ladybug, and Alya and Marinette join them once the class separates. They walk aimlessly for a while, pointing out several restaurants they could stop at without deciding on anything, until suddenly Adrien stops, staring across the street.
âThe Coffee of the Cats?â he asks, and the others follow his gaze. The building is small and simple, its name painted light blue on a beige wall. On its window is a drawing of a black cat sitting next to a mug of coffee. There are no bright, flashy lights or extra signs; it is almost hidden away on the street.
Alya and Nino donât have any problem with it, and though Marinette seems to be containing a laugh at a joke none of the others catch, she agrees to go inside as well.
The Coffee of the Cats is filled with old furniture and cat trees, with only a few tables and chairs set up to somewhat resemble an actual cafĂŠ. Cat toys and beds are strewn about on furniture and on the floor, and all over are cats â cats loafing on their trees, cats sleeping in beds, cats winding around legs, cats everywhere. Adrien thinks this might be what heaven looks like.
Nino and Alya take a seat on one of the couches, Marinette on a nearby chair, and Adrien plops right down on the floor to start petting one of the cats. A waitress offers them a menu and they order, eager to eat after the long morning they had. Once the waitress leaves for the kitchen, Marinette kneels next to Adrien and scratches under a ginger catâs chin, earning a happy purr in response.
A grey cat hops onto the couch and gingerly steps over both Nino and Alyaâs laps, head and tail held high. Alya cracks a small smile while Nino warily watches the cat walk over them, looking incredibly uncomfortable.
âDuuuude, I donât⌠cats arenât my thing, man, Iâve always just had dogs; big, loud, lovable dogs and cats are just⌠theyâre weird, dude.â
Alya laughs and pats his shoulder. âI promise Iâll protect you from the scary cat, you dork.â
Nino is miffed for a minute before another cat leaps into his lap and he yelps, clutching onto Alya. âDude dude dude dude dude!â
She carefully lifts the cat into her lap and scratches behind its ears, raising an amused eyebrow at Nino. He merely crosses his arms and looks away. ââŚIt just startled me, thatâs all.â
Marinette picks up a feather wand and starts playing with the ginger cat, cooing as it bats at the dangling feathers. The white cat Adrien had been petting joins in, the two cats chasing and pouncing at the always out of reach feathers. Adrien laughs as he watches, leaning a little against Marinette, who decides not to comment on how his arm snakes around her waist. Thereâd be plenty of time to talk later.
When the food comes they all move to a table, chatting amiably about first the art studio, then Ninoâs newest album, Alyaâs sistersâ latest trip to the hospital, Marinetteâs most recent design, and one of Adrienâs guilty pleasures.
âYou watch romcoms in your spare time? Dude, seriously?â Nino stares at him in disbelief, his uneaten ice cream melting in his bowl.
âI mean, I can see it,â Alya says, taking a bite of her chocolate cake. âYouâre totally a hopeless romantic, right?â Adrienâs blush is all she needs for confirmation, regardless of the stuttering affirmation he gives her. âSee? Ready to sweep some girl off her feet and ride into the sunset.â
âBut romcoms? I understood the anime, okay, they have some great plotlines, but romcoms just⌠itâs the same movie! Over and over, the exact same movie!â
Adrien frowns. âNo, sometimes the girl falls first, and sometimes the guy does, and they really beautifully portray relationships as both fun and emotionally deep if you watch the right ones.â
Marinette sips at her milkshake. âHeâs got a point.â
Nino points a fry at her. âYou stay out of this. Alya, come on, dude, back me up!â
She shrugs. âSorry, I like them too.â
âOh, come on!â He shakes his head, almost as pitiful as the orange sherbet melting away in his bowl. ââŚI need new friends, dude.â
The Bastille isnât far from the cafĂŠ, but after walking for a little while Alya begins to playfully complain about how tired she is from walking. Nino offers to carry her on his back, then turns to Adrien.
âBet we could beat you and Mari to the Bastille.â
Adrien immediately bends down so Marinette can climb onto his back. He holds onto her legs carefully as her arms loop around his neck, and he hopes that she canât feel his pounding heart. âYouâre on.â
The two take off, holding tightly to the girls as they zip through streets and sidewalks. Marinette and Alya seem to be having more fun the boys are, yelling insults at each other and encouraging Adrien and Nino to run faster lest the other get ahead. Itâs neck and neck all the way to the Bastille, until Adrien is forced to stop for an old man hobbling across the road (who may have been familiar but neither he nor Marinette was paying very much attention). Nino and Alya celebrate their victory, cheering and good-naturedly boasting their win to Adrien and Marinette. Adrien takes the loss well and congratulates them, though Marinette is a little sore and it takes a few silly faces from Adrien to get her to cheer up again, promising to beat them next time.
Mrs. Bustier smiles and checks the four of them off her list as they step onto the bus, then follows them inside. Alya and Nino sit in front of Adrien and Marinette, and Mrs. Bustier double checks that the entire class is present before taking a seat herself. The bus driver then shuts the door and they drive off, heading back for school.
With the rumbling of the bus, the warmth radiating from Adrien, and the exhaustion from a long, full day, Marinette falls asleep in no time, resting her head against Adrienâs shoulder. He is startled at first, but smiles and wraps an arm around her, wishing her sweet dreams under his breath. Alya and Nino turn around and snap a few pictures of the two before Adrien catches them, his face flushing red as he insists they turn back around before they wake Marinette.
Outside, the city is bustling, people hurrying into shops and houses with their arms loaded with bags. Cars honk and street vendors call to the people passing by, the smell of fried food permeating inside the bus. Gone is the peaceful moment of dawn, yet still Adrien would call this time magical, not because of faeries and spirits, but because of the life that flows throughout Paris, from its people to its streets to the bright blue sky. The city is alive, Adrien thinks as he leans his head against the bus window. And as the Eiffel Tower comes into view once again, he knows that is what makes Paris beautiful.
