Marinette tapped her foot impatiently on the sidewalk. She checked for any new messages on her phone for what felt like the hundredth time over the course of the last ten minutes. She couldn't believe Alya dared to stand her up like this. It was the crack of dawn, and her so-called best friend still had the nerve to be over fifteen minutes late for the early morning jog she had personally planned and insisted on. Of course, Marinette had tried to argue, had tried to bargain for a yoga class instead, but Alya had proven to be one tough cookie. The young reporter had read in some magazine that jogging was good both for the body and the mind, so jogging it was.

Except that a certain redhead had apparently ignored her own advice to go to bed early and was still glaringly absent.

A shiver ran through Marinette's spine and she cursed her best friend yet again for leaving her at the mercy of the early morning cold. She had chosen her outfit with working out in mind, not standing on the sidewalks with only the sound of her own breathing to keep her company.

Fed up by the blatant lack of communication, she pulled up her messaging client with a frustrated huff. Her fingers quickly punched in the numbers she was so familiar with.

[Me]: Where the hell are you? I swear if you made me wake up at this ungodly hour only to let me and my ass freeze to death alone in the street, you are so dead to me! ಠ_ಠ

Marinette rubbed her hands together, trying in vain to get a little heat from the friction as she was beginning to really suffer from the cold. She would wait five more minutes, she decided, then she would go back to her beloved bed if Alya still failed to show up. Her phone finally chimed, and she pulled it out hastily, wondering what lame excuse her bestie would have concocted this time.

[Unknown number]: Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I was not supposed to be on the other end of that message. But I completely should agree though that no ass should be freezing to death in the street at this ungodly hour. =^.^=

Confused, Marinette double-checked the number she had dialed before sighing deeply. Sure enough, thanks to her infamous clumsiness, she had hit a two instead of a three, and sent her rant to a totally innocent stranger. At five in the morning, no less.

Groaning, she quickly typed out a reply.

[Me]: I'm so sorry! Misdialed my best friend's number, I should really learn to add contacts instead of memorizing numbers. I'm really sorry for bugging you! I hope I didn't wake you up!

She looked up and down the street, increasingly annoyed at Alya's tardiness. Where in the world could that girl be?

Her phone chimed again in her freezing palm, and she chuckled as she read the answer from her unknown and unwilling penpal.

[Unknown number]: No harm done, this cool cat is secretly an early bird. Been up for about half an hour already, sipping on my second cup of coffee as we speak. =^.^=

She smiled softly, her fingers quickly hitting the keyboard on her phone,

[Me]: Lucky you. I'm the kind of girl that usually wakes up around 9 or 10 if there's no alarm clock involved. Noon on the weekends.

[Unknown number]: What are you doing outside and alone so early then? =^.^=

She shrugged, still searching for Alya's familiar face down the street. In vain.

[Me]: My best friend decided we should start jogging for our well-being. Told me to meet up at 5:00 sharp. And it's… 5:18 now. Still no bestie in sight.

[Unknown number]: HOW DARE SHE STAND YOU UP? (thought I'd show some support, does that help?) =^.^=

Marinette chuckled, before quickly typing a response, her fingers flying over the virtual keyboard as fast as their frozen state allowed them to,

[Me]: I know right? I should get back to bed and stop worrying about her. She probably blew me off for more cuddles with her boyfriend, either that or she forgot me AGAIN.

[Unknown number]: Would a picture brighten your day? =^.^=

Sure enough, here it was. Just her luck. Marinette sighed in resignation. She was starting to like that odd man on the other end of their conversation, he was a welcome distraction. Of course, it had to go wrong somehow. Of all the guys who her misfired SMS could have gone to, it had to be one of those weirdos jumping on the occasion to shamelessly send her a picture of his junk.

[Me]: I'm not in the mood for dick pics right now.

Just as she hit send, her phone chimed in her palm. But the picture he sent made her genuinely burst into laughter. Displayed in all its glory on the little digital screen was a rather grumpy-looking, black cat that almost looked like it was frowning.

[Unknown number]: What kind of pathetic loser send pictures of his junk to lift a lady's spirits? Here's Plagg. A real ray of sunshine. =^.^=

[Me]: I can tell by his radiant smile. Who in their right mind calls their cat Plagg, by the way? And why? Does it mean something? (What's with the cat emojis?)

Marinette glanced up from her phone for a second, looking around herself quickly. Still no sign of Alya. Gosh, she was going to rip her head off if she ever showed up.

[Unknown number]: …I do?

[Unknown number]: And I don't know if it means anything, but 15 year-old me thought it was cool. But he's stuck with that name now, and I'm stuck with this grumpy old cat.

[Unknown number]: (cat emojis are cool. I think they're pawsitively clawsome!) =^.^=

Marinette giggled at that lame pun, grinning openly at her phone.

[Me]: Pffft. Grumpy? As if! You're obviously head over heels for that feline. (OMG Are you a DAD? Cause I'm pretty sure this is strictly classified as dad's humor.)

Her phone chimed almost immediately.

[Unknown number]: You got me there. I love the hairball. Would you take pity on me if I tell you he likes to bite my toes at night? (Am I a dad? Afraid not. Guess it just comes naturally! =^.^=)

[Me]: Poor things. Plagg and you both.

[Unknown number]: I think we'll manage to survive. Still no sign of your friend?

She scanned the street another time, to no avail.

[Me]: Nah. Think she definitely bailed on me.

[Unknown number]: LET HER FEEL YOUR WRATH! (Is it wrong of me to hope she doesn't show up anytime soon? My mornings with Plagg are never half as interesting as this.) =^.^=

Marinette smiled at the screen, growing fond quickly of this stranger's idle chat.

[Me]: How's so? Got no one to keep you warm at night, kitty? =^.^=

[Unknown number]: TOLD YOU CAT EMOJIS ARE THE BEST. And no. It's just me and Plagg. =^.^=

She wondered for a minute, her fingers hovering over the digital keyboard, what the mysterious man looked like. Was he still in his pajamas, reading the newspaper while sipping on that second cup of coffee? Or was he in a suit, texting her from some company car on his way to manage some prestigious office? She liked how easy it was to talk to him, how naturally they fell into playful banter. Somehow, she felt close to him, despite two digital screens standing between them.

Marinette almost asked him for his name, but the prospect of having to give him hers in return made her backtrack instantly. She instead settled on teasing; it was easier. Safer.

[Me]: I'm pretty sure you Plagg and you make up the greatest power couple in Paris.

[Unknown number]: HUSH! We don't want any paparazzi here! Plagg couldn't handle the fuss =^.^=

Giggling uncontrollably, she quickly typed back despite her fingers growing stiff from the cold.

[Me]: Don't worry, I won't tell a soul about your dirty little secret.

[Unknown number]: That's a relief princess. =^.^=

She began typing an answer, stating that for all he knew his 'princess' could perfectly be a hideous monster with rotten teeth and a crooked nose, but only got through half of her retort before a very familiar voice startled her, "Sorry, Marinette! Nino turned off my phone because the alarm was disturbing his beauty sleep so I only woke up like ten minutes ago!"

Marinette regretfully glanced up from her screen to see Alya hurrying towards her in her running gear. She sighed, rolling her eyes at her best friend. "I've been freezing my ass for half an hour here, I hope he's prettier than ever or else…"

Alya chuckled, grabbing her by the elbow. "We both know you love him no matter what. Who were you texting at this hour? It's pretty early in the morning and I know for a fact it wasn't me."

Marinette blushed slightly, knowing fully that she was walking into a merciless teasing. "Well… I may or may not have texted a perfect stranger telling him he was dead to me for making me wake up this early only to leave me and my ass freezing and alone in the streets. So I was apologizing for my unnecessary rudeness."

Right on cue, her phone chimed again in her palm.

[Unknown number]: Sadly, I have to head to work now. It's been a delight chatting with you, princess. =^.^=

[Me]: Have a nice day, Monsieur Chat.

[Unknown number]: Have a nice day yourself, m'lady.

On a hunch, she clicked on Save contact as at the top of her screen and quickly typed Chat Noir as the contact info. After all, that was the useful only information she had learned about him: he owned a black cat. But she had enjoyed their little chat too, and somewhere deep inside, she hoped to talk to him again.

Alya nudged her with her shoulder, teasingly. "What's with that dreamy look? Did you finally found someone to make that lonely heart of yours beat a little bit faster?"

The friendly jab felt like a punch to the gut to Marinette, but she quickly stifled the pain brewing up inside her. No. She refused to walk down that path ever again, to let those memories drag her down again. Shooting a pointed look to her friend, she sighed, "No. I've spent the last few years working my fingers to the bone just to get my diploma, and I still haven't heard back of any internships I applied for. How would I even meet someone, let alone find time for a relationship? Forget it, Alya, it's not going to happen."

Alya's expression softened as she linked her arm with Marinette's. "Are you really okay though, Mari? You just said it yourself. You dedicated the last few years to building your career. Isn't it time to think about yourself? Take a breather, have some fun?"

"I'm okay, Al," Marinette sighed as she stretched her legs. "You don't have to worry about me, everything is under control."

"If you say so. Shouldn't we start jogging? If you want to have time to shower before school we better get going, unless you want to go in all sweaty..."

Marinette playfully nudged her friend back. "Ew. I'll pass on the sweaty look. You take the lead, I'd like to be done with this crazy jogging idea of yours before we're both eighty please."

After tucking her phone safely in her vest pocket, she took off jogging at a comfortable pace, Alya a few steps ahead of her.

As they jogged through the Paris streets, Marinette was acutely aware of the weight of her phone in her pocket. She was wondering about the stranger, how old was he, what did he like, what kind of person was he really? She was curious about him, and it felt a little weird to feel so attached to someone she had never met and had only exchanged a few texts with. All Marinette knew was that she kind of wanted that that easy conversation and playful banter with him again.

She didn't know it yet, but that morning was the beginning of a friendship she would come to cherish more than anything. A friendship that would end up meaning the world and then some to her. A friendship that would change her life forever.