I thought of this AU and I had to write it…I really have caught the Miraculous bug…(hehe sorry I'm as bad as Chat Noir with puns). Please enjoy and tell me what you think!

There was no moon standing guard over Paris that night. The stars were hidden behind a cloak of black cloud and the air was cold and still, silent apart from the distant rustlings of the night that rippled through the thin winding streets. It was exactly the kind of night Adrien Agreste yearned for, the kind of night where it was so quiet and still, he felt like the only person in the world. It was a perfect night for a cat burglar.

He shimmied expertly up a wall and slunk his way along the roof on all fours, occasionally pausing to secure the black mask on his face. Green eyes the colour of peridots shone out from behind the black leather and the thin pupils darted around in the darkness, looking for any movement. He dug his gloved fingers, that had a striking resemblance to claws, through his blond hair and almost purred when he saw two people walking down the street below him. He could see them but they had no idea that he was up there watching them and that sent a thrill running through him. Up here, he was as free and independent as the black alley cat he dressed like and nobody could take that from him.

He stretched out his body and a quiet yowl escaped him which made him smile. He quite enjoyed living up to the name the papers had given him-Chat Noir, the most cunning trickster thief in all of Paris. Not that he ever kept any of the riches he took-God only knew he had enough in his empty home. No, he just enjoyed playing tricks with them and the rich and wealthy of Paris were his toys. Nobody knew quite what he would do next. One lady had lost a string of pearls worth thousands only for it to be discovered three days later threaded like bunting through a tree in the enclosure of wild cats at the zoo. A man had found his golden pocket watch with a diamond chain attached to the feet of a pigeon. A stage magician had conjured up several items of missing jewellery during a show and had nearly been arrested. Confusion was rife among the citizens of Paris and Chat Noir was stirring the chaos and glorying in it. It made things so much more interesting than when he was his usual shy self.

Tonight had been a good night thus far. He had bagged a small crystal mirror on a chain, a jewelled red charm in the shape of a heart, a gold flower broach and a pair of earrings spotted with glowing gems. It had been all too easy for someone as quiet as him. The feeling of fear and excitement he got from sneaking around other people's homes was intensely addictive. He could tell that time was slipping away from him but he had to try one last house. He clambered along the pointed roof of this final house which sat up straight on the joint where several other streets collided like a proud watchman surveying the city. He took a moment to look down at the pavement below. During the daytime he knew it would be crawling with people rushing around like ants but for now it was blissfully quiet. As he dropped down he recognised the sign of the famed Dupain-Cheng bakery and he grinned in glee, his white teeth gleaming. This would really be a thrill.

He cascaded a little further down the side of the building and edged his way towards the nearest window. He could spot the gentle glow of candlelight from inside and, although every instinct in his body was telling him to step away, he couldn't resist looking. He had found he enjoyed seeing people in their homes, seeing how they were when they believed no one was watching. Often he would see happy families and it would make him ache inside for something like that, something he knew he would never find at home. Maybe that was why he did this, he mused as he drew closer to the window. He preferred feeling the fear and excitement and all the other buzzing emotions that came with the rush than feeling nothing at all.

He nimbly hopped down onto the windowsill and peered into the room. It was fairly big with light pink walls and had a few windows and a skylight that was covered. The one he was looking through was the only one with no hangings over it to block him from the inside. At first all he could see were shadows but then he started to make out shapes of items in the small amount of light; a dress-makers dummy, a chaise longue, a bed. He cast his eyes over it all before they reached the candle that flickered merrily on a small table next to the bed. Sitting up in the bed, he could see a figure there earnestly scribbling on a piece of paper. The figure was a young woman, bent over the paper so he couldn't see her face behind a curtain of her hair. He watched for a second as her hand flew over the surface before flourishing overzealously. The action sent the papers spilling from her hand across the covers and she scrambled to pick them all up. As she sat back upright, he caught sight of her face as the gentle light caressed it and the sight made him gasp and nearly tumble from the window. He could never have imagined anything could look so beautiful. The candlelight was illuminating her pale skin, making it luminous like she was made of starlight. She had long black hair that poured past her shoulders with ripples in it from where it had been tied into ponytails and round blue eyes the colour of a peacock's feather. Her long fingers chased the papers across her covers as she gathered them back up, holding them close to her chest. He saw her chest heave with a relieved sigh and he felt something in his own tighten, like those fingers of hers were strumming his heartstrings. She was wearing a plain white nightdress with a touch of lace around the edge of the sleeves and it reminded him of an angel. She began to draw again, even more fiercely than before and he felt like he could watch her forever.

There was a sudden loud rapping noise from the floor below and both he and the girl jumped. "Marinette!" A deep voice bellowed. "Are you drawing again?"

"No Papa!" The girl answered not very convincingly, her voice lyrical as a song and he leaned closer to the cold glass to hear more. "I'm just going back to sleep! I…woke up for a second and needed some light, that's all!"

"You better not be!" The voice answered with a chuckle. "You'll ruin those pretty eyes of yours! Now go back to sleep! Goodnight Marinette!"

"Goodnight Papa!" She called back before she put the piece of paper so had been drawing on smoothly on top of a tall pile that rested dangerously on the table and softly blew out the candle. The room was abruptly filled with darkness but he could still make out her outline as her breathing slowed into sleep. He leaned in even closer so his nose was squashed against the glass, yearning to capture every detail of her in his memory.

Marinette. That was her name, a name almost as lovely as her. He put his hand on the window latch and, to his surprise, it swung open easily. He bent his head into the room and saw her flinch at the cold air that suddenly rushed in. He quickly closed the window and watched her settle back down, now facing towards him. A lock of hair had fallen across her face and his finger twitched like they wanted to curl it back behind her ear. He looked away from her and saw that, on the horizon, daylight was beginning to clamber back into the sky. He turned back to the girl and smiled at her.

"I will come back." He whispered a promise as he brought his fingers to his lips and then lightly pressed them to the window, leaving a silver mark like the fingertips of a ghost. He then sprang away from the window and dashed off into the night but not without one last glance behind him and one last smile. "My princess."