Chapter Text
“Did you just purr?”
“Uhh…no?” Adrien tried, his shoulders bunching up as he wished he could Cataclysm himself. His eyes were still dazed from their kiss, his lips tingling deliciously. He knew he was compromised, but he had to keep some semblance of normalcy. Deny deny deny.
Marinette set her jaw determinedly. “Sit,” she commanded.
“Since when do cats take directions?”
“Since I started making out with them. Now, sit.”
Adrien didn’t know it was possible for more blood than there already was to rush to his cheeks.. Without any preamble, he dutifully plopped down on Marinette’s rolling chair.
“Now, Chaton, don’t lie to me.” Marinette placed her hands on Adrien’s shoulders, bending at the waist to lean forward so their eyes were level. “I’m not going to make fun of you. Did you just purr?”
“I think so? Maybe…erm I don’t know,” Adrien stumbled.
“I know a way we could find out.”
Knowing instantly what she was planning, Adrien tilted his head down, offering his hair to her. “Explore away.”
Marinette paused for a few seconds, trying to curb her enthusiasm. She delicately placed a hand on the top of his head, patting gingerly.
Adrien pushed his head into her hand making an exaggerated “mrow” sound. Snatching her hand off his hair and placing it on her cocked hip, Marinette met Adrien’s teasing face with a look of annoyance.
“Come on, Marinette. Really pet me. What cats like to be bopped on the head?”
Marinette groaned, recognizing that he was right.
“Yeah, I get it, okay.” She again lifted her hand to his head. Instead of planting it on the top of his swooped locks, she focused on the side. The tips of her fingers found the place where hair met ear. She rubbed behind his ear gently with her thumb, before slowly pushing two fingers through his golden strands. Adrien shuddered at the sensation, his eyes falling closed.
Realizing it would take more to pull a purr from him, Marinette upped the ante.
Marinette trailed a single finger down Adrien’s hair part. When she reached the section that widened into a swirl, she added all of her fingers, and gently spread them through his locks as far as they could stretch. Favoring the right side of his part, Marinette lightly scratched her nails along Adrien’s scalp. With her opposite hand, she following the first, but brushed the pads of her fingers along the lines she’d just grazed, soothing the skin.
A small rumble began in Adrien’s stomach, pulling up through his body. Marinette could feel the slight vibrations through her fingertips.
One hand continued to softly scratch the top of Adrien’s head while the other fully embedded itself in his hair, spreading out her fingers so her palm was pressed flat to his head. She nestled those fingers contentedly in his hair, threading the silky strands through her digits. She pulled her hand into a loose fist, gently tugging on his hair.
The purr that came from Adrien was so loud he snatched his head away from Marinette’s hands in shock, and stared up at her with wide eyes.
“Found it,” Marinette said, her voice lofty and warm. She put her hands back in Adrien’s hair, one hand scratching down his head while the other smoothed over the top layer of hair. The combination drew out another purr from Adrien, his body automatically melting under her touch.
Thoroughly enjoying the reactions she pulled from him, Marinette continued her soft ministrations. Her hands ventured to the back of his neck, tugging slightly on the baby hairs that covered his skin. Adrien’s vibrations deepened in pitch and he shivered as her pinky dragged down his neck and circled around his top vertebrae.
His back arched and his head fell forward, elongating his neck. Feeling encouraged, Marinette left her hand on the back of his neck, rubbing soft patterns into the taught skin. Her other hand alternated between light scratching and soft hair tugs.
Marinette was so focussed on her task, she didn’t notice Adrien’s hand coming up to rest on her waist. His purring somehow became louder and he suddenly pulled her down onto his lap.
Startled, Marinette let out a small yelp and Adrien snapped his head up.
“I-I’m so sorry, Marinette!” he started, hand jumping off of Marinette’s body as if she’d burned him. “I completely didn’t plan on doing that.”
Marinette stared at him with wide, shining eyes. They were both still for a moment, Adrien waiting on baited breath.
Marinette lightly looped her arms around Adrien’s frame. Afraid of letting him take all her weight, she shifted so that she sat more on his knees than his lap, allowing her legs to support her. When she leaned into him, Adrien felt destroyed by her soft, fresh scent, the light tickle of her bangs brushing his forehead, and the warm whisper of her breath that danced across his lips in the promise of a kiss.
“It’s okay,” she murmured softly. Her eyes captured his gaze. His arms, which had been hanging uselessly at his sides, came up to rest on the side’s of Marinette’s waist, as if Adrien couldn’t bear the idea of not touching her. Marinette’s hand lifted to delicately trace the edge of Adrien’s jaw.
Startled by her cold fingers, Adrien drew in a sharp breath, marveling at how her cool fingers could still ignite a fire in his skin. Her palm cupped the side of his face, thumb sweeping along his burning cheeks.
Adrien’s eyes drooped close and his mouth parted slightly in anticipation. He could feel Marinette’s body drawing nearer to his. He felt filled with nervous energy that begged him to crush her against his chest and wrap her tightly in an embrace.
Just as he began to feel totally enveloped by her essence, a light, soft touch pressed onto the tip of his nose. He opened his eyes slowly, reveling in the small kiss Marinette placed on his nose. His arms tightened around her waist and Marinette’s hands hung loosely from his neck. Resting her forward against his, Marinette breathed in, filling her lungs with his warm scent. Her fingers toyed with the clumps of hair pressing down onto his neck.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Marinette said while pulling her head away from his. She didn’t look him in the eyes as she began fixing his disheveled appearance. She tugged his jacket forward, aligning the edges so it fell straight. Her hands smoothed out the white material over his shoulders, and she flicked up his collar so it stood proudly in its normal placement. Looking to his hair, she tried to smooth out the silky strands in vain. Her fingers had done too thorough of a job, puffing his hair into a bedhead mess. The pads of her fingers trailed down his face, and her eyes finally connected with his. He watched her closely, not taking his eyes off of hers even as her fingers smoothed over his eyebrows and swooped along the length of his nose.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Marinette repeated, “But you have to go.”
Adrien nodded, repeating “I have to go.”
“I’ll see you at school?” Marinette questioned unnecessarily.
Adrien’s lips quirked up. “I’ll see you at school.”
Marinette slowly stood, getting off of Adrien’s lap and allowing him to stand again. Adrien called out for Plagg who had been napping in a kind of cheese induced coma. Plagg yawned, stretching his body similarly to the way a cat would. He flew to Adrien’s side, burping loudly in his face.
“You’re disgusting,” Adrien said with no malice behind his words. It was clear this was a common occurrence for the pair. “Plagg, claws out!”
Marinette watched, mesmerized as Adrien transformed into Chat Noir. Tikki floated to her, landing softly on her shoulder. When his transformation finished, Chat Noir dropped to one knee, gingerly picked up Marinette’s hand, and kissed her knuckles lightly, slowly blinking his overly green eyes at her. “À bientôt, Princesse.” He climbed up her loft and winked at her, giving her a two-fingered salute. Extending his baton, he casually flung himself out of her skylight up onto the balcony, hopping away to his own home.
Marinette still hadn’t recovered from watching his transformation. Her arm hadn’t dropped from its outstretched position when Chat had kissed it. She was a statue, her body stiffly still with only her hair rustling as Tikki quickly flitted around her face trying to shake Marinette from her daze.
“Marinette?” Tikki said softly. After a moment of no response, Tikki gave up on being subtle, flinging herself at Marinette’s cheek and ricocheting off the skin like a rubber ball. Marinette’s hand jumped to her cheek, rubbing the surface in small circles while giving her kwami a sharp glare.
“Yes?” Marinette asked indignantly.
“You’re just standing there like a lovesick puppy,”
“I am not!” Marinette’s arm immediately shot back down to her side.
Tikki rolled her eyes. “Clearly.”
“I was…caught off guard, is all. I didn’t realize how amazing the transformation is.” Shyly, she asked, “Do I look like that?”
“Maybe next time, you can ask Adrien. He’s already seen it.”
“No!” she cried. Hesitantly, she continued “What if it’s not as good?”
“Would that really be a problem? Would it really matter?”
Marinette opened her mouth to respond, but shut it when she realized she didn’t have a suitable answer. Groaning, she walked to her chaise and fell across it dramatically. She let out an angsty sigh before inhaling deeply, getting stray whiffs of Adrien’s lingering scent.
Rolling over to tuck her head under the pillow, Marinette said a muffled “I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.”
“You’re not seeing him tomorrow,” Tikki said.
Peeking one eye out from underneath the pillow, Marinette blankly stared at the kwami.
After a beat of silence she asked, “Why am I not seeing him tomorrow?” her tone measured and calculating, voicing each word deliberately slowly.
“You said you’d see him at school. It’s Saturday.”
“Oh, shit.”
Tikki giggled at the melodramatics. “This is a good thing, Marinette. You can get your homework done. Call Alya! Help out your parents.”
“Yeah, okay.” Marinette angled the pillow back over her entire face, hiding from her reality for a few seconds longer.
—~~—
Adrien vaulted through his window, releasing his transformation as soon as his feet touched the ground. He let out a soft cry of happiness, spinning on one foot like a graceful ballerina before falling onto his large, white couch with his arms pressed over his heart and a dazed expression overtaking his eyes.
Plagg rushed into Adrien’s field of view, placing a paw on the young boy’s nose. “Could you stop acting like a princess for two seconds? Some of us have real needs.”
“I know you don’t mean that as a compliment, but call me Chatsmine, because I’ve been swept off my feet.”
“Oh no. You poor kid. You’ve gone insane.”
“You know, like Jasmine? The Disney princess? Aladdin? Flying carpet?”
“I’m sorry, I’ve been too busy being a powerful cat god to keep up on your pop culture references.”
“Plagg, come on.”
“Why is it so difficult to get some cheese around here? I turn you into a superhero. Where’s the gratitude?”
Adrien huffed, but grudgingly lifted himself from the comfort of his soft couch. He shot Plagg an insincere glare before walking to the side of his room and slowly walking up his spiral staircase to the second level. Dragging his index finger along the colorful spines of the books which lined his shelves, Adrien barely lifted his feet as he trudged along the pristine floors.
“I am seconds away from flying up there and shitting in your hair like a pigeon,” Plagg said from his spot perched on the arm of the couch.
Adrien stopped the perusal of his shelves and turned to rest his forearms on the translucent railing, smirking down at the little god. “Go ahead. You don’t know where I’ve hidden the cheese this time. Good luck finding it.”
“I don’t even care. I don’t deserve this kind of torture,” Plagg uttered while falling backwards from the couch’s edge onto its seat cushions.
Adrien let out a burst of air in annoyance. “Are all kwamis this dramatic?”
“I am one of a kind.”
Barking out a laugh, Adrien turned away from the railing back to the hundreds of books in his home library. “How lucky am I.”
Once Adrien reached the far edge of the shelves where the bookcase met the top of his rock climbing wall, he placed his left foot on an orange grip, lengthening his body to reach another grip with his left hand. As he hoisted himself into the air, his right foot stabilized his body by finding purchase on another orange grip. He stretched his right arm out to reach one of the top most shelves. He grabbed three books off the shelf, placing them between his torso and the wall. He squeezed himself closer to the rock climbing wall to keep the books from falling, and stretched his right arm out again to blindly feel around the newly created space.
After a moment of silence, Adrien’s hand hit his secret stash. Grinning widely, he took out a piece of camembert, and turned his head slightly to try and find Plagg.
“Catch!” Adrien called out as his only warning before flinging the stinky cheese over his shoulder in the general direction of his kwami.
“What am I, a show dog?” Plagg asked indignantly, though he still swooped through the air to catch his prize.
“If the shoe fits,” Adrien mumbled while taking the books pressed between his body and the wall and gently placing them back on his shelf. He dropped off the wall, swinging his legs slightly to the right so that he’d land directly in front of his bookcase. He giddily skipped over to his staircase and hopped back down to the first level of his room.
Humming softly to himself, Adrien waltzed around the floor.
Plagg floated over to Adrien’s bed, casually stretching out on a pillow, trying to appear uninterested in Adrien’s strange actions. “I think you may have a screw loose. What’s going on?”
Letting out a contented sigh, Adrien stopped his movements. “I just can’t wait to see Marinette tomorrow.”
“Too bad that’s not happening.”
Adrien’s voice immediately dropped. “What do you mean that’s not happening? I just fed you.”
“Did you not say you’d see her at school?” Plagg asked.
Adrien warily responded, “I did.”
Plagg smirked, leaving his spot on the bed to float in front of Adrien’s face. “And what’s today?”
A beat of silence.
Adrien’s face fell. “Please tell me it’s not Saturday.”
Plagg shot into the air above Adrien’s head. “Finally! He gets it! The boy wonder finally understands!”
“Come on, Plagg. Don’t you have any sympathy? At all? Even an inkling?”
“Will it really kill you to wait another day?”
“Yes!” Adrien practically yelled. He calmed himself before continuing. “I just...really want to see her. She’s my best friend…”
Adrien’s eyes drooped and his shoulders sagged.
Unsure how to handle the emotional boy, Plagg dropped to Adrien’s shoulder and somewhat uncomfortably placed a paw on the boy’s neck.
“Well, kid, you ain’t never had a friend like me.”
Adrien blinked. Then, his eyes grew wide in understanding. “I knew you understood my reference!”
-~~-
“I can’t even call him to make plans for tomorrow! Why didn’t we think to exchange numbers? This is ridiculous!” Marinette paced around her room with an angry fervor, whipping her body around so fast at each turn that Tikki had to cling on to her pigtails since she had been tossed from her spot perched on Marinette’s shoulder.
“Marinette, it’s only been a few hours,” Tikki said, trying to soothe her anxious chosen.
“It’s been the whole day!” Marinette interrupted
“Can’t you just wait to see him on Monday?”
“No! Well, yes, I could,” Marinette sputtered. “But why? What’s the point?” She paused for a second, her back straightening instantly. Her face slowly morphed into that of a horrified teenage girl as she plucked Tikki off of her hair to sit in the palm of her hand. “Oh no. You think that he’ll think I’m desperate?”
“No!” Tikki immediately tried to reassure, hopping to her feet. “I’m sure he’s just as eager to see you as you are to see him.”
Marinette tossed her head back in self loathing. “Nope, he’ll definitely think I’m clingy and insane.”
“Marinette,” Tikki said calmly while floating to Marinette’s face and placing a delicate paw on her cheek. “You’re forgetting that this is the boy who’s been flirting with you nonstop since you met. There’s no way he’ll think you’re desperate.”
“But he will think I’m clingy and insane?”
“No, but I’m starting to, “ Tikki huffed, exasperated.
Lifting her head, Marinette cupped her kwami in one hand. “I’m sorry, Tikki. I just really wish I could see him. And I don’t want to accidentally push him away by being overeager.”
“Just be yourself,” Tikki advised while relaxing into the girl’s touch.
Marinette rolled her eyes at the kwami’s mantra and began to walk towards her desk. Tikki’s encouragement was usually comforting, but sometimes Marinette just wanted to wallow. She couldn’t always have Ladybug’s poise and confidence. Ladybug could get away with things Marinette never would be able to. Before reaching the desk, a thought popped into Marinette’s head and her steps instantly faltered. Her eyes glinted with mischief as an idea sparked in her mind.
“Hey Tikki, maybe I should just be ourself.”
Tikki stared at her charge in confusion.
“Tikki, spots on!”
-~~-
Adrien frowned while standing in the doorway to his room. His spine was stiff, shoulders rolled back, neck elongated in the semblance of perfect posture. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back, knuckles turning white from the pressure.
Nathalie addressed him, “Missing your fencing practice yesterday was unprofessional and reflected poorly on your father’s brand.”
Adrien was grateful for the distance between him and his father’s assistant, as he was sure she would be able to hear him grinding his teeth if she stepped any closer. If he had to sit through another lecture on the importance of perfect teeth in the modeling industry, he might actually cataclysm himself on the spot.
“If you recall, there was an akuma attack yesterday. I didn’t attend my lesson out of concern for my own safety. I’m sure my father would understand.” Adrien tried to keep his tone detached rather than accusatory. He didn’t blame Nathalie for passing along his father’s message, but nevertheless a ball of anger and disappointment swelled low in his stomach.
“In the future, please make sure you call and keep me informed on your whereabouts.”
Adrien gave a curt nod at Nathalie’s request. The woman’s poised features stayed sharp, but just as Adrien was about to turn and fully enter his room, her eyes softened.
“Adrien,” she called, taking a small step closer to the boy and reaching out her arm in a comforting and welcoming gesture. “I’m glad you’re alright.” Her neck inclined, tilting her head slightly to the right as her gaze sought out his own.
Adrien paused. “Thank you, Nathalie.”
Her arm dropped and her posture straightened. She turned sharply on her heel and exited swiftly. Grabbing a deep breath, Adrien stabilized himself by placing his hand on the door frame. He waited there until the sound of Natalie’s footsteps faded into the still house.
When he was sure she was out of earshot, he stepped backwards into his room, shut the door, and leaned his forehead against it.
“I can’t do this,” he said to himself quietly.
“Sure you can, drama queen.” Plagg landed with a thump in Adrien’s thick hair.
Adrien groaned. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
“‘Course you were. Otherwise, you might start seeming insane,” Plagg quipped.
Adrien tried to shake Plagg from his hair. “People talk to themselves all the time.”
“And how would you know that, Monsieur Homeschooled?”
“I watch television and movies and stuff.” Adrien picked up his head from off his door and shook it more forcefully.
Plagg stayed firmly in his spot, grabbing fistfuls of Adrien’s hair to stay rooted. “You can’t get reliable information about how to interact with other people from anime.”
“I don’t only watch anime,” he said, miffed.
“Yeah, and I don’t only eat Camembert. It might not be the sole dish, but it’s definitely your main entrée.”
“…okay, so maybe I don’t have the most valid sources…”
“Right. So stick with what you know.”
“At this point, I feel like I don’t know anything”
“That’s probably true,” Plagg agreed.
Adrien continued without acknowledging his kwami. “But you know who doesn’t not know anything?” he said to himself.
“I’m not even sure I know what you just said.”
“Chat Noir.”
“Chat Noir what?”
Finally acknowledging his kwami, Adrien reiterated “Chat Noir doesn’t not know anything.”
Plagg flew right in front of Adrien’s face, peering into the boy’s eyes. “Are you having a stroke?”
“No.” Adrien blandly replied.
“Well then, maybe—“
“Plagg, claws out!”
-~~-
Ladybug glided over the roofs of Paris, barely registering each step of the cool concrete under her feet. She hopped over houses and trees, rustling the leaves as she rushed by. Her dark hair looked black in the moonlight, pigtails bobbing from each leap she took.
Adrien’s house wasn’t far from her own. Just a park away. Though she wanted nothing more than to get there as quickly as possible, she forced herself to wind around unnecessary houses, take streets that lead to nowhere, and sprint through darkened alleys. She didn’t want to risk someone seeing exactly where Ladybug came from and where she was going. Her heart pounded soundly in her chest, pushing her to sprint as quickly as possible, not allowing her to waste another second away from Adrien. Each breath she took forced air into her lungs, igniting a fire in her chest and heightening her senses.
Just as she leapt to the top of a tall building with a flattened roof only a few blocks away from Adrien’s mansion, she slammed into something. She jumped back, immediately taking a fighting stance as she prepared for the worst.
“Meowch, damn that hurt,” a voice cried while holding a hand to its cheek.
Ladybug immediately relaxed and stepped forward. “Chat?” she asked, lifting her hand to rest gently on top of the one he already had caressing the side of his face.
“Fancy running into you here, m’lady,” Chat said, quirking his lips up into a small grin but grimacing when it the movement caused pain in his face.
Ladybug dropped her hand from him after noticing his flinch, but didn’t step back from him. “Are you okay, minou?” She inclined her head, tilting it slightly to get a better look at the corner of his mouth that her head must have bumped into.
“Nothing a kiss wouldn’t fix,” he flirted.
Ladybug groaned and playfully pushed at his shoulder, forcing him to take a step away from her. He caught her wrist when she pulled her arm back from him, sliding his hand down to interlace his gloved fingers with hers.
“I was just looking for you.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.
“Oh, really. I never would have guessed,” she sassed back.
He took a small step and turned slightly so they were now standing side-by-side, rather than facing each other. He pulled on her hand. “Let me take you for a walk.”
“A moonlit walk with the coolest cat in Paris? Sounds like a dream.” She leaned her arm firmly against his. “But, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea. I don’t know how many people we want accidentally seeing us tonight,” she sighed.
Chat squeezed her hand. “Then how about I walk you around this building? Keeps us closer to the stars anyway.”
“You make a compelling case.”
“I am very purrsuasive, Princesse,” he said in a low voice.
Ladybug laughed lightly. “Oh, no. You’ve ruined it. Just like that, the illusion of you being cool has worn off completely.”
“My Lady, you wound me.” Chat Noir placed the hand not being held by Ladybug over his heart.
“Not as badly as your puns wound me,” she snipped.
“My puns bring joy to all!”
“Sure they do, kitten. Sure.”
Cocking his hip in the semblance of impatience, Chat said “I don’t even want to take you on this walk anymore.”
Ladybug smirked, rolling her eyes. “Well, that’s a lie.”
Chat squeezed her hand again, pulling her closer to his body. “You see right through me, My Lady.”
Ladybug tried to muffle her light laugh to no avail. “Come on, minou.” Ladybug pulled on his hand. “I was promised a walk around the rooftop.”
Chat guided her around the rectangular roof, walking close to the edge so they could see the sleeping Paris below. They stayed close to each other, letting their shoulders brush as their gloved hands gently grasped each other. The soft breeze ruffled Chat Noir’s hair and Ladybug made a sound of annoyance as pieces of her bangs flew into her eyes. As the wind picked up, Ladybug shuffled closer to Chat, resting her head lightly against his shoulder. He abandoned his grip on her hand and smoothly glided an arm around her waist, anchoring the two together.
“I love being this high up.” Ladybug murmured.
“Really? You were never afraid of heights?”
“Not really. Even as a kid, Papa used to throw me up on his shoulders and parade me around. He’d pretend to topple from side to side as if he was going to drop me, and it drove Maman crazy. But I, of course, thought it was best thing ever. He’s the one who first let me up onto the balcony. Maman thought I should wait a few more years, but Papa knew how much I’d love it. He’d sneak me up there on Sunday nights after Maman went to bed. And we’d watch the airplanes fly overhead and laugh at all the cars honking below us.” Ladybug’s eyes glazed over as she lost herself in the memory. She unconsciously snuggled herself into Chat’s side, grinning.
Chat’s arm tightened around his lady. “I hope he’ll like me.”
Ladybug twisted her face up to look Chat in the eyes. “Papa? He will. He does! They both love you, actually.”
Chat blushed. “So how did your mom take it?” he asked while turning his red face away from Ladybug’s view.
“How’d she take what?”
“Your dad taking you out onto the balcony.”
Ladybug smirked. “Oh, she eventually embraced it. We decorated the place together, actually. We put up the chair and the lights and cleaned it up a bit. She even put some plants up there. Said it reminded her of her childhood. Apparently, my grandmother used to garden all the time.”
“It’s funny how your family likes plants and now you are an actual bug,” Chat teased.
Ladybug playfully shoved his shoulder. “Well I think it’s funny that you’re a model who can now literally do a catwalk.”
Chat stopped his tracks, clutching Ladybug close to him. “Be still my heart. Was that a pun?”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Ladybug groaned.
Chat pretended to be offended. “Don’t tell me how to live my life.”
Ladybug giggled and wrapped her arm around his frame. “That’s my job, kitten.”
“I don’t remember signing up for this.”
“Too bad. There’s no way out anymore. You’re stuck with me.”
“There are worse places to be stuck,” Chat said while dropping down to sit on the rooftop. Ladybug wasn’t prepared for the tug on her waist, and quickly fell on top of him with a muffled squeak. After giving her a quick smirk, Chat flopped onto his back and held his arm out in invitation. After a second’s hesitation, Ladybug gently laid down on her side next to him, reveling in his arm wrapping around her body and pulling her closer to him. The building was cold, but Ladybug could barely tell as she curled up against Chat Noir’s chest, snuggling closer to his warmth.
Smiling, Chat turned his head to face Ladybug. He lifted his neck off the concrete and softly placed a sweet kiss against her forehead. She relaxed into his touch and wrapped a spotted arm around his middle.
“There are definitely worse places to be stuck,” she repeated.