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1.
Marinette flops down on her sun chair, sighing loudly. Tikki floats next to her, munching delicately on a chocolate chip cookie. It was a warm evening on a weekend, and patrol had been slow today. Apparently even supervillains took Sundays off.
“Cat got your tongue?”
Marinette turns around in surprise, feeling Tikki dart away into her jacket. A familiar feline pokes his head down from her roof, ears twitching cheerfully.
“Chat Noir!” she exclaims. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t usually make house calls,” he says easily, flipping around her balcony and landing next to her, “but these pastries are too sweet to ignore.” He’s chomping on an eclair, the filling plastered all over his face.
Without really thinking, Marinette reaches up and wipes the cream off the corner of his mouth. Chat stills, green eyes wide and surprised, but Marinette feels at ease. Even if he doesn’t recognize her, she knows him better than anyone.
Marinette samples the frosting from her finger. “Good choice,” she tells him, smiling. “Long day?”
“Yeah,” Chat says, sagging backwards tiredly against the railing. “But I got to spend time with a friend.”
Marinette thinks about the hours she spent dangling off rooftops in the humid heat today, listening to Chat Noir’s rambling puns. “Me too,” she replies fondly.
“What did you do with your friend?” Chat Noir asks with genuine interest.
“Oh! I, um, I was with—” Marinette panics, hands flapping about, trying to fabricate a story, “—with Alya! My friend. Alya. She runs the Ladyblog. We were… taking a walk in the park and, er, talking! about...things?”
Chat Noir laughs a little, and Marinette’s tense shoulders relax. “I’ve met Alya,” he says. “She’s a good person. I hope it was a good time.”
“It was,” Marinette says quickly. She taps her pointer fingers together, cautious curiosity bubbling as she peers at Chat through her fringe. “What about you?”
“Just patrol with Ladybug,” he answers, an inside smile tugging at his cheek. “No akumas today, so we spent a fair bit of time… goofing off, you might say.”
“Oh?” Marinette replies innocently.
“We were discussing hypothetical scenarios, and I said that if one of us was going to be an acrobat it would be me because I’m better at balancing.”
“You? An acrobat?” Marinette giggles.
Chat Noir holds up a finger indignantly. “Hey, I would be an excellent acrobat. Even Ladybug agreed.”
“Really?”
“Well, we had to have a balancing contest first.” Chat bounds up on top of Marinette’s roof, settling by the chimneys. “We stretched my baton between two buildings and walked over it. Ladybug was losing, so when it was my turn she sabotaged me and I fell.”
Marinette digs out her phone with a grin and opens the latest Ladyblog post. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with this, would it?”
Chat pokes his head down from above her and groans as an image of himself tangled up in Ladybug’s yoyo fills the screen.
“I don’t always land on my feet,” he says wryly.
“A noble effort,” Marinette returns. She taps his nose teasingly, and Chat grins upside down.
A pleasant breeze drifts along, and Marinette turns her head into the wind, eyes following a flock of birds swooping by her balcony.
“Oh no,” Chat Noir says, his nose scrunched up.
“AchoO!” With a stupidly cute sneeze, Chat tumbles down from the shade cover and crashes down onto her chair, a mess of tangled limbs in her lap. He looks up at her, eyes dizzied and unfocused, soft feathers waving in his hair.
Marinette puts a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. “I thought cats brought birds down, not the other way around.”
“A true hero never reveals his weakne—acHOO!” Chat groans and slumps down against the chair.
Marinette laughs lightly. “Here, let me help,” she says, leaning forward, nimble fingers carefully combing through his hair and picking feathers from his head.
“Your hair’s so soft,” she remarks.
Chat Noir nods in content agreement, and she notices a soft thrumming coming from his chest, eyes closed and body relaxed. Marinette smiles tenderly. It’s rare to see Chat like this, without the defense of his puns and flashy acrobatics. She cards her hand through his hair and lets her eyes slip closed, enjoying the warmth of her partner purring against her leg. It’s been a long day for the both of them.
“Maybe I should get a cat,” she says, after a while.
Chat Noir sits up, teeth flashing in a brief grin, and sweeps out a hand, bowing before her. “At your service.”
Marinette looks at his hair, sticking out in her tiny braids, and giggles. “You look amazing, Chat Noir.”
He puts a hand to his head, feeling around, and his eyes widen in surprise and mild alarm. “You braided my hair?!”
“My bad?” Marinette shrugs.
“Well, now I have a new hairdresser as well as a patisserie to visit.” Chat salutes her, smug. “Mind if I comb over every so often?”
“Silly kitty,” she smiles, “you’ve on city-saving duty. And what would Ladybug think?”
"Well," Chat coughs and gives her a sharp smirk. He extends his baton and hops up onto her railing. “Nice dropping by. Stay out of trouble and thanks for the pastries!”
He leaps off her balcony easily, silhouette disappearing into the hazy evening, flashes of movement over the rooftops.
Marinette watches him go, shaking her head. “Get some rest, partner. Can’t have you taking a catnap on patrol, can we now?”
Tikki settles on Marinette’s shoulder. “He’s such a sweet-talker.”
“With a sweet tooth, apparently.”
Both giggle, and Marinette opens her wooden trapdoor, sliding onto her bed. What a wonderful dork.
2.
“Chat Noir, there’s an akuma attack at the Eiffel Tower. It’s—” Ladybug looks up from the call, eyeing the giant green plant climbing the monument, “—hard to miss. Be there!”
The cat in question somersaults out of the air and lands next to her just as she slides her yoyo shut. He leans against his baton, head cocked innocently. “You wouldn’t leaf without me, would you?”
Ladybug gives him a look. “It’s too early for this,” she mutters, and loops an arm around his waist, pulling them together as she jumps off the building, headed towards the akuma.
Chat Noir squirms under her fingertips, swingingly wildly as he clings to her. She curls her hand more tightly into his side to steady him and his breath stutters, light on her neck as he presses his face into her shoulder. “Pleas—Please, Ladybu—m’lady—”
She sets them down on a nearby building, concerned, and frowns at him. “Are you… laughing?”
Chat collapses in stitches, rolling over and holding his sides. “No?” he wheezes.
Ladybug puts a hand on her hip, a smile slowly spreading as she watches him pant and curl against the floor. “You’re ticklish."
Chat freezes. “What? No, no, I’m not.” He get up and brushes himself off, adopting an unconvincing smile. He points over her shoulder at the Eiffel Tower. “Hey, look, an akuma!”
“Yes, you are,” Ladybug says, walking towards him and completely ignoring the chaos behind her.
“I am not,” Chat Noir crosses his arms.
Ladybug stops and looks up at him. “You trust me, right Chat Noir?” she asks innocuously.
“Of course I do,” Chat responds in full honesty. His green eyes are open, almost vulnerable, and Ladybug’s step falters.
“I trust you too, kitty.” She softens, and flicks the bell against his neck.
He blinks slowly at her, smiling, the words a small warmth bundled in his chest. Praise isn’t something he’s particularly used to from Ladybug, and having her trust means a lot. He’s always honest with her, and he wouldn’t trade her friendship for the world.
Caught up in the moment, he barely has time to react when his partner tackles him to the ground in a flash of red. Blue pigtails swing down to frame her eyes, a teasing grin tacked onto her smug face.
“What—what about? Akuma.” he manages.
“I want to test something first,” she grins.
Chat shrugs. “I trust you.”
Her smile is knife sharp and butter soft when she digs her fingers into his sides. “I know.”
After that he knows nothing but laughter, Ladybug rolling over him as he flails under her grip. Her fingers are strong, pushing into the dips of his suit, and he can barely breathe. It’s a happy sort of suffering, though.
Ladybug revels in Chat’s bright laughter, eyes lighting up herself as she pokes him, easily comfortable tangling them together. His chest is heaving, tail curling as he gasps through his grins.
She was about to let him up when his body trembles under her palm. Curious, she runs her hand along his neck. Sure enough, he laughs, but there’s a distinctive rumbling that accompanies it.
She sits up, smiling. “I didn’t know that a tickle fight made you purr.”
“Wasn’t much of fight,” he says, still purring. His voice comes out warbled because of it, and he rubs a hand behind his neck, embarrassed, cheeks slightly pink.
Ladybug laughs. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you’re ticklish.”
“Great,” Chat says, resigned, and Ladybug knocks him on the shoulder. They both get to their feet, refocusing.
“Akuma?” Ladybug gestures, facing the threat. Chat clambers up to the very edge of the building, peering over the city at it.
“Of course,” he says, turning to face her, a delightedly smug grin overtaking his face. “But there’s something I want to test first.”
“And what’s that?” Ladybug asks carefully, turning.
"Trust falllllll!” Chat’s voice floats from over the side of the building.
Ladybug’s eyes flash with panic, and she unthinkingly vaults into thin air. “Chat!”
Free-falling towards the very hard pavement, she throws her yoyo, grabbing her idiot partner around the waist and determinedly slinging it around a nearby lamppost. She gets a glimpse of warm green and shiny black as she flips through the air before the yoyo string tightens against their weight. Both superheroes grunt with the contact, the yoyo looped around haphazardly to catch them.
Ladybug looks up, unimpressed.
“That was fun!” he exclaims, beaming.
She glares.
“I trust you,” he offers, and shrugs easily.
“I’m well aware, thanks,” Ladybug says. “Don’t do that again. You could get hurt.”
“Aw, you do care!” he says, leaning back into their playful teasing. “Would it be too much to say you’re falling for me?”
Ladybug releases her yoyo, dumping him on the ground in a jumble of limbs for an answer. She walks towards the supervillian. “The akuma, Chat Noir!”
He stands up awkwardly and quickly follows her as she springs away. “Right behind you, m’lady!”
“Maybe the akuma’s ticklish too,” she comments playfully, catapulting herself through the streets. He can hear the smile in her voice.
“I resent that,” he calls.
“Well, you have a cute purr,” she responds, swinging around a corner.
“I have a cute purr?” he mumbles to himself, dubious. “Well thanks, Bugaboo.”
3.
“Can you get this one?” Ladybug asks.
Chat nods, and Ladybug leaps away, one hand on her blinking earrings, a spot of red disappearing into the night. Chat Noir sighs. The akuma, Deserter, had been really intense, and even though it was late, he didn’t feel like going home yet. Plus, there was a kid who needed his help.
Chat Noir holds out a gloved hand. “Are you okay?”
The girl, only around eight years old, wipes a hand across her face. “Yeah…” She hums and looked around, taking his hand and getting to her feet. “What happened?”
Chat hesitates, looking out over the city. “You were akumatized.” He feels a tiny intake of breath at his side and bends down to her height, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Everything’s back to normal now though. Ladybug fixed everything with her Lucky Charm, and she made sure the akuma won’t come back.”
“Ladybug’s awesome,” the girl says shyly.
“Yeah,” Chat agrees wistfully. “She’s incredible.”
He straightens up and looks down at her sprig of mussed hair. “Where are your parents? I can take you back home.”
The girl’s face crumples, a strange mix of anger and pain darkening her young face. “They’re gone.”
“What do you mean?” Chat asks, perplexed. “Like on vacation?”
“No,” the girl responds, hands closing into fists. “My father. He left. There was a moving truck in our driveway this morning. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“Oh,” Chat says. Her tone strikes a familiar chord in his chest, and he swallows. He hasn’t really figured out how to deal with absentee parents himself.
The girl must sense Chat’s awkwardness, and she starts to sniffle. “I’m sorry Chat Noir,” she gulps, shoulders curling inwards. “I’ve caused so much trouble and made such a mess. You can go, I’ll be fine.”
Chat Noir smiles kindly. “It’s okay to be sad. Even I feel sad sometimes.”
The child looks up at him with wide eyes. "You get sad?”
“Yep,” Chat says. “But I feel better when I do things that make me happy, like saving Paris with Ladybug.”
“From people like me. From akumas,” the girl says, downcast and slumping.
“No,” Chat counters, “nothing like you. Hawkmoth is the only supervillain in town.” She perks up slightly, and Chat stands, grabbing his baton.
“How about we take a little trip around the city? It’s pawsitively beautiful at night. Would that cheer you up?” He offers her a hand, mask creased over a hopeful grin.
“Yeah,” the girl says, tentatively at first. “Yeah, let’s do it!”
Chat turns around. “Climb on and hold tight!”
She clambers onto his back, small palms winding around his neck, piggyback style. Her hands jolt his bell, and it rings. She giggles a little, and Chat Noir purrs at the sound, which only makes her laugh more.
“You ready?” he asks.
“Yeah!” she says brightly, and he jumps off the building.
The cool night air whips Chat’s hair backward, turning his already tousled locks into a dishevelled nest, but he’s smiling. He propels them up with his baton, racing through the streets. They soar over a sea of welcoming lights glimmering in windows and along store shops, and Chat feels a rush of fleeting joy at the girl’s excited shrieks from his back.
Finally after much adventuring, Chat sets them down on a balcony near Marinette’s bakery. Her parents are kind, and he knows they will be able to help this child.
“Look at the Eiffel Tower,” he says. All lit up, it’s a beacon against the sky, its reflection glittering in the waters of the Seine.
“It’s so pretty,” the girl whispers, awed words quiet by his ear. A sudden wind sweeps across the building and she shivers, clinging closer to him. “You’re warm,” she says as she nuzzles into his neck.
It’s such a kid thing to do, and Chat find himself melting a little. Looking out over his city, he purrs soothingly, body rumbling with low vibrations as he wraps his hands around her ankles to steady her.
“Feeling better?” he asks.
“Mhm,” she says, content. The flutter of her eyelashes lets him know that she’s just barely hanging onto wakefulness. “Thank you, Chat Noir.”
4.
The streets of Paris smell of deep earth, air thick with grime and a budding trepidation. Ladybug coughs, dust coating the inside of her mouth, and reaches blindly for her partner, who is determinedly slicing through the clouded air with his baton.
“Woah!” Ladybug cries out as the ground shakes violently, sending the two superheros scrambling across the street. Her hands catch on the back of Chat’s shoulder, and she grabs on tightly, eyes squeezed shut against the dust.
“Are you okay?” Chat Noir asks. He holds out a hand, and Ladybug takes it.
“I’m fine. Any ideas on how to capture the akuma?”
The world seems to wobble, and the alleyway suddenly bursts into a shower of falling bricks. They dart away, flipping out of the dust onto a high balcony to track the figure below.
The akuma victim raises his hands, a maniacal smile twisting his face. “You can’t hide, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Terrawave will always find you!”
Chat shakes his head, looking over at Ladybug. “It’s never good when they refer to themselves in the third person.”
Terrawave stalks the ground below them, brushing dust off his costume. “You know,” he says haughtily, projecting his voice, “there’s an awful lot of people in that building over there. It would be such a shame if there was a little earthquake, hmm?”
“We have to stop him,” Ladybug says fiercely. “We can’t let anyone get hurt!”
“Yeah, but what are we going to do?” Chat replies, green eyes questioning. “We can’t stop him while he’s on the ground, he can move the earth!”
“You’re right,” Ladybug says, turning to him with realization. “We can’t stop him while he’s on the ground."
“Genius,” Chat points at her, eyes narrowing with a smirk. “We got him.”
Terrawave yells from below, obviously impatient. “If you don’t show yourselves, I’m going to level that building!” He eyes it vindictively, words low and rich.
“You’re not going anywhere near those people,” Ladybug declares, standing on the edge of the balcony, hands on her hips and feet planted sturdily.
“Ah, the little ladybug. Hand over your jewels!” Terrawave says, raising a hand.
“Come and get them yourself!” Ladybug calls back.
“I think it’s time to bring you down to earth!” Terrawave growls, and slams his foot down, sending tremors through the ground. A crack widens below, and Ladybug looks worriedly at the threatened building.
“Enough banter,” she says, hand on her yoyo. “Ready, kitty?”
He nods, concealing himself against the balcony, and she swings down to the ground before Terrawave. The supervillian creeps towards her, lifting his shoe.
“Now that’s a faulty plan,” Ladybug taunts, and throws her yoyo, looping it around his foot. Darting away and jumping over a lightpost, she tugs on the yoyo string, eyes narrowed intensely. It tightens around Terrawave’s foot and sends him flying high into the air.
“Now, Chat Noir! His boots!”
Her partner jumps off the balcony, hand outstretched and Cataclysm flashing on his claws. Falling alongside Terrawave, he twists to tap his shoe, which blackens and disintegrates. Still plummeting, Chat maneuvers himself to catch the akuma victim.
“Nice one!” Ladybug calls, casting her yoyo after the akuma. Releasing the purified butterfly with a sigh of relief, she walks over to Chat and the civilian, collapsed on the ground.
“And here I was thinking cats always land on their feet,” she smiles, holding out a hand.
“Thanks,” he says, letting her pull him up. When he gets to his feet, she notices a twinge of pain shoot across his face, and puts a hand on his back. It’s telling that he doesn’t pull away, and she keeps it there to steady him as she addresses the akuma victim.
“You’re going to be just fine, sir,” Ladybug reassures the civilian, who’s looking around the street in shock. Chat Noir’s ring beeps and she smiles tightly. “I’m sorry, we have to go. Hope you find some new shoes!”
“Gotta scat,” Chat salutes him with a cheap grin. Ladybug hooks her fingers around his waist and steers him around a corner.
“What, no ‘pound it’?” Chat asks. His bony shoulder bumps hers.
Ladybug unwraps her arm and lowers him to the ground. He immediately brings his knees to his chest and squeezes his foot with both hands.
“Talk, tough guy,” she says gently, and slides down to sit beside him.
“Ladybug—” his ring beeps warningly, “I’m going to change back soon.”
She bites her lip. “Is there anything I can do? Do you have someplace to go or someone to help you?”
His ears droop a little, and he turns his face away. “I’ll be fine, really. I just landed wrong when I was catching the civilian and my ankle, uh… snapped.”
They both look at his foot. The line of his boot is all wrong, and Ladybug traces a finger over it, red on black. He hisses, eyes closed tight, and she withdraws her hand, hovering worriedly.
“Are you okay? Oh my god, I’m so sorry, sorry sorry—”
Chat holds up a hand, turning towards her, green eyes warm. “It’s alright.”
They both sit back in silence, the weight of time hanging over them. The sky is darkening, blue tinged with orange and red, throwing shadows and giving Chat’s hair a dim golden glow. His tail curls between his legs and Ladybug breathes easily in the warm air. When Chat starts purring quietly, a stuttering, healing thing, she doesn’t comment. He needs the comfort right now.
“How will I know that you’re okay?” she asks.
“Well,” Chat starts hesitantly, putting pressure on his ankle, “we could meet? For dinner or something, sometime?”
“Yeah. That sounds nice,” Ladybug smiles softly. “Oh! I can bring dinner. How about on top of our rooftop, Wednesday evening?”
“Our rooftop?” Chat raises an eyebrow.
“You know, the one across from the bakery you like?” Ladybug tosses him a knowing smirk.
“Yeah, okay.” Chat rubs the back of his neck bashfully. His ring beeps again, and he looks up at her.
“I know,” she says, standing up. “Get some sleep, kitty. I’ll cover for you these next couple of days.”
He holds up a fist with a crooked smile. “Pound it?”
She returns the gesture, gently bringing her fist to his. “Pound it.”
Chat Noir watches her backflip out of the street, swinging away on her yoyo. Sighing, he releases his transformation. Plagg hovers and looks at him pointedly, eyeing his ankle in mistrust.
“You gotta be more careful,” the kwami says with gruff concern, and Adrien pats him on the head affectionately.
“Yeah,” he says. “I’ll call Nathalie.”
5.
“It’s not like a date, right Tikki?” Marinette asks her kwami Wednesday evening. “I’m just checking up on him, to make sure he’s okay.”
“You’re a good friend, Marinette,” Tikki replies cheerfully, and Marinette scrunches her eyebrows together, absently noticing her question went unanswered.
“What does he like to eat?” Marinette wonders anxiously, gathering up an armful of colored lights. “Is he allergic to anything? Oh, I hope there’s no akuma tonight!”
“Calm down, Marinette,” Tikki intervenes, flying in front of her nose. “He’s going to love it.”
“I hope so,” Marinette says. “I want him to be happy.”
She ends up decorating the rooftop similarly to when Chat prepared it for her, but with string lights instead of candles, and a picnic blanket instead of pillows. Spots on, she waits for him patiently, watching the evening commute below.
“Wow, m’lady. This is… this is incredible.”
“Chat!” She hadn’t heard him come up, but he’s standing at the corner of the building, leaning against his stick.
“Hey.” He waves a hand in awkward greeting, and she smiles, amused.
“Hey, yourself. Come on over. I know you’ve got a sweet tooth,” Ladybug teased gently, waving a pastry enticingly. She had baked earlier today, with special attention to the eclairs, because she knew he loved them.
“Sweet teeth,” Chat Noir corrects her with a half-hearted smirk, and walks over. He sits down carefully on the patterned blanket, smoothing out the edges. His back and shoulders are straight and tensed, and his whole body is still.
“How’s your ankle?” she asks, and scooches closer to him.
“Good.”
Ladybug eyes him suspiciously. Chat Noir had a record of hiding his bruises and pains, covering them up with the relentless puns she endured on the daily. She pokes his ankle experimentally.
“Ow! What was that for?” Chat asks indignantly.
“Lying,” she replies smoothly.
“Sorry,” he responds, somewhat sheepishly. “It’s healing. Not as fast out of the suit, but I had fencing yesterday and it felt fine.”
“I didn’t know you fenced,” Ladybug says with interest. She cracks open the picnic basket and hands him an eclair.
“Oh, I’m a master swordsman,” he says, relaxing a little. He sounds self satisfied and more like himself.
“Of course,” she replies, smiling.
“These are really good,” Chat remarks, peering at the label. The whole pastry is already gone, and Ladybug wordlessly offers him the basket. “I never have dessert for dinner.”
“Oh don’t worry, I have salad and sandwiches for you too,” Ladybug says, sitting back.
“Gotta eat your veggies,” Chat replies in turn.
"You do,” Ladybug says, poking him. “I’m a regular at the bakery. My kwami loves cookies.”
“Lucky,” Chat says, and she smirks.
“Yeah, that’s kind of my thing.”
“My kwami only eats cheese.” Chat sounds heavily resigned. “Camembert cheese. It’s getting hard to explain to everyone why I smell disgusting all the time.”
“You smell fine to me,” Ladybug giggles. “I usually just stop by the Dupain-Cheng bakery before school, no questions asked.” It’s not a lie, technically.
“Best bakery in Paris,” Chat sings contentedly. He’s sampled the macaroons, now finishing a sandwich in tiny bites. She hands him a napkin. It’s shifted from late evening to night, and the colored lights she hung up glow brilliantly now, giving their rooftop a soft luminescence.
Chat Noir lays down on the blanket, arms folded behind his head. “Stargazing,” he explains at Ladybug’s quizzical look. He points at her with mock excitement. “Look! A star!”
Ladybug grants him a smile. “Very funny.”
“Only you, m’lady.”
She collapses next to him and places her feet on top of his, ignoring his protest. They watch the skies for a while, and Chat teaches her the difference between a meteor, a meteoroid, and a meteorite. She shows him the one constellation she knows, and they debate the legitimacy of Pluto. He attacks light pollution with a passion, and she wonders about the Northern Lights. He thinks he sees a shooting star, but it’s just an airplane.
“If there was a shooting star, what would you wish for?” she asks.
“You know that’s just a myth,” he replies, cavalier.
“What would you wish for?” she persists.
“World peace.”
She knocks his arm. “Seriously.”
“No more akumas,” he offers.
“Really?” she asks.
“No.” He turns to face her, and his eyes have a distant smile, deep and green. “But if I told you, it wouldn’t come true.”
“Okay.” She nods.
They’re caught staring at each other, and she starts snickering for no good reason. Chat raises an eyebrow at her and she laughs, and then he laughs good naturedly because she laughed and now they’re both laughing on a rooftop under the stars.
Chat sits up and immediately covers his eyes against the bright lights of the city, a sharp contrast to the inky sky above. “Ow,” he exclaims.
“I thought you had night vision?”
“Oh, but you blind me with your beauty, Bugaboo,” he says dramatically, peeking through his fingers.
She laughs. There’s been a lot of laughing tonight. He’s not entirely used to it, but it makes him happy. Ladybug makes him happy.
“Thanks for dinner,” he says, more formal, straightening up.
“Of course,” she says, generous. She’s always been kind. “Stay off your ankle, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” he replies.
She smiles at him, and then, surprisingly, pulls him into a hug, hands resting on his shoulder blades and chin coming over the top of his shoulder.
“I’m lucky to have you,” Chat says. He nudges his nose into her hair and wraps his arms around her waist. Ladybug takes a step, pressing him closer, head falling against his chest. They stand there for a while, taking comfort in the quiet company as the world revolves around them. Chat stays in her arms, his purr an affectionate rumble.
“Oh kitty, I’m the lucky one,” Ladybug responds softly. She releases him and ruffles his hair, scratching behind his ears. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
He blows her a kiss, and it’s only half in jest. He has a dopey smile on his face as he bounds away over the rooftops, keeping her warmth tucked behind his ribs like a secret. When he gets home, even the simple memory of her smile makes his room feel a little less cold.
+1
“Nino, where are we going?”
“We’re taking a break,” Nino says. “You basically slept through all of Physics. Not that I blame you, of course.”
As students file out of class for lunch, Nino pulls Adrien across the street to the park, plopping down on a bench and tipping his head back. Adrien blinks slowly as they watch kids going around on the carousel.
“That is dizzying,” Adrien remarks, eyes tracking the merry-go-round.
“Not as much as Mme. Mendeleiev’s class,” Nino replies easily, folding his hands behind his head. Adrien hums empathetically and they fall into silence for another minute.
“Dude, is that your phone?”
“What?” Adrien asks, confused. His phone is in his bag.
“Your pocket.” Nino points. “It’s buzzing like crazy.”
Adrien looks down. Nino had motioned to his shirt pocket, where he knows Plagg is sleeping. He hadn’t noticed it before, but he can feel vibrations coming from the warm body, almost copying the rhythm of his pulse.
“Sorry Nino,” Adrien smiles apologetically, quickly getting up, “I need to take this one.”
“Knock yourself out,” Nino says, leaning back against the bench.
Adrien scurries away, putting a safe distance between him and his best friend before dumping Plagg out of his pocket. He cups the kwami in his hands, peering at him.
“Plagg! What was that? Nino was right there,” he whispers.
Plagg cracks an eyelid. “Lighten up, we’re fine. Now if you don’t mind, I had a nap pencilled in for right—”
“What were you doing, anyway?” Adrien asks, curious.
“Oh, I do mourn your lack of experience with cats. Cats and camembert.”
“Plagg.”
“I was purring, kid. No big deal.”
Adrien studies him. “I didn’t know you purred.”
“Well, you purr, don’t you?” Plagg replies flippantly.
“Yeah,” Adrien says slowly, “when I’m happy, or I feel safe, or for comfort, or…” He trails off, looking at Plagg, and a smile creeps across his face. “I knew you stuck around for more than the cheese!” Adrien declared.
“Do not insult my love for camembert.” Plagg pops up. “Our bond is strong and...” he sighs contentedly, “delicious.”
Adrien laughs.
“You really are hopeless though,” Plagg comments. “You and Ladybug.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Adrien asks, narrowing his eyes.
“I love you! She loves you! Your friends—Marinette loves you! So does Nino! Alya, too!” Plagg bursts out in exasperation, raising his arms. “ I thought I was being quite obvious.”
Adrien laughs, but it’s quieter this time. “I love you too, Plagg.”
“Uuuuh! Gooey nonsense!” Plagg protests, but doesn’t squirm against Adrien’s fingers when he brings him up to his chest. Adrien’s collarbone is perfectly curved to accomodate a kwami.
“And my father...” Adrien’s voice fades. He doesn’t finish the question. He doesn’t really have to, and Plagg settles closer to Adrien.
“Ladybug loves you, though.”
“What? No she doesn't.” Adrien sighs. “I think she’s made that pretty clear.”
“Oh, I don’t know. You could bring her around with that Agreste charm of yours.”
“Hilarious.”
“Well I mean,” Plagg says offhandedly, moving to float just above Adrien’s shoulder, “Ladybug loves you. Maybe not loooove-love but—”
“We’re friends,” Adrien says simply. He smiles fondly. “We’re friends."
“Stop sighing, you look like an idiot.” Plagg dives back inside Adrien’s shirt. “And where’s my cheese?”
Adrien pats his pocket carefully. “Let’s get back to Nino.”
“Hey dude,” Nino greets him, slipping his headphones down around his neck. He gestures vaguely at Adrien. “Modelling duties fulfilled?”
“Yeah,” Adrien replies, “just a confirmation call.” Plagg purrs against his chest.
“Do you want to hang with the girls tonight? I’ve been meaning to crash their slumber parties and raid Marinette’s bakery, and Alya just invited me over tonight.” Nino waves his phone and winks. “You can be my plus one.”
Adrien laughs and thinks of an evening inside a warm home with his three best friends, snacking on home-baked goods and trading turns on the video game controller. Would he be allowed to sleep over?
“Yeah Nino,” he says. His smile is genuine this time. “That sounds fantastic.”