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Chat Noir perched on Marinette’s balcony rail, feeling like an intruder. Was there a graceful way to announce himself? Maybe he should have detransformed and come in through the front door. That’s what a gentleman would do, right?
While he was still in the throes of hesitation, the trapdoor opened, and a pair of sapphire eyes locked onto his own. “What are you doing sneaking around out there, Chaton?”
Chat Noir flushed and slunk into the glow of the hanging lanterns, laughing nervously. “Ahaha… caught red handed. I swear, I wasn’t trying to be creepy! I was just about to knock… honest!”
“I believe you, Chat Noir. You’re a cat of honor.” Marinette opened the trapdoor wider and came out onto her balcony, pulling at a brush that was caught in her hair. “What brings you here?”
“I, uh… just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I heard that something happened at your school, and that you were at the center of it.” He noticed Marinette’s face growing cloudy, and rushed to emphasize, “Don’t worry, I know you did absolutely nothing wrong! I was just… worried about you, so I decided to drop by and check on you.”
Marinette’s expression cleared. “Thanks, Chaton. I appreciate it… I’m fine. I’m just glad the truth came out in the end… or, almost the truth, anyway.” She tugged at the brush again.
“Need help?” Chat Noir asked eagerly, taking a step forward. This should be okay, right? Other people did his hair all the time.
“Uh…” Marinette seemed surprised, which made Chat Noir hesitate, like he was treading the bounds of ‘creepy’ again. The smile that broke upon her face allowed him to breathe freely. “Sure, if you want to.” She came closer and turned her back to him.
“Come over here.” Chat Noir waved her over to the banister, climbed back up on it, and perched comfortably—a pretty easy feat in the suit. With great care, used his claws to find tangles in Marinette’s hair before running the brush through them. The knots dissolved effortlessly. Watching the moonbeams shimmer over the waves of her hair like water, he was struck with sudden curiosity about how it would feel.
Surreptitiously, he brought a lock of her hair to his cheek—since his only exposed skin was his face—and felt it, the way a cat would rub against someone’s hand. It was as smooth as silk, just as he expected, suffused with the scent of roses.
At that moment, probably wondering why his ministrations had stopped, Marinette turned around. Since his face was lowered, the movement brought them closer than she had accounted for, and they made accidental contact—an electric brush of her lips against his. “Oh!—I’m sorry!” She jumped away from him, mortified.
Chat Noir scrambled to correct his balance, having almost fallen off the rail at the accidental kiss. His heart was pounding wildly. “S-sorry,” he rasped, vocal cords not working properly. “Uh—maybe I should go.”
Swallowing, he unhooked his staff, ready to flee the scene, when Marinette grabbed his tail in a way that Ladybug must have done tens of times.
“Wait—Chat!”
He turned, to see the corners of her mouth upturned, brows knit apologetically.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed. “It was an accident. Please, don’t let it bother you. Anyway—I’m sure you have other, more important things to do, so I won’t keep you long, but… thank you for coming to check on me. It means a lot to me, actually.”
Chat Noir’s heart turned to butter at her heartfelt gratitude. Feeling affection toward her well up in his chest, he slid off the banister and collected her into his arms. He felt hers close around his back, light as a bird’s wings. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispered into her hair, then pulled back. “For the record… I think you’re awesome, and I’m sure Ladybug does, too. No matter what happens, even if everyone turns on you, don’t forget that you’ve got Paris’ superhero team on your side.” He winked.
Marinette’s smile had never looked brighter. “Thanks, Chat Noir. I think you’re awesome, too.”
With an appreciative grin and affected nonchalance, Chat Noir twirled his baton, saluted, and hopped onto the rail. “Thanks, Princess. I’ll see you around. Stay smiling, okay?”
He bounded off into the moonlight, trying not to think too hard about why the condition of his still-fluttering heart seemed to be tied to the expressions on Marinette’s face.