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Marinette woke slowly one rainy morning to the soft nuzzling of her nose with another’s. She thought she might still be still asleep as the soft purring followed with each swipe of the other nose against hers. She smiled as she considered her sweet kitty being so cuddly after a rough night with the howling rain and thunderclaps overhead.
“Hmm, someone needs attention, huh?” She lifted her hand to the kitten’s soft hair, knowing the right spots to make the purr deepen.
“Always from you, princess,” Chat whispered as he curled closer to her, not wanting to admit how much he truly hated the sound of thunder, especially in the dead of night.
Marinette’s eyes popped open as she realized she wasn’t petting a sweet kitten but her partner’s mess of silky tresses, near his faux ears.
“Chat, what are you doing?” She moved to sit up, causing her elbow to smack into his jaw in her haste to put some distance between them.
Backing up several inches and rubbing his jaw, Chat stared at her in horror as he realized she hadn’t been awake when she’d started the cuddling session with him. He never meant to overstep her boundaries and can’t believe how easy it’d been to nuzzle her, offering her little kitty kisses when she’d hummed her approval in her now-realized dream state.
“I should go. I’m sorry, princess. I never meant to make you uncomfortable. I promise I won’t bother you again.” He moved toward her skylight, intent on making his escape before she could tell him how much she hated him and hoped to never see him again. He didn’t think he’d survive hearing that from her after all she’d become to him over the last few months.
A swift tug on his tail had him flopping back onto the bed, causing him to grunt as he connected with the bed.
“Wait, Chaton. Don’t go.” She fiddled with her hair as she realized what she’d done, unsure how to proceed after getting him back into her room. Grasping at straws, she asked, “Would you like some breakfast?”
He smirked at her, his unease fading in light of hers. He still didn’t know how to make it up for pushing himself on her even if he’d been half-asleep himself, but he felt almost sure she didn’t hate him enough to send him.
“Breakfast sounds nice, princess.”
She nodded, climbing from her loft to the trapdoor below and disappearing from sight for the next few minutes. When she came back a few minutes later, she looked calmer as she carried a heavily-loaded tray with all types of goodies for them to share.
“Thank you,” he said as he hopped down, landing with the softest thud she’d ever heard. He caught her looking at him as he landed, grinning as he saw the question in her eyes. “It helps to have some cat qualities at times, especially when I’m visiting my favorite person. Keeps others from knowing I’m here.”
“Are you constantly hiding where you are, Chat?”
“Not really. I’m usually monitored pretty close, but sometimes I can sneak away. I live for those times.”
“Where else do you go besides here? Any other princesses claimed your attention?”
“Nope. Just you. In fact, you’re really the only friend I have as Chat besides Ladybug.”
She stared at this new bit, wondering if he knew how sad that sounded though she only had him when she donned her superego as well. She didn’t know much about Chat’s home life, but she doubted he had a great one from the small bits she’s learned the last few years.
“What about friends when you’re not Chat?” She shouldn’t be asking, but she was worried about him and wanted to know he had some form of support outside his home life.
“I have a few close ones. They mean a lot to me, you know? I’ve been sheltered most of my life. I didn’t even attend public school until I was a couple years ago.” He grabbed up a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth before he could reveal anything else to her. He couldn’t believe how easy she was to talk to, especially since she still stuttered around him as Adrien on a regular basis. He’d wanted to see the Marinette everyone else saw and he’d finally managed to see her. He just didn’t count on falling hard for her, which was what got him into the mess he had with his kitten kisses and need for cuddles.
“I know someone like that.” She wasn’t facing him as she spoke, causing her to miss the panicked look that crossed his face. “He seems so lonely at times, you know? He’s the sweetest guy, but he’s so restricted by his father’s absurd standards. Is it like that for you, too?”
Chat nodded, not trusting his voice as he realized she saw more of him as Adrien than most have ever seen. He wondered how she’d gotten so perceptive, but then, she’d always been fairly observant of others, doing her best to bring a smile to their face through one of her parents’ baked goods or her own talent in eliciting happiness wherever she went.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t see her approach him or notice how close she’d gotten before awareness of her warmth seeped into him. He glanced down at her and saw the sadness in her eyes as she regarded him for several beats of his increasing heart rate.
“Oh, Chaton, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, raising onto her tiptoes and rubbing her nose with his. She smiled when his breath hitched though he soon returned her affection with some of his own. “I’ll always be your friend. If you need a place to stay or more kitty kisses, you know where to come, okay?”
“Thank you, princess.”