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“I’ve always been curious about one thing,” Marinette said.
Chat Noir blinked. "I guess you're not asking about my real identity, are you?"
Meanwhile, the Parisian hero, the black cat, sat in this civilian's room, enjoying the pastries Marinette had secretly brought. He had been visiting her occasionally at night, indulging in the feeling of constant companionship and the pastries he, as Adrien, wasn't allowed to eat often. Incidentally, these were the best things he had ever tasted; he had eaten at Dupain-Cheng's bakery before, but for some reason, those Marinette brought him seemed to possess a magical quality, leaving an unforgettable impression.
They quickly developed a unique friendship. He enjoyed listening to Marinette talk about herself. Chat couldn't say too much about his true identity, and Marinette never asked, only quietly staying by his side when he was feeling down.
He was truly grateful to her. What did it matter if he answered a small question? He would be happy to grant his princess any request he could.
"Why do you behave like a...cat?"
An unexpected question. Chat flicked his tail and replied with a grin, "Who knows? Maybe I'm actually a real cat under my mask. Maybe I'm cursed and turned into a human."
“Chat, I’m serious. Do you like cat-related accessories?” She reached out and flicked the bell around Chat’s neck, making a crisp sound. “You seem really immersed in this identity.”
“This bell is the essence of my suit! It definitely feels more natural when I’m in cat form,” he confessed. “I don’t know why. If it’s due to the influence of the Miraculous, it doesn’t seem to be as obvious as it is for other holders.”
“And what about in your daily life?” Marinette grabbed the end of his belt and unconsciously fiddled with it in her hand. “If you could, do you think you would like bells as decorations?”
He wasn't sure if he should tell the girl who was touching him that he actually had some sensation when his tail was still attached to him, and that such movements made his fur stand on end. In the end, he decided to let it go; if she wanted to play around, let her play around, it wasn't a big deal.
Back to her question...
Adrien could never act that way in real life, so he never even considered it. He did have a few moments when he wanted to purr with friends or hiss when he felt uncomfortable, but he could control himself. His father would probably be quite disappointed if he acted like a cat or started wearing unusual accessories. Putting that aside, he tried to imagine himself as an ordinary person wearing bells.
He found that he seemed to like the idea quite a bit.
“I think…” he said hesitantly, “it sounds pretty good? I mean, I definitely wouldn’t wear this all the time, but—”
“How about collars?” Marinette interrupted him.
This was something he hadn't considered, neither as Chat Noir nor Adrien. Regardless of potential misunderstandings, although Chat didn't consider himself a stray cat, he didn't have a strong need to express a sense of belonging through a collar. He and Ladybug were cat and bug partners; he genuinely loved his Lady, but felt nothing more.
However, the collar is indeed very cool. If it hadn't been brought up, it would be fine, but now that it has, he really wants one. His suit's neck is too high, making it unsuitable for him, which means the collar will be worn by Adrien. He might have come into contact with chokers for work, but Marinette's point, and what he's thinking, is probably not this kind, but rather the kind worn by real cats.
Marinette didn't seem to be joking. Surely she wouldn't be prejudiced against his answer, right?
"I think it's pretty cool," he said cautiously, observing her reaction. "Maybe I'd like to try it if I have the chance?"
Marinette showed no surprise or disgust, only nodding thoughtfully. Chat breathed a sigh of relief; he knew she wouldn't say anything.
He began to seriously consider the possibility. He didn't want to think about how his father or Nathalie would react if they found out. Plagg had hidden so much Camembert cheese in the room without it being discovered; surely his luck couldn't be so bad that it would be found the moment he hid it.
Oh well, he's not really planning to buy it anyway.
He spent the rest of the night playing around with Marinette, just like countless other nights before. This was definitely one of his favorite times.
-
Nino and Alya invited Adrien to have afternoon tea at a café, and he readily agreed. He was somewhat surprised that Marinette was also there; they hadn't told him beforehand. Marinette looked equally surprised, gasping for a moment when she saw him, stammering for a while before finally managing to squeeze out a "Hey, Adrien!" after Alya nudged her.
He raised his hand, smiled, and greeted her, "Hi, Marinette."
She awkwardly forced an exaggerated smile.
Alya found a seat, with Adrien sitting opposite her. Marinette was about to sit next to Alya when the latter grabbed Nino and forcibly pulled him onto the sofa beside her. Facing Marinette's angry expression, she showed no remorse. "Sorry, girl, I just want to sit with my boyfriend. Why don't you sit with Adrien?"
She gave him a meaningful look. He didn't understand, but still said warmly, "It's okay, the space next to me is empty."
Marinette let out a small scream that was somewhere between a groan and a wail, glared at Alya again, and sat stiffly down next to Adrien.
They talked about a lot of things, from Alix and Kim's latest bet to what might be on next week's test. Nino quickly and sternly stopped them from discussing studying while they were out having fun.
Marinette gradually shed her initial reserve and became increasingly animated in conversation, gesturing animatedly from time to time. Her face radiated an undisguised smile of happiness. She rarely displayed this natural ease in front of Adrien, a quality he saw far more often as Chat Noir.
His phone suddenly vibrated. He unlocked the screen and saw that it was a message from Nino.
[Nino: Dude, you've been staring at Marinette like that for minutes.]
Adrien frowned.
[Adrien: I wasn't staring at her, what are you talking about?]
[Nino: Don't tell me you were completely unaware that you hadn't looked away the whole time, and that you had a silly smile on your face.]
Adrien then realized he had been smiling the whole time and quickly composed himself to avoid Nino saying anything more. He glanced up at Nino, who was staring at him with an expression that seemed to have seen through him.
[Adrien: Just because she's cute.]
[Nino: Seriously, tell me, what do you think of Marinette?]
The person they were talking about was currently waving her arms and arguing with Alya. Adrien thought for a moment and typed a few words on the keyboard.
[Adrien: She's a super nice friend.]
His gaze returned to Marinette. He loved this moment; every move she made was captivating. He couldn't help but smile again.
He suddenly had a strong feeling: he would do anything to protect her smile.
[Nino: Dude...]
Nino looked like he was about to bang his head against the table. He didn't message Adrien again after that.
-
If what happened in the café hadn't made him realize something was wrong, then what happened at school not long afterward finally made him start to reflect.
That's actually quite a normal thing. Marinette is so outstanding, it's only natural that she would encounter boys who try to chat her up. He has absolutely no right to interfere with his friend's social life.
He couldn't explain why, when he saw Marinette chatting so happily with another boy, he felt as if a fire was burning in his chest.
They didn't notice him. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, hidden in the shadows, from an angle that allowed him to see their interaction at the classroom door. The boy didn't look like one of their classmates; he'd never seen him before. Adrien stared intently at them, as if he wanted to burn a hole through the boy with his gaze.
Perhaps it was a cat's intuition, but Adrien felt there was a dog-like quality about that boy. The other person seemed excessively enthusiastic; Adrien swore he could even see the boy's tail wagging wildly as he spoke to Marinette.
This is one of Adrien's lesser-known traits. Sometimes, when he looks at other people, he feels they resemble some kind of animal. This trait has never had any strange effects on him, except now.
A dog? He thought irritably. There could only be one cat next to Marinette, and that was him. A strange restlessness welled up inside him, and he just wanted to rush over and make the boy go away. He didn't even realize that a growl was rising louder and louder from deep within his throat. If he had claws, he probably would have scratched him.
A sharp pain shot through his chest. It was Plagg pinching him, interrupting his unconscious actions. He finally snapped back to reality.
Was he just making a growling sound?
He was actually jealous, just because he thought the other person was like a dog?
What is he thinking? He has absolutely no right to interfere with who she talks to. What does he think he is, Marinette's cat?
Wait…
Was he actually thinking he's Marinette's cat?!
The moment this thought arose, it was like the final piece of a puzzle being completed, and many details he hadn't noticed before flashed before his eyes. Adrien didn't want to believe the conclusion he had reached, but the thought lingered in his mind, and he knew that this was indeed what he was thinking.
Plagg nudged him. He pulled open his coat, revealing the black Kwami with a bright, gossipy grin.
“You should thank me for pulling you back,” he said smugly. “Although I’m curious what would have happened if I had left you alone and let you keep growling, I felt it was more important to maintain your reputation at school.”
"Thank you, Plagg, I don't know what I—"
“So, to thank me, you have to buy me that new cheese platter that just came out!” he announced.
Adrien sighed. He had to talk to Plagg, because the little black cat was the only person he knew who might understand his situation.
-
That evening, Plagg watched Adrien pacing anxiously back and forth in the room.
Plagg swallowed a piece of cheese and comforted him in his usual languid tone, "Relax, kid, instead of worrying, have some cheese." A dreamy look appeared on his face, "Perfect cheese that will never betray you..."
“You don’t understand, Plagg,” Adrien said, almost frantically. “I feel like I’m Marinette’s cat! It’s weird enough that I feel like a cat, but what’s worse is that I have this… feeling about Marinette that I don’t even know what it is!”
“I don’t see anything weird about it, nor do I think it’s bad,” Plagg commented. “In fact, I think it makes perfect sense. Don’t you like Marinette?”
“Of course I like her!” He stopped, glaring at Plagg, “but not in this strange way!”
"So you like her?" Plagg said with a wicked smile.
"We are friends!"
“How boring,” Plagg muttered under his breath, wondering how his holder could be so oblivious. “Alright, Adrien, listen. I don’t know why you find it strange, but to me, your feelings won’t hurt you or anyone else, so why worry about them so much?”
"I almost rushed up to that boy today."
He dismissed it. "But you didn't. Now that you know the reason, you'll definitely be more careful in the future when you encounter this situation, and it will be even less likely that anything will happen."
Humans always find things that defy their common sense strange. Plagg scoffed at this; he existed before humans existed and had seen everything, and he always thought humans made a fuss over unnecessary things.
"And...and why Marinette? Why not Ladybug?"
He couldn't very well tell Adrien that they were actually the same person. "Maybe it's because Ladybug makes you think she's a bug," Plagg could only reply, "while Marinette is human."
"I am human too!"
"But you're also a cat!"
"Plagg, I can't be both a human and a cat at the same time."
Plagg groaned in annoyance. “Come on, why not? Is it that hard to understand? You’re the best holder I’ve ever seen, and one of the reasons is your compatibility with the black cat itself, because you’re a cat.”
Adrien started pacing back and forth again, his steps heavier than before.
Plagg couldn't stand it anymore, "Don't you have any other feelings for Marinette besides this?"
Adrien looked bewildered, "What?"
Plagg almost yelled at him. What had he and Tikki done to end up with two such stupid kids? He really wanted to poke Adrien's face and tell him to take a good look at his classmate; she was definitely more than just a friend. Master Fu hadn't told him he was getting involved in this bunch of teenage love mess before he delivered the Miraculous!
He really wanted to cataclysm this mess.
Calm down, calm down. He took a deep breath, "Why do you think you're her cat?"
“I feel a protective instinct towards her, but she doesn’t need my protection at all; she’s already very strong on her own!” He nervously twirled the ring. “And I have a strong possessiveness towards her, wanting her to have only me as her cat. I find this strange because I’m not a real cat, and I don’t consider myself… a pet.”
Plagg said, "Because you are human, your relationship is equal."
“You just said I'm a cat,” Adrien pointed out, displeased.
"But you're also human. Ahhh, I don't want to waste my time explaining this. Do you consider yourself her possession?"
Adrien thought for a moment. “No.”
"Do you think you only have a one-sided sense of belonging?"
“No,” he said slowly, “she is mine.”
Mine. The word lingered on Adrien's tongue. He had never felt a sentence so true before. The possessiveness that had been deliberately ignored was finally expressed.
She is my human, and I am her cat.
Plagg's eyes lit up, and he excitedly flew around Adrien, saying with satisfaction, "That's right! If you see a good piece of cheese, you should take the initiative and not wait until someone else eats it before you realize you want some too."
“You’re right, thank you Plagg.” Adrien grinned. “I’m going to talk to her!”
"Wait, what, you mean now—"
"Plagg, claws out!"
"That's not what I meant waaaaaaahh ..."
The Kwami was sucked into the ring amidst its wails.
-
Chat Noir nimbly leaped across the block and landed on Marinette's balcony, reaching out to knock on the trapdoor.
“Chat!” Marinette responded faster than he expected. “I was wondering when you would come.”
The door opened. He skillfully leaped down and casually found a place to sit. "Looks like the princess has been waiting for me all this time?"
“Actually,” she suddenly became a little embarrassed, “I have something I want to show you.”
“What a coincidence, I also have something I'd like to talk to you about.” Chat nervously scratched the back of his neck.
“Why don’t you go first?” Marinette suggested.
This is bad. He rushed out on a whim, without knowing what he wanted to say. He should have talked to Plagg a little longer first. He trusted Marinette wouldn't look at him strangely, but he couldn't help feeling anxious. What if he messed things up and lost this friendship forever?
He could, of course, stay by her side as Adrien—one of the advantages of having a dual identity—but he didn't want to risk losing Chat and Marinette's friendship.
"You go first," he insisted.
“Okay.” She walked to the table and rummaged through the drawers, giving him the opportunity to glance at the wall covered with Adrien’s photos. Although he saw them every time he came, this time it felt different. For whatever reason, he occupied a significant portion of the room, as if leaving some kind of mark on it. Chat squinted and let out a soft purr.
“I’m back—why are you purring?” Marinette returned with something in her hand.
Chat looked away. "It's probably because it's too comfortable here." He saw what she was holding and his eyes widened. "You made me a collar?"
He carefully took it from her hand. It was a black collar with a snap closure, the inside made of a soft material that wouldn't chafe the skin; the outside was artificial leather, adding a rugged texture. The word "Chat" was engraved on the clasp, and there was a green paw print at the end.
"I don't know if you'll hate this and I don't know why I made this on a whim so if you think it's offensive you don't have to accept this haha..."
“This is so beautiful,” Chat said softly.
"You—you like this?" Marinette stopped her incessant, anxious chatter and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great! I was thinking of getting your real name's initials engraved, but I was worried that once I knew the initials, I wouldn't be able to resist guessing if any name that matched the description was you. I also didn't get your full name engraved, so that even if others see it, they won't associate it with you. I mean, your real identity and your superhero identity."
Chat folded down the neck and fastened the collar. He didn't wear it close to his neck, but rather let it hang loosely; he didn't like feeling restricted. The neck was a little in the way, but he only briefly felt it out and found the comfort and fit to be quite good. He couldn't help but imagine what Marinette's reaction would be if she saw Adrien wearing it.
Would she think he's handsome?
It's a pity she can't see it, otherwise she would have discovered he was Chat.
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he couldn't help but chuckle mischievously. "Marinette, does this piece, like your other works, also have your signature?"
She nodded, then, as if remembering something, covered her mouth.
“Hmm,” he said in a singing tone, “So your name is on my collar?” He leaned closer, looking into Marinette’s eyes with his sharp cat-like pupils. “Am I your cat, Purr-incess?”
She took two steps back, waving her hands frantically. "That's not what I meant. I didn't say you were mine. If you don't want to—"
“What if I wanted to?” he said softly. “What if I wanted you to be the only human being I could ever have?”
She froze, a visibly flushed blush spreading across her face. "You're one of a kind to me too. You're my chaton," she said.
"So, are you mine?" he asked, pushing his luck.
"Yes, I... I'm your..." She covered her face. "Chat! Don't tease me like that!"
An unsettling silence fell over the room.
Marinette cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence. "And what about Ladybug? I thought you'd think of her as that human, not me."
“She’s not human,” Chat said seriously. “She’s a ladybug.”
Marinette's expression twitched. "She's human. She's clearly human."
“I know,” Chat said. “It’s just a feeling.”
Marinette opened her mouth several times, seemingly wanting to argue, but in the end she just rolled her eyes. Adrien could almost hear Plagg chuckling beside him.
-
The next day at school, Adrien noticed that Marinette was in a good mood, humming a song softly as she drew. Alya noticed too, and nudged her arm. "Girl, what's making you so happy?"
“Nothing,” she replied casually. “I just adopted a cat last night.”
Hearing this, the cat itself who was sitting in front, was secretly delighted, its tail practically wagging in the air.
Nino poked his shoulder with his elbow. "Dude, what's wrong with you lately? Why are you smiling like an idiot all the time?"
"It's nothing. I'm just happy that a cat has been adopted."
In the empty classroom downstairs, Plagg was constantly complaining to Tikki.
“I can’t believe it!” Plagg said angrily. “His infatuation with that girl is so obvious that it’s obvious at a glance, yet he still only sees her as a friend!”
Tikki said helplessly, "The two of them keep going around in circles. If either of them had fallen in love with another side of the other, they could have been together."
Plagg gasped, grabbed Tikki's shoulders and shook her violently. "Sugarcube! What if they both fall for each other's another side at the same time? I don't want to see them repeat this whole farce again in reverse! We have to do something!"
"Re...lax...!" Tikki was dizzy from being shaken. "We have to be careful, or we'll be finished if they accidentally reveal their identities. When did you become so interested in love stories?"
“I just don’t want to see my cat being tortured like this,” he said, disgruntled.
“I don’t want to see my ladybug flying around aimlessly either,” Tikki agreed.
The two Kwamis both sighed.
When will these days ever end?
——END
Some unrelated short sentences that are not suitable for inclusion in the main text:
-
Nino never imagined he'd find a collar in Adrien's room. This…this isn't surprising. He'd unconditionally support his brother! Wait, didn't Mari make this?
He didn't understand why Mari was so stunned when he asked her.
-
Alya really didn't understand why Adrien and Marinette suddenly started dating.
-
Marinette let out a choking scream the moment she realized she had actually given Adrien a collar.
-
Alya had only come to talk to Marinette about something. She hadn't expected to see Adrien, wearing a collar, sitting on Marinette's lap when she went upstairs. She silently closed the door.
Adrien tried to explain that they had just fallen, but the words stuck in his throat.
-
Adrien nearly fainted when he saw Marinette wearing a bell-adorned collar with a distinctly black cat motif.