Continuing Tales

How to Bond With a Cat

A Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Story
by Theonewhosawitall

Part 7 of 19

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Marinette glanced at Tikki, eyes wide with shocked joy. Tikki covered her mouth with her hands to hold in the giggles. Marinette leaned her elbows on the edge of the trap door, watching Chat, with Tikki on her shoulder. Marinette lifted her phone up to record it too. She'd gone out to get a sewing kit from downstairs to fix the Chat Noir doll that Chat had accidentally broken. He knocked the ball of lime green yarn onto the floor accidentally and went to pick it up so Marinette wouldn't have to search the whole room for the yarn. Then he kicked it accidentally. Now she was watching him dart across the floor, batting at the ball of yarn as it unravelled. It had gotten caught on something when he had dashed after it. he pounced on it from afar, and clawed at it. he mewled victoriously, and raised his arm high. Caught up in the triumph, he wasn't thinking properly.

"CATA-"

"CHAT NO!"

Chat had a heart attack and leapt into the air as she leapt into the room and threw herself at him. she tackled him to the floor, and they both ended up in a heap. Marinette ended up across his chest. Her eyes focused on the yarn in his hand. She snatched it away and rolled off of him.

"You were about to cut our night short because you caught my yarn!" she complained.

The reality of the mistake dawned on Chat. He would have had to leave before anyone saw him, and cut the night short. He propped himself up on his elbows as she ravelled the yarn back up into a ball. She seemed more annoyed that he had almost cut their time short than that he had left a trail of wool all over her bedroom.

"We should come up with a plan, just in case something like this happens again," he said, breezily.

"The plan is simple, be responsible and think before you use your power to destroy everything you touch!" Marinette snapped.

Chat reeled backward, his eyes fell, and he was visibly hurt. Tikki winced. Marinette bit her lip. The guilt hit her like a train instantly. She looked back down at the yarn, shamefully.

"Sorry… I didn't mean that," she said, softly.

Chat sat up properly, "you're right. I shouldn't be so irresponsible. Ladybug would be disappointed in me."

"No, she wouldn't!" Marinette insisted, "Ladybug would understand how easy it is to make a mistake… the difference is she can fix everything she does, and you…"

"Can destroy everything forever, yeah I know," he sighed.

She bowed her head lower. "I didn't mean it like that."

He reached out and laid his hand on the back of hers. "I know. I know what my powers do princess. I'm not just your knight of the night, I'm a hero of Paris. Akumas come after me because of what I can do. I know they can be dangerous. That's why they were trusted to me."

Marinette raised her head. She didn't have that faith. Sometimes she still thought Alya would be better for the job. "Do you know that? for sure?"

"Well not for sure, but I feel it. Someone must have chosen me, and somehow got my miraculous into my room so I could become Chat Noir. Things don't just appear for no reason," he said, firmly.

"The same thing happened with my earrings," Marinette said, softly.

"What, some strange person left them in your bedroom so you could become the hero of Paris?" Chat teased.

Marinette felt her breath catch urgently. "No! no! I just meant… my earrings appeared in my room one day. someone must have left them for me. My grandma is always leaving things for me, they come in the post, I don't know where they came from, but I always wear them because they're special, y'know?"

Chat's smile grew as he watched her get deeper into a panic. "You're cute when you're flustered."

Marinette smiled, and looked away shyly. "If only Louis thought that."

"Does he make you flustered? Can he make you blush?" Chat asked.

There was a certain hint of something in it that neither of them noticed. It was too buried under the curiosity. Chat was eager for any information to figure out who Louis was. Desperate enough for it, he didn't notice that tiny flicker of envy in his chest.

"Anyone can make me blush, it's not blushing I'm worried about. It's when I get so tongue tied I can't talk to him. I just make a fool of myself," Marinette sighed.

"If it's any consolation, I always make a fool of myself around Betty too. Sometimes I think she wishes I wouldn't," Chat said.

"Wouldn't what?"

"Wouldn't be so foolish. Less puns, more facts, less flirting, more logic, less… me, more partner. I just can't do it."

Chat's tail got further between his legs, and he bowed his head sadly. Marinette nudged him, gently.

"For what it's worth, I like some of your puns."

Chat's head snapped up, a new light in his eyes. "You do?!"

"They've grown on me," she nodded.

"They have?" he beamed.

"Yeah. Kinda like mould. Irritating and difficult to get rid of!" she grinned back.

"I THOUGHT WE WERE HAVING A MOMENT!"

"We had a moment, now let me fix the doll while you put on that!"

Chat laughed as he stood up, following her orders as usual. Marinette needed to see how a design of hers would look while being worn. Specifically, worn by Juleka. Rose had roped her into ballet lessons, and she had grown to enjoy it, and now they had a performance of Swan Lake coming up and Juleka asked Marinette to make her outfit for the after party. Something that had her characters essence, but was really Juleka too. It was a hard task, since the swan was white and graceful, and Juleka was… Juleka, so Marinette was focusing on the swan part first.
Marinette had her legs folded beneath her as she laid the Chat Noir doll on her lap. She threaded the needle with such focus her tongue poked out of her mouth. Chat smirked. that was something else Adrien never saw. The passion she had for her work when she got going.

"Don't I look the cat's meow?" Chat purred.

Marinette looked up. the dress was white, and it had a sweetheart neckline, high enough that it almost reached her neck. The swan had a lower cut sweetheart neckline but Juleka liked having her collar high. The dress had lace with floral swirls along the sleeves, like her favourite shirt. The tutu skirt was loose and fell gracefully around her knees. It was layered white, lilac, white, lilac, for the flare of purple she was known for, and pearl green spots of glitter hidden along the hem gave it sparkle, and matched the green on her favourite shirt. All of this greatly contracted the crass blackness of Chat's outfit. Marinette grinned.

"The bees knees," she agreed.

"It's a privilege to wear something my princess has made herself," he winked.

He had started flirting with her more blatantly now, so he could practice flirting with Ladybug. He was beginning to worry she thought his flirting wasn't as serious as he meant it to be. even so, sometimes it was hard to tell where the flirting ended, and the puns began.

"Stay still and let me stick pins in you voodoo doll," Marinette teased.

"I'll be your voodoo doll if I get to prick you back," Chat winked.

"You're my voodoo doll because you have the power to take my breath away," Marinette said, coolly.

Chat gasped, "Smooth! Louis should consider himself lucky."

"Yeah, there's no way I can be as smooth around him as I am around you," Marinette scoffed.

"I am one cool cat," Chat smirked.

"Or a massive dork wearing a ballet dress who can't play go fish properly."

"I thought you had to fish every round, no one ever taught me to play!"

No one ever taught him to play any card games. It's difficult to play them when you're constantly busy working let alone teach them. it's harder to play them by yourself, and no one was ever there to play card games. Chloe certainly didn't want to. Ever. All she wanted to do was play dress up. now he had Marinette, Marinette taught him how to play go fish, snap, and 52 cards pick up. although that last one was a bit mean since he had no idea what he was in for, and she felt bad, so she helped him tidy up the mess she had made.

"there. all better," Marinette held up the fixed doll, his arm was dashed with new stitches, holding it secure. "You know this reminds me of the babe."

Chat frowned. "what babe?"

"the babe with the power."

"What power?"

"the power of voodoo."

"How?"

"Aw you ruined it!" Marinette laughed.

Chat tilted his head quizzically. "ruined what?"

Marinette's face fell and she stared at him in alarm for a moment. "Haven't you seen The Labyrinth?"

Chat shook his head. Marinette almost turned into Nino as she freaked out because he hadn't seen the movie her father adored so much. she was so distracted by that as she pinned the fabric into place that she almost stabbed him with the pin twice. in the end, she jotted it down on a list they were making of films one of them hadn't seen. They tried to get through two movies on their monthly movie night, but so far they hadn't made it very far down the ever-growing list. For now Marinette turned her focus back to the dress. It would have to be finished soon. The show was on Mother's Day.

"Oh… that's soon is it?" he asked, suddenly growing a little distant.

"So my mother keeps reminding me," Marinette chuckled. "Although she keeps reminding me that sugar isn't good for cats, so you shouldn't be eating all the snacks you do every time you come over."

"I can't help it princess! Saving Paris builds up an appetite. You should see what it does to Plagg,"

Marinette smiled. Chat talked about his kwami so much Marinette felt a need to meet him, and yet she didn't want to. She didn't want to find out who Chat was, because then she would have to tell him she was Ladybug, and this whole dynamic would shift. Things couldn't be so light and easy if he knew she was Ladybug. Chat seemed to catch a glimpse of what she was thinking.

"One day, Hawk Moth will be defeated. As soon as he is, I will tell you who I am, and you can meet Plagg. I promise," Chat said, seriously.

"You promise?" she repeated.

He held out his pinkie. She smirked, and linked hers around it. he grinned back.

"I swear on the spatula of destiny that I will keep my word. Cats honour."

Marinette giggled. Her gaze rose to that messy hair of his, and her smile vanished as an idea hit her. Chat recognised that glint in her eyes.

"What?" he asked, nervously.

"Can I braid your hair?" she asked.

Chat burst into laughter. he did her nails, they gossiped about their crushes, they taught each other games and pick up lines, she got in him a dress, and now she wanted to braid his hair? Adrien had wanted to be one of the girls, but he didn't realise how deep in it he had gotten. Then he looked into her hopeful, gleaming eyes, and he found his voice answering before his mind.

"Sure thing princess."

She beamed at him, and darted to her table to grab her brush. Chat took off the dress, and sat down on the floor. Marinette sat behind him on the sofa, and began to smooth out his hair. He shuffled backwards so she could reach easier. His head was practically in her lap as she brushed his hair out smoother. She dropped hair bands onto him for him to hand back later, when she needed them. Her hands ran though his hair gently, taking strands and plaiting them together expertly. Adrien had seen the circle of girls at lunchtime, all doing each other's hair. Usually it started because of Rose, or because someone had a big event coming up, or they were just gossiping together, and grooming felt like a natural part of gossiping. For whatever reason, you could often find the girls (except Chloe. Alix was rare, Sabrina was rarer, but NEVER Chloe) in a corner somewhere, half standing up, half sitting down, putting each other's hair into wild styles, or just practicing normal ones. Maylene, she liked to practice plaits. She was excellent as fishtails. Alya, she liked to see how many ponytails she could fit on one head. Both were often well received, and removed before the next class. That was another thing he didn't understand. Why do it if you were just going to take it out again straight after it was finished?
NOW he understood it.
Her knees bumped against his back, so she moved her feet to pin him in closer. Her fingers ran though his hair, brushing against his head. He felt her knuckles rub against his skull like a bumpy kind of massage. It was a blissful feeling. Her fingers twisting the strands to make them weave together. He felt a rumble deep in his chest. A rumble deep enough to feel like a purr. He felt the need to hide that purr from Marinette. Ladybug already teased him about it, he didn't need two blue eyed girls teasing him together. Chat's hair was just long enough to put two braids in that linked together like a halo atop his head. Messy as it was in places, it made him look more handsome. She asked for the hair band, and he raised his arm. It was looped on his wrist. She had to peel it off over his fingers herself.

"It's pretty rudimentary, but it's cute," she shrugged.

Marinette held out her phone on a front facing camera to use as a mirror. He took it in a paw, disappointed that she wasn't playing with his hair anymore, and then he saw his hair. His jaw dropped, and curved into a smile.

"Princess! I'm so beautiful! Thank you!" he breathed.

Marinette grinned. "I could put flowers in, but I don't have any right now."

"Next time," Chat nodded.

He laid his head back against her lap. It was a calmer moment than either of them expected it to be. Marinette took back her phone, and began playing a game on it. She had her cat on her lap, her phone in her hand, and her kwami on her shoulder. With her free hand, she drew circles in his hair, behind his ear with her thumb. Try as he like to stop it, the purr escaped. Marinette smiled affectionately.

"Silly kitty."

How to Bond With a Cat

A Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Story
by Theonewhosawitall

Part 7 of 19

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