Thank you to CalicoAndLace for betaing! This was written for Day 2: Ghibli AU of Marichat May.

Chat Noir leaped across the rooftops before pausing to allow Ladybug to catch up. She huffed as he gave her a cheeky grin.

"Aww m'lady, don't worry! I'll never let anyone know that I win all of our races!"

Ladybug's jaw dropped as she glared at him. "I'll have you know that I let you win that time!"

"And several times before that?" Chat asked cheerfully, making her bite her lip and turn away in a huff. She threw him a calculating look before hooking her yoyo to the next building.

"Race you to the Eiffel Tower!" She called, already swinging away. Chat Noir laughed. So, that's how she wants to play it.

"That's okay, I don't mind working with a handicap," he called, vaulting behind her. He tried to get ahead of her, but he overestimated his last jump and ended up crashing into her.

"I guess you could say Eiffel for you," Chat joked as they detangled themselves. Ladybug rolled her eyes but she was still smiling at him, so Chat decided that it was alright.

He had to turn away from her for a moment, trying to ignore the way his heart had skipped a beat, being so close to her. He couldn't feel that way anymore, he'd promised himself he'd stop giving into his feelings for her.

When he'd said he was moving on, that had meant something and he always kept his word. Besides, there may be someone else who was creeping into his heart and it was unfair to both of them if he were to hold on to his feelings for Ladybug.

"I don't think there will be any akumas tonight, Kitty. Let's head home," Ladybug yawned.

"Home?" He repeated blankly, his eyes uselessly searching for any sign of an akuma. He would gladly take any excuse that would keep him from having to go home.

Ladybug nodded. "No point in hanging around here, besides I could really do with some sleep." She frowned as she leaned towards him, causing Chat to fight to keep his blush down. "Is everything okay? You seem even less excited to go home than normal."

Chat Noir pursed his lips. "I'm fine, it's just something my Father said that's bothering me. I'll get over it."

That something being the fact that his father had spent over an hour, the only time he got to even see the man, yelling at him about how he was being selfish and a nuisance to his father. All because he dared to ask to have dinner together instead of spending another meal by himself.

The only thing that had been keeping his mind off of it was spending time with Ladybug.

There was a hard, unforgiving look in Ladybug's eyes, and even knowing it wasn't directed at him, Chat Noir wanted to flinch away from her. "What did he do?" She demanded to know.

"I can't tell you." Ladybug opened her mouth to protest, but he interrupted her. "It has to do with identities," he lied. He could have told her if he wanted to but he was afraid of what Ladybug would want to do. He knew perfectly well that she would happily drop identities if that meant she got to teach his father a lesson.

Ladybug took in a deep, frustrated breath before sighing. "Alright, Kitty. You win. But please tell someone you know in your civilian life. Keeping things bottled inside isn't the way to handle it."

Chat Noir nodded but Ladybug wasn't satisfied with that. "Promise me," she demanded. Chat Noir didn't want to. Promising Ladybug meant that he had to follow through; his traitorous heart wouldn't accept anything else. And the last thing he wanted to do was tell anyone about his feelings; it was so much easier to cope when he could put on a happy face and shove his hurt way deep down inside of him.

But looking into her pleading blue eyes had him melting. It always touched his heart to see her caring about him. "I promise," he muttered in defeat. She gave him a soft smile before swinging away.

He hesitated, his baton ready to head towards home. But the last thing Chat Noir wanted to do tonight was to be alone in his gigantic room. He glanced in the opposite direction. There was one place that had someone who would be happy to keep him company.

If the excitement of getting to see her had him moving faster than usual, then well, nobody needed to know about it.

He landed on her balcony, dropping inside her room with a cheerful greeting. "Hi, Princess!" he called out.

Marinette let out a yelp, looking strangely frazzled. "Chat Noir? I wasn't expecting to see you tonight. I mean you're more than welcome but you never come over today," she sighed once she had finished talking. "I'm happy you're here," she said at last.

Chat Noir walked over to her, pulling her into a fierce hug and burying his face in her neck. Marinette stiffened in surprise before relaxing and hugging him back. He wanted to stay there forever and soak in her warmth.

"Kitty, is everything okay?" She murmured in his ear, one of her hands reaching up to stroke his hair.

"I'm okay," he said, pulling himself away from her. "Seeing you always makes me feel better," Chat grinned. He was a little startled to realize it was true. When he was with Marinette, that echo of his Father, expressing his disappointment in him and telling him how he was a failure to the brand, went silent. It had never done that before, not even with Ladybug.

Chat frowned, thinking about those implications and what that meant for him. Distractedly, Chat glanced up to see Marinette watching him worriedly. He felt another rush of affection for her before an idea popped into his head.

"Can I stay here with you for a while? Maybe watch some anime?" He asked hopefully, giving her his best kitten eyes.

Marinette laughed. "Grab my laptop and head up there," she gestured towards her bed. "I'll go grab the snacks," she called as she opened the hatch leading to the rest of her home. Chat grinned, as he did what she had asked.

He got comfy against the giant cat pillow Marinette had on her bed when his eyes caught the pictures on her board. There were more of him, as Chat Noir this time, along with group shots. He still wondered why she had taken down his photos as Adrien when she said they were for helping her with designs, but Chat knew better than to ask.

Marinette arrived soon after with a plate full of croissants and macarons, making him sigh blissfully.

"Dupain-Cheng croissants. You spoil me," he shook his head before grabbing one of the flaky pastries and shoving it in his mouth. He moaned in delight while Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

"These are really good," he defended himself as she laughed.

"Which movie do you want to watch?" She asked as she balanced the plate and her laptop between them. "Spirited Away?" She guessed but Chat Noir shook his head.

"Not feeling in a Spirited Away sort of mood. Kiki's Delivery Service alright with you?" Marinette nodded and set up the movie. As it began to play, she wrapped her arms around him.

Cuddling with her as they watched Kiki fly on her broomstick, things felt right.

Yes, I tweaked the prompt a little but I think it works better this way. Things will really pick up with Marinette and Chat in the next chapter. Thank you for reading!