Chat Noir felt… warm.

He hadn't felt this warm since he was a child, in his mother's arms. It was a warmth he could barely feel in the few hugs he'd received since then, a warmth that never lasted, a warmth that was as safe as it was fleeting. It never lasted; it was never frequent.

And yet, in the still silence, the warm didn't leave. It… shifted?

Chat blinked his eyes open slowly and took in a slight breath as he realized what was in his arms. Or rather, who.

He was stiff for a few moments, when had he fallen asleep? He was supposed to be protecting Marinette, not dozing off, he chastised himself.

But the frustration melted as he saw her face, looking calmer than he had ever seen it before. Her eyes were closed peacefully in sleep, her mouth just barely open. A small amount of drool found its way onto his chest, where her head lay.

He relaxed, closing his eyes as he took in her scent. His arm was somewhat asleep, but he didn't dare shift to disturb her. This was something she needed. Something he needed too, he realized. He moved his other arm carefully, to rest on her hair, and stroke it gently.

Chat smiled softly. She was beautiful.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed there, but he didn't care. His mind began to drift, watching her. Marinette. Wonderful, amazing, beautiful Marinette. How had he never seen her before? No, he knew how- Ladybug. He wouldn't say that he felt nothing for Ladybug anymore, but… it was different from what he felt now. With Ladybug, his love was exciting, amazing, an explosion of emotion. He always was thrilled, waiting and wondering for what would happen next.

This… this felt like home. This was a moment he hoped would never end.

Eventually, she twitched, and began to shift slightly. He paused stroking her hair, and her eyelids flickered. "Good morning, Princess," he murmured.

"Hnnngggg…." she moaned, snuggling closer to him, and he laughed soundlessly. His arm was still asleep, and there was something inside him that felt… stiff. It felt something like the urgency when his ring was beeping, and yet it was anything but urgent, simply tired. In fact, that urgency wasn't what at all he was feeling- it was just the physical emotion that came with the magical feeling.

This must have been the annoyance Plagg had when he said he would have to be transformed all day. Chat hoped it wouldn't be that much of a concern.

He pushed the thought away as Marinette's half open eyes flickered, before slowly widening. She became still for a second, realizing where she was. "Ch-Chat?" her voice was quiet.

"That's me," he confirmed, amusement dancing in his voice.

She looked up at him, and their eyes held. Her eyes were still a little bloodshot from before, with a little bit of puffiness around them. But that didn't take away from the breathtaking blue that he wondered how he had never truly noticed before. Something about them felt so familiar, something about the way he so easily got lost in them. He shook the feeling away, that had to be natural, after all it's not like this was the first time he had seen her eyes.

At length, her face flushed through the blotches, and she broke the contact, whatever that was. "I uh…" she began but quickly cut herself off. "Uhm…" before she could stutter out whatever she was trying to express next, a small grumble sounded from her stomach.

Chat automatically looked about for a clock, but he didn't find one. It must be sometime past lunchtime, whatever time it was. He felt a pang of disappointment, realizing they would have to get up. "We should probably get something to eat," he told her, not yet moving.

She stared at him for a moment, before comprehension flitted across her face with a flush. "YEs, food, uh, food is good," she squeaked.

He grinned, as they continued to sit, neither having moved. He would get up, except that she was still laying on top of him. "Marinette?"

"Hwwa?"

"I, uh, need my arm to get up…?" he tried.

"RIGHT!" She leapt off him, only to have her injured leg let out from under her, immediately stumbling. Chat's reflexes jumped into overdrive, catching her before she had completely collapsed.

"You okay, Princess?"

She let out a nervous giggle as she disentangled herself from his arms yet again. "Pust yeachy! Just peachy! I mean-" she buried her face in her hands, as Chat laughed again, somewhat nervously.

This behavior was quite familiar, though he hadn't seen it for a few months. It was a behavior she only showed around Adrien. Never Chat, and from what he could tell, no one else either. He really wasn't sure what to make of it, it didn't seem like she was mad at him?

Either way, she shouldn't be walking around on that leg. "Here, let me go ask your mom if she left anything out for us?" he suggested.

"I can come-"

"Not on that leg you won't, unless you would prefer to be carried?" He raised an eyebrow as he teased.

Her mouth opened and closed again. "NO I'M FINE. That is- uh, if- if Maman didn't leave anything, h-help yourself to anything," she said in a rush.

Chat nodded. "Don't worry about a thing, Princess. Let your leg rest," he urged.

With that, he let himself down the stairs carefully. He hadn't realized how strange it was to walk alone in someone else's house. He had gone up alone before as Adrien, but it was still something different.

As he reached the kitchen, he found a note reading,

Good Morning! I thought you two might be hungry when you woke up, so I made some spaghetti. Go ahead and reheat it if you need and take whatever else you like.

Chat flushed slightly. Marinette's mother was so very kind, to do that for them. Not only had she checked up on them, but she had made food on top of everything else she needed to do for the bakery. Now that he realized it, he could smell the sauce in the air. Her priorities were on her daughter, and it was so… wholesome.

It also meant she must have walked in while the two of them were sleeping. The idea made his heart jump slightly, he wasn't quite sure why. Like, she was aware of something between them, maybe? That she was okay with it?

Looking around the kitchen, it seemed she had refrigerated the dish, so he went ahead and heated it up. As he waited, he grabbed some croissants and other baked goods that were on the counter.

He returned up the stairs and fumbled with the trap door. He ended up setting a plate down as he opened the door, and carefully let himself in, making great effort not to spill anything.

"Chat! You- you could have taken two trips!" Marinette scolded, but she giggled through her words. She was now sitting at the sewing machine; working with some sort of black fabric.

He scoffed. "And leave my pride behind? Not a chance!"

He wasn't sure quite where to set things down, but Marinette noticed his peril and waved him over.

"What are you working on?" he asked, setting the plates down.

"Oh! Uhm," she blushed. "I was thinking, even- even though I'm feeling better, I… were you wanting to stay the rest of today?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Chat blinked. "I- yeah, that was the plan." Even if he didn't need to, there was not a chance he was returning to the mansion right now.

She visibly relaxed, and Chat's heart melted at the sight. She was that happy that he was staying? "I- I was thinking, isn't it hard for you to be transformed for so long? So- so I wanted to whip up something really quick, that you could hide your identity comfortably, without having to be transformed."

He gaped at her. "R-really?" Marinette seriously thought of everything.

"If- if you think it would be okay-" she began.

"I think that's amazing!" he grinned, cutting off her doubt. "I- I mean, I'll check with Plagg first, of course." She glanced back at him, with a kind, open smile on her face, before returning her attention to the sewing machine once again.

Chat wondered how it was possible for his heart to be this full.

"Make sure you eat something," he reminded her, gesturing to her untouched spaghetti. "The project can wait a few minutes?"

She shook her head. "It's almost done. I already have the outfit, I just needed to touch up the mask really quick."

Chat blinked. "Already have the outfit? Were you planning to…?"

Her eyes widened. "NO, I MEAN- I- It wasn't for you- No wait it was? I have an outfit that fits you- a- a hoodie- but it's also Chat Noir themed- I kinda made it, thinking of you so I guess it was for you, but I didn't think I would ever give it to you like it wasn't the plan or anything- and there's also these jeans I made as a test to make something sized for guys-"

"Princess" Chat laughed. "It's purrfect."

She went completely still, and then burst out laughing. "I knew something felt weird! Was that the first pun you made today?"

He continued to grin. "What, you missed them?

Her eyes softened, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Yeah."

Chat spun around, in a desperate effort to hide his rapidly heating face. What was that look she just gave him?! Because of puns?! What was that reaction? What was he supposed to say? Ladybug only ever brushed them off!

"Alright, it should be done!" She exclaimed, just a little too loudly. Fortunately, Chat managed to collect himself by the time he turned around. "Here, you go ahead and change into these," she gave several items. "Uh, the bathroom is d-downstairs."

"Right," he confirmed, making sure once more not to drop anything, as he made his way down. "Plagg, claws in," he called, once he was safely inside.

Plagg drifted lazily from the ring with a moan. "Cheeeeeese…." he droned, but Adrien wasn't listening.

He examined what she had given him. There were jeans, which honestly, he wouldn't have known they were handmade, if it wasn't for the lack of tag. She truly had some professional skill. The jacket was black, but had multiple green accents that matched his eyes, most of which took the form of small pawprints. It wasn't a hoodie because of the green zipper that ran down the center, with a golden bell at the top. He grinned; it was adorable.

The mask was stringed, shaped like the one he had as Chat Noir. It had little pawprints on it however, but it seemed as though she did not make it in only five minutes. Was she actually planning something like this before? Maybe it was just a design idea? He wasn't sure, but he was grateful all the same.

"What do you think Plagg, am I unrecognizable?" Adrien asked as he put the mask on, worried that the kwami would tell him this was a bad idea, and to transform.

The kwami looked at him carefully. "Make sure that hood is up at all times and muss your hair first. You'll also want to make your voice sound different, there's no magic protecting it right now. It sounds the same as both Chat and Adrien, but she can recognize it better now. She ordinarily wouldn't be thinking of it, but this is an entire day, something could remind her of Adrien," he answered with surprising responsibility. The cat was being seriously helpful today.

Adrien gaped. "So, it's okay then?"

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Were you listening to a word I said, kid?" Adrien blushed in response. "Aight, I'm getting cheese. Go back to your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," he answered hotly out of habit. The cat simply fazed through the floor with a loud sigh.

"...Not yet, at least," Adrien admitted, allowing himself to hope.

AN: Get fluffed! There's allot more where that came from! (I edited a few weird words out after my beta reader got back to me) And as always, thank you for the support friends~