A/N: thank you all so much for the support! i'm surprised by all the positivity!
heads up for some ladynoir interaction next chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

ix.
tout ce que je veux

Ton rire est ma dépendance.

Marinette hummed, allowing the chair to spin before a sigh parted her lips and she returned to sitting properly on the seat. She wasn't fond of Physics. Mathematics in general miffed her, and Chemistry was only slightly better. Biology, on the other hand, was interesting though the Arts were surely always in her favor.

And the offer of help was nice… No, she couldn't bug the kitty cat to tutor her.

"Really? Well …" So much for that plan.

He laughed at her clear indecisiveness on the matter. He certainly didn't mind it. He remembered years where he helped Chloé with her homework. [Maybe help was too vague of a word.]

It was originally like that, but there was a while he ended up essentially doing it for her. At least, he made her write down her own answers and he'd been trying to correct the behavior, but Sabrina didn't help with those attempts in the least. In the end, he just gave up.

However, Marinette wasn't Chloé and he knew could actually offer help without having to do it for her. She was far from the type of person to let others do her work for her, it seemed. It was one of the things he liked about her. Marinette wanted to earn what she got, from contests to votes to grades.

She hopped up to her feet and moved toward the bed, reaching for the bookbag that leaned on her nightstand. She then removed the textbook and notes in question, sprawling them over her comforter and crossing her legs as she shifted to sit next to the materials on the bed. Bluebell eyes flickered to Chat Noir, just short of begging him to settle down beside her.

"Could you, maybe, explain Ampère's law? I've read these words a thousand times and it's—" She passed a hand over her head, indicating her lack of comprehension. Perhaps, this was an excuse to keep him around longer; she wasn't so sure anymore. He was hardly bad company and with the little things she was able to learn about him each time he visited, the more interested in him she became.

He smiled kindly, moving to join her on the bed. "Of course, Princess. The textbook is pretty confusing in how it words things."

Wait.

"A least most of them are." After all, he shouldn't imply that he had the same textbook. "Math-loving folks are not the best writers for people like us," he mused with a chuckle, grabbing a pencil and a spare piece of paper, beginning to write so he could properly explain the parts of the equation and how the current worked.

And after years of Chloé? It was more than easy to be patient in his explanations.

She was surprised to see Chat Noir so willing to help. This, paired with the fact that he was liked Physics, was a bonus! She could only think of one more person who enjoyed the subject in her class, but to ask Adrien for assistance on her homework—… well, when she could barely hold a conversation, [except on the rare occasions her confidence existed around him]—would likely take some time.

Chat Noir had also begun pondering if he should offer as Adrien. He was still for the idea of making friends with Marinette on the other side of the mask and it would be an easy gateway. He just needed to 'notice' her struggling one day and he hoped she could accept it without getting too nervous.

Subconsciously shifting closer to peer at the cat's handwriting, Marinette watched as he scrawled down the circuital law in its integral form. Ugh. Calculus was the kind of thing she had a bit of trouble using. A frown settled on her lips, but as he kept at it, slowly describing each component in a way that didn't totally go over her head like this textbook had the tendency to, she found herself relaxing.

"Say we change this into a sum, instead," Marinette reached for the pencil in his hands, writing down another equation beneath the integral and using the book as a reference.

"…ΔL is the circumference. And I mean, obviously, the circumference of a circle is just 2πr, right?" That made this much easier to visualize. "I know this is the permeability constant… 1.26e-6… which is free space …"

"Yeah, that also works. See—you've already got it!"

He found her fun to teach. She asked many questions, but it was easier to figure out what to explain when she did. Continuing to murmur and wait for his approval, she began to make sense of the equation. Within just a few tries, Marinette had gone over the parts in a far more simplified manner.

She didn't want Chat Noir to do the problems for her and only allowed him to help her figure out where to plug in values before punching the numbers into her calculator and doing the math on her own. There was more satisfaction in getting the right answer this way, and she would never take credit when another happened to do all the work.

As she struggled through a couple examples from the book in her notebook, she had pressed herself even closer to the other—unfazed and comfortable basically leaning on the blonde's shoulder.

Chat Noir hadn't even noticed, at first. The warmth at his side was soothing, almost familiar in a way. Her sweet scent caught his attention, like cookies and sea breeze perfume. It was overall pleasant, and he couldn't bring himself to point out the behavior. She might pull away if he did.

"Mmh ... Merci, Chat Noir," Marinette eventually hummed, taking a break and discarding her pencil. She sighed and gathered one of her pillows into her arms, pressing her it against her chest while flopping back against the mattress.

"I feel a little better about my test now. You've a lot of patience to put up with all my questions."

"You're welcome, Princess. I'm happy to be of service," he responded with a bow of his head, leaning back on his hands and watching her. "It means you're a good student. It's easier to teach if I know what needs to be learned."

Suddenly, a blush burned her cheeks and he blinked as she quickly hid behind the pillow, adding in a muffled voice, "I'm actually kind of surprised."

Amusement flickered over his features. She was incredibly cute.

"Oh? Didn't expect a silly tomcat to be patient?"

She could just hear him grinning and it caused Marinette to grow a little more flustered. A few, quiet grumbles left her lips before she lowered the pillow from her face, shooting the other a look to show her lack of amusement.

Yet, even annoyed, she couldn't help but feel drawn towards the other and she decided that she much preferred this sincere lightheartedness to the pained smiles on his person just a week ago. "That makes me sound like a bad person," she complained, lips pressed together in some mildly indignant way. "You've been so helpful and it's just… nice. Especially since I hadn't heard from you in a while."

"Oh, never bad, Princess. Purresumptuous, mewbe." [He looked quite proud of the double pun, to her dismay.] He could only agree, though. This was nice. It had taken weeks for Adrien to relax like this around Nino, and Chat Noir wasn't allowed to reach this level with Ladybug. It was lovely to have someone else he could relax around.

Marinette sat up but her eyes drifted past Chat Noir as she admitted, "I missed you," which was probably almost strange given their lack of interaction as a civilian girl.

His eyes widened. She had missed him?

But, this part of her was Ladybug speaking and to endure the time alone had taken a greater toll on the superheroine than she'd expected it to. Physically and mentally—like the lack of his presence had sucked the motivation out of her, so to counteract, she'd forced herself to become even more determined to win when facing villains by herself. "If that makes any sense."

And to him, it was strange because they had only spoken a handful of times like this, but it was enough for her to care enough to… miss him?

He wasn't sure he ever remembered being missed. There weren't many people to be candidates to miss him. The surprise remained on his face this time, for a good several moments.

"I…"

For a moment, Marinette was afraid that she'd creeped him out with the admission. Or worse, that he'd laugh and brush her off the exact same way she had the habit of doing. And she wouldn't blame him because she deserved it. Taking this long to see what a great friend she had in Chat Noir, offering nothing in return.

She was fortunate to have him around, even if it hadn't been so obvious from the beginning.

Meanwhile, his stomach was twisting uncomfortably. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't miss her, she sat behind him in class every day! [Thank you? Was this a thank you type of thing?] It didn't feel enough because just having someone who wanted him around meant the world, so he did the only thing he could think of—and leaned forward—wrapping his arms around her, forehead against her shoulder.

Loose, easy to pull away, but it was a hug. "It's… unexpected."

Marinette tensed because she hadn't been prepared, and the hint of a flush spread across her cheeks. Proximity was a bigger deal when she actually paid attention. He wore the scent of the city, mixed with something warm and sweet, maybe vanilla and these few words were enough to indicate he'd felt the same way about her remark.

She quickly forced herself to relax. "I-It is, huh?"

[Did she just stammer?]

Clearing her throat, Marinette gently nuzzled her cheek against his hair, drawing her arms upwards to wrap loosely around him. He tightened his hold in response. Still respecting one another's boundaries, but it was more assured. Sighing, Chat Noir slumped against her. He was full of too much emotion from her kind words, with elation that someone he liked cared for him in turn—and he was more than eager to soak in that affection.

"You don't know me very well, aah, of course, it's unexpected." These white lies spilled past her lips with ease. "I suppose you could say I'm a tiny bit attached to you."

"We've both saved one another. Those sort of things create a strong bond fairly quickly," he rationalized the situation since it might explain her end of things. Gratitude, concern, sympathy. Hard to not care for someone with all that. He had the advantage of knowing her as Adrien.

"Yeah. They do." He was right, she supposed, even though it was much more than saving his life; that was all he was familiar with as Chat Noir so she was content to entertain the idea.

What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him… And besides, with how he was clinging to her now—forehead pressed to her shoulder and arms encircling her frame—she didn't have the heart to push him away and create distance between them again.

"I would like to visit again. If that's… alright."

His remark caught her off-guard and Marinette paused, stomach fluttering before she closed her eyes and managed to form words. "Yes, it's alright. I told you before that you're welcome to visit anytime." Before his injury and willingness to open up, she couldn't guarantee that she would have agreed so readily but things were different now, and this was proof enough.

"That's what friends do, silly kitty."

"Sadly, I can't return the favor, but I'll try to visit enough to make up for it," he murmured into her shoulder, the smile evident in his tone.

A sigh escaped her and she drew him even closer, lifting one of her hands to ruffle the hair at his nape, nuzzling, humming, "I won't argue with that."

She wasn't surprised to hear this. With the matter of identity, she didn't expect him to invite her wherever he lived and she hummed as Chat Noir's head spun from this display of affection. It was wonderful being this close to someone, to feel those gentle hands in his hair, those arms around him, and he was going to purr at this rate.

No, correction, he was definitely purring, and he couldn't even be bothered to be embarrassed about it. He was too happy to care.

It would be some time before he could consider telling her about Adrien, and probably a talk with Ladybug if the issue ever came up, but for now, this was enough. Friends with this lovely girl, one he could try to make happy and laugh, and another person he could be more of himself around.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by her voice.

"Are you purring?" The girl laughed. "That's so cute!"

"Cute?" Well, yes. [Chat Noir was cute, no matter how much she would try to convince herself otherwise.]

Her tone held a bit of good-natured teasing, however, with no real intention to upset him. Even if she hadn't said it unkindly, he felt the heat crawl to his cheeks. It wasn't as though he had much of reason to purr often; sometimes His Lady would scratch him, but they were brief moments. Barely enough time to lean into the touch, let alone start purring.

"Mhm." He was the kind of cute small animals and children had about them… or so she thought. But, surely, the longer she dwelled on it, the more her mind would wander and Marinette pulled away slightly to cup his cheeks in her hands with a small smirk settled on her lips. He let his hold loosen when she did so, one hand resting on her side, the other moving back to rub at his neck in sheepish embarrassment.

She figured his suit and his Miraculous made behave that way. As Ladybug, she couldn't say she'd ever experienced any peculiar urges. "Does that happen on its own?"

"Ah… yes, basically," he mumbled. "My, um, guide… says it's easier and makes the cat abilities stronger if there's more cat mixed in. Personally, I would not put it past them that the more is mixed in for their amusement. They do like to cause mischief. While I could see why craving more meat may be an advantage, I've yet to figure out how wanting belly rubs helps me to be more agile or see in the dark better."

Though another part of him suspected it might just be pure bad luck. After all, for how much he wielded his powers, it felt like there should be more consequences. Maybe he should ask Ladybug about it one day.

Marinette noted that the red that tinged his features seemed to grow and she found this endearing as well. She blinked, keeping her palms pressed to his cheeks before lowering them with a laugh. It made sense… kind of. Tikki hadn't seemed to influence her actions—maybe she was a little more conscientious, but often times, the kwami would scold her for trying something too dangerous or acting on a whim.

What exactly did ladybugs do, anyway? She knew that they were said to bring good luck. They also ate plants and sprayed strange-smelling fluid from their knees, but neither had ever appealed to the superheroine.

"That's adorable," she commented this as though she was speaking about the weather. "I didn't realize it was unintentional."

"While some things are intentional, it would be difficult to properly maintain it in the heat of the moment. And I would never want to throw in running on all fours if it wasn't for the cat parts," he added with a helpless shrug.

He had actually tried as Adrien once, but it hadn't come anywhere near as naturally then. Luckily, he had made sure no one was around to see him skid down a hallway in the mansion and slam his face into the wall.

"What else changes when you're transformed? I know your night vision is better, for example." She wouldn't expect him to go into immense detail, but she was curious. There were quite a few powers her Miraculous allowed her and she wondered how similar they were to his.

"The night vision basically lets me see in the dark. I do require some ambient lighting, but as long as things aren't pitch black, I can see. I can smell and hear better. I couldn't track someone like a bloodhound, but I notice what most people wouldn't, but I can hear fairly far away if I'm paying attention."

He cringed lightly, "Ugh, loud noises were unbearable until I got used to it. I also have a fairly good spatial awareness. It feels as natural to run on all fours as two legs like this, and I can actually run faster like that."

Marinette could have guessed some of these things, but the rest came as a surprise. She was fascinated by how Chat Noir's powers compared to her own, how his abilities were modified with the influence of a cat, which, in all honesty, was pretty damn clever.

"I think I might actually be more flexible than Ladybug, but it feels a tad awkward to ask. Flirty cat, plus 'how flexible are you' is probably going to get me hit."

Oh. This remark had the bluenette giggling and pressing the back of her hand to her lips to hide her amusement while Chat Noir ducked his head in mild embarrassment. She knew her flexibility was greatly enhanced under transformation, but she didn't doubt the blonde's words for even a moment.

"Mm, you have a point there." Hitting him sounded just about right.

"I may be a shameless flirt with My Lady, but I do have some tact. And self-preservation. We hit hard." He was grinning, though. He knew Ladybug wouldn't hit hard enough to actually hurt him, but it was a nice, comical image, and he was finding he really like Marinette's laugh. Anything that might get her to do it again was worth trying.

"Tell me more," she crooned, stifling the last of her laughs between her fingers.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "As for other cat things… new cravings for meat, love getting scratches and pets from what little has happened along those lines, the purring, some meowing that isn't just puns, and I keep doing this," Chat Noir continued, and curled up his hands like paws. "I did it constantly while dealing with that pigeon man. Never even noticed it before then."

Really, this just made her smile. He resembled a cat so much. No wonder she felt like constantly pulling the other close and nuzzling him. Ladybug was too professional to attempt a lot of physical contact, but she preferred it that way.

Out of costume, she could relax and Marinette decided she liked the calm, easygoing air between her and Chat Noir as they conversed.

"I see… I guess it became more obvious after that? I honestly wouldn't have expected some of your powers to function the way they do." Again, not entirely a lie, but she needed to pretend she knew next to nothing about him.

"Oh, very. I've learned to roll with it. I think the cutesy factor helps in provoking the Akuma, and provocation is what I do best," he smirked, sitting up straight, nose up, and preening like this was a good fact. "…Actually, that could possibly explain the cat tendencies. Chat Noir is better for distraction and I can't imagine they were all as good at jokes as myself."

Which made quite a bit of sense. She'd always thought he was pretty good at riling people up, and he made a wonderful distraction when things got bad. He couldn't count how many times this had helped in a sticky situation as Ladybug.

"And your tail?" She eyed the flicking appendage, "Your claws?"

He flicked his tail forward. Although it looked like a normal belt, he appeared to have a bit of control over it. "One part balance, another part spatial awareness. I can actually feel it. It's… not like a limb. It has to get pulled really badly to even hurt a little, but it's enough to help the awareness."

The interest in her gaze made it hard to keep talking, but he pushed the self-consciousness away. "It also helps to vent emotions, though that may just be psychological on my part and not a standard feature. I'm working to see if I could grab things—It just… it doesn't like making a tight grip."

He moved the tail to wrap around her waist, loose and more of a drape than anything. "That's the best I have so far."

She had leaned in close as he explained the phenomenon of his tail, tensing at the example. She then slumped her shoulders and released some huff of a laugh. "I think that's pretty impressive."

"Really?" His face lit up with the praise. "The tail has always been temperamental. You would think it's attached to a real cat," the hero joked.

"Well, you're basically a real cat," she teased back and he laughed.

It had taken a lot of practice to get it to behave. Though, now that he'd settled his tail around her, it was more than content to stay there. He pulled off his left glove, showing off the claws on his hands. Her gaze dropped, surveying them.

"I think these are a feature left over from previous generations. You've seen Alya's post about how Ladybug was in Ancient Egypt? You could hardly expect the outfits to be the same over the years. With how everything functions like it's attached, I think the fake appearance is more to make me seem a little less odd."

No doubt about that. Marinette nodded as he continued on to say, "Easier to accept a boy wearing cat ears than a boy with cat ears growing out of his head. I haven't tried, but I don't think I can actually remove the tail and ears."

"And their abilities?"

"The claws can cut tough material, put gouges in metal. But using them in a fight would be… bloody." He frowned. "It's a delicate dance when your powers are based on bad luck and destruction."

She blinked, prepared to say something, but his frown didn't last long—"However destructive they may be naturally, Ladybug makes it a far easier rhythm to follow."

"Oh, that's a relief." Without asking, she reached out to take his palm in hers, closing it into a fist so as to survey his claws in more detail. They were sharp, and she realized he wasn't exaggerating when he mentioned how messy things would get if he ever used them to inflict physical damage.

She released her gentle hold on his hand to glance up at him again. "It goes to show how important working together is. Relying on each other like that."

…It would be a lie to say he hadn't thought about it. But, while it would be a good scare tactic, he rejected the idea almost immediately. He could fight, but he didn't think he had it in himself to be constantly drawing blood. He much preferred the blunt force of his baton.

Bruises intimidated… blood terrified.

"Mm, it is." Chat Noir's expression became fond. "I was… really happy when I learned what her abilities were. That she could fix damages caused by the Akuma and me. I had originally intended to only use Cataclysm when absolutely necessary, but if she can fix it, then it's a tool I can more readily utilize."

Being able to destroy anything at a touch was powerful indeed, but he was just as likely to anger people as help them if everything he broke stayed that way. With Ladybug around, he could use his full potential without fearing what that potential could do.

Marinette opened her mouth to fuel the conversation, pose more questions now that she completely immersed in the other, but her mother's voice from downstairs interrupted them.

"Marinette! Dinner is ready!"

A sigh parted her lips, an apologetic glanced tossed to Chat Noir, who had immediately grown rigid, tail shooting out, ears perked… before relaxing when he realized the footsteps weren't making their way up. Marinette wanted to snort with laughter at the way the other had puffed up like an actual cat. "I have to go."

Standing, she shifted to pack her things into her book bag, tidying up the spot in which she had been sitting on the covers. "If you want, I can bring something up for you?" A lighthearted smirk, head tilting, "Cookie… cheese, maybe?"

Part of him was very tempted to say yes. But, it would be awkward hovering in the girl's room while she ate. "Ah, I actually have some with me," Chat Noir assured her with a sheepish grin. "In my other pants, but I think it may be time for me to head out. I should see if I can gain the attention of miss reporter before looking for My Lady."

He removed himself from the bed and stretched his arms above his head to uncurl. She simply nodded, watching as he bowed before heading up to the hatch.

"I will be sure to visit again. Adieu, Princess."

"À plus, Chat Noir."

With a little wave, she bid the other goodbye, aching to snag him by the tail and draw him into a brief hug first.

Shaking these thoughts away, Marinette locked the hatch and descended the stairs to join her family for dinner.