Cat Noir closed the bathroom door carefully. He was at Marintte's and wanted to do something, but she had homework to do.
Cat was okay with that. He had found he had a love for something other then Ladybug. Soap bubbles and rubber ducks.
He got the taps ready, making sure the water wasn't to hot, then poured in the bubble mixture. Thunk! Oh, no. His tail had sent the soap box into the water when he had turned to get out the rubber ducks.
Well, maybe it didn't matter. Besides, the more soap there was, the more bubbles he could pop, right?
Soon, Cat found himself in the tub surrounded by yellow plastic ducks. He was glad Marinette wasn't here, what would she think of his secret rubber duck collection?
He played happily, pretending that one of the bigger ducks was Hawkmoth, while the smaller ducks were Cat and Ladybug. Of course, they good guys (or ducks) won.
"Why don't you tell me who you are?" Cat said, pretending to ask the Ladybug one. He sighed. Why couldn't Ladybug just tell him already? I know she has her reasons, Cat thought. But I don't like secrets.
Cat looked over to see his baton buzzing with a message. Did he really have to get out of the tub yet? He hadn't even popped any bubbles!
At least it was from M'lady.
Ladybug: Whatcha up to, Kitty?
Cat stirred the water with his finger. Did he want her to know?
Cat: Nothing.
Ladybug: Are you up to something?
Cat: M'lady, why would I be up to something?
Ladybug: Because I know you, and your twitchy tail.
Cat: Ha. You can't see my tail right now.
He did look at it, and sighed. He'd have to find a way to be mischievous another way.
Ladybug: Well be good. I love you
Cat: Love you to Bugaboo. Hey, did you like rubber ducks?
Ladybug: Rubber...ducks?
Cat smiled. That was his girl. She could be playful at times, but he liked how business-like and sassy she was. Besides, he could ask without giving any thing away. "Cat?" Marinette's called.
Cat: Gotta go. Princess is approaching!
Cat clicked off his phone as Mari knocked on the bathroom door. Cat looked to right and gasped. There was a mountain of bubbles in the tub. Did he forget to shut it off? Curse his bad luck!
Wait, maybe this was a good thing. So many bubbles to pop! He started popping them with his finger and meowing happily.
Marinette peeked her head in. "Cat? It's almost time…" her voice trailed off. "How much soap did you put in the tub?!" she exclaimed. Cat sat there, blushing as he popped another bubble. "Um, my tail…"
"Oh, Kitty. You and your naughty tail," she sighed. "If you make a mess, my parents aren't going to be happy," she said, crossing his arms. "Oh, relax Princess! Your parents love me!"
Mari looked at him. "They love you, but they don't love messes. Come on, out of the tub."
His ears drooped suddenly. But there were still bubbles. And he wanted to keep playing. "Please?" he asked. Mari grabbed a towel. "I thought cats don't like water anyway," she said. Cat carefully got out.
He didn't want to make her mad. Besides, if he was good maybe he could play in the tub again. "Maybe I'm a special kind of cat," he said, rubbing against her. Mari giggled. "Your getting me wet!"
Cat tackled her gently, looking down at her. Mari reached up to stroke his cheek. "Your my Cat," she whispered. He helped her sit up, and she kissed his cheek. "Was that for good behavior?" he asked, curiously.
"Well, you did get out when I asked. Maybe," she said. "Oh, there's still bubbles," she said. Cat carefully unplugged the drain. "Well, you know what that means, right?" he smiled at her.
"Pop the bubbles?" she asked. They had fun, giggling and once or twice they bumped each other, making them laugh even more. "I have to dry your hair before we go down for dinner," she told him.
"Don't you like my hair like this?" Cat asked, styling it into wet spikes. "Maybe for Halloween," she told him.
The warm air from the blow-dryer and the comb in his hair felt nice. "You do a good job taking care of me, Mari." Mari blushed. "I would do anything for a friend," she said. "Aren't we more then friends?" he asked, taking her hand. "You know what I mean."
This was nice. The warmth of the conversation made Cat's heart happy, and he felt like he had a home at Dupain-Cheng's. At home, he only had himself for company, save his Kwami. Thank goodness for Plagg, Adrien thought. The Kwami might be in love with Camembert, but Adrien was happy to have a friend when he wasn't Cat Noir.
"Should we go down for supper?" Mari said, breaking into his thoughts. Come to think about it, he was pretty hungry. But not only for food, but the taste of a family's love. Here he was happy, love and laughter flourished here. Maybe that's why Mari is so sweet, because her parents love her. They even love me as Cat, a wandering Cat from the street.
It had been hard for Adrien to settle down lately at home. Why stay in a place where there was no love, but a barrier put up by father's grief.
As he followed Marinette down, he realized something. He was the holder of the Cat Miraculous with the ability to destroy. His suit was also black, and with that often caused bad luck. Maybe Ladybug's luck was rubbing off on him, for instead of feeling lost and alone, he had all the love he needed, thanks to Ladybug's Lucky Charm. If Marinette and Ladybug were the same girl, Cat knew it wasn't the lucky charm that gave him good luck. It was Mari's love for her black cat, and it was as simple as that.