This was perfect. No, purr-fect. Cat Noir climbed a big oak tree, sprawling out on one of the branches.
Ah, this was just right. No akumas, no homework. What could be better? Well, having Ladybug or Mari with him, but Mari was at her weekly sewing class at the moment.
He sighed happily, as he looked around his surroundings. The bright blue sky peeked just a little bit through the branches and a finger of buttery sunlight filtered down on to him, warming him. He stretched and yawned, snuggling down and purring. A small cat-nap wouldn't hurt. Paris was so peaceful, and so was the sleeping Kitty.
Cat slowly opened his eyes to the sound of giggles below him. It sounded like Ladybug, but it also sounded like Marinette. He leaned out on his branch, hoping to see the mysterious person in question…
Then fell out of the trees into a pile of leaves. Splat! Oh, how embarrassing! His black tail stood up from the pile and again he heard the sound of giggles yet again.
"Princess?" Cat Noir slowly stood up and saw Marinette standing there, with her two friends, Zoe and Alya. "Did you enjoy your fall, Kitty?" Marinette asked, walking over to him. "Sit, Kitty."
She began plucking leaves out of his blond hair, warm from the sun. Cat purred softly. What was it about her soothing touch that made him purr? "You smell good, Cat," Mari whispered. To her, he smelled like autumn, sunshine and wood smoke and even the smell the smell of leaves.
"We're about to get a snack. Want to come?" she asked. Cat nodded. "How was sewing class?" he asked, linking her hand with his. "It was fun, but I poked myself a few times," she told him. He stopped Mari for a moment. "Let me see," he asked, gently. Marinette flushed as he brought her sore finger to his lips. The kiss was a soothing balm, just the right kind of ointment,
When they got to the cafe, Cat held the door open for the girls. He was a gentlemen after all. The girls all got their ice cream, while Cat decided to have a strawberry smoothie.
As the girls chatted, he looked at his smoothie, thinking of Ladybug. It was more of thing he did before he fell asleep at night as Adrien, but he wondered what Ladybug was doing.
Did she have homework? Or was she running along a rooftop to save someone or just for the fun of it? Well, if she did need to save someone, she'd call him by now, right?
"Penny for your thoughts, Kitty?" Mari asked, scooping up a bit of her ice cream. "I think I can distract you," she said, her voice low.
Casually, she lay her hand on Cat's knee and began to stroke his leg. The sensation was almost to much for Cat to bear. His eyes dilated a bit as he watched his Princess, "what are you doing?" he whispered.
"Making you happy," she whispered back. "You make me happy, Princess." he pulled her chair closer.
"Did we miss something? Why is he calling you Princess, Mari?" Alya's hands flew to her cheeks. "No way, girl! You like Cat Noir!"
Cat watched Mari's face carefully. Her face seemed to glow from within. "Yeah, I do," she answered softly.
"Wait, wait. I thought Cat liked Ladybug?" Zoe asked, looking at Cat for a answer. He looked at Mari, the word "help" written on his lips.
Mari giggled. Even when she wasn't Ladybug, her Kitty sometimes still needed rescuing. Wait a minute, her Kitty?
Did she like Cat as Mari and Ladybug? And what about Adrien? She had a close relationship with him, and she thought about him a lot.
"Well, we don't know who Cat and Ladybug are," Mari and Cat said at the same time. Zoe looked suspicious. "Uh-huh."
"Don't worry, Zoe. This way the Lady blog would have to the first scoop!" "But you wouldn't actually tell someone if you found out their identities, right?" Cat could hear Mari's heartbeat pick up a little. Hey, cats had excellent hearing.
"Girl, of course not! I can keep a secret!" Alya made the motion of zipping her lips and tossing away the key. "Its not like we've told anyone about how you keep pictures of Agreste on your bedroom walls!"
"Alya! Shh, he'll hear you!" Mari tried to shush her friend.
Cat just sat there listening. Mari had pictures of him? Okay, he had seen the pictures a few weeks ago when Ladybug and Cat had battled Troublemaker, one of Hawkmoth's akumatized villains.
Under the mask, Adrien wanted to cheer. Marinette liked him! Though he knew she had feelings for him as Cat as well. May as well keep things the way they are, Cat thought. Might as well give them something to talk about.
After leaving the ice cream parlor, Cat led Mari down a quiet street and then turned to her. "So, Agreste, huh?" he leaned against the wall, warm from the warm afternoon sun.
Marinette sighed, and Cat could feel his heart thumping. Was he wrong about her liking him as Cat?
"Sure, Adrien's great, but I can't get out a single word without stuttering around him," she said, walking over to Cat, leaning her head against his chest. "I'm just to shy," she mumbled into his black suit.
Cat wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her to him. "There's no shame in being shy, Marinette." She looked up into his beautiful green eyes and swallowed. Every time she looked into them she was reminded about when Cat was about to tell her he loved her as Ladybug. His voice had been soft as a caress, just like it was now.
"I get shy sometimes. That's why I feel so comfortable around you. I can be myself," Cat explained. In his suit Cat felt free. But he wanted to be himself around Marinette, making sure she got the love she needed. Even if there was Ladybug to think of, Mari sent the sparks flying from Cat's heart and he was sure she felt it too.
"You know I love you the way you are. Clumsy, shy, whatever. Never stop being you, Princess. I want…" Cat had to clear his throat a couple of times before answering. "I want to be able to recognize you."
Mari touched his cheek. She knew what he meant. If Ladybug ever disappeared, Cat would turn to Marinette for help and comfort.
Even when we're just our true selves, we're still tied to each other, Marinette thought. One day she would tell Cat Noir who she was.
When that was she didn't know, and she knew she would never stop loving her Kitty. "I will always be here, if you need anything," she said.
Cat grinned at her. "Even if I fall into a pile of leaves?" Mari giggled. "Even if you fall into a pile of leaves," she confirmed.
"Speaking of which," she pulled a stray leaf out of his hair. The wind was blowing, tugging on the leaf. "Make a wish on the leaf, Princess."
Mari made her wish, but she knew it wasn't an obvious one. No, what she wanted was Cat to love her in and out of the mask, still having this special connection they had, the connection of love.