Tikki perched on the light fixture, observing the akuma entwined with her chosen down below. They were sound asleep, practically dead to the world, but still so wrapped up in each other. Literally. It would have been cute if not for the impending danger suffocating the decrepit apartment.

Any minute.

It should have happened hours ago, but then these things didn't always happen immediately. And she had a feeling their extreme expenditure of energy had something to do with the delay. Chat's ever growing feelings for her chosen probably also played a roll, his protective and caring nature overpowering everything else. Giving him the self control to hold on a little bit longer.

Marinette made a whimpering sound, almost distressed, in her sleep; Chat responded automatically, hugging her tighter and nuzzling into her hair.

The Kwami of creation almost sighed in motherly fondness, but kept her mouth pressed in a tight line. The urge to yawn tickling the back of her throat and weariness was making her antennas droop. Minutes ticked by, feeling like hours, and Tikki acknowledged the heaviness of her eyelids, almost powerless to fight it.

I can close my eyes for a few minutes. They should be fine... for a few minutes.

Then he coughed.

Violet eyes flew open. Tikki craned over the edge of the fixture, suddenly alert antennas twitching in anticipation. If she had a heart it would have been hammering in her chest.

Chat Blanc coughed again, twisting his head away this time, and a smattering of dark liquid hit the pillow.

This is it.

The Kwami readied herself, feather-like tail flicking, antennas alert, wide eyes fixed as the akuma rose onto all fours, and broke out into a violent coughing fit.

How Marinette managed to sleep through it dumbfounded Tikki.

Wake up, Marinette. Wake UP!

Chat heaved again and again like something was caught in his throat. A shudder rolled up his spine, one right after the other, until finally with one last hack he spat up a tattered purple butterfly.

It was what she'd been waiting for.

But Tikki hesitated.

The disoriented butterfly took off for the open window, while Chat panted for breath on the bed.

If the akuma escaped, bad things would befall the city. It was more likely the butterfly would find a new victim than for it to return to Hawk Moth. And worse case scenario it might multiply.

But that left Marinette as defenseless as a child...

The butterfly was almost to the window, a small breeze from outside making the damaged and disoriented insect struggle and hit the sill. Every second she hesitated the closer the akuma got to escaping.

Butterfly first, then if it comes down to it... distract Chat Blanc.

Decisions made, she dove from the ceiling, a bolt of red lightning intercepting the fleeing akuma before it could escape. Swallowing it in one gulp, Tikki zipped for cover behind the shredded window curtain and hoped to the higher powers that Chat Blanc hadn't noticed her.

She didn't even want to imagine what horrors might befall if Chat Blanc swallowed her. Chat's magic was was so much like Plagg's yet tainted and ravenous. It was a testament to Ladybug's strength that Marinette could stand to be around him as much as she was considering how Chat's aura fed off her own energies.

And if Chat got ahold of the source of Marinette's magic...

Tikki suppressed a shudder and chanced a peek from behind the curtain. He would be feral, she knew. The sudden imbalance of magicks after coughing up an akuma would cause temporary madness and confusion in him. Similar to the way he went feral after Hawk Moth would torture him.

Marinette would be in danger as soon as he noticed her. She was too vulnerable in her sleep, any movement would surely draw his attention. But, with any luck Chat hadn't noticed her.

In the darkness she could just make out Marinette's form on the bed. Sound asleep, dead to the world around her.

That's my host, alright. Tikki heaved a silent breath. She could sleep through an earthquake.

Her eyes darted around, scrutinizing pillows, and blankets, and anything else that remotely resembled a Chat sized shape.

But there was no Chat Blanc.

Tikki dared peek out just the tiniest bit farther, and caught a glimpse of something white in her peripheral. Directly below her.

She quickly ducked back behind the curtain and prayed that Blanc had not actually noticed her.

No such luck.

A large figure loomed on the other side of the curtain accompanied by an intense sniffing sound.

Seconds passed and the snuffling got closer.

The butterfly in her stomach shifted uncomfortably, the purification complete.

Tikki clapped her paws over her mouth. She could almost feel Chat's breath through the curtain.

*Hiccup!*

Out popped the purified white butterfly and you could have heard a pin drop.

Suddenly all hell broke loose.

Chat loosed a savage snarl. Claws came tearing into the curtain, ripping it off of the wall and onto the floor dragging Tikki along with it. A shower of plaster rained down, coating the floor in tiny bits and dust.

This was her chance. Tikki phased through the floor before Chat could catch her. But even hidden under the floorboards she didn't dare consider herself safe for even a second. Those vicious claws were tearing away at the floor, moving the curtain every which way.

The mumble of a voice caused the scratching to fall silent.

Marinette!

The Kwami zipped through the floorboards, up through the wall and into the ceiling, phasing back into the room at the light fixture and hiding inside it once more. From her perch above she dared a peek of the scene below her, ready to zip out of hiding if need be to defend her host from the feral white cat.

Marinette mumbled again, something about being cold. Which wasn't surprising given that Chat's body had been her blanket through most of the evening.

Chat Blanc skulked back to the bed, still completely naked, his white fur and pale skin faintly illuminated from the city lights pouring in through the window.

His glowing magenta eyes made a pass around the room, sweeping the interior before fixing on the woman in his bed.

A moment of hesitation... a dark tongue swiping over the flash of fangs. That long tail swished.

Tikki readied herself, feathery tails flicking in anticipation.

But Chat never pounced.

He leaned over and lowered his face next to Marinette, inhaling deeply; then pulled away only to scrunch his nose and let his mouth hang open, tongue curling. He pulled a breath in, again and again, as if savoring the scent in his throat.

Chat hopped up on the bed once more, burying his nose in Marinette's hair. Tikki felt her entire posture go lax when his tail curled.

He recognized her.

The rumble of the happiest purr she'd ever heard in her life filled the apartment. Chat Blanc collapsed onto the bed next to Marinette. His hands reached out, snaking around her and pulling her close. When she made a murmuring protest in her sleep he soothed her by nuzzling the top of her head. He situated their bodies to overlap, using his body heat to warm the woman beneath him.

Tikki pursed her lips and eyed the neglected blankets at the base of the bed, all bunched up and forgotten.

Whatever opens their umbrella I guess, She sighed to herself and finally finally allowed her eyes to drift shut.

00000

Marinette woke feeling exceptionally warm. Something had stirred her awake but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. It might have been the far-off police siren, or the filtered light through the shredded curtains that had woke her, but it was delicious warmth that permeated her sleepy thoughts.

It smells like leather... and expensive cotton... and cat dander.

Upon trying to stretch, the source of the warmth curled tightly around her back. Strong arms pulling her close, and a hot breath suddenly fanning the back of her neck.

"Ma Souris," Chat's sleepy timbre murmured.

Chat. She settled back against him, relaxing into the embrace.

...Chat! Marinette nearly shot up in bed. I slept with Chat Blanc. That really happened.

From zero to sixty her heart began pounding like a jackhammer.

It's morning, she assessed, noting the sunlight filtering through the curtains. Only there wasn't a curtain, one was missing, and bright sunlight was streaming inside unhindered. She filed that away for later. I spent the night. I disappeared during an akuma attack and I stayed out all night. Her stomach turned painfully. My parents are going to be worried sick.

Not that she wasn't nineteen, turning twenty soon. But she still lived with her parents and tried to inform them if she was going to be out all night. Especially after the incident when she'd first encountered Chat Blanc and he proceeded to abduct her. Her mama and papa had been worried sick.

Marinette disentangled herself from Chat's grip, sparing a look at the sleepy akuma as she climbed out of his lavish bed. It was still the only piece of furniture in the entire apartment.

Magenta eyes peeked at her beneath heavy lids.

"Just uh... going to the bathroom," she explained. "I'll be right back, ma Chaton."

Chat Blanc yawned, showing off his impressive canines. He made a noise of acknowledgment before curling into the blankets and nodding back off.

Marinette bolted for the bathroom, snagging her clothes from the floor along the way. Once inside she pressed her back against the door, clicked the lock, and let out a staggered breath.

"Tikki?"

The little red Kwami phased into the room from the ceiling. She looked quite bedraggled and her antennas were drooping, one of them even kinked at an odd angle.

"Good morning," she greeted, eyeing Marinette with a mothering look.

"I-uh. I might have... Marinette swallowed, wringing her hands nervously. "I spent the night with Chat Blanc."

"Yes you did." Tikki fluttered up next to the mirror, scrutinizing herself in the reflection. She attempted to straighten the kink out of her antenna. "You know he won't remember any of this once we purify him."

Marinette's heart clenched. She nodded solemnly, trying to keep most of the regret out of her expressions. Robotically she began pulling her clothes on, starting with the undergarments. "Does it look nicer in here?"

Tikki yanked painfully on her own antenna, watching Marinette look about the room curiously in the reflection of the mirror. She winced and quickly piped, "He coughed up a butterfly last night."

"He did?" Marinette paused in her actions and shot Tikki a look. "But how? He didn't go feral? Wouldn't he have attacked me?"

She shook her head, eyes bright. "I captured the butterfly after he spit it up, and cleansed it for you. He did go feral, but he didn't wreck anything."

"What happened?" Marinette continued dressing on autopilot.

"He made a circle around the room, prowling on all fours." The Kwami zipped about in a small circle, acting out her best impression of the akuma. She didn't feel the need to tell her host that she'd very nearly become a snack. Opting to leave that part out. "Then you made a noise and he wandered back over to you. I was about to intervene when he hopped onto the bed. But he didn't so much as growl. I watched him crawl over you, sniff your hair and neck, then suddenly he began purring." Tiki clasped her paws together and let out a girlish swoon. "After that he laid back down beside you, cuddled up, and fell asleep. It was so adorable, Marinette."

Marinette had half a mind to be self conscious that her Kwami had been a spectator throughout this entire encounter. "So... what does this mean?" she finally asked.

"I think it means he's gaining control of himself," said Tikki. "Or at the very least he's become extremely bonded to you." She concluded that statement with a lopsided grin and a mischievous wink.

Marinette took a swipe at the Kwami who broke into a fit of giggles. There was a warmth that blossomed in her chest at those words. Just hearing Tikki theorize that it might be because her was sending her self-esteem and vanity on a trip. "It-its probably his improved self control," she stuttered, trying to wrap humility around herself.

"Mm-hmm." Tikki simply hummed knowingly.

A beep from her pants pocket startled both human and luck god, and Marinette extracted the phone from her pocket almost reluctantly. There was a sense of dread hanging in the air when she tapped the code into the lock screen. Tikki moved to settle on her shoulder to have a look, peering down at accumulated text messages.

Mama: 'We saw the news. Honey, are you ok?'

Papa: 'Hey baby girl, your mom and I are worried sick. Please call us.'

Mama: 'Sweetheart please call us.'

Papa: 'are you hurt?'

Papa: 'where are you? Has he hurt you? Please give our daughter back.'

Alya: 'Saw the news. U were caught on camera being carried off by Blanc. Thought u looked messed up in the footage. Everyone is freaking out. I'm sure ur just being cozy with the grumpluffleupagus, but please text me back.'

Nino: 'Ayla and your parents are getting worried. You haven't texted back. We're about to go out looking for you.'

Alya: 'U have ten minutes to respond before I suit up and intrude upon ur furry snogfest.'

Nino: 'please text someone. Alya's pacing the apartment.'

Mama: 'Chat, if you have her, please give her back.'

Nino: 'Dude, your parents keep calling, asking if we've heard from you. They're convinced Chat has kidnapped you. And your Dad is standing outside the bakery yelling at the sky, trying to bargain with Hawkmoth for a butterfly so he can go rescue you.'

Alya: 'fuck this shit, I'm coming to get u bitch.'

There were a dozen or so more frantic and desperate texts. Ranging from "I love you yous," to frantic pleading and death threats directed at Chat Blanc. There were also more than two dozen missed calls.

Marinette exchanged a look with Tikki. Seeing the mirror of "oh shit" in the other's expression.

It took less than a minute for her to finish straightening her appearance and slip on shoes. Once dressed, she left the bathroom with Tikki nestled safely in her hair and spared a look at Blanc on her way out. He'd roused at the sound of the apartment door opening. Heavy magenta eyes blinked at her.

"I have to go."

Confusion pinched his features. "...Why?" His voice was slow, thick with sleep, and that sent delicious shivers down her spine.

"Because my parents are worried sick," she told him.

The corners of his mouth turned down. "Stay." The sleepiness was leaving, quickly being taken over by displeasure. That was far less sexy.

"I can't." Marinette cast a worried look at the window, unsure whether she'd imagined the flash of orange on the roofs outside. The other heroes knew the neighborhood where Chat Blanc lived, but not the exact apartment. It wouldn't take them too long to track his scent though, and then all hell would break loose. The last thing Chat wanted was heroes crashing a hole through the side of his safe space. "People are looking for me."

"So what." Blanc sat up, giving Marinette an eyeful of his naked chest, and curled his lips back. Rows and rows of wickedly sharp teeth gleamed in the morning light. "They won't find you," he promised with a throaty growl.

She released a suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of her noise. This was more an excuse to keep herself from staring at him. He was very distracting, even baring the disturbingly sharp teeth. "This isn't a challenge. There are people who care about me, worried sick, and they think you've kidnapped me, or worse, they think I'm dead. Please, Chat, I need to go home," she finished with a pleading look, willing him to understand. And willing herself to look at his face.

For a moment he appeared to be working himself up to a frenzy, but then several emotions rippled over his features. Hurt, anger, realization, sadness, before his expression finally settled on despondent acceptance. His tail, which had been thrashing in his fit of possessiveness, fell against the blankets with a muted pwap. And those floofy ears, just as affected by the bed-head as his hair, sagged like a wounded puppy.

"...ok."

He looked so pathetic she couldn't seem to bring her feet to move. Albeit this time she was sure she saw something orange zoom closer outside the window. Still, guilt gnawed at her heart. Last night he'd shared vulnerability and emotions she'd never seen from him before, and here she was ready to bolt the next morning. Thanks for the sex Chat, gotta go!

This wasn't how she wanted to part ways. This morning should have been sweet, their goodbye should have been punctuated with a kiss, or several. Not haste goodbyes, and the false pretense of regret.

When Marinette didn't immediately depart he dug his claws into bed and cocked his face down so that his hair fell over his eyes. "Your mother and father care deeply for you. Do not take that for granted. Please," he implored with an edge she didn't quite understand, "just go to them."

"I'll be back," she promised. She took a step forward, paused, then added in a lower voice. "And I would have stayed...if my parents hadn't sent heroes out looking for me." She finished the sentence shooting a glare at the fox perched on the building across the street. Said fox returned the glare with hands on her hips and a 'displeased mom' expression.

Then Marinette darted out of the apartment and down the stairwell. Her footstomps echoing through the empty building.

Chat stayed on the bed, ignorant to the scene behind him, staring hard at his clawed hands. He forced down the darker feelings that howled about letting her go.

She always comes back.

This is the end of the Velvet Soft mini-arc. but if you want to read more about my Floofy-eared Chat Blanc be sure to check out my stories Bleached White, Guilty Pleasures, and Kitty Kisses. Same AU, more adventures between these two.