Hello, beautiful people! I've been wanting to post this chapter early, but decided against it, knowing that I would spoil you if I did... I apologize! Anyhow, I finished this and the next chapter, so I should post on schedule. I have another story I'm super late on updating, but I don't have any ideas for it. I will try to think of something for both stories as I begin another quarter of school. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Chapter 7

It was only Monday, but Marinette already felt like the week was weighing down on her. They were supposed to be studying through Wednesday and half her classes had tests Thursday while the other half was Friday. Essentially, they were to review everything they learned since the beginning of the year, which was a lot compared to the other years.

Once she walked into her room, she face-planted on her chaise, exhaustion taking its toll and causing her eyes to droop while Tikki floated off to her plate of cookies. She was just drifting off to her peaceful slumber when her bedroom door opened with a bang, signaling the arrival of someone in her room. "Guess whooooo?!" a voice chirped cheerily in a higher pitch than normal.

"Anthony, why are you here?" she mumbled into her pillow.

"I'm here to cause trouble, as usual." Not a moment later, Marinette felt him lay on top of the back of her legs, his weight causing a groan to escape her lips. "Wow, you must be in a mood."

"I'm not in a mood, I'm just tired from today."

"Tired? After a single day of prepping for exams? And you call yourself Ladybug."

"Being Ladybug is a lot simpler that studying for tests," she whined while turning her head slightly to breathe better.

"I don't know, some of those akumas looked difficult."

"Some are more complicated and harder to defeat, I'll admit, but Chat and I are able to work as a cohesive team and defeat them."

"Oh? Tell me about this Chat Noir person. Do you liiiike him?" he teased, not quite noticing her blush before she forced it to recede.

"Me? Like Chat Noir?! As if! Sure, I like him as a friend and partner, but nothing romantic," she blabbed. His entertained smirk told her that he didn't quite believe her words.

"Alright, alright, I hear you. But if you don't have a crush on Adrien, what's stopping you from starting something with him? He seems nice and genuine when he talks to Ladybug."

"Please, he's a natural flirt. He's a nice and funny guy, don't get me wrong, but all his flirts and puns feel… flat. Empty. Meaningless," she exaggerated with a face.

"Meaningless? You mean, you don't believe in any of his flirts?"

"Not at all. He's been flirting like that since day one. Anyone else would feel the same way."

"Then… do you think all girls feel put off by puns and stuff?" he asked in a low whisper.

Marinette sat up slowly, easing herself to turn around and face him. She slowly raised a manicured brow at him, urging him to continue. When all he did was look away, she couldn't help but smirk at his expense. "Tony, who have you tried to flirt with?"

"No one," he answered too quickly. She only smirked deeper as she moved closer to him, crossing her legs so she could sit right to his side.

"Anthonyyyyyy, answer meeee," she goaded. He only turned further away and scratched his neck in anxiety. "Was it Tifanny?" His answer was a deep blush that encompassed his entire face and neck. "Oh my god, it is! You've tried flirting with her using puns and pick-up lines, just like Chat Noir!"

"No, no I haven't."

"Yes, I know you have because you're a terrible liar. So, tell me, how did she react each time."

"Well… not that I have used them, but whenever someone used cheesy pick-ups lines on her, most of the time she would look at them like they were crazy. But sometimes she would blush."

"She did, did she?" Marinette asked knowingly. "Well then, what sort of comments made her blush?"

"Talking about her hobbies or articles. If someone flirted in relation to her article, she would get flustered because she would know they read it."

"Okay… Well, normally girls would get a little flustered when their work is praised, so that's pretty normal."

"I guess so," he replied glumly.

Marinette noticed his negative turn in mood and smiled consolingly at him. "Hey, it's no big deal. Listen, I'm not too sure what Tifanny feels for you, but I'm sure she likes you. She has this glimmer in her eyes whenever she's around you, as far as I've noticed."

"Really?"

"Really. Trust me, I'm sure she feels the same for you."

"Thanks MarBear."

"No problem. Just try to lay off the bad puns and pick-up lines, okay?"

"You're no help," he playfully pushed her back to the seat of the chaise. She released a startled squeak as she fell backwards, almost falling off her furniture. "Serves you right, you brat," he teased again while grabbing her pillow and hitting her head with it.

"Hey! I'm not a brat! I was trying to help you!" she protested while trying to kick him off her chaise, but it wasn't working because he was so much heavier than her.

"Yeah, whatever. Thanks for your speech, pipsqueak."

"I'm not a-"

"Oh hush. I'm leaving now, see ya at dinner."

Marinette was still fuming when he left, and she only calmed down when she heard Tikki giggling from beside her monitor. "You two are too adorable."

"That's what you think, but you still haven't seen his evil side."

"That was his evil side?"

"Nope. He could become a real handful when he's in the right mood."

"I bet. I wouldn't be surprised if it's similar to you when you have your mind set on something."

"Humph, whatever. I'm going to study a bit and then maybe take a nap." True to her word, Marinette got started on her studies after getting a cup of tea and some biscuits to snack on while she worked. Unfortunately, due to her changing in comfortable clothes, having warm tea and food in her stomach, she was more relaxed than normal. After about an hour of studying, thankfully most of her work done, her eyes began to drift. She didn't even realize she laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes for a few moments of rest.

A loud thump on her ceiling caused her to jolt, but she still didn't wake up. It must be part of my dream, she thought as she relaxed again. Only to be woken up by a sequence of knocks from her trapdoor window. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she mumbled. Yawning, she made her way up her ladder and to her bed so she could open the latch and let whoever it was in. Luckily for her, the only people that could reach her roof was Ladybug, whom she knew wouldn't be out at this late hour, and her quirky cat partner. Opening the latch, she knew she was right in her assumption when she saw a human-sized cat crouched by her lawnchair.

"Good evening, prrrincess. Was I disturbing you?" he greeted with a low voice, almost a purr.

"No, I was working on some homework."

"Really? It looks like you were taking a nap."

"I wasn't-" she stopped when a yawn interrupted her speech, "I wasn't napping, I was working on physics."

"Oh? The last I heard, you thought physics were boring and put you to sleep."

"That's true, but luckily it was my last subject of the evening," she smiled, feeling herself wake up slightly. "What brings you here, Kitty? Weren't you here not too long ago?"

"Last week, and that's a few days too long away from my princess," he whined as he let himself in and dramatically threw himself on her bed. "I couldn't bear to be away from you a minute longer than this, so I just had to check in."

"Well, that's nice of you. Why don't you make yourself comfy, if you haven't done so already."

"I would be more comfortable if I was wrapped in your arms, princess," he cooed with a wink, and she almost blushed before her usual mantra echoed in her head.

"Oh really? Are you saying you can't fall asleep without being rocked to sleep?" she teased with her own smirk, causing his to falter for a moment before his turned almost carnal.

"Ooo, did my princess finally get some claws?"

"Please, I've always had my claws, I just choose my battles with them. For you, they're just for show."

"Enlighten me, what else would you have to show me?" His insinuations caused a real blush to erupt over her face. It was enough to outshine Anthony's from earlier and range closer to a strawberry. "Did I embarrass you, princess? Or can you not handle my heat?" he asked with a smug smirk and a smoldering gaze that made his eyes flutter.

She almost fell for his trap, succumbing to his charms and letting him get away with it, when her Ladybug side kicked in and assumed her role as his equal. There's no way I'll let him win this battle of wills. "Neither, actually," she answered while placing a hand on her hip. "You took me off guard, I'll admit, but you didn't embarrass me. In fact, I like playing with fire, I feel like I do so on a regular basis. But if you want me to show you something," she led on while she leaned forward, purposefully fluttering her lashes to lure him in. She knew she got his attention when his eyes slightly widened and dilated, his ears perked up and his tail straightened. As Marinette leaned closer to him, almost close enough to kiss him, she noticed his tail begin to wiggle wildly behind him in excitement. I've got him right where I want him. She was only a hairs distance away from his lips, noticing that he already closed his eyes, when she redirected her target to his ear. "I have some physics questions I'd like you to help me with," she whispered and practically sprinted back down to her main area, silently giggling to herself as she plopped down in her chair. It took another minute for Chat to even move from his position on her bed, and when he did, he sent her a playful, disapproving scowl that sent her quiet giggles into an obnoxious laughter. She closed her eyes and started to cry because of how hard she was laughing, but she didn't care.

Neither did Chat Noir. In fact, he felt somewhat proud that he could make his princess laugh so hard, even if it was at his expense. He continued to sit on her bed, waiting for her to calm down before he made his way to her, but as she clutched her sides and leaned forward, he knew she wouldn't calm down for a long while. Sighing, he jumped down to her main area and crept his way to her, feigning malevolence. "That was a dirty trick you played, princess."

"It was… fair… it's payback… for what you did," she gasped out between fits of laughter, only laughing harder after each phrase. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, tapping his foot in response to her lengthy laughter. Unfortunately, his new pose only made her laugh harder when she noticed his tail whipping behind him, and she fell out of her chair from laughing so hard.

"Princess! Are you okay?!"

"I'm just… j-just fine, Chat." She took a deep breath to calm herself, still releasing a few giggles, but she was able to control it for the most part. "Now, about those physics…"

"I don't know, you were just laughing up a storm at my expense. I don't think someone like you deserves my help," he shrugged while turning away from her dramatically.

"Someone like me? But I'm your princess," she stated in a joking tone, obviously not believing that he would just leave her.

"You might be a princess, but you aren't mine," he responded in a low tone, yet with a smile big enough for her to think he was joking around. But as he said the words, he knew his expression darkened. Thinking about the older man from earlier, Anthony, really made his hackles raise and his tail twitch wildly behind him. Thankfully, Marinette saw his reaction as playful and continued the charade, oblivious to how angry he really was.

"Oh, so what will you do, Kitty? Will you leave me behind to fend for myself?"

"Purrrhaps, maybe that will teach you a lesson," he joked while making his way to her trapdoor once more. He heard her appalled gasp, wondering if she meant for him to hear, as he jumped up to the second floor. The ladder wasn't necessary, and jumping instead of climbing perhaps added urgency for her to make a move. He was rewarded another moment later as he opened her window a few centimeters when she stood from her chair so abruptly that it hit the wall. Chat smirked as he slowed his pace, allowing her to catch up to him before he could completely leave her room.

"No! Chat, please don't go!"

"What's stopping me?" he teased.

"Me… I'm your princess."

"I thought I already said you weren't mine," he raised a brow, still teasing but also curious to see what she would say.

"Well, I'm not anyone's, per say, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only princess you've got," she mumbled into his back, hugging his waist tightly. After he didn't respond, she peeked up at him through her lashes, her face still half obscured. Such a sight caused a bright flush to cover his cheeks before he tried to shrug it off, but Marinette still noticed it. A slow smirk spread over her features, not that Chat noticed. "I am your only princess, right, Kitty?"

"Well, I uhm, I g-guess," he stuttered as he cleared his throat. Marinette's smirk faltered slightly, thoughts running through her mind. Did he flirt with other girls like me, and call them princess too, she wondered. She tried to shake the negative emotions that clouded the atmosphere, but it was no good. Once the thought emerged, it was difficult to make it go away. Of course there's other girls, Ladybug is no longer on his serious romantic scope, it's been that way for over a year now. Why would he choose a normal person like little Marinette?

Chat, on the other hand, was trying his best to calm his heart, his tail, and preventing his raging hormones from taking over and making it obvious on how she was affecting him. She'll be the end of me. He thought of all possible teases he could give her, any excuse to prevent him from staying, but the look she gave him and the sad look in her eyes did it for him. Wait, sad? "I guess I could stay, princess. I have nothing better to do tonight." Despite the delighted squeal she gave and the happy skip in her step as she walked back to her desk, he couldn't forget the receding look in her eyes as she looked up at him.

Following closely behind her, he decided to play along and help her with her homework. He had to keep her from falling asleep a few times, either pinching her leg or making a loud noise. When he helped her finish the last question, he turned to congratulate her on finally completing her assignment but noticed that she was fast asleep. "Princess?" Chat tried poking her cheek to get her to wake up, but it was no use. Even pulling a pigtail was pointless. Sighing, he put her homework and books away himself and went to help her into her bed. At least she's already in her pajamas, or else things would get awkward. Once again, he jumped to her second level, only slightly jostling her. She stirred as if she'd wake up, but when her eyes didn't open, he breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to situate her into her bed. He was just tucking her into her blankets when he heard her murmur something. "What was that, princess?"

"What's going on? Did we finish the assignment?"

"Yes, we did princess. You did, you did better as we continued going through the paper, you just needed a little extra coaching is all," he chuckled.

Marinette smiled softly at him, her eyes fluttering in exhaustion, as she laughed lowly with him. "That's good. I honestly feel like I understand it better, thanks to you."

"A teacher is no better than his student. If you weren't so great yourself, I wouldn't have succeeded in teaching you."

She blushed bright pink at his complements, before pouting at him. "Enough of your smooth words, I'm just thankful to you that you helped me finish and comprehend it better. So, thank you."

Chat smiled at her as he knelt down on her bed, gently brushing her bangs aside. "It was no problem, princess. I was happy to help." It was then that he noticed her hair was still up, and he remembered that she liked sleeping with her hair loose, so he went to undo her hair ties. She sent him a questioning look, and he only winked in response. "If I remember correctly, princess, you don't like your hair being up when you sleep. You said it made your scalp hurt when you wake up."

"I can't believe you remembered something so mundane like that."

"Nothing about you is mundane, princess." She smiled softly at him again as she let him finish getting her hair loose, but it quickly turned to a scowl, which he noticed. "What is it?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"Princess, you're a terrible liar. Tell me what's wrong."

She bit her lip, contemplating on whether she should speak her mind, when he nudged her again, encouraging her to continue. Taking a deep breath, Marinette gathered her courage and words and prepared to open her heart up, hopefully without tarnishing their friendship. "I just thought about… how you have a silver tongue."

Chat Noir stopped, momentarily stunned with her gentle accusation. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, how your words are always super smooth and flattering. How often do you practice on other girls?"

"What? Other girls?!" he couldn't help but exclaim. His slightly raised voice caused her to flinch, fearful for two reasons: her parents hearing them, and the fact that her words caused such a negative reaction. Taking a deep breath, Chat calmed himself down before questioning her again. "What do you mean, other girls?"

"I-I just, I don't know. I just assumed that you talked this way to a lot of other girls. I can't flirt to save my life, and if I did, so I would need to practice a lot in order to say a single pick-up line. So, as you can flirt with many others, I assumed you got a lot of practice… with other girls."

Her words caused Chat's jaw to drop to her floor, color drain from his face, and his blood to run cold in his veins. Did she… did she honestly think I was a constant flirt? A playboy? The thought itself caused a disgusted shiver to wrack his body. There was no way she could really believe that, could she? That's not good. He looked at her once more, trying to gauge her reaction, but she was avoiding his gaze. It seemed she was too embarrassed to face him, so she was serious in her assumption. He didn't like the aura she was exuding, and the atmosphere felt stuffy and anxious. He felt anxious. His heart was beating furiously in his chest, and his ears were twitching like mad on the top of his head. It was no use to shake his head, the thoughts and fears wouldn't leave, so he did the only thing he thought was right.

"I'm sorry, princess, but I have to leave."