A/N: Part 2 is here! I hope everyone enjoys it! Please leave a review or a PM to let me know on what I should still work on and IF I should maybe continue it as a separate mini story! Thanks!

EDIT: Not entirely too happy with how this turned out, maybe I'll edit it later.

Rating: T

ARTIST: Anyone interested in drawing fanart for my (soon-to-be published) story "Fangs Bared, Claws Out"? :) Send me a PM or contact me through my e-mail address (found on my profile page). Thanks!

Fangs Bared, Claws Out Part 2

Previously on Fangs Bared, Claws Out…

He felt drowsy, heavy, sleepy all at once and he, not for once in his life, wondered what kind of effect she had on him.

He nuzzled into her hair and she sighed contently, "Good night kitty," he smiled, nuzzling her again as he leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on top of her head.

"Good night, princess," he purred softly and let himself be lulled to sleep by the quietness of the night, the scent of his princess all around him and the comforting feeling of her body and warmth against him.

He may be flawed, an omen of bad luck, a vicious predator when angered, ready to attack its prey with the intent to kill, but she, this woman, managed to calm the raging beast inside him and bring out everything that was good in him, just like his lady.

With a reflexive twitch of his hand, he interlocked their fingers together on her stomach and in a movement, he wasn't entirely sure was done in her sleep, Marinette tightened her grip on his hand and squeezed back.

He knew it was wrong, he knew it went against all and any existing hero rules to be doing this and he was most definitely certain it was considered creepy by many people, but he couldn't resist.

He couldn't resist staring at her sleeping form after being close to losing her last night.

If he hadn't heard her screams, if he hadn't arrived when he did before those men did something even worse…

A knot formed in his stomach, twisting his insides uncomfortably as he clenched his fist tightly. Slowly, Chat Noir moved closer and carefully, he rubbed his nose against her smooth cheek, purring softly as he did. A strong wave of protectiveness washed over him then and he had to physically back away to gain some semblance of control over himself, to rein in his wayward emotions.

It had been bad enough Marinette had to see him last night, untamed, wild, shackles raised.

Like a beast.

His lips formed into a thin line and Chat Noir carefully started moving out of the bed, only to stop dead when he felt her hand grasping at his own one.

She was still sleeping, but she gripped his hand tighter when he tried to gently tug it out of her grip. Smiling in amusement, Chat gently caressed her forehead, mindful of his claws.

I told you to get away from her, didn't I?

His eyes widened.

Get the hell away from her.

He blinked, grasping his head at the rush of memories.

C-Chat, s-stop you will k-kill them.

Help me, kitty.

He could feel his claws as they roughly scratched his scalp and the tingling, painful sensation brought him back to reality.

Breathing deeply, Chat's gaze moved toward Marinette, sleeping peacefully.

She was safe.

He ran a hand through his hair and quietly walked over to the side of the bed, pulling the covers more snuggly around her before he quietly exited her room.

Damn.

He buried his face in his hands, tail swishing behind him gently, "I should've turned those guys over to the police," he frowned deeply, moving toward the small balcony and breathing in the fresh morning air.

Keen ears picked up faint, boisterous laughter and his eyes narrowed as he spotted a group of men walking leisurely down the street.

The sharp hiss escaped him before he could suppress it.

It was them.

Chat Noir glanced at the clock, it was only seven-thirty. Too early for Marinette to wake up yet.

A brief, very brief, flicker of worry passed through him at the dark grin that crossed his face as he flexed his claws and craned his neck, muscles tensing in preparation as he leaped onto the opposite roof, the men in perfect view.

Seems like luck was on his side today.

He had enough time to take the trash out before Marinette woke up and that was what he was going to do.

The first thing she felt was dull pain, when she tried to move her muscles locked down in shock at the sudden sharp pain near her midsection, hands immediately flying down to gingerly cover the spot.

Groggily, she opened her eyes and tried to adjust to the light.

It was too early to be awake.

But…why on earth did she feel like a truck had driven over her several times?

Groaning in pain, Marinette slowly got up, hands changing positions on the bed to maneuver herself without causing too much pain. Once she finally settled into a sitting position, the first thing that came rushing back to her were the events of last night.

Chat Noir!

Quickly, her gaze scanned the room and she felt her heart tighten in disappointment.

Where had her kitty gone off to?

She shook her head and slowly stood up, lifting her shirt to reveal her stomach, normally smooth skin suffering angry dark red welts and bruises that were in the early stages of turning purple. She winced, dropping the hem of her shirt and exiting her bedroom.

"Chaton?" when she couldn't hear her partner, she tried again, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,"

She pouted.

No Chat Noir it seemed.

She spotted clean dishes that were set out to dry and had to smile. Had he woken up early to clean up? She shook her head. She knew Chat Noir wasn't much of a morning person, since they had had a few sleepovers when they had been younger.

All of them ended up with Marinette having to resort to drastic measures and use her squirt bottle to shoo him out of her room before her parents found him there.

She had to giggle at the memory before a familiar red blur slammed straight into her chest, "Marinette!"

Her hands immediately cupped the red creature, nuzzling her against her cheek, "Tikki!" she sighed, thank god her kwami was safe. She completely forgot about Tikki last night, good thing she managed to hide before Chat Noir could spot her.

Wait…did she just pun?

Shaking her head, Marinette smiled gently at her worried kwami, "I'm so sorry Tikki, you must be starving!" Marinette quickly rushed towards her secret cookie stash in a cabinet under her TV, opening the bag of cookies she baked yesterday for Tikki.

The little god frowned in concern, flying all over Marinette, "I was so worried! What happened yesterday? You were supposed to be back and meet with Chat Noir on patrol but instead Chat Noir carried you here and you were hurt and he was so worried and he kept whispering in his sleep how everything was his fault and I didn't know what happened-"

Marinette blinked, "Wait, what did Chat Noir whisper in his sleep?" she cupped her hands under Tikki, allowing the poor kwami to take a moment to collect her thoughts as her charge soothingly stroked her head.

Tikki took deep, calming breaths, blue eyes looking up at Marinette in deep concern, "He was having difficulties sleeping, so he woke up every now and then and blamed himself for what happened." Tikki frowned, "He kept saying sorry," she eyed her wielder worriedly, "Marinette, what exactly did happen yesterday? Was it something with Chat Noir?"

Marinette winced at the memory, "Um…well…" she sighed, carefully flopping down tiredly on her chaise, "I was walking home from the bakery when some men overwhelmed me and…" she bit her lip, "They…I mean I wasn't hurt too badly, but…one of them tried to…do something more than just 'hurt' me but thankfully Chat Noir came and saved me," a sudden shiver suddenly raced down her spine violently.

"What?!" Tikki's erratic flying made Marinette's head spin, "Do you still think leaving me at home is a good idea?! Oh Marinette I knew it was a bad idea!" she flew right into Marinette's face, nuzzling her affectionately, "I'm so sorry, you could have transformed and none of this would have happened!"

Marinette smiled, nuzzling her kwami back, "I'm fine Tikki, once I spend a few hours as Ladybug all my wounds should be taken care of," she bit her bottom lip and Tikki broke apart to gauge her expressions, "But…last night…" she looked at her kwami, "There was something about Chat Noir…something I've never seen before Tikki…" her hands ran along the length of her thighs, fisting the fabric of her pants tightly, "It…it made me really worried about him, he…he looked so different,"

Tikki frowned, "…What do you mean with 'different'?"

"I mean…he was really angry when he saved me from those men. I mean I understand him, if somebody were to do that to Alya or Nino or Adrien I would be angry too but Tikki he was…" she paused, searching for a word which could describe the intimidating experience, "...so dark,"

Marinette suddenly buried her face in her hands, groaning loudly, "Ugh! No! That doesn't sound right!" she kicked her feet, throwing her arms up in the air as a perplexed Tikki watched on, "I mean, not evil like Hawkmoth! It's not that it was just…his eyes were so different Tikki …narrowed like a real cats, and his claws were much longer and he was hissing and growling and, and-" she sighed heavily, her voice turning quiet, "He threatened one of those men with Cataclysm…and for a moment, I…I really thought he might do it. He was just so angry,"

Tikki remained silent for a while, obviously thinking how to best approach the situation.

"Marinette…were you afraid of Chat Noir?" she carefully watched how Marinette's eyes widened before she immediately quenched Tikki's worries with a firm 'no', "What you saw last night…it was another power of Plagg, Chat Noir's kwami," Marinette nodded slowly, waiting for Tikki to continue.

The red kwami sighed, "Chat Noir is always followed by bad luck and since his power is destruction, there are many responsibilities that, especially the wielder of the cat miraculous has to be cautious of. If Chat Noir's power were to be abused in the wrong way…" Tikki shuddered and she knew Marinette needed no further explanation on that.

"But…how did that affect him so much? I mean, Chat Noir generally rarely gets angry or worked up but last night…he didn't hold back Tikki, not towards the civilians. Not until I told him to stop. It was like he was in some sort of trance or frenzy…it…that side of him…I've never knew he had it…" she gazed out her balcony window thoughtfully, sweaty hands rubbing against her pants to soak up the moisture.

Tikki settled on top of Marinette's knee, making her charge stare down at her, "Plagg always had a strong influence on his chosens, so most of them tended to act more like felines… including more darker sides that came with them, like territorial behavior and protectiveness over loved ones," she thought she was overwhelming Marinette with everything, but thankfully the young woman seemed to be doing fine absorbing all the knowledge.

"So, you mean… Chat Nour acted purely on…instinct?" she rose an eyebrow questioningly and Tikki shook her head softly.

"Not 'purely' I would say. But he acted on Plagg's influence and his own feelings," she smiled reassuringly up at her chosen, "I wouldn't worry so much, I'm sure Chat Noir wouldn't have really used Cataclysm on them, even if he did say that."

Marinette offered her a weak smile, patting her head, "I guess…"

"You don't sound convinced," Tikki was as perceptive as usual.

Marinette sighed, "I just…I can't get the image of him out of my head Tikki. He looked like a feral cat, with his shackles raised and ready to tear his enemies into shreds! I think the most shocking thing is that Marinette invoked such a response from him,"

After several moments, Tikki flew up to Marinette's face and gently slapped her cheeks, causing the dark haired woman to yelp in surprise, "T-Tikki!"

"I know what you're thinking Marinette, but you're wrong! Chat Noir cares just as much about you as he does about Ladybug!" she crossed her tiny arms, "He wouldn't have worried so much otherwise, don't you think?" she rose an eyebrow expectantly and Marinette couldn't help but agree.

"I know that he cares about me but…I had no idea how much," her heart gave a involuntary tug and Marinette stubbornly pushed the feeling down.

"You barely ate, come on let's make breakfast while we wait for Chat Noir to come back," Marinette lifted an eyebrow at Tikki.

"Wait, how do you know Chat Noir will come back?"

Tikki smiled, "I saw him jump out of the balcony window and he left it open, I don't think he will be too long," she giggled and stirred her charge towards the kitchen.

"Thank you, Chat Noir," the policeman nodded respectfully at the tall superhero.

Chat Noir nodded back, "Just make sure they get the punishment they deserve," his gaze traveled back down toward the bound men inside the police car and he leaned down to look inside at each of them, green eyes taking on the dangerous glow from last night.

The men instinctively tensed as the atmosphere seemed to grow cold and overflowing with crackling energy as Chat Noir pinned them with his gaze alone, they heard the chilling sounds of his claws scraping against the metal hood of the car and it sent simultaneous shivers down their spines.

His voice was low and throaty, the same tone from last night, "Now that the cat is out of the bag, I hope you learned your lesson," white, sharp teeth flashed and the man sitting closest to the window Chat Noir was looking into froze as elongated fangs peeked from the corner of his mouth, "We wouldn't want a purrible repeat of last night," his eyes glowed, "…do we?"

All three men nodded their heads quickly, too afraid to speak for fear of awakening his wrath. They didn't doubt Chat Noir would deal some sort of punishment even in front of the police officer.

Claws tapped the hood again and the sound rang loudly in the men's ears as the fangs and the eerie aura around the superhero disappeared, replacing it with his usual bravado, "Good! Have fun in purrison!"

With a flourish Chat Noir was gone, leaving behind a stunned police officer and a flock of angsty criminals convicted for attempted rape and physical assault.

Chat Noir soundlessly landed on the balcony again, retracting his staff and balancing the bouquet of flowers in his other hand as the familiar, delicious aroma of food hit him like a truck.

Momentarily disoriented, Chat Noir dragged his feet behind him as he walked toward the source, hearing a very familiar feminine giggle which caused his eyes to snap open.

Marinette was looking quite amused as she did the finishing touches to her pancakes, adding whipped cream, chocolate and strawberries on top. Chat's gaze scanned the table, filled with cream filled buns, pastries of all kinds, cookies an-

"…Croissants?" Chat's tail stood ramrod straight and the man dived toward the stunned woman, enveloping her in a tight hug out of sheer happiness, "Princess you outdid yourself this time!"

His heart was brimming with joy but it quickly pummeled to the bottom of his stomach when he heard the painful hiss escaping her and he immediately released her, backing away, terrified if he hurt her.

Marinette smiled weakly, holding onto her side gingerly, "Marinette, are you-"

"I'm fine kitty, just a bit sore," when his gaze hardened, she quickly added, "From my gym classes yesterday! I went to the gym in the morning," she grinned widely, hoping she sounded more convincing to him than herself.

Chat crossed his arms, gaze narrowed, "Princess…"

Marinette shifted her weight, "It's true," her tone was defensive, before her shoulder slumped at his unrelenting gaze, "Kitty, I'm fine honestly-"

"I wasn't quick enough," words failed her then, too stunned by his low confession to speak, "If I had been there earlier they wouldn't have even had an opportunity to touch you…" he remembered the bruises on her face, her busted lip, the cuts…

His fists clenched and suddenly, he remembered the flowers he held in his hands, nearly crushing them in his death grip. Sheepishly, Chat held them out for her, "Er, oh um, I got you these," he grinned boyishly, "I saw them while passing through and thought you might like them,"

Her heart leaped into her throat at the sweet gesture as she took the flowers from him and smelled them, carefully setting them aside. While the gesture was incredibly thoughtful, they had more pressing matters to attend, "Thank you for the flowers Chat but-"

He cut her off weakly, gaze firmly fixated on a spot on the floor, "What you saw last night…" his brows furrowed, trying to find the right words, "I…I can't really explain it myself, Mari…I just…moved. I only remembered wanting to protect you before I saw red. I understand if you were afraid of me and what I did, but I never wanted to harm you princess you have to believe me," he gazed at her seriously, heart beating wildly in fear as his ears flattened against his head.

What would she think of him now? Would she call him the monster some Parisians claim him to be? Had he scared her?

He froze when her arms wrapped tightly around his middle, her head resting against his chest as she released a soft chuckle, "Silly kitty…of course I know you'd never harm me." She paused and she felt him tense, "But…I was afraid," she mumbled quietly into his chest and she felt his hands gently, ever so carefully weave into her hair to gently scratch her scalp, "Not of you, never of you chaton. I…I just…" her grip around him tightened, "I was afraid how far you would go to protect me…"

He froze and for several tense moments, none of them moved, then Chat Noir's arms wrapped around her and she melted against him.

He buried his face in her hair, his voice so quiet she strained to hear him, "I thought they…I…" he grit his teeth, "I thought I lost you, Mari…I was terrified." His grip tightened, drawing her closer, "When I saw you with all those wounds, I couldn't control myself. I wanted to get you somewhere safe, I wanted to protect you, I…I wanted to make them pay for what they did,"

He sighed shakily, taking a discreet whiff of her scent and it immediately calmed him.

Marinette's voice was a bit louder, muffled slightly by his chest, "I know kitty, I know. I was scared too but…" her hands splayed on his firm chest, hiding her face against it so he couldn't see her pink cheeks, "I…felt safe with you,"

Relief immediately flooded his whole being and he couldn't resist pulling her even closer, not even a sliver of space remaining between them as they hugged for what felt like hours.

Marinette was the one to, albeit reluctantly, break away, "I think the food is getting cold," Chat laughed, a rich sound that made everything seem a little brighter.

"Furgot about that," he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, Marinette failing to avoid looking at the way his bicep flexed with the movement, "You're amazing you know that?" his gaze softened as he looked at all the food she managed to prepare before settling on her.

Marinette blinked, quickly setting to fixing them plates, thankful for the distractions, "T-take a seat kitty, food will be ready in a minute!"

Adrien watched her, increasingly curious at her different moods.

She wasn't scared of him. That had been the greatest relief.

She didn't seem to be angry at him either.

Wait…

Was she blushing?

Adrien shook his head, "Probably from the heat of the oven," he reasoned, sitting down at the table and watching, with a dopey smile on his face, as she whirled around the kitchen expertly to set everything for their hearty breakfast.

He blinked.

Their hearty breakfast.

Their hearty breakfast.

Their breakfast.

Flushing uncomfortably from his face down, Chat shifted in his seat, trying to dispel any and all thoughts of a not unfamiliar domestic setting with a certain blue haired friend of his.

It didn't help at all that she was probably wearing the most cutest apron he ever saw in his entire life and he was purrety sure he knew what inspired the design.

He smirked when she sat down opposite of him, his smirk widening even more when she shot him a suspicious, confused look, "…Why are you looking like you just got the canary?"

His Chat bravado was back in full force, all male, "I don't know purrincess," his eyes deliberately trailed over the front of the apron, "But I like your sense of style," his eyes gleamed wickedly, "It suits me purrfectly,"

It took only half a second for Marinette to realize what he was insinuating, before he found the apron chucked at his face and an embarrassed, enraged squeal sounding from the smaller woman as he chuckled silently.

The apron was his favorite: Puns are clawsome & kittens are purrfect.

Marinette groaned at the smug cat.

She should have seen it coming.

Thank you for reading! There's a tidbit written in the Author's Note to read! :)