MariChat May Day 9: Bell Collar.
Adrien sees Mari in a new bell collar at school, and decides to pay his Princess a visit that evening.

This is for KawaiiKekeChan, thank you so much for being one of the masterminds behind our MariChat May calendar! I'm having a blast with this!

Marinette tilted her face down and reached her arms behind her neck to release the clasp on her necklace. It came off easily, and she took a moment to gaze at it happily. She hadn't made much jewelry, but this had turned out well and she was particularly proud of it. She'd started with a black velvet ribbon about a centimeter wide, and stitched tiny, flat-backed black beads around it in the shape of cat paws. At the ends, she used matte gold ribbon clamps to attach a matching lobster-style clasp and a chain to make it extendable. A tiny, green enameled paw print charm hung from the end of the chain, and a small matte gold bell hung from a bail in the center. It was perfect, and she loved everything about it.

The squeak of her skylight opening made her jump, and Marinette whirled, hiding her new necklace behind her back. "H-hey, Chat."

"Hello, princess." He slipped through the opening to her bed, and then leapt to the floor. "I hear you've been holding out on me."

"H-holding out?" She stammered, her eyes wide.

"Apparently, you've already made that new bell collar, but you haven't shown it to me. I had to hear about it through the grape vine." He stalked towards her with a smirk.

"How did you—"

He leaned forward, bringing his face even with hers, so that their noses were only a few centimeters apart. "And, I thought you were going to make it for me."

Marinette was taken aback by the strange light in his eyes, and his almost aggressive demeanor. What was going on? "I-I did make one for you. Here." She turned, discreetly blowing out a breath as she put a bit of distance between them. His unexpected behavior had left her flustered. She opened a drawer on her desk, and after dropping hers in, she drew his out. "This is for you."

Chat Noir took it from her, and looked over what she'd made. It was similar to the one he'd seen her wearing at school that day, but it was made of black leather rather than ribbon, and it had none of the beadwork that hers did. Instead, it was subtly decorated with flat black thread, and the large bell hung from a simple ring that had been stitched in place, rather than a decorative bail. In place of a clasp, it was finished with a buckle, very much like a real collar.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I think that it's perfect," he replied, giving it an experimental jiggle and smiling at the sound. He tugged his belled zipper down just enough to expose his neck, and he fastened it at his throat.

"Now I don't have to worry about you startling me anymore."

Chat Noir took the bell from her and tossed it thoughtfully. "I don't know either, but we can try." He stepped closer to her again, and his new bell jingled softly. "You're still holding out on me, though, Mari. Where is your necklace?"

"M-my necklace?"

He had her flustered again, he noted with satisfaction. It was only fair, really, since he had been flustered ever since she'd walked into class wearing a bell collar that morning. "The one you wore to school today?"

"How do know what I wore to school today?"

"A little birdie told me," he smirked. "Please, princess? Put it back on?"

Marinette sighed resignedly, and went back to the drawer. "Well, I was going to wait until I could surprise you when the whole outfit was done. I guess I can show it to you now, though."

"Wait, there's more?" His heart gave a surprising thump. "Just what are you making?"

"Nuh-uh, kitty," she replied, shaking her head and clasping her necklace on once more. "I'll show you this, but you have to wait for the rest."

She lifted her chin in invitation, and he stepped closer, gently running one clawed fingertip over the intricate beading. "It's beautiful, Marinette. Did you do the beading yourself?"

"Yeah. It took forever."

He nodded absently, continuing to trace along the ribbon at her throat. When he came to the bell, he nudged it, smiling when it made a sweet tinkling sound. "I like this on you, Princess." His voice had come out a bit raspy that time, and he cleared his throat self-consciously. He liked that collar on her a lot, more than he was really comfortable with. What was it about seeing her in a collar?

"Um, Chat?"

"Hmm?" He realized that he'd been zoned out, and focused on her blushing face.

"Can I have my neck back please?"

His eyes darted back down to her throat, where his hand still rested on her collarbone, his fingers idly playing with the bell. He snatched his hand back in surprise, and took a healthy step away from her. "Sorry!"

"You know, Chaton," she began with a coy smile, "if that's how you react just to the choker, then your reaction to the whole thing is going to be absolutely priceless."

Thanks for reading! Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are always welcome!