"I was in such a hurry after the akuma attack that I completely forgot about her!" Marinette groaned. "She's going to kill me! Argh!"

"It'll be fine," Tikki giggled. "She's your best friend. She won't get mad over something little like this." Marinette rolled her eyes. Tikki didn't know Alya as well as she did. Alya could get totally mad about some things and not care about others. It was Marinette's own fault thought that she left Alya. She couldn't blame her friend for being upset.

Muffled sounds came from underneath the trapdoor. "She's right up there," Marinette heard her mother say. "I'm not sure why she hasn't come down already. You two can head on up though. I'm sure Marinette won't mind."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." That was Alya's voice.

"Tikki! Hide!" Marinette quickly shouted. "They're coming!" Tikki searched the room for someplace to hide. The closet was still open from this morning, so she flew inside and shut the door tight. It was dark and kind of cramped with all the clothes, but it would have to do. Once Tikki was hidden, Marinette looked back at Chat Noir who had curled into a ball of the floor.

"I guess I don't need to worry about you when you look like that," she sighed. "Just don't transform and behave." Chat Noir nodded his head and laid back down. He didn't plan on moving from that spot. He was exhausted and even if Marinette didn't have time for a nap, he sure did.

The trapdoor sprung open and Alya entered the room with another boy at her heels. His glasses were pushed high up his nose and he looked tired which wasn't surprising. Spending a day with Alya could be pretty draining if you weren't used to it. The poor boy's name was Nino, Alya's long-time crush and Marinette's old friend.

"Girl, you won't believe what happened today!" Alya squealed as she gave Marinette a big hug. "Remember that rock monster we saw? Things got even crazier after that! These two magicians came out of nowhere and beat him to pieces-"

"She's been like this all morning," Nino sighed, rubbing his temples, as Alya rambled on. " I was in the middle of music lessons when she interrupted me and she won't stop talking about it. She's been calling it the story of the century. Could you talk some sense into her? The whole thing sounds impossible."

"Actually..." Marinette smiled weakly. "I saw it too. She's telling the truth."

Nino's eyes widened. Aya smirked and punched him in the shoulder. "See?" she teased. "I wasn't lying. There really was a giant rock monster! It was holding this girl in his hands and I thought he was going to crush her. Then, a girl dressed like a ladybug and a boy dressed like a cat appeared and fought him. It was the coolest thing! They had magic spells and everything! I wish I could've talked to them..."

"Woah! No way!" Nino protested, looking Alya in the eyes. "Magicians are dangerous. Don't get too close to them. I don't want you to get hurt. You have a knack for finding yourself in tight spots. Marinette and I or these so called heroes can't protect you all the time. Please be careful..."

Nino turned his gaze away to hide his blushing face. He and Alya had been friends for a while and he knew everything about her. For the past few months, he had a crush on her, but never had the guts to say anything. Alya was a headstrong girl, moving forward with her career and dreams. He was a boring musician that didn't have much to his name besides his instrument. The last thing Nino wanted to do was hold her back, so he kept his feelings a secret. A confession was drawing close, but he wasn't ready yet. In the meantime, Nino worried about her since she could be reckless. In fact, he probably worried too much.

"Nino's right," Marinette agreed with a nod of her head. "That monster was dangerous too! Its fist was three times the size of you. If anything happens like that again, please don't go running off."

"Okay, okay..." Alya smiled and pulled Marinette and Nino in for a group hug. "You two worry so much," she laughed. "I got up close with that monster and I'm still here to tell the tale. Do you really think something like that will happen again though? Think about all the potential stories!"

"ALYA!" Nino and Marinette both shouted. Alya put up her hands in defense. "I'll try and keep my nose out of it," she promised. "But if my publisher asks for more, I have to give it to him. There's a demand for these kinds of stories."

"Publisher? Did you sell your story already?" Marinette asked. Alya had been trying to get an article published for over an entire year. Printing papers was expensive, so publishers only wanted stories that were good. She tried her hardest, but always got rejected because her content wasn't exciting. Many publishers had praised her for her writing skills, however. All she needed to do was find a good story.

"I certainly did! It's called 'Stoneheart vs Ladybug and Chat Noir' and documents the entire fight. As soon as I finished writing, I sprinted to the nearest newspaper office so no one would cover the story first. They took it immediately and even paid me upfront for it. They even said that they'd let me write all the articles on Ladybug and Chat Noir if something like this happens again. This is the opportunity I've been waiting for!"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Nino interjected. "You gave them names?"

"Those are their names for your information." Alya crossed her arms and had a know-it-all look on her face. "I heard them talking and that's what they called each other. It makes sense. The girl was dressed in red and black spots while the boy had cat ears and a tail. His costume was much more elaborate. I thought his ears and tail might actually be real."

"You wouldn't be wrong about that," Marinette thought. "Alya's attention to detail is scary. I'll have to tread extra carefully whenever I'm around her."

Nino laughed and saucily replied, "What kind of magician dresses up like a cat? You make these people sound like heroes, but they sound like weirdos to me. How do you even know they're the good guys? They could've made that monster and sent it into the city to play a sick game. It wouldn't be the first time something like that's happened. Magicians used to cause all kinds of chaos."

"I can tell. If you saw Ladybug, you'd know too. Someone evil couldn't have a smile that bright. She was simply incredible, Nino! She was so brave and confident! That monster could've crushed her, but she never backed down. The whole thing was unreal. She swung from buildings and sent that monster to its demise."

"This flattery is getting out of hand." It was Marinette's turn to blush. "Little does she know I spent a good five minutes hiding because I was so scared. I'm really not that amazing. Chat Noir did a lot of the hard work. He deserves more praise than me." She glanced back at Chat Noir who was fast asleep. "...So maybe I take that back."

"And do you want to know the strangest thing?" Alya asked. Nino rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Things already sounded pretty strange. He didn't know how they could get worse. Alya pulled Marinette and Nino close, whispering into their ears. "The monster dropped this piece of paper and when it ripped, this creepy butterfly came flying out. Ladybug caught the butterfly and when she did, the monster transformed into a normal person!"

"What?!" Nino took a step back. "That's freaky! Was he possessed?"

Alya shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know, but it was obvious that he had no idea what was going on. When he got angry, his entire mind went blank and he turned into a monster. He didn't have any recollection of how it happened. And the boy was Ivan from the butcher shop who you know is one of the sweetest kids in existence."

"Apparently not..."

"I think I have a theory on what happened. That butterfly is filled with evil power and attacks anyone who is angry or upset. It fills them will magic and turns them into a monster, allowing them to take vengeance. That means anyone could be a target!"

"She's so close to the truth," Marinette panicked. "How was she able to figure that out so fast? Why does she have to be so smart? I won't be able to shake her off this trail. I should try and change the subject. Maybe she'll forget all about this, but that seems unlikely."

"Um... Alya?" said Marinette when Alya let out a high-pitched squeal. She sprinted over to Chat Noir and ruffled his fur, giving him a rude awakening. He turned his head towards Marinette and gave her an irritated glare as if he was saying "please control your friend since I'm trying to take a nap". Marinette wanted to say something, but Alya looked like she was having too much fun petting him.

"Marinette, you forgot to introduce Nino to your new friend," Alya smiled, picking up Chat Noir in her arms. She cradled him like a baby and brought him over to Nino. "Isn't he such a cutie? I wish I could have a cat, but mom says she doesn't want another mouth to feed. I'll just have to shower this little guy with all my extra love instead." She ran her fingers through the fur on his head, patting down Chat Noir's ears.

"What's his name?' Nino asked, taking his turn at petting Chat. He hesitantly scratched the cat's belly and then quickly pulled away. Nino could tell Chat Noir was upset and he didn't want to be the victim of an angry cat. As a child, he had been scratched by the family cat often and he had no desire to relive those bad memories.

Marinette took Chat Noir from Alya's arms and set him back on the floor. He skulked back to his napping spot and sat down, making sure he couldn't see Alya. "His name's Chat Noir," Marinette said. "He's a little tired right now, so we should let him sleep."

"Chat Noir?" Alya frowned, thinking to herself. "Didn't you call him Shadow earlier?"

"I... I did! But then I thought about it a bit more and decided I liked Chat Noir better, so I changed his name. I think he likes Chat Noir better too. After today, he's named after one of Paris's heroes."

"You're so indecisive sometimes, Marinette. Hopefully Chat Noir can keep up with that and your clumsiness. You might want to put a collar on him in case something happens. I can imagine you two getting separated. The poor guy might never find his way home."

"I was planning to do that eventually. I've only had him for a day and things have been pretty busy with giant monsters, superheroes, and all that..."

"Will you have enough time to take care of him?" Nino asked. "Taking care of a cat is a big commitment and you always seem to be busy. I'm not doubting you, but for once, I'd take Alya's advice. Make sure you feed him enough and make sure it's the right type of food. Cat's have sensitive stomachs. You might also buy him some toys. He'll get bored easily cramped up in a small room like this."

"I'll do my best!" Marinette protested, feeling hurt by her friends' lack of faith. "He'll be treated like a king. I already know his favorite food and have made sure he has a place to sleep. I'll make him a collar tonight and go get some toys tomorrow. Does that make you both feel better?"

Alya and Nino nodded. "Good..." Marinette sighed. "They're more worried about Chat Noir than I am. He's got them wrapped around his paw without even trying."

"Shouldn't you both be heading off?" Marinette asked, pushing Nino and Alya towards the exit. "I feel like I'm interrupting a date since the two of you came here together. Go enjoy yourselves!"

"A d-date!" Nino stammered, pulling down his hat to cover his face. "It's not like that. Alya just came over and asked to hang out. That's all..."

"But we could make it a date," Alya winked. She grabbed Nino's hand and opened the trapdoor. "It looks like we're going out," she laughed wildly. "Oh, one last thing though! Marinette, where did you disappear to when that monster attacked? I went back to look for you and you had vanished. You freaked me out."

"I had to chase after Chat Noir!" Marinette lied. "The noise scared him and he ran away. I went to go catch him and ended up going back home afterwards. I didn't want Chat Noir to get into any trouble! I'll have to be more careful taking him outside next time. And um... let me walk you guys out!"

Marinette pushed Nino and Alya along. They all walked downstairs to the bakery's front entrance where the customer flow had finally died down. Everything was nice and quiet which was how Marinette liked it.

"Have fun," Marinette waved as Nino and Alya walked out the door. Alya was clinging on to Nino's shoulder now and he looked ready to explode. He hadn't been been prepared for romance so early in the morning. As the couple left, Nino turned around and mouthed a quiet "thank you" to Marinette. She winked back and smiled. Without her, Nino could hardly dream of going on a date with Alya, let alone asking her out on one.

Once the future lovebirds were gone, Marinette walked back upstairs. "Thank goodness they left," she thought, feeling drained. "I'll have to talk to Tikki about what to do with Alya. It'll be hard to keep secrets from her and keep her hands off Chat Noir. Everytime she comes over, I'll have to hide him otherwise she'll hug him to death!"

Marinette went back in her bedroom and plopped down on her bed. She closed her eyes and thought "Finally I can relax..."

"Thanks for not helping me out back there!" a loud voice shouted in Marinette's face. She opened her eyes and saw Chat Noir, in human form, hovering over her. His arms were crossed and he didn't look please. From this angle, Marinette noticed that he had sharp fangs instead of normal teeth. She made a mental note never to get too close to his mouth.

"You transformed back already?" Marinette asked, sitting up. She leaned against her wall, trying to stay upright and awake.

"Obviously! It was way easier the second time. All I had to do was want to be human and BAM, I was. Pretty neat, huh?"

"Sure... Chat, can you please let me-"

"And what about this collar thing? Usually I wouldn't be a fan, but if you made it for me, I don't think I'd mind. Can you make it black? And with a bell? Kinda like this?" He pointed at the bell hanging from his neck. It, like the miraculous, came with being in human form. Chat didn't know why, but he liked it. It was fun to play with.

"Whatever you want," Marinette replied, her eyelids drooping. "You have a lot of energy now. I'm glad you got some sleep."

"Not as much as I wanted thanks to that friend of yours. Hasn't she ever heard of 'no touching'? Cats have personal space too. In fact, it's probably bigger than most humans. I liked your other friend though. He knows how to read the mood."

"Sounds great. Now it's my turn to take a nap. Give me an hour to rest and please let Tikki out of the closet. She's been in there for a while now." Marinette laid back down and turned her back to the wall so no one could wake her up again.

Chat Noir frowned, upset that Marinette was ignoring him. For some reason, he wanted her attention. He didn't want to play with her necessarily, but just wanted her awake and talking to him. For the past year, he had survived alone and been fine. Now that he had been spoiled with company, being alone made him nervous. A small part of him worried that he might end up alone again.

Marinette were beginning to show him that life wasn't as bad as it seemed. Never in his entire life (or at least the part he remembered) had anyone reached out to help him. People saw a helpless cat on the streets and walked on by, but Marinette was different. They had only know each other for a few days, but she gave him more than he could ever want. She fed him and gave him a place to sleep, but more importantly, she gave him her friendship.

Through a strange twist of events, they were partners now. She was Ladybug and he was Chat Noir. They were two halfs of a whole. Their differences separated them. She was human and he was a cat. She was good luck and he was bad. But a bond of trust was starting to form between them which warmed Chat Noir's heart. He had never been able to trust anyone before.

Chat Noir sat down beside Marinette's bed, pouting. He wanted to do something, but Marinette had already fallen fast asleep. He looked up at her sleeping face and smiled. She was adorable when sleeping. Quietly, he grabbed her hand with his paw and held it. Her hand was soft. A faint blush emerged across Chat's face as he refused to let go.

"She's cute when she's asleep," he thought, his tail swinging back and forth across the floor. "To be able to touch her with human hands, it's... nice." A warm feeling spread through Chat Noir's body. He coughed and let go of Marinette's hand. "What was that?" he thought, trying to calm himself down. "That was weird. Is that something that happens to humans?"

He wanted to explore that strange feeling again when he heard banging coming from the closet. Remembering that Tikki was still locked inside, he walked over and opened it up. Tikki came flying out, gasping for air. "Finally!" she panted. "It was so stale and hot in their. I thought I was going to die! Where's Marinette?"

Tikki leaned over and saw Marinette sleep. "Oops!" she said in a hushed tone. "She's asleep. I'll keep my voice down. I might go take a nap too! Fighting akuma is hard work!" Tikki began to fly over to the bed when Chat Noir plucked her out of the air.

"W-wait!" he stammered, trying to hold Tikki without crushing her in his paws. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Tikki blinked, confused. "Sure! What do you want to talk about? Should we wake up Marinette?"

"No! Um... no. I wouldn't want to bother her, but I have a question about humans..."

"I'm not human, but I'll do my best!"

"When humans touch each other, do they feel warm inside? Like a tingly feeling?"

Tikki's eyes widened. "Not normally," she answered with a smile. "Humans only feel that with certain people and only when they care about them a lot. It sounds like you might have a crush!"

"A crush? What do you mean?"

"That's something you have to discover on your own," Tikki giggled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." She flew over and sat next to Marinette, closing her eyes. Before Chat Noir could object, she had also fallen asleep.

"A crush?" Chat Noir repeated. "Can friends have that? Marinette and I are friends, right? Well, we're more like partners..." He hovered over Marinette and watched her sleep. He began to blush again and covered his face with his paws. "What's wrong with me? Ever since I saw her fight that monster, my body's been feeling funny. I don't understand..."

He sat back down beside the bed and bit the inside of his cheek. "Human bodies sure are strange, but I like this more than being a cat. It's nice to be able to speak. I'm also taller than Marinette like this." Chat Noir stifled a laugh. "I'm certainly a lucky cat." Chat Noir closed his eyes and although he wasn't tired, he found himself falling asleep by his lady's side.

After about two hours of sleeping soundly, Marinette was woken up by Chat Noir's unusually loud snoring. She peered over her bed and saw her kitty, fast asleep. "I knew cats slept a lot, but I didn't think they snored," she giggled. "I should wake him up. We have things to do."

"Chat Noir," she whispered as she tapped his shoulder. "Chat Noir... wake up." His eyes slowly fluttered open and he looked around the room groggily. He saw Marinette above him and his body went into sudden shock. His face heated up and his paws became clammy. She was too close to his face.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Marinette laughed, sitting up. "Glad to see you're awake. We have to make you that collar. I don't want Alya and Nino to think I'm a bad pet owner. I'll never hear the end of it!"

Marinette stood up and walked over to her desk, her sudden movements stirring Tikki awake. She sat down and rummaged through various drawers for all the materials she was going to need. "I know I have extra black leather," Marinette frowned, struggling to find it. "Where could it be? I should also have a small bell leftover from the holidays. I wish I was more organized. This is a mess!"

While Marinette was searching for materials, Chat Noir wandered over and pulled up a chair beside her. "Why do you have all these things?" he asked as Marinette threw excess junk on top of the desk. She had fabric of all the colors of the rainbow, buttons, bows, thread, and lace. There were scissors, needles, push pins and things Chat Noir had never seen before lying beside all that.

"I need them for my designs," Marinette explained as she pulled the black leather from the bottom of the drawer. "You never know what you might need, so I have everything on hand. It's my dream to be the best seamstress in Paris, so I have to practice. I want to open a shop and everything, so I have to keep working hard!"

"Your dream? You have a dream?" Chat Noir repeated. The confusion in his voice baffled Marinette. It sounded like he didn't understand the word.

"Of course I do! I can't imagine living without pursuing the thing I love. Doesn't everybody have some kind of dream?"

"Cats don't... It's so hard trying to survive that there isn't much time to dream. Cats can't really do anything either." Chat Noir's face turned sullen. "What is like to have a dream?" he wondered. "Marinette looks so happy talking about hers. I hope her dream comes true..."

"Let's make a deal," Marinette smiled, taking Chat Noir's paws in her hands. "If we can stop this bad guy from destroying Paris, I'll let you in on my dream. You can work at my shop if you'd like. We can dream together until you have one of your own. How's that sound?"

"O-okay..."

"Good!" Marinette opened another drawer and pulled out a small, golden bell. "I have everything to make your collar, so you'll have to turn back into a cat. I don't think your human proportions are going to be much help."

There was a green flash of light and Chat Noir turned back into a cat. Marinette pulled out a measuring tape and wrapped around his neck. "Don't flinch," she advised. "I need these measurements to be perfect. I don't want the collar to hurt your neck." She wrote down the measurements and then got to work.

It wasn't a hard project. Marinette cut the leather to the circumference of Chat's neck and attached a clasp to it. In the center, she sewed on the bell, giving it a flick to make sure it sounded good. She was done in ten minutes and held the finished collar up to Chat Noir.

"What do you think?" she smiled. "It's not much, but it'll do. Consider it a present. Welcome to the family, Chat Noir." Marinette put the collar around his neck and clasped it shut. Chat Noir patted the bell with his paw, amused by its ringing. If he could smile as a cat, he would be beaming. It was the first present he had ever received and he loved it with all this heart. So much so, that he had to tell Marinette with his own words.

There was another green flash and Chat returned to being human. He noticed in his human form, the collar disappeared. That was probably for the best. It wouldn't have fit around his neck and he didn't want to ruin it.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "No one's ever given me a purr-esent before."

"I'm sure there will be many more to come," Marinette grinned. "I'm known for giving amazing gifts. Just wait until the holidays!" The fact that Marinette had already thought ahead to the holidays warmed Chat Noir's heart. She didn't plan to get rid of him. She thought they were going to stay together forever. He felt the same. He never wanted to leave her side.

Marinette stood up and said, "Now that we've finished that, I'm going to head downstairs and see if Maman and Papa need help. You can stay up here and keep Tikki company. I should be back in a bit." She disappeared downstairs.

Chat Noir watched her figure disappear and thought, "I think I'm beginning to understand what a crush is..."