When Marinette held tightly to the leather belt of a tail, a part of her wished whole heartedly that she had a place of her own. It would have been much easier to convince Chat Noir to stay the night if she had.
"Please?" she asked again, a hint of a whimper in her voice. He looked down at her from the steps and hesitated before succumbing to her sky-blue puppy dog eyes. She wasn't feeling her best, and he knew that it would be good for him to stay. Their akuma attack that day had not gone well. It had been one that fed off a person's deepest fears and showed it to them deliberately, causing some fairly debilitating states of mind.
Marinette didn't want to be alone that night.
Being the chosen one for the god of bad luck and destruction, Chat Noir had had his fair share of fears, and had been forced to live with them for many years of his life already. Marinette had not. Her life was happy, and without darkness. This was too much for even her.
Chat Noir descended the ladder and embraced his princess swiftly. Feelings of warmth comfort, and safety bloomed from within her as she was enveloped in his arms. She buried her face into his chest, ignoring the odd sensation of leather on her skin.
When Chat released her, Marinette resigned herself to her chaise lounge, not having the energy to climb up to her bed, and not wanting to give him the opportunity to escape her. She beckoned to him and he complied, shocked at how needy she had suddenly become. Never before had he witnessed her in such a state of distress. It only made him feel the need to protect her more.
Char Noir sat on the floor in front of the chaise and let Marinette rest her head atop his own, a hand reaching up to run their fingers through his hair. Another hand draped down his left shoulder and he reached up to hold it.
They sat in silence for a long time, neither of them having any desire to move or speak. It had been a long day and they wanted nothing more than to forget all about it.
Purrs escaped him and neither relented in their comfort.
Reluctantly, Chat pulled away and looked up at his Princess. She looked exhausted. Without a word, he stood and guided her up the steps to her bed, laying her down to rest. All the while she refused to relinquish his hand, dragging the cat into bed with her. He was under the covers before he had time to complain about it.
"Feeling better, Princess?" Chat Noir asked, rubbing circles into her hand with his thumb. She nodded and snuggled into him deeper.
"I'll be fine as long as you're here with me."