The Cat's Meow LadyBugXChatNoir MarinetteXAdrien

Chapter Three

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why would you do something like that?" Adrien cursed to himself, lightly hitting his head against the wall. Of all things, he just had to watch Marinette undress.

Marinette walked out of the bathroom, wearing a silky light blue, long sleeved, button up shirt with matching pajama pants. She walked over to the tv again, turning it on and switching the channel to the news report.
"Doesn't seem like there's any akuma victims yet, but I must stay alert." Marinette said to herself.

"You? Stay alert?" Adrien thought. "What could you possibly do? That's mine and Ladybug's job! Well... It falls to her right now, I'm stuck in a cat's body."
The one thing he didn't want to think about popped into his head. He was going to have to tell Marinette after this was over. If his math was correct, this type of transformation would only last four days. If he wasn't able to use his destructive powers, he wouldn't be able to tire out Plagg.

Oh god, what would he say to her?
'Hey, Marinette. How was your week? Oh, mine was strange. I turned into that black cat you took in from the rain and watched you get naked in your bathroom.' Yeah, that'll go great! Maybe he could start a conversation and break the news to her gradually. She might still hate him, but at least she'd know the truth. Adrien looked around Marinette's room, trying to sort out her interests for future topic ideas.

He looked at her desk, then to her bed up on the loft, and then looked around her walls at her posters. There was a lot of... him? Wait a minute, did unknowingly beautiful Marinette have a crush on him? No way! No wonder she could never have a normal conversation, she was too flustered.
"How cute! This may just work out." Adrien thought.

He looked back over at Marinette who had muted the tv and was now sitting at her desk looking down at her tablet.
She seemed to be doing the rest of today's assignment. She scribbled a few things down, then huffed and set down her stylus, and sat back in her chair, shutting her eyes.
"This is hopeless!" She cried.

Curious, Adrien walked over to the desk and jumped up. Surprisingly, he could maneuver easily. He stepped closer to the tablet so he could see what she was doing. Geometry, of course. He looked over the work, doing the formulas in his head and solving them. Half the answers were wrong on the page. Looks like Marinette could use some tutoring.
Marinette opened her eyes and finally noticed the cat.
"Hey, kitty." She smiled. She reached her hand out to him and started scratching beneath his chin.

"What should I call you? I can't keep calling you 'kitty' all the time, now can I?" She questioned the black cat.
She looked into the cat's bright green eyes.
"You know who you remind me of when I look at you?" She prodded. Adrien tilted his head to the side, quizzically.
"Chat Noir." She finally answered, as if Adrien could actually respond. He chuckled at that. Him and Chat Noir were one in the same.

"That's it! I'll just call you Chat Noir." She asserted. Marinette turned her attention away from the cat and looked out the window. It had gotten dark and the rain was still pouring down. The leaves on the trees across the street were shaking violently.
"I don't think it's gonna let up any time soon, so you might be here a while." She stated.

Adrien wasn't really bothered about staying here with Marinette. This could give him a chance to get to know her more. Like this, she wouldn't get flustered and stutter. He liked Marinette this way, she could be herself like when she is around her friends. He was her friend, too. But they never got to talk much.
"That's the first thing that's going to change when I turn back to normal." He stated to himself.

Marinette yawned and lifted her arms above her head in a stretch.
"Well, I think I'm gonna clock out. Make yourself comfortable anywhere you want." She addressed kindly. Her face grew red and set scratched the back of her head,
"Here I am, talking to a cat." She giggled.
"If only you knew." Adrien chuckled.

Marinette got a meow in reply.
She ascended the steps to her loft where her bed was. Tiredly, she flung herself down and pulled the soft light purple covers up to her chin. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She rolled over on her side and closed her eyes, awaiting sleep to overtake her body.

Marinette awoke to a loud crash and a flash of light. Screaming, she bolted upright.

Adrien, who had been asleep on the couch below, sat up, yawned, stretched, and looked around. He spotted Marinette above where she was currently sitting up right in her bed, rocking herself back and forth with her hands covering her ears, all the while mumbling to herself.

"Marinette?" He called, only to realize she still couldn't understand him. He huffed in frustration and hopped off the couch and slowly padded over to the stairs. Another clap of thunder sounded and Marinette screamed again.
Worried, he rushed up the stairs and jumped onto her bed. Her eyes were closed and her face was scrunched up.
"Marinette, what's wrong? Are you afraid of thunder?" He questioned.

She finally opened her eyes and looked at the cat when she heard Adrien meow.
His eyes held a look of concern.
"I-I'm fine..." Marinette reassured. "I just got a little spooked. Sorry if I worried you."
She sighed and picked Adrien up, bring him up to her chest as she laid down on her back. She propped her head up with one arm behind it and she used the other to pet him. Adrien purred in response. Although it was pitch black in her room, he could see her face perfectly. Her forehead had broke out in beads of sweat from the recent panic attack.

The thunder finally died down and Marinette seemed to have calmed down, too. But Adrien just sat and watched her, making sure she was alright. The room was quiet and Marinette felt comforted by the cat's presence, like somehow he understood her. She eventually fell asleep, and the petting had stopped. Adrien finally decided it was safe for him to sleep, too. He laid his head down on Marinette's chest, he could feel her warmth even through her shirt. He curled up and shut his eyes.
"I wouldn't mind this everynight." He thought sleepily.