#I can only purromise you so much kitten

[your-local-grinning-cat]

*chuckles*

Don’t worry about it, kitten.

I may not like the fox you hang around with, but I’m fine with you. You’re welcome in my Tulgey Wood anytime.

And hey, we may not be good kitties, but we can share this as a consolation prize! 😹

*summons a tart I snatched from Heartslabyul earlier and uses magic to slice it in half, taking one half for myself and offering the other half to you*

who's a good kitty?

*puts on detective hat* 🕵️‍♂️

Well…

My lovely Highness @disgruntled-prince is more of a lion rather than a kitty, so I’m disqualifying him from the running. Though he is an amazing lion and I adore him. 😻

In this same vein, this disqualifies Cheka and Falena.

@ruggiebucchiii is a hyena and he and I have already covered that he is not quite a cat. He may be more closely related to cats than dogs, but he is still not quite a cat. He’s a kinda cat! Which is why I call him my kat friend. Kinda cAT. That’s Ruggie. But either way, he is not in the running. Sorry Kat friend. 😔

Then there’s the Playful Land kitten, Gidel. He is disqualified because, as much as he was desperate and was on hard times, he still committed crimes and was an accessory to them. And therefore does not, in fact, qualify as “good.”

@lucius-official is disqualified because he’s a bastard. That is absolutely a compliment to him, I respect a cat as unapologetic as him. And I support his rise to power. But he is not a good kitty - he doesn’t need to be. 💅

That leaves Grim and I.

Except @yuu-grimmofnrc is always saying he is not a cat. Apparently, he is a direbeast that just so happens to be catlike. So actually no. Grim is NOT left.

Just I am left.

So… I guess… the answer… as to who a good kitty is… is…

IDIA SHROUD!

@gloomyronin. My favorite blue glowstick. He is the most amazing pathetic little wet kitty of them all~! 😹

Good kitty Idia! 🩵🔥😸

[sweetcatmintea]

Semantics

Flash fiction Friday! Hurray :3 I’m so tired haha, so I’ll just drop this and go. Couldn’t say no to a wonderland episode ow<~* Hope you enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated 💜

FFF is organised by the wonderful @flashfictionfridayofficial​

Prompt: Strange lands Words: 1016 Characters: Storm and the Cheshire Cat

---

Everything smelled so sweet, like jam and cream. Sweet and swirling and sickening and the sooner Storm could get back to something with a semblance of reality, the better. Try as he might to fight it, frustration frosted his chest, devouring the building anxiety and growing stronger with each minute he spent lost in these weird woods. Fists clenched and unclenched at his sides as he rounded, you guessed it, another tree. The leaves brushed each other like chuckling rice maracas, dappling shadows somehow darker than the surrounding inkiness to dance along with the tempo. The darkness was more than a simple absence of light. It was a presence in itself. It was as though a beast of void had settled to rest, filling the space with the hum of its breathing where there should have been silence. It was disconcerting, if he let his mind linger too long, which he endeavoured not to do. Despite the darkness, he could still see. Or rather, he understood what should have been seen. Man, this place was giving him a headache.

He paused, leaning against the rough bark of an ashen birch. It didn’t matter how much air he drew in, he couldn’t scent anything beyond its jammy tang. He just had to keep searching. He’d find Echo, get them the hell out of there, and thoroughly lecture her about wondering off. Again.

Just stay focussed.

He moved to continue on, but a furred flash under foot had him careening backwards, almost tripping over himself in his efforts not to crush the thing. It was something like a mouse. If it had been mixed with a mushroom. The fungal creature flared its neck frills at the insult of its near maiming, darting off again before he could react.

“Strange. This place, it’s so… strange.”

“We usually prefur curious,” A voice purred into his ear, “curiouser and curiouser, as the saying goes.”

Storm bolted back, pivoting on his heel to face the stranger. Ears pinned back, fists raised, he was ready for immediate counterattack. His shoulders dropped, confusion slacking the tension. He’d almost punched a cat in its grinning face. It hadn’t been there a minute ago. He’d have noticed.

“Aww, you didn’t even scream. How disappointing.” He lolled onto his back, staring at Storm with big amber eyes. If he’d wanted to look disappointed, it wasn’t a convincing display.

It wasn’t often Storm was dumbstruck. The words tumbled out of his mouth, the only sentence his brain could produce.

“I don’t talk to animals.”

The cat pouted, dripping lazily off the branch, suspending himself instead in the air. “Maybe they don’t talk to you. I wouldn’t blame them. You are terribly rude.” He hissed a laugh, putting his paw to his grin like a cutesy text icon. “I’ll furgive you if you make an exception for me~.”

Not bothering to wait for an answer, he floated closer, wrapping himself around Storm’s shoulders. What kind of cat smells like smoke and spices?

“I’m curious, you see. Curious about what you’re doing wandering around our quaint little world. They call it a wonderland you know. And yet, here you are looking all ruffled. Hmmm, are you purrhaps struggling with those demons that like to take up residence in human heads? Alices have a habit of finding themselves here. You’ve got a lot too, I can tell. Nasty little creatures.”

Storm shoed him off. “What, no. I’m just looking for my sister.”

The cat didn’t seem to care, floating wherever he saw fit. “Not a rabbit? Shame. I could tell you were he is.”

“No. My sister, Echo.”

“Echo, echo, echo.” The cat vanished and reappeared further away three times, one for each repetition. He reappeared, a puff of stirred smoke, back on his branch.

“Well, there are three echoes for you. Wasn’t that an easy quest.” His tail curled with mirth as Storm’s jaw clenched. Why was he wasting his time with this stupid cat?

Because it was the only lead he had. He took a deep breath, biting back the frustration.

“My sister. Have you seen her? She’s seven, about this tall, black hair, mute, has a toy sheep.”

The cat’s grin widened, “Oh yes, the lovely little kitten who came through. Such a sweet thing, nothing like you. You’re so sour.” If he noticed Storm’s glare, he didn’t react. “I sent her along her merry way.”

Storm perked up. “Where did you send her?” He didn’t know whether to be furious that the cat wasted so much time or relieved that he might finally get a trail.

“To the Hatter of course. He and the March Hare are having a tea party. It’ll be a splendid little affair. Oh, but don’t worry Big Brother, they’re quite mad so she’ll be perfectly safe. They will have a marvellous time, I’m sure. Then along to the unicorn and the lion. Such silly creatures, those two. You would probably like them. I couldn’t recommend them, but I did purromise an introduction and what is a cat without his word?”

The cat blathered on; Storm’s fur bristled. “What do you mean they’re mad?”

“They’ve lost their heads, naturally. It makes for an excellent baker but a terrible conversationalist, I’m afraid.”

Storm fought to keep his cool. Ice crackled up his wrists and through his feathers. Through gritted teeth, he managed to ask, “Can you tell me where they are.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly do that!”

His teeth creaked under the pressure. “Why not?”

“I simply can’t direct you! You’re terribly mad. I wouldn’t want to be around you for so long. Sour is one thing, but I’ve never been partial to spiciness.” He sighed, still grinning.

“Please tell me.”

“Okay, here’s what we will do, I think you’ll like this, I’m going to go and then, when you’re more palatable, I’ll come back. A very joyous reunion, I’m sure. Then I will no longer be unable to tell you what you want to know. Cheerio Big Brother!”

“Wait!” But he was already gone. Damn. What was Storm going to do now?

—

Tag List

@snobbysnekboi, @inkovert, @kainablue, @i-rove-rock-n-roll, and @goblin-writer

[zecretsanta]

A Purromising Start

To: @agentshilonglang From: @erisofimladris

I was so excited to see a Hanukkah prompt that I simply had to write this! It was a pawsome prompt and I’m wishing you a Hanukkah as happy as the Klim family, cat puns and all!

AO3 link

“Meowy Christmas,” said Sigma as he stood at the door, Phi’s cat Lambda weaving his way between Diana’s legs to greet the newcomer.

“Shouldn’t it be Happy Hanucat?” Diana asked, ushering him inside.

“Hamewkah sounds better to me,” Phi’s voice called from the kitchen, where the smell of onions and the sound of frying potatoes wafted out.

Sigma laughed. “Does she need a helpurr in there?” he asked, removing his jacket and draping it on the couch.

“I think she’s fine,” Diana said, guiding Sigma into the small living room that she’d decorated as best as she could. Blue and white lights hung from the ceiling, an electric menorah sat in the window, and an actual one sat on the table for later. But both Phi and Sigma had wanted to come while the sun was still up, and Diana wasn’t about to say no to her brand-new family.

Hanukkah was, after all, a celebration of impossibility. The outnumbered Maccabees won the war, the oil stayed lit for eight days. It was equally impossible for Diana to be hosting this party for a family she didn’t know she had until her time in Dcom, for her to have a daughter who was too close to her own age to be real. And yet, it was all real. It was all too fitting, really, that this would be their first celebration as a family.

They didn’t feel like a real family, not yet. They hadn’t even known each other for a year - it was shortly after Hanukkah last year when they all went to Dcom, not knowing each other, and now they were trying to make things work like the family existed forever. Sigma was more like a boyfriend than a husband, even though she suspected he had more in mind. She hadn’t caught the bouquet at Akane and Junpei’s wedding, but she had the feeling she would be getting married before long to the usually goofy but sometimes deadly serious man who was now in the kitchen annoying their daughter. He’d mastered dad jokes in a remarkably short time, but she still wondered if Phi felt she was good enough at being a mother.

She wasn’t even cooking, although she had been until Phi and the cat arrived to her little apartment. It felt homier with her there, far homier than last year when her abusive ex was “celebrating” with her. Now, at least, she could relax.

“I think they’re ready,” Phi said, emerging from the kitchen with a plate between her hands. It looked so domestic, so authentic, with the steam coming up from the potato pancakes, almost like they’d been doing this forever.

But as they sat down, Diana realized she hadn’t passed this recipe to Phi like mothers were supposed to do, nor did she even know where the mix of spices came from. Staring down at her plate, she scooped out the applesauce and let Sigma taste the latkes first.

“I like these a latke,” Sigma said, and even with everything else going on in her head, Diana couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No cats were harmed in the making of this dish,” Phi rolled her eyes.

“That one wasn’t mandatory,” Sigma agreed. “It just had to happen.”

“I don’t know about that,” Phi said, finishing off her first latke.

“Maybe it’s time to play dreidel,” Diana said hesitantly. She knew that they enjoyed bickering, but sometimes it still felt like things were about to turn into a real fight. She smiled sheepishly as Sigma got up and got the small plastic top from the kitchen, with Hebrew letters on each of the four sides, then passed it to Diana.

“Ladies first,” Sigma said, plopping a face-up hat between them to be the pot, adding one piece of chocolate gelt, and then giving them ten each.

“What does that make me, chopped liver?” Phi asked jokingly as Diana leaned down, rolling the dreidel.

“Nun,” she said. Nothing happened when the dreidel fell on a Nun. It was easy enough to pass the dreidel to the left, where Phi sat cross-legged on the floor, snacking.

She spun with more of a flourish than Diana expected, and it landed on - 

“Hey,” Phi said, both an exclamation of mild annoyance and the letter on the dreidel. “Half doesn’t mean much when it’s just the one in there.”

“What happens if there’s only one piece of gelt in the pot, anyway?” Sigma asked as Phi reached in, rolling the chocolate coin between her fingers.

“We put another in so the pot isn’t empty, but Phi gets to keep it - at least that was how it was done when I was little,” Diana said, hoping she wasn’t being too overbearing, but both Phi and Sigma accepted her situation. He fished another piece of gelt out of the big bag in the corner and plopped it in the pot, then made his move.

“Nun again… you’ve gotta be kitten me,” Sigma said, passing it to Diana, taking care to ensure their hands met over the plastic toy.

Diana blushed slightly, rolling the dreidel into the plate of latkes. “Shin,” she said at the same time as Sigma said, “That doesn’t count.”

“Sure it doesn’t,” Phi said sarcastically.

“I’m fine to put one back,” Diana said, reaching into her pile before passing the dreidel to Phi. She smiled at Sigma, appreciating how he was trying to look out for her, even if she wasn’t about to start their family gathering by cheating.

“Hey,” she said, picking up one of the pieces out of the pot, then counting hers. “Twelve for me - looks like I’m winning.”

“Not so fast,” Sigma said, catching the dreidel when she tossed it (just like a real dad, just like Diana’s dad always did) and spinning.

Diana relaxed more as the turns went on, as the pot grew bigger and their own piles grew smaller, as did the plate of latkes. When the last one was done, the table became charged, but in a good way - the next person to roll a gimel, according to Phi’s rules, would be the winner.

It was close, once, when Lambda jumped up on the table and batted at the dreidel, and Phi exclaimed that “that was going to be a gimel!” and scowled when Sigma called her reaction “amewsing.” And it was too easy for Diana to see how this might have looked if they were a family from the beginning, Phi as a young redhead looking like her own little sister trying to skew the results in her favor, Sigma the calm force of reason keeping chaos from erupting.

(She tried as hard as she could to not think of a little redhead boy sitting between her and Sigma, for both the grief and the fact that she had no idea how her ancient, scheming son would play dreidel.)

Sigma rolled again - a shin, reducing his number to five (not counting one he’d eaten, saying it was a family tradition of his to eat when the first gimel was rolled a while back), before Diana took the dreidel again.

It rolled and rolled before landing on gimel.

“Meowzel tov,” Sigma said, flipping one of his coins into the pot as Phi did the same.

“I guess there’s no point in SHIFTing to the timeline where I got the gimel,” Phi said, and it took Diana just a little too long to laugh.

“Looks like we have a winner,” he said, tipping the hat into Diana’s pile as she watched the foil-wrapped chocolate coins cascade down onto her plate.

“You don’t mind that we did these rules?” Diana asked Sigma, who had technically rolled the first gimel back when there were still latkes on the plate. He’d lost to a technicality; her ex would be furious.

“It’s tradition. What can I say?” he grinned, reaching over to pet Lambda as the cat snuck off with a small piece of leftover latke.

“Not your tradition,” Diana blushed.

“Yet,” he said. “We’re still making our family’s traditions.” He looked over at the window, where the sun was beginning to set. “And it seems like it’s time to make one more. Where are the candles?”

“I’ve got them,” Phi said, the two of them working in tandem to set up the menorah - at least until they started bickering over which direction to insert the candles and which to light them. 

Diana could picture in her head, just as vividly as if she’d SHIFTed, the same scene with her and her sister when they were little, arguing over who was right based on Hebrew school or what their Bubbe said. In the end, she was fairly sure that they were lighting the candles in the wrong way, but something felt very right as she looked at the faces of her boyfriend-ish and sorta-daughter flickering in the candlelight. It might not be right, but it was them - their own family tradition, their first of many.

It was truly a happy Hanukkah.

[miraculousstorytelling]

Five Times Chat Noir Failed at Flirting and One Time He Didn’t

Written for Day 13 of Marichat May. Sin comes from a Greek word that apparently also means missing the mark. So, this fic is Chat Noir missing the mark.

Thank you @agrestenoir for helping to come up with this idea.

Things had been a little awkward since the day Chat Noir and Ladybug learned each other’s identities. They still worked well together as a team, and they still saw each other every day, but something was different. Marinette was still friendly as ever, and Ladybug still joked around, but it wasn’t quite the same. She was all business during akuma attacks, and she hardly spoke to him after they detransformed. The more he considered it, the more he realized it all happened the day she found out he was Chat Noir.

The only way that made sense was if, for some reason, Marinette didn’t like him. Either Adrien him or Chat Noir him. Either option was confusing, given that she was always friendly to Chat Noir and Adrien alike, but it was the only thing that made sense.

Plus, it was something he could possibly correct if he tried hard enough. After all, they were partners and friends, which had to mean something.

So, when he saw her walking home alone late at night, he was only too happy to greet her.

“Hey, princess,” Chat Noir called down to Marinette. “Need a lift?”

She jumped and turned to look up at him. “Chat Noir? What are you doing out here?”

He dropped down beside her. “Well, I was just doing a little solo patrolling. What are you doing out so late?”

“I was just walking home from school. Alya and I were working on our history project together.” She frowned. “Why are you out patrolling alone? I could have joined you.”

“I… well…” He shrugged. “I was actually just getting some fresh air. You look like you could use an escort, though.”

She snorted. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He winked. “ It would be my purrleasure-”

She shook her head, her grip on her schoolbooks tightening. “You should head home, Adrien. We’ll be patrolling tomorrow anyway.”

“She hates me, Plagg.”

Plagg sighed. “Why do I always get the moody Chat Noirs?”

Adrien glanced over at him. “I don’t even know what I did.”

“Look, just give her some time. It’s only been a week.” Plagg gulped down a slice of Camembert.

“But, she hates me!”

“She doesn’t hate you.”

Adrien frowned. “How do you know?”

“Call it a guess.” Plagg shrugged.

“Maybe I should try visiting her.”

“Kid, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Despite the warning, moments later, Chat Noir landed on Marinette’s rooftop balcony. He peeked inside to see if the light was on, and sure enough, the only sight that greeted him was an empty bed and a light on by Marinette’s computer.

He knocked softly, watching for movement, and ducked back when Marinette began climbing up to her bed. She peeked out. “Chat Noir? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I just wanted to stop by and say hello.”

She raised a brow. “You know, you can always call for that kind of thing.”

“Oh, um…” He sat beside the opening to her room. “I could, I guess. I just missed you.”

Her expression softened. “That’s really sweet.”

He brightened. “And plus I can’t see your lovely face over the pho-”

“But you really should call first. I…” Her eyes darted back down to her room, and she continued speaking as though she hadn’t even heard him, “I have a lot of work to finish up. Sorry.”

“Right. I’ll just-”

“Night, Adrien!” She closed the latch behind her, and he grimaced.

“Do you think she hates me?” Adrien asked as he watched the classroom doorway for her arrival.

“Who, Marinette?” Nino chuckled. “No way. She totally li- Um.” He coughed. “She definitely doesn’t hate you. Trust me.”

“She hasn’t really talked to me much lately.”

Nino shook his head. “She’s just been a little busy.”

“Yeah…”

They both turned to the windows at the sound of a roar outside. A large grey figure walked past the school, and Nino groaned when he saw it. “Another one?”

Adrien grimaced. “We should get somewhere safer.”

After months of practice, he’d mastered the art of slipping away and transforming while Nino looked for shelter.

When Chat Noir arrived outside, Marinette was busy evading falling rocks, courtesy of the latest akumatized victim. He quickly batted one out of the way.

“Fancy meeting you here, milady.” He winked and scooped her up.

“No time to flirt, kitty, I need to transform.”

He dropped her off in an alley nearby. “You’re not kitten around today.” He grinned. “I apaw-logize if I came on a little strong.”

She rolled her eyes, but the accompanying smile was encouraging. “Could you distract the akuma for me? We’re going to be late for class if we don’t hurry up.”

He nodded. “Of course, princess.”

“Oh, and Adrien.” She smiled. “Be careful.”

“Okay, so maybe she doesn’t hate me, but…” Adrien rolled over onto his back, holding the phone against his ear as he stared up at the ceiling. “She doesn’t really seem to like me.”

“Why do you think that?”

Adrien shrugged. “Well, she isn’t really talking to me much.”

“She’s probably just nervous.” Nino chuckled. “Seriously, just try asking her to lunch or something. I bet she’d love it.”

“You’re sure?” Adrien grimaced. “This morning I said hello, and she almost screamed.”

“Listen, have I ever lied to you? Trust me. She’d be thrilled to go to lunch with you.”

“So, I should ask her?”

“Yeah, totally!”

Adrien hummed in consideration. “Maybe I will.”

The only problem was that her phone went straight to voicemail when he tried calling her to ask. He called again just in case, but when that went to voicemail, too, he hung up.

Well, it was better to ask in person, wasn’t it?

Moments later, Chat Noir was tapping on the rooftop window to Marinette’s room.

She scrambled up to meet him. “Chat Noir, what’s wrong?”

“What?” He raised a brow. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then, why are you here?” she asked, frowning slightly.

“I, um, just wanted to ask you if you wanted to get lunch?”

“It’s midnight. Why would I want to eat lunch?” She peeked over her shoulder. “It’s really late. You should go home.”

“But-”

“Night, Adrien!” She waved and closed the window behind her, leaving him stuttering and confused.

Still, he wasn’t quite ready to give up yet. He saw her once again walking home late at night and called down to her. “Marinette!”

She flinched and turned to look up at him with a wide grin. “Chat Noir! What are you doing out here?”

“Just enjoying the night air.” He landed beside her, and she stepped back. “Need any help carrying that?”

She moved the bags in her hands behind her back and shook her head. “Nope. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I could walk home with you. It’s a really nice night.” He smiled. “I purromise I’m good company.”

She chuckled. “Thanks, but I’m okay. You go ahead and enjoy that night air.”

“O-okay. If you’re sure.”

“I am. Thank you, Adrien.” She rushed off before he could comment any further.

“I’m pretty sure actually running away from me is a bad sign.”

Plagg grumbled, “Kid, just give it some time.”

“We’ve been partners for months now.”

“Actually, a year,” Plagg pointed out.

“Exactly! I didn’t think she hated being around me this much!”

Plagg shrugged. “Why don’t you try talking to her?”

“Yeah, that hasn’t really done much good.”

Plagg pointed at Adrien’s phone. “She keeps telling you to call. Why don’t you try that?”

Adrien eyed it for a moment, then he sighed. “Fine.” He scooped up his phone and called Marinette, ready to leave yet another message.

“Adrien! Hi!” Marinette answered, sounding out of breath.

He smiled at the sound of her voice. “Hey, Marinette! I just wanted to-”

“You have great timing, actually! Could you come over? I need a favor.”

“Really?” He perked up. “Sure! I’ll be right there.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”

This time, the window was open for him, and he peeked inside once he landed. “Marinette?”

She waved. “Come on in!”

Curious, he dropped onto her bed, then the ground. “So, what’s the favor?”

She held out a package. “Open this.”

“Open it?” He took it from her, examining the paw print paper she’d used to wrap it. “What is it?”

“You’ll see.”

He carefully sliced open the package and pulled out a black shirt. “What?” He held it out, and his eyes widened. The front displayed his green pawprint symbol, so exact he almost wondered how she managed it. “Whoa.”

She grinned. “Turn it around.”

“There’s more?” He turned it over and gasped. The ladybug symbol from her earrings was on the back. “Did you make this?”

She nodded.

“But...why are you on the back?”

She blushed. “Well, it’s silly, but I just thought… You always have my back, so I wanted you to know I have yours, too.”

He stared up at her. “Have you been working on this?”

She nodded. “It was only supposed to be Ladybug, since I know you’re a huge fan, but when I found out you were Chat Noir, I had to start over. Alya helped me perfect the designs with pictures on her blog.”

“And that’s why you kept kicking me out when I visited?” he asked, a hopeful note in his voice.

“Well, that and it’s probably not a good idea for you to visit too often. Hawkmoth could see it, and that would be dangerous.”

He chuckled. “I thought…”

“What?”

“Nothing.” He tugged on the shirt. “I love it. Thank you.”

She frowned. “Don’t change the subject. What did you think?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s stupid. I sort of thought you were upset with me or just…”

“Upset? Why?”

“Well, you kept telling me to leave. I asked you to lunch, and you said it was midnight.”

“What?” She paled. “I said that?”

He nodded.

“I just didn’t want you to see anything. I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize-”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad you don’t hate me.”

“Hate you? I’ve had a crush on you for a year!”

“What?” He froze

“Um…” She waved a hand. “Anyway, I definitely don’t hate you.”

“You have a crush on me?”

“Maybe.”

He stepped forward and hugged her. “I couldn’t be more honored, milady. You’re a purrfect partner, and you’re pawsitively amazing.”

She relaxed and returned the embrace. “Thank you, Adrien. I’m so lucky you’re my partner. Thanks for being so mewraculous.”

He laughed. “That was an incredible pun.”

“Well, after a year of fighting akumas, I think you’ve earned a good pun or two.” She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and leaned back. “I’m sorry I made you think I hated you.”

“It’s really okay.” He stepped back. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you a gift.”

“That’s o-”

“How about I take you to a nice dinner?” He winked.

She blushed. “Okay.”

“Really?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

He grinned. “I’m just excited. I’ve been trying to flirt for a week now, and it finally worked.”

“A week?” She groaned. “That’s so embarrassing. How did I miss that?”

“You were probably just dazzled by my beauty,” he teased.

She snickered. “Oh, I’m sure that was it.”

“Does tomorrow night work?”

“Tomorrow sounds great.”

Yeah, Marinette also missed the mark a little bit.

This was also written late at night, so please forgive any errors you see. I tried to read through and catch them all, but my 2 AM brain can only do so much. Hope you enjoyed, nevertheless!

[feeling-freckled]

Breathtaking In Black

A/N : This one-shot is a birthday gift for the lovely @foofoocuddlypoopsgavesokkaapples .  Hope your birthday is pawsitively wonderful.  In the spirit of Marichat May, this is a marichat one-shot and it is filled to the brim with fluff!  Sorry it is so extremely long, but I couldn’t help myself! I really hope you enjoy it Nav!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)

P.S. I will most likely write a second part to this in the near future!

______________________________________________________________

The Halloween Ball at Collège Françoise Dupont was only three days away.  Marinette had been working on her costume ever since the ball was announced in Early September.  A simple short black dress with gold embroidery along the sweat heart neckline.  A single gold bell sewn in the center.  Black ribbon wrapped around the waist and hung down in the back to mimic a tail.  A headband with a pair of black cat ears sewn to it sat beside her sewing machine.  Marinette knew she wouldn’t be the only Chat Noir at the ball that night, but she was determined to stand out.  All she had left to finish was the gold embroidery on her matching mask and she would be ready.                                                                                                                        

Wearing matching ladybug and chat noir costumes was Alya’s idea of course.  Marinette was more than happy to dress as her partner rather than risk recognition so she didn’t dream of objecting when Alya called dibs on Ladybug.  Of course, matching costumes meant twice the work on Marinette’s part.  Across the room, hanging on her closet door was a high-low red dress with small black spots dotted along the matching sweat heart neckline.  Black spots covered the skirt and faded as they traveled down from the waist line.  A red mask with five black spots sewn on it lay on a nearby desk with a pair of red fingerless gloves.  Both costumes would be finished by the end of the night, completely on schedule.    

“You’ve really out done yourself Marinette” Tikki praised as she floated past the young designer.

“Thanks Tikki! I just really hope Alya likes her dress.  I know it will look spectacular on her.”  Marinette turned to examine the bright red dress hanging on her closet door.  Alya had always looked good in red.  Marinette was sure that the polka doted dress would compliment her best friend very well.  She just hoped that she wouldn’t look too plain in comparison.  She was very proud of her work on the Chat Noir dress, but she still wasn’t sure if she could pull it off.  She didn’t exactly have Alya’s confidence.  However, she was determined to impress at the dance.  She didn’t want to impress just anyone of course.  A school dance meant male classmates, and male classmates meant Adrien.    

“Marinette stop looking so hesitant.  You’re going to look amazing! I promise” Tikki sang as she did a small flip mid air.  Marinette smiled at her Kwami.  Tikki always knew exactly what Marinette needed to hear.  The teen took a deep breath, nodded at her tiny companion and sat down to begin the intricate embroidery on her mask.

Two minutes into her careful threading, Marinette heard a strange thump on her roof.  That could only mean one thing.  Chat Noir.  Her heart dropped to her stomach.  The hero had visited her quite a few times when on patrol and she had managed to become good friends with him without her mask.  But if he saw her dress, she would never hear the end of it.  She could already hear him teasing her over and over about her creation.

“Tikki help me hide everything! I can’t let him in with these dresses out in the open!”  Tikki grabbed the red mask and gloves off of the desk and flew into the closet.  Marinette followed after her with both dresses in hand.  She quickly hung them both up in the back of her closet and shut the door before spinning around to look up at her trap door.  Sure enough, a familiar knock came from the door and she began climbing up the steps to her loft.  Marinette opened the door to reveal a young blonde boy in a black cat suit grinning back at her through the darkness.

“Why good evening Princess” he said with a slight bow.  "I was on a nice patrol around the city when I realized that it had been quite some time since I paid a visit to my favorite civilian.  Hope you haven’t missed me too terribly.“  Marinette laughed at his theatric greeting.

“Don’t worry kitten, I missed you just the right amount I assure you.  Come on in.”  He thanked her and walked down the steps into her room.  Marinette followed after him and the two sat down on her chaise.  The two often sat there and talked for hours about their lives and their hobbies.  Marinette was comfortable with him around and she didn’t think this visit would be any different from the others.  That was until she spotted a small piece of black fabric with unfinished gold embroidery sitting out on her table.  Before she could act, chat had already spotted the mask and was on his feat.

“This mask is beautiful Marinette,” he marveled as he carefully picked it up to examine it closer.  "Do you have a special occasion coming up or is this for a Halloween party purrhaps?“  Marinette stared at him blankly.  Not only had she left the mask out, but sitting on the table beside it was her open sketch book with several drawings of the two dresses and the accessories spread across the page.  She had been using it as a reference.  Chat stared at her with curiosity when she hadn’t answered his question, but all his confusion was replaced with pure interest as he followed her gaze to the open sketchbook next to him.  

"No wait Chat!” she called as she stood up, but it was too late.

“Princess… are you designing a chat noir themed dress for Halloween?”  His grin grew wickedly wide as he spoke.  His eyes flickered from her designs to catch her gaze.   How could she have missed the sketch book?  "My dear I knew you were a big fan, but I never knew you were this infatuated with me?“  Marinette rolled her eyes and sighed before reaching for the book.  Chat held it up high in the air.  "Oh no, You are not getting this back until I hear more about this dress.”  

“Alright fine!” she gave in.  "If you must know, my school is having a Halloween Ball in a few days and my bestfriend Alya wanted us to wear matching ladybug and chat noir themed dresses.  I know how much she idolizes ladybug so I chose to go as you.  Now give it back!“  she stomped on his foot and jumped up to grab the book as he flinched in pain.

she smiled at her victory but stopped smiling immediately when she realized he hadn’t reacted to her swiping of the book at all.  He was just blankly staring at her.  Then his face lit up and the wicked grin spread across his face once again.  Marinette did not like that look.  She knew it all too well.

"So if the dance is only a few days away…” he hinted before turning quickly to face her closet.  "That means the dresses must be mostly if not completely finished and are most likely hidden in there.“  Her eyes widened and Chat took a step towards the closet.

"Wait!” she called out as she crossed the room and put herself between him and the door.  "I’ll show you the damn dresses, but you are not snooping through my closet” she demanded.

“Okay it’s a deal.”

“Not so fast.  There is one more thing.  I worked really hard on both of them.  And honestly I’m still really nervous about showing up to a dance in a dress I made myself so if you could at least try to control your urge to tease me I’d really appreciate it. ”

Chat dropped his goofy smile and placed his hand over his chest.  "On my honor I purromise that I will not tease my princess for her beautiful creations even if it may be tempting!“  Somehow she wasn’t convinced, but Marinette knew he would never leave without seeing both dresses.

“Alright, ladybug first” she said hesitantly before disappearing into her closet.  Chat went to sit patiently on her chaise as she went to the back of her closet to grab the hanger holding the high-low red dress she had designed for Alya.  Marinette backed out of the closet and slowly spun around to face him.  Chat’s eyes went wide as her examined the spotted dress held out before him.  

“Wow,” he breathed before slowly reaching out towards the garment.  "May I?“ he asked before Marinette moved closer to him.

"Sure.  Just watch the claws okay?”  He nodded in silence and smiled at her before lightly taking both sides of the waistline between his gloved fingers.

“You really have outdone yourself Mari” he praised.  "Honestly.  You captured M'lady’s aesthetic quite stunningly.“  He observed the spots that spread from the waistline and faded as they reached the ends of the skirt.  He knew designer quality clothing when he saw it and this dress easily surpassed many of the different designs he’d seen over the years.  "I knew you were talented Mari, but this really is beautiful work.  May I see the back?”  Marinette nodded with a light blush coating her cheeks.  She really wasn’t expecting him to give so many honest compliments.  She delicately spun the dress around so that he could admire the length of the skirt in the back and the black bow that would sit at the center of Alya’s lower back.

“This color will look fantastic on Alya.  I wish M'lady were here to see this!  She would love it I assure you,” he said with a sweet smile.  He looked up from the dress and his glowing green eyes met her sparkling blue ones.  He noticed the stunned look in her eyes and the light blush across her cheeks.  

Pink really was her color.  

He wanted to playfully tease her so badly in that moment, but he had promised.

“Thank you chat” she breathed almost silently.  Adrien was a little hurt to see her so surprised by his ability to praise her.  However getting to see her blush like that made it all worth the pain in his chest.   “Alright,” she said more to herself than to him.  "Now you can see the chat dress.  But do me a favor and close your eyes for me?“

Chat was intrigued to say the least.  "I think I can manage that,” he said with a nod of his head.  His eyes slipped shut and he released his delicate hold on her ladybug dress.  he listened to the faint sounds of her footsteps fading as she walked into the closet once again.  He heard the slight thud of her closet door closing behind her.  Adrien took in a deep breath and tried to calm his excitement.  He had meant every word he had said about her first dress.  It was obvious that she had put passion into every small detail of her work.  

The amount of dedication he had seen from her only made waiting more difficult.  She had been rummaging in her closet for several minutes, and he was beginning to believe she was just testing his patience.  Finally, his cat ears perked up as he heard the sound of a door knob turning and the door creaking open just a crack.

“Your eyes are still closed right?” she asked hesitantly.

“Of course they are.  Princess I never break a promise,” he assured her as he heard the sound of her foot steps slowly approaching him.  Her breath sounded shaky and her steps were very uncertain.  chat smiled lightly and whispered “Marinette you don’t have to be afraid.  I promised I wouldn’t tease or mock you.  You are an amazing designer and I am pawsitive that I will be blown away by your dress.”

Marinette took in a deep breath and smiled down at him.  He had been her partner fro two years now.  She knew he’d never lie to her.  "Okay kitty” she said as she took a step back from him.  "You can open your eyes.“  Chat’s eyes flew open as soon as he was given permission to look.  A few feet in front of him stood his dark haired classmate not holding, but wearing the most beautiful chat noir costume he had ever seen.  The gold embroidery on the neckline was extremely intricate and lead the eye directly to the small bell at the center of her chest.  He pulled his eyes away from her neckline with a light blush of his own before examining the satin ribbon tied around her waist.

Chat stood up and took a step towards her.  "Mari this is honestly the most beautiful piece I’ve ever seen you finish.”  His eyes traveled down to the ends of her skirt before flickering up to read her expression.  

Marinette was glowing.   Her blush had grown from a light rose to a bright magenta.  She had no idea why she felt this way.  Was it the honesty in his voice?  Was it the way his eyes had lingered at the center of her chest before slowly traveling down her body?  Her short trance was broken when Adrien reached out and gently took her hand  in his.  "Can you do me a small favor princess?“ he asked with his face now dangerously close to hers.  He held her hand up over her head and took a small step back to give her room.  "Do you mind spinning around for me?  Please.”  The low rasp in his voice was almost too much for her to handle.

Get a grip Marinette  she demanded in her head as she nodded and let out a hushed “Yeah, sure.”  She spun around one time slowly, holding his hand the entire time.  As she turned to face him she saw an expression she had only ever seen on his face when she had the mask on.

Pure admiration.

Their eyes met once again and the sweetest smile he had ever given her spread across his lips.

“You know I used to think pink was your color Marinette.  However it seems I was mistaken.  You look absolutely breathtaking in black.”

He took a step closer to her and their faces were dangerously close once more.  He was still holding her right hand in his left and he slowly brought it to his lips to place a tender kiss atop her knuckles.

Marinette was at a loss for words.  Normally she would playfully push him away with a sassy remark.  However, her mind had gone blank the moment he touched her hand.  She had never seen this side of chat when in her civilian form, but she was sure he had flirted with her many times as ladybug.  So why?  Why was this time any different?

While Marinette was silently self destructing, Adrien could not pull his eyes away from her.  Her growing blush was absolutely adorable.  He had never been able to get such a reaction out of her before.

And he liked it.  He liked it a bit too much.

“Can I ask one last favor before I leave?” he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers.  She blinked and forced herself to focus.

“Don’t you think I’ve complied with enough of your small requests for the night chat?” she managed to tease.

“I promise I will leave you in peace to finish your work if you promise me one last tiny favor.”

At this point Marinette would do anything to get a few moments to herself so she could clear her head.  she nodded and let a small smile grace her lips.  "Alright if it means I can have peace and quiet to finish the mask.  What’s your price kitty?“

“Save me a dance on Friday night?” he asked.

Marinette’s head spun out of control.  Chat was going to the ball?  He wanted to dance with her while in his civilian form!?  Only school students with invitations from the school would be allowed in.  A million puzzle pieces were flying around in her head as she desperately tried to piece them together.

“Well princess what do you say?”  His nose was practically touching hers at this point and she could feel his breath on her lips.  Come on Marinette just speak damn it she thought silently.  The puzzle pieces continued spinning around in her head as she blinked and attempted to form a sentence.

“T-that would be alright with m-me,” she managed to mumble.  Why was she stuttering!?  "The only problem is you need to be a student in order to be allowed in chat.“  She was sure this would cause his expression to change from playful to disappointed instantly.  However his smile only grew more devious.

"Oh I assure that won’t be a problem in the slightest.”  He took a large step back from her, breaking all physical contact instantly.  "I’ll be there so don’t you worry your pretty little head about it alright?  Besides, I want to see the finished mask.“  Marinette had lost all ability to speak as he chuckled under his breath and turned towards her door.  "What do you say Mari?  Is it a promise?”  He turned his head to look at her and she knew he was not leaving without an answer.  she took in a sharp breath and tried desperately to piece the words together in her head.

“Yeah.  It’s a promise kitty.  I will save you one dance,” she managed.  Chat appeared very pleased with her answer.

“I can’t wait princess,” he whispered with the same low rasp that had left her speechless only moments ago.  "Until then, I bid you farewell.  Even the most lovely of maidens needs her rest.“  He turned his head once more and headed up her steps.  Before Marinette could so much as blink Chat was gone and she was alone.  She barely noticed when Tikki emerged from her closet to sit on her shoulder.

"Marinette do you really think this is a wise idea?” Tikki asked, but Mari could only barely hear her over the sound of her heart beating in her ears.  Tikki sighed and flew over to her stash of cookies Marinette had left for her at her bedside.

Chat’s words repeated on loop in her mind as she slowly began changing out of her dress.

“You know I used to think pink was your color Marinette.  However it seems I was mistaken. You look absolutely breathtaking in black.”

The next three days were sure to be the longest hours of her life.    

Part 2