#chat noir starts meowling

[lady-charinette]

Soul’s Melody & The Cat’s Meow - Lukanette

Originally posted on FFnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12886816/3/Of-Compasses-and-Statues

Rated: T

Soul's Melody & The Cat's Meow

He didn't necessarily spy on people.

Chat Noir didn't spy on people.

Especially not girls at night.

A girl that, coincidentally, was his clumsy classmate and the girl he had saved from Evillustrator.

But still, Chat Noir did not spy on people!

He was immensely glad for the protection of his mask, if word ever got out that Adrien Agreste, Paris' sunshine model boy as the media had taken to calling him, was caught sitting on a rooftop eyeing the room where a girl was in, that would be catastrophic.

Shaking his head wildly, Chat Noir focused back on the situation at hand. A situation he wouldn't even found himself in if it hadn't been for a certain older brother of a certain quiet classmate of his…

He had no idea how Luka was in Marinette's room, how her parents had allowed her that, how Marinette wasn't freaking out about having a boy in her room, then again, perhaps she had gotten used to it with his monthly-turned-weekly-visits as Chat Noir.

But still having a boy she had just met was not even close to having a Parisian superhero in your room, he knew he would be freaking out and be up the walls would Ladybug grace him with her presence at the mansion.

He squinted, eyeing what they were doing even from the distance thanks to his enhanced eyesight.

They were talking.

That was innocent, that was good.

His gaze narrowed.

They were laughing.

His princess was blushing.

Chat let out what sounded like a mixture of a growl and an irritated hiss, ears flattening against his messy hair. He didn't think Marinette often invited boys to her room, sure he had been there once or twice as Adrien, even more times as Chat, but…still!

Chat Noir clawed at his head helplessly before bringing out his baton to call his lady. Perhaps she could help with his current situation.

No answer.

It seemed like his lady was preoccupied elsewhere, which left him alone to figure out his sullen mood. Usually Chat Noir was a relatively upbeat person, his civilian half was no exception, but tonight seemed like he would be meowling at the moon like the rest of his feline companions.

Well, after Luka left. He had to make sure his princess was safe, after all. Not that he didn't trust the male per se, he had been pretty cool after the whole incident with Captain Hardrock and the music festival overall.

Adrien didn't have a problem with Luka.

He didn't know why Chat Noir should, but he did. And he wouldn't leave until he figured out why.

It came as a surprise to see the boy in her room right when he was on his way to visit her, up until this point he had thought they only fleetingly knew each-other during the music festival.

A quick detransformation, an entire conversation with Nino and a bit of Plagg's nagging later, he found his answer. Apparently, during his and Ladybug's fight with Captain Hardrock, Luka and Marinette had somehow freed themselves from their chains and Luka had helped Marinette escape before he got captured by his akumatized mother again.

He was sure Alya had more details, but as far as Nino went, Marinette apparently admired his skills with the guitar and the fact he was a huge Jagged Stone fan and had gifted Marinette some type of merchandise of the singer.

But he liked Jagged Stone too. Granted, it wasn't his favorite singer, but he liked him a lot. Adrien knew how to play instruments as well. So, what was so different about Luka?

Chat found himself too curious to keep his distance any longer and, with all the stealth of his namesake, scaled the walls and was now perched precariously right above Marinette's window, thankful that the window was opened by a sliver, so the conversation inside was heard much clearer.

"Y-You really think so?" he heard Marinette's familiar stutter and wondered if the guy intimidated her.

He frowned. Nobody intimidated his princess except him! Well…Adrien…

He shook his head and concentrated back to their conversation.

Luka spoke next, "Yeah, I've said it before, you're an amazing girl Marinette." The praise made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and his claws dug into the rooftiles beneath him, "Is there something you can't do?"

There was a laugh, a nervous but flattered laugh coming from Marinette, "I-uh, w-well, there are a lot of things I can't do right! I can't sing or play an instrument at all, I'm not very good at dancing I have two left feet, I um, I can't-"

Luka chuckled in amusement, fingers strumming a gentle, soothing melody to calm her anxious heart, "But there are even more things you're great at. Relax princess." Chat Noir bristled.

Princess?

That did it.

Taking a deep breath, Chat Noir let out a series of the loudest and high-pitched cat meowls he could.

Both teenagers looked outside, where the full moon greeted them along with a few visible stars, "Is that…a cat singing?" Luka sounded amused and Marinette couldn't blame him.

The cat's meowling was so awful it was funny and she giggled, "I guess it is," her gaze narrowed suspiciously, "…Unnaturally loud," it almost sounded like the cat was right there in front of them. How odd…she didn't think cats mewling could be so loud and for some reason, it sounded awfully familiar…

Marinette stood up and closed the window, the cringy cat yowling dampened slightly.

Luka seemed to take it in stride, changing his previously smooth, slow tune to a slightly upbeat, faster one to match the cat's meowling, "You know, maybe we should find this stray and see if he wants to sing in a band with us," he chuckled and Marinette couldn't help but laugh as well.

Laughter.

Great.

Not only did his princess close the window, he could also hear the sound of Luka's faster melody playing on his guitar.

Was the man mocking him?

With a low hiss, Chat carefully dipped his head down, fingers tightly gripping the edge of the roof, leaning down just enough so he had a clear view of the two teens.

They were cuddling.

His claws dug into the rooftiles.

Oh? So they were cuddling now?

A chord struck within him then, something that made him pause.

Luka was again playing a soft melody on his guitar, an affectionate smile on his face as Marinette scooted closer to him on the bed, not quite touching, but too close to be completely friendly either.

Luka didn't throw his hands around her or anything, he was being respectful, but Chat could see the small smile on his lips, he was enjoying Marinette's company.

His heart uncharacteristically tugged when he saw Marinette having the same expression, along with the soft blush on her cheeks. She closed her eyes and listened to him play and Luka seemed content just playing for her, peering at her when she closed her eyes only to smile in amusement and what Chat thought was genuine admiration and affection for the girl.

With a heavy heart, Chat Noir straightened and extended his baton, vaulting off the roof and jumping his way home.

He suddenly remembered Alya and Nino talking about the compass on the Couffaine's ship home, how anything metal that comes near it made the compass go crazy, like the metal statue he had seen there.

For the longest of time, he had thought Ladybug had been his statue, or perhaps he had been the statue that, in time, would drive his lady crazy, just like a compass.

Chat Noir had thought he had been the statue, maybe, but now he realized it.

He had been the compass and in the recent instances, Marinette had started to become his statue when it was clear his lady would never consider him as anything other than a friend and partner and he started noticing his classmate more.

But now his compass remained where it was, pointing in the same direction she would be in.

It seemed like he had lost his statue.

"Well…" he whispered brokenly into the dead of the night, "…at least you're happy now…princess…" the song Luka had played stuck in his head, it was a slow melody that sounded the complete opposite of what he was feeling now.

Happy.

Thank you kindly for reading! Suggestions for improvement are always welcome!