Miraculous Ladybug: Short Stories

Caught

Marinette was curled up underneath her warm bed sheets, sitting up against her pillows. A lamp that sat on the book shelf above her head was switched on. The light allowed for the teenage girl to catch up on her reading. Tikki made herself quite comfortable on Mari's shoulder, reading the book along with her. Balancing schoolwork and hero work left very little free time. Whenever Marinette wasn't saving Paris, she spent her time studying. When she wasn't studying, she spent her time saving Paris.

A sudden knock on the balcony trap door startled both Mari and Tikki. Marinette whispered for her little kwami to hide. She shut her book and slid in into the shelf behind her. Marinette stood up on her bed to open up the hatch door. The first thing that Mari noticed was the vibrant color of emerald eyes looking back at her. "Chat Noir?" She offered the boy her hand to help him into her room.

"Hello, Princess." Chat plopped down on the teenager's pink bed. He lied down against Marinette's pillow, resting his arms behind his head. "Hey, nice pajamas, by the way." Chat Noir rubbed the spot directly next to him, motioning for Mari to lay down beside him.

Marinette did just that. She lied down on her right side so that she could look at him as they talked. "Cut me some slack! I wasn't exactly expecting company tonight."

"I'm sorry, I should have asked you first." Chat Noir flipped over to lie on his left side so that he was able to face Marinette. He pulled her in closer to him. "I'm just pawsitively exhausted and needed a place to rest before heading home. It was my night for patrol and there was a great amount of criminals on the loose tonight."

"Aww, you poor baby." Marinette pinched the boy's cheeks, mocking him.

"I'm so going to make you pay for that." Chat stuck out his tongue.

"Oh, and how exactly are you going to-" Marinette's giggles interrupted her sentence.

Chat Noir used his clawed fingertips to tickle the young girl's ribs. "Oh, is someone ticklish?"

"You...rotten...cat!" Marinette took in deep breaths in between her laughter. "Stop it, I...can't...breathe!" Ending the punishment, Chat Noir pulled Marinette into his arms. Still giggling a bit, Marinette rested her head on his chest. "I am glad that you decided to stop by tonight, though. I sure have missed you." Exhausted from all the laughing, Marinette shut her eyes.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been around much, Princess. I've definitely missed you, too." Chat Noir placed a gentle kiss on Marinette's forehead.

For a moment, the room was both silent and relaxing. However, it did not last long. "Marinette, I heard laughing. It's quiet late, shouldn't you be-" Sabine opened the hatch door that led to her daughter's room. Her eyes went wide when she saw her daughter cuddled up with Chat Noir.

Marinette sat up quickly. "Mom, it definitely is not what you are thinking."

"I'd like to see you downstairs for a moment. Now." Marinette sighed as she stepped down the ladder from her bed to the ground. She followed her mother down the steps into the living room, where they could talk in private. Little did they know, Chat Noir's ears twitched as he listened in from upstairs.

"Marinette, you know the rules in this house. No boys are allowed in your room at night, especially if we are not aware!" Sabine's arms were folded against her chest. She tried to stay quiet since it was very late at night.

"It's Chat Noir, Mom. He's a friend of mine. You know, the one who works alongside Ladybug to constantly rescue Paris?"

"He's still a boy, superhero or not. I don't care if he is a prince, you shouldn't be having boys in your room this late at night. You should just be lucky that I didn't wake your father." Sabine stuck her finger out at her daughter, warning her that it was still possible to involve Tom.

Marinette's face fell. "Does that mean I have to make him leave?"

"I'll tell you what, he doesn't have to leave under the circumstance that he has helped save your father and I from the Bubbler as well as you many times. However, you both are to stay down here in the living room, where I can easily keep an eye on you both. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes! Thank you, Mom!" Marinette hugged her mother tightly. "I'm really sorry and promise to ask you first next time."

Marinette rushed back upstairs. She expected to see Chat still lying in her bed, but instead, he was sitting at her desk. "I'm sorry that I got you into trouble, Mari. I actually should probably head on home. It's getting pretty late."

"No!" Chat raised an eyebrow at the girl's sudden outburst. "I mean, I checked with my mother and she said we can go downstairs. Want to stay and play some video games?"

"You know, that actually sounds a lot better than going home. Just a warning, though: I'm an expert at Ultimate Mecha Strike III."

"Oh, I'm sure you are." Marinette grabbed the boy's hand to lead him downstairs. She smirked to herself since she knew that she was going to crush him at any game that they decided to play.

Chat Noir looked down at Marinette and noticed something that he hadn't before: she was enjoying his company. Whenever she was Adrien, Marinette seemed to avoid contact with him and never spoke much. Well, not complete sentences, anyway. Now, he was able to see the real her and he adored it.

The blond couldn't help but think, would it be so wrong to like both Ladybug and Marinette at the same time?