Chapter Text
Adrien paced irritably across the room, his little paws thumping rapidly against the carpet. When he came up against the far wall he'd half jump, pivoting on his back feet and begin again, tail flicking petulantly. Every few minutes he'd jump up and glance out the window for the familiar flash of Ladybug's red suit in the dark, but there was no sign of her. He resisted the urge to let out a worried cry, knowing Marinette's parents still didn't know he'd been living in her room for the past month. Although how she'd managed to keep it a secret was beyond him. She wasn't exactly subtle.
He finished another circuit, his heart lurching into his throat as he heard a thump overhead. Bolting up the ladder, he stood on her bed as the trapdoor opened and Ladybug slipped inside, landing on the mattress and bouncing Adrien sideways. Adrien skittered nervously around her feet as she pulled the door shut behind her and released her transformation. Tikki spun up into the the air beside her with a contented sigh, Adrien still pawing insistently at Marinette. She laughed at him, finally sinking down onto the bed so he could reach her.
“Easy Mischief,” she assured him, the same way she did every time she came back from an akuma attack. “I'm fine.”
Adrien wasn't satisfied until she held out her hands for his inspection, his whiskers arcing forward and tickling her fingers. He sniffed her hands from nails to wrist and back again before circling around her, looking for any sign that she'd been hurt in the battle. Finding none he crawled back into her lap, stretching up and putting his front paws on her chest for balance so he could reach her face.
She smiled as he examined her features, his expression oddly intent. He licked suspiciously at a dark spot on her cheek. She tasted like sweat and dirt but not blood and he gave a relieved sigh, finally letting loose a purr and rubbing his face against hers in greeting.
Marinette smiled and ran a hand down his back, cupping his tail loosely in her palm, giving it a teasing wiggle. “See? Told you.”
It had become a ritual of sorts. Since he'd been turned into a cat and subsequently adopted by Marinette, Adrien had grown more and more upset about not being able to help her when there was an akuma. What if she were hurt? It would be his fault because he couldn't be there to protect her.
The thought made him feel sick, but all he cold do was pace and wait until she came back, afraid that one day she simply wouldn't. When she did return she'd learned to sit tolerantly through his inspections instead of ignoring him or brushing him off. If she didn't he'd bother her until she managed to sit still long enough for him to ensure she was okay.
Legs draping over her shoulder he pressed his face against her neck and she wrapped him in a loose hug.
“I love you too,” she said, kissing the top of his head. She moved to stand and Adrien danced away, following her down the ladder. She laced her fingers together, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back with a groan, her spine popping. Adrien wove between her legs, his tail curling around her calves.
Marinette gave a heavy sigh, dropping her arms and cracking her neck before heading to the bathroom, ready for a shower. Adrien took his usual place by the door, lying down, content to wait. As long as she was home she was safe. That's all that mattered. Her gentle soprano drifted through the door a few moments later as she ran the water, singly idly to herself.
Adrien let her voice lull him into a brief nap, a low purr vibrating through his chest, his ears flicking as Tikki came over, settling down beside him and nibbling on a cookie. After a brief incident where he'd nearly eaten her upon their first meeting, his cat instincts urging him to chase anything that ran, or in her case flew, they'd become something close to friends. Her presence soothed the emptiness left behind by Plagg. Adrien hadn't seen him since he'd first been turned into a cat and it worried him. His miraculous was gone as well. He never thought he'd miss the sarcastic little kwami but he did.
He jumped when Marinette opened the door, startling him out of his doze and Marinette laughed, towel drying her hair. “Sorry dear.” She knelt down to give him an apologetic scratch between the ears. “I didn't mean to startle you.”
Adrien leaned briefly into her hand before pulling away and busying himself with his own bath as Marinette dropped her towel to change. He may have been a cat but he wasn't a pervert.
He waited until she was done before following her up the stairs to bed, tucking himself between her arms after she'd turned out the lights and crawled beneath the covers. Tikki drifted down to lay on the pillow beside them, nuzzling Marinette's cheek and she smiled, sighing contentedly. She buried her nose in Adrien's soft fur, falling asleep to the soft vibration of his purring against her ribs.