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Chat Noir happily bound over the Paris rooftops, feeling free for the first time today. He loved nothing more than to transform and to run free, to meet up with his Lady and patrol the city. No responsibilities, no akumas, no pressure– just a chance to be free and relax.
“Hello, My Lady~” Chat Noir said as he vaulted up and onto the roof where he and Ladybug always met up. “An absolutely purrfect evening, isn’t it–”
He was greeted by an empty rooftop.
“Oh,” he said, instantly feeling slightly deflated– because this wasn’t the first time an expected meeting had been met with no one. He had far too many meals where his father had said he’d be there, only for him to be sitting at the table alone. He closed his eyes though, reminding himself that his Lady never let him down. “It looks like she’s running late tonight.”
So he sat himself on the roof, forcing a smile on his face as he looked out at the city, waiting for his partner to arrive.
Minutes passed by slowly, his legs swinging off the edge of the roof, whistling a tune as he sat up there. The longer he sat the more anxious he became. She was coming, she had to be. She would have told him if she couldn’t make it, she wouldn’t just leave him without a word–
He didn’t realize how tense he was until he heard the sound of familiar footsteps on the roof behind him, and he let out a small laugh, turning. “There you are, M’lady, you had me worried–”
He turned, but did not find himself faced with the familiar red heroine– instead the girl was dressed in a gray costume highlighted with pink. Her hair was up in buns, a small jump rope around her waist acting like a tail, and his ears flicked forward.
“Mari-mouse!” Chat Noir cried in excitement, seeing the hero he thought his Lady would never give a Miraculous to again. He couldn’t keep himself back, jumping to his feet as he pounced on the Mouse hero with a giant hug.
“Ch-chat!” Multimouse yelped as she was scooped up in his arms.
“I thought I wouldn’t see you like this again, Purrincess,” Chat said, grinning from ear to ear. “What’s the occasion for you to be donning the Mouse Miraculous once again?”
“Were you trying to give me a heart attack?” She asked, flushing slightly. “Put me down, would you?”
He set her down onto the rooftops as requested. “Sorry, it’s just I’m a curious kitty right now.”
She smirked slightly, tapping his nose. “Well, you know what they say about cats and curiosity.”
Chat Noir found his smile growing– because he very rarely got to interact with Marinette like this. Usually she was shy and quiet, but he loved moments like these when he got to see such a spark in her eyes.
He leaned closer. “But I believe satisfaction brought it back?”
This time her finger pressed against his forehead, pushing him back. “Well, Mullo showed up on my balcony tonight with my Miraculous, saying that Ladybug’s kwami was feeling under the weather, and was wondering if I could patrol with you so you weren’t left on your own tonight.”
“Tikki is okay, right?” Chat Noir asked, instantly worried for the small Creation kwami.
“Mullo said she was,” Multimouse reassured him. “But just that Ladybug wanted her to rest and fully recover.” She shifted. “So, is it okay if I join you for patrol tonight?”
“Okay?” Chat asked, before wrapping her in another crushing hug. “It’s more than okay– I’ve never patrolled with anyone outside of Ladybug before, this will be awesome!”
Multimouse smiled up at him. “Well, you’re the professional when it comes to patrols– what do we do first?”
“Well...” Chat Noir said, pausing as he stroked his chin, as if in deep thought– and he heard Multimouse give a small giggle at this. Green eyes sparkled, and he reached out and gently tapped the tip of her nose. “Tag– you’re it.”
He bounded away with a leap, drawing his baton to launch himself into the air as he fled, leaving a startled Multimouse behind. She stood there for a moment, blinking, before scampering after him as swiftly as she could.
“Hey!” Her voice echoed behind him, and he let out a laugh as he scurried over a rooftop. “Get back here you mangy cat!”
He thought that he would be able to outpace her with ease, used to the enhanced abilities that came with the Miraculouses, and he knew these rooftops like the back of his hand. Yet when he looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t leaving her too far behind, he was startled to see that the Mouse heroine was only a few paces behind him. He let out a slight yelp of surprise, and put on a bit more speed.
“Mangy?” He echoed as he scampered along the edge of a roof, before using his baton to vault himself across the street. “I am anything but that!”
“Mangy alley cat!” Multimouse insisted, and he was startled to see that she was still right on his tail– using her jump rope with startling ease to swing after him.
And here Ladybug thought Marinette might not be a good option to bring back to the team?
He thought for sure that he’d lose her as he led her across the rooftops, coming to a section of Paris where the buildings weren’t quite as even, making moving across them more like parkour. He did a flip as he jumped up into the air, using the opportunity to see how far back Multimouse was– only to find that she was still as close as ever.
He swallowed slightly as he landed, running on all fours to gain some speed to jump over a chimney– realizing that outpacing Multimouse wouldn’t be quite as easy as he thought. He relished the thought of the challenge though, climbing up the side of a wall as he scanned the city out in front of them, wondering where to lead her to next in their game of chase.
As he leapt down from the tall building though he felt something wrap around his ankle, dragging him back towards the roofs before he could flee. He had enough time to look down at the jump rope that had ensnared his ankle, before someone pounced on him from behind, pinning him to the roof.
“Ha!” Multimouse declared. “I got you!”
A smirk played along Chat Noir’s face– before he used all his strength to flip them over so he was the one pinning her down. “I’m afraid you forgot something, Princess,” he said, leaning forward. “It’s the cats that are supposed to catch the mice.”
He was expecting her to become the familiar sight of a flustered Marinette– but much to his surprise she was smirking as well. “In that case, Minou,” she said with that grin. “Can you catch all of us?”
“All of–?”
“Multitude!” Multimouse called before he could finish his sentence, and she began to glow. He watched as she shrank down, dividing up into twelve miniature copies of herself. The Multitude of clones all grinned up at him– before scattering.
“No fair!” He cried as they all darted in separate directions, before scampering after the closest one, who did a flip to escape him as he came near.
“Gotta be faster than that~” Another one taunted from his left, and his ears flicked towards the sound– only to hear another clone behind him. “Can’t handle a few little mice, kitty cat?”
“I think there’s more than a few of you, Minimouse.”
“D-don’t call me that!” Several of the Multimouses cried out together.
“Why not? You’re mini, and you’re a mouse.”
“And I’m pretty sure Minnie Mouse is copyrighted!”
He grinned. “Marimouse, then.”
Multimouse’s reply was for three of her clones to jump on his leg. He let out a yelp of surprise, scrambling back, before the trio called out together: “Tag– you’re it.”
With that, all twelve of the Multitude scattered in separate directions, leaving Chat Noir alone on the rooftops, the miniatures copies both swift and nimble. Chat ran off in the direction he had seen a majority of them go, but even with his sharp eyesight he was only able to spot one of them slipping down into a gap that he most certainly wouldn’t be able to slip through.
He wrinkled his nose, before pulling up his baton and letting it slide open. He bit back a small laugh as he pulled up the tracking app– which sure enough marked where all twelve of the copies were, swiftly making their way in opposite directions. He watched the markers for a moment, before turning and heading after one.
He made sure to keep quiet and stick to the shadows as he ran across the roof, following where the tracker was taking him. It wasn’t long before he spotted Multimouse’s tiny form as she scurried across the top of an apartment complex. He tried to keep his steps light as he crept closer, slipping his baton away.
Multimouse heard him a moment too late– freezing up as the Black Cat pounced. He carefully scooped up the small hero into one hand. “I believe you are now ‘it’, Marimouse!”
“How did you find me so quickly?” She demanded, and he grabbed his baton once more, showing her the map with the location of the entire Multitude on screen. She stared for a moment, before crossing her tiny arms. “Cheater.”
“How is that any more cheating than you splitting yourself up, hmm?” He asked, and in his hand the small Mouse let out a sigh.
“Fine,” she said with the most adorable pout on her face. “You win this round– Solitude.”
The little Multimouse began to glow, and the next thing Chat Noir knew she was growing in size, the Multitude merging back into one. He went from carrying the small hero in the palm of his hands to holding her in his arms– full size once again, but still a tiny little thing.
“I thought that was supposed to unshrink you,” Chat teased.
She glowered at him, and he decided it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He chuckled, before carefully placing her on her feet, and the necklace she wore let out a small chirp– only five minutes left until her transformation fell.
“...Oh yeah,” Multimouse said, blinking. “Maybe I shouldn’t have done that...”
“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “Ladybug and I goof off a lot during patrols as well. One of the few times I see M’lady loosen up a bit.”
“What do you mean one of the few times?”
He shrugged. “Ladybug tends to keep things professional most of the time, but I get it, being a hero is basically a full time job.” He sat down on the edge of the roof, looking out at the city. “It’s not easy, and it is something to take seriously.”
Mulitmouse sat down next to him. “...So why don’t you? I mean– um, you’re always so laid back and happy. Isn’t it hard? Having this pressure all the time?”
He shrugged. “It isn’t easy, but I love it so much.” He closed his eyes. “For me being a civilian is when I find myself working, finding myself having to watch what I say and how I act. So for me... putting on the mask is when I feel the most free.”
“Really?” Multimouse whispered, and he glanced at her. “I, um, I’ve heard you say something similar in an interview before, but I guess... I didn’t take it too seriously?”
“Being Chat Noir is when I feel the most free,” he replied. “And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” He looked down at Multimouse with a small smile, but found that she was looking at him with pure concern. “Not that my civilian life is bad,” he added hastily. “I have a lot of opportunities, and I have some amazing friends– hanging out with them is as fun as being in the mask. There’s my kwami too, of course, as much as a pain he can be.”
“...If you were ever having trouble in your civilian life, you would tell Ladybug, right?” Multimouse asked after a minute.
“Nah, she doesn’t want us talking about civilian stuff– ow! What was that for?” He cried, holding his arm where she had punched him.
“I think there’s a big difference between protecting your identities and making sure you’re alright,” she said, laying a hand on his arm. “Promise me if anything ever happens that you’ll tell Ladybug.”
“It’s no big deal, nothing to worry about,” he insisted.
“Then there should be no issue in you promising then, right?” She asked– and he wasn’t sure how to counter that.
“...I promise,” he said slowly, and she relaxed at his side. “But I promise you, I’m just fine. Like I said, I have some amazing friends...” He trailed off, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. “I’m really close to all of them... except for one of them. I’ve always wanted to get to know her better.”
“What’s stopping you?”
“I... I think I scare her a bit?” He offered uncertainly, rubbing the back of his neck as she looked up at him. “Like... she acts so shy when I’m around? But when she’s with other people she seems to really open up. But when she’s with me it’s like she doesn’t like me– stuttering and stumbling, but yet she’s always really nice to me at the same time?”
Multimouse snorted. “You have nothing to worry about– she likes you.”
“I know she doesn’t hate me,” Chat said defensively. “But–”
“No, I mean she likes you,” Multimouse said. “As in like-like. Love. Probably wants to go out with you.”
“Wha-what?” Chat Noir stuttered, face flushing red. “No, I think you’re wrong, she–”
Multimouse shrugged. “Maybe I am– but that’s also exactly how I act around my crush, so...”
“What?!”
“...Want to say that any louder?” Multimouse asked, wincing slightly at his shout.
“You– your crush– you–?”
She flushed slightly. “I’m a complete mess around him? Yeah, I am. I can barely get one sentence out with him, I trip over my own two feet, I end up running away in embarrassment more often than not.”
“Who is your c-crush?”
Now she was full on blushing. “It’s... Adrien Agreste.”
He stared at her, trying to fully digest what she had just told him. Marinette... liked him. Marinette Dupain-Cheng liked him . His everyday Ladybug had a crush on him.
And yes, she had confessed to him before as Chat Noir– but he had taken that more as a celebrity crush. Someone admiring a hero they hadn’t interacted much with. But Adrien and Marinette on the other hand... they knew each other. She was someone he considered a very good friend– and he wasn’t quite sure how to digest this news.
“I know what you’re thinking– but it’s not just some celebrity crush,” she said defensively. “I know him personally... and Chat, he is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. On his first day of school I was so horrible to him, but then he goes and gives me his umbrella. He seems so quiet and withdrawn, but then when you get him with Nino or playing video games he opens up and it’s just the most wonderful thing to see...”
She smiled for a moment, before burying her hands into her face.
“But I’m just a mess around him, and he probably thinks I’m the weirdest person ever...”
“No he doesn’t!” Chat Noir said swiftly, and she glanced at him. “You’re amazing, Marinette– don’t you dare say that about yourself!”
Marinette had a crush on him.
Multimouse gave a small smile. “Secret identities, remember.”
“Y-yeah, um, Multimouse,” he said swiftly, and she chuckled.
This was okay. He could handle this. The amazing Marinette he thought was wary of him liked him. That was fine. That was more than fine.
He could handle this.
Beep beep beep!
“I’m going to transform back soon,” Multimouse muttered, glancing down at the pendant with a frown. “I should probably head back before that happens, um–”
“Here, I’ll walk you home,” Chat said swiftly. “Um, er... what about Mullo? Are you just supposed to send them off on their own, or...?”
“Er,” Multimouse blinked. “Um... Mullo said to give you their Miraculous? And then you’ll give it back to Ladybug next time you see her?”
She didn’t sound too sure, but Chat nodded. “That sounds good.” He pushed himself to his feet, holding out his hand. “Princess.”
“Chaton,” she playfully replied, allowing him to pull her to his feet.
“Not ‘dear Knight’?” He asked in mock offence, a hand on his chest.
Those blue eyes gleamed. “I knight have to pass on that one.”
“I think you can do better than that, Purrincess.”
“Oh yeah?” She asked, crossing her arms. “Well, I think you can do better than ‘purrincess’.”
He grinned. “Purrhaps.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I hope Mullo is okay.”
Marinette glanced at Tikki, the kwami hovering by her side. The kwami looked a lot better than she had a few days ago, though her skin wasn’t as vibrant as it usually was. She reached out, stroking the kwami on the head, who let out a small happy chime-like sound in reply.
“They’re with Chat, he’ll take good care of them,” Marinette reminded Tikki.
“You’ve just never seen Mullo and Plagg together in the same room,” Tikki replied. “They’re a chaotic little duo, and Guardians help whatever kwami steals Plagg’s cheese.”
Marinette bit her lip, knowing that Mullo did have a fondness for cheese themselves. “Do you think it was a bad idea to leave them with Chat then? I just couldn’t think of any other option that wouldn’t make it seem like Ladybug was leaving a Miraculous with a temporary hero.”
Tikki shrugged. “If Chat Noir could handle Plagg, then he could probably handle Mullo too.” The kwami glanced at her. “Though you could have transformed with me for patrol– I wasn’t feeling too sick yesterday.”
“You needed to rest,” Marinette insisted, a small smile flickering up on her face. “Besides, I had a lot of fun with Chat last night.”
Tikki crossed her arms, voice a mutter. “...Maybe I just don’t like sharing you with other kwamis.”
Marinette laughed. “I didn’t take you as a jealous type.”
“I–!” Tikki began, but she was silenced by a tapping on Marinette’s skylight. The kwami immediately zipped away to hide out of sight, while Marinette frowned up towards the balcony.
She climbed up onto her bed, opening up the skylight to look about, when she was met by a pair of bright green eyes. She jumped slightly at the sight of Chat Noir, the feline hero perfectly blending into the night. He was resting up on her railing, a small uncertain smile on his face.
“Hi,” he said warmly.
“Don’t scare me like that,” Marinette said, pulling herself up and out of her room.
“I’m afraid the nighttime is my domain,” he replied, leaning back dramatically against the railing, and Marinette playfully rolled her eyes.
“Silly kitty,” she said softly, closing the skylight behind her. “So, what brings you to my balcony this evening, Minou?”
He reached into his pocket, and she blinked in surprise as the Mouse Miraculous was suddenly held out in front of her. She blinked at it for a moment, before looking back up at Chat Noir in confusion.
“So, it’s a few nights until me and M’lady’s next patrol...” he began uncertainly. “And so I won’t be able to give her back the Miraculous until then. So I was wondering in the meantime if you wanted to go on one more patrol?”
She brushed the Miraculous to the side so she could fully see him. “Are you allowed to do that?”
He crossed his arms. “There’s no rule that says I can’t.”
Marinette couldn’t hold back a small laugh, and Chat Noir opened one eye to look at her. She reached out, carefully pulling the Mouse Miraculous from his claws. “I would love to, Kitty.”
Chat lit up at this reply, and Marinette smiled.