Chapter Text
Chat Noir had expected the newest akuma to be the same as all the others. And it was, in a way. He just hadn't expected to be protecting a cute girl, have help from said girl, or end up in her room. But here he was, and overall he felt like this night might be the best night of his life. Because with how his father was, how often did he really get to meet new friends?
So far, he really liked her. She was cute, her personality was bubbly, she was adorably clumsy, her stuttering was endearing, and honestly he could just keep listing things. But above all, making her giggle was his favorite. Her laugh was amazing! Making her blush was a close second, especially since it seemed to happen quite often.
He didn't have much experience with crushes, but he was fairly certain he had a big one on Marinette. The only other times he could compare this kind of thing to was when he (very) briefly thought about dating Chloe and the short expanse of time when he was infatuated with Ladybug. Don't get him wrong, Chloe was still his best (and basically only) friend, and Ladybug was an awesome partner, even if she was a bit timid and cowardly, but the couple of hours or so he'd spent with Marinette so far had been different, to say the least.
And he felt more like himself with her than he did with anyone else in his life. The only other person he could really open up to was Ladybug, and Chloe, to an extent. When Marinette invited him into her room, he had taken it as an opportunity to both flirt with her and get to know her better. Once they had really started talking, she seemed to lose what nervousness she had and became incredibly sassy, fun to banter with and tease. And he was enjoying himself immensely.
"Seriously, why can't you just remember my name?" she huffed. "I mean, it's kind of cute and all, but I am definitely not a princess!"
"Of course you are!" he argued. "And besides, the litter-al fact that you think it's cute is enough for me to keep calling you that."
"Well, in that case, I guess I'll just have to find something to call you by," she retorted.
"You do know that Chat Noir isn't my real name, right?" he laughed. "I'm pretty sure it falls under the category of nicknames."
"But all of Paris calls you that! I need a special one to call you, assuming I see you again."
That last part made her frown a little, which gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. She wanted him to come back!
"Well? I'm listening!" he prompted her, grinning. She perked back up, eyes filled with happiness, giving his stomach a flop. Gah, what was this girl doing to his insides?!
"I think I'll just call you my kitten," she answered after a short pause, blushing a little as she smiled at him. And there went his heart.
"Oh, and how, exactly, am I yours?" he teased, but of course he secretly loved it.
"It's not every day a stray cat walks up to me, you know. And since this one decided to stay for bit, I've decided to adopt him."
"Really? And what makes you so sure that he won't run off?"
"Cats tend to hang around if you feed them. Speaking of food, do you want a some kind of pastry or something? You look hungry."
"That does sound nice, yeah. You do know that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, don't you?"
"I've been told that every day of my life. Wait here, I'll be right back."
As she disappeared through her trap door, he let out a happy sigh, his green eyes sparkling with contentment. He wasn't really used to being pampered like this. Sure, he was a spoiled little rich kid, but that wasn't the same. This way was infinitely better.