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“Honey?” her mom asks over the phone, her voice shakey.
“What's up?” Marinette asks, shushing Ayla by holding out her hand and leaning forward.
“Well… I don't want you to be upset but….”
“You wouldn't upset me! What's going on?”
“We um- we adopted a cat.”
“What.” she asks, and then coughs to try and cover up how deadpan she sounded. “Why would that upset me?”
“Well the other day we heard you ranting about cats or a cat or something in your room but this one was just so cute and well he was basically just waiting outside of your window and-”
“Were you in my room?!” Mari asks, Ayla leans forward interested.
“and and he was just pawing at the glass looking so pitiful..” her mother continues.
“So we have a cat now?”
“We do, oh honey you have to see him he as the most adorable eyes.”
“I'll be back from Aylas late, mom.”
“Okay, just didn't want to surprise you. Love you!”
“Love you too.”
Marinette leans back on the couch and drops her phone carelessly beside her. Thinking of only one thing, Chat Noir’s smug face when he finds out they got an animal.
Just as sunset hits and her parents are usually catching their favorite soap-opera Mari unlocks the door to the shop, sitting on the table is a kitten, black, thin as death, and happily gnawing on a cookie with its tiny teeth.
“You. Come here.”
Marinette doesn't even break stride as she scoops him up with one hand and half jogs up the stairs.
“Listen.” she says, setting him on her lounge. “I don't want a cat. Not that they're ugly but I don’t want one because I will never hear the end of it from Chat Noir so when these here don't go clawing at my door or meowing super loud.”
Mari stands up and walks to her closet to change into her pajamas,
“I can’t stand the thought of that guys ego getting any bigger.”
“Oh I wouldn't worry about it.” someone says. Marinette shoves her shirt back down and flips around. Sitting exactly where the cat was is one Chat Noir glancing smugly at her. With no cat in sight.
“WHAT!!???” he flies up from his spot and puts his hand over her mouth
“Princess shhhhhh, we wouldn't want you parents to know.”
“Whhha a you donnnnf fffere.” she growls.
“Idk, I think its it's a curse? An akuma maybe.” he lays back on her chaise lounge, finally letting her go and she breathes hard through her nose, stomping her feet and clenching her fists to keep from yelling.
“Why are you here?” she finally settles. “Why us?”
“Well I can't go home. Being a cat during the day and all.”
“So you came here?” she nearly shouts. When she pays closer attention to the feline in her room he's giving his best attempt at puppy eyes. She pinches the bridge of her nose and turns away. “Oh my god this is temporary… this is so temporary.”
“As short as a summer night, princess.”
“Yeah...yeah whatever, get out so I can put on pajamas and sleep.”
“I can’t stay the night?” he looks entirely too smug sitting on her couch and she throws shoes at him until he disappears under her trap door and she locks it shut.
“Marinette for the love of god stop ignoring it.”
“Ignoring what, Mama?” Marinette asks, looking up from her phone. Her mother gestures to the cat sitting at the base of the couch. He’s looking up at her green eyes wide and his paws keep touching her legs.
“He clearly wants you to pet him.”
“I will do no such thing.” Marinette answers but her mother is already moving on.
“And even more he’s pawing at your door every night for an hour and you refuse to let him in. I mean what do you have against that cat?”
“Nothing, Maman! I just don’t want hair all over me.” she lies, turning back to glare at Chat Noir.
“He hasn’t shed once! Just hold him.”
When she turns to look at the cat, he’s giving her such a smug face that she wants to kick him.
She leans down, rubs the palm of her hand over his ears and picks him up, then quickly passes him to her mother.
“There I did it.”
“Why do you dislike this cat so much.”
“Guess I’m just a dog person.”