Chapter Text
“I’m serious Alya, I do not need a cat.” Marinette reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged into the animal shelter, knowing she’d never escape Alya’s grip on her wrist. They were going into that shelter despite her complaints, but Alya couldn’t make her pick one to take home.
“Mari, no one needs a cat,” Alya declared, oblivious to the glares of the nearby shelter workers. Marinette grinned at them nervously, hoping her obvious discomfort might defuse their tempers.
“-some companionship might do you good! As long as you don’t pick a cat like Freckles.” Alya’s face darkened as she remembered the evil little calico who’d eventually run away from home a few years back after tormenting the family for a decade. “I swear that cat was the devil.”
“Can I help you ladies with something?” The clerk spoke stiffly and Marinette stifled a groan at her best friend’s lack of tact. Proving that point, Alya slammed her hands on the desk dramatically before speaking.
“Absolutely! My friend here-“ Marinette batted Alya’s frantically waving arms away from her face, “needs a cat.”
“I don’t need a-“
“Wants a cat.” Alya finished.
The man glanced between the two women, clearly baffled by the exchange. Eyebrows raised to his hairline, he fished a clipboard out from under the desk. He slid it across the desk and handed Marinette a pen.
“O-kay. Sign in here and if I could see your ID please. Are…you coming along miss?” He hesitated slightly as he turned to address Alya as well.
“Yup!” She crowed.
He sighed heavily. “Okay. Then I’ll need your signature and ID as well please.” Both women complied, Alya cheerfully and Marinette a bit more resigned. Paperwork finished, the man led them back through the door behind him. Following Alya through, Marinette noted the playful black cat motif on the door.
“So our options are pretty broad today, if you’re looking for anything specific in a pet. Color or temperament or whatever.” Mari sighed. If she had to do this anyway…
“Calm temperament please. Quiet is good. I can have them around while I’m working, but it’s best if they’re not too clingy.” He nodded.
“I think I’ve got a couple that might fit the bill for you. You can wait here and I’ll bring the first one out.” Marinette and Alya walked through the door he held and glanced into the small, cat-themed playroom. Alya chose to hover by the door while Mari folded herself into one of the floor cushions near a cat tower. She pointedly ignored Alya’s smug looks in her direction.
By the time the man brought a sweet looking tabby in, Marinette was itching to leave. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the idea of a pet, she just… didn’t have the time or energy for it.
Better not get attached to any of them, since they’re not coming home with me. But she smiled all the same at Alya cooing and excitedly playing with the fluffy cat in front of her. Marinette held her hand out and waited for the cat to approach her. A sniff later and the cat showed how much it clearly preferred Alya, ignoring Marinette entirely in her favor. She smiled patiently up at the man. “Probably not. She might be leaving with this one though,” she gestured to her friend.
The attendant chuckled knowingly and headed for the door. “We definitely have others. I’ll bring a friend for Trixx here.”
When the man reappeared, he held a rather large black cat and was followed into the room by another worker leading several more people into the room. He promised to return with a few more cats so they could see how they all played together, and once more disappeared out the door.
“Mommy! I want the black kitty!” Mari jumped as a high pitched squeal emitted from a small girl who’d walked in with the group. The child ran toward the unfortunate recipient of her attention and the feline sprinted away from her. Seeing nowhere else to turn, he leapt over Marinette. He landed neatly, if a bit heavily, on the cat tower right behind her. She glared for a moment and spoke directly to the cat.
“Rude. You could have gone around me.”
The cat stopped licking its paw for a moment, narrowed its eyes, and went back to cleaning itself. Marinette shrugged and turned to watch the other occupants of the room. The little girl was flitting from animal to animal, frantically pursuing each one in turn. Her parents were on their phones, ignoring the girl’s antics. When the girl managed to run near Marinette on the heels of another poor cat, she stopped the girl gently.
“Hello, sweetheart, what’s your name?” She smiled invitingly at the little girl.
“Manon!” She rocked back a bit at the enthusiastic answer.
“Hello Manon! I see you like the kitties here. Would you like me to teach you how to help the kitties to like you too?”
“Oh yes! None of them like me,” she pouted. Mari bit her lip to avoid smiling too widely at the girl.
“Alright, so cats like when people are quiet and calm when they first meet. So, if you sit quietly it helps,” Mari moved to a crouch and held her hand out toward a little grey kitten with a black paw. Clicking her tongue softly, she waited patiently for the tiny animal to approach her. The kitten sniffed her hand twice and nudged her palm gently with its head. Marinette slowly turned her hand over and placed it on the kitten’s back, stroking lightly.
“See? Nice and calm. They don’t know you right now, so they need a little time to get to know who you are. Let the kitten pick you, instead of the other way around.” She turned to the open-mouthed child, who promptly copied her actions.
Minutes later, the girl had a lightly purring kitten on her lap and was squealing softly at her smiling parents. She thanked Mari as they left with the cat, and Marinette sat back in her seat. Alya caught her eye, the first cat into the room still resting comfortably on her lap.
“Made your choice, then?” She grinned knowingly at her friend. Alya pursed her lips but said nothing. Marinette started to close her eyes, prepared to wait for Alya to decide she really couldn’t leave the cat behind. She caught a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned to see the black cat from earlier approaching her. More like stalking me.
“Kitten, you don’t want me.”
Her flat statement stopped him in his tracks. She tilted her head. He…looked like he actually understood me. She continued, leaning a bit closer as he looked on warily, “See, I’m not sure I really have the time to properly take care of you. I’m busy all the time, always drawing or dealing with my job. I can’t even get past a second date because I just keep having to cancel. So I’m not a good fit, petit chat noir. Find someone else, okay?”
The cat sat down heavily. Tilting his head, he simply stared at her. Marinette’s eyebrows came together as she contemplated the reaction. But as he continued to stare, she eventually shrugged it off and closed her eyes again. She didn’t hear him, but she certainly felt the cat landing directly on her bladder as he tried to jump into her lap. She made an incoherently irate noise and spluttered.
“Chat! I said no!” she hissed at him. He settled himself comfortably on her lap and stared directly into her eyes. Acid green lit up her vision as Marinette glared down at the cat. He gave an exaggerated yawn and walked in a slow circle before curling up on her lap. Mari made to push him off her lap, but he batted her hands away from his body, giving one thumb a kitten lick before re-settling himself.
“Made your choice, then?” Alya’s voice mockingly drifted across the room.
“Oh my gosh,” a voice whispered breathlessly, and Mari turned to see one of the shelter workers standing nearby with her hand over her mouth. “He hasn’t done that for anyone. He avoids absolutely everybody. You must be very special for him to do that.” She walked over and gestured as the black cat hissed angrily at her approach.
Marinette peered at the cat. “Huh. Why me?”
“No idea. Are you… maybe taking him home though?” The worker asked, sounding nervous and hopeful.
“No other takers, I’m assuming?” Alya asked, carrying her tabby over. The cat in her arms promptly started clawing at her to stop their approach.
“No, he’s been here for a while now. He could stay on as a shelter cat, but he’s so unfriendly. We could never let him just roam and interact with people and it’s not fair for him to live in a cage.”
Marinette eyed the cat consideringly. He licked a paw and leaned upward to headbutt her. She gently pushed him back, to his obvious annoyance.
“I’ll think on it a bit. Alya? Are you bringing her home?” She gestured to the tabby.
“Oh, you bet Trixx is coming home with me. She’s the best,” Alya cheered as the cat nuzzled her cheek affectionately.
“Yeah, I’m still thinking I don’t really need a cat.”
Two days later, paperwork had been filled out and the waiting period was finished, Marinette was showing Chat Noir around their home, a bright green leather collar with a shiny golden bell securely around his neck.