Work Text:
As Marinette swung towards home, grateful the akuma went down without much fuss, she caught sight of a familiar mop of blonde hair. Wondering what he could possibly be up to, she changed course and landed a few feet from him, smiling at the sight before her.
“Hey, handsome, what’s in the box?”
“Oh, Ladybug, you startled me.” Adrien shot her a nervous grin even as his gaze dropped to the soft mewling beings within the medium-sized box he held. “I found them a few minutes ago. I couldn’t just leave them, you know?”
She stepped forward, her grin spreading wide as she caught sight of the cutest kittens she’d ever seen. She counted three of them and smiled at their various coloring though she immediately felt drawn to the black one with soft green eyes as it stared back.
“Oh, my, they’re so cute. Are you going to keep them?”
His grin turned to a frown. “I want to. They need protecting, but I don’t think my father will let me. He’s pretty strict about these things.”
She looked down at the kittens, wishing she could take them home but knew her parents would say no as well. Pets and bakeries didn’t exactly go hand-in-hand.
“You’re right. They’re too young to be alone. It’s too bad. They seem to like you,” she said, watching as the kittens tried to clamber up the box’s side to reach Adrien.
He smiled at their efforts and gripped the box tighter as he came to a decision.
“Maybe you can help me.”
“For these cuties, anything.”
He looked up at her, a little surprised by her quick agreement but no less thrilled by her quick response.
“Do you think you could bring the box to my window? Then, my father won’t have to know about them just yet. Maybe I can even find them good homes before he discovers them.”
She looked at the box and studied it for a moment. With a huge smile, she nodded, agreeing to meet him at his window in the next few minutes.
When he disappeared, she turned to the kittens and whispered, “You have no idea how lucky you are, sweeties. You’ve just found yourselves the best protector there ever was, you know. Chat Noir won’t let you down.”
Being sure no one overheard her, she shot her yo-yo out and zoomed toward the Agreste mansion, coming to Adrien’s window as he appeared in his room.
With a little maneuvering and resituating, the kittens were soon nestled in new bedding within their new home.
Marinette didn’t stay much longer as she realized how late it’d become.
With a quick wave, she moved toward the open window and said, “I’ll see you around, Great Kitten Protector.”
Adrien couldn’t wipe the grin from his face for the rest of the evening.