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“Hey, Marinette, can you help us for a minute please?” Sabine called up from the stairs.
“I’ll be right there, Maman,” Marinette said, turning back to Chat and giving him a frown.
He looked up at her with a shocked expression as she frowned at him. “What’s wrong, princess? Can’t trust your alley cat alone in your room?”
“I trust you, Chat, but I also know what happens when you get bored. I have some expensive yarn I’ve been saving. Please don’t ruin it.” When he nodded, she still felt the need to ask again. “Please.”
“I’ll be fine, princess. Cat’s honor.” He held up two fingers, reminding her of a Boy Scout though she doubted he ever spent a day with the organization based on what she knew of his life.
With one last glance at her yarn stash, she headed downstairs, sending up a small prayer that she wouldn’t be wrong in trusting him with her sewing materials. Besides, she only planned to be gone a few minutes at the most.
What could he possibly do in such a short amount of time?
Thirty minutes have passed by the time Marinette returned to her room and got the shock of her life.
“Chat, I trusted you.” She came into her room and inspected the damage around her. Shreds of yarn and even some fabrics she’d hidden lay in ruins, covering almost every surface in her room. She didn’t know whether she should deck the kitty, ban him from her room forever, or sit down and cry. She felt like doing them all as she continued to see the damage he’d done.
“Oh, princess, I’m so sorry. I tried, but I forget how much the cat comes out when I’m transformed. How can I make this up to you?”
“You can’t, Chat. Maybe you should just go, okay? I need to clean up this mess and get ready for school tomorrow.”
“Marinette.”
She held up her hand to stop him from saying anything and pointed to the skylight, not daring to look at him in case the urge to hurt him overwhelmed her at that moment.
He left after a moment’s hesitation, his tail drifting lifelessly behind him as he made his exit.
“Oh, Chat, I can’t believe this.” She sank down in the middle of her room and allowed her grief to take over, looking at ruined yarn she’d spent the past few months saving to buy. She’d planned so many cute projects with it, including a gift for Chat, but now those gifts were destroyed along with the yarn.
When she finally cleaned up the mess, she fell into bed, not willing to listen to Tikki’s comforting words as she eventually found some peace in her dreams.
The following morning, she groaned as she heard the familiar tapping on her skylight. Despite not wanting to hurt Chat, she definitely didn’t want to see him after the previous night.
She stretched and stood from her bed to crack open her skylight, expecting the leather-clad hero to be waiting for her with some apology. She didn’t expect to find him conspicuously missing, but a small canvas bag sitting near her.
A quick peek inside had her gasping as she took in the expensive yarn an exact match to the ones he’d destroyed the night before.
She pulled the bag into her room and spilled the contents on her desk, gaping at the sweetness of Chat’s gesture. Her smile slipped as she took in a small envelope that slipped out as well. Her hand grazed the fine parchment, realizing the stationery he used wasn’t cheap either. With a small breath, she picked up the envelope and opened it to see what Chat could possibly have written on the card she felt within.
Her smile returned along with a few tears as she read his apology a few times over. Her gaze kept pausing as she came to the part where he was ‘yarning for her’ and hoped she’d soon forgive him. She forgave the silly cat hero at that moment and hoped she’d get the chance to accept his apology in person later that night.
Inspiration struck her as she dressed for school, forcing her to jot down a few scribbles before she had to dash out of the house or be late for school.
In her spare time, she’d pull out her sketchbook and work on the design that came to mind with the yarn Chat had bought her, hoping she’d get the chance to make something with it before he returned again.
She barely acknowledged her friends at school, not noticing the subdued Adrien sitting in front of her. She hadn’t a clue how much he hated disappointing her and wishing he could seek her out as himself. She had no idea how much he feared she hated him and wouldn’t allow him back ever, losing his first true friend since coming to school.
She missed it all as she rushed home and hurried up to her room so she could put her new yarn to good use. She spent the next couple of hours, lost in her own world of designing and shaping the yarn with her knitting needles until her mother called her down to dinner.
With a smile, she put the scarf she’d made into the top drawer of her desk and headed down for dinner with her parents, feeling lighter than she had in the past two days.
An hour later, she returned to her room and glanced up at the skylight, wondering if Chat would be stopping by or if he planned on staying away from her.
Not wanting to miss him if he did stop by, she grabbed up the scarf, placing it back in the canvas bag Chat brought her, and hurried to her skylight and onto her balcony, sitting on her lounge chair to wait for him.
She didn’t have to wait long.
“Hello, princess.”
“Oh, Chat, there you are.” She turned and smiled at him, noticing another bag in his hand.
He didn’t respond for several minutes as he feared saying the wrong thing, remaining where he stood far longer than he probably needed to, but he didn’t want to hear her reject him if he moved closer.
“Come here. I have something for you.” She gestured for him to join her on the lounge chair, giving him a soft smile.
He sat on the edge, furthest away from her, as he asked, “Are you still mad at me?”
She shook her head at him, holding up the bag for him.
He frowned at the bag, unsure what she wanted from him.
She giggled. “Take it, kitty.”
His frown didn’t go away as he set the other bag in his hand down and took the bag in hers, wondering if he’d gotten the wrong yarn or if she was planning on telling him to leave her alone forever. He didn’t think he could handle either option at that point, not wanting to disappoint her as he’s disappointed his father his entire life.
“Well, open it.” She pushed the bag closer to him.
With a noticeable gulp, he did as she asked and found himself speechless as he took in the scarf waiting for him.
“Do you like it?”
He pulled it out with gentle fingers, mindful of his claws and inspected the black scarf with green eyes and paw prints on both ends. He hadn’t expected her to make him something from the yarn he replaced. He doubted he could find the words to express how much the gift meant to him.
He nodded. When he felt sure of himself, he whispered, “Thank you, princess. I will treasure it forever.”
She beamed at him and pointed at the bag he brought with him.
“I brought you more fabric to replace the pieces I destroyed. I really am sorry for hurting you like that. If you never want to see me again, I’ll understand.”
“You may be an alley cat, Chat, but you’re my alley cat. You don’t have to worry about staying away.” She paused as she considered her words, adding, “Though next time, stay away from my sewing supplies. Got it?”
“Got it.”
He really loved his friend and hoped he never disappointed her again, realizing how much she meant to him and causing him to acknowledge what he’d denied for far too long. He loved her and he’d do anything to make her happy. He really ‘yarn for her’ and the day he could be with her as more than a friend.