Work Text:
Never once in her life did she ever believe she’d adopt a stray cat, especially one that also formed part of Paris’s superhero duo. No, she’d always thought she would one day own a hamster or two along with three kids with her ultimate crush, Adrien Agreste. Nowhere in her dreams did she picture Chat Noir and his cringe-worthy puns.
While she never considered him as part of her present or future, she had to admit his presence didn’t irk her as much as she thought it would. In fact, she could almost admit to herself how much she’s come to care about her secret partner. His visits had become welcome as he helped her with her homework when she needed it, watched movies with her, played some of her favorite video games, or even watched as she worked on one sewing project or another.
At that moment, he reclined on her chaise lounge as she put the final pin in the hem of a dress she’d started making for Alya as a birthday present.
She’d needed the distraction after the day she’d had. It had only gone from bad to worse as she showed up late for class, got detention for her tardiness, faced an especially difficult akuma, and had Chloe try and bully her for some miserable reason. She’d gone home and went straight to work, hoping the feel of the fabric she’d bought for Alya’s dress would soothe her. Sewing usually helped, but it wasn’t at that moment.
Turning her head, she glanced down at Chat, noticing for the first time how tired he looked. She couldn’t help but reprimand herself for being an awful friend. She should have seen it the moment he arrived, but he kept his feelings closely guarded as superheroes tend to do from her own experience.
“Hey, kitty, would you mind some company?”
“Always, princess.” He moved over, allowing her enough to space to settle against him. His arm went around her readily to keep her on the chaise since both of them had grown considerably since they’d first started sharing the chaise. “Comfy?”
“Not quite,” she said as she brought her hands up to his hair and began running her fingers through it. “Now, it’s better.”
Chat purred as she continued her ministrations, putting him into a relaxed enough state to fall asleep if he didn’t take care.
She smiled at her handiwork and his purring, feeling her own worries and stress ebb away as he continued to purr next to her. She never thought not touching him would cause such distress in her system and wondered if he felt the same way. She had no intention of pushing the boundaries of their friendship since her heart remained with her crush, but she wanted Chat to know he could always come to her for cuddles if he needed them. She wanted to be his safe harbor when life became too stormy for him.
“Princess, would it be okay if I stayed tonight?”
“Is everything okay at home?”
“It’s about the same, but I’ve been feeling a little touch starved lately.”
She didn’t say anything for several minutes as she considered his words and the possible shift in their friendship if she allowed him to stay. As she pondered the implications and the possible ramifications if her parents discovered Chat in her room, she almost told him no, but the slow death of his purr changed her mind as he tensed, waiting for her to reject him.
“I’ve been feeling a little touch starved myself, kitty. You can stay if you’d like.”
He slowly relaxed as he comprehended her words and realized she wasn’t sending him away.
“Thank you, princess. I’ll be on my best behavior. Cat’s honor.”
She giggled at that, knowing his honor wasn’t always true as she recalled a few incidents with her yarn and fabric stashes.
Her hand found one of his favorite spots and scratched him softly with her nails, loving the renewed purring as she accomplished her goal.
“I’m holding you to your word, kitty.” After adjusting her position so she could see his face better, she spoke in a softer voice, asking, “Are you ready to turn in or would you like to stay here a bit longer?”
“Let’s stay here a bit longer. I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
Her heart tripped at this, but she quickly brushed it aside, believing he meant it in the most platonic way possible.
“Okay, kitty, here we stay.”
There they stayed the entire night, falling asleep curled in each other’s arms and finding peace at the end of the day.