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"Come down from there or we'll be late."
Marinette crossed her arms over her chest. Though she tried to keep a straight face, her eyes sparkled with soundless laughter as she watched her boyfriend inch closer to the little girl he’d climbed up there to rescue.
Félix grumbled, holding onto the bent branch with his arms and legs.
“Easier said than done.”
He had crawled halfway to her little sister, who swung her legs cheerfully, a radiant smile on her face and a gray kitten in her lap.
Brie only had eyes for the small hungry beast. She petted him with her mittens, cooing affectionately every time it meowed.
“Do you need some help?” Marinette called, unfolding her arms. She rubbed her palms together and wrung her fingers to warm them up.
“No!”
Félix protested so loudly he nearly tumbled down. The branch swayed dangerously and for a moment, even Brie stopped smothering the kitten.
“Are we going somewhere?” she asked in the sweetest voice she could muster. Her hands stopped moving and she looked up.
“We were going to check out the illuminations in the sixth, remember?”
“Illumiminashions!” Brie squealed so enthusiastically that she almost swung herself off the branch and onto the pavement. The kitten clawed at her pants, hanging on for its dear life. A mewl escaped its mouth, a desperate cry for help. “I want to see the-the illuminashions!”
Marinette’s smile widened. “You gotta come down then. Or we’ll be late.”
Brie turned her attention back to the cat. It was more important than the illuminations. Cuter, too.
“Can we keep him?”
“Maybe,” Marinette said just as Félix declared loudly “No!”
Brie’s head snapped around.
“Why not?” She whined, lifting the kitten off her lap onto the branch. It was supposed to be temporary, only for as long as it took her to change her sitting position, but the kitten had a mind of its own and like any other cat, started making its merry way to Félix.
Brie straddled the branch and tried to get the cat back. It was already out of her reach.
“She’s already someone else’s cat,” Félix gruffed. He attempted to push himself up in an effort to put more distance between himself and the curious kitten. “She’s even got a name tag and all.”
Brie pouted. She had noticed the tag, too, but she’d ignored it in hopes that the adults wouldn’t.
“Marinette…” Félix quivered, as Ash patted his thigh experimentally before climbing on. Félix groaned. “This is not going to end well.”
“Uh-uh,” she agreed from down below and stepped a little further away. If anyone was going to fall, they would not fall on her; as much as she wanted to catch them, the risk of injury was far too great for her as a civilian.
Ash meowed, demanding attention, as she continued her climb on Félix’s poorly balanced body. The moment she tripped was the moment that doomed the young man who let go of the branch with his hands to catch the kitten. He lost his balance and fell backward, his legs twisting awkwardly to clutch the branch between his legs.
He dangled, upside down, arms above his head, still holding onto the stupid cat he blamed for the situation. Ash meowed indignantly, as though reading his mind, and wriggled to get free.
Marinette took her from Félix.
“Still don’t need any help?” She teased, bending her knees to be at eye-level with him. He glared at her.
“Oh, come on,” Marinette petted the cat’s head. “Don’t give me that look!”
Félix’s gaze softened and flickered to her lips. He reached for her with his hands, begging whichever god was listening to keep him from falling, as he tugged at the lapels of her winter coat, willing her closer.
She answered his prayers.
Marinette placed the cat on her shoulders, where it curled up, blending into her outfit as a fur trimming, and stepped closer. She cradled his face, fingers caressing his cold red cheeks, and kissed him.
He tasted like strawberries and smoked salmon.
He melted against her; a wrong move if his legs giving way was any indication.
Félix fell ungracefully, but even as his cheek scraped against the pavement and a shard of glass dug into his coat at the elbow, he had no regrets. When Marinette kneeled down beside him, worried beyond comparison, he grinned boyishly and stole another kiss from her lips.
“Surface damage,” he winced, glancing at his elbow. The glass had dug through the fabric but hadn’t pierced his skin. “I’ll be fine. Now, to get Brie down…”
He looked up, not having forgotten about the little girl who’d been the first to chase after the cat. Brie offered a weak smile and an awkward wave.
She didn’t mind them kissing but she certainly preferred not seeing them kiss. It raised too many questions in her head.
Félix stood up and wiped his hands against his coat. “The cat is down, so are you brave enough to jump?”
Brie gulped. She judged the distance with her eyes—big! Scary!—then nodded, acting more courageous than she felt.
Félix opened his arms. “Ready when you are.”
As she pushed herself off the branch, Brie squeezed her eyes shut. She opened them only when she felt his warm embrace and the two strong arms wrapped around her. She hugged him, as any residual fear washed away and exhilaration set in.
She had jumped! From a high place! And he had caught her!
And they were supposed to go and see illuminations. But the thought of it suddenly drained her, and she turned her head, not even lifting it from Félix’s shoulder. Her eyes lingered on the kitten who had stood up on her tiny paws, disliking the ruckus. Soon, though, it settled back down.
“‘Nette,” Brie yawned. “Can we see the illuminashion tomorrow?” She closed her eyes.
Marinette and Félix exchanged a relieved look. She nodded.
“Of course, little bug.”
Félix kissed her forehead. She snuggled closer, wrapping her hands around his neck.
He held his free hand out for Marinette. She accepted it, cheeks turning pink like the very first time they had held hands. He blushed, too.
Happy smiles decorated their faces. Then Ash moved on her shoulders and Félix’s smile turned into a grimace. As much as he liked cats—and that was quite a bit—this one irked him, though he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
Maybe he was just a little bit jealous of the attention she got from the girls who’d spotted her playing in the snow. He understood how leaving the kitten out would endanger her and how inhumane it was to leave it to fend for herself. But still…
He inhaled deeply and blurted his next words, setting anxiously a boundary he’d never needed before.
“Just so you know, we’re going to keep this little beast in the hallway.”