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He feels a bit silly, frolicking in the snow like he’s a child again. Chat Noir is a superhero, not a little kitten who’s never experienced winter before. But when he’s jumping across the rooftops, sliding on occasion, and throwing snowballs into the night sky, he doesn’t quite care either. Adrien didn’t get to play in the snow, but Chat did. He didn’t care that it was already 11 pm, he had school the next day, and a pile of physics homework sitting on his desk.
Calculating the terminal velocity of an elephant in free fall could wait.
Unconsciously, or perhaps consciously, he found himself just a few rooftops from Marinette’s bakery. (He didn’t want to think about it too hard.) He could see that there were still lights on in her room, and began to weigh the pros and cons of dropping in on her at such an hour.
Pros: he might be able to get some hot chocolate, he might be able to convince her to play in the snow with him. It was cold, and maybe she had a scarf.
Cons: Not enough to stop him.
He began to make his way towards her terrace, green eyes bright and shining with joy. He hadn’t ever been out in the snow just for the fun of it. Maybe Marinette would make a snowman with him, or with any luck, a snowcat.
Gently, he landed on the snow-covered platform that led to Marinette’s room below. He knocked on the trapdoor, hoping that she would hear.
Sure enough, seconds later, her head popped out, and her blue eyes narrowed in confusion as she saw the dark figure crouched above her. “Chat, it’s freezing out. What are you doing?”
“I was just out for a stroll, purrrincess.” Chat grinned, clearly too proud of himself. “And I was hoping, perhaps you would like to join me in the snowy fun.”
Marinette rolled her eyes, but couldn’t suppress the grin that he had evoked from her. “In this weather Chaton? You must be freezing.”
“I think a cup of hot chocolate would warm me up quite nicely, if my princess would be so kind.” He wasn’t always so needy, but when it’s -5℃ and he’s out in the snow all alone, he couldn’t help it.
“I must be the luckiest girl in all of Paris to have the stray kitten choose my house to come beg at.” She replied, but motioned for him to come inside. “Wait here, I’ll go get you a warm drink.”
Chat slipped inside, but took care to avoid getting his snowy boots on her bed. The room was so completely Marinette. It was bright, warm, and welcoming. Pink adorned every square inch, and he could see various designs posted up around the room. He was glad she hadn’t turned him away. It had been a brief concern to him, in the seconds between his knocking, and her appearance at the trap door. He smiled to himself as he sat quietly, grateful for her kindness.
After what felt like ages, Marinette returned, holding a mug filled to the brim with steaming hot chocolate. She brought it over to him carefully, and sat it on the table next to him.
“So, what brings you here tonight?” She grabbed a blanket and threw it over herself, making Chat realize how cold he really was. He took a sip of the cocoa.
“Why wouldn’t I be out tonight, princess? It’s the coldest Paris has been in years, and snowiest too. Don’t you want to enjoy this rare experience?” His eyes lit up as he spoke, and Marinette noticed how genuinely excited he seemed at the prospect of so much snow.
“That’s true, but I’m a bit old for that, chaton.” It was true, this was a storm unlike anything they had seen in recent years. But she was 18 now, and playing in the snow was a thing of the past. And besides, she didn’t have anyone to play with, so being outside all alone in the cold didn’t sound like something she particularly fancied.
“Princess, you are never too old for fun.” He had finished his hot chocolate by now, and stood up. “Come on, don’t you want to build a snowcat on your roof?” Chat looked so hopeful, Marinette didn’t have it in her heart to turn him down. She wondered why he hadn’t just played in the snow earlier with his civilian friends, but decided not to question it.
“You’re dead set on this, aren’t you Chat?” Marinette gave a slight smile, and began to get up to follow him. “I’ll make a snowcat for you, provided that you let me give it a carrot nose.”
“Carrot nose?” Chat stared at her in disbelief. “Princess, surely you can’t be serious. Have you ever seen a cat before? Have you seen me before? Our noses are nothing like carrots.”
“Carrot or no snowcat.” Marinette replied.
“If we must…” He sighed.
So Marinette pulled on a winter coat, boots, and a pink scarf, and followed Chat up onto the roof. There was plenty of snow for a snowkitty, and while he began on the body, she began on rolling the head. They worked quickly, and while the snow continued falling around them, their chatter and smiles made the area around them seem warmer, brightened by silly puns and playful banter. Time seemed to move faster than normal, as it did when they were together. Chat wasn’t sure why he was so drawn to Marinette, but perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he could never get her to act so casual around Adrien. She was an enigma to him, a mystery that he could only get closer to understanding when he was Chat Noir.
After a while, and after Marinette had snuck down to retrieve a carrot from the fridge, they had completed their snowcat. Chat turned to Marinette, smiling brightly. “While it would be best without the carrot, our frosty feline is still a lovely one.”
“I’m glad you think so, but I think the carrot makes it even better.” She had to admit, it was fun to play in the snow, and throwing snowballs at Chat had certainly been a plus as well. She wasn’t sure how long the snowcat would last, but hoped the wintry weather would stick around for a while longer, as a memory of the night where she had stayed up until early morning, building a snowcat with her chaton.
“My princess, I must be off now, I’ve kept you up far too long.” He took her hand gently, and kissed it. She would have been flattered if it wasn’t Chat.
“You’re a flirt, kitty.” She laughed, but didn’t swipe her hand away. “Be careful going back, the rooftops are slick with ice and snow. And take my scarf you silly cat, you’re shivering. Next time you go out in the snow, wear warmer clothes.” She handed it to him, the pink wool looking extremely out of place on his black leather suit.
“Thank you Marinette.” Snowflakes had fallen into Marinette’s hair, creating a halo of icy crystals on her head. She looked angelic in the moonlight, a soft warmth in the cold and bitter Parisian night. He hugged her close, wishing he could stay here on the roof, making snowcats for hours on end.
Finally, he pulled away, whispered a goodbye, and began his trek across the rooftops. He went back to the Agreste mansion, back to a home that felt so much more empty and cold in comparison to the place he had just left.
Chat had always said black cats were unlucky, but when he was around Marinette, he felt like that wasn’t so true.