#runningoutofink

Letting out a little sigh, Marinette climbed the rest of the steps and closed her trap door.  If Chat was able to stop by, she didn't want them hearing and getting extra nosy.  Grabbing her sketch book and pencil, she went straight up to her balcony.  She loved her parents, really, but sometimes they were a bit much.  And while she knew she liked Chat, rather a lot, as it happened, she was still trying to figure out what that meant.

She was able to sketch out a few very rough ideas, things she was pretty sure could be enhanced into something better, but she wasn't really on her game tonight.  She closed the book and leaned against the railing, considering going to bed.

"Oh good, you're still up," Chat said, leaping from the roof across the street.

What was it about him that his very presence made everything better, brighter?  As soon as he'd touched down, she stepped in to hug him.  "You're so good at this," she murmured, resting her cheek against his chest.

"My friends say I'm clingy," he said, wrapping his arms around her.  "And then they qualify it by saying it's a good thing."

She giggled.  "Probably comes from your less than affectionate home life," she pointed out.  "Adrien's like that."

"Yeah?"  He kissed her forehead and she squeezed him a little tighter.  "I don't remember the last time my father hugged me."

"You sure I can't punch him?"  She leaned back and looked up at him.

Again, the suggestion made him chuckle.  "I don't think you want to do that."

"Sure I do," she insisted.

"I don't want you to go to jail."  He made an over-exaggerated frown.  "Pretty sure there are no balconies for me to visit you on."

She stepped back.  "Are you saying you only like me for my aesthetically pleasing and stereotypically romantic architecture?"

His lips twitched as he struggled to hold back his laughter.  He started to shake his head, then switched to a nod.  "Yes.  That's it exactly.  It has nothing to do with how amazing you are as a person."

"I knew it," she muttered, crossing her arms and turning her back on him, but not bothering to school away her grin.

"I don't actually think you're crazy talented, or sweet, or kind."  He sighed.  "And I'm sorry to admit that I'm not nearly as attracted to you as I'd implied."

She raised her hand to rest the back against her forehead while she half-swooned.  "You've just been using me for my pain au chocolate and my balcony," she wailed quietly, because she really didn't want the neighbors or her parents hearing them.  "Oh, my heart,  It has been rent in two, you knave."  She turned and pointed at him.

His laughter escaped then, shaking his whole body as he reached for her.  "Oh my god, you're hilarious."  He pulled her to him and nearly fumbled his landing on her lounger.  "You know, this is why I started coming over."  He nudged her a bit until she was sitting across his lap.

"Because I make you laugh?"  She didn't think their earlier visits were that funny.

He shook his head.  "No.  You make me happy."  His claws nudged her loose hair out of her face.  "It helps me forget the parts of my day that aren't so fun."

"My parents want to adopt you," she blurted.  Oh god.  She hadn't meant to say that.

"I'm a bit too old to be adopted, Princess."  He brought her hand up to his lips.  "But this cat could consider being rehomed."

Did he not realize what it did to her when he said things like that, half-serious, half-teasing?  "To be fair they weren't really thinking of literal adoption."

He went still and looked at her, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.  "Okay.  There's a story there.  You going to tell me what it is, or bring it out some time later for a reaction?"

She took a deep breath.  "Papa called you his future son-in-law tonight," she said quickly, surprised she didn't trip over the words.   "And he wants to have an old school video gaming session to bond with you."

He stared at her, his green cat eyes wide, and his leather tail flicking out before wrapping around her ankle.  "Uhm.  I know they were teasing and all," he finally whispered.  "But they were right about us liking each other, so they kind of have a record for seeing things before we notice them."

"We're not even dating yet," she said.  Didn't you have to date for a while before you got engaged?

"We aren't?" he asked.  "Yet?"

Nervously gnawing on her lip, she reached down to mesh her fingers with his.  "We haven't had the conversation.  I mean, it feels like we're dating, uh… to me, but I think we have to actually talk about it first."

"Can I be your boyfriend?" he quickly asked.

She blinked a couple of times.  "Uh, yeah."  Alya required flowers and ceremony before she started calling Nino her boyfriend, but really, Marinette didn't need any of that.  "If I can be your girlfriend."

"Very yes."  He caught her chin on the first knuckle of his index finger, nudging her eyes up.  "Shouldn't we kiss now, or something?"

She tried to nod, but couldn't.  "Yeah.  I'd like that."

He leaned in and captured her lips with his.

Next in series > Purrfect Comfort