Please note: The quotes Marinette looks up are from a real internet article: www dot animalplanet dot com/pets/how-to-introduce-a-new-cat-to-an-old-cat/ The info on the paperwork at the adoption place is modeled after how a shelter in my neighborhood writes their paperwork, but doesn't really directly quote it.

Warnings: None that I can think of? Adrien gets jealous but tries very hard not to do so in an unhealthy way, Plagg is a troll, Adrien and Marinette are a very touchy-feely couple.

It all started right before their first class started, with Nino asking a simple question: "Have you seen Marinette's new cat? Alya says he's really cute."

Adrien froze, his mind registering Marinette and cat and panicking. His mind went a million miles an hour as he tried to figure out how Nino knew he was Chat Noir. It took an embarrassingly long moment to realize that Nino wouldn't have referred to Chat Noir as a cat, and certainly not a new one.

Which simply made his panicking mind switch it's panicked train of thought to What is he talking about, if he's not talking about me?

"Uh ..." he managed, trying not to let the tension he was feeling spill over into his voice. "What cat?"

"Aw, man, she didn't tell you?" Nino leaned forward conspiratorially, which did nothing to ease Adrien's anxiety. "Apparently, Marinette adopted a cat from the shelter. Alya can't shut up about how cute the little dude is. She seriously hasn't told you yet?"

"Uh ..." She hadn't mentioned it on patrol last night, and he didn't remember getting a text from her. He tried to discreetly unlock his phone to check his messages, frowning as the texts confirmed that she hadn't said a word about it. "I ... guess not?" he admitted, frowning at his phone like it was the one at fault.

"Man, that sucks. Weird, though, right? I mean, you are her boyfriend."

And crime-fighting partner, but Nino didn't know that. She told him everything, but she hadn't mentioned adopting a cat?

Just then, Marinette came barreling through the door, adorably flushed, one of her pigtails askew. She half-jogged to the seat behind him, and before he could turn around - to demand why she hadn't told him about the cat or to offer to fix her hair, he wasn't sure which he wanted to do more - the teacher walked in and announced that class had begun.

Since his dad wanted him home for his lunch breaks these days, he didn't get the chance to talk to Marinette until after school. He caught up to her as she was going down the front steps, grasping her arm and twirling her around.

She giggled, letting herself fall into his arms. "Don't you have basketball practice?" she asked with a warm smile.

Damn it, he did. "I've missed you," he said honestly, pondering whether or not it would be possible to skip practice without getting into trouble. His attendance was good enough that the coach would probably allow it, but word would get back to his dad, and Gabriel Agreste was more overprotective than usual lately.

Marinette stepped away before he could decide whether getting grounded was worth it, giving him a dazzling smile. "Get going, hot stuff, I'll talk to you later."

Adrien forced a smile, grasping Marinette's shoulder before turning back toward the school.

As he walked up the stairs, he frowned; his hand felt like something had gotten stuck to it. He glanced at it quickly, then stopped mid-stride to look more closely. His heart plummeted. Right there on his hand was what was unmistakably black cat hair.

"He's moving in on your territory."

"Shut up, Plagg." Adrien swung his chair away from the kwami.

Plagg paid no heed, zooming around so he was face-to-face with Adrien again. "She's the love of your life, right? Are you just going to let some mangy stray from a back alley somewhere come and steal her away?"

"We don't even know if the cat is a 'he,'" Adrien pointed out. "And your forgetting that I'm human. I've got no reason to be upset about Marinette getting a pet."

"A pet cat," Plagg pointed out.

"Yes, a pet cat, and I'm her human boyfriend."

"So you're saying the fact that Marinette is petting some other cat doesn't bug you at -"

Adrien grabbed a piece of Camembert and shoved it into Plagg's mouth before he could finish. Plagg glared for the briefest of moments before his eyes closed in pleasure and he started to happily gnaw at the cheese.

The problem was, it did bother him. He knew a boyfriend and a pet were two completely different things, and conflating the two was ridiculous. He knew he was human, despite the costume and the superhero name, so seeing a cat as a rival was ludicrous. He didn't even have any tendency to act like a cat, at least as long as he was out of costume (anything he did in costume he blamed entirely on Plagg, though Plagg denied his personality had any affect on Chat Noir.) He knew the entire situation shouldn't be bugging him at all ... and yet ...

He groaned, collapsing face-first on the bed. "Why didn't she just tell me," he growled into his pillow.

"It's suspicious if you ask me," Plagg said, licking his paws.

Adrien cringed at that, shoving himself off the bed and launching himself toward his bag to dig out his cell. His fingers flew across the touch screen before he could even think through what he was doing.

Noticed some cat hairs on

That sounded like a crazy jealous boyfriend. He backspaced, then started typing again.

Nino said you got a cat, is there some Thomas O'Malley moving in on my Duchess?

Thomas O'Malley and Duchess got together at the end, and he still sounded stupidly jealous. Erased.

Thought you said I was being too catty, my lady, but it sounds like you got another source of cattiness latel

Well, that was passive-aggressive. He stopped typing before he even got to the final letter and immediately started hitting the backspace key.

Nino says you got a new cat, should I be jealo

Adrien stopped mid-word, wondering if even mentioning jealousy jokingly was a good idea. He stared at the screen before deleting again.

Nino says you got a new cat. Surprised you didn't tell me, as I *am* something of an expert on them, my lady~

He read it over, checking to see if it sounded jealous. Read is again. It was awkward, but it didn't seem overly jealous or stupid. It didn't seem accusatory either, at least not that he could tell.

Plagg peered over his shoulder. "Yeah, expert," he said. "Expert at knowing when someone's trying to take what's yours, you mean."

"Give it a rest, Plagg." Adrien read it over again, then sighed and deleted the message. He set down his phone. At this rate, screaming into a pillow would be just as efficient and a lot less stressful.

Adrien really liked how the trapdoor on Marinette's balcony led to her bed. It meant that after patrols, he could start kissing her immediately, grope behind him for the door and wrench it open with the confidence that they'd have a soft landing.

This time, though, when they landed on Marinette's bed in a tangle of limbs and kisses, there was a displeased yowling. Adrien started, green eyes meeting the blue. More specifically, the blue eyes of another cat who was displeased that he suddenly had company on Marinette's bed.

"Kitten, what's wrong?"

Adrien was only vaguely aware of Marinette's voice. He was also only vaguely aware of the fact the ears of his costume had gone down in classic sign of feline displeasure and his tail was twitching in agitation. His attention was entirely focused on the black cat that had its claws sunk into Marinette's sheets, its back arched and hackles raised at it stared at Adrien with the same intensity that Adrien leveled at it.

Marinette craned her head around to follow Adrien's gaze. "Oh for crying out loud," she muttered. "Felix, shoo," she said louder, her hand halfheartedly motioning the cat away.

Felix batted of her hand in what was obviously a playful manner, and Adrien narrowed his eyes at the feline. He was trying - really, really trying - to stop himself from baring his teeth and hissing. Marinette must have sensed his tension, because her glove hand came up and started stroking his hair right behind the ears of his costume. He relaxed, nuzzling against Marinette's neck.

While Adrien was appeased, though, someone else wasn't. Felix meowed insistently and Marinette sighed. "One second," she told Adrien, "I need to check his food."

Adrien frowned, but obediently moved aside so Marinette could go down the ladder. He heard her transformation release, but didn't dare release his own. The amount of crap Plagg would give him would be endless and extremely annoying, and while he could deal with it on his own time he did not want Marinette to know about this ... whatever it was.

Marinette came up the ladder a short while later, raising an eyebrow when she saw that Adrien was still in costume. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Don't want to deal with Plagg," he said. It was the truth. Just not the whole truth. "Do you ..." want to play with your cat who isn't me, "want me to go?"

"Why would I want you to go?" She crawled up the bed and Adrien thought his heart might stop at the sight. "I can kiss Chat Noir just as easily as I can kiss Adrien."

Adrien grinned, but before he could make a joke, Marinette silenced him with a kiss. He relaxed into the kiss, leaning forward to get a better angle. Marinette had a similar idea, straddling him and leaning over. Adrien ran his hands up her arms, wishing he was out of costume so he could feel her skin on his. He surrendered himself, letting his world narrow until it was just him and her and the feeling of her touching him and him touching her back.

It was a coincidence that his eyes happened to open and see Felix at the foot of the bed, glaring at them with his tail twitching in annoyance. An extremely unfortunate coincidence, because it made Adrien tense up again, the world of just him and Marinette shattering as he became aware of the other presence in the room.

"Adrien, what's -" Marinette glanced behind them and groaned. "Not again -"

Adrien didn't know if she was talking about him or Felix, and part of him, a big part, was afraid of the answer. "I should leave," he said quietly.

"No, Adrien, it's fine -"

"No," he interrupted, then repeated more forcibly, "I should leave." He eased Marinette off of him, her eyes widening as he did so.

"Adrien!"

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said. Marinette started reaching toward him, but he flinched away, grabbing the frame of the trapdoor and launching himself into the Parisian night air.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki asked from where she hovered over Marinette's shoulder.

"Yeah," Marinette said halfheartedly. She was still staring at the screen, even though certain phrases from the article she was reading had been read and reread so much that they were burned into her brain.

If you're going for the same sex, two female cats will pair up better than two males, whose instincts may prompt aggression.

An older cat that's been the only pet for his entire life will adapt more slowly to another cat's presence

Never simply place a new cat in your home and hope the cats will work things out for themselves

The presence of another cat, even if unseen, presents an inconvenience to your existing cat

"Marinette ..."

She sighed, leaning back in her chair in a way that made it spin slightly. "I just ... I don't act like a bug, I don't think, so it never occurred to me that Adrien might act like a cat. I just thought that it's Adrien, so of course he'd like Felix."

"It's easier for a cat's emotions to get confused with a human's," Tikki said. "And vice-versa."

Marinette shot her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think Adrien's problems with Felix come from Plagg," Tikki said with a shrug. "Plagg might be egging them on, but I think it's more likely that Adrien's own emotions got amplified by his being Chat Noir."

"But Adrien likes everyone," Marinette said, feeling more and more confused. Whether Adrien was himself or Chat Noir, he was always a lot more patient and forgiving of people than she was. He tolerated Chloe, a feat Marinette hadn't thought possible, and even made an effort to be nice to Lila. Sometimes it drove Marinette crazy, but it also made him a good partner. When Ladybug or Marinette lost their temper, Chat Noir or Adrien was there to cool her down and ask her to look at the situation from the other person's point of view.

"Yeah, but Adrien's never had to compete with someone for your affection before, has he?" Tikki pointed out.

"That's not - it's not a competition!" That had been the last thing she wanted when she adopted Felix.

"Does Adrien know that?"

"I -" she glanced at the article again, frowning. You'll need to offer a lot of reassurance and extra attention to each cat if aggression becomes a factor. "I ... don't know." She had figured Adrien would be happy. She thought he'd make a lot of bad jokes about black cats and play with Felix while his face was lit up with his beautiful smile. It had never occurred to her that he'd glare at Felix and look like he was on the verge of hissing.

Felix, seeming to sense her distress, came over and rubbed himself against her legs. She smiled slightly, bending over to lift him into her lap. She petted him absent-mindedly, causing him to purr in utter feline contentment.

She could still remember when she'd gone into the shelter with Rose and Juleka. Felix had been huddling in the back of his crate, eyeing the passers by warily. His black fur had reminded Marinette of a certain other cat she knew, and she'd just stopped to look at his paperwork. It had been curiosity; she hadn't meant to adopt him. But the information on the page had tugged at her heartstrings. The "shy when first meets people, but becomes affectionate and playful once he gets to know you" and "loves to patrol to make sure everything's in order, and appreciates pets for a job well-done" were probably meant to just be cutesy, but they were statements that could be applied to Adrien, too, and when the cat stared up at her with his big blue eyes she caved and asked the attendant how to adopt him.

She'd find a way for them to get along, she would. She just needed more time to think.

He wasn't avoiding Marinette. He just happened to have back-to-back photoshoots, basketball practice, and fencing. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was afraid he'd snap if he saw more black cat hair on him and he certainly hadn't taken on an extra credit project just to have an excuse to stay at school instead of going to Marinette's. Nope, not at all. And if he texted her to cancel going on patrol that night, it was because he was so busy that he was dead on his feet and would be useless if they came across any trouble, not because he was afraid he'd yell at her about getting a cat.

Okay ... so maybe, maybe he was completely avoiding her.

"This is ridiculous," Plagg complained, rolling around in a pen holder he'd dived into. The pens scattered across the table as Adrien jotted down information onto note cards. "You should be showing that cat whose boss, not doing school work you don't even need to do."

"I had to skip too many classes, my grade will go down if I don't do this."

"Yeah, by what, two percent? Come on, we need to go over to Marinette's."

"And, what, mark our territory on the furniture?" Adrien meant it as a joke, but Plagg stopped his rolling around and stayed very still like he was considering it. "Plagg, no."

"Plagg, yes."

Adrien smacked his forehead, looking up at the ceiling as if it would give him answers. "No, nope, not having this conversation."

"You have to show that alley cat she's yours some way -"

"I am not peeing on Marinette's stuff!"

"Okay, then, what's your plan? Ignore Marinette while that mangy stray gets cozy with her?"

Adrien groaned, his head smacking against the desk. "I hate you," he informed Plagg.

"Only because you know I'm right. Come on, ditch the project and visit Marinette."

"Why do you care?"

Plagg gave him a look like he was deeply stupid. "Because while you two sucking face is gross, you're a lot easier to deal with when you're not whining and avoiding everyone."

Adrien gave him a long, considering look. "You miss being able to con her out of extra cheese, don't you."

"What? Nooo, not at ... okay yes, but I also am sick of you being a giant whiner, so go and make up already!"

Adrien sighed heavily. "You don't get it. Humans aren't supposed to be jealous of cats."

"Well it's not like Marinette doesn't know you have a more feline side," Plagg said with a slight roll of his eyes. "Just talk to the girl, get it over with."

Green human eyes met green catlike kwami eyes in a long stare. Plagg's ears started twitching in restless agitation, and the twitching only increased when Adrien showed no outward sign of looking away. Inwardly, though, Adrien's mind was a mess. Yes, he didn't want Marinette to think he was silly, but at the same time, he missed her. He missed doing homework together, he missed nuzzling her neck, he missed munching her parents' cookies from a plate as they watched a movie curled up against each other, he missed her smell, he missed her laugh, he missed her smile.

"Fine." He turned away so he wouldn't have to deal with Plagg's triumphant look. "I'll talk to her."

"Is, um, is Adrien home?"

Nathalie gave Marinette a bewildered look, which did nothing to soothe her nerves. Adrien's house always felt a little off to her; the rooms were too big with not enough in them, everything was clean and organized in a way that suggested that no one actually lived there, and the big portrait in the entryway featured Adrien looking miserable.

"Adrien just left to go to your house," Nathalie finally said.

Marinette's eyes widened and she found herself stuttering out a thank you as she spun around to bolt back towards her house. Adrien was coming to her - that was a good sign, right? That meant he wasn't avoiding her? Maybe he'd decided to try and get along with Felix? Her thoughts raced as the buildings of Paris seemed to blur past her. She half considered transforming to give herself some extra speed, but couldn't bring herself to stop, even for that long. It had probably only been a couple days, but it felt like it had been ages since she'd seen Adrien, and he was at her house ...

She skidded to a halt across the street from her house, not because she was nervous about entering, but because Adrien was there, looking frustrated and beautiful and perfect. He was shutting the door behind him, obviously leaving after finding out she wasn't home. She took a moment to drink in the sight of him - just a moment - before she launched herself across the street. She couldn't have told you if the crosswalk signal was green, didn't care if there was oncoming traffic, wouldn't have noticed if an akuma appeared right at the intersection because Adrien was right there.

Her movement caught Adrien's attention. He looked up, eyes widening when he saw her. She launched herself into his arms so fast he only had time to brace himself to catch her without collapsing. It was good enough. She buried her face in his neck, arms wrapped around him, babbling nonsense into his shirt.

Adrien kissed her temple, nuzzling her a bit before murmuring "Hey," into her hair. She felt her grin split her face at the sound of his voice, and she tried to pull him closer even though she wasn't sure if it was possible.

"I'm sorry," she told him. "I just - he was - he needed a home, and I didn't think -"

"It's okay," Adrien said. "I'm being stupid, I know -"

"You're not though!" Marinette cried. "I mean - it's just -" She buried her face in his shirt. "I should have done it differently, I should have included you, I mean - we're partners, so -"

Adrien snorted, though it sounded forced. "You don't need to ask your boyfriend for permission to get a pet, Marinette."

"Yeah, but ..." She bit her lip, drawing back from Adrien the tiniest bit, fisting her hands in his shirt as if he would run away if she let go. "I kind of ..." It was a stupid thought, she knew it was stupid, but when she'd adopted him it had occurred to her regardless. She'd been ridiculously pleased by it, blushing as she'd signed her name on the adoption papers. She knew it wasn't practical, though, just a step down from her fantasies of three kids and a dog with Adrien. She knew Adrien didn't have the time. She hadn't ever meant to bring it up because she didn't want Adrien to feel guilty about having to turn her down. But with the article's words pounding in her head, and Tikki's suggestion that Adrien thought of Felix as competition ...

If Adrien was willing to admit he was bothered by Felix, even though he thought it was stupid, then she could confess to a silly romantic fantasy.

"I thought ..." She swallowed hard, still not looking up to meet Adrien's eyes. "I mean, I know it - it probably won't work for you, but I hoped -" She groaned, burying her face into Adrien's chest before finishing her sentence, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Unfortunately, that didn't fix anything. "Sorry?" Adrien prompted, sounding bewildered. "I didn't catch that."

Struggling to keep down her blush, she looked up, finally looking into Adrien's very confused eyes. "This isn't - I don't expect -" She took a deep breath. "It was a silly thought, but it would - it would be nice - if we could raise him together ...?"

It took a moment for Adrien to catch her meaning. For an anxiety-flooded moment, the confusion in his expression only deepened, and Marinette was terrified he'd ask why she thought he'd be interested in something like that. But then realization dawned. His eyes lit up and a grin split his face.

"I'm a cat-dad?" he exclaimed.

"O-only if you want to be," Marinette said in a rush. "I mean. You do know the most about them, and ... okay that's a horrible joke."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure that was one of the jokes I attempted to make when I tried to figure out a way to ask you about our cat-son."

Marinette smiled at that, just a little bit. "I rest my case."

"You know you love my jokes," Adrien said, flicking one of her hair ribbons. His grin widened and Marinette felt herself cringing in anticipation of a horrible pun. "They are, after all," he said, "dad jokes."

"Oh my God."

"Do you think Felix likes dad jokes?"

"I'm sure he doesn't."

"You don't know that. He is my son, too, you know."

"Adrien ..."

"You can't deny it. He's got your eyes, but my hair."

"You are loving this way too much."

"Yep," Adrien said. "Now, uh ..." He stepped back, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground, oddly shy. "I should probably work on getting along with him better, right? After all, if I'm going to be an effective member of the cat-school PTA -"

"Adrien!"

"Toys," Adrien said, eyes widening. "I could get him - Come on, Marinette, you have to tell me what he likes!"

He grabbed her hand and started down the street, where she saw his bodyguard's car parked. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"He's my son, I need to get him presents," Adrien said, as if it was obvious. "We should go to the pet store. You can tell me what he likes and I'll pay for it."

"Adrien, he has toys -"

The look Adrien shot her was more appropriate for a puppy dog then a cat. Marinette hesitated, biting her lip as she tried to resist ... and failed. "Well," she said, "maybe one toy ..."

"Great!" Adrien said, smiling again. She followed him to the car, smiling as he babbled on about different types of cat toys and their various attractions. He described them as if he were speaking from experience, and she suppressed a giggle at the image of Adrien batting cat toys around his desk. He opened the car door for her, still enthusiastically spouting information, and slid in beside her once she'd sat down.

She leaned into him on the car ride to the pet store, hands clasped together, and figured this was what happily ever after felt like.

"I am never taking you shopping again."

"But my lady -"

"That pile of toys is taller than he is."

-END-