"I may have accidentally sort of adopted five cats." - Adrienette
When they had first moved in, the landlord had made it specifically clear that there were to be absolutely no pets allowed, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Adrien and Marinette had begrudgingly agreed, deciding that pets could come once they were graduated.
Yet one afternoon, after a long day of work and classes and finishing an incredibly large project that had kept her up most of the night, Marinette entered the apartment to be greeted by none other than a small black cat, purring as it curled around her legs. Another cat, white with black spots, was sitting on the kitchen counter and licking at what appeared to be a saucer of milk, and two other cats, one calico and one grey, were playing on the floor with one of her cheaper balls of yarn. Marinette shut the door and picked up the black cat, unable to help smiling as it purred against her chest.
Adrien appeared a moment later, holding a tabby cat wrapped in a towel in his arms. His grin was sheepish, though his eyes were shining happily as he met his girlfriend at the door. “Hey, Mari… I see you’ve met Oreo.” The cat in her arms mewed. “I swear I can explain.”
Marinette raised an eyebrow, absently scratching behind Oreo’s ears. “Explain then.”
Her boyfriend took a breath, then let it out in a long sigh. “I.. may have accidentally sort of… adopted five cats.” Her other eyebrow lifted and he flushed brightly. “They were all sitting in a box right outside the building, and they all looked so sad and cold and hungry and I couldn’t just leave them, Mari, you know, so I… I took them in and washed them and fed them and maybe kinda named them can we keep them pleeeeease?”
Honestly, it was completely unfair that he would turn his big, sad, green eyes to her and expect her to do anything but give in. It was a gift of his, and while he very rarely used it to his advantage, the times he did, she caved almost immediately. The effect was only increased by the five other pairs of kitty eyes staring up at her and the rumbling cat in her arms, and Marinette felt the argument she had been preparing since she saw the cats crumbling. How bad could five cats be, really? They had always wanted a lot of pets, after all, and they seemed well trained.
The landlord. The rules. She shook her head and closed her eyes to guard herself from Adrien’s look. “You know we can’t, Adri. Of course I want to keep them, but the landlord…” Marinette peeked an eye open and immediately regretted it when she saw the disappointment flickering in his eyes. He sighed and nodded.
“You’re right, I know…” And then mischief replaced the disappointment; before she knew it Chat had replaced Adrien. “Which is why I have that.” He pointed to the kitchen counter. Marinette stepped over and picked up the papers sitting there, eyes widening as she skimmed over them.
“Remember that little apartment you adored? The one with the balcony and the amazing view? The only one that would allow pets?” Adrien rested his head against her shoulder. “I know we settled for this one since it was closer to school, but… we’ll be graduating soon and I was looking anyway and it’s available again… It’s ours if you want it.”
It took her a moment to respond, Oreo’s meow pulling her from her wide-eyed stare from the papers first to the cat, then to Adrien. Slowly, a grin pulled at her lips as she realized what this all meant. No more cramped bedroom. No more cramming designs and projects into the living room. No more house without little paws scampering around the floors. Marinette turned fully to Adrien, kissing his cheek. “…so what’re the rest of their names?”
He returned her grin with a wide one of his own, lifting the tabby in his arms. “Okay, so, this one is Pebbles…”
