prince of cats
chapter five:Â to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss
on ao3 || on ffnet
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5Â
hey everyone, how was your week!
posting wise, we've passed the halfway point of what i currently have written (i have through ch9 written at the moment). i'll hopefully write most of the rest of the fic in august, just at the moment my productivity writing wise is down because i've been drawing a lot and listening to taz!
enjoy!
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   just letting u kno that i hate my boyfriend
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   Thats a lie and you know it
   Whats he making you do
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   >:(
   hes making us go out to dinner with his moms
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   Oh THIS dinner
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   yup
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   First of all I talked to Nino about it last time you brought it up and its just a normal dinner
   His moms just want to spend time with you two
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   ur sure
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   Absolutely
   Alya you love Ninos moms
   Theyve basically adopted you
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   ur right
   im just tired
   ninos really excited so i was worried im missing something or am gonna be surprised by something
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   As far as I can tell its just a normal dinner
   No surprises just Nino being Nino
   And the answer is to take a nap when you get home from work
   Did you not sleep much last night?
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   nah i was working on a project
   until like 3 cause i hate myself
   nino had to drag me to bed
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   Thank god for Nino
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   yeah he haaated me last night
   speaking of cute boys tho
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   Alya oh my god
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   im sorry uve been friends w adrien for how long now??
   3 weeks??? more than a month?? literal years!?!!?!??!?!
   u talk about him all the time when r we gonna meet him
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   Eventually!!!!!
   I promise I just dont want you scaring him away
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   nino and i r great we dont scare ppl
From: fashion goddess
To: the Most Beautiful
   uh huh
From: the Most Beautiful
To: fashion goddess
   shut up
   also get me his last name
⊠⊠âŠ
Marinette puts down her sketch book. âLetâs go to the store.â
Adrien looks up from his laptop in surprise. âWhat?â
Sheâs gotten used to weekends with Adrien. He doesnât expect her to look nice or even all that presentable, and she doesnât expect him to, they just sit on the couch or in the kitchen and do their own thing. Adrien usually works, because he literally never stops working, and Marinette designs. She forces him to watch her favorite shows with her, even if it means that she has to explain to him who every single character is and the entire plot. In return, heâs managed to get her to watch some of his favorite movies. He randomly shows up throughout the week if he needs something from her kitchen because he always seems to be short something. Marinette is genuinely considering giving him a key to her apartment. Even if itâs just so he can steal from her fridge and cabinets.
âThe store.â She pulls her hair up into a messy bun and grabs her purse off the back of her chair.
Adrien stares at her like sheâs grown another head.
âYou donât have to come if you donât want, but if you need anything, you should.â She gestures toward the door.
âWhat do you need?â he asks, apparently having found his voice.
âFabric,â she says, ticking things off on her fingers, âsome thread, ribbon, watercolor paper, brush markers if they have any, and pizza.â
He laughs and runs his hands through his hair. âI do like pizza.â
Marinette picks up her keys. âSo are you coming? Because if you arenât I should probably kick you out.â
âWhat?â Adrien asks as he stands. âYou donât trust me?â
âYou might steal my Jagged Stone poster,â she says with a shrug of her shoulder.
âFair enough.â He pulls on his coat. âShow me the way.â
⊠⊠âŠ
Marinette opts to walk to most of the stores. She asks Adrien if he minds and he just shakes his head and pulls his phone out of his pocket, sending a few quick texts as they make their way down the stairs and out of the apartment building.
âWhere are we going exactly?â Adrien asks, pulling the door open.
âFabric store first,â Marinette says, stuffing her phone into her purse.
He raises an eyebrow. âDonât you have fabric at work?â
âYes, but youâre missing the pointâ turn here. I donât have fabric at home. At work, I do stuff for the head designer and my boss. I have much more creative freedom when Iâm at home.â
âHuh.â Adrien flips his phone over in his hand. âInteresting. I know nothing about fashion soâŠâ
Marinette smiles. âI sort of figured.â
He shrugs. âI donât know much about how any sort of normal jobs work. Iâve got it relatively easy.â
âWorking from your apartment and living off of take out?â she asks innocently.
Adrien rolls his eyes. âYes exactly.â
Marinette elbows him lightly. âYouâre very lucky you have me to teach you how to bake.â
Itâs a nice day, not too hot and not too cold, without too many people walking around the streets. She finds herself wishing that she had more free time to spend outside, that she still had a balcony like she did when she was growing up. She misses having time to herself, where she could garden and sit outside and sew. Itâs too nice to be stuck inside all the time.
Adrien accuses her of taking the long way and she doesnât defend herself.
She holds the door open for Adrien when they get to the store, letting the far too cold airconditioning billow out onto the sidewalk.
Adrien wanders around in a sort of daze as Marinette pulls out her sketchbook and meticulously looks for the exact shade of blue that she needs.
âYou needed ribbon?â Adrien asks, suddenly popping out of nowhere.
Marinette squeaks and jumps back with a start, dropping her sketchbook in surprise.
âSorry about that,â he says sheepishly before bending over to pick up her sketchbook. He hands it back to her, rubbing the back of his neck. âDidnât mean to frighten you.â
She takes a few deep breaths before taking the sketchbook from him. âItâs fine, you just surprised me. Easy to do when Iâm concentrating.â
âWhat are you looking for?â Adrien asks, leaning closer, tilting his head to look at the page she has her sketchbook flipped open to.
âA blue,â Marinette murmurs, pointing to a swatch of fabric she stole from work and taped onto the page. âI mean obviously I have a type of fabric in my mind, Iâm just really desperate for this shade of blue becauseââ WellâŠshe doesnât actually have a reason. Sheâs just attached. And thatâs silly.
Adrien hums to himself. âOkay,â he says after a moment. And then he vanishes into another aisle. Â
Marinette stares at the space he was occupying for a long moment before shrugging and moving on. She decides sheâll find the blue later and starts looking for white lining. She pulls a bolt from the shelf, feeling the fabric between her fingers. Itâs a little heavier than she would like, but if she canât find anything else, she can make it work.
Adrien steps out from around the corner. âWould this work?â he asks, holding out a bolt of blue fabric.
Marinette blinks and takes it from him, running her fingers over the satin-like fabric. âThis isâŠthis is perfect, actually.â
He shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets. âI have a lot of experience with lots of types of fabrics.â He ignores the confused look Marinette gives him. She has questions, but mostly sheâs just glad she doesnât have to rethink the entire color scheme of this outfit.
Adrien watches over her shoulder as she chooses ribbon and nods as she rambles on about what sheâs making. He doesnât look like he understands what sheâs saying to him, but heâs listening and thatâs enough.
Marinette estimates how much fabric she needs and Adrien hums to himself as they get the fabric cut and check out.
âWhat did you think?â Marinette asks as he pushes the door open for her.
Adrien blinks in the bright sunlight and glances down the street before looking back to Marinette. âIt was nice,â he says. âOverwhelming, but strangely calming.â
Marinette laughs. âThat sounds about right.â
âWhere to next?â Adrien asks with a tilt of his head.
⊠⊠âŠ
âKnow anything about art?â Marinette asks as she pulls open the door to the art store.
âHardly,â Adrien says with a crooked smile. âI donât know anything about most creative things. I know music and thatâs kind of where my creative talents end.â
âMusic?â Marinette asks. Heâs never mentioned anything about music before, though he hasnât mentioned many hobbies or talents in general.
âPiano,â he specifies. âTook lessons for years, my parents insisted.â
Marinette leads him toward the markers and paints. âSo you must be pretty good, huh?â
âEh.â He shrugs. âNowhere as good as my father would like me to be, but Iâm passable.â
She rolls her eyes. âSo that means youâre fantastic.â
âIt really doesnât,â Adrien says with a laugh. âBut thanks for your faith in me.â
Marinette studies the brush markers, trying to decide what brand to get and how much money sheâs willing to shell out today. Adrien amuses himself by uncapping some of the markers and trying out the testing markers while she Googles reviews on the internet. Heâs flipping through an anatomy book when she decides on a set of markers and moves on to paper. Sheâs running low.
Marinette wanders further down the aisle where the sketchbooks and papers are. She feels someoneâs eyes on her, but when she looks up, she sees a worker at the entrance. Marinette picks up a pack of watercolor paper and hums to herself. She still isnât sure if she likes this paper, but she has very few options she can afford.
Adrien holds up a copic marker. âWhy is this seven euros?â
She blinks at him. âBecause it is?â
He squints at it. âItâs just a marker?â
âItâs a copic marker,â she says, like that will explain everything. Judging by the expression on his face, it doesnât help at all. Marinette takes the marker from him and puts it back with the others. âItâs alcohol based and fancy, thatâs why itâs expensive.â
Adrien looks at the case of copics in wonder. âWhy would you spend so much on a marker?â
âI donât know,â Marinette says. Adrien raises his eyebrows and she just shrugs. âI donât usually use them. I donât need nice markers and I donât exactly have a lot of money to be spending on things I donât need.â
âFair enough,â he murmurs. He narrows his eyes at the copic. âThat better be one magical marker if Iâm paying seven euros for it.â
Marinette snorts. âLucky for you, youâre not.â
Adrien gives her a lopsided smile. âYeah, thatâs true. Iâm no Picasso. I think the best I can do is a stick figure.â
She elbows him lightly. âIâm sure you draw beautiful stick figures.â
Adrien laughs and for that moment, Marinetteâs world gets a little brighter and her heart starts to sing.
⊠⊠âŠ
âHave you ever had pizza here?â Marinette asks as her and Adrien wait in line to order.
âMostly I just get whatever will deliver,â he admits.
âYou donât leave the apartment much, do you?â she teases.
Adrien rubs the back of his neck. âI donât usually need to.â
âDo you know what you want or do you just want the same as me?â
âLetâs go with the latter.â
Marinette orders her usual and pays before Adrien can offer, rejecting it when it does come. âMy treat,â she says with a smile.
They sit in a booth by the window with their pizza and bags.
âCareful, itâs hotââ Marinette warns, just as Adrien burns his tongue.
âAhhhhââ He sticks his tongue out and makes a pained expression.
She hides her smile behind her slice, but Adrien catches it and glares at her. She just shrugs. âI tried to warn you.â As she picks up her slice, someone catches her eye.
Theyâre watching her and Adrien out of the corner of their eye. They make eye contact with her and quickly go back to whatever they were doing on their phone.
Adrien hisses in pain, bringing Marinetteâs attention back to their table. âThat was a mistake.â
Marinette opens her mouth to reply. The strange feeling of someoneâs eyes on her passes through her and makes her freeze up and she looks back to the person who was watching them. Theyâre packing up their things and heading out the door.
âWhat is it?â Adrien asks.
Marinette shakes her head. âSorry, I thought I saw someone I knew. I was wrong.â
He raises his eyebrows. âBeen there, done that. Iâve walked up to people thinking I knew them before. I did not.â She winces. âIt was incredibly embarrassing.â
âI can imagine,â she says, taking a careful bite of her pizza.
Adrien eyes her. âAm I going to burn my face off this time?â
Marinette snorts and lowers her slice. âI think youâre okay now.â
âIf I die, my blood is on your hands,â he says seriously.
She rolls her eyes. âPizza isnât going to kill you, I promise.â Â
⊠⊠âŠ
Adrien trails behind Marinette on the stairs, writing a quick email and carrying one of her bags.
âCome in for a minute?â Marinette asks as she pulls out her keys.
âHm?â Adrien asks. He glances up from his phone. âOh! Oh yeah, sure. I left my laptop on your table, anyway.â
She shakes her head as she unlocks her apartment. âYou have to have more of your stuff at my apartment than your own.â
âItâs called minimalism,â Adrien says seriously.
Marinette frowns as the door swings open. She glances over her shoulder to Adrien. âI didnât leave the TV on, did I?â
Adrien shakes his head. âWe didnât have itââ
âHey!â Alya shouts from the couch.
ââonâŠâ He trails off and hangs back by the door.
Marinette rolls her eyes. âDonât worry, itâs one of my friends. Trust me, I regret letting her have a key to this place,â she stage whispers. She shuts the door once Adrien has stepped inside after a bit of hesitation. She leaves her bags on the table before joining Alya, and apparently Nino, in front of the TV.
Nino pauses whatever show theyâre watching and returns to the Netflix home screen.
Marinette crosses her arms and leans over the back of the couch. âWhy are you in my house?â
âApartment,â Nino corrects lightly.
Adrien snorts from where heâs standing awkwardly in the kitchen. He puts Marinetteâs bags down on the counter and closes his laptop before holding it to his chest.
âIâve got a present,â Alya sings, holding up a box.
Marinette rolls her eyes. âIs this payment for breaking and entering?â
âItâs not breaking if you have the key,â Nino points out. He continues to flip through Netflix. âCanât argue the entering though.â
Alya smiles brightly at Adrien, but Marinette doesnât miss the way Alyaâs eyes sweep over him, taking in as many details as she can. âHey, stranger!â
Adrien lifts a hand awkwardly, still hanging back by the door.
Nino leans back and nods at Adrien. âYo, join the party.â
âI shouldââ Adrien gestures to the door.
Alya jumps up from the couch and hops of the back. She grabs Marinetteâs arm as she breezes by, dragging her over to Adrien.
âAlya,â Marinette hisses, attempting to dig her heels into the ground as Alya pulls her along.
âIâm Alya!â she announces, holding out her hand to Adrien. âMarinetteâs best friend.â
Adrien hesitates for a long moment before he shakes Alyaâs hand. âAdrien. MarinetteâsâŠâ his gaze slides to Marinette before snapping back to Alya. âHer neighbor.â
Marinette tries to keep her blush from burning too brightly.
Alya shakes his hand eagerly. âGreat to meet you!â
âNino!â he shouts from the couch. âBut I was working all day and Iâm tired so sorry, dude, Iâm staying put.â Â
âItâs fine,â Adrien promises. âI really should be getting back. Plagg needs to be fed.â
Marinette nods and pulls away from Alya. âYeah, of course! Let me justâ Iâll show you out.â Alya puts the box into Marinetteâs hands winks. Marinette gives her a little shove toward the couch as Adrien pulls open the door.
âYou didnât have to show me out,â Adrien insists as Marinette quickly closes the door once theyâre in the hallway. She leans against it so Alya canât look out the peephole. âIâm sure I wonât get lost on the way home.â He gives her a small smile.
âI wanted the chance to apologize forâŠthem.â Marinette waves at the door behind her. âMostly Alya, but both of them. They can be a lot.â
âThey seem nice,â Adrien says, and Marinette still canât read him well enough to know if heâs being sincere or not. âWhat did they get you?â He gestures to the box Marinette is awkwardly holding.
âPastries. Theyâre from my parentsâ bakery,â Marinette says quickly. âTom and Sabineâsâ theyâre my parents. Thatâs me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of Tom and Sabine.â She swallows and glances down at her feet. That was a little too much rambling.
âMarinette Dupain-Cheng,â Adrien repeats softly. âYou have a beautiful name.â Heâs smiling when Marinette looks up at him.
She bites her lip. âTh-thank you. What about you, whatâs your last name?â
âKersey,â Adrien says, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smirk. âAdrien Kersey.â
âA nice name,â Marinette says, running it over in her mind. Alya will kill her if she forgets it, but Marinette is fairly certain itâs burned into her brain forever.
âThanks, my parents chose it,â Adrien jokes. âIâm just stuck with it.â He pushes open his door. âYouâll have to take me to your parentsâ bakery sometime. I bet itâs great.â
âSounds good,â Marinette murmurs as Adrien lifts a hand and disappears into his apartment. When the door clicks shut behind him, she sags against her own door and lets out a sigh.
She really doesnât know how to handle this boy.
Alya and Nino are staring at her when she reenters the apartment. Marinette feels her face burn as she closes and locks the door.
âNot a word,â she says, putting the box from the bakery down on the kitchen counter.
Nino mimes zipping his lips shut.
âNo words?â Alya asks. âAre you sure? Because I have so many words.â
âYeah, heâs hot,â Nino says.
Marinette glares at him. âThanks for not saying anything.â
âAlright, now that we are saying things,â Alya says, twisting around on the couch, âwhere were you? You donât leave the house without us.â
âI leave the house!â Marinette protests.
Nino raises his eyebrows. âTo have fun?â
Marinette turns away to put her keys back.
âOooo,â Alya drawls. âSilent treatment.â
âIt wasnât fun, anyway,â Marinette says. âI had errands to run.â
âThat you decided to run with a cute boy,â Alya points out.
âThat sounds like fun to me,â Nino muses.
Marinette glances over her shoulder at him. âArenât you supposed to be on my side here?â
Alya gives her an offended look. âIâm his girlfriend.â
âIâve known him longer.â
âTouchĂ©, Dupain-Cheng,â she says, narrowing her eyes.
Marinette sighs. âSpeaking of last namesâŠâ
âYou got it!â Alya shouts, jumping up from the couch. Nino tries to shush her, and she grabs a pillow and covers his face with it. âTell me tell me tell meâ I want to Facebook stalk him.â
Nino pulls the pillow away. âWho uses Facebook anymore?â
Alya turns to Marinette with wide eyes. âIs he secretly a wine mom?â
Marinette stares at her for a long moment. âWhy are we friends.â
Alya throws the pillow across the room.
Marinette bats it away and says, âIf you want Adrienâs last name, maybe you shouldnât be throwing things at me.â
âShe has a point, babe,â Nino agrees.
Alya sticks her tongue out at him before patting the cushion next to her eagerly. âCome on, Mar! Iâve waited a literal month for this.â
âHmâŠâ Marinette taps a finger against her lips. âMaybe I should keep you waiting.â
âMarinette!â
âFine!â She drops down between Alya and the arm of the couch. âHis last name is Kersey.â
Alya yanks her phone out of her pocket and starts typing rapidly.
Nino leans forward to look Marinette in the eye. âHow long do you think sheâs going to be at this?â
âA long time,â Marinette admits.
âWanna see what Disney movies are on Netflix?â he asks, picking the remote back up. âWe put some takeout in your fridge for later tonight.â
âSounds good to me,â Marinette says. âI need to do a lot of nothing before work tomorrow.â
Nino types in Disney and starts scrolling through the results. âAre ZoĂ© and Dorian still arguing about that thing?â
âIf youâre talking about that jacket thing from a few weeks ago, theyâre over that. If youâre talking about fake leather, they spent like an hour âdebatingâ that on Friday.â
âFake leather,â Nino says in wonder. âWhy were they debating that? I thought this collection was all likeâŠdresses and stuff. Flowy soft things. What does fake leather have to do with that?â
âNothing.â
Nino stops clicking through movies for a second. âI donât understand you people.â
Marinette sighs and sinks against the back of the couch, pulling a pillow to her chest. âNeither do I,â she murmurs.
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