Stray ~ A MariChat Love Story (Complete)

Chapter 4: The First Time

Chat Noir reached Marinette's house a few minutes later and landed stealthily on her balcony. Small potted plants decorated the edges, providing him with a little cover from the main street. He crouched down to the trap door and knocked lightly against it.

He waited, hearing the shuffling of clothes and watched as the latch popped open. Marinette peered out and when she saw him, her eyes widened. "Chat? What are you –,"

"I came to check on you." he replied. He leaned closer and smirked, "I don't suppose this purrincess lets in strays?" Marinette's shock faded away and a small smile crept along her lips. Her eyes softened and Chat Noir felt temporarily taken away by the depth of blue they held.

How had he never noticed them before?

"I thought...you were mad at me?" she mumbled. Chat Noir wouldn't have heard it if not for the advanced hearing his suit provided.

He offered her a shy smile and shrugged, "I could never stay mad at my princess. It wouldn't be chivalrous of me now would it?"

Marinette leaned back to make room for him and he inched closer. Then her eyes widened and her face flushed red. "Wait –No! You can't come in!" She ducked back inside and Chat flinched back as the trapdoor slammed shut in front of him.

He tried to step back, but his tail was firmly wedged between the door and the balcony floor. Chat sighed. If Plagg were out here he'd either be laughing his fat head off or nagging him to leave as soon as possible. Maybe this was a bad idea...

Chat tugged on it, but it was stuck and it was clear that he wouldn't be going anywhere until his princess came to set him free. After waiting a few more minutes Chat sighed and reached down to knock again.

But the trapdoor flew open and slammed against his hand.

Chat withdrew it, hissing and Marinette smirked up at him. She was completely flustered, almost as much as when he saw her at school, but there was something akin to triumph in her eyes.

"I think you broke my claw." he muttered, shaking his hand to try and distract himself from the pain.

Marinette frowned and reached for his hand, "Let me see it." Chat hesitated. First it was his tail, and now his claws. He didn't even want to think about what would happen to his ears if he stayed, but he blamed himself. He just had a natural magnetism to bad luck.

Chat held his clawed hand out to her and Marinette gently examined it in her dainty hands. Her slender brows furrowed as she looked up at him, "Does it hurt?"

He shrugged, unsure how to explain that the pain had completely faded away the second she'd touched him. Marinette dropped his hand and sighed, "You can come in now."

She went back inside and Chat chuckled lightly, sliding in after her. He landed on her wide, pink bed and watched as she closed the hatch above them.

He rolled off the bed and peered down the raised platform to the rest of her room. Everything was pink, ranging from every shade he'd ever seen. "So...what were you doing that kept me out so long?" he asked, "You know I don't like to be kept waiting."

Marinette climbed off her bed and started walking down her stairs. "I just cleaned up a bit. I had some personal designs lying around and I don't want anyone seeing them yet."

"Even me?" Chat brought his hand to his chest and pouted, "And here I thought we were friends." Marinette rolled her eyes and went beneath the platform where Chat couldn't see her anymore.

He leaped over the railing beside her bed and landed effortlessly in the center off her room. His gazed flickered around the room, taking every change she'd made since he'd last been here two years ago. But there weren't any.