No room to swing a Cat?

10 - Total CATaclysm

It could be said that it was a real CATaclysm. The end of the world might as well happen. The effect would be similar...

"So?" Alya asked in a demand tone, although the situation only looked ambiguous.

Marinette felt a little anxious. If she knew Cat Noir well – and she thought she did! – he was about to leave her alone with all this mess. Surprisingly, however – he stayed, still standing next to her.

"It's not what you think!" Marinette began, but as soon as she heard her own words she realised that these were the worst she could use in such a situation.

"Mari, Mari..." Alya laughed. "Why do you think you know what I'm thinking?"

"I'm reading from your face. You must have thought about something dirty..." her friend replied and glared at her.

"Not at all! But if you say so, I promise to knock on the door next time."

"Alya..." Marinette sighed.

"Okay, okay! I'm leaving. Please, continue..." Alya winked at them meaningfully and left the room.

Cat Noir glanced at Marinette uncertain.

"It's not over yet..." the girl muttered. "She's going to share the news with Nino. Then, probably with Adrien as well... And from tomorrow morning she'll start teasing me..."

"How can I help you with that?" he offered fully concerned.

"Don't worry." Marinette managed to smile. "I can deal with her. I know her weak points."

"And she knows yours." he noticed.

"You're wrong, Kitty!" She laughed suddenly. "Alya only thinks she knows my weak points. I've changed."

"True..." Cat Noir murmured, trying to regain his composure.

Was it because of calling him "Kitty" or because he realised for another time that Marinette was so different now comparing to herself from school. She had changed. Or rather Luka had changed her? This was the story she wanted to tell him. But Cat Noir was more and more certain that he didn't want to hear it.

"You'd better go, Cat..." Marinette said after a while of observing him. "I have to prepare a strategy for dealing with Alya."

"You really have changed, Purrincess..."

"I'll treat it as a compliment, Cat."

"Of course..." he nodded and hesitated as if he didn't know what to do next. "I'm so sorry I have to leave with all this."

"Don't worry..." she whispered and touched his cheek. "Everything will be all right."

"How you can be so sure?" escaped from him.

"I just know that. I believe in that."

"And you think your faith is so powerful?"

"I hope so. And hope dies last."

"All right then, Princess... I'm going. If you needed anything, scream."

"Aloud?" she laughed. "Are you around or what?"

He shrugged in reply and winked at her. But when he jumped out the window, he whispered:

"I'm closer than you think..."

Meanwhile Marinette sighed in defeat. She knew she'd acted in front of Cat Noir as if she was at ease and self-confident. She did it because she noticed how much he was concerned about the whole situation with Alya. That was a nice disappointment – she had expected that he would rather escape than support her. Now she could only think about how mature Cat Noir became and changed from a silly alley cat into a grown up man.

Suddenly, she heard Alya, who exclaimed in the living room:

"Adrien! Where the hell have you been?!"

Marinette didn't expect that Alya would react so soon. She really hoped that her friend would wait with sharing 'good news' until tomorrow morning. Damn it... Marinette knew she has to act immediately, before the whole situation became even worse. She run out the bedroom – just to see Adrien trapped by Alya who was telling him the story about catching Marinette in Cat Noir's embraces.

"Better stop spreading gossips, Al!" Marinette said in a reserved tone, enough to kill Alya's momentum.

"I know what I saw!" she tried again, but Marinette didn't let her start the story.

"Nothing of the kind!" she denied immediately. "All you could see was Cat Noir standing in front of me and keeping his hands on my shoulders. In a comforting gesture! There was nothing romantic in this! If that meant a romantic relationship, then I should be at least married to Adrien who had embraced me here, in this room, a few days ago!" she added, and then she smiled apologetically at Adrien and whispered: "Sorry for dragging you into this..."

"Not a problem!" he muttered with a grin on his face.

"So, stop jumping to conclusions, Al. Because you know nothing!" Marinette finished her speech.

"Jon Snow..." Nino added.

The rest looked at him in astonishment, so Nino laughed and explained:

"That was so obvious quotation!"

Alya rolled her eyes. She was frustrated that her friends didn't support her in all the efforts to make a perfect match for Marinette. However, she wasn't so sure anymore if it was still Adrien or rather Cat Noir...