No room to swing a Cat?

19 - Plausible deniability

Next morning Marinette woke up a bit confused. She had a feeling that she dreamt about Cat Noir who turned out to be Adrien. And she couldn't supress the feeling of disappointment that it was only a dream... She stretched and looked around carefully – but the room seemed to be unchanged and the Cheshire Cat mug was at its usual spot.

The apartment was quiet, so she assumed that everyone had left for their classes. Marinette got up finally and went to the bathroom. She glanced quickly at doors to her friends' bedrooms and supressed an enticement to check Adrien's room – she wasn't going to nose around there when he was out. Not that she was going to do it when he was there either, of course! Oh god, what she was thinking about!

She blushed even if no one heard her thoughts. That was how you ended up when you heard too many digs from Alya, you dreamt too many silly dreams and you had talked too much about your exes a day before! But Marinette was mature enough to not follow a temptation of falling in love with Adrien again. Especially, when she knew that he'd been in love – truly and deeply – with someone else.

Marinette called herself to order and checked once again if she was alone in the apartment. Then she whispered in the direction to her bedroom:

"Tikki? I think you can come up..."

After a moment a red kwami appeared in the living room and approached to her holder.

"You don't have too much freedom here..." Marinette sighed.

"Your friends want to spend time with you, and that's OK..." Tikki snuggled up to the girl's cheek. "I can deal with that, don't worry."

"I really can't foresee when Alya comes in, or Cat Noir jumps in through the window... It was easier at home..."

"Calm down, Marinette... I'm quick in hiding."

"I miss talking to you..." the girl whispered. "All the time I have a feeling that these walls are too thin and someone could hear us... It seems to me that we don't talk so often anymore..."

"Because you're grown up. You're an adult, Marinette. You don't need me that much you used to when you were younger..."

"Not true!"

"I don't mind! I'm happy when I see you so independent. You're not that lost, uncertain teenage girl in love. In unrequited love. Finally, you're loved back..."

"Lo-loved? What?! What do you mean?!" Marinette laughed nervously and blushed like she used to do in high school times. Tikki giggled.

"Oh, you're not going to tell me that you haven't noticed all those efforts of Adrien and Cat Noir!"

"But how can you think that I love them?! How can I love them both? It's ridiculous!"

"You didn't deny yesterday, when Cat Noir asked you if you could love Adrien again..." Tikki reminded in a meaningful tone and Marinette felt flush on her cheeks.

"I denied soon after by telling Cat that Adrien is in love with someone else."

"Which wasn't the answer to his question. You only noticed that Adrien has someone else."

"What are you trying to talk me into, Tikki?" Marinette lost her patience. "I'm not going to interfere with Adrien's happiness. Not when he loves someone so much! It's something more than with Kagami, I can see it. Can you believe that his eyes are sparkling when he talks about his girl?"

"Didn't this description sound familiar to you?" Tikki asked in an innocent tone, but her face looked like she suddenly saw a plate full of macaroons.

Marinette froze in the middle of trying to say something and stared at her kwami. She was still denying to accept the hints of subconsciousness.

"But... But he goes out everyday for a date with his girlfriend. He doesn't visit me!" she began, but her voice failed her and her heart skipped a beat.