No room to swing a Cat?

26 - Unexpected

Alya was standing at the door with hands on her chest. Nino appeared immediately by her side and stared in shock at their friends caught red handed.

"I knocked!" Alya informed. "Even twice!"

Marinette was aware how ambiguous – or rather unambiguous the situation was. Noticing their position in the armchair, tight embraces, and where their hands were... - that was more than enough to draw conclusions. All she could do now was to congratulate herself that Adrien had detransformed before Alya caught her best friend making out with Cat Noir. Yet, she still felt uncomfortable under the watchful gaze of her roommates. Especially, when Alya's surprised look turned soon into an amused one.

"I told you you'd be making out with him!" Alya stated with satisfaction. "And you denied instantly!"

"Er, dude..." Nino muttered trying to cover his embarrassment. "Haven't you heard about hanging a tie or a sock on the doorknob?"

"I haven't seen anything on your doorknob, so far..." Adrien muttered and tried to move unnoticeably his hand from Marinette's back, thinking by the way how it was possible that things had gone too far so quickly.

"Oh, because it's so obvious why we shut the door!" Alya grinned meaningfully, not even trying to pretend that she hadn't noticed where Adrien's hand had been a while ago. "But now we'll be more aware of what's going on here, behind the closed door..." she added and winked at her best friend.

"Thanks, Al..." Marinette smiled in reply, what was quite astonishing for Adrien who expected rather some denials, awkward explanations, or diversion of their friends' attention from the subject. Meanwhile he observed a calm acceptation, as if he was the last one who was surprised by the current course of events.

"I hope I don't have to explain that whole embarrassing things like where kids come from?" Alya laughed.

"I think we got it, so let it go, can you?" Marinette muttered.

"I don't know..." Alya teased. "Of course, I'm so happy for you two, yet... I hoped for some kittens somehow... You know... Dating a superhero... That's something..."

"I've had no idea that you have this kind of fantasies..." Nino murmured, kissing her arm.

Marinette exchanged amused glances with Adrien. Only their friends remained oblivious that their little secret wasn't a secret at all...

"I've already told you, Al..." Marinette cut in. "Dating Cat Noir would be impractical. Especially, when you have a habit of coming here unexpectedly. That would drive us in the anxiety neurosis..."

"Oh? So that's why you chose Adrien? Not to get neurosis?" Alya asked ironically.

"That's right!" her friend answered back. "Also, it will be easier to take off his clothes than Cat Noir's suit."

"You don't know that!" Alya accepted the challenge, and Adrien choked with laughter, so he hid his face in Marinette's arm. "Unless... Unless you have already checked it..." she added in astonishment.

"Yeah, right. I'm sleeping with all guys around..." Marinette replied sarcastically, but stopped immediately when she caught Adrien's pleading eyes – he was practically run out of breath because of supressed laugh.

"I didn't say that!" Alya denied in a defending tone, misreading her friends' glances. "I was joking, Adrien... Don't take it seriously..."

"It's... It's fi-fine..." he stuttered, catching his breath.

"Honestly, I'm very happy for you, really! Finally, after so many years..." Alya blurted out and immediately she covered her mouth with her palms and looked at her best friend, terrified. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mari..."

"Don't worry. Adrien knows."

"Really? You couldn't tell him for years, and now you told him?"

"By accident..."

"Oh, God!" Alya finally understood. "That's why... Oh my... Those days now..."

Marinette only smiled. It was better to let her friend believe that revealing this secret was the reason of those few silent days between them. That would help keeping another secret safe for longer.

"What are you talking about?" Nino asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later." his girlfriend promised and turned to the couple in the armchair: "Now you can congratulate me!"

"Why's that?" Marinette asked suspiciously, suddenly alarmed.

"I told you I'd match you, or I'm not Alya Césaire!"

"You didn't tell me anything like that!" the brunette replied.

"Uhm... Al?" Nino cut in, embarrassed. "Actually..."

"What's up?" Alya turned to his boyfriend, intrigued.

"Oh, man..." the boy scratched his neck more and more uncomfortable. "Now, there's pointless..."

"Nino?"

"I kind of hoped that you'd fail..."

"What?!" the three exclaimed in shock. No one expected that Nino wouldn't want Adrien and Marinette to be together!

"I wish you weren't Césaire..."

"What am I supposed to be?!" Alya glared at him and crossed her arms on her chest. That looked like a prelude to fight. Adrien and Marinette glanced at their friend anxiously. He'd better have a good excuse...

"Lahiffe..." Nino answered simply.

And that was all he said, before his girlfriend fell into his arms and began kissing him passionately. After a second he started kissing her back, and Adrien exchanged surprised glances with Marinette.

"Get a room!" Marinette joked, and Adrien laughed in her arm.

When Alya and Nino, clung together and still kissing rolled out to the living room, Marinette jumped on her feet to close the door behind them. Adrien stood up and followed her. They stopped at the almost closed door and peeped through to see kneeling Nino, and Alya with crossed arms.

"Do you even have a ring?" she asked suspiciously.

"Why are you asking? You won't agree without a ring?" Nino joked.

"Without a ring it doesn't count!"

"Of course, I have a ring!"

"We've heard enough..." Marinette whispered.

And she closed the door.