The Bug Bites

19- Cats in the Bag

Felix began to mentally go through what he was going to do at school today as he walked to his locker, not really paying attention to his surroundings. Finish the chemistry homework for Mendeleiev, read chapters 4-5 for Bustier, and maybe-

"Mmphf!" Get pulled into a janitor's closet, apparently. He stared down at Marinette, who had him pressed against the wall with her hand over his mouth. She seemed to realize the position they were in a second after he did, because she blushed and backed up.

"I'm sorry! I just needed to make sure you wouldn't yell or anything!"

He raised his eyebrows. "So, you pulled me into the janitor's closet, the stereotypical teenage place to do... things, for what reason?"

Marinette got even redder and punched him in the shoulder. "Get your mind out of the gutter. No, I need your help with something else."

Part of Felix (the part he actively tried to repress most of the time) was disappointed by that, but he didn't have enough time to unpack that right now. "What could you possibly need help with so desperately that you had to drag me into a closet?"

She looked down, sheepishly playing with her fingers. "Um, so you know how I can't have pets in the bakery so every time I see an animal I just have to shower them with love? Or if they're hurt, I try to help them?"

"Yes." Last time this had been a problem, it had been because she'd gotten stuck in a tree trying to put a baby squirrel back in its nest. She'd looked considerably less nervous then than she did now, so whatever she had hidden now was beginning to worry him.

"So, I was walking to school as usual, right? And I usually don't even look down this alley because you know, it's an alley and there could be dangerous things down there or dangerous people, alleys are sketchy like that, right? But today, something just told me to look down there and I heard something weird. Normally, I don't go towards weird sounds in weird alleys but-"

Felix cut her off, putting his hands on her shoulders and staring into her eyes. "Marinette, you know that I enjoy listening to you talk, but we only have about ten minutes before class starts and I still don't know what you want to tell me."

Marinette nodded. "Right, right, right. Sorry, you know how I get when I'm nervous."

"It's ok. So, you went into an alley because of a weird noise, and you found...?"

The sheepish smile came back, and she backed away from him, briefly hurting his feelings before she knelt down to unzip her bag. He wasn't sure what he was expecting her to pull out of the bag, but a tiny black kitten certainly wasn't it. She cradled it in her arms as she stood up and held it out to him.

He took the kitten hesitantly, not really sure what to do with it. The kitten looked back up at him with huge green eyes, seemingly equally unsure what to do with him.

"I named him Darcy. You know, after Pride and Prejudice. Ever since you introduced it to me, it's sorta become my favorite book." The warning bell rang, and her eyes widened. "You have to help me keep him a secret from everyone else, just for today!" She gently grabbed the kitten back and put him in her backpack, gingerly putting it on her back and darting out the door. "Thank you so much I knew I could count on you!"

He stared after her, dumbstruck, before grabbing his backpack and racing after her, shaking his head.

The things he was willing to do for this girl.

-----

The trouble started in their first class, around 30 minutes in. He felt a small weight on his foot and looked down, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was. Unfortunately for him, it was Darcy, chewing on one of his shoelaces.

If it was any other class, this wouldn't have been as big of a problem. But as it was Ms. Mendeleiev's class, the notoriously hardcore teacher that would lose her mind over him speaking during her lecture, much less a kitten being in her chemistry lab, he had to be very delicate about how he handled this situation.

He nudged her, hoping that would do it. When she didn't look his way, probably assuming it was an accident and trying very hard to tune everything else but chemistry out, he tried again, to no avail. Seeing no other alternative, he sighed.

"Marinette!" He hissed, hoping it was quiet enough to where their teacher wouldn't hear.

Of course, he had zero luck (maybe it was from the black cat on his foot) and the teacher heard immediately.
"Mr. Caldre! Do you have something to add to the lesson?"

"I wouldn't presume to attempt to match your chemistry knowledge, that would be a cat astrophe. I promise you that nothing is a foot ." He mentally grimaced at the puns, but hoped Marinette noticed the peculiar choice of words and stressing of the syllables.

"Good. Do not interrupt me again."

Felix nodded. Not two minutes later, Marinette knocked her pen off the desk, letting it fall between them. He felt Darcy's claws detach from his foot and the quiet zip as Marinette put him back in her bag and sighed in relief. Crisis averted.

-----

Of course, Darcy wasn't planning on letting them just continue the day without more problems. After they'd fed him scraps of turkey from Marinette's sandwich at lunch, they figured that he would fall asleep and not be a problem for their history class, so they let their guard down.

Bad idea.

Darcy was less than pleased about again being relegated to the backpack after 20 whole minutes of freedom at lunch and had the lungs to let the world know about it.

"Mrow."

Ms. Bustier looked in their direction, seemingly mistaking the sound for a student with a question. "Yes, Felix and Marinette? Did one of you have a question about the material?"

Marinette froze like a deer in headlights and Felix internally sighed again.

"Yes, ma'am, I apologize, but would you mind going over the first part of chapter 3 again?" He heard Darcy begin to make more noises and hastened to cover it up. "Oh, and that last part you said too?"

"Of course! I'm more than happy to help."

Felix ignored the hateful stares from his classmate. It was easier when Marinette slipped her hand into his, squeezing it gratefully.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He managed a quick nod back, trying to pretend that her hand in his didn't affect him so much.

-----

At the end of the day, Felix was exhausted. Keeping this cat a secret had been a Herculean task, but the megawatt smile on Marinette's face was worth it.

The bear hug didn't hurt either.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She chanted, squeezing him progressively tighter and tighter.

"Can't... breath," he managed, and she set him down, smiling apologetically. "Now please, get the little hellion back to your house and do avoid taking him on field trips to the school in the future, would you?"

"Of course!" She began to worry at her lip, the smile dimming. "But what if my parents find it, I'm not supposed to have a pet since we live in a bakery and what if he gets into something he's not supposed to get into and-"

"Oh, for the love of God, give him here," Felix interrupted, grabbing the cat. "I'll keep him at my house, and you can come visit whenever you want."

"Really? Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Marinette squeezed him in another hug, then began to jog in the other direction. "I promised my mom I'd help in the bakery this afternoon, so text me if you need anything, ok?"

"I will!" He waved after her, watching to make sure she made it in safely. Once she did, he lifted the kitten to eye level. He'd never wanted a cat, but perhaps it would be a good companion.

And if nothing else, it would get Marinette to give him more hugs and come over to his house, so a win-win.

Felix supposed he could put up with minor annoyances for that. 

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