Adrien was on top of the world.
He had figured out early on that while Nino was a bit more touchy-feely than most, most boys - his best friend included - didn't always enjoy contact. Same with girls, really; if you weren't careful, it was easy to make them hate you just by poking them wrong. Which was... kind of a problem, because Adrien was, and always had been, a very physical person.
He patted his friends on the shoulder, hugged people he liked, sought his Lady's hands whenever he could. Her touch was his catnip, dragging him in and making his smile wide enough that it couldn't fit through a door. While akumas didn't often give them the opportunity, he adored the times he got to simply sit on rooftops with his lady, cuddling up next to her and letting her hands work magic through his hair, undoing his worries with gentle ministrations. She'd scratch behind his ears and under his chin, and her smile would grow whenever he purred. He swore there was no happier cat in Paris.
However, Adrien had never really been close enough to any other girls for them to show affection. Nino, best bro that he was, didn't mind that Adrien liked to get close, but didn't really return the affections. Alya, Nino's girlfriend, was also nice, but they weren't close enough for him to expect anything.
Then there was Marinette.
Adrien was certain she still hated him, but was too nice to show it. She was, in a word, a sweetheart; she always had a bakery smell hanging around her, was always trying to do the right thing even when it hurt her, and her sunny face smiled at everyone who went by. He was fairly certain that everyone in class - even Chloe, though she'd jump off the Notre Dame before she admitted it - liked her. Nino had even had a crush on her at one point, though it didn't last long after being faced with Alya.
It was a real pity she didn't seem to like him. The smiles she sent everyone else always melted into panic whenever he got close, and the eloquent confidence she normally had collapsed into stuttering as she searched for an escape. There were times - like when he'd gone to her house and played Mecha Strike with her - where he thought he'd made progress, only for her to return to her unsure mumblings the next week. But he could hope!
And his hopes had never been more right.
When delicate fingers had grazed his hair, Adrien froze. Nino was staring at him and then up to where Marinette sat, which told him who it was, but that didn't explain why her hands were there. However, her fingers flexed, running through and dropping away, and he found himself subconsciously falling back towards them. Habit had him anticipating the next time her hands touched his head, and he felt something giddy rising in his chest as they ran over his scalp soothingly, the same way his lady did. It was pleasant, and gentle, and her fingers were soft, and Marinette didn't seem to be faltering or escaping at all!
He didn't dare look behind him, just in case she stopped, but he leaned back a little more to give her better access. Her fingers easily shifted to smooth through his bangs, and the smile he'd fought to keep off his face reached out and broke through.
His thoughts were a mess. Mostly, he was focusing on - She liked him! She was comfortable, and not squirming, and she was petting him, and it was awesome! Only his lady had petted him before, but now there were two cute girls who liked him enough to pet him!
The rest of his brain was preoccupied with, yay! soft!, so he decided to stop thinking and closed his eyes.
A few minutes later, much to his horror, Marinette's fingers froze and withdrew.
Adrien reluctantly opened his eyes and turned his head to look up at the girl above him. Her ocean-blue eyes were staring at him in open shock, but they closed off the moment their eyes met. His heart sank, but he didn't say a word in the hope she wouldn't stutter or look away, instead just fixing his gaze on hers.
It took all of his willpower not to grab her hands and bring them back down on his head. Knowing how skittish Marinette could be, however, reminded him that doing so would only mean 'no more scritches for you, kitty-cat'.
He hoped there would be more scritches. They were nice. But with Marinette's expression there might not be.
Her gaze moved up to Alya. Adrien followed her eyes mournfully - there goes my hopes and dreams of friendship - right up until she spoke.
"What?" She asked, genuinely confused. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Adrien's eyes widened as she turned back to him. He tried to focus on both her fingers and her eyes at the same time, but failed, because her fingers were getting closer and closer...
She ran a languid stroke of fingers through his hair and smiled.
Smiling! He thought gleefully, not even trying to fight the grin on his face. At me! Marinette!
Then, of course, his thoughts returned to soft! yay!
Truly, this was the best day ever. A new friend! And getting pets from someone! Both of those someones being Marinette!
Plagg mumbled something too quiet to hear.
Shut up, Plagg, Adrien mentally commanded. I'm too busy being happy to feed you.