Thirty-One: Progress, Interrupted

Author's Note: Now that the Chat is out of the bag – not to mention the Bug, as well – our duo has to decide how to live with their new reality. And, oh yeah, there's also that little matter of the interview they promised Alya...

Special Note: I have a ton of special Valentine's projects in the pipeline, so we're back to several shorter entries here in Roommates. Just for a bit. -ep

I was perched atop the coffee table when Marinette returned from work, tail idly swishing as my masked eyes met hers the moment she entered the space. Having spent the majority of my time as Chat since moving in, it felt wrong hanging around the main spaces while not being transformed. Still, Marinette quirked an eyebrow as she placed her briefcase on the kitchen bar and slid onto the couch opposite me.

"Really?" she said with a smile.

"I'm not sure my feline brain has completely adjusted," I said, leaping over to the couch and laying myself across her lap. Marinette extended her legs to the coffee table as I let her stroke behind my feline ears. "Besides, you can't do this unless I'm Chat," I argued, my purring beginning to fill the room.

"You make a compelling argument," she agreed as she leaned down and kissed the spot between my feline ears. "I thought I made it obvious, though, that I love you no matter which persona you happened to be wearing at the moment."

"You did," I purred louder, happiness incarnate. "But I have a feline you purrfer this version of me."

I didn't have to see her face to know she had rolled her eyes, but I nonetheless received confirmation as she did that thing with the tip of my feline ear. We were halfway toward a fantastic evening when my baton started to buzz. Groaning, I rolled off Marinette's lap and stood, sliding out my baton and popping it open.

Rena's fox-themed face appeared on the small monitor, and my feline eyes flicked to Marinette. Since Alya didn't have Chat's number, it made sense she'd have transformed in order to reach out to me. "Rena, your timing sucks," I greeted, still a bit annoyed at her.

"You two owe me an interview, Chat. I can't reach Ladybug, which makes me think she's trying to duck her responsibilities."

"It's been less than a day since we talked, Rena," I growled. "I seem to recall that Ladybug was going to reach out to you to set the time and place." I paused and narrowed my masked eyes. "You're skating on thin ice here. Don't push your luck."

Rena seemed unmoved. "She's not called me yet," the fox persisted.

My masked eyes narrowed further. "Unlike this carefree tomcat, I'm sure she has obligations in her civilian life." I paused. "Much like I'm sure you do, fox," I growled a bit more until I felt Marinette's hand on my thigh. "We made a deal – and you know us well enough to know we won't back out."

"Chat-"

Suppressing a more dangerous growl, I kept my eyes planted on the screen. "I suppose you want it straight away, then."

"Tonight, yes. I have to go out of town tomorrow for a few days and want to get this done before I go."

"Where do you want to meet?"

"At the fountain in the park," Rena said.

"I'm not certain I'll be able to find Ladybug myself," I said. "As much as I know she pines away for me, it's not like she's sitting around, transformed and waiting for my call."

Out of the corner of a masked feline eye, I saw Marinette slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Tonight," Rena repeated firmly.

I sighed. "You really know how to kill a mood, Rena," I said a bit sullenly.

"You brought this on yourself, Chat," she said equally as tersely.

"That seems debatable," I replied in my dangerously quiet voice. I was more than a little annoyed with my friend; it troubled me greatly that she seemed to have no compunction about trading on her proximity to us in order to get a scoop.

Chasing stories had changed her – and not in a good way. More and more frequently she was taking serious risks to get the story, and in many ways didn't seem recognizable as our friend. Ladybug – well, Marinette, I suppose – had expressed concerns obliquely but this whole photo incident had thrown the issue into stark resolve. Rena had never failed us as a Miraculous holder, of course, but I'd be lying if I didn't think she'd started down a tough road as a journalist.

My eyes flicked briefly to Marinette, and I could see her thoughts were running parallel to mine. "All right, I'll prowl Paris until I locate her," I said to Rena. "I think, though, this will be the last time you'll be getting an exclusive from us."

Rena's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"See you tonight," I smiled grimly as I clicked off the call.

Sliding back onto the couch, I put my head on Marinette's shoulder. "Well, there goes the evening," I mewled. "This is not how I planned on spending tonight," I said, emphasizing my point by tactically tracing a claw along the fabric of her shirt. "And we really need to talk about everything, too. I mean, do we still need two-"

Laughing, Marinette pulled me into an awkward hug. "We have plenty of time," she said softly as she stroked my mane again. "Once Alya gets her interview, I'll have a heart to heart with my friend to discuss..." she trailed off.

My feline ears perked up at her pause. "Milady?" I asked as I shifted to look at her.

"I think I have an idea," she said, eyes twinkling. "Are you up for a challenge?"

I narrowed my masked eyes. "Why does that worry me?"