Cat Noir waved to Ladybug as she flew off over the rooftops. They had just finished an afternoon patrol, and the sky was already turning a dusky orange color. It reminded Cat of pumpkins and Halloween, even if it was a few weeks away. Cat didn't have any plans yet, but he knew he would make the night fun.

Leaping down to ground level, Cat walked by the park the one he always went by on the way home. Maybe he could even stop in for a pumpkin spice, but it was much more fun to get one with Bugaboo or Marinette…..

"Cat Noir!" Cat looked up, seeing Rena Rouge and Carapace at the park. Strolling up to them, Cat gave his famous grin. "Hey, guys. Whatcha doing?" "Raking leaves. We're making a huge pile and then we're going to jump in it!" "Ooh, can I help? You have to see my perfect cannonball!" Carapace smiled, handing Cat a rake. "Of course. Now, did you hear the latest turtle joke?"

A hour later, Cat was about to spring into a pile of leaves. He narrowed his eyes as he lined himself up, gave his bottom a little wiggle, and took off. "Cannonball!" Cat yelled, leaping into the crunchy carpet of colorful leaves.

Cat heard one of his favorite sounds: The sound of his Princess's giggle. Popping his head out of the pile and spitting out a leaf, he called, "Marinette! Come jump with us!"

"You should have seen your face when you jumped," Marinette laughed. "Wait, I caught on camera." Cat grinned as he saw his expression of pure glee jumping into the pile. "But wait, the next one's even better."

Oh, cheese and berries. There was a picture of his rump and tail, sticking out of the pile. "Your not going to post that online, are you?" Cat asked, with a nervous smile. "I won't if you stay out my yarn basket. You know I use it a lot this time of year." "Aw, Princess. You know how I like to bat the yarn."

Rena Rouge looked between the two friends. "You two hang out?" "We're friends!" Marinette cried, and Cat grinned. "She's more than a friend. She's my buddy." "You better behave, buddy, or your toy mouse is going to get it," Marinette hissed as Cat slung an arm around her. "In fact, since all of you are my buddies, how about I buy everyone hot chocolate?"

A chorus of yes's met Cat's ears, and he took hold of Marinette's hand. She glared at him, even if she gave his hand a little squeeze. "Look at it this way, Princess. If we all go for hot chocolate, you can keep an eye on me." Marinette sighed. "Okay. But on the way home, I get to jump in the pile of leaves."

They fist-bumped, and Cat gave a sigh of happiness. It was a chilly day, but with Marinette, his heart felt very warm indeed.