A/N:Be warned, mentions of rape .
A small chirping noise stirs me. With a groan, I open one eye and then the other. I can hear the rain outside, it's soothing…
But slightly annoying when I consider the awful pang in my head. I sniff and roll over. I still feel extremely tired for some reason, but a glance at the clock reveals to me that I really shouldn't be.
I squeak. How the heck did I sleep for that long?!
I jump up, I haven't fed Berry! Poor thing, he must be starving. With a stretch I climb down the ladder and go to the little box underneath the table. When I take it out, the cozy little bird looks up at me. He doesn't seem mad at all, instead, he chirps at me.
I smile. I expected him to be upset that I haven't fed him as yet. The miniature electric heater inside the box is separated from berry by a small grate. He's really warm in there but not too warm that he feels hot.
I pick him up with a yawn. My head still really hurts, my memory flashes and I remember Chat say something about eating a… cube?
I look back up to my loft and climb up to find a little bag of black-cubes made of…Something?
I take one out.
"What do you think Berry? Do you think that alley cat is tricking me?" I ask the baby bird.
He remains silent.
"Yeah me neither." I find myself saying before popping the cube in my mouth. It begins to dissolve and I try to identify the flavor…
Hmmm…I've never tasted anything like it!
I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and wash my face.
I should put a shorts on, Chat didn't give me one last night.
For some odd reason ,I smell really fresh…
The house phone rings from downstairs. Oh damn, Alya still has my phone, I haven't spoken to her since yesterday, she must be worried.
I run through the trapdoor, down the stairs into the lounge.
"Hello? Alya?"
" 'HELLO ALYA'? THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY? HELLO ALYA!?"
"Urm…How are you?" I wince as I walk to the kitchen to make Berry's food.
"FURIOUS! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"
"I'm sorry I didn't call you! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorrrryyyy!"I say.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was Marinette? I came by your house and you didn't answer. The assistants all went home too because you didn't open up. I waited for hours. Nobody has seen you since last night girl! We've been worried sick! We thought…We thought you were the one who was attacked last night…"
I blink twice.
"Could you send them an email saying that I'm going to be busy tomorrow so they have the day off?And errrm...You say that...Someone was attacked…Urm…How do you know someone was attacked?"
"Girl, have you been sleeping all morning? It's all over the news! It's everywhere!"
I begin to carry Berry's food upstairs to my room.
"What's everywhere?" I say, filling Berry's syringe with the nestling-food.
"Put your computer on. I'll send you a link."
I feel like someone's watching me, but when I turn, I see just the indestructible, expensive burglar-guards. Beyond it I see the rain flow from the dark clouds in the sky.
I wipe Berry's beak as some of the food from the syringe messes his berry-colored beak.
Once the computer comes on, I open Alya's email and tap the link.
A video opens up, its amateur footage, but the quality is brilliant.
"Okay guys, so I'm in my room, and something seems to be happening outside at the Fashion Exhibition." A guy says and zooms in to the police force.
Suddenly Chat jumps over them, his face is clearly visible, and it's contorted in utter agony as he clutches someone to his trembling body.
"Oh my gosh guys, it's Chat Noir!"
My eyes widen when I see the distressed, petrified, tortured look on his face.
"He's…He's holding someone…"
With a start I recognize that it's me.
The lighting all around the exhibit makes it very easy to see how blood-stained and unrecognizable my dress is. It's almost as dark as Chat's suit.
It's almost bittersweet watching how tiny flowers fall out of my hair while Chat shows an emotion that I've never even seen before.
If I thought he looked pained when he was having his nightmare…Well then now he looked like a man who had just lost his world. It shocked and perturbed me to no ends.
I feel a clench in my chest…Poor Chaton…
He deflected the bullets like an expert, which was surprising seeing as he was doing it with one hand only…
He ducks his head and runs faster, and many of the snipers and policemen stop firing at him, they stare at what he holds instead and at his face.
"Oh my frigging shit. I can't be the only one who saw that…Guys, come on, did you see that? He was…He was crying…Shit, some idiot messed with Chat Noir… Was that woman his girlfriend? Oh shit. Guys…We're all screwed now." The guy says in horror before the video cuts.
I can do nothing but gape.
I feel like an utter moron now. He looked so scared, how could I have done that to him?
He was right, I really shouldn't have gone out…
But it wasn't my fault! I mean how was I supposed to know that the criminals would be inside the building? I was just trying to find him… I didn't know that he cared about me that much…
Wait…
He really, genuinely cares about me…
I smack my forehead. Urgh, I'm such a moron, I've been trying to get him to care, but I didn't want to scare him or cause him anymore pain.
"Girl? Done?" Alya says through the phone.
I shake my head, she's still on the line.
"Yeah…Wow…"
"I know…Marinette I really thought that was you…When I saw those flowers falling out I lost it… I called off the search party now."
"Search Party!?"
"Girl, I was scared! How many people do I know-besides you- that actually wear flowers in their hair?"
"I don't know…But that's not me. I'm like perfectly fine. That girl looks …dead." I feel horrible lying to Alya...
"She does…Her body was so still…"
"Yeah…"
"Girl I'm so glad you're okay…I was going to file a case at the station but Nino told me you were probably out being Marinette."
I laugh nervously.
"Ha ha ha…Yeah, out, me that's!"
"You mean 'that's me'?"
"Exactly." I say with a groan. I need to get better at lying.
"You think that's his girlfriend?" Alya asks and I feel my face heat up.
"Urm… I don't know…?"
"Who knows, maybe it's his sis-OH MY FRICKEN HELL MARINETTE TURN ON KIDS+ RIGHT NOW!" Alya suddenly shouts into the phone. I hold it away from my ear.
I turn on the TV and do as she says.
"-oud of me? This is the first live broadcast I've ever done!"
My eyes widen. Chat is on TV...Wait, why was he on TV? His laugh makes me feel uneasy.
"Well for the next month it won't be my last!" I hang up on Alya and stare in shock at the screen.
"What are you doing Chat?" I find myself questioning.
"You see, last night, as you know, someone very dear to me was…"
He looks up into the camera, and I feel as if he is looking directly at me, staring into my eyes, my soul.
"…attacked. The funniest thing has come to my knowledge…I," he starts to laugh humorlessly and I feel cold shivers run up my spine, and arms.
"-was actually going to be framed for attacking this person. How funny is that?!"
He laughs in such a cynical way that I feel my heart beating faster, in a horrified way. It's the laugh of a psychopath.
I turn, not wanting to look at Chat. Suddenly Berry starts chirping frantically and I turn to look for him, he's sitting next to the TV. He turns his head to the screen as if saying 'Keep watching'.
"I was going to be accused of killing the one thing in my life that keeps me slightly human!"
I gape at the screen. One thing that keeps him slightly human?
…Me?
I blink a few times.
…He…cares that much?...In just a few days?
I feel something weird in my chest and tummy…
It's a fluttery feeling…
I look down in shame. He's hurting. I can't let that happen anymore… I need to try harder to help him.
Chat's just lost. I understand that now. He just needs someone to be there for him. Paris has their knowledge all wrong. If I could just get to the root of what's making him like this…
But how would I do that if I don't even know who he is? I need to figure it out. I have to. I doubt that he's willing to tell me anything as Chat Noir.
"So I found the jackasses who hurt my friend. But that's not all. I found out who asked them to hurt her in the first place. Now Parisians, wouldn't you like to know the name of the person who has just made your lives a hundred times worse?"
I watch as he tilts his head in a teasing, mocking manner. Just what was he planning?
I frown.
"Well I'll gladly tell you, but first, I have a little destroying to do. Inside Le Grand Paris hotel, I've hidden a bomb at each level. It's going to go off in ten minutes. Good luck to everyone in the hotel!" He smiles broadly.
My eyes widen.
The hotel was a prestigious one, Chloe's home unfortunately, filled with mostly celebrities, but regardless of their status, they were still people! And they were in a building that was going down.
I gasp. What if they didn't get out in time?
I run downstairs, about to run out into the streets.
But I freeze. If I go out, I'll be breaking my promise to Chat…
And if I do, he may get upset or frantic.
Which may make him get angry…
There's the risk of being attacked if I go out there, and if I am, then he'll get worse.
I step away from the door.
I hear his voice again.
I run back upstairs. He's no longer in the studio. He's in somebody's room. A lavish room.
"-There wasn't any bombs in the hotel."
I sigh in relief. He really scared me there.
"But rest assured. This place will be going down."
I clutch my hair. He can't be serious.
He is so not serious.
"Pffft, you wouldn't do that."I say to Chat on the screen.
He turns the camera to three cages. Inside are three men. My memory flashes and I grab my head, it hurts. When I look back at the screen I instantly recognize those three.
I involuntarily suck in a panicked breath.
"These men were the ones who hurt my princess." He places the camera down but it's still focused on the frightened men in the indestructible looking cages.
I feel my face flush at hearing him calling me 'his' princess.
I can't tear my eyes away from those men. They look so utterly petrified, like they're about to die.
"Today, we will be conducting an experiment. How much pain can a man take?" He begins to tap his chin and a horrible feeling of anxiousness and dread takes a hold of me.
My eyes dart from Chat to the men.
Yes, they hurt me, but that didn't mean violence for violence was justified.
"Now, unlike these pieces of crap, I don't use knives. But today…"
My heart drops as I see him pull out a freakishly long, shining, sharp, stainless steel blade.
He turns it with his graceful, elegant fingers.
"…I will."
He walks towards one of the cages and he pulls the guy named Dickson out of it, throwing him onto the floor. The man is screaming and writhing on the floor, trying to break the restraints.
I feel tears form in my eyes. This is wrong.
"Don't worry, I won't stab him…"
I look up at Chat's impassive face.
Suddenly he plunges the deathly long knife into the man's leg, I let out an involuntary scream when I see the entire blade disappear into the man's flesh. Chat rips it out and the man screams in agony. I can't control my own horrified screams.
I hear other people's screaming echo through Paris as people stand horrified like myself in their homes. I wasn't the only one watching this. Everyone was witnessing this.
"In any vital organs that is." He says and Dickson cries in pain. He wriggles and screams. It's of no use.
Chat doesn't seem fazed in the slightest.
"Shut up."He hisses.
He starts hacking at him.
It's almost as if he's passing every bit of anger into the blade and I can do absolutely nothing but scream and stare in shock and horror at him. He's smiling. He's enjoying what he's doing.
He isn't feeling remorse.
This is Chat. The guy who gets excited over plushies…
Practically mutilating another human being…
I want to go out there and stop him…But what can I do? It's not like I can run out there and get into the hotel. I'm helpless. I understand what they've done was wrong but this…
This was so evil.
But I can't help but wonder…If I'm feeling this when watching the man who hurt me, being attacked…How much more horrible must he have felt when he saw me last night…
Is this his version of retribution for their sins?
I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do. I can't do anything.
I'm so helpless.
I'm useless right now.
He takes the next man out and I feel ready to vomit as he skillfully slices at him. It's so gruesome. I begin to dry heave, having absolutely nothing in my system except the biscuit which has seemed to have disappeared at this point.
How can he do this?
How is he doing this?
Why isn't anyone stopping him?
He said there's no bombs!Someone should stop him!I should stop him.
I want to run out there. I have to do something!
He grabs the next man after throwing the guy that I think is Vea into the cage and slamming it.
He didn't torture them slowly. He was fast, but brutal, leaving little of their bodies unsliced.
Their bodies were like thinly sliced ham… That the butcher later decided to slice horizontally aswell.
"Hello pervert."
He swings the knife across the man's face and blood begins to pour out. I hear myself screaming again. Why can't I move?Why am I not doing anything?
Why can't I tear myself away from the screen?
Why am I just screaming?
DO SOMETHING!
"Now you see, Parisians, I've actually been quite gentle with you all this time. But I've been pushed to a point that I'm afraid I can't return now you know…"He starts, walking to the rooftop of the hotel. His eyes glint mischievously. I blink the horrified tears out of my eyes.
"Cataclysm!" He shouts out. He slams his hand onto the side of the building.
My heart drops out of my chest. Those men…They were in there...
Suddenly I hear an enormous, crushing, falling noise, it's not only coming from the tv.
It was the hotel. It was collapsing, emitting a colossal, awful noise that washes over Paris, and it's so loud and so sudden that I begin to feel lightheaded.
"…not to touch what's mine." He whispers and the footage just stops. Mine? I'm an item? Is that why he finds it so easy to hurt people? Is it because we're all just objects to him? Does he think people are expendable?
I step backward, my back hits a wall and I slide down it.
I don't want to believe that Chat has it in him to kill anyone. I'd been looking online into the cases of his attacks, and not one of them has resulted in actual death…
Comas, yes.
Paralyzed people, yes.
Multiple cases of people turned into lunatics, yes.
Death, no.
I have been telling myself that Chat isn't a murderer.
But it was a collapsing building, it was at least thirty stories tall.
How in the name of Gabriel Agreste were they supposed to survive a fall like that?
They fit in the cage snuggly, it would be hard for them to die of a broken neck I suppose… I think…I hope…if they had no space to move…There was always the possibility of it.
Or a concussion.
The debris or falling bricks could kill them.
They were already hurt.
I feel myself crying uncontrollably. They were still human. I watched murder.
I watched my friend murder people.
I watched it and did nothing.
A small whooshing sound to my left forces me to turn my head.
It's him.
He's crouched next to me, his mouth is forming a frown, and he looks at me with a curious, worried expression.
"You!" I snarl, scrambling away from him and jumping up, ignoring the head rush.
He stands up gracefully with a complicated look on his face. He looks down at me.
I point at him.
"YOU!" I say again through sudden angry tears.
He tilts his head, his brows are furrowed.
"Me." He says in an even tone.
"How could you do that to them?!" I shout.
Realization dawns on his face.
"Ohhhh."He says.
"Oh? OH?Is that what you have to say for yourself? Oh?"
He raises a brow.
"Princess, they deserved far worse." He says as if it's a solid fact.
"How could you do something so awful Chat? HOW?"I yell, trying to understand.
"Quite easily…There really wasn't much to it at all." He says rubbing the back of his neck , genuinely not understanding me.
I find myself unable to speak. I just bring my hands to my face and cry into my palms.
I don't hear any movement, but somehow he's in front of me.
"Why are you so upset?" He asks gently, as if he hadn't done something so horrible.
I look at him with burning eyes.
"Because you killed them! You murdered them!" I say, shoving him away from me. He blinks at me.
"You say I can't do reckless things, but there you are, destroying hotels and hurting people!" I snarl, smacking him in the chest.
His eyes flicker down to where I smacked him and then back up to me.
"You abused them! You tortured them! How could you attack them, knowing that they had no chance against you?"
His nostrils flare a bit.
"Oh yes, because they considered that yesterday evening when they were attacking you." He hisses.
"That's different!" I growl out.
"How is it different at all?"
"It just is!" I say exasperatedly.
"You don't have an answer." He says calmly, crossing his arms.
I purse my lips.
He continues to speak. "I'm not a person to point out faults in the open, but you really lack self-conservation or sense of justice."
"SHUT UP!"I shout and his eyes momentarily widen at the high-heel that flies towards his face, he catches it with cat-like reflexes.
"Size 4…Ha, tiny feet." He says.
"No sense of justice?! How can you even say that?" I snarl, throwing the other heel at him. He dodges it.
"I don't particularly claim that I'm going to heaven or anything, isn't going to hell justice enough?"
"Bullshit!" I screech, almost blanching at my cussing, and throwing more shoes at him.
"You can't bloody go around attacking people, ruining their lives!" I say and he just dodges the incoming rain of shoes.
Screw the shoes! I'm punching him!
I walk up to him and he starts stepping back.
"I'd like to just say that you're attacking a defenseless guy now…"He says holding his hands up.
"Defenseless?" I hiss, throwing my fist at his face, he catches it.
"Well, my baton is over there…"
I huff, trying to kick him. He catches my ankle.
"How come you're not this violent with your other friends?" He asks.
"Because they don't do stupid things!"
He rolls his eyes.
"You're being childish." He says.
"Says the guy who destroyed a building because he was upset." I say, yanking myself away and stumbling in the process.
He catches me before I hit the ground.
**Narrator POV**
He was quite aware that the bluenette was prone to having outbursts of violence around him, but it was very startling to see her crying while having the outburst.
He couldn't understand. What person in the right mind didn't want their attackers to pay for their crimes?
Then again, this was Marinette , the woman who befriended criminals and also had no idea just how much those men had done to her.
He had burned down their home after bombing the hotel, so now their bodies, phones and their home lay in ruins. After feeding a pissed off Plagg and watching from a distance as the three asswipes were removed from the debris to ensure that they were actually alive after that drop, he came to check on Marinette, and there she was, on the floor crying.
His first instinct was to pull her into a hug, but he had no idea if he was the one who upset her or not in the first place, and it seems his hunch was correct.
She seemed very distraught and he couldn't help but feel extremely guilty for making her this upset…
But what was he supposed to do? Let them get away with it?
No, that wasn't even an option.
What friend did something like that?
He may have got a little carried away with the butchering…But he felt it was completely justified.
Touching Marinette was out of bounds.
Hurting her was like asking to be put to death. Back to the present, he realizes that she will most probably never see it his way.
"EEEEEEE!" She squeals as she loses her balance.
Chat catches her. Her face is still red from tears and frustration.
"Let go of me!" She snarls, trying to struggle her way out of his arms, smacking him in various places and pushing against him with brute force that was surprising for a woman of her size.
He sighs. This was not going anywhere.
He shifts and pins her to the floor easily.
"Okay, princess, I'm sorry." He says earnestly.
"That doesn't help anything! You murdered people!"
"Actually I just seriously injured them. They aren't dead, I'm not that reckless."
Marinette stops wriggling and looks up at him with weary eyes.
"How do you know that?"
"Heavily cushioned sacks. Indestructible, impermeable cages. Highest floor. Also, I checked up on them earlier."
"They could be dead now." Marinette says with a sniff.
Chat shakes his head.
"They aren't."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do…"
Marinette's lip trembles before she cries more and Chat feels increasingly terrible.
"Why did you have to be so awful to them?" She says with a sob.
It was difficult to ignore the horrible pang in his chest at her words. He sighs.
"I couldn't help it…"He says in a defeated tone.
Marinette regards him with teary eyes.
"If you heard the things they said…If you saw yourself yesterday…It was just…I don't know how to describe it…But I felt something…And I didn't like it. I didn't like seeing you that way. I'm not used to all these…emotions. It's very foreign to me, and I don't know how to react to it."
Marinette blinks the tears out of her eyes and watches Chats face. He's looking at the floor next to her head, his brows are furrowed.
"I haven't actually had someone in my life that actually cared about me. And I don't want pity when I say that…but for me, it's strange to have someone actually be…kind to me. Normally the only things I can trust are…they're…Well they tend to be inanimate objects." He says and her eyes widen.
"I don't have relationships with people. The only people who actually do speak to me just use me for their benefit." Chat says with a small laugh, he removes his hands from her wrists but stays in his kneeling position above her.
"You know, one would think I'm a scoundrel or something in my civilian life with the way I behave when I'm in this suit… But…but I'm just this little coward goody-two shoes who does everything he's told. I'm an obedient little boy who never made any friends."
Marinette wants to say something, but she can't find the words.
"So obviously, even if I've known you less than a week, I've gotten...attached, ridiculously fast.My life is so different from yours. We're practically from completely opposite worlds…and I know it's a dumb thing to even say but somehow I like being part of your world more then I like being in mine."
He sighs.
"Your world makes me feel like I'm normal…It's like I'm not unwanted. In my world, no matter what I do, no matter what I say, I'm an abomination. I'm not even me when I'm me. I'm this hybrid creature that everyone expects me to be just because of who I am."
Chat begins to move away from her, into the corner next to them.
She sits up, momentarily forgetting the night's events, and watches as his demeanor begins to change.
"And even when I'm being exactly what they want me to be, I'm still not perfect enough. There's always something wrong with me. There's always something I should be doing better, and if I'm not better then I'm worthless."
"Chat…"
"I can't be like you Marinette. I can't just trust and be nice to people. People are disgusting. You think everyone's a good person inside. You have the mindset that everyone's a wonderful person if you just look deeper… But there really isn't anything more to me. I'm a husk of person and a bloody freak of nature."
He snickers to himself.
"I can't go ten minutes without feeling like going out and attacking someone. I enjoy hearing them beg and scream and cry. It's like this agonizingly sadistic, marvelous piece of music that I just want to hear over and over and over again. I just want everyone to feel how I feel. I want them to feel what they're putting me through. I want the world to suffer ,hell, because you know what? It's unfair that I have to be condemned for being something I never wanted to be in the first place."
Marinette could practically feel the dark aura radiating from Chat.
"And I always thought that everyone deserved to suffer. I wanted the entire of Paris to be afraid. Nobody ever cared, so I figured I'd just return the favor…But then you come along and hit me with your damn pot and your hot-headed yet caring nature and suddenly I'm feeling…feelings…it's so strange and weird and frustrating because I'm not a good person. I shouldn't feel happy to see someone, I shouldn't feel loved but somehow you make me feel as if I am in a span of a few short days. I don't understand it. I can't understand it."
He sighs.
"It's frightening how fast I've gotten attached to you. I mean that. It scares me. I don't know what to make of my emotions because…Well, you're alive. You breathe and think. You're not just one of the things I own. Every time I think you're going to act in a certain way you just throw me into the water by doing something else entirely, and none of the things I have in my possession have ever done such a thing."
He smiles to himself.
"But I've found that it's not unpleasant. Infuriating, just a bit because you don't seem to ever do what I expect you to do, but I don't hate that at all. Somehow, I just don't feel as horrible about myself when I see you, because you're really so brilliant..."
Marinette feels her face heat up, and she feels tingly…
He suddenly snarls.
"But not when you're practically dead with bits of your mutilated corpse of a body hanging everywhere like badly butchered meat of a caribou in Alaska."
Marinette's mouth hangs open.
"You can't ask me why I did what I did tonight if you don't realize that if you're dead then I have no reason to not be violent. Obviously I'm going to go ballistic if my only friend in the world decides to get killed because they think a fashion show and an identity reveal is more important than their own safety."
He turns to her.
"In fact, why are you mad at me? I should be mad at you." He says with narrowed eyes.
"First of all, you completely toyed with my emotions in the worst possible way. Secondly, let's talk betrayal, why the heck are you trying to figure out who I am? You completely went behind my back in doing so and then yo-"
"OKAY OKAY!I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! Let's just say we're both wrong!"Marinette says, realizing that she was actually being very being extremely sneaky about the entire identity thing.
Also…Chat had just said something so personal…
If she remained tempered there was the possibility that he would push her away.
But it was difficult to pretend that this night hadn't happened.
He had done something so savage. So horrible.
Her mind wanted to stay angry at him, and her heart remained confused.
She closes her eyes.
Chat was sick.
But as he had said,she was the only person he cared about.
She would drop the issue for now…But she had a clever plan.
It could only be described as a deal with the devil.
She would bring it up before she went to bed.
Chat internally jumps deviously.
She wasn't upset at him anymore because she thought he was going to be mad at her. At least that is what he thought.
Excellent.
Marinette shifts a bit on the floor.
"…Well…I don't think you're a freak of nature." She says slowly.
Chat regards her with weary eyes before laughing lightly.
"You don't think anyone is a freak though Marinette, do you?"
"No… Freak is a disturbing word. You're not one…You're just a bit creepy, psychotic and dangerous." She says slowly.
Chat gives her a sarcastic look.
"Geeeeeeez princess, I really feel much better now." He rolls his eyes.
Marinette shifts closer to him.
"Chat…What happened to you?" She asks after a minute of silence.
He purses his lips and regards her for a moment.
"That… Is a very disturbing story."
Marinette raises a brow.
"I just watched you mutilate 3 men and have fun doing it, I think I'll survive." She says with a nervous laugh.
"How do you just switch like that?" Chat says with widened eyes.
Marinette sighs.
"I'm not gonna lie Chat, I'm absolutely freaked out that you could do something like that. But at the same time…"
She leans forward and kisses his cheek.
"I'm thankful that you care that much about me."
Chat's tanned skin turns a fiery red and he touches his cheek, looking at her with wide eyes.
"…Bipolar." He says suddenly to himself after a moment of shocked silence, nodding to himself as well.
Marinette smacks him on the arm.
"Whatever! I'm still mad at you." She growls.
Chat blinks a few times. "Advanced stages of Bipolar disorder…"
Marinette sighs and suddenly moves into the corner with Chat. His eyes widen as she moves into his personal space bubble, she's ignoring the confused look on his perfect face.
"I care about you too you know." She says and he feels his heart rate accelerate.
What was going on with him?
"You can tell me anything."
"Really, so what if I told you that I eat mice, cough fur-balls and savor the taste of cod-liver oil, what would you think?" He says with a raised brow.
"Well then I guess I have to learn how to cook mice, get you a fur-ball bucket because I refuse to have that on my floor and stock up on cod-liver oil." She says with a light shrug.
Chat tilts his head and frowns.
"What could you possibly gain from hearing about my problematic existence, Princess?"
"Insight." She says simply.
"Unless you just want to gain information and then tell the authorities-"
"Come on Chat, if I was really going to do that don't you think I would've told them that you come to my house, practically every night?"
Marinette looks into his eyes.
"Listen Chat… I believe that you've been harboring your emotions, and your pain for way too long. It's wrong for me to force you to talk about something, and I know that I'm supposed to wait for you to tell me, but in all honesty, I think you and I both know that you feel that you will never be ready."
"But if I continue to ignore it, it actually doesn't scare me as much." Chat says with a laugh.
Marinette shakes her head.
"No Chat, the more you ignore it, the worse it gets. It's going to stay that way till you realize that what has happened has already happened, and the more you try to ignore it the worse it will become. It's like a deep wound. Covering it up with a plaster will make you feel as if it's not there, but it's not going to stop the pain and infection from spreading. The wound will begin to reek .Over time you're going to start getting sick because now the infection is in your bloodstream. And that's what's happened, Chaton…You keep putting a plaster over your wounds. You ignore it, but eventually, you won't be able to anymore. You have to tear off the plaster, no matter how ugly or humiliating your wound may be, you have to dig it out, and clean your system. Yes, you will always have that scar…But kitty, that's a sign that you survived, that you made it out alive. You have to acknowledge it Chat. You need to do it."
Chat sighs. "Firstly, that analogy was disgusting."Marinette rolls her eyes but lets him continue.
"And I know that,Princess… I just don't know how to talk about this.I have never said this out loud."
Marinette looks at him kindly.
"Trust me."
He looks at her with frightened eyes. It's something she hasn't seen before.
He contemplates something for a moment before sighing.
"Alright, princess, I'll tell you now, but…it's not exactly a story that I can just say…It's humiliating. It's quite disgusting." He says, looking at his knees with a frown.
Marinette places a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm not here to judge you, I will care no matter what."
Chat smiles a little.
Maybe she was right…
Maybe it was time to get better…
He suddenly gasps. "What am I doing, you have to drink your water, eat and sleep."
"But you were about to tell me…"
"And now I'm going to put you in your bed and you are going to eat something, drink your water and be asleep by midnight." He says suddenly standing and picking her up and jumping up to her loft.
"But but but you said you were gonna tell me!" Marinette whines as Chat tries to put her on her bed.
"I'll tell you eventually."
"But-"
"I bet you haven't drunk even one glass of water today."
Marinette huffs, this was his problem.
He always hides from what happened to him.
Not this time.
Chat was going to get better, and there would be no problem-escapees under her watch.
She suddenly grabs him and refuses to let go of him as he tries to straighten up after laying her down.
"What are you doing?" He says with a raised brow.
"I'm protesting. Peacefully."
Chat chuckles but when he tries to stand he ends up taking Marinette with him.
"I'm not letting go until you start talking."
"And what about the emotional trauma I'll feel when I talk about it?" Chat says, trying to pry her off his body.
She holds on even tighter, resulting in her body being pressed flush against his.
Chat's face turns increasingly red.
"Princess, come on let go before you get scratched. My claws are sharp."
"No, the only way to heal is if you talk about it." Marinette says.
"Oh yay, I'm so excited." He says with an eye roll.
"Chat it's been four years since you became a villain, the time for action is NOW!" Marinette says as Chat does his absolute best you yank the woman off him.
He steps away from the bed, resulting in Marinette being carried with him.
He splutters.
"You are so not doing this." He says as Marinette shifts and wraps an arm around his neck.
He tries to remove the arm, and seeing the potential of detachment, Marinette suddenly lets go, and pushes him off the loft.
His eyes widen as he flips himself over before he hits the ground, only to be pressed flat onto the ground when the crazy girl jumps from her bed, right onto his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him.
"What the hell, woman!" He says, pushing off the floor.
"I'm not moving."
"Yes you are." Chat says with a small growl as he tries to shake her off him. She doesn't budge.
"Marinette come on! I mean, come off!" He says with a groan.
"No!"
"Are we seriously gonna do this right now?"He says with a huff, trying to jump around so that she gets dizzy and decides to let go."
"Princesssssss."Chat says, letting out an extremely rare whine as he jumps up and down to try and get her to release her hold.
"You have to drink your water and eat." He says, turning his head a bit to look at her.
"No."
"NO?"
"Yes, No."She says.
Chat growls.
"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you." He says, starting to march towards her trapdoor, he sighs and with a slight pout he holds her legs to support her, realizing that she really wasn't planning on letting go.
Marinette snickers. It was hard to take him seriously when his hair was in her nose. It smelled so nice. It was like an expensive, minty, musky sort of scent.
She takes a deep sniff.
Chat freezes.
"Did you just…"
Berry chirps.
Chat's eyes flicker to the bird, and he forgets his question.
Marinette sighs in relief.
"You should put him back into his box."
Chat glares at her.
"And get pooped on again? I don't think so."
"Pleaseeeee?"
"No."
"PLEEAAASEEE?"
"No."
"PPPPLLEEEEEEAAAAASSEEEE CHAAAAATTTT!" Marinette whines and Chat sighs.
He walks up to Berry and looks at him.
"Hello, little shit."
Berry chirps. Chat picks him up quickly and places him in his heated box.
"Thanks Chaton."Marinette says petting his head. Chat just huffs as he begins to walk down to the kitchen.
"How did it get to this? I've become her full on slave." He groans to himself.
He enters the kitchen.
"I made some chicken with pesto for you yesterday before the fashion show, so it should still be there." Marinette says.
"I'm not hungry as yet." Chat says honestly, but realizes that he actually hasn't even eaten a whole meal today.
"Then I'm not hungry either."
"You're such a baby."
Marinette's ears perk up when she hears sirens traveling towards the hotel. For the first time in a very long time, the police-forces were out after 5.
She sighed, the TV was still on upstairs.
'Ignore .' She thinks to herself.
"Let's make a deal, I'll eat if you eat." She says.
"That's not fair."
"It is fair because I know for a fact that you've barely eaten today."
"And how have you come to that conclusion, princess?" He says, looking at her with a raised brow, over his shoulder.
"With all the scheming that must have went into today, I doubt that you took the time to say, 'Hey, let me pause from my devious plan to get some low carb, high fat protein meal with a side of kale salad and a snack of toasted cashews.'." Marinette says with a pointed look.
Chat narrows his eyes and huffs.
"For your information, I only eat cashews when they're raw because nuts are much too heavy on my digestive system…AND I prefer raw almonds…And I don't like kale…"He says snootily, sticking up his nose.
Marinette makes a mental note of everything he's just said. She nods.
He sighs and opens her fridge, adjusting himself so that Marinette stays comfortable from the piggy-back position she's in.
It's fully stocked, and he pulls out the casserole containing the chicken in pesto dressing.
"I feel like you should eat something else. You most probably have nothing in your system." He says, his voice taking on a concerned edge.
Marinette sighs into the side of his neck. Chat blanches and feels his hair stand on end.
His body was being very,very strange.
"Okay…But you still have to eat with me." She says to him.
Chat groans.
"Fine. What would you like to eat?" He says eventually.
"Let's make pizza!" Marinette says happily.
Chat groans.
"And how are we going to do that when you're latched onto my back and the only pair of hands available are mine?"
"Urrrrm…"
"We can just order pizza."He says.
"But nobody delivers food after 5pm anymore Chat."
Chat pauses.
Well, it was true that nobody would be foolish enough to deliver pizza on a night like tonight, but he knew that in his home, the chefs would cook anything for their young master. Even pizza.
"Could you let go of me for a few minutes, I promise that I'll be right back."
"No."
"Come on princess, it's just like a few minutes."
"You're just trying to escape."
"I'm not." He says, marveling at how weird it sounded for a civilian girl to be holding a serial attacker and sadist as her prisoner.
"It's fine I'll eat the pesto chicken."
"But I don't want you to eat the chicken in pesto."
"I'm sure it's nutritious." Marinette says rolling her eyes.
"Nutritious does not always mean energizing, and the old man gave me strict instructions. You need something filling."
"I'll boil some noodles then."
"But you wanted pizza."
"Well, now I want noodles."
"No, you want pizza, and you're saying you want noodles so that I stay here."
"You don't know that! What if I really want noodles?"
Chat snorts.
"Do you want noodles?"
"Yes!" Marinette says, her voice sounded off, as if she were telling a lie.
"Hmmmm…Liar." Chat says.
Marinette groans.
Chat thinks for a moment…
What if… he took her with him?
No, he couldn't do that…
Sure, he didn't have pictures of himself in his room, neither was his name plastered anywhere… But it would be very risky to have her in there…
It was a personal place…Not to mention a place that he thoroughly despised.
Regardless, it was a place he was well accustomed to, and it was the only place he knew that his butlers would deliver to…
But Marinette was still a civilian…How could he just trust her?
How could he just let her see the place that he spent most of his life being tortured in?
To bring someone so innocent into a hellhole like that…A place that he suffered so much in… It was…wrong.
…But maybe...if she were in the room, it wouldn't be such an awful place.
Her radiance could most certainly brighten the worst of things…
Perhaps his torture chamber was no different…
Now it just came down to trust…
Did he trust her enough to take her there?
Did he trust her enough to let her see the hellhole he spent his life in?
…
Yes.
Yes, he did.
"Say princess…Would you like to go out somewhere?"
Marinette finds herself blushing at the suggestion.
"As fun as that sounds, you don't make a very subtle customer or companion."
"No, I mean…Would you like to go to my house?"
Marinette freezes.
"You… you're going to let me see where you live?" She asks in shock.
He clicks his tongue.
"Of course not, silly. We'll be inside my room just for a bit."
"Inside your room…"
Chat can feel the worry radiating off her.
He feels his heart sink. Of course she wouldn't want to go with him…He was a freak after all. She couldn't just trust him.
Marinette tightens her hold on him.
"If I go, you'll tell me everything, and I mean everything, deal?"
Chat's eyes widen.
She trusted him?!
Wait…
She trusted him…
He can't help the smile that suddenly forms on his face.
He wonders for a moment…What would Marinette think of him after she heard his story?
Would she sympathize with him?
Would she be horrified that he was almost a father?
Would she laugh because he was scared of a snooty girl?
Or would she understand like she's always done?
He took a deep breath.
He knew she was right, all these years, he wished he could've spoken to someone about his situation; he just never had anyone to speak to…
But now he did…
Should he take the opportunity?
…Or let it go?
He opened his mouth to say something, but as he turned his head and looked into Marinette's compassionate bluebell eyes, his words died in his throat.
They held a compelling intensity in them. It was as if he was being hauled into something greater than he had ever known, something marvelous, something so beautiful that it should be a crime to not acknowledge.
She was perfection incarnate.
Who was he to deny a princess-as ethereal as her- anything?
If she wanted to know his story, then by God's grace, she would hear it and every other sob story that he ever had if she wanted to.
"…Deal."
She smiles and blinks.
He jumps, so that she sits higher up on his back and then he begins to make his way up to her room.
The TV is still on, showing footage of the destroyed building.
Chat puts it off.
"Promise that you're going to keep your eyes closed."
Marinette rolls her eyes.
"I promise."
"And if you don't, I'll destroy you, you know." He threatens in a menacing voice.
"Yeah yeah yeah, hold your whiskers." She says, and tucks her head into his neck, hiding her eyes. She keeps them closed, like she said she would.
Chat picks up his baton and opens her trapdoor.
He pauses.
"Your eyes are really closed right?" He asks.
"Yes, they are."
Chat looks down at the little box of ladybug biscuits. He might as well take it with him.
"Okay, hold on, princess."
He closes the trapdoor and holds her legs tightly.
Suddenly, Marinette feels them jumping and darting.
She wants to scream…Or open her eyes…She's going to the home of a criminal…
To where Chat was raised…
She clenched her eyelids, forcing them to stay closed, suddenly, they were landing.
He didn't live that far away from her it seemed.
She hears him sigh.
He goes to his phone and switches it off, and puts it away.
With a glance around the room to make sure there was no loophole that would give away his identity, he rubbed Marinette's hand gently.
"You can open your eyes now."
"Oh my gosh!" She says and her mouth drops open. Chat chuckles.
"This is your room?! Like as in just your bedroom?!"She asks in shock.
She suddenly jumps off him, looking around.
"Hey, no snooping." He says lightly, knowing that she won't listen to him anyway.
Thank God he never kept personal things lying around.
"You have your own library."
"And you've been jumping over Paris in a nightdress."
"Huh?" Marinette looks down at herself, realizing that he was right. Marinette shrieks.
"Oh my gosh!"
"Relax Princess, nobody saw you."
"Still…"
"Don't worry about , what kind of pizza are you feeling for?"
She wasn't hungry.
'Come on Marinette. Go with it. You made a deal.'
"Urrrrmmmm, three cheese,oooh with olives!"She says as an afterthought.
Chat chuckles and walks to an intercom on the wall. He presses a button.
"Yes, young master?" The butler's voice says through the microphone.
Marinette's jaw drops.
"Young master?" She whispers in awe.
Chat speaks into the microphone.
"Could you send up a large three cheese pizza with olives, and a serving of chicken in pesto. Also, I need eight 500ml bottles of water and my usual serving of green tea. Leave it outside my door."
"Right away sir. I'll have it there in 30 minutes."
"That is all."
"Yes, young master."
Chat stopped holding the button and he stepped back.
He turned to Marinette.
She was looking at him oddly.
"You have butlers…Your room is bigger than my whole house…People call you young master…Are you a prince?" She asks.
Chat snorts, walking over to his bed and picking up the Marinette Plushy doll.
"If I were a prince I would have certain people beheaded." He says walking over to Marinette.
"You should sit." He says calmly, taking her hand and leading her to his couch.
A thought runs through his mind.
He wonders if he should tire her out so that he doesn't have to tell her…
Marinette narrows her eyes at the scheming look on his face.
She knew exactly what he was thinking.
Marinette suddenly grabs hold of him from behind.
"You almost escaped." She says into his back. Her arms are wrapped around his waist.
Chat laughs lightly and looks under him.
"…You want to know that badly?"
Marinette sighs. She knows she's being bold. But with Chat, bold was the only way to go.
She nods.
He chuckles.
"Okay princess. But only after you eat."
"I'm only eating when you eat, that was our deal."
"Yes yes, I remember the deal." He says as he walks towards the sofa, aware of the petite woman clinging to him…
He had to admit…
It felt kind of…
Amazing.
He looks at his sofa. Sitting wouldn't be possible.
"Hey Chat? How fast can you run?"
"Pretty fast, why?"
"Wanna play cat and mouse."
"Let me guess, I'll be the 'Chat' and you'll be the mouse?" He says with a small smirk, looking down at Marinette's arms.
"Clever kitty."
"Okay princess, I'm 'feline' in a generous mood today. So I'll give you thirty seconds to run, Mousinette."
Marinette laughs.
"Okay, Kitty." Marinette says with a devious grin, pushing away from him. He frowns at the loss of her presence and warmth.
Chat humors her by giving her an extra thirty seconds, but then when he goes to his bedroom door, ensures it's locked and looks up at the bluenette in the library balcony he realizes instantly that she's planning something very bad.
"Princess…I've told you before, devious smiles only look good on me." He says, narrowing his eyes at her nightdress that she's tied in a knot at her waist, giving her legs freedom to move.
He begins to saunter to the spot on the ground below the balcony.
"Times up, Princess." He purrs out, cocking his head.
"Come get me then." She shoots back.
Chat lets out one of his sneaky, manic grins before suddenly he jumps up onto the balcony, but she's gone.
His eyes dart around and he hears a giggle from below.
She's on the bed, with her hands on her hips.
His eyes widen.
"How did you get there?"
"I jumped." She says simply.
"You jumped?!"He growls, looking at the vast distance between the bed and the balcony.
"Uh huh. I can't believe you didn't see me, I thought you were supposed to be super-elite."
"I am." He says, jumping down from the balcony, only to find Marinette already almost at the top of the skate-ramp.
He jumps to the top, but she's running into the library area.
He darts after her, but she's sliding down the firefighter pole.
He runs down the stairs to find that she's tricked him and is now climbing back up the pole.
He gets to the top to wait for her and she slides down.
He growls in frustration.
He had no idea that Marinette was this agile.
In all honesty, she had enough stamina to be a superhero or something…
He breathes heavily and snarls when he sees the shit-eating grin on her face as she perches on the sofa.
"Is the kitty tired?"
"Not in the slightest." He says, pouncing on the sofa, but she runs around it and runs to the other side of the foosball table.
He runs to it as well, determined to jump over and grab her but she slides underneath it and begins to make her way up the stairs again.
"Princess…"He says as he breathes heavily.
It was so hard to keep up with her…Never had he felt his abilities to be inferior… But now it was hard to fight that feeling.
"Chaton?"She calls back, her head comically popping up from behind the sofa.
What the hell…He does a double take. He had just seen her go up the stairs!
"You..Y…Youre so fast."He says, eyeing her through his hair, his breaths come out in short huffs.
She chuckles.
"I took gymnastics when I was younger…"
"And I took fencing, but you're still besting me…How?" He asks incredulously.
"I have no idea. I haven't felt this energetic in years!"
Chat frowns.
She hadn't eaten anything at all…
Was it something to do with Fu's magic?
In his thoughtful state, he failed to see Marinette run behind him.
She yanked his tail and then let go before running up the stairs again.
Chat growls.
"Okay mouse, playtime is over!" He hisses, suddenly running up the stairs on all fours.
Marinette shrieks and jumps over the balcony. She rolls off his bed just as he jumps down and lands on it.
He growls.
"Come back here!"
Marinette takes a moment to stick out her tongue.
Chat sucks in an affronted gasp.
Marinette giggles and darts around the room, skidding under furniture and jumping over his expensive couches.
"Feel free to give up at any-"Marinette starts as she leaps over the bed but suddenly Chat grabs her by the waist, pulling her back onto the bed.
"C…Caught you Princess." He says through heavy breaths.
Marinette looks up at him shocked. She's pinned down.
Now he's the one who's caught her.
Chat's head collapses on her shoulder.
"Remind me not to play games with you again."
Marinette laughs and Chat perks up, his heart fluttering with the sound of her lighthearted laugh.
"You win, you win." She says, freeing a hand from his grasp, and petting his head. He finds himself rubbing his head against her graceful hand.
Then he realizes just what he was doing.
He moves back and looks at her oddly.
He wasn't sure what he was feeling…But…He was feeling something.
It was a strange something.
He opens his mouth to speak but a knock on the door interrupts him.
"Your food is ready sir."
"Leave it there." He calls back.
He gets off the bed.
"Stay." He says, giving her with a stern look.
She rolls her eyes.
"Yes, Master." She says,waving a hand lazily before rolling over on the bed.
He watches her for a moment before getting their food. He opens the door slightly, and after making sure the coast is clear, he pulls the table with their food and the water into the room.
He looks at the bed. He doesn't like the idea of Marinette being on it like that. Princesses cannot lay on defiled filth.
"Ready to down 16 glasses of water?" He says, taking her hand and tugging on it so that she gets off the bed, and she does, much to his relief.
The two sit down on the couch and start eating, after about three hours, Marinette had eaten most of her pizza and downed 6 of the eight bottles.
Chat had finished and was now watching her suffer through her bottles of water. It was almost 11.
"Come on princess. Just a few more bottles."
Marinette groaned.
"I can't drink anymore Chat. I'm going to explode. I really have to pee, AGAIN. Honestly, this much water should result in kidney failure, you know." She says standing up.
Chat blinks a few times, well, he knew that, more than anyone, but he believed that the old man had a plan.
"The old man knows what he's doing."
She looks to the door with a bear on it.
She turns and walks over to it. He watches her go.
Once the door closes he runs a hand through his hair.
He was very happy that she wasn't angry at him anymore…But the time was drawing near for him to reveal his traumatic story to her…
He didn't want to scare her…
But the truth scared even him.
Marinette came out of the bathroom.
"Okay, I'll drink these while we talk." She says, opening bottle number 7.
Chat looks up at her with panicked eyes.
She notices and sighs.
"Chat… You have to face the battlefield if you want to win the war. Don't run away anymore." She says.
"I won't…It's just…It's not something I feel you should hear."
"Why not?"
Chat looks away from her and stands from the sofa.
He walks towards the window, watching as the last of the lights around the crumbled hotel dim and fade away.
"I feel as if I'm pulling you into darkness by telling you…I feel as if I'm tainting you."
"Chat, listen to me."
He looks at her as she moves to stand in front of him. The moonlight illuminates her porcelain skin.
"Nothing you say will make me act differently. I swear to you. What has happened to you wasn't your intention. You aren't pulling me into darkness. You are not tainting me."
Chat looks down.
"Princess, how can you promise that?"
Marinette frowns and places a hand on his cheek. He looks up at her, confusedly.
"Would I lie to you?"
Chat blinks a few times before leaning into her hand, his hand reaches up and covers her hand on his cheek.
She wouldn't lie to him.
**Chat's POV**
I take a deep breath. Dealing with something on your own is one thing. Saying it out loud is another.
As I look at the wonderful young woman in front of me, I realize that she's right.
I have been hiding from my pain. But instead of a plaster, I cover it up with a black cat body-suit.
It isn't my fault that I fear speaking about it, that 'things' constant threats ring in the back of my mind. No matter how far I go, they're always there, biting down on me.
I've always wished that I could tell someone and I always believed that I would if I could.
But when the opportunity has finally presented itself, I lose my confidence, and I feel like I can't.
She's a very perceptive person for realizing that. She figured out that I would never talk about it on my own.
That I need to be coaxed.
That I would say one thing and then try escaping.
But she is right. I can't run forever.
I sigh and close my eyes. Her hand is still on my face. I can barely begin to describe the intensity of how safe I feel with this petite woman.
At this point, I know that if something were to happen to her, if she were gone, I wouldn't survive.
In fact, I wouldn't let anyone survive. I'd most probably destroy everyone.
I inhale deeply.
But I wouldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let any more harm come to my princess.
"Do you want to sit?" She asks.
I exhale before nodding.
She moves towards the couch, the last 2 of the bottled waters are on the coffee table along with my baton and the biscuit box.
I sit down. She looks at me expectantly.
I can't find the words to start.
How do you say something like this?
I couldn't say 'Chloe' in the story, that would make her figure out who I was.
I run a hand through my hair. Why do I feel so jittery?
I want to fidget with something.
She looks down at my hands as I scratch my claws together. She reaches out after a moment and holds them.
I instantly feel much better.
I exhale again, trying to soothe my anxiety.
Anxiety was not a good thing to have. Especially in these kinds of situations.
"Okay…So a very long time ago, my mother died."
Disappeared would sound too much like the Agreste story.
"And I guess after that, everything has gone downhill for me."
I gulp, and she squeezes my hand in a reassuring way.
"I can barely remember much about her really. But I know that she was an amazing person. She always treated me as if I were her prince, and she was the super-queen who would be there to protect me from anything. She never fought with anyone. She never scolded me. She loved my father, she made us laugh so hard. She was just…Amazing…But then she was gone, and I didn't understand."
I take another calming breath.
"My father was never very…Affectionate…At least not to me. With her, he was a different person entirely, but he was a great father if I'm honest. He was there if I needed anything. He also cracked a whole lot of jokes and awful puns."
"Like you." Marinette says with a small smile.
I smile back and lay my head on the back of the couch.
"Yes princess, like me…But when my mother died, he just…He just became cold toward me. He began to miss my birthdays. He started going on more business trips. He threw himself into work. It was as if he were purposely avoiding me. The next thing I knew, I was being asked to model, take up piano, Chinese, fencing and start preparing for University. I think I was 12 at the time."
She blinks in shock.
"Is that possible…How could you study for that at 12?"She says with a horrified look.
"I'm an extremely quick learner. It certainly helped though that I had private tutors. So by the time I was 12 you can say that I was almost done with high school and by the time I was 16 I was almost done with my university final exams."
"…So…You're done with your education?"
"Pretty much."
She looks at me with a shocked expression.
"So what are you?"
"A Cardiothoracic Surgeon, but I'm only going to start in residency at the end of this year, that's for four years and then I have to complete cardiothoracic residency and then I still have to go onto fellowship so I'm not exactly qualified, but father has decided that he wants me to complete all of that in the next 5 years. So that's that. Father tells everyone I'm still in my first year of University though. My degree is basically almost done, I mean I finished the education part of it. …But he really doesn't want me going out into the world just yet I guess."
Her mouth drops open.
"You mean like…you're a doctor?"
"Well, yes."
She downs the seventh bottle in her shock.
"So you're a genius."
"What?"
"You're super smart Chat!"
"I am…? The children in India are doctors by the time they're 12…They're inspirational." Because they were, every time that I thought I couldn't do something because I was too young, I thought of those Einsteins.
"Yes! But not everyone can just become a surgeon! It's really a really difficult thing to even pass your studies in! How did you finish it in four years. What about your undergraduate degree?"
I tilt my head. I had no idea that people found it difficult. I found it as simple as particle physics. Then again, I was never exposed to kids my age besides Chloe who never did much talking.
"Well, I never had a holiday. It was kind of a continuous cycle of studying."
"But…but you were a child."
"It wasn't all that bad, I mean I used to get rewarded with ice-cream…But then ice-cream was fattening."
She shakes her head.
"Anyway chaton, continue." She says with a smile.
"So, when I started taking up all those extra-curriculars, I barely had time to do anything at all. I had something to do every single day. But by 5, I was done, and I could do as I pleased. That meant I could have a friend over."
I sighed.
"My mom knew the mother of the girl, and they were a really wealthy family, so naturally my father found it beneficial for the two of us to be friends. When mom died, he used to invite her over every single day. I don't know whether he thought it was good for me to have a distraction or if he just wanted to have good relations with her wealthy father, but regardless, she was always here. And she was my best friend. There were a whole lot of faults in her, but I always overlooked them, because she was my only friend. Being home-schooled meant that I knew nobody. And since I was hardly out of the house, I had never made any new friends."
I feel nervous now.
"So when we were 12, I had a broad knowledge about the world. Having done the curriculum for all the grades up to final year, I knew about…Well…I knew about particular... things. One day, she was late. I was home alone as usual after the tutor left, and I decided to walk around. I entered my father's study and we have a big picture of my mum. It was slightly off the wall. So when I was about to push it back, I realized that there was a space behind it. When I pulled the painting back, I found a safe. At first, I thought it was just a safe for money or something…but then I remembered that Father actually had his own vault for money. It was strange that he hid the safe behind a picture of my mother…Let's say I was a curious cat."
I take a deep breath.
"I decided to break into it."
Her eyes widen.
"I didn't know how to at first, but after a bit of snooping, I found a locket with a date encrypted on the inside. And when I used the date as the code for the safe, it worked…When I opened the safe I found some weird items…But one thing caught my eye. It was this weird peacock brooch. I remembered my mother wearing it a lot…So, I took it."
"You took it?" She asks.
"Yeah, but I heard a car pulling up, when I looked outside I realized it was my friend's car,when I ran out to meet her, I tripped."
"Oh no…"
I feel a bit scared now. I don't like remembering that day…
I take another breath.
"And the brooch fell."
I swallow.
"And then her car ran over it."
She gasps.
I look down.
"So she steps out, and asks me why I screamed. I hurried to pick up the pieces, but it was completely crushed. It was irreparable…And it was irreplaceable. My mom loved that brooch.I knew she did. It was one of the few material things that she adored.I don't think I ever remember her taking it off."
Her eyebrows furrow.
"Oh Chat I'm sorry." She says, rubbing my hand.
I nodded. "…So I took the pieces up to my room. And she asked what I was doing. At the time, I still had an innocent mindset. I thought telling her would help me…But…"
I feel sick.
It seems Marinette feels the same as she downs the entire last bottle of water.
"But?"
"But I was wrong."
I look down at her hand, fiddling with her fingers.
Her expression morphs into a confused, worried expression.
"We came up to my room. And I was frantic. She was in a foul mood. I tried to fix it but it wasn't fixable. She started behaving weirdly. I mean, she was always weird, but this was something else."
"What do you mean?.." She asks with a frown.
I purse my lips.
What was the best way to say you were being raped without it sounding as awful as it did?
Was there any way at all?
"She had been trying to make flirtatious advances on me before…I was aware that she was going to be in junior year soon, so from what I read her behavior was typical pubescent behavior."
Marinette's eyes widen.
"But on that day I guess she got tired of me always pushing her away. So she pushed me away from the table…"
I feel anxious.
"And she starts taunting me. I didn't get what she was saying. I was still thinking about how to fix the brooch. So I ignored her and decided to get back to what I was doing. She wouldn't have that though." I say.
Marinette looks at me worriedly, her eyes are still wide.
"So she pulled it away from me. And she said…"
I feel scared of facing this.
I don't think I want to face this.
No, I know don't want to face it.
…But I face it all the time in my nightmares.
It plagues me.
It rips me apart.
It tortures me.
"She said if I don't sleep with her she'll tell my dad what I did."
There.
I said it.
I feel myself shaking a little. I'm so pathetic. How can a memory frighten me so much?
Marinette is looking at me as if someone had just killed a puppy in front of her.
Her mouth is open.
Her eyes are wide.
And if her unyielding grip on my hand was anything to go by, then I'd say it's safe to assume that she was in a state of shock.
I try to continue.
My voice sounds strange, even to my ears.
"So she tripped me. And I fell onto my bed. That bed over there." I flicked my eyes to the bed.
"I've never got it changed because…Well I'll get to that soon."
I take a shaky breath.
"I think I was shocked at first. I was looking at someone I considered as a sister, and she was on top of me, forcing me to do something I would never have even considered till I was married." I look away from her and gulp.
"…So you…You were…"
I give a jerky nod.
She's quiet.
I decide to go on. Hell, I've already started, why stop now?
"She told me she refused to let me wear any protection, and I was too shocked to realize that she didn't take any contraceptives either. I just remember her doing something and for some reason, she was much stronger than I was. I felt disturbed. I knew what was happening…I just didn't understand why it was happening."
I can't bear to look up, so I don't. I try to concentrate on my words.
"I decided to lie as still as I possibly could. Whining just annoyed her. Moving gave her the wrong idea. So I just cried."
I reach for the Marinette plushy and hold it tightly, I shift so that my back rests on the arm of the long leather couch.
"After that she left the room, with a waddle. I just lay there, confused. And hurt. Most of all betrayed." I sigh.
My ears are bleary.
I think I'm handling this quite well.
"I thought it was over then. I thought that it was a once-off thing and that maybe we could pretend it never happened. My dad thought the brooch was stolen. He had then fired all the personnel in the house. He was devastated. I was too scared to say anything… But not much later, when she visited again, I found myself trapped under her and helpless…Over time it began to happen more and more frequently. At a point she forced me to actually…be active in it. That happened for two years. Almost every day. I found myself perfecting withdrawal, I was just so scared." I say with a nervous laugh.
I still can't look up at her. I instead stare at my plushy.
I don't like how weak my voice sounds.
"But then one day, when I was about 14, I got to a point where I couldn't handle it anymore, my anxiety attacks were getting so bad that I could barely even study, so I decided to tell her that I wouldn't do that anymore. At that point I was stronger than her.I knew I could easily throw her off. So I was about to confront her. Just before I did however,I got my powers. I didn't know what my powers did though…I told her she could tell my father about the brooch. I was at a point where I'd rather face my father than being continuously raped by her." I take another calming breath.
"She said that if I told anyone about it…She'd tell the world that I was the one who raped her."
I hear Marinette gasp.
I still can't look up.
I stare at the Marinette plushy that I'm holding to my chest.
Suddenly, a pair of dainty hands take mini Marinette away.
I watch as Marinette places the plushy behind her. I'm scared to meet her eyes.
She walks a bit closer to me on the sofa on her knees, her hands are clasped together in front of her chest.
Suddenly my head is being pulled towards her chest. She's holding me very tightly.I can't help sigh in relief and encircle her waist.
She places her head on top of mine.
I take another breath.
"If that happened, my father would lose everything he worked so hard to achieve. He would hate me even more than he does. Everyone would be so disgusted, disappointed. I would be humiliated. I would never live a normal life. But that isn't what scares me. I don't want my father would be ruined. He's worked so hard. He does everything perfectly, it doesn't matter if he's never around or if he can't even look at me. I will always care about him. And if this had to come to light, everyone would believe her. Nobody would ever believe me. Not even him"
"Chat listen to me, that doesn't matter. What matters is that that person goes to jail. She has to go to jail Chat." She says with a shaky voice.
"Even if I did get her to jail, trust me when I say she can get out easily."
"Then tell ME who she is and I'LL deal with her! We'll prove her to be guilty!" She says suddenly.
I shake my head.
"It's not that simple princess."
"Chat this is serious! How could you live your life like this? First of all you're starved, you eat less than most dieting girls that I know, and you're forced to be perfect, you're forced to study more than you should, you're being asked to live in isolation, your father is treating you like utter shit, you were being raped and you think that it's just okay to keep living that way?" She says, her hold tightens. I can feel her tears fall into my hair.
She's quiet for a moment.
"Chat…You said she said no contraceptives…"
I grit my teeth.
"Has she ever gotten…"She trails off.
"…Yes. I think she's kept one of the fetuses."
"One of them?!There was more than one?"
I don't know what to say.
"There was only one that I knew about…But I don't believe that sleeping with someone for six years can only result in one pregnancy…"
Marinette gasps.
"Six years…It…It started when you were twelve…But you're eighteen…Chat…She's still raping you today?!"She suddenly shrieks holding me at a distance. She forces me to look into her eyes.
"Chat answer me!" She says.
I just stare back at her. More tears fall from her eyes.
She grits her teeth.
"You mean to tell me, after all this time, even though you're Chat Noir…You still haven't stopped her?"
"I scratched her once…"
Marinette's nostrils flare and I blink up at her.
"You scratched her once…That's just perfect. Okay. So how long ago did she last rape you?" She asks lowly.
I wince at how she says it.
"The day you made the plushies."
She closes her eyes.
"That was a few days ago." She says and looks away from me.
"Chat, why don't you just move away? It's not running. It's surviving."
"I can't."
"Why not."
"Let's say I have a very obvious face in Europe…"
Marinette snarls.
"Then go to Madagascar! Or Africa! Or Japan! Somewhere other than Europe! Chat you can't be a puppet all your life."
"I'm not a puppet, I mean the police can't control me." I reason.
She grabs my face.
"That is something else entirely Chat!" She says.
"But I don't want to leave…"
"Why? Why didn't you leave before?"
That was a good question. Why didn't I leave before?
I had enough money.
I could start afresh somewhere else.
I think the problem lay in my own mind.
I was sick. I didn't allow myself to leave.
I don't want to leave until I destroy the lives of everyone who's contributed to my harsh existence.
But now…
Now I don't want to leave for another reason entirely…
It has something to do with a beautiful part-chinese woman with bluebell eyes.
"Because I want to destroy Paris."
"What have they done to you?"
"They never cared!" I say.
She looks at me shocked as I raise my voice.
"I had to deal with this on my own. I had to fight this myself. FOR SIX YEARS. Nobody ever reached out. They were everywhere. None of my tutors. None of my butlers. I KNOW someone must have heard or picked up on what was going on. They all knew how my father overworked me! None of the models I've met even acknowledged me. Nobody ever did! Everyone just wants something, they all take something. Maybe I'm wrong for wanting them to suffer, but it was everyone in this Goddamned city who contributed to making me this way. If you knew who I was, it would make sense princess." I sigh.
"Take my word for it when I say they're all responsible for the monster they created." I say.
She's quiet for a moment before she pulls me slowly back to her chest.
"I don't think you're a monster Chat."
I relax against her chest.
"Yes, but you're different."
She runs her hand through my hair. It's comforting.
"Is that good or bad?"
"Well I think it's good ,but if something happens to your again or if you disappear then whatever humanity that I have left in me will be gone."
"Nothing will happen to me though. I think you've scared the males of Paris enough. I don't think any females in Paris will be tampered with for a long time." She says.
"Even so…I won't let any more harm come to you ever again."
"I wish I could say the same for you chaton…"She buries her face in my hair.
She knew my story now.
I can't believe I said it out loud.
I haven't told her how much it has actually affected me… she knows the gist of it, not the depth.
I can't let out all my emotions, I don't want to scare her with one of my anxiety attacks.
I've already said much too much.
I let one of my hands play with some of her hair as I lay in this sitting position with my head on her chest.
There was something relieving about having someone hold me like this, with care.
"Thank you, princess." I say, still holding her, but as she shifts a bit, she loses her balance and I'm pushed backwards onto the couches arm and she falls between my legs, onto my chest.
"Sorry! I'm a bit clumsy." She says startled.
She makes to move away but…I don't want her to go.
So I keep my arms wrapped around her waist.
She looks up at me for a moment.
"…Stay." I say.
She tilts her head, and bites her lip before relenting.
"Yes, young master." She says, mimicking our previous conversation. I smile into her hair.
"Good princess."
We lay in silence for a few minutes before she speaks.
"Chat…I've been meaning to talk to you about something."
I stiffen. Those words do not sound good.
"About what?"
"About your attacking of Parisians."
I frown.
"What about it..?"
"Let's make a deal."
"…a deal?"
"Yes… See, you don't want me to go out at night or be reckless, and I don't want you to attack people. So how about I stop being reckless if you stop attacking people."
"That is so not fair!" I say looking down at her.
"Neither is making me stay in my house after 5."
"But that's for your safety. Marinette I can't just stop."
"But can you try. Please? I mean I'm sacrificing something."
How am I supposed to agree?
Attacking people helped me keep my anger in check… I need to attack at least one person a week. Not to mention I still had to do a few more destructive things before exposing Chloe.
"…What if I just attack cold-blooded criminals."
She pauses for a moment.
"Only criminals?"
"Yes…But don't expect me to stop destroying things. I'm a still a villain despite your tethering requests."
To my surprise she smiles brightly.
"Okay, that's fine, blow up what you must, as long as nobody gets hurt."
I sigh.
This was not going to be good for my reputation.
Oh well.
My princess's safety was more important to me.
"So tomcat, we have a deal?"
I tilt my head, pausing for a moment as if contemplating her offer.
Who am I kidding, I had no other choice. It was either stop attacking people or have my Princess act like the lunatic that she was and go out into the dangerous night.
"It's a deal, Princess." I say.
A feel a yawn coming on. She smiles lightly and rests her head on my chest.
I reach for my baton and check the time.
"11:55."I say.
"Do I really have to sleep at 12?"
"Yes, yes you do."
I reach for the box of biscuits and pull out one.
She takes it from me and shoves it into her mouth.
She instantly begins to yawn.
"Chat?" She calls sleepily.
"Yes princess?"
"Make sure I bath tomorrow."
"Okay Princess."
"Chat?"
"Yes princess?"
"You're really comfortable to sleep on."
I chuckle.
"Thank you princess."
"Chat?"
"Yes princess?"
"Even if you think nobody likes you, I just want you to know that I love you very much."
My eyes widen.
So that's what this strange feeling was.
The L word…
"Princess?"
"Chat?"
"I care about you very much too."
"That's good…Otherwise this position would be very awkward."
She yawns again.
I yawn too. A weird smile forms on my face.
I feel myself drift off.
Somebody loved me.
**Plagg POV**
Now I get that I'm a shit talk-er, but I'm not a shit take-er.
How long did he expect me to hold this transformation? I've been starving! The woman was asleep, and she was going to be knocked out for a long time, geez, could he not think of letting me rest during that time?
I can't hold the transformation anymore and I fly out of the ring.
I'm ready to shout at him and let him have a piece of my mind before I go off to have a piece of decadent cheese, but then…
He's asleep…With Marinette…They're being all…Holdy.
And cuddly. I feel like I'm intruding.
The words die in my throat as I take in my chosen's face.
For the first time since I've met him, he sleeps with an actual smile.
My eyes trail the line of drool that comes out of Marinette's mouth.
I sigh.
I'm gonna let him off, just this once.
I mean it! Just. Once.
He deserves a peaceful sleep even though he was selfish and tried to take away mine.
I still had to talk to him about what he had done today…
I sigh again.
Fine, I can talk to him about today some other time.
I can't believe what a pushover I've become.
Adrien shifts a bit and tightens his hold on the woman.
I groan. If Tikki could see me now, she'd be laughing her big,fat red head off.
I glance at the two.
She was getting him on the right path. I could feel it.
I also feel my tummy grumble. Looks like I have some camembert to tend to.
I better get more camembert for my thoughtfulness.