Not the slightest detail of Nathaniel's attack had reached the ever-knowing ears of the public.
The blood had been cleaned, the hospital ward had been under constant surveillance. The Art studio remained oblivious to the events as well.
Needless to say, the morning following Nathaniel's attack had started out as one of the blandest, devastatingly boring and uneventful mornings in the last four years…
Well, that is for a certain blond-haired model. Adrien stared at the letters he had written down on a page. His mind had been at work for hours. It just made no sense to him. Never in his life had he felt as much of an imbecile as he did at that particular moment as he poured over theories of the meaning behind those letters. He knew that the answer had to have been a simple one, for Nathaniel was a simple man, and in a moment of vulnerability(Such as the situation Tomato-head had found himself in the night preceding), one would be thinking quickly as possible.
Adrien knew the answer was right in front of him, he knew that, but for some infuriating reason, his brain failed to unmask the riddle.
"Ughhhhh."He groaned, an exhausted hand slid over his tired yet ever-immaculate face. He drummed elegant fingers on the table before standing up.
It couldn't have been that complex. They were just letters. Each letter probably stood for a word. Well, obviously.
His research hadn't shown for much, instead, it threw him into a whirlwind of History involving signals and code-words used in the French revolution.
Adrien sighed.
His second theory surrounded the idea that the letters represented the attacker's names. However, if it did, why did Nathaniel not just write the name?
It was some sort of encrypted message. With a far-off look, Adrien opened a water bottle, Nino had spoken to Alya last night. As expected, the woman had been devastated, claiming that Marinette had every right to know and demanding to know the source of Nino's information.
Nino had simply said that he had friends in the hospital. Although Alya had been skeptical about her boyfriend's response, she accepted the information and resignedly accepted that she would not be able to divulge any information to Marinette. She set to work immediately, cutting the call and ignoring Nino all morning. The Moroccan man was less than happy to oblige, but, being as hen-pecked as he was, dutifully shut his pouting mouth.
"I'm home," Nino said, coming in with a frown. In his hands, he held a very drained looking Plagg. Adrien immediately rushed to his side.
"Did you guys not see the Guardian guy?" Adrien asked, taking the Kwami into his hands.
"Well, he wasn't home. We waited and waited but then Plagg said he wants to come home.
"It was getting a bit hot." Plagg said with a wave of his little arm.
Adrien frowned in blatant disapproval.
"Plagg. You need to see him." Adrien said.
Plagg sneezed and patted Adrien's forehead.
"Jeez kid, relax, will you? It's the flu, not the death penalty. I can't die in this form, remember?" Plagg said.
Adrien's lips twisted.
"That's not the point. You shouldn't be sick…"Adrien said.
"Awww, is someone worried about little ol' me? Well, it's about time!" Plagg snickered, flying over to his storage of cheese.
He stopped at the table to rest when a head-rush washed over backward glance at Adrien, he tried to grin reassuringly.
"It won't affect your transformation, don't worry,"Plagg said.
Adrien shook his head, that wasn't what he was worried about at all.
Plagg had been the one stable presence in his life for the last few years. Never before had Plagg gotten sick, and if something happened to the kwami, he would never recover from the devastation nor would he ever forgive himself.
He sighed.
"You should rest." Adrien said quietly.
Plagg swallowed the cheese and faced the blonde.
"Well, alright then." He muttered, forcing back a cough. He used his remaining energy to fly over to Adrien's head and settle in the silky strands.
Adrien, used to Plagg's strange behavioral patterns just turned to Nino who had been looking at his notes.
"Any news on the attacker?" Adrien asked.
Nino nodded.
"They're holding their information very tightly, but one of my cousins who happened to be working at the hospital this morning said that another guy was brought in by the police, he had claw marks and bruises all over him along with a concussion."
Adrien's eyes twinkled at the memory of thrashing that moron, and he barely bit back his cynical laugh. Nino noted it though and wearily looked at the model.
He cleared his throat.
Adrien snapped out of his fantasy.
"That's unfortunate," Adrien said and Nino shivered.
Adrien pondered something for a moment.
"I'm guessing he knows exactly what we need to know, a simple interrogation would work, now it's just a matter of when he wakes up…Did they say anything about the red-head?" Adrien asked.
Nino rubbed his forehead.
"Not really…"Nino sighed out.
Adrien groaned.
**************************************
Well at least all her boxes were there. Marinette looked at the bird on her shoulder.
"I'm hungry, what about you, my little prince?" Marinette cooed at Berry. The bird tilted its head. He was pretty big now and could fly…sort of. He had taken to flying a few meters, then stopping to walk around the floor. He was a very odd bird indeed.
Marinette hummed, going to the kitchen, suddenly, her phone buzzed. She picked it up and answered absently, not looking at the caller I.D.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Hey, Marinette!" A cheery voice said.
"Marcus?"
"I see nothing gets past you," Marcus said.
"Marcus! How are you? I haven't heard from you since the other day…"
"I'm fine, just missed you…How have you been?" He asked.
Marinette blushed for a few seconds.
"Oh, I've been, urm, fine, ha haa, soooo, did you need something?" She asked feeling a bit nervous as she and Berry stood at the threshold of the kitchen.
"Actually yes, I was wondering if you would like to take a cruise down the Seine with me, it won't be for long, and it will be before crime time, so we'll be pretty much safe." He said slowly.
"…A cruise down the Seine?" Marinette asked wearily."
"Yeah…I haven't actually been on a ferry or cruise down the Seine before so I figured it would be nice to do it sometime. Also, there is something that needs to be said."
Marinette paused. She had told herself that she would not believe that Chat was Marcus… but it was hard.
She took a deep breath.
No, she would keep a level head about this. If Chat was Marcus, then Chat was Marcus. If he was not Marcus, then that would be that. It wouldn't be wise to overthink the situation. However, with the way things went in Paris, it would be hard to be with him.
Being alone with someone was considered as being out on a date.
When she went out with him the other day, she had gone with the idea that he was Chat.
But now that she was unsure… would it still be okay?
"I don't know about this…"She found herself saying.
"Come on Princess, we won't even be long, two hours, max. That's all I ask." Marcus said in a sultry voice.
"Is this really because you want to be on a cruise or for some other reason?"
"…That is a secret." Marcus said in response to her question.
Marinette bit her lip, conflicted.
Maybe it was Chat.
Maybe it wasn't.
And if it wasn't…Then she would be 'hoeing' around… Chat and herself were in a serious relationship after all.
But then again, it wasn't like she was out there kissing Marcus, right?
Oh, this was much too confusing.
"Pleeease, Princess." Marcus said.
Marinette sighed, praying to God that she was doing the right thing…
"Okay, but there better be food!" She said.
Marcus chuckled.
"Whatever you want, your wish is my command." He said.
For a second they were both quiet.
"The cruise is tomorrow, Milady. Wear whatever you want." Marcus said.
"Well, what color are you going to wear?"
"Black, as usual." He said to her.
Marinette played with a strand of her hair.
As usual?
…
"Alright, what time will you be over to pick me up?"She asked.
"Hmmm…Maybe you should just meet me at the Seine instead. Twelve sounds reasonable, right? That way, I'll have you home before crime time." Marcus said.
"Okay, I'll be there," Marinette said.
"I'll be waiting, till then my beautiful Princess."
"Till then." Marinette said.
The call cut and she looked at Berry.
"I wonder what' this big secret that he has to tell me." Marinette mused to herself.
Berry considered her for a moment before flying off into the kitchen.
Marinette giggled at his antics. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." She said with a happy smile.
She walked over to one of the boxes, taking out some bird food, and a few dried chilies to help Berry's vocal cords develop.
"I should really unpack this quickly, it isn't all that much…Then maybe I can get started with that big winter outfit assignment, I mean, they've only given us a week off to design and construct them."
Berry held his chili with his foot and looked up at her from his perch on the kitchen counter.
He looked at her oddly, slowly biting at his chili.
"I know what you're thinking, a week is a long time…But between you and Chat and procrastination that leaves me with basically three days." Marinette groaned.
Berry chirped happily, it seemed the young bird agreed wholeheartedly.
Marinette smiled at him affectionately as he messed the counter.
"You and Chat are so full of nonsense."
"You and Chat." Berry said.
Marinette's eyes widened.
"Kitty," Berry said.
Marinette gasped.
"Oh Berry, my baby, you spoke! Oh, wait till I tell Chat!" She exclaimed blissfully.
Berry chirped.
"Chat, Chat,Chat,"Berry said, alternating his words with chirps.
Marinette nodded, smiling broadly.
"Chat." She said back.
*******************************************************
"Adrien!" Nino growled.
The young doctor ignored the man and kept ruffling through his notes.
"Plus…Plus…Why plus? What the flip did the plus mean? A couple? A collaboration? An alliance? A political party? Equals to…KOMDC…Maybe its Latin…No…Nathaniel learned French and English…No…"
Nino exhaled harshly, going over to Adrien and forcefully turning him.
"Adrien!"
"WHAT?"
"You haven't eaten since last night, you haven't slept, you haven't taken any vitamins, and this is NOT going to solve anything. Why are you so obsessed with this? You don't even like Nathaniel." Nino said.
Adrien looked at the clock. Nino was right… He had completely forgotten himself today.
"But Marinette does…The sooner I fix this, the sooner everything will be normal, and when Marinette finds out it won't be that hard on her." Adrien said.
Nino sighed.
"You severely lack the art of understanding females. She is going to be so mad that you didn't tell her that one of her best friends were on their deathbed that she's going to ignore you for at least a week." Nino.
Adrien crossed his arms.
"Well, I saved his life, so minus four days from that. Then I figured out what his message was, so minus two days, and I'm very alluring and irresistible and seductive when I want to be so minus one day. Problem solved." He said.
Nino groaned.
"Firstly, four days is too much, secondly, you haven't solved it yet, and thirdly, seductive, really?" Nino said with a face palm.
Adrien batted his eyelashes.
"Oh, you don't think so?" He asked in a high-pitched voice.
Nino rolled his eyes.
"My brain just vomited."
"That would explain all the bullshit that flows out of your mouth," Adrien said with a glare.
"Talking from experience blondie?"Nino smirked.
"You mean the experience of hearing your crap? If so then yes!" Adrien said with a huff.
"Go suck a plum!" Nino exclaimed.
"You go suck a plum! And I hope it's a sour one!" Adrien said pointing at Nino.
"I only buy sweet plums!"
"Oh really? Then what's your excuse for that shitty, sour look on your face? Oh wait, that is your face! HA!"
"Oh yeah?!…Welll… Uhh…Your shampoo smells weird!" Nino shouted.
"Does NOT!"
"DOES TOO!"
Adrien fumbled.
"Well, your lasagne tastes like feet!"
"DOES NOT!"
"DOES TOO!"Adrien deadpanned.
"DOES NOT!"
"DOES TOO!"
"DOES NOT!"
"FINE IT'S AMAZING, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!?"
A very annoyed Plagg stared at the young men.
"Girls, girls, you're both pretty, now please can you shut up? Some of us are sleeping here." He said with a glare.
The boys cowered.
"Sorry,how are you feeling?"
"Shut up, go eat right now." Plagg hissed.
Adrien rubbed his neck. He hadn't had an appetite all day, the thought of eating just made him feel exhausted.
He opened his mouth to make an elaborate excuse, but Plagg cut him off.
"You promised her." He said with a pointed look.
Adrien snapped his mouth shut and hung his head in shame.
"You' re right...I did." He said and ran a hand through his beautiful hair. With that, he took a deep breath and marched off to the kitchen.
Plagg watched him fondly before a massive cough wracked his small frame.
Adrien turned to look at him, but he waved a flipper.
" 'M fine, carry on. How long do you want to spend with Marinette tonight?"
Adrien looked at him worriedly for a moment.
"How can I transform when you're this sick?" He asked.
"I've rested, we should be fine for about 9 hours,"Plagg said.
Adrien shook his head. "I just need to make sure the house is completely safe. After that, I can come home and you can rest."
Plagg groaned.
"But your mooshy time will be cut short." He said to Adrien.
"It's okay, Marinette is really understanding," Nino said to the two.
Adrien nodded quietly. Of course he wanted to be with Marinette, but Plagg wasn't well, he had to believe that Marinette would offer his soul some leniency.
Nino stared at the blonde who had no regard for his own health whatsoever, wondering how the hell the people in Paris, himself included, had not realized the perfect Model persona was all a facade.
His phone began to vibrate and he waved at Adrien to be silent.
The young model nodded and dragged himself to the kitchen, getting something to eat just to ease his conscience about almost breaking his promise to Marinette.
"Hey, baby."
"Hey Nemo, listen, I'm about to go to the airport, and you know how airports act with foreigners, ugh, so I won't be able to talk for a while, but tomorrow please pick me up, I'll be landing around eleven, I have a big theory to discuss pertaining to the letters on Nathaniel's arm…"Alya said.
"Did you figure it out?" Nino asked excitedly.
"…Something like that…"
"What's wrong?"
"It's not fully figured out, so it may mean nothing…"
Nino looked as if he wanted to say something.
"Babe, I have to go, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, I love you."
"I love you too Sunshine. Be safe."
"I will Nemo. Bye."
The call cut and Nino looked at Adrien with a frown.
"Alya will be coming back tomorrow."
Adrien sighed as he munched on his spinach leaf.
"If she had a hunch why didn't she tell you over the phone?"
Nino scratched his neck.
"She's weird like that. If she doesn't really believe that much in her theory then she won't say her theory out loud."
Adrien sipped his water thoughtfully.
For a minute the only noises were the sounds of Nino's breathing and Adrien's gentle chewing.
"I don't get why he tried to get me to understand what his engraving meant. I mean…As far as he knows, I'm still a villain…Why did he show me the engraving…"
Nino shrugged.
"Maybe he figured something out." Nino said, but even he didn't sound convinced.
"How would he have figured something out? I mean I've never had any contact with him." Adrien said with an eye roll.
"Hey don't underestimate him, he's an artist, and if anyone put the pieces together that Adrien Agreste the Supermodel is actually Chat Noir the villain, it would be him. He's a man of fine art and tiny details." Nino said.
"Are you saying I'm fine art?" Adrien said with a wink.
Perhaps." Nino said fluttering his eyelashes.
Plagg snorted.
"Dipshits." He said.
The boys looked affronted.
"Excuse you." Nino huffed.
Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose.
"But in all seriousness, I need to figure this out. It doesn't add up. You could be right about him knowing something…But I don't understand how. My Chat Noir persona isn't even remotely like my Adrien Persona…So how?"
"Does anybody else know who you are?"
"Besides Marinette, Plagg and yourself? No. I haven't told anyone."
Plagg frowned for a moment.
"You know, Nathaniel is pretty close to Marinette too, just like Nino, and I mean Nino pieced it together, dumb as he is-"
"Hey!"
"- and if Nathaniel is as quiet and observant as Marinette says he is, then maybe he figured out who you are to Marinette, even if he hasn't figured out your identity."
Adrien ran a hand through his hair.
"This is complicated." He said, tiredly.
Nino pursed his lips.
"You don't think this would have anything to do with Netty-"
"Marinette." Adrien corrected with a dark glare.
"Fine, Marinette." Nino said with an eyeroll.
Before Adrien could respond, he was hit with a massive wave of nausea, and quickly ran over to the bathroom.
Nino's eyes widened.
"Adrien? What's wrong?"
Plagg flew over to Adrien.
"He's fine, he just ate kale, it doesn't agree with him."
Adrien sniffed.
"I was distracted, okay?"
Plagg sneezed.
"Well let's get you suited up so that you feel better," Plagg said.
Adrien frowned.
"You're really sick, Plagg."
"That's why we agreed on not staying at her place all night, right kid?" Plagg said, forcing energy into his voice.
"Yeah…but…"Adrien mumbled.
Plagg rolled his eyes.
"Do you wanna see her or not?"He said in irritation.
Adrien blanched. "Alright, Plagg, transform me."
Plagg looked almost relieved as he was sucked in.
Chat looked at Nino.
"I'll be home in a few hours." He said.
"Cool, don't forget and fall asleep over there, kay? I won't be at home after 6 a.m because I have to meet with Alya's mum and help her with a few things before I pick Alya up, so I won't be able to remind you. Remember you have to be here, hiding tomorrow to hear what Alya has to say." Nino said.
"Got it. Eleven?"
Nino shook his head.
"Basically noon, if I pick her up at eleven, by the time we reach home, it would be noon."
Chat nodded.
He leaped up, through the trapdoor and jumped over rooftops, deep in thought. In a matter of minutes, he found himself upon the terrace of Marinette's new apartment, staring down at the bars covering the trapdoor.
He chased all the thoughts plaguing his troubled mind away and inhaled deeply. It wouldn't do well to cause Marinette unnecessary worry.
He leaned down and knocked on the glass of the trapdoor, reaching through the bars to do so.
After a minute, he heard a little bouncing noise, and soon, he was peering down at Marinette's beautiful face.
She grinned and began to unlock the trapdoor and the burglar guards. She pushed it aside.
"Hey, Kitty."She greeted happily.
"Hey there, miss me?"Chat grinned.
"Maybe, maybe not," Marinette said coyly.
Chat clutched his heart, fell through the trapdoor and onto the waiting bed.
"You've wounded me Princess with your nonchalant response." He said, making wheezing noises.
Marinette rolled her eyes.
"Dramaqueen."She laughed, kissing the tip of his nose and moving to lock her trapdoor.
When she was done, she turned and looked down at the bed that she was standing on to find Chat sitting cross-legged and pouting up at her.
"What?" She asked when she saw his adorably handsome face.
"You still haven't answered my question." He said, sniffling.
"Awww, Chat." She giggled, dropping down and pulling him into an intimate hug.
"Of course I've missed you." She said, nuzzling his hair.
Chat smiled.
"What a coincidence. I've missed you too." He said, kissing her cheek. Marinette giggled, and drew back.
"This is your set, by the way," Marinette said, setting the small ring with a few keys on it in his hand.
Chat looked at her in confusion.
"You're giving me keys to your apartment?" He looked at her, confoundedly.
"Yes, this one has guards on the trapdoor, and no you are not destroying them." Marinette said.
'But…are you sure you want to give me access to your apartment?"
Marinette looked at him oddly.
"Why wouldn't I?" She asked with furrowed brows.
Chat didn't answer, instead, he leaned forward and hugged her.
"Thank you for trusting me." He said. Marinette sighed into his golden locks and turned her face to kiss his cheek.
"Likewise." She said simply, the pair stayed in the embrace for a few minutes. Slowly Marinette drew back to look at his face.
"Well now that you're here, I can give you the grand tour." She said happily, interlocking their fingers and climbing down the ladder. Chat glanced around. It seemed that she had replicated her old room, except the chaise, was replaced by a pink lounge set and a coffee table.
"So this is my bedroom." She said, gesturing with her unused hand.
Chat gasped.
"Oh man, I'm glad you pointed that out. I thought this was the kitchen."He said, ducking when Marinette tried to smack him.
She pulled him through the trapdoor and down the stairs. He looked around. It was clear that Marinette's new place was much larger than her old one, but it seemed that the attic, which Marinette had once again made into a bedroom was the same size as her previous room.
"So this is the lounge." She said, gesturing to the very calm, creamy looking room. The curtains were a light pastel pink, along with the cushions that sat on the smooth, white couches, A huge salmon, fluffy carpet lay in the space between the flat screen and the couches. White cabinets lined a few parts of the walls, and a few paintings hung on the walls.
Chat hummed. "Well this is…Pink." He said, amusement clear in his eyes. He took the opportunity to slip the keyring on his belt.
"Pink is a really good color." She said, giving him the evil eye, daring him to comment.
His eyes fell on the dark grand piano that stood on the elevated section of the living room in a space shaped like one half of an octagon, in front of a window.
"That doesn't fit in with your color scheme, now does it." He said with a quirked brow.
Marinette glanced at it.
"Actually the previous owner left it behind, said it's a housewarming gift." She said.
"I'm not really sure what to do with it." She admitted.
Chat chuckled, sauntering over to it and hoisting himself up on it. He turned to her as he lay across it, with his head propped up on his elbows.
"You could stare at me and tell me how good my hair looks." He said winking and making cat noise.
Marinette snorted and laughed.
"Don't make those noises, silly cat." She said, walking towards him.
Chat closed his eyes as he lay flat on the piano, still smiling.
"Can we tour tomorrow?" He asked as Marinette leaned over him to play with his hair. He shifted his head to look at her. Marinette smiled.
"Okay, deal." She said.
"You're really tired." Chat noted.
Marinette rubbed her eyes.
"It's been a long day." She admitted.
"Same here." Chat said.
Chat shifted so that his legs were hanging off the piano.
He reached out and pulled her closer.
"Tell me about your day." He said once she was standing comfortably between his legs with her back pressed to his chest and his chin resting on her shoulder. She lightly rubbed his arms that were encircled around her waist.
"It was long and stressful. My parents helped me pack away everything and get rid of the boxes, but I feel like a walking corpse. Oh, I haven't told you, Berry said his first words today." She smiled.
"Hmm, if it helps, you're the most beautiful walking corpse I've ever seen, as for the Lil shit, what were his words?"
Marinette swatted his arm for his insult to Berry.
"His first words were actually 'You and Chat.', then he said some other stuff, it was so cute. I'm so happy that he's big enough to have his own cage and fly around." She said with a happy sigh.
"He can fly now?" Chat asked.
"Mmhmm, he's actually really intelligent."
"I don't doubt it." Chat said in agreement.
Marinette rotated her shoulders.
"Tense much." Chat commented, noting how stiffly her joints moved.
"Sorry Kitty, it's not you, I'm just stiff from all the packing and unpacking. Right now, I really just want to have a nice bubble bath for a few hours and listen to some overly amazing music from those teenage prodigies on YouTube."Chat chuckled.
"Okay, let's get your bath running then." He said, getting off the Piano.
"Wait, Chat, I can't just relax in a bubble bath and leave you all alone out here! You'd get so bored." Marinette said.
Chat smiled.
"Bored? Ha, well I don't know about YouTube but I do happen to be a child pianist prodigy." He shrugged.
Marinette blinked.
"You know the more a find out about you, the more plain I feel." Marinette said with a pout.
"You're the furthest thing in the world from plain, Princess. Please don't ever feel that way. If anything, I'm the one that's plain. I have the emotional capacity of a grapefruit and I count beach sand grains for fun." Chat said looking at her pointedly.
"Counting is fun." Marinette said with a small laugh.
Chat rolled his eyes. "If you say it is, then it is." He said with a grin, peeking into a room and ushering her into it after he found that it was indeed the bathroom.
"Okay I say it is." Marinette said.
"Alright, then as I said, if you say it is, then it is." Chat laughed, stoppering the tubs drainage, and looking into the cupboard for something.
He looked at the bottles thoughtfully,before he eventually selected a purple one.
"This certainly looks promising." He said to himself.
He dropped in a bit and ran the hot water.
"You know kitty, I'm perfectly capable of running my own bath." She said, poking his cheek.
"I know that you are." He replied simply, his lips tilt upwards into an endearing smile.
"Question, are you expecting me to leave the door open so that I can hear you play?" Marinette snickered with a quirked bow. Chat's cheeks began to turn a cherry-like shade of pink.
He scratched his neck, and gulped.
"N-not necessarily, Princess, I'm sure y-you could hear it through the closed door just fine." He said quickly.
Marinette laughed, and reached out to brush some of his fair hair off his mask.
"I'm teasing you, Minou. I think it would be okay to leave the door open, as long as you don't come near it till I'm dressed."Marinette reasoned.
Chat placed his hand on his heart.
"My lady has my heart and my word." He said earnestly.
Marinette smiled fondly.
"Good, now while you're in the mood of doing stuff, I need some clothes." She said.
Chat's eyes widened and his blush deepened as he remembered the last time he dared to gaze upon the contents of her underwear drawer.
He blinked rapidly.
"Sure thing Princess." He said and spun on his heel to walk briskly up to her room. He looked at the familiar set of drawers. Tentatively he reached out a finger and pulled the drawer open. He ruffled around till he found a onesie.
He sighed with a pout. He inhaled deeply and pulled the next drawer open, looking upwards, away from the contents. He grabbed something and slammed the drawer shut. He exhaled and took a peek at what he had grabbed in his haste.
His eyes bulged, just his luck to get the g-string.
"You are not going to think any further you hentai freak." He snarled at himself, this time, steeling his nerves and pulling the drawer open with determination to get the most comfortable underwear in the drawer for Marinette.
Although his cheeks were burning, he did his best not to squeak. His eyes darted around at the contents. His eyes found their target: Boylegs, that had to be more comfortable than a string between your butt cheeks, right?
He grabbed the pastel pink underwear and closed the drawer triumphantly.
"If I had known that letting you pick my panties was this comical I would have made you do it every day."
Chat froze and turned to see Marinette snickering at him.
He looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"Ha ha very funny." He said, trying to lace his voice with malice but failing miserably.
Marinette giggled. "Come on." She said, and held out her hand to her pouting boyfriend, he held her hand with his free one and sulked all the way to the bathroom.
Marinette turned to him a few tiles before the entrance of the bathroom.
"Okay, don't cross this line."
"Don't cross the line, got it." Chat said, handing her the clothes. Marinette grinned and walked into the bathroom.
Chat walked to the piano.
"Hey, Princess, if you need me to wash your back or anything-"
"Chaaat."She whined and he snickered.
He sat down, his foot immediately finding the pedal.
"Any special requests, Princess?" He called.
"Surprise me kitten."
"Don't I always?"
"Hmmm." Marinette hummed as she settled into the water.
Chat's fingers ghosted over the keys. He had always been quite fond of the piano, and as much as perfecting his skill was a bore, he always found a certain comfort in the uncertainty of being able to compose something to call his own, and he often found himself so immersed and wrapped up in the keys that in that very moment all that existed was him and his controlled imperfect perfected pieces. It made absolutely no sense in the most comprehensible way possible.
He corrected his posture, experimentally tested a few suspended and minor notes, the keys seemed to be semi weighted.
And with a smile, he began to play.
He played Mozart's Sonata, number 17 in C, letting his fingers dance across the keys to the jovial tune.
Marinette's mouth dropped open as she heard him play, she could almost hear his confidence in the composition. Soon it was over, and he had already begun a new song, sweeping her up into a trance of relaxedness.
Chat watched his fingers as they hit each note with precision and conviction, he had started to play Prelude Op.32, Number 5 in G major. He had always admired Sergei's works, but compared to his other, slightly more aggressive works, this one was his favorite. Something about the lullaby-like sound was so entrancing and he truly cherished it.
He wondered what Marinette thought of the pieces, and decided to play something that she would most probably have heard at some time or another –Pachelbel's Canon, D major. The tune always made him feel like someone was convincing him of a brighter future, so he continued.
Marinette kept her eyes closed as she listened to him play, wondering just how she had gotten so lucky as to have found someone like Chat.
She hummed along to the familiar tune and smiled.
She was glad she found him, or rather, he found her.
Soon, he played Chopin, and then Bach. The pieces were by no means short, but were so elegant and beautiful.
Marinette sighed as she noted the water had gotten a bit cold, and looking at her fingers, she realized it was about time she emerged.
She began to change just as Chat began to play something very…strange.
It was calm, and elegant, but it sounded almost regretful…yet hopeful? It was confusing but it all fit, somehow. She stepped out of the bathroom, fully clothed and warm. For a minute she just took Chat in as he poured himself out onto the keys, he looked transfixed and very much in his element, disturbing him almost seemed like a sin. His eyes were lidded as he looked down at the keys.
Marinette paused, he had been playing for quite a while now, were his hands not in pain? Quietly, she made her way over to him, he didn't see her and he continued to play for another minute before ending the piece. Sensing her presence, he turned to her with a broad smile.
"Well, someone looks really warm and cuddly." He remarked, beginning to stand. Marinette grinned.
"I am." She said, and hopped in front of him.
He smiled down at her happy face.
"You didn't tell me you were that brilliant on the piano." She said, tilting her head. Chat laughed, "Well, I was busy planning the demise of many others, just saying." Chat said earning an annoyed look from Marinette.
"And the last piece that you played?.." Marinette asked as she looked up through her thick lashes.
"I'm not sure really, I was just playing whatever came to mind,"Chat mumbled, a little embarrassed.
"Well, whatever came to your mind was a masterpiece."She said, brushing his cheek.
Chat reached up to hold the hand on his face and placed a kiss on its palm.
Marinette smiled at him, but her eyes looked sleep-deprived. Chat tilted his head. "You should really rest, Princess." He said quietly. Marinette rubbed her eye.
"But it's not even that late yet." She protested. Chat just chuckled at her antics and scooped her into his arms. Once he had carried her up to her bedroom, he hopped up to her bed and lay her down.
Marinette yawned. "Wait, have you eaten today, Kitty?" She asked.
"I have M'lady." He responded, reaching over to brush some hair out of her eyes from where he sat on the edge of the bed.
"And your medication?"
"I've taken it." It technically wasn't a lie. He did take his evening medication… Marinette raised a brow.
"Did you sleep last night?" She asked.
Chat blinked. He knew she would most definitely be mad if he said that he didn't.
"I...did." He said.
Marinette frowned.
"You didn't take your meds or sleep, did you?" It was more of a statement. Chat's ears drooped.
"I didn't." He admitted. Marinette sighed, pulling him onto the bed.
"Why not?" She asked concernedly.
"…Plagg is very sick, and a lot of stuff is happening in my head right now. For one, I have to be somewhere tomorrow, I'm meeting someone, and it's a pretty important meeting as a lot of important information may be revealed." he said with a sigh.
Marinette froze.
"Meeting?" She asked.
The couple were facing each other.
Chat blinked. "Yes, a meeting of sorts."
"What kind of information will be revealed?" She asked carefully.
"Well, I'm not entirely certain as yet, it just depends…"
"On what?" Marinette asked.
Chat raised a brow at her.
"I can't tell you that now, but I promise I will soon." He said. Marinette deflated a little. A thought occurred to her.
"So what time is this important meeting?" She asked hesitantly.
"Should be around twelve." Chat said thoughtfully.
Marinette stared blankly at Chat.
"What's wrong?" He asked her, noting her frozen state and confused expression.
"Are you sure your meeting is at noon?" She whispered.
"Is something the matter, Princess?" He asked, beginning to sit up.
Marinette blinked. "No, nothing." She frowned.
"Hey. What are you thinking so hard about?" Chat asked, and cupped her cheek.
If only he knew.
Marinette exhaled. "It's really nothing." She said, exhaustion taking over.
Chat smiled, and let out a soft sigh. "Princess, I can't stay over tonight, Plagg is really in a lot of pain. I drained quite a bit of his energy just by staying with you for these few hours." He said gently, getting straight to the point. Marinette blinked sleepily at him.
"I don't want you to go." She said sadly.
"And I don't want to leave." He admitted, equally sad.
"Can't you just detransform and let him rest? I won't look at you, I promise." Marinette said hopefully.
Chat sighed. Chat had been very clear about not agreeing to anything like that.
"I wish I could do that Princess. I really do." he answered.
Marinette sighed.
"But you cant." She said to him.
Chat looked sad. "One of these days, you'll find out who I am, and we'll have sleepovers every, single, day." He said.
"Is that a promise?"
"It's an oath, Princess." Chat said.
Marinette sat up and engulfed him in a hug.
"As long as you keep to your word. You have to promise that you're going to sleep tonight, you will, won't you?" She grumbled, a bit annoyed that he would be leaving. Chat smiled into her hair.
"I will." He said.
"Chat?"
"Yes, Princess?"
"I think you look really nice in your catsuit." Marinette said drowsily.
"Thank you, Princess." Chat smiled, well aware of the nonsense that would sprout from her mouth when she was tired.
"And you have such pretty ears, all four of them."
"Really? I'm flattered that you think so." Chat laughed as he slowly lowered the exhausted girl back onto the bed.
"And you have a lovely set of teeth." She muttered, her eyes fighting to stay open.
"Mmmhmm."Chat said as he arranged her in her favorite sleeping position.
"Chat?"
"Yes Sweetheart?"
"If you were a diary, where would you hide?"
"I'd hide under a lot of clothing, or something strange so that people don't find me easily."
"Oh."
"Why do you ask, love?"
"I misplaced my diary when I was putting my stuff away. It's important that I find it…"
"Oh?"
"Mmmmmmhmmm, you see I wrote things."
"Did you know?"
"Yes, lots of things." She said with a massive, jaw unhinging yawn.
"Thing's like?"
"Things about you."
Chat blinked.
"That's a little dangerous, but, alright. What did you write?"
"Hmm."
"Hmm?"
"Huh?" Marinette asked.
"What?"Chat asked in confusion.
"Chat?"
"Yes, Princess?" Chat asked after covering her with several blankets and tucking her in just to her liking.
"I really love you very much." She mumbled.
Chat stared at her. A soft smile moved onto his lips.
"And I love you more than you could ever possibly imagine." He said, aware that she had fallen asleep.
He sighed. He really, really, really, loved her. Chat watched her for a few more minutes and nuzzled her nose with his own.
"Everything will be okay." He said quietly, as he stared at her peaceful face. He kissed her forehead and pulled her covers a bit more tightly around her. He slowly stood and decided to use the keys to get out.
With one last lingering glance, he jumped through the trapdoors, locked them, and disappeared into the night.
**********
When he got home, Nino was sound asleep.
"Detransform me, Plagg."
Plagg yawned. He looked slightly better.
"Let's hit the hay kid, got a big day tomorrow." Plagg stretched. Adrien nodded.
"You're right. Tomorrow, I'll end this nonsense with Nino, once and for all."
"Adrien, there's been something I've been wanting to discuss…"
"What is it Plagg?"
"Well, people are searching high and low for you. No doubt the whole navy is on a nationwide search…"
"I will end all of that with the final broadcast."
"Chloe hasn't made her move as of yet…"Plagg said.
"She hasn't, but she will, I've been trying to formulate a plan without any loopholes. I've already drawn out what I'll be doing."
"What will you be doing?"
"Oh, you'll see." Adrien said mysteriously.
Plagg huffed.
"Let's go to sleep kid." Plagg said.
**************************
Tikki sobbed in a corner. She had been out searching for a long time, with no food, and the little sustenance that she did obtain were crumbs of bread. She curled her small arms around herself. She looked up at the sky and wondered how, and why all of this was happening. Why?
She didn't even have the slightest hunch about who Marinette was. All she knew was that she was nowhere near being able to help Fu or the others.
If she could just find Plagg…
But how? She had no idea where he was, Chat Noir was everywhere, it's not like he attacked just a certain part of Paris. She sighed, trying not to let the cold get to her. She was so lost, but she knew she had to be careful not to draw any suspicion, Elijah was still looking for her…
She looked up at a nearby poster. She could vaguely make out the words 'Patisserie' and '12 Gotlib street'. She frowned and floated up to make her way to the glossy, beautifully designed and alluring poster.
Her eyes widened as she took in the names 'Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng'. Dupain-Cheng, was not by any means, an ordinary Surname.
'Gotlib Street.12 Gotlib street. I have to get to 12 Gotlib street.'
Her eyes twinkled with hope, she just had to get to Gotlib street. This nightmare would be over soon.
***************
It was eight in the morning when Adrien awoke. He yawned and stretched, and with a glance at the clock, he realized he must have been really exhausted to have awoken that late.
He leaned up on his elbows and looked around. Plagg was fast asleep on his tummy.
He scratched Plagg between the ears, and he purred, even in his sleep. Slowly, he picked him up and placed him on the pillow.
He went to the bathroom and began to wash up, an hour later found him walking into the kitchen with a towel around his waist. His mind was already whirling, what would Alya say?
He took out Plagg's cheese and placed it on a plate. It was around nine. With a glance at the time, he retrieved his medication.
"Plagg,time for breakfast."He called.
Plagg didn't answer.
"Plagg, come on buddy."
"You literally have the most distinctively annoying voice ever kid."
"Hey, it could have been Nino calling." Adrien huffed.
"No, as I said, you have this distinct, annoying voice." Plagg said and floated towards his plate."
"Do I?" Adrien asked absently, twirling a baby carrot between his fingers before taking a bite.
'Would you quit it already!? Marinette is pooping right now, call back later.'
Adrien's eyes widened in horror as he dropped the carrot on his plate. Plagg looked at him in concern.
"I do!" He breathed out as he held his head.
"What?" Plagg asked, looking worried.
"A distinctive voice. I have a distinctive voice. Nathaniel heard my voice." Adrien said.
"But then why didn't he figure out that Chat Noir is Adrien?" Plagg asked with wide eyes.
"I don't know but he knows that Chat was with Marinette. The fact that he didn't try calling back after means that he suspected something going on between the two of us for a long time."
"But how?..."
"I...don't…"Adrien faltered.
"Okay, let's forget that for a sec, what exactly does this mean."
"We're about to find out. Plagg eat up, we're going to the hospital."
"Ahead of you," Plagg said, licking his plate. He sneezed and ignored the dizzy spell.
"Plagg, transform me."
In a flash, Chat was up the stairs, pouncing out the trapdoor. He was outside, before crime time. In broad daylight. He had to be careful. Chat cussed.
He looked in the direction of the hospital and started to run. The man had been unconscious since his encounter with Chat, and Nathaniel still had not woken up, but Chat knew that he needed answers as soon as possible.
He leaned against a wall, steadying himself. He took a breath and stepped in front of the sliding doors. All eyes were on him as he stepped in.
"Goodmorning everyone, I mean no harm, I just need to know the ward number of the men brought in from the attack at the Art Studio." He said calmly.
He was trying this new thing. 'Civility'.
The nurses blinked at him, shocked.
"It would be much appreciated if you tell me quickly." Chat said. Still, they just stared.
Chat sighed.
"Fine, tell me where the two bastards are or someone's going to die." He said with an eyeroll.
Immediately the nurses jumped into action. Chat sauntered toward the info desk. The male nurse looked up at him, frightened. He quickly handed Chat two folders and a card.
Chat saluted him and made his way to the elevator.
He flipped open Nathaniel's attacker's folder. It was absolutely dumb to keep the victim and attacker in the same hospital, Chat frowned. The elevator doors opened and Chat swiped into the closed-off ward.
He found the correct room and walked in.
The man lay unconscious on the bed, with multiple chords and tubes hanging around him. Chat took a look at the tags around his wrist. He scanned the card at the end of the bed.
"Moderate TBI and blood loss, hey." He said.
He looked at the dosage of sedative that the man was on. He looked at the tubes and quickly located the sedative, turning it off.
It seemed that the man had been under the sedative since his arrival, but Chat knew that with a Mild to moderate concussion, the man should have been able to wake up, and so the only thing preventing that was the abnormally high doses of sedatives.
Chat looked at the man's chart again. He didn't have Edema or any Hematomas. He wasn't suffering from Hydrocephalus. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a pen and correcting a few of the dosages. He despised the man but the dosages were much too much. He walked around to the man's arms and strapped them down so that when he did wake up, he wouldn't try to remove the stimulus of pain, namely the needles sticking into him.
The man began to rouse after a while. He blinked multiple times before trying to remove his hands from the bonds. He began to breathe rapidly.
Chat blinked, taking a few steps back. The man's vision began to focus and they soon fell on Chat. His heart rate began to accelerate. Chat held his hands up.
"I just want information. I'm not going to harm you." Chat said.
The man tried to speak. No sound came out.
Chat sifted through his mental notes. He walked closer to the bed. The man's eyes followed.
"I need you to do a few things for me." Chat said slowly in an even tone.
The man looked confused.
Chat held up his index finger. "Follow my finger." He said, moving his hand with his index finger raised. The man's eyes followed.
"Good. Do you remember your name?" Chat asked.
The man frowned and looked down.
"Do you remember how you landed up here?"
The man closed his eyes, trying to think.
Chat frowned.
"Do you know who Nathaniel Kurtzberg is?"
The man's eyes widened, suddenly he began to wince.
Chat stared. "You tried to kill him, was it because he found out something?"
The man looked shocked, and very confused.
Chat pursed his lips.
"Have you had any affiliation with anyone having ill-intent recently?" The man looked to be in pain, but slowly, he began to nod.
"What day is it today? Is it Monday?" Chat asked. The man shook his head.
"Is it a weekday?" Chat asked, his mind reeling.
The man shook his head.
"Is it…by any chance, Saturday and I've just done a live broadcast?" Chat asked slowly.
The man nodded vigorously.
Chat exhaled.
"And you've just been called to commit a crime?" He continued.
The man looked guilty, but nodded.
"Have you been blackmailed into this crime?"
The man was silent, but then he nodded.
"Was the person who called you a woman?"
The man gulped, and looked frightened.
"Will she harm your family if you do not comply?"
The man gritted his teeth and nodded.
Chat closed his eyes.
He knew the man wasn't lying, his heart rate was constant.
"Have you been given a date that you have to attack on as yet?"
The man shook his head.
Chat steeled his nerves. "Were you meant to attack a woman by the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"
The man looked mortified. He bit his lip and stared at Chat with wide-eyes.
Chat began to breathe shakily.
"M.M + Chloe Bourgeois=K.O. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. DAMNIT, I'm such an idiot! It was right in front of me. SHIT." He turns around and darts to Nathaniel's ward. Nathaniel wouldn't be awake, he was hurt too bad, but he needed to see the engraving to make sure he had seen correctly.
He swiped into the room and stalked up to the red-head, ignoring all the nurses as he went. He used a claw to rip open the bandages around Nathaniel's arm.
The letters were still there. He hadn't seen incorrectly.
"Shit."He hissed. He had to get over to Marinette.
************************
Marinette hummed as she opened the door of her apartment. She wanted to leave a little earlier so that she could check out some materials for her latest project.
She had already dressed for the meeting with Marcus, wearing a rich-red dress, it was a halter-neck with a sweetheart neckline. It clung to her chest and flared our from the waist, stopping above the knee.
Her hair was in its usual shoulder-length waves, with a red-bandana tied cutely. Her make-up was immaculate, and her lipstick matched the shade of her dress and her heels.
Berry squawked in his cage.
"Relax, I won't be gone too long."
The bird gnawed at the bars of the cage. The door of the cage began to come loose, and he used his head to slide it upward. He immediately flew straight at her. Clinging to her clothes.
Marinette gasped.
"Berry, what's gotten into you boy?" Marinette asked in confusion as she tried to remove his claws from her dress.
She huffed and with a particularly hard tug, she got him off.
With an odd look, she placed him back in the cage.
It was said that animals and birds had a sixth sense, and they knew when something bad would happen. Marinette shook her head.
No, nothing would happen.
************
Chat practically flew over the rooftops, not caring if he was spotted or had a horrible feeling in his gut that something bad was going to happen today.
It was ten-thirty at the moment. Chat fell onto her rooftop and scrambled to the trapdoor.
"The keys." He said, smacking his head.
He growled.
"Screw it." He hissed. "Cataclysm!" He destroyed the burglar guards and picked open the trapdoor. He dropped onto her bed.
"Marinette? Are you here?" He asked, jumping down from the loft and running through all the rooms.
She wasn't home.
His ring began to beep.
"Marinette?"He called and threw open doors.
It beeped again.
Chat tried to keep his breathing in check.
"There must be some sort of clue."He said to himself as he ran back to her room.
Alright, so her make-up was out, and so were a few hair clips. She could have just went out.
Chat bit his lip. He went to check which of her shoes she had used.
Her sneakers were still there. "So she hasn't gone running."
An empty box lay underneath the table. The description on the side said 'red high-heels'.
He frowned.
"Where would Marinette go to wearing these death traps…"
His transformation fell.
"Adrien?" Plagg groaned.
"There's no signs of a struggle, so she went somewhere on her own…But where could she have went?" Adrien paced.
"You realize you're naked right? You transformed this morning while still in a towel." Plagg pointed out.
Adrien wasn't listening.
"Where would she go?"
"Kid, I think Alya can help you figure that one out. Remember, the attack may not necessarily be today."
"And what if it is?"Adrien said, spinning to face the Kwami.
"What if she gets attacked and I'm not there to help her?" Adrien asked, running a hand through his hair.
"There has to be something." He said, closing his eyes. Plagg toppled over, but Adrien didn't see it as his back had been turned. Plagg quickly righted himself.
Adrien walked back downstairs.
He looked at the fridge for any to-do-lists. He found none.
"Twelve a clock. See you soon."
Plagg and Adrien both spun. Berry tilted his head.
"Twelve a clock. I'll be there." Plagg looked at the bird in shock.
Adrien blinked.
"She's meeting someone at twelve o' clock Plagg." Adrien said in horror.
Berry tilted his head.
He just repeated parts of the conversation that he remembered.
"She could just be meeting Alya, calm down!" Plagg said quickly, noting the glimmer of sweat coating the blonde's skin.
"Alya may know something, we need to get back." Adrien said. Plagg nodded and flew through the fridge to get some cheese. He began to eat as fast as he could, and in record time, he was done.
"Transform me." Adrien said, and once he was transformed, he ran sprinted up the stairs and leaped out of the trapdoor. Soon he was at Nino's. After entering the apartment he tried to think of who had the initial's M.M, that person could be the one Marinette was meeting. As quick as he could he hid his stuff in the room, he knew that the downstairs was devoid of his stuff, except food items maybe. He cussed for not getting back earlier to make sure the place was spick and span. What would happen if Alya figured out he was there? His mind drifted back to Marinette.
He felt sick to his stomach realising that it could have been someone that she trusted if she was willing to meet them. Suddenly, Nino pulled up outside the Apartment. Chat went downstairs and hid in the space between the TV cabinet and the wall.
Nino opened the door to the apartment and Alya stepped inside.
She looked around for a moment, looking a bit skeptical.
"Nino, does someone else live here?"
"No, just me,"Nino said hesitantly.
Alya looked at him with a raised brow then walked over to the bag of raw nuts on the table.
"You're allergic to nuts."She stated.
"Max came over."
"Max is in England," Alya said, crossing her arms.
"It's been there since he left," Nino said.
"He left last year."
"Oh, haha, that long?"
The woman frowned.
"Why does the fridge magnet's spell that?" She asked.
Adrien had a view of the fridge…And he remembered joking with Nino, spelling out the words 'I love model's legs'.
Nino's eyes widened.
"Baby, as I've said, before, you look like a model."He squeaked out.
She pursed her lips as Chat smacked his forehead.
Alya walked around the counter. She paused and picked up what looked like a blond hair from the counter.
"The hell is this?" She demanded.
"Uhh…golden hair of corn?"
"Nino, who does this belong to?"
Chat winced, noting the venom in Alya's tone.
"It's…a friends." Nino said quietly.
Alya's nostrils flared.
"Nino." She snarled, beginning to make her way to the staircase leading to his bedroom. Once there she looked at the double bed and checked for any more hairs. She didn't find any, but that didn't stop her as she stomped down the stairs and opened the bathroom door.
She looked at the drain.
"More blonde hair. Shampoo that you hate the smell of. Honey-lemon body wash. Activated charcoal exfoliating seaweed scrub peel off mask?! Nino you ball-less lying piece of shit!"
Chat winced again.
"Okay I know what this looks like, but it's really not what it looks like." Nino said with wide eyes.
"You know what, screw you, I don't have time for this, Marinette's life could be in danger and I have no time for your man-hoe ass." Alya said, turning to leave the apartment.
Chat's eyes widened.
"Wait, Alya-"
"Stupid son of a-"
"I'm innocent-"
"I have to go see Marinette, you're wasting my time! Move!"
"But-"Nino started, and grabbed her wrist.
"Bastard! Get the hell away from me!"
"Alya I swear I'm not cheating on you!" Nino said in exasperation.
"Let me go!"
"I wouldn't betray your trust like that, I lov-"
A hard slap sounded. Chat squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't just let Nino's relationship fall, Nino had been so kind to him, he didn't deserve this.
He was only trying to help him.
Nino remained silent.
"Are you going to tell me the truth or not?"
Nino still remained silent, swallowing thickly.
Chat cussed. The man was not planning on selling him out.
"Okay then."
She grasped the doorknob, twisting it and pulling the door open. Nino stared down at the floor.
Just as Alya was about to step out, however, Chat's baton extended, and shut the door. Nino's eyes widened as he spun to look at Chat who looked shocked at himself. Alya's eyes followed the baton all the way to Chat's hand.
For a moment everyone stood stunned.
"For the record, you read too fast, my body wash is honey-melon, not honey-lemon." Chat said.
Alya stared, her eyes wide in horror.
She looked at Nino and back at Chat.
Then, she opened her mouth to scream.
Nino quickly covered her mouth.
"No no no no no no he's not going to hurt us-"Nino started but Alya struggled free.
"HELP!"
"Baby he's just trying to protect-"
"Somebody help!
"Oh for the love of puns, I'm not trying to kill you!" Chat snarled.
"He really isn't." Nino said. He looked at Chat.
"Chat, give us a moment." He said, Chat huffed, looking at the clock.
Alya held Nino tighter.
"Nino Lahiffe I would have preferred you cheating as compared to harboring a criminal!" She hissed.
Nino raised a brow.
"…Okay fine I'm happy that you aren't cheating, but Chat Noir? Nino? Really? What the hell are you thinking?"
"You slapped me, my ears are still ringing." Nino said, ignoring what she said.
"We have to get away." Alya said.
"Okay, you two, I don't have time for this, I cracked the three-quarters of the code and I know Marinette is meeting someone at twelve so I need to know, the last part of the code to actually know what I'm looking for."
Alya looked at him shocked, a shiver ran over her skin.
"Marinette?"
Chat's nose twitched.
"Please tell me what you know."
Alya looked at Nino.
"I knew it! I knew it! It makes sense now." She said to herself. She turned to Chat. "So you're in love with Marinette and she really is the one that you're doing all of this for!" She said.
Chat looked again at the clock.
Nino senses his anxiousness.
"Alya please just start telling him what you know."
Alya looked back at the super-villain.
She took a calming breath and made her way over to the table.
"Okay, so far I have a few theories, and now that I know that it really is Marinette that you've done all those live broadcasts about, one of them in particular makes sense, but I need the affirmation of one thing."
"Yes?" Chat asked.
"Is Chloe Bourgeois the one behind all of this?"
Chat exhaled, closed his eyes and nodded.
Alya's eyes widened. "Then the code thus far is M.M +Chloe Bourgeois= K.O Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
Chat nodded. "I figured that part out this morning after my visit to the hospital, but the M.M…I still have no idea who it could possibly be."
Chat growled. "Her bird said something about Noon." He said, looking at the couple.
"We have to find her before then."
"Her bird?" Alya asked.
Chat nodded. "Parrots tend to copy phrases that they hear. Marinette is meeting someone." Chat said.
Nino stood quietly, looking at the two.
"I can only imagine that it's someone that she knows," Alya said, frowning.
She sighed.
"But as I was trying to crack the code, I came out with nothing. Marinette and I generally keep the same circle of friends, and up until this year I had basically met every single one of her friends, so I couldn't figure that out, but it could be someone that she's met this year." She mused.
"Could it be a university student?" Chat asked, wracking his brains.
Alya frowned.
"I highly doubt it, Chloe hardly speaks to anybody our age." She answered.
"Maybe the person is someone Chloe knows and befriended Marinette to carry out the scheme."
"But it's a small part of Paris that Marinette walks around, and if she met up with a friend someone would have seen it," Alya said.
She frowns. "Unless it's a relationship over social media?" She reasoned.
Nino frowns. "I go through her phone every other day when I'm bored, she literally has four contacts that start with the letter M, Minon, Max, Milan, and her Mum." He scratched his neck. "But she did have a weird number that she didn't add as a contact as yet." He said.
Chat blinked. "I need to start checking her phone for safety purposes." He said with resolve.
Suddenly Nino gasped. "The guy!" He said.
Chat and Alya looked at him oddly.
"The guy?" Alya asked.
"The guy I saw her walking with." Nino said.
"She was walking alone with a guy?" Chat asked, feeling an odd sensation in his gut.
"They weren't doing anything, but this guy was really good looking. I mean he honestly looked like a model."
Chat stared at Nino in shock.
"When was this?" He asked in a cold whisper.
"…Not long ago. Wait, I know what you're thinking and I don't think Marinette would do that." Nino said quickly.
"…She wouldn't." Chat said, closing his eyes.
He looks back at Nino.
"Do you remember what he looks like?"
Nino twists his lips.
"Even if he is a model, there are literally hundreds of Models with the initials M.M, it's not that uncommon for the initials of the names and surnames of the models to be the same, like Adrien Agreste for example."
"If I see him in a picture I would recognize him."
Chat's mind flashes to something, namely the chart of Models that she thought could have been him. His eyes widened.
"I'll be right back." He said.
The couple stared at him in confusion.
"Chat its broad daylight!" Nino said worriedly.
"I won't be long, try to search models with the initials and see if you can recognize any of them."
He sprinted up the stairs and took off in the direction of the bakery, wondering if Marinette had taken the poster with her to her new apartment.
He hadn't been seen as yet, so all was fine when he dropped onto the familiar rooftop terrace. He easily picked the trapdoor lock and dropped into the barren room. He walked to the Mechanism on the wall, seeing the string still connected to the chart, realizing that she had forgotten the chart.
He pulled it down, not wasting any time looking at it even though every fiber of his being begged him to, disconnected it from the mechanism and took off once again, making it back to Nino's place in record time.
When he entered the lounge, Nino and Alya were looking at images of models.
Chat handed him the poster.
Nino looked up at Chat, then spread the poster over the table.
Chats blood ran cold as he stared at the one face that he recognized from the fashion show that has a big circle around it along with some asterisks.
His heart plummeted as he looked at the name.
"That's him! That's the guy! Marcus Monroe!" Nino exclaimed.
Chat's ears began to ring.
How could he have messed up like this? This man was there that night at the show, he had known about Marinette's attack, he knew who had asked them to attack her.
Chat felt his blood ran cold.
He had not attacked the man simply because he seemed like he detested the idea of hurting Marinette, but he was teamed up with Chloe, and hurting Marinette had been his intention all along.
How could he have made such a huge mistake?
"She may be meeting this guy in an hour." He said stepping away from the poster, his eyes darted to the clock on the wall.
"We have less than an hour to find her before she does." He continued.
Alya and Nino exchanged a sideward glance.
"Okay wait, let's see if she picks up first." Alya said, and pulled out her phone.
She dialed Marinette's number. Chat stayed silent.
"Voicemail. Let me try again."
Chat snarled. Alya, still not completely used to the idea that Chat was not all bad shifted closer to Nino. She looked at him worriedly when again, the call went to voicemail.
"We should split up and search the city," Nino said, looking at the other two.
Alya's eyes looked frightened as if they were only realizing now just how bad the situation was, realizing that it was very possible that her best friend was about to die.
She stepped away from Nino.
"I'll check this district and all the shops." She said.
"I'll go further into the city, and phone the bros to check if she's hanging with anyone." Nino said.
Chat didn't say anything, knowing that he wouldn't be satisfied till he checked every single place himself.
"How will we let each other know if we find her?" Alya asked.
Chat picked up his baton, unscrewed the bottom and out fell several metal gadgets.
"Plagg and I haven't actually used these as yet, but I've figured that they're something like walkie-talkies ."He handed two to Nino who handed one to Alya.
"Don't we have to be in some sort of range of each other?" Alya asked.
Nino shrugged.
He then pressed a button, switching it on and the other two followed.
"Can you hear me?" He asks.
"Yep." Nino and Alya said.
"Good. Let's go."
It was nerve-wracking. Painful. Frightening.
Never in his life, save for the night of the exhibition, had Chat ever felt this sick feeling before. His gut was telling him that something was going to happen. Something bad.
He sprinted over the rooftops with gritted teeth, hard eyes, and a clenched jaw.
It was very possible that she was walking along the streets. It was very possible that she was inside someone's house too.
But the nagging feeling in his belly told him otherwise. She was somewhere specific, he just had no idea where.
***********************
Chloe hummed as she dropped a cube of sugar in her tea, stirring it with a silver spoon. The smile on her face was anything but innocent and gentle.
In fact, it was the very definition of sadistic.
She glanced at her watch, still set according to the time in Paris.
It was half an hour past 11.
"Checkmate." She said.
**************
"Still nothing?" Chat heard Nino ask.
"Nothing, I've checked all the stores in the district."
"Her parent's place?" Nino asked.
"No." Alya said, sounding panicked.
Chat fought to keep his breathing under control, an anxiety attack would not help anyone, especially not Marinette.
**********************************
Marinette looked at the various buttons. She was in a very peculiar store, one that she had never seen in all of her years living in Paris.
There were so many buttons. Buttons in every color, in every design. Decorative buttons, practical buttons, every button she could have ever dreamed of. She sighed, thinking about all the times she had to settle for the range of buttons that she found at her favorite fabric store, but here, there was such a magnificent variety.
She glanced at her watch, it was a quarter to twelve, and with a casual shrug, she left the store.
Marinette hummed as she made her way over to the Seine.
Marcus smiled and she smiled back.
"Wow princess, might I say you look stunning in red." He said with a smile, and bowed to kiss her hand. Marinette laughed. "One of my recent projects actually."
"It's beautiful, but you're more beautiful," Marcus said with a gentle smile.
Marinette smiled.
"Thank you." She said. He offered her his hand. "Come, I did get you food by the way." He said with a grin.
"What kind of food?"
"Pizza, since I know you love it." He winked as they stepped onto the luxury cruise boat.
Marinette faltered. She had told herself to stop trying to figure out who Chat was. He would tell her when he was ready to speak… So why was she here? Was she out with some model who she had just assumed was Chat?
What if he wasn't?
She frowned. Their similarities were uncanny, but something was terribly off, her heart felt strange, it was like having heart palpitations. Something was urging her to believe that something was off.
She looked back at the sidewalk that was getting further and further away.
Marcus smiled.
"I have something that I've been meaning to tell you for the longest time."He said.
Marinette looked at him, really looked at him.
Since when were Chat's eyes that lifeless? How could he be Chat with those eyes?
Why did they look so void, so empty?
Chat's eyes were never that way…How could this man be Chat?
Marcus took a deep breath.
"Come on."
Marinette blinked. "Marcus, I… I don't think this was a good idea."
"Is it perhaps because you feel you may be betraying Chat Noir by being with me?"
Marinette stared back at him.
Marcus chuckled.
"Well Princess, I guess it's time you know the truth. And I'm sure you'll never feel guilty again." He said, gently taking her hand.
The ship was getting farther and farther away from the dock.
His hold didn't feel like Chat's hold, somehow, she was whisked into a room below. A lavish, but dark, dark room.
There was a table, with food, as promised, but he didn't lead her there. No, he led her to the dark leather couches.
The pair sat down, Marinette looking around nervously whilst Marcus looked ready to speak.
"Well Princess, it's time I come clean… Have you ever wondered just why I knew about you and Chat Noir, or how I figured out all the little details about you? Or how I came to know about you being attacked at the Fashion Exhibition, or how Chat came to save you just as I left?"He began.
Marinette stayed silent.
"Did you ever wonder just how I knew you lived at the bakery ?"
Marinette's brows furrowed.
"You see, I've learned much more than that about you. I know much more about you because I learned it first-hand."Marcus smiled.
"And I think by now you must have realized the truth." He said calmly.
Marinette blinked.
"I said I would protect you, but the truth is I'm selfish, and I can't protect you from myself… Because, I love you."
And with that, his lips were on hers. Marinette stayed still in shock.
His kiss was different. It was cold. It wasn't passionate. It didn't convey feeling nor vulnerability. It wasn't Chat…
This man wasn't Chat.
She was being kissed by someone other than Chat.
Marcus was not Chat.