"Psst Adrien...Wake up!" Plagg scratched his Chosen's face. "Wake up kid!"
"Go away Plagg!" Adrien blindly swatted his Kwami away as he rolled over in his bed.
"What kind of fully grown human is still in bed at this hour!?" Plagg fumed.
"The kind that protects his city all night," Adrien mumbled into his pillow.
"Well the city needs you...get up!" Plagg withdrew the covers. "There's a situation..."
Adrien slowly sat up straight as he blinked his eyes open, "What do you mean?"
"Have a look for yourself," Plagg zipped to the remote and turned on the tv.
Adrien frowned as he watched a news reporter talk about some guy holding hostages inside an office building. "Come on..." Adrien whined. "I haven't even eaten breakfast yet..."
"You mean lunch?" Plagg snickered.
"Whatever..." Adrien got off his bed. He yawned and stretched as he looked around his small one room apartment. "Have you learned anything from the police?" Adrien asked Plagg as he walked over to his room. Adrien took his seat at his table as he observed the three monitors in front of him. He ignored the police radio on the desk beside him as he stared at the second monitor.
"He's on the third floor," Plagg informed Adrien. "That's all the police know so far, he hasn't been picking up their calls."
"The police have the area surrounded but no one's gone inside yet..." Adrien observed from the camera footage. "Good, they'll just slow me down anyways...Let's go Plagg, Claws Out!" He called his transformation and walked out into his balcony, before leaping off.
ooo
Chat located the building and smashed through a window on the third floor. His landing was shielded by an abundance of clothes. He got up from the debris and looked around the small room filled with clothes on racks.
"Ch-Chat?" He sharply turned to see a familiar face reveal itself from behind a table.
"Mari..." he coughed to correct himself. He had only seen his old friend a few times over the past few years as Chat, but she still looked as lovely as their days in lycee.
"I'm here to help ma'am...Could you tell me more about what's happening here?"
Marinette slowly walked over to him. "Um y-yeah, s-sure..." she stammered. "Um...Uh..."
Chat curiously looked her up and down and noticed her slightly blushed face, "Is something wrong?"
"Huh?" Marinette flinched. "Oh...n-n-no...it's just so weird actually seeing you in person you know...hehe" She awkwardly laughed as she rubbed the back of her head.
Chat grabbed her by the shoulders, making her look up to him, "Look ma'am, this is important...It's a matter of life and death so I can really use your help here, okay?"
"Y-You're right," Marinette nodded, clearing her head and becoming determined. "How can I help you Chat Noir?"
"What's your name?"
"M-Marinette," she answered.
"Ok Marinette..." Chat took out his baton and turned around to face the door. "Can you tell me more about what happened?"
Marinette nodded, "It's my boss...I was showing him a new design I made for our fall catalogue..." Chat watched her pick up a sketchbook from the ground and flip to said design. "He didn't like it because he never likes any of my designs so I showed my boss's boss and she loved it...But then they got into an argument and my boss pulled out a gun and started yelling at everyone..."
"What's your boss's name?"
"Philip..." Marinette told him. "I managed to sneak out and hide here but I overheard him yelling at everyone to get into the conference room..."
"Can you lead me to the conference room?" Chat smiled as she nodded. "Thank you Marinette, you're being very brave right now..."
Her face lit up in a smile, "F-Follow me..." She opened the door and the two walked out.
"Stay behind me," Chat instructed her as they walked out into a large office full of desks, chairs and papers. There were several phones ringing as the two walked towards the back.
"So you're fashion designer?" Chat asked.
"Y-Yeah," Marinette answered. "It's my dream job; it's everything I could've wanted..."
"That's nice," he smiled at her as they walked. He always knew Marinette had a passion for fashion, and he was glad she was able to achieve her dreams.
"I liked that Chat Noir dress you showed me," Chat told her, making her smile.
"You did? Th-Thanks...I just wish my boss did too..." she sighed. "Maybe he wouldn't have gotten so mad then..."
Chat put his hand on her shoulder, "Hey, this isn't your fault...okay?"
"O-Okay..." She nodded before stopping at the back of the office. "The conference room is down this hallway," Marinette pointed at the door several meters away.
"Thank you...you stay here..." Chat told her as he slowly walked towards the room.
"Ch-Chat," He looked over his shoulder at her. "Um, be c-careful..."
"Don't worry about me," Chat smirked as he reached the door. He took a deep breath and gripped his baton tight. The first thing he had to do was knock the gun out of Philip's hand using his baton, the rest was easy. No ordinary man stood a chance against his suit's strength, but the gun was dangerous to the hostages and he couldn't risk them getting hurt.
Chat counted down from three, before kicking the door open with his legs. His eyes quickly scanned the room, but found only scared, crying civilians and a dead body on the floor with a gun in his right hand.
Chat curiously crouched next to the body, "What the fuck..." He gasped as he noticed bloody claw marks all over the body. His claw marks. His neck was ripped open, as his blood pooled into the floor underneath him.
Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed the gun, and before Chat could react, a man had the gun pointed straight at him. "What are you doing?" Chat raised his hands into the air. "I'm here to help!"
"Help?" he scoffed as his hands shook with the gun. "WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY GIRLFRIEND ASSHOLE!"
"What?" Chat scrunched his eyebrows.
"My girlfriend! Where is she?! Where did you take her!" the man yelled at Chat.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Chat argued. "I didn't take your girlfriend, so please...just put the gun down!"
"You came in here and killed the guy holding us hostage and then took my girlfriend and ran off!" The guy held the gun tighter. "I won't let you take anyone else!"
Chat looked around in confusion, no one dared make eye contact as they all cowered in the corner, scared of him, "Look...You must have me confused with someone else..."
"Yeah because there's a ton of guys running around in a fucking cat costume!" he spat at Chat.
"Look obviously I'm not whoever you saw, I don't kill people...Put the gun down and tell me what he looked like, let me help you," Chat tried to reason with him.
"It was you! You lying bitch..."
Chat sighed at his stubbornness, "I'm sorry for this..." He ran forward.
"Stay back!" the guy stumbled back until he hit the large conference table. He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger again and again. But the bullets simply compressed against the suit. He re-opened his eyes to see Chat Noir standing up against him. Chat took the gun and crushed it in his hands.
"I didn't take your girlfriend and I didn't kill him..." Chat sternly stared at him. "But I will find out who did..."
"Ch-Chat?" Marinette peaked through the room and screeched when she saw the dead body on the floor. "Oh my god, did...did you...?"
Chat ran over to Marinette, "I promise you I had nothing to do with this...you have to believe me..."
Marinette stared intensely at Chat, "I-I believe you Chat..."
Chat slightly smiled, "Ok then...Can I count on you to get these people to safety?" She nodded, "Ok good..."
"Come on guys, let's go!" Marinette waved them over. Chat took steps back and gave the civilians room to flee. He watched the guy from earlier stare furiously at him as he grit his teeth, before he exited the room.
Chat walked over to the dead body and crouched to farther examine it. The wounds had all been inflicted by claw marks. Claws that resembled his too closely, the same shape and size too. Was there a copycat out there who took it upon himself to solve crimes his own way? But why would he kill Marinette's boss to save the civilians yet then kidnap a girl? Whoever this guy was, he needed to be found and stopped, before he could do further harm.
Chat got up as he heard the police enter through the staircase door. He extended his baton and carefully leapt out a nearby window, heading home for some needed rest.
ooo
Marinette had no sooner collapsed on her comfy couch after hours of answering police questions that Alya knocked on her door. She groggily walked over to open it.
"Marinette!" Alya burst through the door and hugged her best friend tight. "Oh Marinette...I'm so glad you're okay! Once I heard what happened I was so scared the guy might shoot you or something!"
"Relax Alya, I'm alright," she lightly chuckled as she backed away from the hug. "I managed to hide in a room..."
"Ok girl...you have to tell me everything!" Alya demanded as they walked over to her couch.
"Are you asking me as my friend, or as a journalist..." Marinette smirked.
Alya frowned, "You know I'm your friend first...Beside's I already have statements from people who actually witnessed what happened..."
"Oh? And what happened?"
"That Chat came in and killed the hostage to free them...except he then kidnapped some poor girl..."
"They're wrong Alya," Marinette pursed her lips. "It wasn't Chat..."
"Marinette, they all said the same thing, and the evidence adds up..."
"I know...but it wasn't Chat, it was someone else," Marinette argued.
"Come on Marinette, I know you're biased against him, but you can't deny that..."
"I am not biased!" Marinette scoffed. "What do you even mean by that?!"
Alya smirked as she got up and grabbed Marinette by the arm and dragged her to her room, "This is what I mean!" She pointed to the dozens of posters of Chat littered across her bedroom wall. "Most of your designs are based around Chat Noir!" Alya pointed to Marinette's desk which held a sewing machine and was dirtied with scraps of clothes, threads and discarded designs.
"So?" Marinette crossed her arms. "He's my main inspiration..."
"He's a murderer now, Marinette..."
"No he's not! Chat's a hero, he doesn't kill people!" Marinette grit her teeth. "I can't believe this...Everyone has been thankful to him for years...Hell how many articles has your paper published thanking Chat for his heroic deed of the day?!"
"Yeah? Well I think it's time we took things in a new direction, because my paper publishes facts Marinette...Not opinions..."
"Facts? You want to talk about facts?" Marinette fumed as she clenched her fists. "If Chat killed my boss in order to save those hostages, then why did he kidnap the girl and then come back and put on some act where he pretends to save everyone again?"
"I don't fucking know!" Alya shrugged. "He's a crazy vigilante, he's a psychopath..."
"He's not like that!"
"You don't want him to be like that!" Alya snapped at her.
"Jesus Christ Alya," Marinette slapped her face. "I can't believe after everything Chat has done for this city, you would lose out hope so quickly...The police haven't even started fully investigating yet..."
"And I can't believe my best friend is so blind...I didn't expect this from you..." Alya snickered.
Marinette stared at her best friend in fury, "Get out of my apartment."
"Fine!" she stomped her feet and made way for the door. "He'll do this again Marinette; it's just a matter of time..."
"Bye Alya..." Marinette closed the door behind her friend, before taking some wine out of her fridge and turning on the news. She poured herself a cup as she heard the news anchor completely berate Chat Noir, calling him a psychotic vigilante and warning the public to stay clear of him. It seemed like just yesterday that the news used to call him a hero, because it was. Marinette closed the tv in frustration as she laid back in her couch, amazed how quickly a city could turn on their beloved superhero.
ooo
"Are you listening to this Adrien?" Plagg asked as he hovered in front of the tv and listened to the news.
"No I'm deaf," Adrien jested.
"You have to take this matter more seriously Adrien," Plagg told him. "Everyone thinks you killed that guy and kidnapped that girl..."
"This copycat guy kidnapped that girl...Maybe he could be the one behind the recent rise of kidnappings," Adrien thought to himself as he watched camera footage of the building. "Damnit Plagg...there's no cameras at the back of the building, that's how he probably got in and out..."
Plagg zipped over to Adrien's computer desk as he watched his Chosen strain his face, "Looks like you can use some help..."
"Not now Plagg..." Adrien groaned as watched through more footage.
"A Chat Noir is incomplete without his Ladybug; you need to find someone..."
"This Chat Noir is doing just fine on his own..." Adrien argued. "I don't need anyone and I don't trust anyone..."
"This isn't about trust Adrien...You're the new guardian...You have to..."
"Go eat some cheese or something..." Adrien swatted his Kwami away. "Leave me alone, I'm not doing this again for the thousandth time with you..."
Plagg growled at his Chosen, "You're the new guardian idiot! Master Fu gave you the box...he trusted you to..."
"Master Fu is dead!" Adrien got onto his feet in anger. "My father and mother are dead because of this fucking box!" Adrien grabbed the box of his shelf and threw it onto the table. "I'm not going to bring someone else into this life..." Adrien sat back down as he continued to browse through camera footage.
"I'll pass on the miraculouses to another guardian when the time comes...but until then...Paris is doing just fine with only Chat..." Adrien told Plagg.
Plagg hung his head as he started to float away. He paused for a second to stare at the magical musical box that was now in Adrien's possession. Even though it contained powerful miraculouses, it rested simply on the edge of his table. He sighed as he zipped to his bed to take a nap.
ooo
Chat leapt from building to building during his evening patrol, in search of crime to deter. What he got instead were scared civilians. Chat used to hate being seen during his patrols, because it would be full of people taking pictures of him, people cheering for him, and he hated the attention. But now he missed it, as instead people screamed and ran away the moment they saw him atop the rooftops. He sighed as he kept leaping from building to building. He needed to find this criminal imitating him and put a stop to him, before he did irreparable harm. But unfortunately, Chat had no idea where to start.
It had been a couple of hours and so far Chat had managed to prevent a mugging, overall a slow night. He thought about heading home for now, before he heard the police radio on his belt.
"Attention all units! Chat Noir spotted at a local nightclub, requesting immediate backup!" Chat took out his baton and typed the address he heard, before he leapt and followed his baton.
"Jesus, multiple casualties! Where is my backup!" Chat grit his teeth as he raced faster and faster. He couldn't afford to waste time; there were lives at risk, and his reputation at stake.
Chat was just couple blocks away when a blur at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He skidded to a stop as he swung his head. Chat's eyes went wide as he saw an exact replica of himself leap from building to building just a few blocks away. Chat gave chase almost immediately, especially since Chat could make out that he was running with a limp body over his shoulder.
Chat's eyes observed his prey and it brought only fear into Chat's heart. The copycat wore a perfect replica of his suit, along with blonde hair and a baton that extended as he used it to leap rooftops. No wonder everyone thought it was him committing those crimes.
What bothered him even more was how the copycat leapt with such strength and speed. Chat was catching up with him, but barely. He wasn't human, he couldn't be. And that realization only brought forth more questions that Chat needed answered. Most important of all, how? His miraculous gave him his power, but what about the copycat? He was just as strong and fast as Chat, but how? Did he also have all of Chat's abilities...like his Cataclysm? That was a question Chat was afraid of finding the answer to.
Copycat must've sensed Chat following him, as he looked over his shoulder and they met eyes. Chat grit his teeth in fury as the copycat simply smirked at him. But his heart soon skipped a beat as he watched copycat raise his hand, and within moments a dark, bubbly energy radiated from his palm. Chat knew all too well what that was...and what is was capable of...
Copycat lowered his hand, striking the roof of the two story house beneath him. Chat came to a halt atop that very rooftop as he pondered his choices. He could give chase to copycat and have a chance to stop him now, or he could save the family inside. As the rooftop disintegrated and pieces fell, he heard screaming, and his mind was made up.
He fell through where the roof should've been, instead landing inside the attic, which was now crumbling into the floor beneath him. The screaming sounds below him intensified as the entire house shook, and so Chat knew he had to act fast. He descended down the crumbling steps onto the second floor.
"Get out of here, quick!" he shouted in the middle of the hallway.
"Chat Noir?" a man came out of the room with his wife, both panicking as the ceiling rained down above them.
"Alex!" the woman screamed, eyeing something behind him.
Chat turned around to see a boy standing behind him. In that moment the entire ceiling above him fell, having lost its support to the Cataclysm crawling downwards. Chat lunged forward, grabbing the boy in his arms and shielding him as the suit absorbed the damage.
"Get out of here!" Chat ordered again as he stood up from amidst the debris. He grabbed the kid and raced down the steps, the man and wife following close behind. Once they were outside, Chat handed the kid to the wife, who hugged him tight.
"T-Thank you," she told him with watery eyes.
"Wait, our daughter, she's still in there!" the man cried. "You have to save her please!" the man pleaded with him.
"Wait here, I'll save her!" Chat ran back inside the house that was both crumbling into rubble and disappearing at the same time.
When Chat went back inside, the second floor had begun to disintegrate. He stood still and focused his senses. He heard whimpering coming from inside the kitchen, and as Chat ran inside, a young girl lay on the floor.
"P-Please, help me," she sniffed. "I-I can't feel my legs..." Chat frowned at the huge slab of cement piled on her legs.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," Chat lifted the slab off of her, before picking her up in his arms and dashing outside to a herd of bystanders awaiting him.
"Britney!" the man came and took her from Chat. He consoled his daughter as sirens were heard in the background. "Thank you, Chat Noir, you saved my family!"
"You idiot! Chat Noir was the one who destroyed it in the first place! How else did this happen?" Chat heard a bystander yell out. He turned around to see what remained of their house, half had disappeared, and the remaining half lay as rubble. This family's house, everything they had, was gone within moments. He had always wondered what could happen if Cataclysm was to fall into the wrong hands, and before him laid the answer to that very question.
He was hit by a brick and so he turned around, only to come face to face with angry bystanders.
"Murderer!"
"You're no hero!"
"Booo!"
They threw random items at him, all while putting him down. He gulped as he held back tears, taking out his baton as he leapt away to the comfort of his house.
ooo
"Plagg..." Adrien had no landed in the balcony before he de-transformed. "The copycat is the one going around kidnapping people, but now he's decided to do it openly..." Adrien walked over to his tv remote and turned on the news. "How does he have my powers Plagg?" Adrien asked. "I thought it was just some idiot in a costume...but he has my cataclysm Plagg!" Adrien took breaths and tried to calm himself as he watched footage of a body being taken away in a stretcher. "Do you know the harm he could do with that?!"
"I know Adrien...Believe me, I'm as confused as you are..."
"People are dying here Plagg! For fucks sake!" Adrien stood up and walked in circles around his couch as he held his head. "I'm the Cat miraculous, there's only one...so how!?" Adrien angrily asked. He stopped to think as he raked his fingers through his hair, "Wait...Plagg, the Butterfly miraculous can create heroes to aid you right? What if...I mean that's the one miraculous we don't have..."
"We both know it disappeared when..." Plagg paused as Adrien stared down at the floor. "It disappeared when your father and mother died, it got lost in the rubble..."
"Yeah I know..." Adrien took a seat and sighed. "Plus it only creates heroes right...not murdering psychopaths..." Adrien frowned. He glanced at the news and suddenly sat upright. "Nino..." Adrien watched the news carefully. "The copycat kidnapped Nino..." Adrien stared at the picture of his former best friend as the news anchor relayed recent events.
"Nino...?" Plagg zipped in front of the tv, staring at Nino's picture. "Hey isn't that your best friend...?"
"He was my best friend..." Adrien sighed. "I haven't talked to him since...you know..." Adrien frowned as he buried his head in his hands, "Poor Nino...I can't believe he got caught up in all of this..."
Adrien got up, with his fists clenched. "If this copycat is kidnapping people, then he must need them alive for a reason...We need to find him before he hurts Nino..." He ran to his room and opened up the police search database he had hacked into years go. A simple search of Nino's name gave Adrien all of his information, including his current address. "Plagg we need to find him before it's too late...Claws Out!"
ooo
Marinette sewed quietly and peacefully in her little room. Only her cell phone ringing loudly interrupted the silent atmosphere. She looked at who was calling, "Hey Alya."
"Look I know we had just fought..."
"Well I wouldn't really call that a fight..." Marinette sighed. "But if you're calling to apologize..."
"Marinette please..." Marinette heard Alya sniffle into her phone.
She got off her seat, "Alya? Is everything alright?"
"No..." Alya cried. "It's...It's Nino..."
Marinette's eyes went wide, "I'll be right there!" She quickly hung up and changed, before running out of her apartment.
ooo
Marinette knocked on Nino's door, "Alya?" She heard the door click open, and was soon greeted by a depressed, puffy eyed Alya.
"Oh Alya," She hugged her friend tight as Alya sniffed into her arms. "It's okay...everything will be okay..." She reassured her friend as they walked into the living room. Marinette stubbed her toe on some boxes and cringed.
"Sorry about that, I just finished moving in..." Alya sniffed as they sat on a crouch. "We were about start a new chapter of our lives together and this...this happens..."
"Hey it's okay, the police are on it, they'll find Nino I'm sure of it..." Marinette patted her back.
"I always told him not to work in those nightclubs...you know how they can get, with drunken people and stuff..."
"Yeah..." Marinette continued to comfort Alya. She gave Alya some napkins to wipe her tears.
"But I never imagined Chat would do this...Poor Nino..." Marinette opened her mouth to argue, but she decided against it.
"Do you need some water?"
"Yes thank you," Alya nodded. Marinette got up and walked to the kitchen and began to pour a cup.
"Nino's still alive right?" Alya wondered. "I mean Chat killed those other guys...But he kidnapped Nino for a reason...he needs him alive..."
"Yeah...Nino's still alive..." Marinette brought water over to Alya who started to tear up again. "Hey...We have to have hope okay?" Alya nodded as Marinette rubbed her back. "We'll get our Nino back, don't you worry..." Marinette hugged her friend tight.
"Th-Thank you...Marinette..." Alya cried into her chest. Marinette gave a bittersweet smile as she consoled her friend. "I don't know what I'd do without you..."
"Wait here...I'll get you a blanket..." Marinette got up and walked over to Nino's bedroom. She had no sooner opened the door when she met eyes with a crouched Chat Noir.
She quickly closed the door behind her. "What are you doing here!" She loudly whispered as her eyes noticed the open window behind him and a small ziplock bag in his hands.
"Marinette?" Chat put his hands up, "I mean no harm...I'm not here to hurt you..."
Marinette closed her eyes and exhaled, "Yeah I know...I know you're innocent Chat..."
He stared at her with curious eyes as he slowly lowered his hands, "You...you do?"
"Yeah...I'm probably the only one in all of Paris," she lightly chuckled to herself. "Look, I don't know what you're doing here...but if Alya finds you..."
"I just want to help," Chat told her. "If I find Nino...I can find this copycat pretending to be me and put a stop to him..."
"You're...you're looking for Nino?" Marinette asked.
Chat nodded, "Yes..."
Marinette bit her lip as she stared at Chat, "Ok...I'll help you..."
Chat smirked with a flinch, "No offense...but I like to work alone. Besides you'll just be a liability..."
Marinette quickly snatched the small bag from Chat's hand, "Look Chat, I want to find my friend, and you want to catch this copycat of yours...So either we work together, or I'll never tell you what's inside this bag here!"
Chat intensely stared at the black bag with a small green paw print on it. "Fine...," he sighed. "Tell me what's inside that bag..."
"Not here," Marinette quickly put the bag away in her pocket. "I can't risk Alya finding you or this bag..." Marinette walked over to Nino's messy table and found a pen. "Come to this address, it's where I live..." Marinette gave him the piece of paper. "You'll see me on a balcony at the third floor...Meet me in a couple hours..."
"Marinette!" They heard Alya call out from the living room.
"Now shoo," Marinette pushed Chat towards the window.
"W-Wait...hold on," Chat stared at the address on the paper. "You...You want me to meet you at your house?"
"I wish I lived in a house," Marinette huffed. "It's an apartment building..."
"Oh...O-Okay," Chat scrunched his brows as he took out his baton. "See you then...I guess," Chat saluted her goodbye before he leapt off.
ooo
He found Marinette waiting on a balcony as he landed in front of her. "Hey..."
"H-Hey Chat," she smiled. "Come in." Marinette led him through her balcony door. "Take a seat, want something to drink?"
Chat awed at her apartment, the pink walls and the colourful furniture was warm and inviting. He was reminded of her old room back at the bakery and those memories put a smile on his face.
"I hope apple juice is okay...or do you prefer milk since you're a cat?"
"Haha, very funny," Chat rested his arms atop the kitchen counter as he watched Marinette.
"Are you hungry?" Marinette asked as she took out some bread. "I make a mean sandwich."
"Sure, I could eat...thanks," Marinette smiled at him as she prepared his food.
"So what's it like wearing the suit?" Marinette curiously asked. "Doesn't it like...get tight?"
"Hmm...not really?" Chat scrunched his eyebrows.
"Really?...Because from a fashion designer's point of view, it looks really uncomfortable to wear..."
"Actually it's pretty comfortable; it feels as if it's a part of my skin..."
"Huh..." Marinette bit her lip as Chat walked closer to her.
"Hey can I ask you a question?" Chat asked as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter.
"Wh-What is it?" she continued to prepare his food.
"Why aren't you scared of me?"
Marinette paused and turned to stare at him. "Because I know you're innocent..."
"Even after the nightclub incident?" Chat raised an eyebrow. "There's tons of videos out there of me attacking those people and kidnapping your friend..."
"Then why are you here...why are you trying to find him?" Marinette crossed her arms.
"Maybe..." Chat shrugged as he walked closer to her. "Maybe I lost him and I know you can help me find him?" Chat started to slowly walk closer to her, "Maybe once I find him, I'll kill you and kidnap him back..."
"You won't...You're a bad liar Chat..."
Chat sighed, "I just don't understand how you can just have blind trust in me like that..."
"It's not blind trust..." Marinette bit her lip. "You've...You've saved my life multiple times over the past few years..." Chat stood in front of her face to face. "I know you're a hero Chat, not a murderer..."
He stared down into those memorable blue eyes, "You're probably the only one who still believes me..." Adrien knew how kind and compassionate Marinette had been all those years ago, and he was glad she hadn't changed one bit.
She continued to stare up at him as her face reddened at his close proximity. She sharply turned back around to continue making his food, "Go take a seat, I'll be done soon..."
"Alright," Chat smiled as he made his way over to her couch.
She walked over with a tray, before she hit her foot at the edge of the table. "Wahhhh!" She yelped as she tripped.
Chat instinctively got up and caught her from falling. The cup fell onto the table and created a mess as she fell into his arms.
Marinette stared up at him with a gasp, "O-Oh my g-god, I'm s-so sorry I-I can be so c-clumsy sometimes," Marinette stammered as she left Chat's arms and grabbed paper towels. "I'm so sorry..."
"Hey it's okay," Chat lightly chuckled as he noticed her blushed face. "Here...let me help," Chat ripped off some paper towels.
"Again so sorry, I ruined your food..." Marinette cringed. Chat crouched alongside as he began to wipe. His hand brushed against hers and they met eyes, before she quickly looked away. Chat continued to wipe the table before he noticed a picture frame on the table. He picked it up out of curiosity.
"Those were my three closest friends back in lycée," Marinette told him as he wiped the juice off the frame. He stood up as he stared at the photo. It was the four of them, posing like good old friends. Distant memories of them so young and innocent drew a bittersweet smile onto his face.
"That's Alya, Nino's girlfriend," Marinette pointed to the both of them holding hands. "And that's..." Marinette pointed to the blonde beside her. "...That's Adrien..."
Chat took the moment to glance at her, "What is it? You look sad..."
"Well, he was my friend...Actually he was more than a friend to me..." she shrugged.
"More than a friend?" Chat curiously asked. He shouldn't be asking like this, but since Adrien would probably never run into her again...
"I kind of had a crush on him," she pursed her lips as Chat's eyes went wide at the revelation.
"You...you did?" Chat awed.
"Yeah," she sighed. "But then his mansion collapsed and his parents died shortly after we graduated and then he just...he just cut all contact with us..."
Chat stared at her watery eyes and it stung his heart, "I'm...I'm sorry..." He put the picture back where it belonged. "Maybe he had a good reason...?"
"A good reason?" Marinette scoffed. "There's no good reason for ghosting your friends out of the blue...especially when you need them the most."
"Well you haven't lost both of your parents...so you can't judge him or his decisions," Chat argued.
"Well neither have you!" Marinette hissed back. His eyes snapped to hers as his face momentarily contorted in pain.
Chat quickly looked away as Marinette gasped, "Oh my god...I'm so sorry I had no idea..." She extended her hand onto his shoulder but Chat backed away from it.
"Losing your parents changes you, Marinette...I hope you never have to experience that..." Chat told her.
"Ch-Chat I..." Marinette looked down in pity. "I didn't know..."
Chat sighed as he sat back down on the couch. "Could you tell me what's inside that bag now?"
"O-Okay," Marinette sat beside him took out the small ziplock bag from her pocket. "This is a new drug called Catnip that's been going around for a few months..."
"Goddamnit, a copycat was bad enough...but they're making drugs after me too?"
"Yeah..." Marinette opened the bag and showed Chat the green powder inside. "It makes people feel higher than weed...but who knows what it'll do to a cat like you..." Marinette tried to lighten the mood.
Chat glared at Marinette as she grinned, "Why did I find this hidden away under Nino's mattress?"
Her smile quickly faded, "Well...a couple months ago, Nino's brother died..."
"O-Oh..." Chat's heart ached for his former best friend. He felt guilt for a moment, for not being there for Nino. But Nino didn't need him, he had Alya and Marinette.
"Yeah, he turned to drugs and I found out and tried to help him," Marinette sighed as she leaned back into her couch. "He started doing much better recently...Alya was going to move in with him and I think that was going to be the final push he needed to get clean, but then..."
Chat grabbed the bag as he inspected it closer, "How does this help us find Nino?"
"Right about that..." Marinette sat up straighter. "A couple weeks ago, Alya noticed that the recent rise of kidnappings and the increased popularity of Catnip were related..."
"What?" Chat raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah..." she nodded. "She did a lot of interviews with families of those that went missing or were kidnapped and she noticed that most of them said they found Catnip in their daughter's table, or under their son's bed, or whatever..."
"Why didn't she go to the police with this or publish it..."
"She tried to...but her boss said that correlation doesn't mean causation..." Marinette shrugged. "I had to listen to her bitch about her boss for a whole week after that..."
"Wait...if what you're saying is true then if we find whoever's selling this then..."
"We find Nino," Marinette nodded. "And I know just who to ask..."
ooo
"You put on quite a show today," Hawkmoth coughed as he lay on his bed. Copycat closed the door behind him as he entered the room.
"Careful sir," Nathalie patted Hawkmoth down onto the bed. "You're still fragile and weak after your coma..."
"Copycat...you took a big risk revealing yourself..."
"It was calculated," Copycat smirked. "I'm tired of working in the dark...I want Chat to suffer...I want to ruin his reputation...his life!"
"I'll remove your Akuma if you become compromised...then you'll never get your revenge!"
Chat clenched his fists as he ran to Hawkmoth and gripped his suit, staring him face to face. "Go ahead and do it, old man!" Chat hissed. "You'll de-transform and we both know the suit's the only thing keeping you alive..."
"For now..." Hawkmoth growled. "You need me as much as I need you..."
"Let go of him Copycat," Nathalie calmly ordered. "Now..."
Copycat took deep breaths as he let go the grip on Hawkmoth's suit, "I know what I'm doing..." He walked back towards the door. "I'm going to ruin Chat's life, little by little...and when you've finally recovered, only then will I strike the final blow..."
"If you're seen in public alongside Chat, then your whole plan comes undone, you do realize that right?" Hawkmoth warned Copycat. "Everyone will know that Chat didn't really commit those crimes; that it was you..."
"Duh..." Copycat snorted. "Don't tell me what to do...I'll get you your drugged up bodies but that's it...Whatever else I do is my problem, stay out of it..."
Hawkmoth exhaled as Copycat walked out the door. "Nathalie...how is our prisoner doing?"
"Master Fu is still uncooperative sir..."
"No matter..." Gabriel painfully moved his right arm as he grabbed the picture frame from his night table. He stared at the picture of his wife and son, "We've got plenty of time to make him talk..."
"Have you located my son?"
"No sir, after the um...incident...he just sold everything and disappeared..."
Hawkmoth loudly exhaled as his finger brushed over Emilie's face, "Find him Nathalie...I want us to be a family once again..."