Chapter 3: Compromise
Tony took a breath, tasting the morning air. He had to admit, Paris was a beautiful city, each and every building had a history to it. Some went back to the time of the French Revolution, others went back to the Renaissance. The many Catholic cathedrals, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, not many things could compare.
Tony shivered as a cold wind tumbled down the street, with a quick scan of the street Tony decided that he needed something warm. Making his way across the busy streets of Paris Tony finally found himself in front of the establishment he had seen earlier. Quickly crossing the threshold of the store, Tony quickly found himself in front of the register.
"Good morning mister Stark." A short Chinese woman smiled, greeting him in spotty English.
Tony played with the hair of his chin and scanned through the display, "I've never been to this bakery before, what is the best thing served warm?" The Inventor answered in fluent French.
The woman's eyes went wide for a moment, "I-I would recommend my daughters signature cookie recipe." Relaxing under the familiar routine the women's smile began to grow, "She's making a batch right now, they should be out in about… five minutes?"
With a nod, Tony smiled, "If they're anything like your other pastries, they're gonna taste really good." Giving the women the money he owed her the inventor made his way over to an empty chair near the window and pulled out his phone.
News had gotten out about his scuffle the previous night, while it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it would make it harder for him to operate in secret. Which had been something he wanted to do since the mission was first issued. Gazing up from his phone his stare found itself looking out the window at the Friday morning traffic. Due to Sandboy's attack, no one had gotten enough sleep to go to work. For the students, office workers, and everything in between it must have been a welcome change.
The light clink of a plate pulled him from his train of thought, "Here you go Mr. Stark." The kind women chimed, making her way back to the register.
Tony grabbed the warm cookie and popped one into his mouth, his eyes went wide instantly. There was something about them that was different… he couldn't describe it. It was sweeter, had more warmth and chocolate than it let on initially. It was like the cookie itself had layers, and Tony loved it!
Sabine watched as the minutes passed by, Tony ate them in pairs overwhelmed by her daughter's recipe. She smiled, the man was stressed more than he would admit, he needed something to brighten his mornings. Glancing over her shoulder she met Marinette's nervous gaze and smiled.
"He likes them." Sabine cheered, "He and Adrien would make good friends."
The morning cold made way for the warmth of the afternoon sun. Traffic had gotten worse due to the now awake population of Paris, businesses ending their work days, and bored teenagers walking around.
Making his way through Le Grand Paris Tony wore a small frown on his face. He didn't want to be here, he'd much rather be strolling around Paris looking for the infamous Ladybug and her sidekick. But Ross was in charge, so that made him grit his teeth and meet with the mayor. Making his way into the small dining room Tony found the main butler standing nearby the table.
Hands behind his back and standing straight, "Good afternoon Mr. Stark, Mayor Bourgeois will be joining you momentarily."
Crossing the room, he sat in the chair opposite from the window. He checked his phone, with a glance at the time he sighed. Opening his phone's search engine he began to type.
Within minutes he found himself reading paragraphs of the early attacks from Hawkmoth, surprised by the declaration he had made. Bringing his hand to his chin Tony thought on Hawkmoth and what his intentions might be.
The darkness of the night sky seemed to be a blanket that many criminals chose to hide under, Chat Noir knew that from experience. He had stopped his fair share of muggings during patrols with Ladybug and by himself, many took place in dark alleys and dark streets. This one had been no different.
A kind young lady had been returning from her late shift at the grocery store when she had been attacked by a man in black clothing, she managed to scream a call for help, which happened to be when he had arrived. Minutes later red and blue illuminated the ally and the man had been arrested.
Chat Noir now watched the Police drive away from atop the alleyway entrance. He smiled, he was happy he had the opportunity to intervene, it could have ended way worse.
"Good work out there." A distorted voice cheered from beyond the hero. Turning his body, Chat Noir was met by the metal form of Iron Man, "It could have gotten worse, but you diffuse the situation."
Chat narrowed his eyes, "If you were watching why didn't you step in?"
The faceplate lifted, revealing an empty suit of armor, "Because I'm not here," he could hear a laugh on the audio, "I was bored so I decided to send the armor around to try and find you, mission accomplished." The suit shrugged.
"What could you want with me?" Chat Noir asked, completely turning his body around.
The suit's faceplate shut once more, "In thirty minutes meet me on top of Le Grand Paris, we can talk more there." Flying in the direction of the hotel it left Chat Noir by himself and with a sigh the young hero laid against the roof and stared up at the stars.
Creating constellations in his mind he thought about what Ladybug was up to. Could she be asleep, what if she was baking cookies for the warm chocolate taste? Perhaps she was still awake, thinking about what he was doing right about now, he smiled at that thought. He and his lady stuck together even when they weren't fighting an Akuma.
With that, he stood back up and prepared to vault toward the hotel when something caught his eye. In the corner of his vision, he could see a tall figure standing in the shadows. Turning toward it he focused his vision on the figure, "Who are you?"
A tingle ran down his spine as the figure took a step towards him.
"I said, who are you?" He said with a gulp. The figure took one more step toward the hero.
The figure grinned, "Your worst nightmare."
