Unfortunately, Gabriel showed no signs of wanting to give up. For the next couple of weeks, every morning Marinette woke up to a new blockade of emails from him, filling her inbox to the brim and stopping others from getting through. When she blocked that email address, there was only a brief pause, just enough for her to catch her breath, before even more came through on a slightly different one. She had then deleted that email address and made herself a new one. Unfortunately, it only took a day for that one to be flooded as well, each one asking her to reconsider her decision. She couldn't go onto her computer without seeing them pile up slowly throughout the day and the sight now made her stomach turn.
It wasn't just the emails that made her feel like she was under siege in the bakery. Occasionally, the phone would ring and she would go to answer, only to hear nothing from the other side, even though she knew it was him just listening to the sound of her panic. There were the letters and parcels that came through the letterbox, the parcels usually containing some item of designer clothing, often made of silk and very skimpy, that made her insides twist in disgust. Does he really think he can bribe me like this? It's sickening! She would think in her flashes of anger, but they were soon gone and replaced with fear when the next wave of assault came.
She knew it was taking a toll on her; she hadn't designed something in days, now associating the activity with him, she barely ventured out of the bakery, except for essential things and she was a lot jumpier. She found herself screaming at the sound of the creaking floorboards or when Tikki accidentally knocked a bowl off a shelf. It was affecting her so deeply, she was beginning to wonder if she would ever be the same again. I feel so weak, she often thought in her deepest moments of despair. How can Ladybug be dragged down to this?
The only positive she had in her life was Shadow. Exactly, as he had said, he had returned that night, that same glint in his eye, and that same smile on his face. He always shamelessly asked for food, calling her 'princess' the whole time to make her blush, and she was happy to indulge him, spending her days trying to relax and making him pastries. Being a baker's daughter, she could make most of them with her eyes closed, it filled her with pride when she served him a full platter of the sweet creamy cakes, and then he left it empty. He would often share them with her, sometimes resulting in them both having cream fights, that ended with both of their faces sticky with pastry, and giggling like little kids. They soon moved from sitting on opposite ends of the table in the bakery, to curled up together on her living room sofa, so close they could feel the warmth radiating from each other. Marinette was overjoyed by this new closeness, after seeing him so cold with her and she was glad to have found someone to talk to. He was happy to let her ramble on about anything and everything and soon, she was pretty sure he knew her better than she knew herself.
She also found that as more nights passed, he started to open up a little to her; he wasn't as worried about keeping his face concealed, letting himself sit up more, so the shadows only hid patches of his face from her eyes, though his hood still stayed permanently up. She also started learning about little snippets of his life; she found out through carefully-treaded conversations that he was also 18, that he had never been to a mainstream school, and that he had a very fractured relationship with his father, who was the only family member he would mention. That made her wonder if his mother was still in the picture, then that always dragged her thoughts back to that painful day with Chat Noir, where he had so desperately cried for his mother and then left without a word. The memory still hadn't lost its sting and she doubted if it ever would. She often wondered if she was helping Shadow because she felt guilty over Chat Noir, but she suspected that her reasons were far more selfish- she just wanted him there because otherwise she had nothing. He was the only thing giving her hope, as they grew close, she thought maybe she could be strong for his sake and if she was steadfast, then surely Gabriel would leave her alone, maybe this nightmare would end for good.
For a while, that distant hope looked promising; the onslaught seemed to reach a stalemate, as more emails were sent as ignored, more gifts were sent back to the post office, and more calls were declined. Marinette was even beginning to feel cheerful, as one afternoon she was humming as she cleaned the bakery, the happy tune filling the quiet air as she wiped down the counters. She wasn't even thinking of Gabriel as she worked, her mind instead looking forwards to Shadow visiting her tonight. She had been watching him closely to see which pastries he liked the most and she was certain that she had made the perfect platter for him; now she was just excited to see the look on his face when she presented it to him. Her humming grew louder and more cheerful as she danced across the bakery floor, wiping the glass in the cabinets as she went. In that moment, she was the happiest she had been in ages and she could feel her smile threatening to split her face in two, when there was a sharp rapping sound from behind her as somebody knocked on the door.
At once she spun around, embarrassed to be caught that way, and feeling her cheeks flare up. Through the windows, she could see a small group of people huddling and she quickly composed herself before she went to the door. This was a normal occurrence for her; the bakery was very popular and she had had to send a lot of people away who came by, thinking it would still be open even with her parents gone. Marinette opened the door, the apologetic speech she had perfected over time already on her lips, before she saw the people who were standing there and froze in horror. Standing on the doorstep, unruffled by the shocked expression on Marinette's face, was Ms Sancoeur, Gabriel's assistant, the one he had called Nathalie after she had lead Marinette into his office. Flanking her were two burly men in dark suits, who had positioned themselves like a giant brick wall behind her, blocking off any exit to prevent her escaping them. They both were scowling down at her like they were daring her to even think of running from them and she instantly felt cowed by the oppressive air the three were giving off. They stood there like they were mafia bosses, waiting on a payment, and it made her feel sick to her stomach. She wanted to slam the door in their faces and run to her room, but her hand felt like it was paralysed; she couldn't move no matter how much she tried.
It was Ms Sancoeur who finally broke the cold silence, her voice clipped and professional, like they were back in Gabriel's office. "Good afternoon, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I'm Nathalie Sancoeur, you remember me from your interview?" Marinette nodded stiffly, the woman gave what could have been a smile before she continued. "I'm here on behalf of Mr Agreste. He would like you to accompany him to dinner this evening, to further discuss what he is offering you."
Dinner? Marinette almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the request. He's been harassing me for the past few weeks, constantly and now he thinks I'm going to willingly go to dinner with him? "I'm sorry, but there is nothing more I can discuss with him." She said, fixing her eyes firmly on Nathalie, so her bodyguards wouldn't make her resolve waver. "Please, go back and tell him to leave me alone. I'm not interested in anything he has to say."
She finally felt able to move, when she went to close the door, a large meaty hand shot out and held it open, gripping it so that even with all her strength, she couldn't make it budge. She looked up to see the leering face of one of the bodyguards and it made her back away slightly. She could see he was leaving marks on the door and that terrified her. Would they seriously damage the bakery if they don't get their own way? The thought paralysed her again as Nathalie stepped closer, closing off the doorway as she spoke again.
"I don't think you quite understand, Marinette," She told her, the sound of her first name cutting Marinette like a knife. "You will be coming to dinner with Mr Agreste, he has given specific instructions that you will do so. You will be waiting out here, at 6 o'clock for his transport to pick you up, and you will meet him at whatever destination he will choose. And he asked me to make sure you were dressed appropriately, 'something date-worthy' were the words he used."
Marinette felt like she was going to choke when she heard it all. The man must be insane! She thought as she glared back at the woman who continued to stand there like she was making a routine visit. "And what if I'm not ready by 6? Did he give you any instructions for that?"
"Actually, he did." She answered, her eyebrow raised like she was amused by the girl's small stand of defiance. "He said to take you there by any means necessary, whether you are ready or not."
Her words made Marinette's blood run cold. She didn't want to believe they were being serious, but the stern look on the woman's face told her that they weren't joking at all. The two men were smirking at her, their eyes gleaming like wolves who had just stumbled on a young lone deer. She wanted to fight back, she wanted to kick them out of her bakery and scream, but she felt numb inside from the fear that was leaking through her, and all she could do was nod again.
"That's better." Nathalie said with another half-smile. "The car will be outside at 6 on the dot. Mr Agreste hates being left waiting, so don't make that mistake. Thank you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Pleasure doing business with you."
With those last words hanging in the air like poison gas, she turned around and left, her two bodyguards lumbering after her as she crossed the street, melting into the afternoon crowds. Marinette stood in the doorframe for a moment, her eyes following them as they walked away, without a backwards glance. From the way they acted, it was like they had been salespeople trying to sell her something rather than people who had just threatened her. She realised she was trembling but she held herself together just long enough to close the door, and run to her room before she broke down in tears. She collapsed and curled up on the floor, her body pressed hard against her desk like she was trying to mould herself with it. The feeling of the hard wood gave her some clarity in her panicking mind, but she still felt unable to think, unable to breathe. She gave long gasps for air like she was drowning, tears pouring down her cheeks as she wanted to scream for being so useless. He really has me, she thought as she felt a weight on her cheek that was whispering soothing words and trying to calm her down. She couldn't stop herself sobbing, even with Tikki's soft words, as she dwelled on the mess she was in. He has me in his claws and I can't get out, no matter what I do.
OOO
A few hours later, Marinette was standing outside the bakery, her stomach feeling queasy as she constantly checked the time on her phone. The screen read 5:57, only serving to warn her that the hour of her doom was crawling ever closer. She wasn't sure which would be better; the car arriving now so she could get this awful night over with, or the car never showing and being locked in this position for all time. Both made her shiver despite the warm air and she pulled her shawl closer around her shoulders. She wondered if she wouldn't mind forever waiting; what was waiting for her on the other side could only be worse.
The phone now read 5:58. Marinette groaned a little as she locked it and the black screen reflected her face back up at her. Even though it would have given her tremendous satisfaction to turn up at dinner looking like a tramp, she had been too scared, and had made an attempt to look presentable. She had worn her shoulder length hair up in a bun that was starting to come loose from the wind's gentle but incessant tugging on the looser blue-black strands, blowing them into her face. She had put on her usual light make-up and had only added a touch of light brown shadow, to make her eyes pop out from the thick black lashes that framed her bluebell eyes. Her lips were dark from where she had been biting them all day, so she had only needed a pale lip gloss to give them a sheen.
For a 'date-worthy outfit' (the words still made her feel sick even now) she was wearing one of her own designs, a dress she had made, hoping to wear it on an actual date someday, but there was a fat chance of it happening now; she knew she would probably bin it once she got home. The black halter top cocktail dress that she had been very proud of when she first designed it accentuated her slim curves, showing off her toned arms and legs. The front of the dress showed a one half inch collar around her neck, with six thin straps that ran down towards the top of the sweetheart neckline at a slight angle, three on each side. The skirt of the dress flared out from just below her hips to stop two inches above her knees with a three inch slit up her left side, showing off a delicate black lace to tease but still be modest. The other side of the dress had a hidden zipper that started in the middle of her back ran down to just above her rounded rump, and one for the back of the collar. Knowing how clumsy she could be, she matched the dress with three inch black heels and a little black clutch with a thin black strap which held her keys, cell, and other amenities. Remembering what had happened the last time she went to see Gabriel, she'd also remembered to put in the pepper spray; just in case.
She checked her phone one last time and saw the numbers 5:59 flash before her. Only one minute to go and she felt physically sick. She angrily thrust the phone back in her clutch bag and dislodged the spray, making it stick out of the bag at a jaunty angle. Seeing it made her think of Shadow and she suddenly wished he was with her. Would he be mad when he turned up at the bakery later and saw she wasn't there? She knew he would worry and that thought made her stomach twist guiltily. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him distress, especially when he had done so much for her already.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when, exactly on the dot of 6, a sleek white limousine suddenly pulled up in front of the bakery. She spotted the two bodyguards from earlier, were in the front seats, they both looked slightly disappointed to see she was ready and waiting for them. They were probably looking forward to dragging me there kicking and screaming, she thought bitterly as she fixed them both with a glare. Gabriel does employ some sick people.
One of them jabbed a thumb at the back of the car and she quickly made her way to the door, not wanting them to have the satisfaction of helping her. When she got into the car, she was surprised by the sheer scale of the luxury inside; the interior was gold and white leather, from the ceiling to the floor and the seats looked so plush, Marinette was sure she would sink into them and then never get back up. She looked around, seeing a large golden bucket filled to the top with ice, an inviting bottle of champagne sticking out, and an open box of chocolates next to it. The sight made her want to recoil from the car. How could he think he could buy her affections like this? Still, she forced herself inside and sat in the seat closest to the door, sliding it reluctantly closed like it was the door to her own prison cell.
"Good. You decided not to resist." She jumped at the sudden voice and whipped around to see Nathalie was sitting on the other end of the limousine, perched on the very edge of the white seat like she was scared of denting it. When Marinette stared at her, she gave only a brief nod in her direction, before looking back down at her clipboard which seemed to be a permanent fixture to her arm. "And you did dress well. Mr Agreste is already waiting for you at The Blue Moon. We should be there in no time."
Marinette gulped. The Blue Moon was one of the most prestigious and expensive restaurants in the whole of Paris; it was one of the places she remembered her old classmate Chloe Bourgeois boasting about. She had heard the food there was amazing, but she felt so sick she doubted she could get a morsel past her lips. The car set off and Nathalie didn't say another word as she focused back down on her clipboard. Marinette was grateful the woman didn't speak, as she laid her head back on the leather, and closed her eyes. That way she could pretend she was simply back in her room, lying on her bed as she rested from another long day. By the time the car stopped, she almost believed she was there and when the car door slammed open, she was awakened with a jolt.
"We're here." The large man grunted as she hopped from the car. Nathalie quickly followed her out and beckoned her over to the large set of steps that lead to the restaurant. Marinette hastily fell in step behind her, tugging her shawl around her shoulders as she stared up at the building with her eyes wide. The exterior of The Blue Moon was exquisitely decorated to look like a palace with tall spirals and large windows, flooded in blue light making it all look like glass. The wide oval doors gleamed before her like the teeth of a giant and when Nathalie ushered her inside, she felt like she was being swallowed. The walls being decorated with red velvet didn't help, as it gave the illusion that she was walking down a monster's gullet. She wanted to run but she knew the bodyguards would still be waiting outside, eagerly hoping she would attempt to escape, so they could manhandle her inside.
She followed Nathalie down the corridor like a lamb to the slaughter until they reached the main room of the restaurant. This room was painted a pale blue with a high domed ceiling and large glass baubles hanging from the ceiling that had been dimpled, to look like glowing moons. Each table looked pristine with long white tablecloths, silver vases on each one, and the air was filled with gentle violin music. Marinette could already feel herself being soothed, until she looked over towards the other side of the room, and saw Gabriel sitting in a small booth directly opposite. His glasses flashed as he stared over at her and a gentle shove pushed her forwards.
"Go. He's been waiting for you and he is not a patient man." Nathalie's voice reprimanded her from behind and she found herself walking towards him. As she got closer, she could see the way his eyes were roaming over her, drinking in every detail, her hands trembled as she pushed her chair back, and sat down. For a moment, the two just stared across the table at each other, one apprehensively looking in fear, and the other glaring with a blank expression. It was Gabriel who eventually broke the silence, his voice pleasant, and his eyes never leaving her form as he folded his hands under his chin.
"You came. I'm very glad about that."
"I didn't have much of a choice when your guards turned up at my door." Marinette spat at him. She had been fearful all the way here but now she was confronted with the man who was making her existence a misery, she could feel fire burning in her veins and she wanted to fight back. "They would have dragged me here otherwise."
"But they didn't have to." Gabriel responded smoothly. He was completely mesmerised by her; in the light of the restaurant and in the dress she was wearing, she seemed even more beautiful than she had that day in his office. He wanted to reach over and touch her, make sure she was real, and not just his imagination. The fire he saw in her eyes was just as entrancing; he was already imagining those eyes looking up at him, his and his alone. It made him more determined to have her, and he leant over in his chair, just so he could be a few centimetres closer to her. "That is promising. It shows you want to talk."
"Of course, I want to talk! About you leaving me-" She was cut off by the sudden appearance of a waiter, who came over, poured her a glass of wine before bowing, and disappearing again. Gabriel took a long sip of his own wine, the red liquid swilling around in the glass like a stormy, bloody sea, before he motioned for her to do the same.
"Taste it. I assure you, the wine here is divine. I picked this one myself. It should go perfectly with the menu I picked out for us both."
"You already chose the food?" Marinette stared at him. "But what-"
"I selected it purely on your likes and dislikes Marinette, you have no need to worry." Gabriel told her with a small smile on his face that seemed to contort his expression. "I just didn't want anybody to interrupt us just to take our order."
Before Marinette could answer, the waiter appeared again, this time with two plates of steaming food. As one was rested in front of her, Marinette couldn't help but gasp. The dish was a serving of noodles in Chinese broth, one of her favourite dishes. The aroma coming from the silkily spiced liquid was indulgent and she wanted to dive in and taste it, but the sight of it had rendered her motionless. How had he known this was her favourite? She looked back up at him and when he gave her a grin, all her hunger suddenly vanished.
"Go on, please." Gabriel continued to smirk as he placed his napkin on his lap. "Before it gets cold. We can talk after we've finished eating."
Marinette stayed frozen for a moment, still processing the whole thing, before she hesitantly picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. Though the broth was delicious and the noodles perfectly done, she barely tasted any of it, the food feeling like bland lumps in her mouth and the wine only serving to soak her throat under Gabriel's watchful gaze. She knew he had yet to look away from her and that sent shivers down her spine. What was he going to say once this charade of a peaceful dinner was done?
Once they had both set their chopsticks down, the plates were whisked away, and their glasses refilled before moments later the dessert arrived. Again Marinette was shocked; the light fluffy strawberry cake in front of her looked delicious, but even her love of cake couldn't hold against the tense atmosphere, and it tasted like cotton wool as she forced herself to swallow it down. All the while, Gabriel was still staring, his cold blue eye looking at her like he could see through the fabric of her dress. It made her huddle further into her shawl but that didn't deter him at all. He just went on looking at her, not speaking until their dessert plates were gone and they once again had full glasses of wine. He took one sip, peering at her over the rim of the glass, before he set it down and spoke.
"Now that we have eaten, we can get down to business." He crossed his fingers and rested them back on the table, his voice still pleasant but unwavering. "I'm going to get straight to the point and tell you that my offer for you to become my business partner still stands."
"And I'm here to tell you that my previous answer definitely still stands!" Marinette fired back. "Do you really think you can scare me into agreeing, send me all those emails and things and I'll come crawling? No chance in hell! That is my final say of the matter!"
She went to stand up, ready to turn away and walk out of the restaurant. She was expecting him to sound angry and demand her to get back in her seat, but all he did was chuckle lightly like she had done something greatly amusing. Then, with a lightning speed that she never expected him to have, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, locking her in place. She gave a squeal, trying to pull away but he held her there rigidly, and not one head in the restaurant went up to see what was happening. She froze in place, as Gabriel gave her a smile that was twisted by the light around him, as he tugged at her arm to lower her back into her seat.
"You know, you really remind me of someone." He smiled, looking at her in a way that was almost fondly. "She said no to me at first as well, but I persisted, and was soon able to persuade her. The issue was she just didn't know when to stop." His eyes darkened slightly and when he looked back up at her, his eyes were so cold she was convinced his irises were ice. "I'll soon persuade you too. I hope you won't make the same mistakes she did."
"H-how will you persuade me?" Marinette stuttered, furious at how weak she sounded. "After all you've done, you'll never get me to agree to this!"
His face didn't change as he continued to stare levelly at her, not releasing his grip on her wrist. She stared back, each second that ticked by making her more uncertain, before he finally spoke again. "I was going to ask earlier Marinette, how are your parents enjoying their trip? I'm sure your mother is greatly enjoying being with her family."
"What?" The sudden change of topic caught her by surprise as she gave him a confused look. "How did you know-"
"And your friends, Alya and Nino. Tell me, have they reached London yet? I know they are both working very hard, a true credit to their employers."
Marinette couldn't respond, her angry words catching in her throat and choking her. How did he know about her parents being away? And where her friends were going? Had he really gone into that much depth about her life? Before she could even get the questions straight in her mind, he was speaking again, and each word filled her with cold dread.
"It would be a real shame if your friends got there and found all their work had dried up. It would really put a damper on their careers, wouldn't it? And them being so young and talented too… such a pity. They would be heart-broken, if their dreams went up in smoke like that… And if your parents were held up abroad, it would really stunt their business too. There's only a certain amount of time people will wait, before they get tired, and go to another bakery, there must be dozens in Paris… And of course, there are other ways to lose business, like if there were rumours of rats surrounding the place…"
"You wouldn't!" She snapped, her anger bursting like a firework, before it fizzled away under his hard gaze and sinister smile. "You couldn't…"
"Believe me Marinette, I could." He told her and she believed it. "I have some very powerful contacts, contacts who owe me massively, and will do anything to keep me happy. With one word, I could make all of those things happen and more so if I were you, I would be listening very closely to what I have to say."
His smile only grew wider when he felt how she was shaking under his grip. He let her go gradually, his fingers lingering on her skin for as long as possible, taking his time because he knew she wouldn't run away. She stayed sitting in her chair, her face so pale it looked like she had been bleached as she waited for him to speak, like a condemned criminal awaiting their fate.
"This is the deal I am proposing. You will come and work as my business partner, using your brilliant talents alongside mine to create new fashions. We would both be unstoppable, think of it. You would get a lot of new media attention, being my protégée of course. Think of how much your designs could be sold for, how much hard work and struggle you could avoid. You could save so many years trying to get on the market and my brand would be given a new lease of life. Everybody wins here."
"Is that all you want from me?" She asked. "Just for me to work for you?"
"Not exactly." She felt him reach for her hand again and she was too shell-shocked to pull it away. He turned her hand over, exposing the soft flesh of her palm and he ran his thumb along the criss-crossing lines that marred it, ones that were supposedly meant to spell out her fate. "We would be working together day in, day out. Over time, the press would see our relationship deepening; we would go from being simply a student and their mentor, to being friends, then something far more… intimate."
The last word dripped from his tongue like it was honey and it made Marinette's entire body go cold. He surely couldn't mean… The realisation hit her and she felt sicker than she had ever felt before. She almost gagged, just about holding in all the food she had forced down, and she wrenched her hand away from him to hold it over her mouth. Meanwhile, he sat across the beautifully patterned table from her, acting like he'd just talked about the weather, making her anger spark inside her, as he watched her almost fascinated. How could I have once respected this man? He has blackmailed me, just threatened my friends and family just so I would eventually… she couldn't even think it, the thought was so ghastly. She stared back at him in shock, her chest heaving with the effort of each breath and he calmly addressed her again.
"So, my dear, what do you think? Do we have a deal?"
He held out his hand, the one that had been caressing hers moments before, and she glared down at it with enough fury in her eyes to scorch it. "I'll tell you what I think…" She growled, about to launch into a tirade of angry words, but suddenly the waiter who had been tending them the entire night appeared beside them like he had sprang out from a trapdoor, armed with a pitcher of water and a surprised expression.
"Would… would the lady like a refill?" He asked slowly, tentatively holding out the glass pitcher. To Marinette, it was like a red rag to a bull, as she felt something inside her snap. She was not going to stand for this a moment longer and this was how she was going to show him.
"Yes, thank you, I'd love a refill." She told him, putting on her sweetest voice as she gently, took the pitcher from his hands. Then, with a furious look, she turned back to Gabriel and tipped the contents over his head. The man spluttered as he was hit by the wave of chilled water, ice cubes, and the waiter loudly gasped as every head in the place turned to stare in horror at the commotion. Marinette, unaware of the tension that surrounded her, only smiled as she shook the last remaining drops from the curve of the pitcher and handed it back to the stunned waiter, bringing out her phone so she could take a picture of her handiwork. It truly was a sight to behold; Gabriel sat there completely drenched, his greying blonde hair a deluged mop, with the tips covering the top of his glasses rims, his eyes widened with disbelief and shock. His jaw was slackened in the face of the camera, and his suit saturated with a few ice cubes sitting on his shoulders, like parrots perched there for a rest. She giggled as she took the photo, before she turned back to the waiter with an even wider smile.
"If you don't mind, I'd like a refill of the last hour and a half; frankly it's been awful and I'd like the time back." She told him, ignoring the look of total horror on his face as she turned back to Gabriel with a hiss. "And as for you, I want you to stay away from me. Do not come near me ever again with your sick offers." Fury burned in her eyes as she stared at him warningly, but he didn't change his expression as he stared back at her, the icy water dripping from his glasses. She looked back down at the photo on her screen and she had to smile, wanting to laugh out loud at the absurdity of her situation.
"You know," She finally said as she scooped up her possessions and gave him one last winning smile. "You make an excellent drowned owl." Stuffing the phone back in her bag, she then spun around on her small heels and marched from the restaurant, leaving their audience open-mouthed. The staff was panicking about what to do and Gabriel still sitting there, his hand shaking in quiet cold anger as he reached into his pocket for his own phone. He held it up to his soaked face, nobody daring to interrupt the call as they fluttered around him, fussing like bees around lavender. A gruff voice spoke on the line, a voice so rough and deep it felt like gravel was being poured into his ears.
"Yes?"
Gabriel only spoke one line before hanging up. "Don't let her get home."
OOO
OK, walking far from home, in Paris, in the middle of the night is definitely not one of my better ideas. Marinette thought bitterly as she heaved a long suffering sigh. Too angry and depressed to care who saw her in her state of wretchedness, she mentally berated herself as she stomped away from the restaurant, her eyes flashing with anger as she dared any of the staff outside to stop her. She had never felt more disgusted in her life.
"Of all the things to have him say," she grumbled. "He chose to say that." She couldn't believe that he had just said that, out of nowhere. The fact that the idea had even passed his mind was sickening enough, but the fact that he had said it made her stomach clench all over again. No, she told herself, I won't think about it anymore. If he has any sense he'll stay away from me.
She took a sharp turn down a side street, away from traffic, towards her parent's bakery. With her body went on auto-pilot, she left one side of the street, and crossed to another with dimmer lighting. She heaved a depressed sigh, then stopped when her low heels pinched her feet for the 6th time since she'd left the jerk.
"Why was I stupid enough to wear these heels?" She complained loudly, her voice snapping with frustration as she yanked off the cute little black heels from hell. I've still got two miles to go before I get back to the bakery. Crap, Tikki's gonna be peeved, she thought before she picked up the shoes and started to walk. She knew she could have gotten a taxi home, but she felt like she needed to walk her anger off and rant into the night about how horrible her entire evening had been.
With her shoes swinging by her side, she went across another side street that had brighter but fewer lights. She was so focused on her foul mood and the street in front of her that she didn't notice the sudden streak of white that leapt over her head and peered stealthily down at her, watching her every moment with a smile. So this is where my princess is, Chat Blanc thought as her angry grumblings reached his ears and made them twitch on top of his head. Where's she been? I was waiting for her at the bakery for ages. And why is she so cross?
Oblivious to the shining yellow eyes that gleamed like twin moons above her, Marinette carried on marching down the long streets, her mind lost in her fog of anger. She knew the bakery wasn't too far away but after a few minutes, she started to get the uncomfortable feeling that she was being followed. She sped up her pace a little, but the feeling still remained, prickling at the back of her neck like she could feel the stranger's gaze. She heard a heavy scrape behind her and that made her halt slightly, snapping her fully from her reverie. She knew this was a quiet street in a decent neighbourhood, so there should have been no one else there, and that confirmed her worst fears. Instead of turning around, she clutched her shoes to her chest and ran, hearing heavy footfalls following behind her along with foul curses breaking the peaceful silence of the Parisian night.
"Goddammit, Phineas! Now you made the fuckin' bitch run, making this harder of the rest of us!" shouted a disgustingly familiar voice.
"You shouldna let him have dat last Fischer, Claude. Hell, Pierre warned ya!" Gustav shouted and she shuddered. She'd never forget that leering voice or terrible accent.
"Fuck off! Both o' yous!" Yelled a new voice she assumed belonged to Phineas that was deeper than the other two but still just as mean and rough.
Marinette could feel her chest constricting in panic; the memory of what they had done to her last time was still fresh in her mind and it pushed her forwards. As she ran, she knocked over some trash cans sat by the edge of the street and sent them rumbling in her wake. They flew into the road, knocking over one of her assailant's by the sound of his cursing.
"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me last time, you fuckin' bitch! When I'm done, you'll wish you were never born!" The murderous voice of Claude rang out, starting to sound winded from chasing his surprisingly fast and agile prey.
She made another turn and another but she could hear them gaining on her. Her feet were pounding away on the hard concrete and rough tar roads that had sharper points sticking out of them, stabbing into her unprotected, pale feet. She'd be lucky if the bottoms of her feet weren't torn bloody after this. There's no time to put them on, she thought. But maybe...
She suddenly turned in the air and threw a shoe at her closest aggressor without taking aim, landing back on her feet still going full speed, hoping she'd done some kind of damage.
"Fuck!"
Yup, I got one. She smirked. Now, to lose the last of the bozos.
Before Marinette could try that trick again, she saw a dead end in front of her and was forced to stop, almost ramming her body into it from the momentum. The brick was too high for her to reach, there was nothing close by to help her climb over it, and there were no windows or fire escapes to give her any leverage over her pursuer. She turned, clutching the shoe and shawl to her chest in a tight grip, but refused to show her fear, her back up against the wall. She saw it was Claude, slowly advancing towards her, with a menacing smirk on his face. Her hair had come undone from the bun, so it swung about her face freely, tousled about her shoulders, framing her round face as she watched the heaving man progress with victory and hate burning in his soulless eyes. The young woman searched for an opening with her bright blue ones, hoping against hope that the other two were too far away or had gotten lost.
Almost eerily, the other two stumbled and wheezed behind their leader, blocking off any possible exit, with their hands on their knees, staring her down daring her with the look of triumph in their eyes, to try to get past all three of them in that narrow ally. This really isn't my lucky day, she thought darkly.
"You're... a... dead... tramp..." panted out Phineas who looked ready to puke up his beer, trash stuck to his grimy and foul smelling clothes.
"Hell... yeah..." replied Gustav. He slowly straightened his back and she saw the black eye starting to form on his right eye, making it rapidly swell closed.
I must have got him with the heel, she thought, feeling a drop of satisfaction before it faded clean away. Come on, Marinette, you can think you're way out of this. She started to take a mental inventory of what she had and formulated a plan of action but her mind stalled when Claude started to step closer, cracking his knuckles as he sickly smiled at her.
"I'm going to enjoy this, slut..." He drawled out.
"But didn't... tha'... hoytie-toytie... say ta-" started the puffing Gustav, but one glare from his friend shut him up.
"Not after last time." The bear of a man ground out. "This time she's going to pay."
"Ah," Gustav snorted, trying not to laugh. "You mean when she got ya in the goolies." Claude's face flamed with shame, embarrassment, and hate, turning his full attention back to his prey.
"Now- Gaaaaaahhhhh!" His tirade interrupted with a girlish squeal of pain erupting in his nether regions, again. He dropped to the pavement like a stone, clutching his privates to protect them from further damage, gulping as much air into his burning lungs to keep from howling in torturous pain. As he lay there, he watched through blurry eyes as the woman went to escape.
"Come on, Missy," cajoled Gustav unsuccessfully. "Why don't ya make it easier on yaself and come with us, quietly?" Phineas walked over to his friend, to help him, his advance had been halted when the woman chucked her other shoe at him, the other heel cracking on the bridge of his nose, causing it to bleed profusely as he clutched it in agony.
"Gawd dammit!" The no longer tipsy man screeched.
"Man up, Phin!" The squeaky panting reply came from the cold, hard pavement behind the girl.
While Marinette was turning her body back to face Gustav, he grabbed her arm to stop her running. Big mistake, she thought as she grinned darkly at him. The thug realized it too late, as she pulled her arm towards her, causing the momentum to bring the lanky unbalanced male into target range. She swung her leg up and clocked the lanky man in the jaw, causing him to bite his tongue. He let go of her arm as he yelped like a dog and cradled his face, blood dribbling from the corners of his mouth down over his fingers.
Claude was off the ground, finally recovered from his second beating, and determined to even the score. With his fists brought up, he swung at her, putting all his weight behind his arm. Marinette had heard him lurch up from the ground and so moved her head to the side. As his arm fruitlessly flew past her head, she grabbed his arm, kicked his legs from under him, and threw him, using all her strength, at Gustav. The man's head cracked against the road, both aggressor's bodies in a dark, tangled heap on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Phineas take measured steps towards her and she dug into her small purse, ready to pull out the pepper spray to use it on the large chubby man. When he got within range, she pressed the nozzle and it let out the spicy red chemicals, into her assailant's eyes. He backed away, covering his now spiced oculars with his bloody hands, screaming his pain, and tripping over the other bodies on the pavement.
Suddenly, she felt a shocking pain in her neck that made her cry out as her body started to violently convulse. She felt herself fall towards the ground, unable to make her body move to respond as the pain shot through her in a huge current, and then everything turned black. Pierre stood behind her, covered in black clothes with a ski mask concealing his face, holding a taser still lit up, buzzing from the trigger being pulled, and used on the young woman, now sprawled on the ground. The pepper spray fell from her now lax grip, slowly rolling towards the three men that were on the ground. Gustav was trying to push both Claude's unconscious body and the writhing form of Phineas off of him, but he wasn't having much success, as both their dead weights were too much for him.
"What the fuck were you idiots doing?!" Pierre growled. "You're grown men, I shouldn't have to save your sorry asses from one tiny girl!"
"She ran before we could get her!" whined Phineas. He removed his hands from a face which was now a mess from his own blood, tears and pepper spray. He couldn't see very well, but stumbled up anyway.
"She prob'ly wouldna have heard ya if ya hadna had dat last Fischer, like Pierre tol' ya not ta, ya shi' head!" Gustav yelled with a lisp before he groaned in pain from using his now swollen tongue to bellow at his drunkard of a comrade. Pierre turned to Gustav who was picking up his unconscious friend, slinging his bear-like arm over thin shoulders, Claude still out cold from the blow to his head.
"What happened to the numb skull?" Pierre drawled out while walked over to the senseless man and put away the taser in the holder on his belt.
"She cracked his nut sack again and then threw him like he was a sack of flour, the guy must've cracked his head." Phineas explained. Pierre glared at the sprayed, bloody drunk, then turned his attention to Gustav's bruised face in disgust.
"She gives you a couple bruises to your face and you're down for the count, ane?"
The beanpole stuck out his tongue, showing Pierre his bitten tongue barely still held together by a few ligaments and bleeding copiously, as his answer.
"Well, at least I won't have to hear about how you ate out the last few harlots you've had around town, for a while." Pierre smirked causing the other man to grimace and glare at the leader. Phineas snorted in the background.
They hadn't forgotten the woman that caused all this and they leered down her as she lay helplessly facedown, on the rough ground. Pierre bent down to pick up the comatose body, only to be stopped by a gold pole cracking the pavement with a clang that shot through the air of the alleyway like a warning bell. His hands frozen in mid-movement, Pierre jumped back in time to not be smashed by the big boots of a young man clad in white that stood before them. All three men looked up at the person that had slid down the gilt weapon, and felt a chill go up their spines that had nothing to do with the autumn night air.
The pole retracted from its place near the girl's prone body, to shorten itself a few inches shorter than the owner, his stance deceptively lazy. His body was encased in white armoured leather, the white ears atop of his golden locks not giving away his emotions. The white domino mask attached to his face held glowing amber cat eyes with thin black slits that glared back at the girl's aggressors, the only thing showing his emotional state. His mouth closed, hiding his lengthened canines, until he spoke in a low calm voice, the one he borrowed from his kwami.
"Why are you after her?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business." Pierre replied in the same manner. "You're that Chat Blanc, ain't you, the one trying to scare everyone away? You ain't exactly a hero yourself."
"No, I'm not." The white cat nodded. "I'm won't claim to be something I'm not."
"So why don't you back off and let us take her? There's someone who wants to speak with her." The man was clearly nervous about this someone-he knew this guy was different from anyone he's had to face and knows that one mistake could land him a one-way trip down the Seine.
"Ah, that's where we must disagree," was the pointed reply. "You made it my business by going after what I consider to be mine." Inside his head he was speaking to the phantom that he was fused with instead of Plagg. What should I do?
"You don't have to ask me, Adrien." The dark spirit replied in his mind. "They're going to unveil us, but this might be the best way to show your father that we mean business, that these past few months were just... a warm up."
Chat Blanc gave a delighted grin at his words and the men watching him stiffened at the sight of it. "You see, you're going to be my messengers. Though, I do believe there are three too many of you." Chat Blanc stated quietly, his pole slowly retracting back to the size of a baton and he smoothly returned it to the back sheath on his suit, just above his belt tail. He brought his hand up towards his face, showing his white claws, when he flexed his fingers, the nails grew out another inch and his eyes glowed with an unholy light at the hapless fools before him. "Let's whittle you down a bit, shall we?" The men took a step back, Claude still was knocked out cold, so Chat chose to leave him with just a few reminders, slashing his shirt into ribbons with a single movement that made the other men scream and try to run.
"It's no fun to play with something that won't scream." Chat Blanc pointed out, his voice echoing inside Adrien's skull.
Very true, the suited man grinned back mirthlessly. His figure suddenly blurred, moving faster than the men could see as he charged after them. They were completely unprepared to take him on and there was no chance of them outrunning him. He knew it and was going to enjoy this.
OOO
Marinette groaned, her eyebrows and nose scrunching as she slowly woke up. Shifting a little, she mentally took stock of her body as she yawned and stretched, her eyes fluttering open. Her confused bluebell eyes groggily looked around the room, they were confronted with pink; she was back in her bedroom at the bakery and she could see her clutch, bag, and shawl placed below her on the floor as she was laid across her chaise longue. Her body was warm, she could feel a blanket had been wrapped around her, and she was also still wearing her black cocktail dress. There was a slight pinching pain in the back of her neck, a swelling pain from her forehead, and an agonizing ache from her feet. What happened? Her blurry thoughts kept trying to make sense of the new pains. Why do my feet hurt this much?
Slowly, her brain brought up why her feet felt worse than any other part of her, causing her eyes to widen with horror as she looked around more frantically, her breath hitched in her throat. The room was dark, so she couldn't see that well, but eventually her eyes swung towards the person next to her. Her eyes adjusted enough to the dim lighting and she gave a sigh of relief when she saw the gentle friendly smile of Shadow, looking at her from the end of her chaise longue. Knowing he was there, she visibly relaxed, releasing the breath she'd held, and returned the smile her friend was bestowing on her.
"Hey there, Princess."
"Hey yourself, stranger." Came the sleepy reply.
"How're you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?" He prodded gently edging a little closer to her.
"I feel tired and a bit bruised, but I'll be-"
"Please, don't lie to me, Marinette," came the gentle but firm reply. "Chat Blanc saved you and brought you here."
"Chat Blanc?!" She said looking at him incredulously. "You spoke to Chat Blanc?
"Yes, he told me what happened, that you'd ran barefoot down several alleys, fought four guys, got tasered, and fell unconscious to the ground, hard." He couldn't help himself any longer and took one of her hands, bringing it to his lips, kissing it gently with a plea in his eyes. "So please, be honest with me; are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yes," Her voice came out as a quiet sigh. "They're not too bad, I'm not in a lot of pain at the moment, but my feet do hurt and my head is throbbing a little bit."
"OK," Shadow answered as he lightly placed her hand back on the blanket. "Stay here, I'll get you something." He hopped off the end of the chaise longue and ran into the bathroom, quickly turning on both taps to run some warm water. He quickly returned with some pain killers, a first aid kit, Vaseline, and ace bandages, setting those next to the pile of towels she had earlier left on the counter, he had already placed by her side. He handed her a glass of water which she used to gulp down the pain killers, she watched him as he made a cold compress, and placed it on her bruised head. She peered up at him, the corners of her lips turned upwards in a sweet sleepy smile that made his heart swell, and he had to force his eyes away from her to tend to her feet. Marinette tried getting up but her saviour quickly pressed his hand to her shoulder as she looked up at him.
"Why won't you let me get up?" She asked him as she heard the running water. "And what's the water for?"
"It's to soak your feet in," He explained as he quickly dashed to turn the taps off and came back with a wash basin of warm bubbling water. "Having your full weight on your feet will be painful and I know you want to go over to clean them yourself, but this room is spacious and you'd have to walk a good distance from the bed to the tub. Plus, I figured you'd need help getting the peroxide on to disinfect your wounds, I know your feet are going to be very tender."
"You've been thinking about this a while now, haven't you?" She asked, quirking a brow at him.
"As soon as Chat Blanc gave you to me and told me what he saw." And after I beat the crap out of those assholes, he thought bitterly.
"How long was I out?" She asked, trying not to look perturbed at the thought of it being longer than a day but failing.
"It was only for about an hour, maybe. Don't worry, it's just after midnight," He soothed. "Now, let's get you cleaned up."
"Shadow, I appreciate your concern-"
"We're not negotiating on this," He stated stubbornly, crossing his arms as he looked down at her. "It's either we do this my way or I take you to the hospital and I know you don't want to make that trip when it could easily be taken care of here." Marinette sighed, shook her head, then chuckled looking back up at him.
"Fine, you win. Just… be gentle, OK?"
"I promise, princess." He smiled at her as she gently eased herself upright, leaning back with the blanket falling about her shoulders. It made her look a little like a toddler swaddled in clothes ten times their size and he almost chuckled as he pulled the folds tighter around her tiny body. He could feel her relax at his touch, he couldn't help a small part of him want to pull her closer and not let go. Mine, his mind suddenly claimed but he mentally shook the thought from his head. She's not yours, she's a friend who's injured who requires your help, quit thinking like a cad and be the gentleman she needs.
He helped her gently soak each foot in the water, hating the little hisses and whimpers that left her lips. He so desperately wanted to take her pain away but they both knew this was needed to stop her wounds from being infected. Once he had finished cleaning them, he lifted them up and placed them on a towel spread over his lap, being careful to not irritate the injuries anymore. The light from the nightlight cast shadows over them, hiding his features more but bestowing a dull warm glow to her porcelain skin. The hooded man picked up the kit and bandages, as well as the other towel he had on hand, that he put on his knees as extra padding so her feet had something soft under them and also in case her feet decided to bleed. He wanted to make this process as comfortable as possible, since he couldn't take away the pain. Marinette placed her feet gently on his towel covered legs, she held her breath, waiting to feel the shooting pain, when it didn't come, she let out a shaky breath.
Adrien opened the kit, pulled out the hand sanitizer to clean his hands, then ever so tenderly, cradled his friend's mutilated foot in his large hands to see what he needed to use. He inwardly bristled at the sight of the damage, not wanting to upset her, while on the outside tried to manifest an air of calm. There were various cuts and bruises all along the heels, balls, and toes of both feet, there were also blisters, some forming while others had popped. I should've strung them up by their balls and left them dangling from the Eiffel Tower like Christmas ornaments! He mentally seethed. At odds with his thoughts, his hands benevolently placed her foot back on the fluffy cloth, slowly turned his upper body and took out some hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, and balm.
When he'd held her foot so tenderly, she almost broke into tears, her heart quivering from the reverence she swore she felt in his touch. She knew if she could see his eyes she'd see it there too and she was suddenly thankful for the hood over his eyes as she didn't want to cry and alarm him even more that night. Noticing the peroxide, Marinette winced visibly. She needed the stuff, but she also knew it wasn't going to make it sting any less. Mentally, she tried to prepare herself as her present caretaker poured the acidic liquid onto one of the fluffy balls of cotton, knowing it was going to hurt no matter what either of them attempted to ease the pain. Cradling her foot once again in one hand, Shadow peered up at the designer from the edge of his hoodie, in askance to proceed with the treatment, she quickly nodded her head.
Get it over with, she mentally grimaced.
In compliance, the cotton ball was pressed to her heel and Marinette had to bite her lower lip to keep from swearing, her face screwed in pain and her arms shaking from clenching her hands into tight fists, turning her knuckles white. After some time, more pressing, whimpers, and bubbling pain; the pain becoming a repetitive dull ache. Regrettably, Adrien had questions that needed answers and just working on her feet, not asking wasn't going to get them, so he glanced up at the girl, while starting to put on the soothing balm to the bottoms of her feet.
"Mari-"
"I don't want to talk about it, Shadow. I've had a horrendous night... hell the last month or so has been abominable, and I really don't want to- AAHHHH!" She hissed as an unexpected stab of pain shot straight up her foot in a potent wave.
"Sorry, Marinette." Adrien said softly as he alleviated the pressure from the now red cotton ball.
"No, you're fine, it's just me." she said, her voice quaking. "I just feel like a mess right now."
"I really wish I could take on this pain for you, so you didn't have to go through this." She wasn't sure if her heart was racing because of the words he said or if it was from the pain.
"It was my fault, so-"
"MARINETTE!" She sat there shocked at the anger in his voice, she couldn't see his eyes because of the hoodie, but she knew if saw them, they'd be aflame. When he realized he'd yelled, he looked back down at her feet, both now red, raw, and disinfected. He threw away the bloodied cotton in a nearby waste bin near the desk before picking up the balm and took out a glob, his chest heaving with the weight of his anger.
"I'm sorry, Princess," he said in a voice so gentle, it matched how he smoothed generous amounts of the salve on her sole. "I shouldn't have yelled just then…"
"No, you have a right to be upset, Shadow. You're one of my closest friends, closer to me than Alya who's like a sister to me, and you have questions I'm not answering that should be. I know you hate it when I downplay things like this, take the blame, or when you're lied to. That's not fair of me." The pain in her feet was still there, but the gel had helped to subdue it, for now. She reached out her hand and rested it on his shoulder, causing him to glance up at her apologetic face.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me, Shadow." Tears were gathered in the corners of her captivating bluebell eyes, making them shine like the galaxy had bestowed its ethereal wonder in them, just for him. After wiping his hands on the dirtied towel covering his thighs, he took her hand from his shoulder, bringing it to his lips, kissing her small knuckles reverently, while still gazing up at her.
"I'll always forgive you, princess."
She bestowed on him her sweet gentle smile, one that reminded him so much of his mother, and he felt his heart swell with joy. Mentally lamenting that he had to, Shadow put Marinette's hand back on her lap, and went about to finish treating her. He twisted his upper body slowly to keep his treasured friend's embalmed feet balanced on his knees, then gathered the bandages to wrap them up. While he swaddled her abused feet, she subconsciously rubbed the compress that was over her bruise and winced before she then put her hand back in her lap.
"It's kind of a long story… I'll have to start way back at the beginning…"
"That's OK with me." He smiled up at her and she managed a small one back.
"OK. Well, it all started on that day we met, do you remember it?" He gave a nod and she went on. "Well, I was going there to see Gabriel Agreste-"
"What?!" He suddenly sat bolt upright and stared up at her. "You went and saw Gabriel Agreste? Why did you need to go see that disgusting asshole?!"
"You know him?"
"Sadly, yes. And I certainly know how cruel he can be." She could hear anger and sadness in his voice, if he hadn't been holding her feet, she would have gone to hug him.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." He said firmly. "I need to hear what he did to you. Tell me, everything, don't leave a single thing out."
Marinette gave him a short look, before she started telling him everything that had happened, starting with that very first email, all the way through to the disaster of a dinner she had just lived through. Once she started, she found she couldn't stop and she could feel the familiar rise of terror inside her that frequently made her stop and gasp for breath, the tears coming back as she relived every awful moment, the courage that has sustained her in the restaurant gone.
Shadow finished bandaging her feet and climbed up next to her on the chaise longue, listening to her story with his face growing darker. He had always known his father was capable of doing horrible things, but the fact that he had tried to break such a perfect soul went beyond even him. That bastard… He thought angrily, rubbing comforting circles into Marinette's back that got tighter and harder with each new twist to her story. Why does he want her so badly?
"That person," She spat, "had the balls to threaten my friends and family, their livelihoods, their homes, right in front of me, as though it were no consequence to him. As though their feelings, their lives didn't matter. On top of that, he said that as part of his new deal, our relationship would be different. That I would eventually become..." she trailed off, her brows and nose scrunched up in rage.
"You become... what?" He hesitated to ask.
"He said, that once we had been partners for a while, we would become more intimate," She said in revulsion. "That means I would eventually become his… his wife."
"He... WHAT?!" Marinette practically jumped at Shadow's shout of disbelief and anger.
The boy's green eyes suddenly looked aflame and he felt so angry that if the raven haired girl hadn't been injured and sitting right in front of him, he would have summoned Plagg, marched up to the Agreste mansion, and not left until Gabriel's face had been clawed to pieces. The young man had never felt his cat instincts coming onto him like this before and he felt a step away from growling, spitting, and hissing with his fangs bared. His arms tightened around Marinette in protection, as though some unknown entity were trying to tear her away from him and his body went stiff, his lips drawn into a thin line as his nostrils flared with the effort to breath. He's trying to take another precious person from my life, I won't let him! He thought, glaring at the doorway like the disgusting old man was about to burst through it.
"Shadow?" A soft hand suddenly pressed against his chest, quelling the furious storm of feelings that were spilling out of him. "Are you, OK? I don't want you to be mad…" At the feel of her small, delicate touch, he was brought back to the fact she was in front of him, rubbing his chest, and looking at him with concern in her bright eyes. The blanket had started to fall away from her, so he busied himself pulling it up around her shoulders, while he listened to her calm breathes, bringing his own to the same rhythm.
"I'm fine, Mari," He told her, hardly daring to look up at her face for fear of what he might do. "I just can't believe he would do something like this to you. It's disgusting." He spat out the last word like it was poison and she looked at him worriedly, raising her hand to gently stroke what she could see of his cheek.
"I know," She murmured. "But there is a funny part to this story."
He looked down at her liked she'd grown two heads. "What could be funny about that thing upsetting, threatening, and proposing to you in the span of a single meal?" He growled.
Marinette just grinned at him, bouncing up and down in her seat as she reached over for her clutch bag. "You're gonna love this, Shadow." She smirked up at him from her lashes as she deftly flicked it open and took out her phone. She pressed a few icons on the flat screen, which brightened up her face showing her glee, chuckling all the while before she handed him the device. He took the cell in his hands and hooted at the image before him, laughing so hard at the sight of his father completely soaked that he thought his lungs would give out. Giggling at the site of her friend's reaction, Marinette extricated her arm from the blanket, an elbow on the back of the chaise propped her head up with her hand on her cheek as she gazed at her friend happily.
"Told you that it was funny." She smirked up at him again, using her most innocent voice as he turned back to look at her again. He was delighted to see the massive grin on her face and he swore he saw in his mind's eye a twitching black tail from behind her and ears curved from her black locks in the shape of devil horns, her eyes practically glowing from the blue light coming off of the screen from the TV, just like a cat that got the cream and was going in for more.
"It really is," He admitted, his own grin feeling like it would split his cheeks. "Please, send it to me."
"Absolutely, I'd never deprive you of this joy." She stated happily, taking back the phone to it send it via text. She was suddenly overjoyed at her decision to take the photo as he handed over his number. When he wasn't looking, she saved it in her contacts under Shadow, adding a few cake emoji's after his name for a giggle. She didn't see him also saving her number but adding a couple of hearts afterwards.
After exchanging their numbers, Marinette stared down at the picture that was slowly beginning to lose its mirth as she realised the enormity of what she had done. She had said no to one of the biggest names in fashion after he had threatened all her friends and family, her gut now felt pieced with worry as she thought about all the things he could do. He could wreck so many people's lives, all over me… Her shoulders shook with it, she didn't realise that she was crying until Shadow wriggled closer to her side, and started wiping her tears away with his cuff.
"Hey, hey, it's OK," He whispered reassuringly as he fussed over her, his own worry making him claw at his lip. "Is there anyone who can maybe stay with you? I can't be here other than at night and I hate the idea of leaving you here alone."
She nodded before she gave a little pause. "Alya and Nino will be back any day now," She told him and he nodded in approval; she had already told him everything about her two best friends and he was confident they would support her no matter what. "But they can't be here all the time, they have their own lives and I don't want to be a burden. My parents should also be back soon, but it's not soon enough and they can't do a thing anyway." She rubbed at her slightly swollen eyes before a sudden flash of anger took over her features and she clenched both hands into fists. "I want so badly to be able to do something, I hate being this useless but I can't do a thing! If I could just hit back at him, even just a tiny bit…" She fell into a disheartened silence but Shadow suddenly jerked his head up and made to move.
"You really want to hit back at him?" He asked her as she gave a short nod. "OK, wait here, I have the perfect thing."
"Wait, you're leaving?" She grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie and held it firmly, looking up at him like a child dropped off on her first day of school who really didn't want their parents to leave. "Don't go yet…"
"I'll be back in five minutes, I promise." He looked at her pleadingly and she eventually let go off his sleeve, grudgingly pulling back her arm and wrapping it around herself. She now felt cold without his body next to hers, he felt warmer than a hot water bottle. Before she could protest, he had sprinted from the room and down the stairs, his footsteps heavy as they rapped out a quick beat in their haste. True to his word, he was back after a few minutes, which was enough time for Marinette to hide herself further in her blanket, wrapping it around herself like she was trying to mummify herself.
When he came back, Shadow was panting slightly and holding up a shoebox triumphantly like it was a trophy. He walked over to Marinette and crouched down in front of her, flicking the corner of the woollen blanket she was cocooned in with a remark of "Cosy", making her blush and huddle into it even more. She watched in fascination as he opened the box, taking out each item inside with extreme care and she noted each one. There was a beautiful silk scarf of pink and blue that shimmered in the dim glow of the nightlight, a bottle of perfume that made her eyes go wide at how expensive it looked, a photograph of a countryside that looked idyllic enough for her to want to be there, and several items of jewellery that made her gasp with their beauty. She freed her arms from the blanket, not caring about the rush of cold she felt as she touched each piece, not believing such beautiful and expensive things were at her fingertips. Her favourite was a golden broach that was shaped like a flower, its five pointed petals made of thin gold that curled around a setting of diamonds and pearls. She traced each one with her finger, cooing softly at how pretty each piece was, not realising how Shadow was staring at her fondly. Finally, he thought, somebody who also sees the beauty in these things.
"These things," He said, drawing Marinette's attention back to him. "Are something Gabriel Agreste wants to desperately get rid of. He hates what they represent, what they remind him of, and if he ever found them, he would destroy them." He heard Marinette give a little gasp of shock as she then gave him a wary look.
"How do you know so much about him?" She asked. "And how did you get these things? Surely, if he wants them that badly…"
"I've been hiding them." He told her honestly and when she looked at him, she could see the truth of it written in every line of his face. "I've been keeping them safe for somebody for years, he recently found out they still existed, and was furious about it. Believe me, I know him very well, and I've told you I know just how cruel he can be." He gave a dark chuckle before he looked back up at Marinette, his eyes softer as he took both her hands in his. "If you want to fight back at him, hide these for me. Don't let anyone else know you have them and keep them safe. I know it's not much but fighting back like this is all I…we can do."
She looked down at all of the items laid before her, all the beauty that Gabriel wanted wiped from the world, and nodded.
"You'll do it?"
"I'll do it." She answered firmly and when she looked back up, he saw her tears had dried on her cheeks, leaving thin rivers of silver on her skin, but her eyes were now determined as she stared at him. "If he wants these things, he'll have to go through me to get them."
For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. In the growing light, she looked almost like a warrior queen decked out in her silver war paint, ready to go into battle even with only this small action as a strike against her enemy. He himself was surprised when he suddenly leaned over and hugged her tightly, feeling the blanket tickling at his nose as she gave a short genuine laugh, and hugged him back.
"Thank you, princess."
"No, thank you. I really needed this, you've helped me a lot." He saw her looking back down at the broach and a thought struck him. He bent down to scoop it up in his fingers and pushed away the blanket so he could pin it to her dress, careful not to make it inappropriate. Still, he couldn't help blushing slightly as he stepped back to admire it, seeing how it suited her perfectly, glowing from the black dress like it belonged there.
"You can keep it," He told her quickly when he saw her hand move to take it off. "I know the owner of these things would want you to have it. And… I want you to have it." He cut off her protests that it was far too expensive, far too much, with a light kiss to her bruised forehead near the cold compress before he turned to go back to the top of the stairs. "It's nearly morning… I need to go. Are you going to be OK?"
Marinette nodded back dumbly, still feeling a little dazed by his gift.
"OK…" He went to walk away but he found he couldn't without doing one last thing. He walked back to her and picked up her hand, pressing his lips to her knuckles in a firm kiss that he prayed could convey all his emotions better than any words. "Goodnight, Marinette."
"Goodnight." She mumbled but he was already gone, the bakery door was left swinging on its hinges as his feet pounded away. Marinette stared at the spot where moments before he had been standing and she felt her face blushed crimson. She could still feel the peck he had given her like it had been burned into her forehead and now she was blushing like a fool from the way he had kissed and held her hand. How is it that I'm so strong and proud as Ladybug and yet some boy can make me a blushing mess? I don't even know his name! Still, she thought as she looked down at the broach that glowed proudly on her chest, that doesn't really matter right now. What matters is that we're both somehow caught up in the same situation that is slowly becoming a war and maybe, now we're both on the same side, we have a chance of winning.
"Marinette?" She turned her head as Tikki shyly emerged from her usual hiding place on the other side of the room, where she had been watching, her button eyes wide as she looked at her, softly smiling. "Are you feeling better now? I was so worried when I saw him carrying you in…"
Marinette smiled back as the kwami flew over to her. "Yes Tikki, I'm much better now," She answered as she landed on her hand and nuzzled her close to her cheek. "Much better."
I can't believe how long this got, I have whole stories shorter than this chapter alone! Still I hope you all enjoyed the wild ride!
I also have the great news that Yamina20, who is my collaborator on this story, has started her own version of this story on her profile- it is called Darkest Dark and can be found here s/12165564/1/. Please go and check it out, it is seriously good.
Please leave a review!