"Turn around and shake my hand."
Marinette shook with fear. The mantra that she'd so desperately held in place (even if it was just curse words) faded away to nothing. They want me to turn around, Marinette thought, and, before she even knew what her body was doing, she was facing the person.
Their entire body seemed to be covered in shadow, save for one leather-clad hand, which was held out to her. She searched the person's face for anything – a sign they might kill her, a sign they won't kill her, anything really – and found nothing.
She took his hand. There was a loud farting noise.
Despite herself, Marinette giggled, looking up at the person to see if they heard it, too. The person chuckled, and they lifted their face, the shadow covering their features disappearing.
"Ha, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick," he said, still laughing. He took his hand away from Marinette's and showed her the whoopee cushion, wiping a tear from his eye. He sighed contently. "It's always funny."
Now that Marinette wasn't about to pee her pants, she saw that the dude looked far from intimidating. Sure, he wore a black leather body suit with small claws on the fingertips, but the green eyes behind his black domino mask glistened with a joke untold. He had cat ears in his messy blonde hair.
Before Marinette could say anything, the guy continued. "Anyway, you're human, right? That's hilarious. I'm Chat. Chat Noir. But of course, a little sweetie like you can just call me Chat."
Marinette blanched, making a face. Chat laughed.
"So, kitten, what are you called?"
"Not kitten, that's for sure," Marinette said without any hesitation. "And not sweetie, either. I'm Marinette." Yes, she shouldn't trust so easily, but Chat didn't feel threatening, even if he used the worst nicknames.
"Got a bit of cattitude, don't you?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows and leaning closer. Marinette rolled her eyes. "What are you doing out here all by your lonesome, Marinette?" he asked, emphasizing her name in quite an infuriating way.
"None of your business," she replied, crossing her arms. "What are you doing out all by your lonesome?" she asked, mimicking him in a not-so-flattering manner. He seemed pleased.
"You know, little bug, I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now," he said, fake whispering like it was some secret.
Marinette raised in eyebrow, taking a step back. "Should I start running?"
"Nah," Chat said, giving her a shrug. "I don't really care about capturing anybody." He paused, and Marinette braced herself. "Especially not a cute little kitten like you." Marinette rolled her eyes again, but… She didn't actually hate his stupid nicknames.
"Now my best friend, Nino," Chat continued, holding up a finger, "he's a human hunting fanatic." He paused, and he seemed to become aware of how close to her he'd gotten. He backed away just a tiny bit. Marinette felt herself warm up just a tad bit more to him.
"Actually… I think he'll be coming over here soon."
"What?" Marinette demanded, panic suddenly coming back and hitting her hard. A human hunting fanatic is coming, and she's human. Not a good situation.
"Chill out – ha, get it? Chill. There's snow. Anyway – I have an idea. Go through that gate thing," he said, gesturing to the metal bars that had been 'blocking' the bridge.
"But-"
"Don't worry, it's not actually blocking anything. Nino made it too wide to stop anyone."
"Then why-" Marinette yelped as Chat herded her through the bars, which were in fact too wide to stop either of them. When they crossed the bridge, Marinette saw a weird shaped lamp and a small sentry station.
"Quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp," Chat whispered, pushing her gently to the lamp. Sure enough, as she stumbled behind the lamp, it hid her perfectly. Chat gave her thumbs up before turning to face a person who had just walked up.
"What's up, Nino?" Chat asked casually, leaning against the lamp. Marinette glared up at him. He pretended not to notice.
"You know 'what's up,' Chat!" the person who was apparently Nino exclaimed. "It's been eight days and you haven't recalibrated your puzzles." Marinette stifled laughter. Chat, still keeping a smile on his face, glared down at her for a second before looking back at Nino.
"You just hang around at your station," Nino continued. "What are you even doing?" Marinette thought he sounded like a frustrated mother.
"Staring at this lamp. It's really cool," Chat responded casually. "Do you want to look?"
You piece of-
"No," Nino said, sighing exasperatedly. "I don't have time for that. Would if a human comes through here? We need to be ready." Marinette bit her lip, wondering if this situation was funny or terrifying. "I have to be the one, Chat. I have to capture the last human."
Marinette thought she saw Chat's body tense.
"I'll gain respect, recognition… Whatever. And then I'll be able to join the royal guard!" Marinette glanced up at Chat. His smile was a bit forced. "There will be parties – for you, too! Chat, I'll be able to ask the king –"
"Maybe this lamp will help you," Chat interrupted.
"Chat! You're not helping!" Nino cried, and Marinette heard the snow crunch aggressively, like he was stomping his foot. "You lazybones. All you do is lay around and cat nap." Back to Mom Nino. "You get lazier and lazier every day!"
"Hey, now. I've gotten a ton of work done today." He paused. Both Marinette and Nino braced themselves. "A skeleton."
"…What."
"You called me lazybones." Chat was grinning so hard, Marinette was afraid his cheeks might tear.
"Chat!"
"Aw, come on, Bubbles, you're smiling." Bubbles? Marinette thought, raising her eyebrows.
"Okay, I'm smiling, but don't call me Bubbles!" Nino sighed dramatically. "Why does someone as awesome as me have to do so much around here?"
Chat put on a sympathetic face. Marinette already knew where this was going, despite only knowing Chat for the whole of maybe five minutes. "Wow, sounds like you're really working yourself… down to the bone."
"There is only so much you can do with one statement!" Nino exclaimed, and Marinette stifled a laugh. Chat seemed even more pleased. "Ugh, I'm going to go attend to my puzzles. You know, to work."
The snow started to crunch, then stopped. "As for your work, my cat friend, put a little more backbone into it!" Nino cackled, and the crunching resumed. Chat was still laughing after Nino left.
Marinette emerged from behind the lamp, trying to glare at Chat, but failing. "It really wasn't that funny," she said, a smile growing on her face.
Chat looked her up and down, wiping a tear from his eye. "It really was," he said, grinning and placing his hands on his hips. "But anyway, kitten, back to business."
"What did I say about being called kitten?" Marinette asked, although she really didn't mind. However, she didn't like how she didn't mind it, and that's what really mattered.
"Fine. Back to business, bugaboo." They both pretended to ignore the small smile that graced Marinette's lips. "You should get going. He might come back, and if he does…" He paused, and Marinette was already starting to roll her eyes. "You'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes."
"As if they were hilarious," she muttered, and Chat leaned down, giving her nose a poke.
"Says the little bug who was laughing the whole way through it." Marinette suppressed a smile as he gently pushed her away. "Now shoo."
"You're not coming with me?" she asked, eyeing the tall dark trees warily.
"Why would I?" Chat asked, and Marinette shrugged, kind of feeling a bit let down, for whatever reason.
"Well, what are you going to do here?"
Chat shrugged, walking over to the sentry station. "You heard Nino. I have to work." He sat down, resting his head on the counter and closing his eyes. Marinette snorted.
She looked back at the direction she was supposed to go. Tikki wasn't here, and no doubt the akumas wouldn't be so easy to beat now that she was outside of the Ruins. Plus, there was a human hunting fanatic somewhere ahead.
Marinette gulped, fear trickling back into her.
"What's the holdup?" Chat asked, and she turned around. He was peeking at her from one opened eye. "Kitten, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"Oh, really?" Marinette asked, crossing her arms and trying to hide how afraid she was.
"Yeah," Chat responded, opening both eyes and grinning at her. "It's just a dark cavern filled with strange cats and horrible akumas."
She tried to laugh it off, but her attempt sounded fake even to her. She looked back at the path she was supposed to take, and then looked back at Chat. His expression softened.
"It's alright, bugaboo. Maybe I'll catch up with you ahead. You know, when I have a break," he said, smiling at her.
"I shouldn't take you away from your work," she responded, and he snorted.
"Cat napping is a serious profession."
"Sure."
She still didn't leave. He stared at her.
"What are you afraid of, little kitten?" he asked softly. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking down at her polka dotted sweater.
"None of your business."
He stared at her a bit more. Marinette started to fidget. "That's fair," he said after a while. "It's not that bad here. I promise." Marinette still didn't go, staring at Chat with worried eyes. "Go on, bugaboo," he said, the slightly concerned expression he'd had until now melting away, although his eyes were still trained on her with an intensity that made Marinette feel a little better. "And take your cattitude with you."
The jitters and nerves she'd been feeling exploded out of her in a slightly crazed giggle. "You know you're the worst, right?" Chat grinned, giving her a wink.
"Catch you later, little bug."
She turned, taking a deep breath. Forward.
"Ah, wait, Marinette," Chat called to her. She turned back to him, surprised.
"What, you just couldn't stand to see me go?" she asked, grinning at him. A smile fell across his face and he looked down at the wooden counter of the sentry-station, like he was trying to hide it. His cat ears twitched.
"Something like that, bug." He looked back up at her, the soft smile that had just been on his face widening into a grin. "Hate to bother you on your little mission to wherever, but I got to tell you something."
She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Do tell."
"Well, it's kind of a favor…" He suddenly looked sincere. Marinette softened.
"I'll see what I can do."
"Nino has been kind of down lately… He's never really seen a human before." He paused. Marinette thought there was more to the story than just that. "And you're human, so seeing you might just make his day."
Chat sounded serious, but Marinette was uneasy. "I can understand why seeing a human would make a human hunting fanatic's day."
"He's not dangerous, I promise," Chat insisted. "Even if… Even if he tries to be." Curiosity pulled at Marinette's mind. She pushed it away.
"I'll… I'll see what I can do," she said, weaker this time. He visibly brightened.
"Thanks a million, Marinette."
She nodded, smiling softly. She had no idea if she'd be able to do what Chat asked, but she'd certainly try. "Until later, then?"
"Until later it is," Chat agreed, giving her a salute as she turned around again, her mantra already playing in her head.
She paused before she left the area, taking one last look back. It's not like she was scared anymore (lies – she was terrified, but it helped to believe that she wasn't scared), but for some reason she wanted one last look at Chat before she went.
He wasn't at the sentry station.
Puzzled, Marinette looked around. There were no other footprints except her own and Nino's. She walked slowly back to the sentry station, peeking behind the counter. Chat was nowhere to be found. There were, however, bottles of ketchup and mustard behind the counter. Marinette rolled her eyes.
I don't need Chat, anyway, Marinette thought stubbornly, although she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
She walked away from the sentry station.
In the next area, the first thing she saw was a sparkling yellow thing in the snow. It had been a while since she'd last seen a save point, but this time she was wary of it. Hawkmoth knew about… whatever this was. He knew she'd killed someone, and then went back.
Maybe she shouldn't use the save points anymore.
Marinette started to walk past it, but then she stopped, glancing at the sparkling save. Aren't save points in video games for when you die in the game? Would if I die? Would if I make a colossal mistake, like I did last time?
Normal people didn't have save points when they made mistakes.
The person in my dream said I was to be responsible for the akumas' fate. I'm not normal.
It's awfully greedy.
I don't care.
Marinette touched the save point after another moment's hesitation. I won't die here in the Underground. If I die, it'll be on my own terms, she thought as the world stood still, snowflakes suspended in mid-air.
The convenience of that lamp still fills you with determination.
Would you like to save?
She pressed 'yes' with a rather determined finger. Snowflakes drifted down once more, melting on her warm sweater and getting stuck in her hair.
Turning away from the save point, she saw that there was a clearly defined path in the snow that branched off in too directions. Ahead, there was a box and a sign, and then the path continued. She looked at the other path, and then looked back at the box.
The other path could wait.
The sign next to the box was written in neat block letters.
This is a box.
Wow, I had no idea, Marinette thought sarcastically before turning her attention back to what the sign said.
You can put an item inside, or take an item out.
The same box will appear later, so don't worry about coming back.
Sincerely, a box lover
Marinette opened the box tentatively, wondering if anything would have been left inside that someone forgot to take out later. There was only one item inside; a leather glove with spikes on the knuckles.
The glove looked old, like it had been in the box for a while, and there was a strange dusty substance on the spikes. I won't be hitting anyone… I hope.
She closed the box. So far, there seemed to be plenty of room in her Miraculous, so she didn't really have to put anything in the box. Except… The pie. She could smell it even when she had her Miraculous in her pocket. Tikki must have made it with all the love and magic she had.
When the container holding the slice of pie had been safely put in the box, Marinette turned her back to the box. It was a good thing she was leaving it in the box; that way, she wouldn't be tempted to eat it until she felt alright about consuming something someone she'd murdered had made for her.
The cinnamon and butterscotch smell remained on her. It's almost like I'm…
No. I can't think about that here.
And so she ignored the cinnamon and butterscotch smell mingling with the crisp scent of winter and turned back to the other path she'd seen.
On both sides of the path, there were pine trees, causing a bit of nostalgia for Christmases she'd celebrated in the past. What is wrong with me? I have to keep going forward, she thought, rubbing her forehead as she walked. I can't waste my time one thoughts like that.
The path ended at a river flowing peacefully. There was a fishing rod fixed in the snow on the riverbank.
Marinette could've left the fishing rod alone. But curiosity burned at her.
She reeled it in.
All that was on the end of it was a photo of a strange looking akuma. Marinette wondered how the photo could've been so wonderfully preserved in ice water. Probably magic.
On the back of the photo, there was hastily written letters that Marinette had to squint to read.
Call me!
Here's my number!
Underneath the words was a phone number. Marinette flipped the photo over to look at the akuma. She carefully put the fishing rod back in the snow and put the photo back in the water, her curiosity having been satisfied for the moment.
She walked back down the path of pine trees, turning back to the path with the box. Even as she walked by as fast as she could, she could still smell cinnamon and butterscotch. She moved on without looking back.
In the next area, the sight of a familiar face made a small smile pull at her lips. Chat's eyes slid over to her, giving her a wink before looking back at the akuma he was talking to.
"So, as I was saying about Alya," the akuma said, and Marinette instantly recognized his voice. Nino. He looked really strange, kind of like his clothes had been painted on his body and then been polished so that they had a weird shine to them. He wore glasses and a pair of headphones around his neck, the wire going down to his front pocket.
Marinette stood still, wondering why Chat wasn't saying anything and why Nino still hadn't noticed her.
And then he did notice her.
He looked at her, then back at Chat, who also looked at her, then back at Nino. This continued for quite some time, the looks becoming faster and more excited, though Marinette guessed that Chat was only pretending to be excited for Nino. He had seen her before, after all.
Finally, they quit looking at her, and Nino grabbed Chat's shoulder, whirling him around so that their backs were to Marinette. She resisted the urge to laugh at the ridiculous situation. Her hands shook with fear.
"Chat, oh, my God!" Nino whisper-shouted. "Is that…" He paused, and both Chat and Nino looked back at Marinette. Chat grinned at her again, his eyes pleading. Marinette tried to look strong, stuffing her hands in her pockets.
Nino met her gaze, and she saw the way his eyes were bright and excited. He looked like a little kid.
"Chat, is that a human?"
