Hi guys! I hope that you've all been having a lovely week! I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to post this chapter today, but luckily I managed to do so, though it is technically Saturday here in the UK now, but ssssh. It still counts seen as most of my readers are American and it's still Friday in America. This chapter gave me so much damn trouble. I just hope it's okay. Thank you so much for all of your amazing reviews! It's what helps me keep writing. Also, this story has reached over 200 followers which is crazy, thank you so much!
Chapter 9: Unstable
All Marinette could do was stare forward with unblinking eyes as she made her up the stairs towards the apartment she shared with her parents above the family bakery. Chat Noir shadowed her every movement behind her and she could sense him leering over her, making sure that he was always keeping a close eye on her. She could practically feel him burning holes into the back of her head as she continued to trudge slowly up the stairs. After saying goodbye to Alya, intense exhaustion fell upon Marinette as if a whole house had just collapsed down on top of her. Now she had nothing to distract her, of course the day she'd had took that opportunity to catch up to her.
It felt like her whole body was made out of lead. Every part of her felt incredibly heavy and her mind swirled dizzyingly with the thoughts and memories of everything that had happened that day. Her eyes were half-lidded as they ached and begged for a decent night sleep. Marinette longed to just trudge back up to her room and collapse onto her bed before sleeping for ten years. But she knew that wouldn't be possible. The demon walking closely behind her was proof of that. In fact he was walking so closely behind her that Marinette was worried that he was going to step on her heel and trip her up. She could practically feel his chest brushing against her back and every time it did so, it would only make her heart beat even faster. Her palms were sweaty as she clung onto the bannister.
Chat Noir was angry. It radiated off him in waves and Marinette could easily sense it. Obviously he was still mad at her for not immediately coming home after school like she said she would. Marinette was desperate to know what his deal was. Despite how terrifying he was and his clear contempt for mortals, he treated her as if she was the most precious and delicate object in the world. It really creeped Marinette out. Which is why she was determined to get answers. Marinette was starting to feel like the situation she had gotten herself into was more than a coincidence. That Chat Noir had not just been some demon passing through and coincidentally happened to be the one that Marinette accidentally sold her soul to. She felt like there was something more to this situation than met the eye. Chat Noir was definitely hiding something from her. Something big and important. But what? And why?
Why was he obsessed with possessing her soul, yet didn't seem to want to do anything with it? If Chat Noir intended to kill her to make off with it, then surely he would have done so by now. Marinette swallowed at that dark thought. She couldn't believe she was just casually contemplating all of this as if it was normal. She couldn't believe how calmly she had spoken to him earlier. She couldn't believe she had stood up to him like that! Just last night, she had been cowering in fear, completely terrified of him. She was still scared of him, there was no doubt about that, but for some reason, Marinette was suddenly feeling more comfortable around him. Madam Destin's words had reassured her slightly.
As Marinette approached the last set of stairs, she slowly turned around to catch a peak of him. He was staring right at her, just like Marinette had sensed he was. His eyes were slightly narrowed and glowed in the darkening hallway as the sun set over the city of Paris. He didn't react to catching her turning around to look at him; he just kept staring at her intensely. The intensity of his gaze caused Marinette to instantly turn back around, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she tried to stop her body from visibly trembling.
At last, Marinette finally reached her front door before she quickly unlocked it, though it was difficult with how much her hands were trembling. The whole time, Chat Noir remained silent, just simply staring at the back of her head as if he didn't dare take his eyes off her, making sure that she didn't try anything. Marinette really wanted to tell him to stop it, but she knew her parents would hear and no doubt they would get confused and worried if they caught their daughter talking to herself. She had already freaked everyone out enough with her behaviour lately – all thanks to Chat Noir.
Her parents were curled up together on the couch watching TV and Marinette risked a glance at Chat Noir again who seemed to be looking around the room with a slight hint of curiosity. He shot her parents a brief look of distain before he went back to watching Marinette again, only occasionally glancing around the room, pausing to look at certain objects in confusion before going back to staring at Marinette. Marinette resisted the urge to sigh in annoyance as she placed her keys on the kitchen counter.
"Hey mom, hey dad," Marinette greeted her parents, trying to make sure her voice didn't shake too much. The warmth of the room didn't help in making Marinette feel any less exhausted, but at the same time, every part of her body was paradoxically on high alert. Every single movement Chat Noir made always startled Marinette slightly as she became acutely aware of his presence, even more so now that she knew she would be alone with him again in a matter of seconds.
"Hi sweetheart," Sabine greeted back, "How was school?"
"It was okay," Marinette replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, "I'm gonna head up to my room and have an early night. I haven't been sleeping well lately."
"Have you eaten?" Her father asked, concerned.
Marinette nodded. "Yeah I grabbed a bite to eat with Alya."
It hadn't been much, but Marinette had now completely lost her appetite. The mere thought of food caused her stomach to churn. The stress and fear was all becoming too much. She was so close to her room. So close to being alone with Chat Noir. So close to getting the answers that she was desperate for. Chat Noir also seemed impatient to get out of her parents' presence as he tapped his foot and folded his arms across his chest, glaring at them with a mixture of anger and disgust. What was his problem with other mortals? Why did he seem to hate them so much? He claimed they were dangerous, but Marinette couldn't help but feel like there was more to his prejudice than he was letting on. Why was Marinette an exception to this? He seemed disgusted with her at first, but then he did a total one eighty. Marinette really couldn't keep up with him.
"Well, if you do get hungry, I've left some left over cookies from the bakery, your favourite." Tom shot her a smile.
Marinette smiled back as best as she could and mumbled a quick thank you and a goodnight before she dashed upstairs to her room. Chat Noir followed her and Marinette closed her door behind him before standing back up and awkwardly looking away. She clasped and unclasped her hands before gazing down at them, her stomach doing a small flip when she caught sight of the mark on the back of her hand. To keep herself from looking at it, she clasped her hands behind her back before swallowing and forcing herself to finally look back up at Chat Noir.
He had settled himself on her desk chair with his feet propped up on her desk, leaning back comfortably. There were still traces of anger on his face, but he seemed to have relaxed more now that they were alone together. He took a deep breath, looking like he wanted to say something, but the words never made their way out of his mouth. Marinette watched him carefully, wanting to speak as well, but wasn't sure where to even begin. She wasn't quite sure how to best approach him with her questions. She knew it would likely be difficult to get any answers out of him, but she was determined to get the answers she wanted out of him. It wasn't fair of him to keep her in the dark. He had forcibly brought her into this world of demons and magic, so therefore she deserved to know what she had gotten herself into. She wanted to know why he had chosen her. Why he hated mortals, yet seemed perfectly fine with her. She wanted to know what exactly being marked by a demon meant. He hadn't really gone into much detail other than explaining that her soul was now his and that she could summon him to her by rubbing it. But why did he want her soul? Why did he want her to have his? She didn't even know that demons had souls.
Marinette was about to swallow her fear and apprehension and ask him when Chat Noir's firm voice suddenly interrupted her.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"Huh?" Marinette frowned in confusion.
Chat Noir shot her a frustrated sideways glance while his posture remained relaxed on her desk chair. "Anything could have happened to you out there and I would have been none the wiser."
"What are you talking about?" Marinette demanded, growing even more confused and angry. "I was just out with my friend. Nothing happened. I very much doubt anything could have happened. I was in a crowded place with lots of people around, I really don't understand where all of this is coming from."
"Exactly! There were mortals everywhere!" Chat Noir abruptly cried out, finally standing up from the chair and storming towards her. Marinette cowered in fear slightly, raising her shoulders slightly, trying to make herself as small as possible. However, she refused to back away from him as he approached. She had honestly thought that Chat Noir had let the incident go by now and that he wouldn't voice his concerns and anger again. But clearly it was still bugging him which only confused Marinette even more. Why did he care so much? It didn't make any sense.
Chat Noir bent down so that he was eye-level with her and Marinette cringed back slightly, intimidated by the menacing expression on his face. He bared his teeth at her and clenched his hands into tight fists at his side while Marinette's knees buckled slightly to get away from his angry expression. She raised her hands slightly, ready to defend herself in case he tried to hurt her. So Madame Destin had said he meant her no harm? His demeanour sure was suggesting otherwise at the moment.
"Any one of them could have turned on you at any point and I wouldn't have been there to protect you. I can't let anything happen to you! Not ag –" Chat Noir cut himself off as he continued to glare down at her.
Marinette then glared back up at him, noticing that Chat Noir had been wanting to say more before he quickly stopped himself. Whatever secrets he was keeping from her, it was clearly proving difficult. Surely it would only be a matter of time before he cracked. That thought gave Marinette a sudden surged of confidence. Chat Noir wasn't some strong, perfect being. He was just as flawed and had weaknesses just as mortals did. Marinette would have to figure out exactly what his were so she could use them to her advantage and learn what was really going on. Maybe then she could even figure out a possible way of getting Chat Noir to leave her alone.
"Again? Is that what you were about to say?" Marinette frowned at him in confusion, finally standing up straight. Chat Noir took an automatic step back, suddenly looking a lot less arrogant. However, he still continued to try and leer over her and the ferocious glare remained on his face. The lights in the room began to flicker and Marinette could hear a growl rumbling deep within his chest. She refused to back down though, so Marinette stood her ground. She was going to get to the bottom of this. Demon or not, Chat Noir owed her this much.
Chat Noir said nothing as he continued to glare down at her. Marinette glared back, taking a step forward which caused Chat Noir to take a step back. She tried her best to study his face carefully. Underneath all the anger, Marinette could just about make out another emotion hidden deep within his cat-like eyes: fear. He was…scared? Of what? Of telling Marinette the truth? But why? Why should it matter to him?
The growl that had been building up in Chat Noir's chest finally escaped his lips and Marinette flinched back slightly, startled by how animalistic he sounded. Sometimes he looked and acted so human that she easily forgot that he was a powerful demon that was not of this world. Back in the restaurant, they had talked so normally, almost as if they were becoming friends. But to hear him growling at her like this now made her tremble slightly in fear. Chat Noir wasn't human. He was much more powerful than her and Marinette needed to be careful. Despite constantly being reassured that Chat Noir wouldn't hurt her, she wasn't willing to gamble her safety based on what other people had said. But at the same time, she wanted Chat Noir to know that she wasn't somebody who could be easily pushed around and controlled. She wanted Chat Noir to know that he couldn't just keep secrets like this and expect Marinette to just accept it. Especially seen as these secrets did seem to concern her.
"I want to know what you're talking about, Chat Noir," Marinette demanded as firmly as she could.
"You really don't," Chat Noir growled. The lights in the room continued to flicker and the temperature of the room dropped even more. Marinette could see her breath escaping her mouth in small puffs of steam and she could hear the buzzing of electricity around her room as everything went haywire. It caused her to tremble even more. Chat Noir was doing this. And he didn't even seem to be putting any effort into it. That thought terrified Marinette. If he was this powerful without even breaking a sweat, what else was he capable of?
"Yes, I do," Marinette insisted, "This isn't fair, Chat Noir. You keep hinting that there's this big secret that concerns me and I don't understand why you're keeping it from me. I want to know! I have a right to know!"
Chat Noir narrowed his eyes at her while his expression remained dark.
Marinette glared back at him before her expression morphed into one of knowing suspicion. She tilted her head to the side slightly as a small smile of realisation formed on her face. Chat Noir's eyes narrowed even more, seemingly not liking the direction things had taken. He stood as still as a statue though, his eyes glowing ominously in Marinette's darkening bedroom. Meanwhile, Marinette's head spun with what her and Alya had discussed earlier that evening – the historical article they had found on Ladybug. The name that Chat Noir had often accidentally used to refer to Marinette.
"It's to do with Ladybug, isn't it?"
Silence.
This only fuelled Marinette's confidence. "I'm right, aren't I?"
More silence.
"I know that Ladybug was some sort of creature of the netherworld. That's where you're from, isn't it? She had power over creation and good luck."
Chat Noir's eyes widened before they narrowed at her suspiciously. "Where did you hear about this?"
Marinette smirked triumphantly. "Us mortals have legends and there is a legend about a powerful creature named Ladybug who helped mortals. I'm guessing you knew her or something? But what I mainly want to know is what she has to do with me? I'm not stupid, Chat Noir, you kept calling me Ladybug when we first met. Why did you think that I was Ladybug? What is Ladybug to you? What is Ladybug to me?"
"Please stop saying her name," Chat Noir growled out lowly, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands over his ears. This sudden, strange act startled Marinette slightly. Why was the topic of Ladybug so sensitive to him? It definitely hinted to her that she was on the right track. Chat Noir had practically admitted that she was right about Chat Noir and Ladybug being creatures from the netherworld and that Ladybug had helped mortals. Marinette could feel that she was close to getting some sort of hint of an answer. But she still grew incredibly frustrated over Chat Noir's reluctance to reveal everything to her.
"I'll keep saying it until you give me answers," Marinette threatened, "Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybug –"
"ENOUGH!" Chat Noir's booming voice suddenly filled the room, sending shock waves flying out at all angles around him.
Marinette gasped, her screams becoming caught in her throat as she suddenly doubled over, collapsing to her knees onto the ground. Her back bent her forward against her will as if she was nothing more than a puppet someone had complete control over. It was like a heavy, unseen force was forcing her to move, no matter how hard Marinette tried to fight it. She sobbed and cried out as she was pressed against the floor by this unseen force, almost as if she was being forced into a position of prayer or being forced to bow. Marinette couldn't help but feel like it was the latter. It felt like someone had reached insider her and had grabbed hold of something deeply hidden inside herself. It was like someone was insider her body, completely possessing her, wearing her as if she was nothing more than a suit, invading her mind and reading her private thoughts like an easily hackable computer. The whole room also suddenly felt very heavy and Marinette was finally able to force her head up to try and see what was going on.
The lights above her buzzed and flickered wildly, and anything that didn't weigh much was sent flying around as her room suddenly felt like it was full of wild, gale force winds. Frightened tears streamed down her cheeks as she finally looked towards Chat Noir who was floating slightly off the ground and was gazing down at her with the most angry expression Marinette had ever seen. He looked utterly unstable. His teeth were bared at her as he snarled and a powerful, black aura radiated from him His eyes glowed even brighter and they locked onto Marinette, keeping her a prisoner within his gaze.
"You are speaking of things that you cannot, nor could you ever understand," Chat Noir snarled and Marinette shrank back as much as she could, despite still unable to maintain full control over her body. The mark on the back of her hand glowed slightly and Marinette yelped as she realised that it was Chat Noir doing this to her. It was him that was pinning to the floor without even physically touching her. Her soul…he was manipulating her soul!
The mark on her hand burned and Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering in pain and fear as she long for it all to be over. That Chat Noir would calm down. She was so stupid. She had just provoked a demon. What on earth had she been thinking?! Now he probably really was going to kill her. And it was all her own fault. She should have been more gentle. She shouldn't have mocked him. But she was just growing so frustrated with everything that she just felt like she wanted to lash out and feel like the person in power for a change. Her heart thumped erratically in her chest as her brain screamed at her to get up and run, but she was still pinned to the ground against her will. She panted as she struggled to control her panicked breathing.
"You could never understand because you're just a disgusting mortal now! I'm trying my best to think of a way to fix this, yet you continue to provoke me!" Chat Noir practically screamed at her, his whole body shaking violently. "Everything would be much easier if you would just accept my soul as yours!"
"No!" Marinette yelled back. "I can't do that! It's not fair!" The words left her mouth without her even thinking. They just slipped out automatically before Marinette could stop them. The words just felt so natural to say as they slipped out past her lips without any thought on Marinette's part.
"Why can't you see that I'm doing this for us?! That I'm just trying to protect you?! All I want to do is keep you safe! If we mark each other, we can be together forever! I can ensure your safety. I can't lose you like I lost her."
"I said no! I don't want to subject you to something like that!" Marinette cried out as she tried to push herself off the floor, but to no avail. The invisible force that had complete control over her pushed her back down to the ground again, forcing Marinette to bow down before the demon that was hovering above her and snarling down at her like a terrifying, wild panther. Her words only seemed to enrage Chat Noir even more
"WHY NOT?!" Chat Noir snarled. "IT'S ALL I'VE EVER WANTED! I THOUGHT THAT YOU FELT THE SAME! INSTEAD ALL YOU DO IS PLAY GAMES WITH ME LIKE NORMAL!"
"Chat, please! I'm sorry! Please stop it! You're scaring me!" Marinette begged, crying out in fear.
Chat Noir's eyes suddenly widened and the dark aura around him immediately disappeared. He dropped back down to the ground with a terrified and devastated expression on his face. Marinette gasped as she felt herself regain complete control over her body. She lay flat on the floor for a few seconds, in a state of complete and utter shock, before she managed to snap out of it. She panted wildly as she scurried to push herself as far away from Chat Noir as possible. She curled up into the corner of the room, tucking her knees under her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs, trying to make herself look as small and non-threatening as possible. Her whole body shook with fear and she didn't dare speak.
Meanwhile, Chat Noir stared at her, looking completely horrified. His hands were clamped over his mouth and his own body also trembled. His posture was completely hunched over. Gone was the terrifying image of a demon hovering above her. Now it was replaced by a terrified looking boy who looked completely disgusted with himself. His knees buckled beneath him and he collapsed onto her bedroom floor. His green eyes become distant as he stared off into space, his eyes following objects that Marinette could not see. This only scared her even more. He looked complete crazy and unhinged. This was a side to him that she had not seen yet.
"Not again…Ladyb – Marinette…I'm so sorry…" Chat Noir gasped out, sounding terror-stricken.
Marinette said nothing as she continued to watch him. She relaxed her position slightly, but her heart continued to pound in her chest and her throat continued to close up in fear. It didn't escape her notice that he had nearly called her Ladybug again, but Marinette decided it would be best not to mention anything regarding her this time. She didn't want to provoke him again. What just happened had been terrifying and Marinette had no desire to go through that again.
"I just…I just lost it…" Chat Noir explained, "It was like being back there again. I couldn't take it. You really scared me and I just…I lashed out and I'm sorry. I should never have exposed you to that."
Marinette bit her lip and looked away. "You really frighten me," she whispered out at last.
"I know," Chat Noir choked out, "I'm really sorry."
They both sat in silence for a while. The lights on the room had stopped flickering and now merely glowed dimly, providing Marinette with just enough light to gaze at Chat Noir who was slumped down on the floor a couple of feet away from her. He had wrapped his arms around his chest, almost as if he was trying to hold himself together. Ladybug really did seem to be a sore spot for him. Marinette chewed on her lip even more as she pondered what had just happened between them. She had never really properly considered the idea that demons had feelings. But clearly they did. Chat Noir borderline sobbing on her bedroom floor was proof of that. The topic of Ladybug really upset him and Marinette had just taunted him with it. She had been thoughtless. He told her to stop, yet she carried on.
Taking a deep breath, Marinette shakily stood up and slowly slid her way towards Chat Noir. He barely looked up as she approached and Marinette gasped as she saw a lone tear drip down from his cheek and onto his leg. He tried to hide it, but it was too late. Marinette had seen. He was crying? Marinette had made him cry. She almost stumbled back in shock at that realisation. She was still mad that he had lost it the way he had and was still mad that he had frightened her, but…he hadn't hurt her, despite the fact he easily could have. Marinette had clearly deeply upset him, though Marinette couldn't help but feel like maybe he kind of deserved it. The way he had been making her feel...now maybe he got a hint of that. Granted she had provoked him and upset him, but that didn't justify what he just did. But still, Marinette knew that if she did eventually want to get answers, she would have to be the bigger person. Pushing him clearly wasn't the answer. She would just have to find some other way.
Slowly and shakily, Marinette placed a hand lightly on Chat Noir's shoulder. He shivered at her touch before he twisted around to look up at her in shock and confusion. Marinette bit her lip and continued to stand there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do next. It felt just like being back in the ally way earlier today. She closed her eyes and sighed, wishing she didn't have to say these next words, but knew she would have to for both of their sakes at the moment.
"I'm sorry," Marinette whispered, "I'll drop the subject of Ladybug. I had no idea that it upset you so much."
Chat Noir's eyes dropped back down to the floor as he let out a small sigh. Marinette found it hard to believe that this Chat Noir was the same one that had been hovering in her room only a few minutes ago. Now he looked incredibly vulnerable and fragile. His hand then slowly reached up and delicately pressed itself on top of Marinette's. The sensation of his leather gloved hand against her own caused her to shiver slightly, though Marinette tried her best to remain calm.
"I don't understand what happened, but –"
However, Marinette was quickly cut off by Chat Noir as he gripped hold of her hand even tighter.
"I promise I'll explain everything to you in time," Chat Noir sighed longingly, "I just need to figure everything out for myself first. This is new territory for me too and I don't know what's going on. Once I have all the answers, you will too."
"I don't understand?" Marinette frowned in confusion.
Chat Noir chuckled humourlessly. "That makes two of us, purrincess."
Marinette rolled her eyes, but was secretly glad that the joking, playful side of Chat Noir had decided to return. She would put up with any side of him other than the side she had just witnessed. In that state, he was absolutely terrifying and only served to remind her of the power imbalance between the two of them. He was a demon and he owned her soul. Marinette needed to tread carefully and she kept seeming to forget that. She needed to escape this situation but she also needed to make sure she didn't lose her life in the process.
"I would never hurt you, you know," Chat Noir whispered as if he just read her mind, staring straight ahead as he suddenly seemed unable to look at her. "I know that must have been scary, but please know that I could never lay a finger on you." He finally turned around to smile at her softly. "You're far too precious to me." He reached up to moved a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear.
Marinette shook her head. "Well you can't go scaring me like that, I won't stand for it."
"I know and I'm sorry." His voice then turned slightly dark. "Sometimes it's easy to forget that you're human and that demons can be terrifying to you. And that was only me mildly losing my temper. I dread to think of your reaction of me at my angriest." Chat Noir chuckled.
Marinette, however, merely frowned and wrapped her arms around herself.
"Sorry," Chat Noir apologised once he realised Marinette didn't share the same sense of humour as him over the situation before he looked down sadly. "Sometimes it's easy to forget everything. If only I could."
Chat Noir then abruptly turned around and pulled Marinette down into a tight embrace. Marinette remained stunned and frozen in shock as Chat Noir clung to her just like he had done earlier that day. He buried his face in her hair and Marinette's arms remained limp at her side as she struggled to think of what to do. In the end, she decided to just let Chat Noir get it out of his system, relaxing in his arms slightly, though she did not return his embrace. Chat Noir didn't seem to mind though. Marinette wasn't sure how long they sat there like that, but it was finally beginning to be too much for her and Chat Noir was showing no signs of wanting to pull away anytime soon. In the end, Marinette slowly extracted herself and thankfully, Chat Noir let her go. He seemed to be finally learning her boundaries, not clinging to her as much as he did last night and now seemed to respect her personal space a little bit more.
He looked so much like a lost a frightened little boy right now that Marinette almost did get the urge to just bend back down again and wrap her arms around him in comfort. But she just couldn't bring herself to do so. No matter how much Chat Noir insisted that he wouldn't hurt her, what had just happened was definitely going to haunt Marinette for a while. She had never experienced anything so scary. As much as she wanted to, she knew she wouldn't be forgetting about it for a while. She could still feel the ghost of a hand as it reached inside her and took control of her entire body. Chat Noir had done that. And she wasn't sure she could trust him after what he had just done. She wanted Chat Noir to leave right now. She wanted some space to think. But she knew that he wouldn't.
Leaving Chat Noir sat in a foetal position on the floor, Marinette looked around the room to assess the damage. A lot of her possessions had been sent flying to the other side of her room. Her computer kept flickering on and off and there were papers everywhere. Her parents were going to kill her when they saw this mess! Her lights had been on and her windows were open and Marinette couldn't help but wonder in horror if anyone had seen what had just happened. Her parents clearly seemed to be oblivious, otherwise they would have run upstairs. Though Marinette was shocked that her parents hadn't heard all the shouting.
Sighing to herself, Marinette began to pick all of her papers up while Chat Noir remained on the floor, once again seeming to be in a trance-like state. She didn't really feel like acknowledging him right now. Whatever was going on in his head, she was going to leave him alone for now. She had learnt her lesson after what had just happened. As desperate as she was for answers, she didn't want to repeat that experience again. She was still incredibly shaken up over it. Her hands were still trembling and her heart refused to calm down. She really needed to find a way out of this madness.
Marinette drifted towards one of her bedroom windows as she continued to pick objects up off her floor before she peered out of the window just to see if anyone might have seen what had just gone on. Luckily, the streets outside her apartment looked complete empty and Marinette almost sighed with relief before that sigh became caught in her throat. All she could do was make a choking sound as she caught sight of a lamppost flickering in the distance. Two shadowing figures stood underneath the light. It was impossible to determine their features, but for some reason, Marinette could sense that both of them were staring directly at her.
Freezing in fear, Marinette stared back, a deep feeling of terror building deep insider her as her instincts screamed at her that something wasn't quite right. The figures stood unnaturally still which only served to freak Marinette out even more. Marinette gasped and stumbled backwards slightly, too terrified to look at them for much longer. Her heart lurched in her chest before she yelped as she suddenly felt the presence of someone behind her. However, she relaxed slightly once she realised it was just Chat Noir and actually felt slightly and weirdly comforted when he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"What is it?" He asked in confusion, though there was a serious edge to his voice. He could tell that something was wrong and Marinette quickly looked back out of the window towards where the two dark, distant figures had been standing. Marinette gasped once she realised they had vanished. Her eyes scanned the entire neighbourhood, but there was no sign of them anywhere. It sent another wave of terror washing over Marinette like a large tidal wave that kept pulling her under. Maybe she had just been seeing things?
"N-nothing," Marinette stuttered, "I just…I thought I saw something that's all."
Chat Noir looked out of the window suspiciously, frowning as his eyes scanned the street. He looked incredibly nervous all of a sudden, his face turning even more pale despite likely having no blood flow in his body. He bit his lip and Marinette watched him carefully. She didn't like the fact that Chat Noir looked so nervous.
"Marinette…" Chat Noir asked slowly, not turning around to look at her, "What did you think you saw?"
"Just…I dunno, two men I guess?" Marinette responded as best as she could, her voice shaking slightly. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"What did they look like?" Chat Noir ignored her question.
"I couldn't see," Marinette admitted nervously, her mind instantly going back to the two men that he seemed to be following her earlier that day. It couldn't be, could it? That thought made Marinette grow even more nervous. But the last thing she wanted was for Chat Noir to get even more protective over her. At this rate, he'd probably kidnap her and hide her away somewhere. It was probably nothing. It was just two guys standing at the end of the street. It probably just scared Marinette because she was already so on edge. People were entitled to stand at the end of the street. It didn't necessarily mean they were dangerous or up to no good.
"It was likely nothing," Marinette reassured him, "Just two guys." Though Marinette didn't know who she was trying to comfort more; Chat Noir or herself.
She watched as Chat Noir continued to glare out of the window before he finally moved away, though he still looked nervous and on edge. It looked like he was deep in thought as he sat back down on Marinette's desk chair. While he was distracted, Marinette gazed back out of the window, her heart pounding as she did so, expecting something to jump out at her at any second. But nothing happened. Maybe Marinette really was just being overly paranoid. After all, no one had any good reason to be stalking her.
Once again, I ended having to split this chapter. So the previous chapter, this chapter and the next one were all meant to be one chapter. How it got divided into three, I'll never know, but I guess it gives me the chance to flesh things out a little bit. I just hope I pulled it off okay. Massive shout out to ChibiRinni for helping me out with this chapter while I was tearing my hair out and having a mental breakdown. You truly are a one in a million friend. Please feel free to leave a review as it helps me out a lot and inspires me to keep writing. See you guys next Friday!
