Chapter 11

Yes. There was only one way out of this situation. His dignity was at stake here. So Chat noir simply said "I told you, I'm not scared. Now start the film, I want to see the film that can suppurrsedly scare the mighty Purrincess." and grabbed a handful of popcorn. Chat said it brimming with confidence but he was forced to shove the handful of popcorn into his mouth to stop the groan of frustration at his own stupidity. He was pretty sure a small part of him died as those dooming words left his mouth. Mentally he face palmed so hard he thought it enterally possible for it to leave a physical mark.

Marinette simply raised a brow, not convinced in the slightest that he wasn't scared. "Have you ever watched something like this before?" She was very sceptical of him right now. She wasn't buying into his confidence, no matter how scarily convincing it was.

Chat blanched at her words, "Would you believe me if I said I watch at least one every night to help me sleep better?" He asked a bit sheepishly. Marinette simply shook her head, that being all the response needed. They both knew she wasn't convinced and knew that he'd never seen a horror film before.

"Well, if you've never seen a scary movie before, then I'll put on something milder. A kids one perhaps..." Marinette went into thought for a few minutes, trying to think of an appropriate film for someone who was just getting into the horror genre of films. Despite the irony of it, she didn't want to scare him out of watching horror again.

She kept thinking about what film would be best and was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Chat noir rearranging their positioning, starting the film Marinette had originally planned on watching. By the time Chat had finished skipping all the adverts and the film was just about to start as Marinette suddenly jumped and exclaimed "I got it!"

From behind her Marinette could hear Chat chuckling, but when she tried to turn around to look at him, she found she couldn't move very much. She looked around a bit, only to discover that she was leaning on one of the arms of her chaise so she propped up but from the waist down was laying comfortably. Marinette also discovered the reason for her restricted movement, a certain black cat had his leather clad arms wrapped securely round her waist and torso to keep her from moving away. Chat was behind Marinette with both of them facing the screen and the film which was starting.

Marinette began to try and wiggle free, saying she had a better film for them to watch, "Stop moving, Princess, and please be quiet, I can't hear the film." Chat complained to her.

"But you haven't seen a horror film before!" Marinette said, shocked "You might never sleep again, either that or will have to hide behind a pillow the whole time."

"I am most definitely going to watch this film, but I refuse to hide behind a pillow, my friends would never let me live it down." Chat told her, thinking of what Nino or Ladybug would say if he ever found out Adrien had hidden behind a pillow through a film . "However, I will hide behind you instead. I know you will protect me from anything bad." He told her with a smile on his face and in his voice. Marinette just rolled her eyes, grabbed a handful of popcorn and settled back into a comfy position.

Chat knew watching this was a bad idea. It was stupid. Idiotic. Moronic. It was the level of stupid that comes level to trying to bribe the pope with a prostitute. Chat thought though, that even if the film was something that came straight from Satan's arse on the terror scale, he at least had an excuse to cuddle Marinette. He'd been having a strange urge in recent visits to cuddle up to his Princess and hold her tight in his arms and never let her go. This was the purrfect excuse to do just that.

Throughout the film Marinette didn't so much as blink at the masses of jump scares, didn't t look away or even cringe when there was a very graphic representation of what happens when you put an active chainsaw in someone's stomach (bits and pieces of intestine and stomach and kidney and ugh, let's leave it at it could be described as explosive). Chat noir on the other hand, was a very different story indeed. Marinette could feel him jump at everything, even when the old lady accidentally knocked over a vase. She could feel him cringe and gag at bits like when a guy was hit where 'the sun doesn't shine' or the incident when the antagonist was forced to eat her disembowelled fiancé. Marinette had to stifle her giggles whenever she felt him flinch or hear him whimper in fear. Despite her amusement at his fear, she tried her best to comfort him, squeezing his clawed hands or whispering that it wasn't real or that she'd dangle the guy over her balcony.

…...

The next day at school, Alya went straight to Marinette when the girl turned up early (Chat had changed her alarm to wake her up three hours early and added alarms to sound every 5 minutes. She wasn't late. But that mangy alley cat was going to find that Marinettee could be much scarier than any film).

"Did you watch the film? Did you?" Alya asked excitedly, the young reporter was so sure that her friend would be terrified this time.

"Did she watch what?" Nino questioned, an equally confused Adrien beside him. The boys had come over when they saw Alya run up to a strangely on time Marinette.

"She wanted me to watch the new horror film, seeing if she could finally scare me with it." Marinette informed the boys, to which Nino just groaned,

"You're not still seriously doing that, are you?" The DJ asked. Both girls nodded, looking slightly sheepish.

"Umm, what's going on?" Adrien inquired, he knew a bit from last night with Marinette, but that was Chat, Adrien didn't know anything.

"It became apparent after a sleepover, that Marinette didn't get frightened by scary films or ghost stories or basically anything of that ilk. So naturally, everyone started to try find something, a story, film or even a 'haunted ghosty ghost fun house' that could make her so much as flinch. But that was like, three or four years ago, every once in a while someone will remember and try to scare her with something, but mostly it's forgotten. Even Alix and Kim gave up." Nino explained to Adrien.

"Haunted ghosty ghost fun house?"Was all he said, with a tone that questioned the sanity of every life choice that led him to that moment.

Marinette looked down, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "Yeah, that was, umm, a different experience..."

The other two were in a similar state of looking almost guilty. "That definitely was something, different..." Nino said.

"You could almost call it enlightening." Added Alya. They three shared a look and each gave a shudder, none of them elaborated on what actually happened, there had been an agreement that the incident was to never be spoken of in any detail ever again...

The rest of the school day was filled with Adrien badgering his three friends for an explanation as to what had happened to elicit such a reaction from them. Even the rest of the class wouldn't say anything, all saying something along the lines of it being a dark, dark time, or there being some kind of pact that prevented talk of the event. Even Alix and Kim, especially Alix and Kim wouldn't elaborate. When Adrien had asked Alix had visibly flinched at 'haunted ghosty ghost fun house' and Kim had gone white as if he had seen, well, seen a ghost.

It quickly became obvious to Adrien that the 'haunted ghosty ghost fun house' was a touchy and sensitive subject to everyone in his class. Adrien didn't let it go though, he was curious. He was also Chat noir, the black cat of bad luck, curiosity and cats go hand in paw. Adrien couldn't let this go, not until he had answers, the cat in him wouldn't let him.

Marinette could tell Adrien wouldn't let up until he found out what could haunt the whole class so much. It was yet another quality she liked about him. So, she came up with a plan to tell him, without breaking any of the rules of the pack of secrecy. At lunch she went home alone and consulted Adrien's schedule for when she could hatch her plan. Lady Luck was on her side it seemed (like always), since he was free after school that very day. Marinette could sort everything out quickly, the less time Adrien spent asking questions and bringing up memories best left forgotten, the better.

…...

Adrien was walking home from school, he didn't need to be anywhere so he told Gorilla he'd walk, while still thinking over the 'haunted ghosty ghost fun house' and contemplating how he would get the information he wanted out of his classmates. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the telltale zip-zip of Ladybug's yo-yo until he felt a strong arm circle his waist and drag him into the air.

"Don't scream, don't make a fuss and this will all go swiftly and painlessly." The red spotted heroine told the startled model. Adrien did as told though and didn't make a noise as Ladybug carried them effortlessly over the Parisian rooftops. She soon set them down on a rooftop that was secluded and shrouded in shadow, despite the sun being high in the winter sky.

"As nice as it is to see you, Ladybug, is there a reason you brought me here?" Adrien asked. She had her back turned to him, but at his question spun round to face him.

Her face was deadly serious, "I have it on good authority that you have been asking after dangerous information." her tone indicated that there was no point in denying it, she already knew.

"Dangerous? All I asked was what a 'haunted gho-" Adrien was cut off by Ladybug's hand clamping over his mouth.

"Don't say it out loud. The less it is spoken of the better." She looked around, making sure they were alone before continuing, "But yes, that's why I'm here." She suddenly pushed her whole body against him, her mouth near his ear. The blonde could feel nearly all of Ladybug's toned body pressed against him. Her right hand passed him a slip of paper as she whispered in his ear, "Meet me at this address at ten o'clock. Come alone. But you must swear not to speak of this meeting, or what you see there to anyone, ever."

Adrien barely registered anything she said, too preoccupied with the fact that his crush was currently pressed against him in a position that probably looked very intimate. To answer her he just dumbly nodded. She then passed him another bit of paper but this time it was rolled up as a tube. "Read it over and if you agree to the terms, sign it. Bring it to our meeting later. If it's signed then you will get your answers, if not then we'll both walk away and never speak of this again. Understand?" He nodded again. With that she wrapped a red spotted arm around him again and swung them into an alley. Ladybug gave him a nod and left with another flick of her yo-yo.

Adrien watched her fly through the air with such practised ease and elegance. He looked at the two bits of paper and started to make his way back to his home.

A/N, Sorry for my recent absence, I've been working on other stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The horror film isn't based on any existing film, not that I'm aware of anyway. Adrien still isn't quite over his crush on Ladybug it seems and I'm well aware that Marinette didn't stutter around Adrien. It is all part of my master plan MWHAHAHAHA!

I'm also going to change the rating to T, as the plans I have for the future will require a higher rating. Not that many people care about the rating unless it's M. The story will not go to M though. If it does one of my friends will have written those scenes as I refuse to write lemons.

Rejected exam question (history): Hitler got all his ideas from the history channel. Discuss.