Kitty shows his claws in this chapter so prepare for a straight action packed chapter! Also give a massive cheer for JustNerdyEnough who has offered their services as a beta reader to fix all my grammar mishaps! Onward to the show!
Dragon Lord Draco... The akuma are mostly after Chat but they will go after anything that is near them too since for the most part they are instinct driven creatures.
ribbons4... This chapter is practically all action. Enjoy!
Marinette is a detective who can't keep a partner while hunting down the notorious Hawkmoth gang. Chat is the new cat burglar on the streets who never gets caught. After Marinette gets handed his case it's it won't be long before their fates collide especially when monsters start roaming the streets.
Akuma
Landing on the balls of his feet, ready to help where he could, Chat found his breath taken by fear and awe as he took in the battle that was unfolding before him. There were two more Akuma on this side and Chat realized that they had probably been in the process of sneaking up on him when Marinette and company had run into them. It was fortunate in one way since Chat wasn't sure he could handle three Akuma at the same time, even if they were smaller than usual. Unfortunately, none of the people before him were used to fighting anything other than humans, which had already caused Mime to be injured.
Chains lashed the air as Marinette kept one Akuma's attention completely on her, driving it to complete distraction. The beast was steadily taking damage and, so far, Marinette was totally unharmed. The Akuma she was against was smaller than the one he had just taken out, but it was still larger than any normal, everyday animal and far more dangerous. A brief moment of indecision made him freeze until, suddenly, he found his eyes locking with Marinette's, who was shifting out of the way of the Akuma's charge. Arresting its charge with a well-placed weight to the eye, Marinette jerked her head toward Mime. Clearly she wanted him to help Mime first, and Chat knew that he would have to trust her for everyone to survive this. Chat's instincts screamed at him to go to her, to protect her, but he knew she could hold her own for another minute or two at least. For now, Mime needed his help since he was clearly injured, red already starting to stain the white bars of his outfit.
Somehow, Mime was on his feet, staff out and crossing his body, but neither he, nor Stormy had the kind of long-distance fighting ability Marinette had. A knife was in easy reach of his one hand on the staff but his other arm dangled somewhat limply, making Chat wonder if his shoulder had been dislocated. From what Chat could see, there was another knife embedded in the Akuma's side, although it wasn't deep enough to hinder the beast as it took a step forward. Either Mime had gotten in a lucky throw, or he had stabbed the Akuma when it had attacked him. Hopefully, if everyone survived, Chat would have to remember to ask for a rundown of the first few seconds of battle. The Akuma advanced upon a seemingly helpless Mime, and with its attention diverted, Stormy descended from the shadows. Her fists were sparking as she streaked down like a vengeful comet, slamming home into the thing's back, just to the side of its spine. With the skill of a gymnast, she sprang off and the Akuma shrieked as its legs gave out, electricity crawling over its fur as it shuddered. Chat slipped sideways through the shadows as he watched the battle, a plan already forming to take the Akuma out. The one Akuma was down, for a moment at least, and Marinette was doing a killer job fighting against her own Akuma.
"I'm out till I recharge! Mime, get out of there!" Stormy snapped, already heading toward him since he seemed to be having trouble merely staying upright.
The Akuma was already recovering, its body shuddering with snarls as its spasming paws managed to plant themselves under it. As it finally managed to struggle to its feet, a shout of exertion sounded and suddenly the second Akuma flew sideways, slamming into its just barely recovered counterpart.
"Damn, Marinette, did you just throw that thing?" Stormy demanded as Marinette sprinted at them.
She slid to a halt before them, chains at the ready managing to gasp, "I used its momentum against itself, but I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow. Get Mime out of here and call for backup, Chat's already in the shadows."
Stormy nodded and ignored Mime's protest of, "I can walk!" before pulling him into a fireman's carry across her shoulders.
"I'm sure you can move like a drunken idiot, now hold on as best you can because we both know you're injured worse than you'd admit," Stormy snapped back as she moved toward the edge of the building.
The Akuma were snarling, claws flashing against the other as they fought to untangle themselves and get up. Marinette didn't help things at all since she was throwing perfectly placed blows on the Akuma, riling them up against each other even further. Unfortunately, the trick could only last so long and the two pulled apart as their full attention was diverted directly onto Marinette. With a grimace, Marinette took a step back reviewing all the ways she could flee this rooftop without falling into those sharp-looking claws. One of the Akuma took a step forward with a furious roar so Marinette threw her weight, slamming it home into one of the Akuma's misshapen eyes. The roar cut into a squeal as the other Akuma charged, probably assuming that Marinette was distracted. Calmly, Marinette hauled back on the line causing the chain to tangle in the charging Akuma's legs, ready to throw herself out of the way once it got too close. In that moment, Chat launched from the darkness, slamming into the already tangled Akuma and sent it totally off its paws. Together, they crashed into the rooftop and slid past Marinette who dodged their incoming mass while also retracting her chain on reflex. Not wanting to use Cataclysm again so soon, Chat drove his claws into the Akuma's throat and slashed deeply, even as the thing tried to throw him off. Clearly, it wasn't going down without a fight, the Akuma writhed in pain, knocking Chat off. The violent movement also knocked the blade stuck in its side free and the clattering caught Chat's immediate attention. Landing on all fours, Chat darted back in, snatching the blade up from where it had fallen and slammed it deep into the Akuma's chest. Flipping away, Chat watched as it seized, its claws flashing in the darkness. Then, with a terrifying suddenness it went still, an odd keening sound coming from it just before its skin started to bubble off in a black sludge. Its body collapsed into a puddle of goo, a far smaller shape of a dog taking form in the mess. Lips wrinkling in distaste, Chat turned away from the sight, rushing back to Marinette's side.
"What the hell was that?" Marinette panted, her eyes flickering to him then back to the, so far, uninjured Akuma watching for any sign of attack.
The thing hadn't committed to a full-attack quite yet, but Marinette had struck it twice more in the head in an attempt to keep it from charging. This Akuma hadn't taken any real damage yet, except for the blows she had rained down upon it with her chains. That meant that this beast would be faster than the previous Akuma, and not hampered by a lightning like strike or blade in its side. Marinette knew that if it charged and got close, she would at the very best come out lightly injured, badly if those claws were as jagged as they appeared. Now, though, the Akuma had frozen as that odd sound went off and Chat appeared at her elbow, his own fangs flashing as his lips pulled back in a snarl. Ears flat and body tense, Chat gracefully slid in front of her as his tail traced the air in irritated slashes.
"Its companion is as dead as the other one, and it's time for you to run," Chat growled, his eyes on the Akuma before them as it actually backed off a step.
"I don't think you should fight these things alone, Chat. These two were lying in wait, probably for you. Clearly, these things are working as a team of some sort. What if there are more, or what if it this one runs?" Marinette hissed, her fingers clenching harder around the weights in her fists.
"Doubt it. I've never seen Akuma run in pairs, much less threes. These things are animal-based anyway, and not like that other one that turned back into the chubby guard. It means that they are closer to their instincts, making them rather dumb and easier to fight. Besides, Akuma never run, they keep fighting until they die," Chat answered, then cursed as the Akuma before them suddenly turned tail and fled.
There was a high wall before them that led to a taller building and the Akuma charged straight for it, clearly intent on getting away. With a gracefulness Chat was surprised to see, the beast leapt, its claws sinking into the stone like butter as it scaled the surface. Realizing he was standing stupidly, Chat immediately darted off after the Akuma, ignoring Marinette's shout of, "Wait!"
Moments later, he was physically halted by a chain-lashing hold around his middle as he went to leap for the wall. Claws just barely missed the Akuma's leg because of it and Chat landed inches from the wall. With a snarl, Chat ripped the chain off himself, only to be stopped again as Marinette snagged his arm.
"Chat, Stop!" she snapped. Chat literally froze since his instinct had been to throw her off with a clawed-blow to the chest.
Fear at his own instincts and annoyance at her stupidity had him snagging her by the shoulders, his claws pressing just a touch too hard through the fabric. "Do you not understand that I am dangerous? I am more dangerous than the monster that just took out one of your companions, and far faster. Do not grab me when I am on the hunt!"
Marinette blinked at him, clearly not impressed, but the surprise in her gaze had him slightly lessening his hold on her. Lips pursed, Marinette decided to ignore his warning since she knew he wouldn't ever really hurt her, bruises honestly didn't count. Truthfully, Marinette had no idea how she came to that conclusion but something deep in her bones just told her that was true.
"You just said that these things don't run away from a fight and that they travel alone," Marinette huffed, her tone accusatory. "These Akuma have already proven you wrong twice tonight. Please, Chat, don't go after it alone."
"Kid, she's got a point, maybe you should regroup with her and her friends," Plagg grumbled, even though, like his kit, he wanted to see that Akuma put down now.
Chat was going to reply, honestly his mind was being swayed, but the decision was taken from him as a wild keen broke the night air making the hair rise up on the back of his neck. The sensation had Chat's lips peeling back from his fangs and his eyes literally brightened in color. "Stormy is calling for backup already, and if that Akuma runs into them it'll slaughter anything that tries to stop it. I don't want to see anyone get killed when I can stop it here and now."
Releasing her shoulders, Chat started to turn, only stopping when Marinette pressed a hand to his chest to stop him from taking off.
"Then let me help you," Marinette snapped, the fire in her eyes made Chat want to kiss her.
"When I'm done, I'll find one of your Whisperers to pass along that I survived, but I won't willingly bring you into a fight against one of these things when I don't know how many there are. Please, Marinette, go keep your people safe," Chat murmured, his hand cupping Marinette's chin.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Chat pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling her startle at the suddenly intimate touch. Then he was leaping away, since he was slightly afraid that she would stab him with something out of her jacket-of-doom, or beat him to death with her chains. Honestly, he was pleasantly surprised when neither obscenities, nor weighted chains followed him over the wall.
"Kid, that was dumb," Plagg commented as he vaulted high into the air and caught sight of the fleeing Akuma.
"She was the dumb one! I almost clawed her when she grabbed me!" Chat retorted, not wanting to talk about how his whole being was suddenly jazzed, like he had just drunk several espressos.
"Ugh, if you're going to go all lovey-dovey, at least wait until I'm not trapped in the suit," Plagg complained.
Chat huffed, "I am not going all lovey-dovey, Plagg. And besides, it was spur of the moment."
"Tell that to your hormones… Geez, aren't you supposed to be past this nonsense? You are not a teenager anymore!" Plagg snarked back.
Chat let out a hiss as he landed, the gash in his thigh twinging with the impact. "Are you going to say anything useful, or just complain about my flirting?"
"Well, since you asked, I suppose I should warn you that you flirt way too much with Marinette as Chat, and you might have crossed the line with that kiss. She doesn't know you're Adrien and she just might try to arrest you on principle if you keep pushing her boundaries as Chat," Plagg answered feeling his kit's heart rate falter at his words. "Or she just might come and kick your ass, herself. Her bond with the stone is surprisingly strong and it's already affecting her strength."
Chat grunted as he flung himself airborne again, his thoughts tangled around the dangerously-determined look Marinette had worn as she had literally thrown the Akuma she was fighting into the one that was attacking Mime. "Just her strength huh? Those Akuma have got to be at least 300 pounds. She tossed it like it was a kitten!"
Plagg snorted, "Kit, you can pick up and throw a car if you had the mind to, 300 pounds is nothing to a Miraculous user, as you should know by now."
Chat spluttered, managing to keep some of his attention on the Akuma that was darting through the darkness just before him. "But, but she… she's so small!"
"I dare you to say that to her face!" Plagg guffawed. "But in all seriousness, watch yourself, kid. I don't mind if you think Marinette should know about the miraculous and you being Chat. However, you ought to make your decision soon because I don't think she'll take finding it out on accident very well."
The Akuma broke left suddenly, scoring deep claw marks into the tiles as it darted up over a peaked rooftop. Chat grimaced and went silent, thankful for the distraction as he darted after the Akuma. He knew Plagg was right, but how in the world was he supposed to tell her? He couldn't just waltz right up to her and go, "Oh hey, by the way I'm Chat Noir and this is Plagg." Well, maybe he could, but Chat didn't think it would be good for his health to do such a thing. For now, he really didn't feel like discussing it any further even though he knew Plagg would bring it up again later. Digging his claws into the rooftop as he climbed the peak, Chat launched himself over the top and came down hard on the next roof over. There, he froze because as he landed, he realized that the akuma had vanished.
"What the hell?" Chat hissed, lifting himself into a crouch. "I was literally seconds behind that thing. Where did it go?"
The Akuma was large, but Chat hadn't noticed any fast movements of something that size going to ground, although this rooftop in particular had plenty of ducts and other roof paraphanalia to hide behind. The hair on the back of Chat's neck rose and he sniffed the air cautiously. Scents swamped his nose, the stink of Akuma being one of the most obvious and pungent scents. The scent was off somehow though, and Chat frowned as he tried to puzzle out what it was, even as his eyes swept the too-still rooftop.
"Something is wrong," Plagg hissed and Chat suddenly realized why the scent was off.
Scents left trails through the air, the same way an artist drew lines on paper. However, the Akuma's scent wasn't in a path like it had just passed through. Instead, the scent was everywhere in the air surrounding him and suddenly Chat knew that he had just been led into a trap. Snarling a curse, Chat darted back toward the other roof peak hoping that the somewhat higher ground might aid him. Instead, an Akuma larger than the one he had been chasing, and even bigger than the two he had already killed, crawled onto the peak before him. The beast was easily double the size of its companions and had a bold stripe of purple hair ridging its back. It was also blocking his path, its jowls slathered with foam as it snarled down at him. Clearly this thing was the Alpha of the group, and it was ready to tear him apart. Chat's ears pinned back as he returned the snarl, his tail and hair poofing out even as he bore his fangs. Shadows moved off to his left and Chat tumbled back, kicking his legs up in time to catch the second, smaller Akuma in the chest and send it flying into part of the duct-system. The ducts shredded upon impact, fiberglass and metal going every which way, as the Akuma struggled to reorient itself. Chat was already back on his feet, leaping back and up to avoid the pouncing attack of the much larger purple-striped Akuma.
"Dammit, Marinette was right…" Chat hissed as he whipped his staff out and cracked it down across the purple-striped Akuma's head. Instinctively, the akuma ducked its head to avoid a second impact and Chat snapped his staff back into place since he knew he would need both hands in a moment.
"Get out of here!" Plagg hissed in return, even as Chat leapt over the larger Akuma.
Its teeth snapped at his trailing tail and fear slithered down Chat's spine as he tossed all thoughts of fighting out the window. At this point, escape was his main plan and Chat managed to clear the gap that spanned between him and the peaked roof he had blindly leapt from. Claws scrabbled behind him as the Akuma tried to keep up, but he was already hitting the peak and pulling his staff from the base of his spine. With his staff, he could fling himself far ahead of the Akuma allowing him time to regroup and hopefully make a plan. All hopes were dashed the moment his feet hit the peak and a solid mass of fur slammed into him. A third Akuma had been waiting for him just on the other side, and it was only Chat's reflexes that saved his life. Reacting faster than his mind could follow, Chat slammed his still-shrunken staff forward and hit the button as fangs just barely closed on his arm. The Akuma's jaws were forced wide-open, allowing Chat to keep his arm intact but he was still bowled off his feet and back toward the other waiting Alpha Akuma. His back struck at an awkward angle so he managed to keep his air, although the smaller Akuma practically landed on him as they went backward down the sloping roof. Snarling wordlessly, Chat twisted under the now-squealing Akuma, somehow avoiding the worst of its slashing claws. It wasn't really aiming at him as they slid down the uneven surface, it was actually trying to get the staff out of its mouth. The staff was still trying to expand, cracking its jaws far wider than they were ever meant to go and probably damaging the soft tissue as well. Chat knew that it had to be painful, although it was an excellent distraction. Kicking fully-out from under the Akuma, Chat tried to right himself but the edge of the roof was far too close and their sliding speed was far too great to arrest. Within moments, both of them went over the side and Chat managed to snag the edge of the building, preventing a very painful fall. Plagg's powers made him extremely durable, which meant a fall of several stories wouldn't kill him. It would hurt, however, and would probably break bones which were not only hard to explain away, but usually required some kind of doctor to set. Thankfully, the Akuma were not as durable and the smaller Akuma struck the concrete hard, its body going instantly limp. A roar made Chat look up as sickle-shaped claws dug into his back tearing through the suit and skin like they were butter.
"Adrien!" Plagg yelped in his mind, as pain made Chat yowl in fury.
The Akuma flinched back, its claws retreating for the briefest of seconds before attacking once more. It was fishing in a way, trying to hook Chat on its claws so it could pull him onto the roof to probably tear him to ribbons. This time, Chat was ready for the thing's talon-like claws, so he kicked off the wall snagging the Akuma's limb with his own claws. Within moments, Chat scaled the beast, managing to get on its back before it ever realized what was happening.
"Cataclysm!" Chat snarled, realizing that this was the Alpha Akuma as it leapt across the gap to the other building while trying to throw Chat off.
The move nearly worked but Chat managed to stay clinging to its back, even as the Alpha Akuma snarled and bucked beneath him. A second snarl answered the first Akuma, and right as Chat's Cataclysmed hand was about to make contact, the last small Akuma crashed into him. The impact easily knocked Chat from his perch and his hand drove sideways into the chest of the smaller Akuma, creating a killing blow. For the up-teenth time that night, Chat landed on his back, the new gashes making him yelp in agony even as his head cracked painfully into the rooftop. A loud, shrill wail made Chat's ears ring as the smaller akuma pulled itself off of him, showcasing how its chest was slowly turning to a slimy ash. It barely made it a few feet away before collapsing, its body shuddering once or twice before going totally still.
The rooftop went silent as a panting Chat managed to pull himself to his feet. He felt dizzy, his battered body making various complaints as he tried to focus on the last and largest Akuma of the bunch. For the moment, the Akuma ignored him, darting over to the smaller, dying Akuma's side. It sniffed at the smaller Akuma, a whine in the back of its throat. The smaller Akuma didn't answer and after a moment Chat could see its skin starting to slough off in gooey darkness. Slowly, the Alpha Akuma raised its head it's eyes meeting Chat's and for a brief moment he felt pity for this poor creature.
"If you run, I won't hunt you tonight," Chat called, hoping that the beast was intelligent enough to not only understand, but to heed his warning. Blood trickled down Chat's spine as he waited, suddenly the Alpha Akuma whipped away, leaping over its fallen comrade and vanishing over the next set of rooftops.
"I don't think that was wise, Adrien," Plagg muttered.
Chat dropped to his knees, panting hard, "Yeah, well, I don't think I want to fight anymore tonight. Four Akuma are quite enough, thank you."
Several minutes of panting later, a noise like an animal in pain rose into the night and Chat stopped taking inventory of his wounds to listen. The cry died off fairly quickly and he shifted in an attempt to go to his feet, only to wince at the pain that shot down his back, leg, and the numerous other areas he had been hit so far that night.
"You're cut pretty deep, Adrien. You'll definitely need stitches on your back," Plagg murmured, as Chat opted-out of standing and slunk forward on all fours.
It made the gashes in his back pull as he did, but Chat ignored the pain as he made it to the edge. The Akuma with the staff in its mouth was alive, apparently, and it was attempting to drag itself forward. It hadn't managed to go very far, and Chat was fairly certain that the thing was dying since it was leaving streaks of blood behind.
Chat's shoulders slumped, "I guess I need to go get my staff, huh?"
"Probably a good idea, though make it quick. Also, try not to let that thing bite you. You have enough wounds to care for," Plagg answered, worried for his stupid kit. Adrien had taken plenty of damage in that fight and already his energy levels were dropping off from using two Cataclysms.
With a wordless grumble, Chat dropped over the side using his claws to slow his descent. To his surprise, Chat landed a bit harder than he meant to and nearly tumbled sideways before catching his balance.
"Kid…" Plagg growled, his voice filled with concern and a warning.
"I'm fine, Plagg. Just tired," Chat grumbled back, approaching the Akuma from the front.
It whined as Chat stopped before it, although it didn't try to move away or slash at him. Dropping into a crouch, Chat reached forward, placing one hand on the beast's muzzle. The Akuma shuddered beneath his hand and with a bit of a gulp, Chat reached forward, gripping the staff that was keeping the Akuma's jaws pinned open.
"You had better not bite me," Chat growled and hit the button that would shrink the staff.
He was pleasantly surprised when the Akuma didn't try and snap at him, even as he lifted the staff and his hand free of its fang-filled maw. Matter of fact, the Akuma didn't do anything except let loose another barely-audible whine as it took another shuddering breath.
"Should I put it out of its misery?" Chat wondered as he stood and the Akuma continued to lay before him unmoving, except for the slow, shuddering breaths it took.
"I don't think you have the energy. If you use another Cataclysm right now, you might just pass out," Plagg answered.
Chat sighed, turning away, staff in hand, only to catch a new scent on the breeze that wafted down the alley. Recognizing the scent, Chat's shoulders slumped causing pain to streak down the gashes in his back.
"You can come out, Stormy," Chat called, eyeing the closest pile of garbage.
A human shape peeled away from the trash and Stormy moved a touch closer, only stopping at what she assumed was a safe distance. It really wasn't, Chat could close the meager distance between them in a flash, although he wasn't going to point that out.
"Dude, you look like crap," Stormy murmured eyeing Chat's disheveled, dirt-streaked, and somewhat cut-up appearance.
"And you shouldn't be here. The last, and biggest Akuma got away with not much more than a few claw-marks from me. If it caught you, it would kill you," Chat grouched, not appreciating Stormy's candid observations.
Stormy's mouth opened, probably to give some tart retort when the Akuma behind him chose that moment to let loose another, this time louder, whine.
Instantly, Stormy recoiled, "That thing isn't dead?"
"Close enough," Chat answered, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the Akuma wasn't pulling the wool over his eyes by pretending to be half-dead. It was still on its side with its jaws still cranked open a little past comfortable. "I think I broke the muscles in its jaws, and it fell from the rooftop. I don't think it's going to recover, so you may as well let it die on its own. Or, I suppose you could zap it to death, it's up to you, honestly."
That said, Chat turned away from Stormy and moved toward the wall, staff in hand. He heard a sharp intake of air and he glanced back to see Stormy eyeing him with concern. Blinking Chat quickly realized that he was leaving blood behind him as he moved. It was a slight trail in the form of tiny droplets and as he stood there, he could sense them rolling down his tail probably matting the fur.
"You need medical attention," Stormy hissed, moving forward with careful steps.
Chat felt his heart melt a little for Stormy since he could tell that she was honestly concerned for him. She, like Marinette, seemed incapable of leaving well-enough alone.
"I'll be fine, so maybe another time?" Chat said offhand. Before Stormy could come up with a rebuttal, he hit the button on his staff, shooting himself upward toward the rooftops.
"Marinette will be pissed if you die, so you had better get some help!" Stormy yelled after him, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to convince him to come with her.
Chat heard her as his feet hit the rooftops but he didn't reply since he was already heading away from the area. He ran for several minutes, using his staff to launch himself over obstacles he usually just took in stride. Using his staff hurt, but it was better than taking things slow since he really didn't want company and Chat wouldn't put Stormy past trying to follow him. Finally, a familiar roof came into view. Chat grunted as he landed before ducking into a hidden space that a normal person wouldn't ever discover. The room inside was barely larger than a cubby, and under a chunk of false concrete flooring sat a medical kit.
"Adrien, you're going to need help with your back," Plagg murmured as Chat pulled the kit open and selected the things he needed for the gash in his leg.
It wasn't a super-deep gash, although Chat knew it probably needed stitches. Stitches would require removing his pants and a great deal of concentration that he simply didn't have, though.
"Glue it is then." Chat hissed pulling the medical-grade surgery glue from the pack.
Swiftly and efficiently, Chat cleaned and sealed the wound before placing butterflies down the gash to keep it fully sealed. It was going to need the butterflies since he was going to be running again in just a few minutes and leg wounds were always hard to keep sealed. Non-stick gauze was next, and he finished it off with some black bandaging that he just wrapped around the outside of his pant leg. It was lazy of him to do it that way, but he didn't have any other choice unless he wanted to go through the effort of taking his pants off after all. Once done, he sat back with a grimace, feeling blood slide down his spine under the suit. Exhaustion was seeping into his very bones until Plagg literally growled in his angriest tone from the back of his mind.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you Plagg," Chat muttered before attempting to shake off his lethargy. "What do you want me to do, though? I don't trust the Whisperers enough to go to them for something like this and this isn't something I can ask Nino for help on. Actually, he'd probably pass out the moment I showed up looking like this."
"If you aren't going to go to the Whisperers, then go to Marinette," Plagg stated, his voice still carrying the edge of his angry growl.
At Marinette's name, Chat froze in the midst of repacking the medical kit. "I think I'd rather go hunt the Alpha Akuma."
"You're losing a lot of blood and I can't help you if you pass out. She won't kill you," Plagg snarled, at the end of his patience.
Chat didn't have the will in him to argue, especially since he knew that Plagg was right. He needed help and Marinette was about the only person around that he trusted to help him. Groaning, Chat pushed himself to his feet, leaving a smear of blood behind on the wall. Fighting a wave of dizziness, he kicked the med kit back into its hole and replaced the flooring before slowly creeping back outside. It took him a few moments to gain his bearings, far longer than normal, but once he had them, he started moving taking a roundabout way to Marinette's. He took a longer route because he wanted to make sure no humans or Akuma were following him. By the time he landed hard on Marinette's roof, however, he was regretting his decision. Somehow, he plodded over to the skylight and dropped to his knees next to it. The lights were on inside and he could smell the fresh scent of baked cookies and other homey scents wafting from within. Chat leaned over the glass wondering if he should just climb in on his own when Marinette strode out of her kitchen, looking around her flat suspiciously. She was so darned cute, Chat decided, standing there in what he assumed were pjs. Her hair was still wet from a shower and it hung all around her face, framing her fine features. As he watched her, she flinched, her hand trailing up to her waist band, but other than that, she didn't move.
"Huh, so the miraculous does tell her when I'm around," Chat muttered, then tapped lightly on the window.
"Told you so," Plagg answered, as Marinette's head jerked up.
He saw the surprised look flash across her features, and then all at once, Chat decided it was a good time to lie down. Slumping to the side, Chat felt himself relax, knowing that for once he was in good hands. He just hoped that Marinette wouldn't kill him for the kiss earlier that night.