The New Routine

Clack!

The wooden staffs connected. Marinette leapt back, swinging low to knock Cat off his feet. He jumped. Suddenly, there was a wooden blur and the blunt tip of his staff was mere centimetres from her face. She could almost smell the woodsy scent. Her heart thumped and thumped. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead.

"You left yourself open again," he said, one corner of his lips curving.

Her eyes narrowed and she shoved his staff away, countering with a flurry of strikes. He ducked, parried, and weaved around her with all the effortless grace he possessed. That only made her more frustrated. Faster. She had to be faster.

They fought, weapons colliding in a series of clacks and arm-juddering blows. Cat was holding back, but if he didn't put in enough strength to match her, his weapon would fly from his hand. Of course, the same went for her.

Thwack!

She skidded back across the floor, digging her heels in so she wouldn't topple over. Cat stood waiting in the centre of the ballroom with his staff in hand, raising his eyebrow as if to ask what she was waiting for.

A growl was ripped free of her and she charged, swinging the staff like a demon. His eyes widened a fraction. He dodged her first few attacks, but as she went for his head, he simply caught her staff with his hand. It was like she had hit a wall. Nothing budged.

"Cat," she gritted through her teeth. "You said you wouldn't use your full strength."

"Do you know why I stopped you?" he asked, not letting her staff go.

Frustrated words bubbled to the tip of her tongue, but then she exhaled and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I attacked in anger."

"And if I was my father, I would have taken advantage of the openings you gave me and done a lot worse than stop your staff."

Her shoulders slumped.

"Hey." His finger and thumb found her chin, tilting her head up so he could meet her gaze. "It's okay. You're doing amazing. Really amazing. I just have to be strict because—"

"I know."

She couldn't afford to get into bad habits. Cat was teaching her everything he could to make her a warrior fit to defend herself against a god. That would mean nothing if she got herself killed by acting reckless.

He smiled. "Don't worry. I have faith you'll get me down eventually."

Her lips pursed. "There's no need to rub it in."

"I was trying to cheer you up."

She stepped back and took a firmer grip on her staff. "Just shut up and fight."

His teeth flashed in a grin, and then he charged.

oOo

Just like every other evening, Hawkmoth came and watched her perform the healing magic on the tree until she was too weak to stand. Marinette hated it. She'd rather go back to getting her butt kicked by Cat in the ballroom—now training room—but there was no way to escape Hawkmoth. No way to escape the tree either.

It had felt so dead at first. Now, she could feel the pulse of life thrumming deep, deep in the roots like a tiny heartbeat. It was … unnerving. Sometimes, when she stood with her hands pressed to the gnarled trunk, it seemed like the tree was trying to reach for her, too. Like it knew she was there.

"How did the goddess of creation even get trapped inside that tree?" Marinette asked later, once Hawkmoth had left and Cat had carried her to her bed.

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Your guess is as good as mine. I didn't even know it was a prison for the goddess of creation."

"But I used to see you sitting in that courtyard and just staring at it."

His brow creased. "I suppose it does seem strange. I just felt drawn to it, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

He traced a circular pattern with his fingertip on her blanket. "I don't know how to explain it. It's like something in me just wanted to be near it."

She scrunched her nose. "To a creepy, dead tree?"

He shrugged.

Well, perhaps it made sense. He was the god of destruction. Creation and destruction had always gone hand in hand. Perhaps he'd just felt drawn to the goddess trapped inside, if she really was in there.

"Is that feeling stronger now?" she asked.

"Not really. Why?"

"I just ..." She bit her lip. "I wish I knew what your father was planning. I don't like that tree."

He opened and closed his mouth, and his expression grew pinched with strain—all tight lines and furrows.

"It's okay," she said, placing her hand on his. "I know you'd tell me if you could."

He hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

His mouth twisted and he looked the other way. Clearly, he did not think it was fine. He was always so quick to blame himself, always so quick to act as if he had let her down for something that he had done who knew how many years ago.

Now that she thought about it, she should probably ask him his age. It was weird not to know.

"Cat, how old are you?"

He blinked. "Er, twenty-four."

"Wait, seriously? You're only twenty-four?"

"Yes." His shoulders hunched a little. "Is that bad?"

She waved her hands in a negating gesture. "No, no, of course not. This is—I just thought you were way older."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because you're a god. Don't you age differently?"

"It's not like we spend a hundred years as a child or anything. Once I hit my peak strength, I'll stay like that for much longer than a human. That's all."

That made sense, though mostly she was still reeling at finding out he was the same age as her.

"What brought that on anyway?" he asked, still looking a bit at a loss.

She smiled. "It doesn't matter now."

She didn't want to keep reflecting on the depressing things. There was so much going on, so much that she still couldn't figure out or fix. It was overwhelming. It made her want to make the most of the time she had now—no pressure to train, no Hawkmoth breathing down her neck. So she grabbed Cat's hand and tugged him closer. He didn't resist, allowing her to guide him down until she was snuggled against him on the bed. Pink tinged his cheeks in delicate brush strokes.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked softly.

His blush darkened.

"Not like that," she spluttered, realising how her words might have sounded. "I-I just meant like this. Sharing."

"Of course." His arms came around her. "If that's what you want."

She smiled and closed her eyes, relaxing more into him. "It is."