Hey I'm back. Sorry for the wait. Had exams, but luckily that's over now.

Hope you all are enjoying the new year and are ready for some more Marichat angst and some fluff :D

I realized I forgot to write that Marinette and Adrien are 18 years old in this story.

Warnings: mentions of rape, violence and swearing.

Anyways, enjoy and remember to fav and review.

His night had started out like any other, running from rooftop to rooftop. Chat Noir loved warming up and feeling the wind in his hair. Sometimes that was all he would do for hours on end. Today however, something disturbed his run. A sound. It was faint, easily mistaken for the wind, but he still stopped and listened intently. He heard it again, this time a little louder, undoubtedly a girl screaming.

Chat Noir's cat ears perked, as he quickly ran in the direction of the scream. He might be a criminal, but he was no monster.

It didn't take him long to reach the area from which he was sure the scream had come from, but now it was quiet. He scanned the streets beneath him, but there were no people around as far as he could see.

His ears perked again when the scream returned, this time muffled and more desperate and much closer. Chat Noir acted fast. He ran towards the alley from which the screams came and thanks to his night vision, he was able to get a good look at the situation.

A man stood leaned up against a much smaller girl, who he had pinned against the wall. Upon closer inspection, she was topless and had duct tape over her mouth. Anger bubbled in Chat Noir, as he saw the girl struggling and screaming in the man's pawing grasp.

His hands were itching to punch that guy in the face, so he wasted no more time. He jumped into the alley, landing with a thud.

"Good evening."

The man and girl both jumped at his voice. He spun around and pulled out a knife. Chat Noir smirked looking at the man, who was blindly staring into the darkness. "Who the fuck's there!?" That was his que, he stepped a bit forward, until the man recognized him, "Chat Noir?"

"Who else?"

"Get lost! She's mine!" The man's hoarse voice was tough, but Chat Noir didn't miss the small hint of fear.

"Oh?" Chat Noir glanced at Marinette, who in turn whimpered. Her trembling legs seemed to buckle underneath her, as she slowly slid down the wall behind her. He grabbed his baton and focused back on the creep: "you're trying to start a fight?".

"N…no. Of course not." He lowered the knife. "Actually, this is fine. She's a wild one. We could share."

"Share?" Chat Noir's voice was dripping with anger, but apparently the man didn't notice.

"Yeah, you know, you hold her, while I use her, then we switch." The man explained simply. Chat Noir didn't miss the look of horror and repulsion that came over the girl's face.

"Yeah, I'm thinking no. How about I take her, and you go to jail." He began twirling his baton.

"Wait, what…" the man was cut short, when Chat Noir jumped forwards and attacked. His baton hit the man's side and sent him flying a few meters.

He landed with a grunt, but he was quickly on his feet again, attacking Chat Noir with his knife held high. He didn't have time to dodge the knife completely, so it left a small shallow cut on his lower right arm. Chat hissed and managed to land a punch right on the man's chin.

He recovered and attacked with the knife again, but this time Chat was ready for it. In a flash he grabbed the hand holding the knife and in one motion bend it behind the attackers back so high that he cried out and dropped the weapon.

Chat kneed him in the stomach before throwing him across the alleyway, where he hit the wall and fell limp to the floor. Chat Noir made sure he stayed down and unconscious, before he turned his attention to the frightened girl on the ground.

She stiffened as their eyes met. Despite the situation, he couldn't help, but take in the girl's beauty. She had shoulder-length dark hair and sky-blue eyes that glistened in the dim lighting from a distant streetlamp. She looked to be around his own age.

He stepped closer to her, but quickly stopped, when she recoiled, while whimpering into her gag and fighting her restrains.

"Shhh, princess. Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." He fastened his baton to his back and then held up both hands defensively.

The girl calmed down a bit when she realized he wasn't coming any closer. She looked at him with a small frown mixed with her fearful expression and her chest heaving for air. She pulled her knees to her chest and curled into a little ball.

He blushed slightly, making sure he averted his eyes from her naked chest.

He slowly stepped a little closer and then crouched down, not wanting to alarm her further. Although she sat still now, her panic was evident in her eyes and in the small whimpers that still escaped the duct tape.

"Here, I'll help you, okay?"

He reached out for the duct tape over her mouth, but she flinched with a scream, as if he was about to hit her and he quickly retreated his hand.

"I'm sorry. Please, don't worry, princess. It's all over now." He said softly, doing his best to comfort the terrified girl. Tears still fell from her glistening eyes, as she looked up at him. "I'm only here to help." She was still trembling, but the whimpers had died out. "May I?" He gesticulated to her gag and waited for her response.

A muffled word came from her, he chose to take it as a yes.

He reached forwards, much slower this time. She kept a wary eye on his clawed fingers, as they came closer to her face. Chat Noir managed to grab the corner of the duct tape and carefully peeled it off. He quickly noticed the crumbled-up fabric that was stuffed in her mouth and his anger bubbled up again.

He pulled out the cloth from her mouth and she immediately began coughing. She leaned forwards with a retching-sound. Chat was quick to react, he bundled up the girl's loose hair and kept it out of the way, while she spilled the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

He let go of her hair when she sat back up again. She turned her face away from him, as her crying intensified.

Chat retreated a little and sat down, allowing her to calm down for a bit. He looked at her in sadness and deep concern. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she was feeling.

Eventually she did peek at him. Her red, tear-stained eyes held quite a bit of confusion and fear, as if to ask, why he wasn't doing anything – or rather when he was going to strike. Her expression made a lump form in his throat, he just wanted to make her understand that he wasn't going to hurt her, but he knew his words probably didn't mean so much to her right now. He tried sending her a reassuring smile. It seemed to partially work, since her expression slowly became more confused than fearful.

"Can I free you." Chat asked softly, gesticulating to her bound hands. She looked him over for a second and then gave a stiff little nod.

He gently took her hands in his, working a claw through the duct tape. Once it was cut, he easily unwrapped it.

Once free, she brought her arms in front of her chest as well, rubbing the red marks she had on each wrist.

Chat noticed a black jacket lying the ground next to her torn shirt. He went to pick it up, very much aware that the girl's eyes were glued to him.

He offered the jacket to her, and she eagerly slipped it on and wrapped it tightly around herself.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?" She looked at him with a confused frown on her face before giving a timid little shake of her head.

Chat Noir sat down next to the girl at a respectable distance. He hoped that he'd seem less scary if he was at her level.

"That's a relief. Maybe I should take you to the hospital either way. I'm not really sure, what's best in this situation." She didn't answer, she just kept her face halfway hidden behind her knees. "I didn't catch your name, princess."

The girl's eyes poked out from her hiding. She looked to be thinking it over for a bit, before she opened her mouth to answer: "Ma… Marinette..."

A small smile snuck its way onto his face. She spoke to him! It might have only been one word spoken in a low and frail voice, but he still thought of it as a big victory.

"A pleasure to meet you Marinette." Chat made a half bow still sitting down, "As you might know, I'm Chat Noir."

Marinette tensed anxiously at that, hugging her legs tighter to her chest.

"I'm sure my reputation is exceeding me," Chat Noir laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, "but you don't have to worry, princess. I'd never hurt you." He ended on a very sincere note.

Marinette looked him over, as if trying to decipher if he was telling the truth.

Something about this girl and her gaze made his thoughts incoherent, and his heart beat a little faster. Their eyes met briefly, and those sky-blue orbs actually caused him to blush and look away much to his own surprise.

A small gasp made him focus back on the girl in front of him, "you're… bleeding," she said with a little worried crease on her forehead.

He looked down at his right arm and inspected the cut he'd gotten during the short fight. It did sting a little, but the knife had just grazed him and left a shallow nick.

"I'm fine." Chat smiled; her concern made a little warmth spread in his chest. She was amazingly selfless to be thinking about his little injury after what she had just been through, "it's just a small cut."

"Oh… good," she said and gave him a small smile that made his heart race, and his cheeks burn.

Feeling a little embarrassed and hoping it was too dark for Marinette to see that he was blushing over a smile, he quickly changed the subject, "So… what are you doing out this late? You should know it can be dangerous."
Marinette bit her lip nervously and suddenly found the ground very interesting to look at, "I, um… had to make a delivery."

"Surely, it could wait until tomorrow

Marinette shrugged, obviously not in a talkative mood. He noticed how she kept glancing into the darkness, where her attacker had landed.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll never see that bastard again." Chat glared into the darkness as well, but to his horror, the unconscious man was gone. Panicking slightly, he scanned the alleyway, but he had truly disappeared. He inwardly cursed himself for not keeping a closer eye on him. He wanted to go after him, but he couldn't just leave Marinette here. He let out a hiss in frustration, causing her to flinch again.

"Sorry, princess. It's just… it's not safe here."

Startled, she looked in the same direction as him, but it was way too dark for her to see anything. "What…" she managed to utter in a terrified whisper.

"He's… um… gone." Chat admitted honestly.

Marinette's eyes widened, and her breath hitched. Scared that she'd begin to panic again, he quickly added: "Hey now, it's okay. I'll walk you home. You'll be just fine."

Chat hoped he sounded supportive, but honestly, he didn't have much experience in that area. He'd never really had anyone he really cared for; his sheltered life had made sure of that.

"N-no, I… can't…" Marinette whimpered, seemingly frozen in place.

Chat made up his mind, she might not love the idea, but it was his only one.

"Where do you live?"

The girl tensed up and her lips pressed together to a small line, obviously not keen on telling a criminal her home address.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll just drop you off and leave, cat's honor."

She still looked uncertain, but the most dominant feeling her face conveyed was confusion and fear of the dangers lurking in the darkness. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, as if she was stopping herself from speaking, but then a whisper escaped her: "the bakery… on rue Gotlib"

"Oh, the one just around the corner?" She nodded. "Great, let's go."

He stood up and held out a hand, which she nervously took. He placed her hand on his shoulder and gently scooped her up in his arms, noting how she went rigid.

"Alright, princess. You just hold on, and you'll be home in a second."

He held her tight, as he propelled them up onto the closest roof with his baton and then began running. To her credit, Marinette didn't scream, however she did latch herself tightly around his neck, her entire body tensing up. He couldn't stop himself from smiling softly at the way she clung to him despite everything.

Once he saw the bakery, he spotted a balcony with fairy lights and some outdoor furniture on top of the building.

"Can I drop you of on the balcony?" Staying in the same altitude would be easier. If he had to bring her back to the ground, he'd need his baton and it was hard to use, when he had both hands full. Luckily, the girl nodded into his shoulder, where her head was currently hidden.

Chat landed on the balcony and slowly sat Marinette down. Her eyes refused to meet his, as a new fit of crying rushed over her, she covered her face and swayed on her feet now that nothing was keeping her up.

"Is anyone home? Anyone who can help you?"

He didn't receive any answer, so he hurried over to open the trapdoor leading inside. He quickly noticed the empty bed below, figuring that this must be her room.

He picked Marinette up again, receiving no objections from the weeping girl, then he entered through the trapdoor, landing on her bed.

He sat Marinette down leaned against some of her pillows, turned on the nightlamp on her shelf behind the bed and backed away. "There, as promised. I'll leave now. Do you need anything first? Some water maybe?" Chat asked awkwardly, he wanted to help her, but what could he honestly do to make her feel better after what just happened. Marinette shook her head gently.

"Alright, I'll get out of your hair. Please, promise you'll call someone to help you." He didn't like leaving her but staying only seemed to make her uncomfortable and that was the last thing he wanted. He was in no way equipped to help her through this anyway, it would be better if she called someone else.

"I'll come back and check up on you later, after I find and deliver that scumbag to the police." He promised both himself and her.

He gave one final bow, before crawling out through the trapdoor again. However, he didn't make it off the balcony before he was stopped by a weak voice.

"W… wait… please."

Chat hesitantly jumped back into Marinette's room and looked at her curiously, "yes, princess?"

"Please… stay… I don't want to be alone." She stumbled her way through the words without looking up at him.

Chat blinked surprised; did he hear her right? Was she asking him to stay? Her voice tugged at his heart, she sounded so frail and pleading. She looked up at him and held out a hand, silently begging him to take it.

He complied, and upon feeling her lightly pull him towards her, he sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. He halfway expected her to cower away from him, but instead she leaned into the embrace, crying, and burying her face against his chest.

"Th-thank you… if… you hadn't been there…" she managed to say between sobs.

She was still trembling slightly, so he hugged her a bit closer, "of course, princess. I'm just happy I was around to hear you."

"Don't… don't… leave me." She sounded so desperate that Chat felt the lump in his throat again. He was silently amazed at how suddenly Marinette's fear towards him had turned into her seeking protection and comfort in his arms. While this development of course made him happy, his hands were at the same time itching to squeeze the life out of the molesting piece of shit that was still roaming the streets somewhere in Paris.

"I won't. I promise." He said sincerely, gently patting the back of her head. "Try and see if you can sleep, princess. I'll make sure you're safe, ok?"

Marinette nodded slightly, she was still sobbing, but not as much anymore. Chat shuffled them both, so they were lying instead of sitting. Marinette's cheek resting on his chest and her arm wrapped around him, as if she was scared to lose him.

Chat kept stroking her hair in a soothing gesture, while her sobbing died out and she seemed to drift off to sleep.

Chat Noir felt himself begin to relax into Marinette's soft pillows. In the back of his mind, he was worrying about Nathalie finding his own bed empty in the morning. It would be Sunday, so he was usually allowed to sleep in until he woke up on his own, but if Nathalie decided to check up on him, it'd be a disaster. However, he had promised Marinette to stay with her. There was nothing he could do about it now and with that thought, Chat Noir felt himself slip into sleep.