I don't care how old you are tag is an epic game to play when you have a good group of people. In other news Pokemon Go has devoured much of my free time and my work schedule has gotten a touch hairy. In other words I haven't had much time to write. Sorry to those who read Cats Closet since I haven't updated over there in forever. Good news is that I have managed to catch at least one of each released legendary so far. I really will try to stay updating at least once a month on this story but in case it doesn't happen sorry in advance!
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
(Midnight Tag)
Coming out of the building on the second floor they had to cross over an alley using a rope bridge, although several more impatient people took the gutters to the ground to make their own way along. Adrien also spied spike like rungs someone had impaled into the wall and wanted to test them out but in the end he decided to keep pace with Marinette. She was chatting with several people who were getting her up to date on the going ons of their neighborhoods. He actually hid a chuckle as Marinette promised to look into a few break-ins that had happened lately. It would seem that most people knew Marinette was a detective and trusted her implicitly even if they were part of a gang. It made Adrien wonder just how entrenched Marinette was in this city and how much she really knew. The person talking to Marinette grinned at Adrien giving him a slight wave before running on ahead. Adrien waved back as he watched them go making Marinette turn to him again.
"Enjoying yourself? She asked as a younger boy darted past them into the dimness ahead.
"Yeah and was that a kid?" Adrien asked as a girl looking about the same age yelled after the boy.
Marinette rolled her eyes "Yes they tend to sneak out and come here. I can't complain too much since it keeps them off the street doing worse activities. Plus everyone here keeps an eye on them for the most part. You will probably see a few kids running around here, or you will find them sleeping on the bean bags later once they have run themselves out."
Adrien could hear the fondness in her voice and he squeezed her shoulder making her grin up at him before saying. "I like these kids and I often walk them home since I go right by the home they live in. I'll probably walk them home tonight since I know they are here."
"That's fine with me. I'll leave it up to you as to when you want to head out." Adrien answered following her out a door and across another this time wooden plank bridge. Most of the buildings seemed to be connected by some sort of bridge although they had to climb out a window to get to the next one. There were also lights on scattered about through the buildings. Some of them were spotlight type lights and others were closer to fairy, or Christmas lights. It made for an interesting play of light and shadow and he noticed that the lights weren't bright enough to be seen very far but were enough that a normal person could see just fine.
"This place is amazing." Adrien said watching two people racing past underneath them.
"Thanks as we all say it's a work in progress!" Marinette said her voice joined by several others who had climbed out to the building with them.
Adrien couldn't help but laugh and they went inside the last building. This building was certainly a work in progress with half walls thrown up everywhere and bare struts showing while random wooden structures loomed in the gloom. Light filtered in through gaping windows and through a neat hole in the floor close to one wall.
"What was this place?" Adrien asked following Marinette down to the ground floor where a decent sized group of people already waited.
Marinette shrugged "I think it was supposed to be an apartment complex or something but the building got cancelled. Most of the stuff in here was already put together although bums and runners have strategically made larger openings where there were none before. Most of the rooms connect now even if they didn't before and there are holes in the floors in some places so always watch where you are running."
Adrien didn't know how to reply to that although she made this building sound like a running paradise. Determined to explore every inch he was unsurprised when someone yelled out "Sweet you're joining us Marinette?" making Marinette nod.
"I vote Marinette being it first!" another voice called and everyone quickly favored that idea.
Marinette huffed putting her jacket over a pole sticking out the wall and placed the two water bottles in either pocket so it stayed balanced. "What if I don't want to be it first?" she demanded playfully.
"Then you will probably never get tagged!" Alex called with a laugh jumping in through a missing window off to the side.
Everyone laughed at that and Marinette relented knowing that she would be able to tag someone fairly quick.
"Ok so everyone know the rules?" Alex asked
"How many are there? I've heard the no climbing out windows one." Adrien said truly wondering how there could be any more than that.
Alex chuckled "You could be surprised but most of them are the obvious ones. No rooftop, no going out of bounds. If you get tagged you are it until you can catch someone else. Call out when you get tagged too so people know. There are no timeouts so if you want to quit you get out of bounds and hope no one catches you while you're leaving. Or if you do get tagged as you go just tell the person and most of the time it's cool. There are no tag backs period, I don't care how much time has passed. Hiding is perfectly legal and no tripping up another person so they get tagged instead of you. Other than that use your brain and don't do anything Marinette would do."
"Hey!" Marinette snapped "That's not a rule!"
Everyone laughed and Adrien laughed with them, this was going to be fun. He just knew it.
Seeing there were no other questions Marinette clapped her hands together. "Alright people you get a two minute head start! Run!"
People scattered instantly and Adrien waited till the crush of people vanished into the shadowy depths of the building.
"We have this whole building to hide in?" He asked when Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah but be careful cuz some areas are darker than others and there is trash and glass on the floor in places. Now get moving or my first victim will be you."
Adrien gave her a mock salute and took off for the door that led up stairs. He could hear people running around on the floor above already and he noticed more than one hole in the ceiling where someone had carved through the floor to create a new escape complete with a pole or ladder. Adrien could understand how Marinette would be a royal pain to catch in this place since he had witnessed her leaping backwards into a hole in the floor as Chat. She seemed like one of those people who could use their surroundings at will if the obstacle course and his other encounters were anything to go by.
"Ready or not here I come!" Marinette called out from the room now below him and Adrien felt his heart give a swift kick.
Before he could think too hard about it Adrien leaped at some struts that would have once held up a wall. It was now a lattice of wood that he used to scramble up off the ground. Once he was several feet up and out of jumping range Adrien swiftly ducked into a shadowed corner slitting his eyes to make use of his excellent night vision. Going totally silent and still Adrien watched out for Marinette since he knew she would be coming soon. The building had gone eerily silent with exception of the breathing and slight shuffle of feet he could still hear due to his amplified senses. A normal person wouldn't be able to hear anything most likely and Adrien wondered how Marinette would find anyone. Watching the door Adrien almost missed Marinette sliding from the darkness from a totally different direction than expected, her movements practically blending with the shadows themselves. The air caught in his chest as she flowed across the floor using the flickering lights as cover and he realized that most people on the street probably never saw Marinette coming when she was on a hunt. She was good, very good and Adrien wondered how long it had taken her to prefect her art. He couldn't even hear her footsteps as she dodged a piece of paper and hit the stairs, blending with the shadows as she went still for a moment. She paused there for several seconds listening and Adrien wondered what she was waiting for. Then he felt a slight chill as her eyes swept the room picking out the two people he knew were hiding in the shadows. Then her eyes flicked up towards the rafters and Adrien held perfectly still as her gaze swept across his now seemingly insignificant hiding place. Marinette grinned and Adrien tensed, ready to launch himself upwards towards an open space to the next floor up. Instead she spun around and raced up the stairs making far more noise than necessary, especially since he had just witnessed how quiet she could really be. Heart thumping excitedly in his chest Adrien waited till he heard squeals and pounding feet to take a slower but still higher route to the next floor up.
"Alex is it!" Marinette's voice shouted about two minutes later and the game began in earnest as people discarded their hiding spots and started running for their figurative lives.
Adrien didn't know how long it had been since the start of the game but so far he'd had a blast running, hiding, and just enjoying himself. So far no one had been able to tag him although several people had tried so far. At first he had just run, enjoying the chases, and testing his skills against some very creative people. Now though he wanted to find Marinette and even though he was looking Adrien couldn't seem to locate her. This wasn't much of a surprise considering the size of the building, but still he had expected to run into her at least once by now! Adrien was contemplating calling out to her when he suddenly he glimpsed her lithe form. Having finally found her Adrien focused on getting over to Marinette and unfortunately didn't pay attention to what was going on around him. This ended up with him getting led into a sneaky trap by a smaller kid who was actually it at the moment. Adrien was instantly startled as the kid slapped his leg screaming "You're it!" before hightailing it out of the room. It made Adrien laugh his concentration broken and then he smiled.
"I'm IT" Adrien announced loudly while dropping into a crouch. He was sure he had seen Marinette near his position before being tagged by the sneaky little kid and now that he had a moment Adrien decided to rethink his strategy. He had been chased by her as Chat and although he would never admit it out loud they had been absolutely thrilling chases. Now he had the chance to chase her and Adrien wasn't going to pass it up for anything.
Adrien grinned watching as people scattered every which way keeping an eye out for one specific person. It was time to hunt and Adrien knew she wouldn't make it easy. As the room stilled Adrien took in his surroundings noting the few brave souls who were waiting to see where he went next. A half wall that stopped a two or so feet from the floor separated the two rooms and from his down low position he could see a few pairs of feet in the next room over. After a moments study he recognized the shoes he saw and knew exactly where Marinette was. Darting off all fours he slid under the half wall causing two people in the room to scream with surprise. Marinette was the third and she didn't bother screaming or acting surprised. Adrien had managed to slide himself between the door and her so Marinette sprinted at him as he scrambled to block her exit. At the last second Marinette turned leaping over his legs and kicked off the wall he slid under to grab a piece of rebar that stuck out of a hole above their heads.
"Marinette you crazy idiot!" one of the people yelled darting from the room to avoid getting tagged by Adrien. Adrien on the other hand scrambled to his feet as she swung her legs up over the edge just missing another curious bystander who had heard the scream.
"Coming up! Adrien's it move!" Marinette yelled rolling away from the hole and to her feet.
She knew he could follow, knew that he would and Marinette also knew that he was probably going to come solely after her unless she could find a perfect place to hide. She knew of one such spot, one that would be too small for him to follow her through. With a savage grin that had people running she darted off, the other boy sprinting away as hands slapped metal behind them. People yelped dodging out of her way as she took some stairs two at a time hearing the sound of pounding feet closing in behind her. Thankfully Marinette's lighter build helped her as she flew around a corner gripping the edge to make a tight turn Adrien was unable to mimic. He slammed into the wall instead killing his speed and giving her a millisecond of breathing room. Marinette laughed gleefully as she sprinted ahead leaping half built fixtures and sliding under another half wall while ousting several people from their resting spots.
"Dang it Marinette!" they called after her but Marinette didn't slow and Adrien didn't tag them although they were surprised at that fact. Finally the wall she needed appeared in the gloom and Marinette kicked up her speed another notch sensing that Adrien wasn't that far behind her. The hole was just ahead of her and Marinette dove through it, her shoulder just barely scraping the side. Hitting the floor in a controlled tumble Marinette popped up to her feet as Adrien smacked into the wall behind her. There were a few ways into the room she was standing in but the only way to get in from where Adrien was standing was the small hole that he stuck his head through.
"That's not fair." Adrien gasped trying to shove his shoulders through and not fitting in the slightest.
Marinette laughed resting her hands on her knees as she gulped down some much needed air. "Nope… neither is… just chasing me. Go find… someone else to tag."
Adrien pouted and to Marinette's surprise pulled back long enough to eye the hole properly. "But I like chasing you." He replied as somehow he managed to wiggle his head and one shoulder through the gap.
Realizing he was somehow fitting through Marinette laughed again, her breath back for the moment. "Don't get stuck! And chase someone else I've already been IT once tonight!"
That said she fled the room allowing Adrien to wiggle the rest of the way through on his own. Adrien hit the floor his hips following through far easier than his upper body. Twisting back to his feet once his legs were through Adrien flew down some steps but he quickly realized that he had lost Marinette. With a pout Adrien caught the next person he saw then darted for the shadows to avoid being caught again. After a few minutes of searching for and not finding Marinette Adrien slipped back down to the bottom floor to snag a sip of water. The small starting room was completely empty and as he stood there Adrien realized he needed a break. He didn't however want to leave without letting Marinette know so he left the room again hoping to find her somewhere close.
Sniffing the air Adrien caught a whiff of her scent under the dozens of others in the building. Unfortunately he couldn't tell how long it had been since she had been in these rooms. If he had been Chat he would be able to but as Adrien he could simply tell she had been there. Figuring it was better than nothing he followed her scent backtracking when it vanished, all the while avoiding packs of random people running for their lives. The whole building was in chaos over this game and somehow down the line two people had managed to get tagged. Deciding not to argue about it they had both gone after others so there were now two people IT in the game. This hardly mattered since more people had joined the game but it was making it harder to find a quiet corner. His luck ran out as he turned past a door frame and two people went running past an IT person close behind. Adrien took off hearing them break off their chase for him since he was closer. Thankfully Adrien was far faster than the IT person and he managed to keep a good lead on them. Scaring up several other people as he burst into another long room Adrien felt his energy finally starting to flag. He needed a place to rest and swiftly Adrien looked for a place to hide while sprinting down its length.
Starting to give up hope Adrien all at once heard a wonderfully familiar voice call "Adrien!"
Still sprinting forwards Adrien glanced up and saw to his relief Marinette hiding in the shadows amongst the rafters. The other two didn't, or couldn't see her as the sprinted ahead and Marinette dropped to her butt gripping a pipe as she swung her arm down for Adrien to grab. Instantly Adrien knew what she wanted him to do and for a moment he didn't want to try since he was afraid of hurting her. Then he remembered how Alex had talked of Marinette jumping off roofs and decided to hell with it. If she couldn't take his weight here then he would rather know now in a game of tag, rather than in a dangerous situation. Leaping higher that the average person probably could, Adrien's hand caught her wrist and using his momentum Marinette swung them both up high enough that Adrien could grab his own bar. The IT person gave a halfhearted jump after them but came nowhere near close enough to tag them.
"Cheaters!" They called in jest before taking off after easier prey.
Adrien clung to his pipe still holding onto Marinette's wrist as they balanced while laughing a little breathlessly. "This is the most fun I've had in years." Adrien confessed shifting so he could lean against the pipe. Marinette laughed with him moving so that she was better balanced their hands slowly entwining as they relaxed a fraction.
"I told you this place is a ton of fun you just have to have some specialized skills to really get into it." Marinette answered keeping her voice low as they watched a lone person slink past the gaping hole that was a doorway. They were fully hidden in the shadows here and even if someone miraculously did spot them no one could jump high enough to tag them straight up. They were safe for the moment, safe to relax and just be.
"I can see how. Especially when some people go darting through holes that are way too small." Adrien replied feeling a touch miffed about that trick still, though his tone elicited a snicker from Marinette.
"Hey you did a good job squeezing through after me. The last dude to try that got stuck." Marinette replied squeezing his hand.
"So does this mean I have your approval princess?" Adrien asked shifting so that they were closer his voice soft.
Marinette's eyes were bright as they met his not minding the closeness. "I suppose so. Not much we can do about your stubbornness although I can promise if you keep following me you will end up in all kinds of crazy places."
Adrien chuckled their faces inches apart. He wanted to kiss her, badly, and he wasn't sure if he was reading the situation wrong but he was pretty sure Marinette wouldn't mind him doing so.
"Marinette?" Adrien murmured gently squeezing her hand.
She blushed slightly, the dusting of color hardly visible to any but his eyes. "Y-yeah Adrien?"
He leaned impossibly closer eyes starting to come down when all the sudden "Marinette where are you?" a voice hissed in the dark.
Marinette yelped in surprise, jerking back out of instinct, and instantly lost her balance. She probably would have been ok if her hand hadn't been held by Adriens but since it was she tipped too far to the one side and the dust covered pipe made her slip. Knowing he couldn't stop her from falling without possibly hurting her arm or shoulder Adrien jerked her to him going off the side of the pipe with her. Managing not to crack his head on the next pipe over Adrien twisted them around midair so he would hit first. The fall looked ugly to anyone witnessing it but Adrien managed to get his legs under him, taking the impact properly before rolling onto his butt and back, Marinette sprawled across his chest. The voice that had caused the fall cursed and the sound of running feet came at them as Marinette rolled off him.
"Are you ok?" Marinette demanded hauling herself around. Before Adrien could move she had one hand pressed to his head as she pressed another hand against his chest.
"Fine, fine just the air knocked out." Adrien gasped more breathless from Marinette's touch since the fall hadn't hurt in the slightest.
"Crap that was a nasty hit! Are you two ok?" The voice called again and this time Adrien recognized it, with Stormy arriving at their side a moment later.
"I'm fine I swear. Butt might have a bruise later this week but I'm ok. Marinette are you?" Adrien began only to stop as Marinette slapped his chest lightly.
"I'm fine you idiot. You broke my fall." Marinette snapped the worry in her voice obvious as he sat up. They hadn't fallen extremely far but Marinette had no idea how Adrien managed to land them the way they did. One moment she had been tipping sideways and in the next Adrien had been under her the shock of the impact simply being a slight jolt to her. Stormy peered between them looking concerned as well.
"It did look like an ugly fall…" Stormy murmured eyeing Adrien as he climbed to his feet. Gently Adrien stretched, doing an internal double check on himself if only to prove to Marinette that he was alright.
"See all movement, no pain. I'm fine Marinette." Adrien said then jumped as Stormy slapped a harder than considered normal hand to his back.
"What was that for?" Adrien asked feeling very confused and Stormy laughed as Marinette gave a sigh of relief. Stormy had slapped his back to check for injured muscles or ribs, since he hadn't shown any signs of pain in his surprise they in turn believed him.
"Thank you Adrien for braking my fall but next time just let me handle it. I'm very good at saving myself. This by the way is Stormy, a friend of mine." Marinette said once she had her breath back.
Figuring he shouldn't ignore Stormy, even though he wanted to question how in the world Marinette had expected to save herself on that fall he stuck his hand out. "Hello Stormy my name is Adrien. Wish we hadn't met by us practically falling on you."
Stormy gripped Adrien's hand firmly, her eyes alight. "No worries I've seen far worse although Marinette isn't usually the one taking the tumble. I'm a little surprised to see she has a friend with her."
Marinette gave a small growl jabbing an elbow into Stormy's side making her laugh. "I told you I was bringing someone when we were discussing… uh… cats."
"Speaking of cats, have you met her cat yet?" Stormy asked mischievously, dodging to the side to avoid another well placed elbow as Marinette snapped "Stormy!"
"Uh no…" Adrien said wondering what in the world Stormy was talking about.
"And he won't meet the stray either so don't even think about it Stormy." Marinette snapped wishing she had her jacket so she could throw something at her.
Stormy laughed again staying out of Marinette's reach. "I dunno Marinette your kitty seems pretty territorial and Adrien is kinda cute."
Suddenly Adrien had an inkling that Stormy was actually talking about him as Chat and with that idea in place, suddenly Marinette's annoyed glare made complete sense.
"I'm pretty good with cats Marinette. I'm sure it will be ok." Adrien said hiding a grin as he feinted ignorance.
Stormy laughed outright as Marinette put her head in her hands convinced that this couldn't get any worse. "I'm going to murder you Stormy and tell your Gram she raised a stupid daughter."
Skipping back a few steps in case Marinette tried to follow through with her threat Stormy chuckled "Awe come on Marinette I was only teasing. Have you done the obstacle course yet?"
"We got the fastest time." Adrien said proudly unable to resist bragging just a little.
Stormy raised an eyebrow at his words clearly wanting to ask something more but didn't get the chance as feet pounded towards them. "Runners! Meet at the lockers?"
Marinette nodded grabbing Adrien's wrist as she jerked him around. "Yep! Five minutes!"
Taking off Marinette practically dragged Adrien with her going through a series of darkened rooms and spaces Adrien hadn't yet explored. By the time they slipped into the bottom room to collect their water and her jacket they were both panting.
"I didn't even ask. Do you want to stop playing? You can still run around if you don't." Marinette voiced as they sneaked out of the building to avoid any IT people near them.
Adrien shook his head. "Honestly I'm starting to get tired. I came looking for you because I was thinking of grabbing something to eat from the leftovers."
Marinette grinned slipping on her jacket "That's a good idea actually. Then if you are up to it we can jog one of the smaller outdoor courses and see how we feel. Or if you're too tired still we can head back to my house."
Adrien shook his head. "I just need some food and water. I could do this all night; I just need to replenish some of my energy."
"Well I don't know about all night but we still have some time to kill so food and drinks it is!" Marinette answered heading back to the main hub with a grinning Adrien in tow.
