Welcome back! School has started, stressors have ramped up yet again, and oh look! Is that a new chapter I spot?! Any hoo... this month has been a tad rough hence the single chapter... Sorry about that BTW... Good news is that next month I will be posting two chapters. Depending on how bad school goes my schedule may change but I hope to keep it twice a month on the second and fourth Saturday. We shall see.

Quick recap of the last few chapters since I know its been a hot minute... After a rather nasty Akuma attack Chat was revealed as Adrien. After healing him then freaking out Marinette accepted him as a partner, Both sides of him. Adrien and Marinette have been steadily getting closer and Marinettes powers have grown. The Zone was attacked by the Hawkmoth Gang and Mime was badly injured by his own gang. Marinette healed him and Mime doesn't realize that he was healed by Marinette. He believes she simply helped powered the healing and Chats illusive unnamed partner is the one that truly healed him. Mime decided that the Hawkmoth gang no longer holds any interest in its members safety and tells Marinette and Chat about a place where they can steal files from the Hawkmoth gang. These files can help the police force tear the gang apart and they decide to make an off the books raid to liberate these files. Chat refuses to allow Marinette to go on the raid which causes some tension but Marinette eventually accepts Chats decision. The day of the raid some whisperers were attacked and badly wounded prompting Fu to call Marinette asking for her healing powers. Marinette goes to heal those wounded and passes out due to using too much of her abilities. Ready to read what is next?

Action packed chapters Ahead so hold on and try not to curse my existence.

(Slow Burn Detective AU!) Marinette is used to working alone on the streets of Paris as she strives to take down the Hawkmoth gang. When the thief Chat Noir comes crashing into her life things are bound to get magical, especially when co-detective Adrien returns to Paris and seems to want to be her new partner. Will their fated partnership end in a capture or a kiss?


Paper Trail

Adrien was in a bad mood. Some part of him knew that he really shouldn't be so pissed off, but his frustration at being stuck at work while Marinette was passed out in some safe house chafed at him. As time had passed, Adrien texted Marinette asking if she were ok, but when he didn't get an answer he had called Fu. The conversation had been fairly short with Fu reassuring Adrien that Marinette was fine, she hadn't overreached herself and hopefully by the time Adrien finished his raid with Mime she would be awake. It had been a little past 1pm when she had fallen asleep, as far Fu could tell, so by the time he and Mime stole what they needed then returned it would be at least 9pm. That would have given her close to 8 hours of sleep and Adrien hoped it would be enough to at least get her up and home.

"It's 5 kit." Plagg called, floating down from his box to land right in the middle of the file Adrien had been attempting to focus on.

"Oh thank goodness!" Adrien hissed, tossing his pen to the desk as he jumped to his feet.

He had been trying to work, and Plagg had been trying to keep him distracted, but the need to go to Marinette's side had been a pulse in his blood that was impossible to ignore. He didn't even know why because she was safe, sleeping off the energy drain under the careful watch of Fu and Gram apparently. Exiting the office, he locked up and made his way to the door, only to be waylaid by the very last person he wanted to see.

"Hey partner!" Roger called, sliding into step beside him, "So I have this lead and tonight is the per-"

"No." Adrien snarled, cutting Roger off before he could make up some reason to rope Adrien into working with him later. "I am done for the day."

Roger flinched like he'd been burned, "Dude, chill we could always just hang out…"

Stopping so suddenly that Roger actually ran into him Adrien shoved him away before quietly hissing, "I already have a previous engagement scheduled for this evening and even if I didn't, I definitely wouldn't choose to spend it with you in some crummy bar. We already went over this, just this morning actually."

"Let me guess you'd rather spend it with Marinette?" Roger snapped, stung by Adriens words. "Did she ever come back to work? She mentioned something about a family emergency then skipped out… Maybe I should go ask Gabriel."

Adrien heard the not so subtle threat in Rogers' tone and it made him want to grab Roger by the throat then slam him into the ground. Restraining himself just barely Adrien forced himself to snort. "Excellent idea Roger. I am sure he will be thoroughly interested in how much effort you have been putting into the Hawkmoth case, as well as the other work you have done this week. Marinette on the other hand is done with what she has been assigned. Not to mention the fact that she has been working a double load, helping me with things that you should be doing while completing her own work."

Roger sneered at Adrien, "Well then guess we are at an impasse. Tomorrow I have night duty and as your partner I am demanding you attend the rounds with me. I don't care if you already have plans, it's time you learned that your partner is more important than a combative, desk-bound chick. You need real job experience not stupid paper pushing skills."

Roger shoved past Adrien heading for the door, while Adrien forced himself to take three deep breaths through gritted teeth. It took quite a bit of effort to keep his calm facade in place, especially since Adrien was all for putting his fist through Rogers ugly mug.

"He is just trying to get a rise out of you kit. Don't let his barbs get under your skin. Besides they weren't even very good barbs..." Plagg grouched from his pocket and feeling the low snarl building in Adrien's chest he sunk his claws into Adrien just a little to keep his kits attention on him. "Get out of here before you do something you will regret."

Snarling under his breath, Adrien pulled out his phone and placed it to his ear before answering Plagg. The last thing Adrien needed was someone wondering why he was talking to himself as he exited the precinct. "They will never find the body… besides, he's an idiot. We've already established that. How do you feel about sabotaging his car tomorrow night?"

Plagg chortled in glee, "Really kit!? That would make my week. Marinette's too probably. We're going to check on her right?"

"Yeah." Adrien replied, "Is there… any way we can share energy with her Plagg? I mean I am getting way better at directing my powers and you said our energies mixed well…"

"Kit, Marinette is fine. She doesn't need an energy boost." Plagg sighed, understanding Adriens worry. "Like before she just needs some sleep and she will be back and better than ever. You might want to go a little easy on her if you two spar in the morning though."

"That's probably a good idea." Adrien admitted, walking swiftly towards home. Fu had sent him the address where Marinette was and he was itching for a run. "Will you be ok staying in costume or would you rather wait till we have to go meet Mime?"

"I'll be fine but I want Camembert when we get done for the night." Plagg muttered, knowing Adrien would feel far more secure suited up.

If Plagg were being honest, he knew that he would feel better having Adrien suited up as well. It wasn't that Plagg didn't trust Fu, far from it really. It was just that as a being of destruction he could sometimes sense when disaster was about to fall, and he sensed that something unsettling was on the horizon. Since he didn't want to alarm Adrien though he kept his mouth shut. He just hoped that the unfortunate attack on the five Whisperers earlier that morning had been the problem he was sensing. They arrived home and Adrien tossed Plagg some cheese before he suited up. Grabbing an extra large black duffle bag that could be worn like a backpack, Chat deemed himself ready and slowly made his way to the safe house where Marinette slept. It was still daylight out so he had to be careful, and stick more to the shadows instead of making long leaps with his staff. The process slowed him down quite a bit frustrating him, but Chat didn't want people looking up and wondering who he was. Finally Chat arrived, and he slipped into the building without anyone being alerted to his presence. Marinette was sleeping deeply when he slunk into her room, and the worry that had his heart all twisted up melted away at seeing her at peace.

"See kit, she is totally fine." Plagg soothed, having been able to feel his kit's anxiousness since Marinette had left.

"Yeah, thanks buddy." Chat sighed, grabbing a chair and settling it next to the bed.

He supposed he was being creepy, but Chat couldn't help but reach out and stroke his fingers through her hair. He shifted some of her hair so it wasn't falling in her face and stroked a hand down her cheek. What he wanted was to cuddle her against his chest, but he didn't think that it would be such a good idea. Instead he settled for taking hold of one of her hands that poked out from under the blankets, giving it a light squeeze.

"Kit you are gonna wake her up if you keep poking at her." Plagg sighed within his mind, "Then I'll be forced to unravel the transformation so I can watch her kick your ass."

Chat snorted but kept hold of her hand even as he settled back into the chair. It took about 15 minutes for Fu to come into the room and he frowned at Chat, having picked him out the moment he walked in.

"I thought you didn't want Chat Noir to be closely associated with Marinette?" Fu asked.

"Too late for that." Chat huffed, "At least on the streets, that is. Marinette has some plans she is working on anyways."

"I see…" Fu murmured. "I suppose you are staying until you need to meet with Mime?"

Chat nodded, "Yes, depending on how many documents we steal and if Marinette is awake when we finish, I might just leave everything with Mime and Marinette can decide what she wants to do later. How are the people she healed?"

"Stable." Fu reported, "They will both live although we might need Marinette to heal a little more. Her powers are remarkable and will only strengthen the more she uses them. One of the nurses told me that their bodies are continuing to heal at an accelerated pace, even though Marinette is no longer in contact with them. She needs a code name unless Marinette wants to be referred to as The Healer."

Chat snorted, "Yeah I doubt that. I will talk to her about it. See what we can come up with."

"Would you like some tea? Normal tea that is. We also have coffee." Fu asked

"Thank you, but I think I should stick to water if I drink anything." Chat replied "Caffeine tends to make me jittery in the suit."

Fu chuckled, "Yes I can see that. Ah… before I forget again. How were you and Mime planning on getting the files and such back to safety? Were you going to borrow a car? Remember Mime is not anywhere near as strong as Marinette is these days."

"We were going to borrow a car and leave it a block away from the raid location. Why, are you offering a ride?" Chat wondered.

Fu tapped his chin, "I could give you a ride to where Mime is since I have to check on our injured Whisperers. You could use the car to go to the raid and back, since I assume you are returning Mime to his residence before heading back here?"

Nodding, Chat looked back down at Marinette, "Plagg says she will be fine but I just worry. I would just take her home now, but at least she has some eyes on her here if her body crashes."

"You love her. It is understandable." Fu stated gently, making Chat flinch.

"Is it that obvious?"

"To me yes, but I have been around for a while and I know what to look for." Fu answered gently, "Does Marinette know?"

"Yeah… she… she loves me back. Both sides of me." Chat declared, even though he sounded like he was amazed by the idea. "Pretty sure she wanted to throttle me at first, but now I think we are ok. Actually I think she still wants to throttle me at times… part of my charm. The only thing that frustrates me is work. Can't have a relationship and work together so we just dance around each other all day."

Fu laughed, slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound while Chat raised an eyebrow in question. He didn't understand what was so darn funny about what he said.

"The cycle has continued Chat, passing from predecessor to successor. This world is strange, complex, and you two are going to change it for the better. For once I am glad I have lived this long." Fu chuckled, and even though the words were said in an amused tone, the weight of his words settled around Chat like a blanket.

Chat didn't fully understand what Fu meant, or really what he was talking about, but before he could ask for clarification Marinette grumbled and shifted on the bed. Chat yelped as her hand clenched tight around his and pulled him forward, nearly yanking him out of the chair and into the bed with her.

"I believe we should end this conversation and let Marinette rest. I will be back to help you… untangle yourself from her when we are ready to go." Fu snorted as Plagg straight up cackled in his mind.

"Uh… Alright then." Chat murmured from his awkward position even as Fu slipped back out the door.

"Clingy little thing isn't she." Plagg cackled gleefully even as Chat sighed.

Marinette had his whole arm trapped and he knew he wasn't getting it back without a fight. A fight that might wake her up and that was unacceptable. As he tried to think of a better way to handle this awkward situation, Marinette shivered slightly, and Chat realized she was cold.

"Ah, to hell with it." Chat hissed to no one in particular as he eased his weight onto the bed next to Marinette.

He was on top of the covers and she was below, but his body heat still permeated the blankets within moments, making Marinette snuggle closer to him. With a smile Chat draped his other arm around her shoulders and held her close as she slept.

"Wake me up if I fall asleep Plagg." Chat murmured.

"I will or Fu will when it's time to go. Get some sleep, it won't kill you." Plagg grumbled back, but in truth Adrien was better off sleeping rather than sitting and fretting over Marinette's unconscious form.

It didn't take long for Chat to pass out, and he only awoke when a hand tapped his boot a few hours later. Chat blinked at Fu uncomprehendingly until he realized where he was.

"She was cold." Chat grouched, unhappy at having to leave Marinette's side.

Fu said nothing, simply moved to a cabinet and pulled out a thick down comforter, draping it across Marinette once Chat managed to reclaim his arm. It was easier than anticipated since Marinette had relaxed into his warm embrace and was now deeply asleep. Thankfully her grip wasn't anywhere near as tight as it had been since Chat knew that attempting to pry Marinette's grip off would have surely awakened her. Knowing she would want to latch onto something once he left, Chat shifted a pillow under the covers next to her causing her to mutter and curl around it. Fu watched Chat press a gentle kiss to her forehead, before turning to face him as if daring him to say a word. Smiling, Fu moved to the door with Chat following like a shadow. Gram was the only other person in this particular safe house, and she seemed to be resting in a large leather recliner, a blanket draped around her. Chat glanced at her, wondering if he should ask Fu about her presence or even how much she knew before deciding against it. The two elders were focused on keeping the Whisperers together and helping Marinette. Their secrets were their own.

"Front or back?" Fu asked as they walked into a garage.

Chat chose the back so he could sprawl out rather than having to hunker down in the front seat, and the car ride was comfortably silent until they arrived. It was only then that Fu murmured "Good luck!" to Chat as he got out. Chat wanted to say he didn't need any luck, but at this point he didn't want to jinx himself.

Chat remained silent as Mime climbed into the driver's seat, and other than glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure he was still there, Mime didn't acknowledge his presence. It seemed that Mime was content to leave Chat with his thoughts as he put on his seat belt, adjusted the mirrors, and started driving towards the main streets. They were located on one of the smaller, one-way side roads so it took a minute or two of concentrated driving to get them back on the main roads without taking out a dumpster. Finally they made it out into normal traffic and out of the corner of his eye Mime saw Chat glance at him before looking away, but the damn cat refused to speak. The atmosphere in the car was oddly sullen, and Mime wondered if Chat had fought with Marinette before he came with Fu to pick him up. Wanting to ask but unsure of Chat's reaction if he did, Mime decided to come at it a different way, "So Marinette didn't bully you into letting her drive after all huh? I half expect to find her in the trunk when we get to our destination."

Chat didn't really want to talk but he realized that he was unintentionally being an ass. He really should have at least greeted Mime when he got in the car instead of delving deeper into his own thoughts. Mime's offhand comment was sort of funny though, so Chat snorted, a lie coming easily to his lips, "Nah she foisted Fu on me instead. I could probably run there faster than you could drive."

To Chat's surprise Mime let out a booming laugh, "Chat, if this were not a clandestine mission I would gladly risk a ticket and police chase to prove to you how wrong you are."

Chat perked up in interest, "Ohhh… getaway driver?"

"One of the best." Mime bragged. "I've been more than just a simple accountant over the years. Although… I've heard through the grapevine that Marinette is quite the getaway driver herself."

"I can see that." Chat admitted "She knows every street, side street, and alleyway in this city."

Mime shuddered, "There is a reason why some missions were planned for nights when we knew Marinette and Tiki were not on call you know."

It was Chat's turn to laugh, and the two of them swapped minor inconsequential stories about thievery and cop chases as Mime drove them to their destination. With the mood considerably lighter, Mime pulled the car into an alleyway full of shadows. Swiftly they collected the bags they needed, and Chat covered the car with the grungy looking disguise tarp that Fu had told him was in the trunk. Mime tossed a garbage bag onto the hood for added effect and the two of them made their way through the shadows to the building they needed.

"The cameras are off, correct?" Mime asked peering up at one of the cameras that they had just passed to get into the alley. He had a mask on, as well as a bulky vest for added protection but he didn't like the idea of being caught on camera at all. It would give away the game too early and the leader of Hawkmoth always had some sort of contingency plan in place.

"Yeah they are off. Cameras, especially these kinds make a high pitched sound when they are on. They will stay off for the next two hours but the security guard will be here in an hour." Chat answered looking up towards the top of the building. "Door or window?"

The office building was fairly short, only three stories tall and all they needed now was to get inside. While they could use the front door or a side door those options were also more risky. Those two doors were in the open and had nothing around them that they could hide behind. A window was optional, but the windows on the first story were too small to squeeze through and the second story windows didn't even open. Chat had checked because it had been his job to find a way in, since Mime knew where to go once they got inside.

"Doors are far easier to unlock than windows. I assumed you already had mapped out a way to get inside." Mime muttered, surprised by Chat's question.

Chat's grin did not make him feel better. In fact it made him feel like he was about to be pounced on.

"Oh I did." Chat purred, "But Marinette is teaching me how to play nice with others. Your opinion is important to me."

"You are an ass." Mime snapped knowing that Chat wouldn't take offence. "How are we getting in?"

"The roof." Chat laughed snatching Mime by the back of his heavy vest as he elongated his staff, sending them shooting for the rooftops.

Chat dropped Mime to the rooftop as they cleared the edge and Mime landed hard, falling to his knees as his legs gave out. Worried that he'd actually hurt Mime when all he wanted was to play a little joke, Chat circled him before pressing a hand to his shoulder, "You ok?"

Mime took a deep steadying breath. "You ever been to the fair when they have those tower rides that shoot you into the air then drop you back down?"

Chat blinked, "I know what you're talking about. Why?"

Mime glared up at Chat, pushing his hand off, "I hate those damned rides."

Somehow Chat managed to keep from laughing and he grabbed Mime's arm to help him back to his feet. "Well Mime, hopefully that is the only heart attack I'll be giving you this evening. Although if we need to make a quick exit I might just toss you over my shoulder as I make a run for it."

"Just leave me to die please." Mime begged even as he pulled a lock pick set from his pocket to work on the door.

Chat didn't bother hiding his amusement as Mime opened the door, but he quieted down the second the last lock clicked open. They moved inside with Mime in the lead, and even though the building was empty of all life, Chat felt distinctly on edge. All the cameras were off inside as promised by Max, and Mime had no trouble leading Chat to another locked door marked Supply Closet.

"Really?" Chat hissed, looking over the door only to realize that even though it was supposed to be a supply closet it had a heavy duty bolt as well as a normal door lock.

Mime just shrugged even as he started popping the locks, "I'm not the one who did it."

A minute later Mime swung the door open and moved into the room with a flashlight. Light swept over a sea of silver and Chat's ears pulled flat. He hadn't really known what to expect when Mime had mentioned files for the Hawkmoth gang being stored somewhere, but the room he entered made him want to pull at his hair. They were in an expanded interior closet essentially, so the room had no windows. The only light at the moment was coming from the truly tiny light Mime held in his hands, and Chat knew it wouldn't be enough for Mime to see by while they went through the files they wanted to steal. Hell the light was barely enough for him to see by, so Chat flicked the overhead lights on, making Mime jump sky high.

"Really Chat?!" Mime snarled

Chat shrugged looking around curiously, "It's not like anyone is here and I don't think you can read very well in the dark. Better than trying to see with a tiny flashlight."

The room looked very similar to the archives at the precinct with boxes stacked on shelves, filing cabinets in neat little rows, and in the far corner a computer sat in sleep mode. "Besides I don't think we have enough room in our bags for a quarter of these files." Chat managed, annoyance in his tone as he stepped into the room.

His feet sunk into the oddly plush carpet and with a snort he moved over to the closest filing cabinet. Seeing the lock on the thing Chat wondered if there was a master key in case the cabinets were locked. He could always break the locks apart with his strength but then it would be very obvious that someone had stolen something. Although when they left Chat had a plan to keep anyone from noticing missing files for quite a long time. Trying the cabinet, Chat was relieved when it opened easily. The whole thing was stuffed to overflowing with multicolored files but no clear labeling system. There was almost nothing written on tabs and certainly no incriminating 'Hawkmoth file here!' written anywhere. Before he could ask aloud as to how in the hell they were going to find any Hawkmoth files in the mess, Mime spoke up, having noticed his expression.

"They aren't all Hawkmoth files. Look for any purple colored files and when you find them check the inside for a butterfly." Mime said walking towards the computer. "I'll set the computer for automatic download then I'll help you. We won't be able to carry everything so I'm going to have to quickly glance through what you start to pull and only take what will be useful to Marinette."

"Are you sure that the Hawkmoth files are only purple? There won't be random green or brown ones stuffed somewhere?" Chat demanded

"Purple only." Mime assured, "The last time someone decided to go against the color system Hawkmoth had their hands cut off and then to add insult to the act, Hawkmoth had his tongue cut out."

Chat looked at Mime in horror, "Why?!"

Mime shuddered, "We were told the guy was a snitch. They were flipping colors in the files trying to make it easier to sneak papers out under people's noses. They died soon after and oddly enough the few people who knew about this place started having accidents. I am probably only one of three people now who know this place even exists. Even with my face covered I'd rather not be caught on camera or by the security guard."

Chat nodded understanding completely. "You get the computer stuff done. I'll start working on the paper."

Moving to the computer Mime hooked up the driver Fu had given him. Fu had called it a gift from a technology genius and as Mime plugged it up he understood the genius part. It was ridiculously easy to use and the second he got the computer open the driver automatically started siphoning data at a rapid rate. Viruses and firewalls had no power against the drive and Mime realized that as the drive siphoned the data it was replacing it with corrupted files of the same name. Even if someone logged in and tried to open something all they would get would be some error messages and probably a virus for their trouble. Computer taken care of, Mime turned his attention to the files Chat had started pulling. Stunned by the neat stack that Chat had already found Mime whistled softly.

"You are stupidly fast." Mime grouched and got to work.

Chat chuckled, "That's what Marinette has told me."

Mime glanced up at him. "Why are you helping Marinette? What did she do to make you want to help her?"

"Personal questions? I didn't know you cared Mime." Chat snarked instead of answering. He knew Marinette trusted Mime to an extent, but trust was something Mime would have to earn from him. Even though Hawkmoth had betrayed him and he was now helping Marinette, Chat knew that human nature was a fickle thing.

"Curiosity is a powerful force. You've mentioned a partner, so unless they are male or willing to share your company I don't think Marinette entices you in a physical way. Although I might be wrong." Mime mused, a thread of awkward discomfort in his voice, "She trusts you and considering you have only been around a few months at most… It seems rather fast for someone like her."

Chat slammed the drawer he'd had open shut, looking over the finished cabinet to stare Mime down. "Are you going somewhere with this?"

Mime swallowed but pressed on, "Marinette has protected me for no reason even though I was her enemy, but that's just the way she is. She used to frequent Hawkmoths' territory taking blankets, food, and toys for children since a large portion of it is impoverished. She was attacked at times but she still helped, still came back. You though… You are dangerous, not quite human, and have been hunting Hawk Moth for quite some time if some of the stories I have heard are true. You could choose to remain a figure on the outskirts but you chose to come far closer than needed. I want to know why."

Chat wanted to snarl that it was none of his damned business and to butt the hell out, but Chat knew that while he could get away with it right now, Mime would press again. He might even start asking Marinette questions which would make her uncomfortable, and that was the last thing she needed. They were going to have to work with Mime further after this night, so Chat decided to be honest without revealing that he loved Marinette down to his very core.

"There are some people in this world that need to be protected. Marinette is a light in this city and I have decided to protect her. My partner feels the same way."

"So you do care for her." Mime whispered and the shock on his face was easy to see.

"So do you." Chat pointed out barely keeping a snarl from his tone, "I mean you offered your life for hers to keep her from being indebted to my partner who healed you. You can't say you offered that out of some sense of misplaced loyalty. Don't get me wrong though. If anyone makes a move against Marinette I will rip them apart down to teeny tiny shreds. I have claws for a reason and I am not afraid to use them."

Mime gulped, "I understand. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"You won't. At least not to the point where I'd have to kill you…" Chat shot him a sideways glance. "At least I hope not. If you do betray Marinette though… Find the deepest, darkest hole you can, crawl in and hope that when I find you I am in a forgiving mood."

"Well since we are going down this rabbit hole… Why forgiving?" Mime asked, morbidly curious. Even though Marinette was totally at ease with Chat, he had never once forgotten that Chat was a predator and not quite all human either.

Chat shrugged, "I'll kill you quickly, instead of taking you apart piece by piece."

Mime gulped and decided he'd had enough of this conversation, opting to go quiet instead of asking more questions like he'd planned. At the sudden silence Chat paused and observed Mime for a minute, wondering idly if maybe he'd been a little too truthful. Chat didn't really like having people afraid of him when he knew he would have to work with them. It made for awkward, jumpy company which always left a bad taste in his mouth. Plus he was actually starting to like Mime, but he really didn't feel like playing 20 questions with the man either. Deciding to just make it up to Mime later somehow, Chat forced himself to focus yet again. Unfortunately, the room was small with all the cabinets in it and they often had to work around each other which became a little awkward as time wore on. Chat could practically smell Mime's fear as they worked and Mime's pulse practically tripled each time Chat came within arms reach. The strained silence grated on him and it only ended after what seemed like a thousand files later, when an alarm softly beeped at Mime's waist.

Chat froze at the noise "What was that for?"

He had been having a difficult time concentrating the last few minutes, his spine slowly tensing as he tried to pin down what in the hell was wrong with him. If he had to put a word to the odd sensation slowly creeping up on him, he would say he was becoming anxious. Chat wondered if the room was just too small and was making him feel claustrophobic, but he couldn't tell. It really was too bad there were no windows in the room, since he felt like a breath of fresh air would go a long way.

Mime grimaced, "We have ten minutes to pack up and get moving. Are you done?"

Chat glanced at the final two cabinets shoving the anxious feeling aside, "You start packing. I'll make this quick."

The computer was already taken care of and shut down since the download had finished minutes earlier. Mime had already packed the drive away the moment it had finished before scrubbing his entrance to the computer from the memory banks. There was the chance that someone would come in and look at the computer log a little closer, but taking the computer would raise far more suspicion than altering the memory log. Now as Mime was trying to shove stacks of files into bags, he realized they'd made a mistake.

They hadn't put back the files they didn't need and at this point everything was so mixed that Mime knew they wouldn't be able to. He also hadn't thought about how to cover up the files they were stealing.

"What's the problem?" Chat demanded hearing Mime's swears from across the room.

Mime shook his head, "We didn't put files back as we went and there isn't enough time to do it now… plus what we are taking with us… they will know something is amiss. It will ruin the whole reason why we did this. Marinette won't get her head start..."

Chat snorted as he stuffed files into his bag leaving the papers he didn't take scattered on the floor. "Don't worry. They won't know anything is missing for a while."

Mime blinked as Chat finished what he was doing then tossed some more papers across the floor before moving towards one of the walls. Grabbing bags Mime watched Chat suspiciously.

"What are you doing? We need to leave!" Mime hissed as he dragged the heavy duffels to the door.

"My partner, they have healing abilities. Mine are a little more… destructive." Chat glanced back at him then looked down at his hands. "Make sure you don't tell anyone about this alright?"

"I have no desire to die anytime soon." Mime said dryly, "Not that anyone would probably believe me…"

"You are probably right." Chat chuckled, "Cataclysm."

His hand lit up with black fire and Mime yelped at the sight, stumbling backwards over the bags in the doorway to fall onto his butt. Chat ignored him, concentrating instead on what he wanted this particular cataclysm to do. He hadn't really ever given his cataclysms much purpose except to simply destroy whatever was in his way. From tissue to steel nothing held his cataclysm off, but there was no way for him to take out an entire room without killing himself in the process. Even if he could, it would be obvious that something supernatural had happened. After all a gaping hole where a room had once been was a little too odd to pass off as a random accident. Instead Plagg had given him an idea when he'd shorted out a lamp on Roger's desk a few days before. He was going to cause an electrical fire… At least he hoped he would instead of his hand just eating through the wall. If he was able to cause an electrical fire their tracks would be covered. All files in this room would be destroyed and since there would be no accelerant the fire department would probably declare it an accident. He had been practicing on random electronics and it worked about 30 percent of the time like he wanted. Chat just prayed that this was a lucky 30 percent cataclysm.

"You've got this Adrien remember your intent." Plagg whispered in his mind as he pressed the cataclysm covered hand against the wall.

The black fire seeped into the wall and for several long moments nothing happened. The wall didn't eat away under his hand which was a plus but the longer Chat stood there with nothing happening the more he wondered if he should try again.

"Um, Chat?" Mime started having come back into the room, then yelped as the electrical sockets literally blew off the walls. The lights above exploded into a shower of sparks and glass and Chat hauled ass as black fire sprang into life all across the carpet, seeming to come alive with a roar wherever sparks landed.

Mime cursed as Chat shoved him out of the room then scooped up the three bags Mime had already hauled most of the way out. Chat could already feel the heat of the fire building, and he slammed the door shut, knowing it wouldn't be long before the fire ate its way out of that room. It was probably going to turn this whole building into an inferno and Chat didn't want to be anywhere near here when that happened.

"Don't just stand there, run!" Chat snapped realizing Mime was just standing there slack jawed.

Shaking himself out of his shock, Mime reached for a bag, "I can carry…"

"I said run idiot." Chat snarled and started running, since he wasn't about to waste time arguing with Mime about how much carrying a duffle would slow them both down. Smoke was already starting to seep from under the door and Chat knew that the fire would burn hot enough to cover all their tracks. The fire had magic in its core and with his intentions to guide it, Chat couldn't see why it wouldn't.

They made it to the roof without incident or alarms blaring which was shocking since Chat knew the fire had to be smoking that whole floor up.

"Lock the door." Chat snapped making Mime glance at him in confusion.

"What? Shouldn't we just keep moving?! The alarms!" Mime hissed

Chat shook his head, a memory of what Max had said about the cameras floating out of his mind. "All systems are connected to the same circuit. I think the fire alarm system turns off when the cameras do, otherwise we should have been getting drenched as we ran up here."

"Lazy buggers, good thing for us though. You head to the car. I will handle this." Mime said in understanding as he pulled his lock pick set out and got to work.

Chat didn't like the idea of leaving Mime but he also knew that it wouldn't take him very long to lock the door. If they did run into trouble it would be better for Chat to unload himself rather than try to fight while bagged down. Besides… there was something bothering him, something that was still making him anxious, and he needed a second of silence to try to figure out what it was. Being outside hadn't helped like he'd hoped, instead he felt like he needed to run.

"Move fast." Chat said, and took off for the edge of the roof.

Making it to the car in two minutes flat, Chat tossed the bags into the trunk and paused for a long moment as he tried to figure out where his anxiety was stemming from.

"Something's wrong." Chat growled.

"I feel it too kit." Plagg admitted. "I don't know what it is though. Something is about to go down."

Carefully Chat went over the car, sniffing at the air to reassure himself that only he and Mime had been in the alley that evening in case of bombs or ambush. The chance of a bomb was incredibly slim since that would mean that Mime had betrayed them, and from the conversation he'd had with Mime tonight Chat knew that just wasn't an option. The car was clean and other than a dog nothing new had strolled through the alley while they had been inside the building.

Not knowing what else to do Chat pulled out his cell phone. Technically it was Adrien's cell phone, which is why he hadn't pulled it out in the file room with Mime present. The phone was black and average looking but Chat didn't really feel like having a cell phone would help his dark, mysterious image. Image aside, Chat was not happy as he realized that he had two missed messages. The phone had been on silent the whole night and the two messages that awaited him had his heart plummeting as he read them. The first one was innocent enough,

-Hey, awake and Mom needs me to go find something in the bakery. Don't worry if I am not at the house if you wake up. I may have snuck out. ;) – Marinette

It was the second one that made his gut twist, his anxiety spiking a hole through his chest making it hard to breathe.

-I know you are out still… Ran into Roger. Did he tell you he was supposed to be meeting someone tonight and needed backup? Feeling pretty good so I'm going to ride with him. Text me when you get this. – Marinette.

-Please tell me you are safe and home?! – Chat typed out while running towards the end of the alleyway.

There was no answer, no check mark, no symbol saying the message had been read. Instead, after an agonizing minute the 'Message not delivered' sign popped up. Chat cursed again, shoving his phone back into his pocket and just as he was about to leap to the rooftops Mime appeared out of the darkness jogging down the street.

"Chat?" Mime called warily stopping in his tracks. There was something off about Chat, something in the air that told Mime that Chat was more animal than before. He reminded Mime of a caged panther especially with the way his ears were pinned back and how his tail kept whipping from side to side.

Knowing that someone needed to be told, Chat stalked forwards, missing how Mime flinched away from him. "Here are the keys. Return to Fu and start going through files. Marinette might be missing. Tell Fu if he doesn't hear from me in the next 30 minutes to expect the worst."

"The worst?" Mime asked, not liking the sound of that. "What do you mean? Why do you think Marinette is missing?!"

Chat didn't answer, didn't have time to answer. The anxious feelings in his chest had solidified into dread and he could feel the sharp edges of panic starting to slice at his mind. Marinette had to be alright. Roger was his partner, had been her partner, yet the sick feeling in his chest told him something was about to go very wrong. Whatever was about to happen, he needed to be at Marinette's side, and trying to explain his feelings to Mime would take far too long. Not to mention the fact it would probably make Mime ask a whole plethora of questions he wouldn't answer. Instead it was easier to just escape and hope that Mime would do as he said. Using his staff Chat shot himself upwards, landing on the roof and in the blink of an eye he was gone.

Mime stood holding the keys in shock at Chat's odd demand and disappearance before logic finally caught up with him. Letting out a long swear Mime sprinted the rest of the way to the car, glad that Chat had taken all the bags to the car as he covered their tracks. If Marinette had been hurt, or if some idiot from Hawkmoth had decided to pull something like a kidnapping, Mime knew that Chat would literally tear the city apart to find her. If it were an Akuma on a rampage, Mime knew they would call Chat to stop it. After all, you needed a monster to stop a monster. If Chat ever went down that dark road Mime didn't know what the city underworld would do, except cower in fear. He supposed Marinette could be called in to combat Chat within reason. Mime had seen her fight before, had even caught glimpses of what he would call supernatural speed or strength as she moved around at the Zone. Rather, he would have called her speed supernatural before he had seen Chat's speed and realized that the two couldn't even be compared. If this worst case did happen Mime couldn't help but wonder, if Marinette was missing who would they call to stop Chat Noir?


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