Woop here we go! Sooo I do want to mention that this chapter is kinda special to me. It is one of the ORIGINAL scenes I wrote out when I first started writing out DLB. Granted the story was a hella lot shorter back then and Marinette didn't know who Chat was in this scene originally. Of course things have been added to make it flow with the overarching story but the bones are still there. When you hit the action you will know. For now... I'm gonna duck and cover till I post again. There miiiight be a cliffish hanger to this one.
Guest... Uuuuummmmm... you will find out?
nethrarajkumar627... Female. I have been catching up on all my reading and sleep. One of my chickens randomly hatched an egg so a good bit of my time has been spent obsessing over the adorable black chicken nugget. I have named it Oreo and it has grown quite a bit! I am glad you have enjoyed my stories so much! You might not like me as much after this chapter though...
(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?
Stupid Ideas
Something buzzed, penetrating her dreamless sleep and Marinette groaned, even as she tried to figure out what was buzzing. It had to be her phone but Marinette didn't remember setting an alarm. In fact she didn't even remember plugging in her phone after she had finished eating…
Marinette jerked upright with a gasp, remembering where she was and what had happened all at once. Her phone had stopped buzzing and Marinette took a moment to look around, her subconscious telling her that things were not the same as when she had fallen asleep. It took her a moment to focus but she soon spotted the extra chair that had been moved, and as she shifted she noticed the heavier quilt that hadn't been on her when she had fallen asleep. Brushing her fingers over the quilt made a vague sense of comfort steal through her, and curious she pulled it up to her nose before taking a deep sniff. The faintest traces of leather and a cologne she knew well stuck to the blanket. It made Marinette smile, her heart feeling like it was too big for her chest. Adrien, or rather Chat, had been watching over her while she had slept and he was probably the reason the extra blanket had been placed over her. He knew that Marinette got cold at night while she slept and liked to cuddle close because he was so warm. It made her wonder if he had climbed onto the bed willingly or if she had grabbed him.
Suddenly her phone buzzed again, snapping her from her sappy thoughts, and Marinette rolled to the side of the bed digging through the duffel bag to find it. Pulling it out she saw - MAMA - in bright letters and hurried to answer.
"Hey Mama." Her voice came out muffled and groggy as she yawned.
"Oh dear, I did wake you." Sabine murmured.
"It's ok Mama, I needed to get up and eat something. I uh, wasn't feeling well earlier." Marinette lied as she cleared her throat, "What do you need?"
Sabine hummed, clearly on the fence about something but broke down when Marinette continued to be silent. "I'm sorry dear but your father forgot to post our bills before we left and if we leave it till we get back they will be late. I could ask one of our helpers to do it but there is cash in one of the envelopes for your uncle's upcoming birthday…"
"And you don't want to chance anything?" Marinette assumed.
"Yes." Sabine confirmed, "Anyways, could you run by and drop the mail off in the post box for me tonight? I know it's starting to get late but your father only remembered right now and if we leave it till tomorrow things might be late if the post office is slow. I also don't want to interfere with your work. I know how important it is to you."
Flipping the covers off her Marinette put her feet on the floor, shivering a little as the room's cooler temp enticed goosebumps to spread across her skin. "Sure Mama, I can go by and do that. I'll steal some cookies and croissants while I am there. I think Adrien is addicted to Papa's bread."
Sabine laughed, "Your father will be so very proud to hear that. We will have to make you two something special when we get home. Thank you dear. I love you."
"Love you too Mama, say hi to Papa for me."
Clicking the end button a moment later Marinette glanced at the time. It was a little past 8:30, a smidge late but not horribly so. Chat would still be in the raid with Mime and Marinette stood slowly, checking her balance and making sure she really was stable enough to move around. A couple of slow stretches later and Marinette grinned. To her surprise she actually felt pretty good. She wasn't dizzy or exhausted, although Marinette knew if she climbed back into the bed she would be able to go right back to sleep. It seemed as if all her insomnia was coming around to bite her in the ass all at once. Even still Marinette felt that a little exercise would do her some good, since she knew if she hurried she could be to her parents bakery and back before anyone noticed her gone.
After checking her location Marinette realized that she was only a few short blocks from her parents place and she decided to walk it. Borrowing a car would make far too much noise and besides, she could always take a taxi back if her body decided to crash later. Slipping out the room on bare feet, shoes in hand Marinette crept past Gram who appeared to be asleep in a rather large recliner. Waiting until she was outside, Marinette pulled on her shoes and glanced at her phone then back at the safehouse. No one had told her she needed to stay the night and rest but Marinette knew exactly what Fu would say if he saw her creeping out of the safe house. He might even try to knock her back out with drugged tea like last time. Chafing at the idea of constantly being watched Marinette almost ignored her impulse to tell Adrien where she was going. It really wasn't anyone's business but her own afterall. Grimacing since she could imagine Adriens panic if he returned and found her gone, Marinette sighed, pulling out her phone. Someone really should know where she was and Marinette trusted Adrien not to narc on her in case he was checking his messages while on the raid. With a bit of a smile Marinette started walking as she pulled up her text screen to send a message to Adrien.
-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
The message was intentionally misleading in case the raid went sideways and they had to fall back on alibis but Marinette knew that he would understand. Granted, Adrien would probably yell at her later once he got the message but Marinette knew he would forgive her if she brought him some treats from her parents bakery. Grinning, Marinette made her way down the streets, arriving at her parents home rather quickly. She still had a key, her parents insisted on it, and it took her less than five minutes to find the mail her mom needed posted. It actually took Marinette longer to pick out the treats she was bringing home to Adrien and to write a quick note for the workers so they didn't think a random passerby came in to steal food.
The post office box was on the way back to the safehouse and Marinette dutifully dropped the bills off before continuing on her way.
Incompetence in human form struck when she was less than three steps from the box, as an unwelcome voice called "Marinette?" making her jerk in surprise as she looked up.
Roger had just come out of a small convenience store, and he looked as surprised to see her as she was to see him.
"What are you doing here?" They asked at the same time.
Roger flushed, lifting the bag in his hand. "I stopped to get snacks. One of my people called in saying they had information for me and so I decided to check it out. Adrien is supposed to be on rounds with me but he blew me off like you did earlier today. What are you doing out here?
Marinette winced, "I uh… Family emergency stuff remember? I had to take care of it and I just finished up. They have a bakery nearby… It took a lot longer than I thought. Sorry about blowing you off? I really had to get moving."
Roger snorted, "Whatever, you did the same crap when you were my partner anyways. I told Adrien he didn't have a choice but to come with me tomorrow even though I really wanted to get everything done tonight… Actually, how about you come? I'll only need you for about an hour."
"ME?" Marinette demanded in disbelief, wondering what sort of insanity had come over Roger.
If anything Roger flushed a deeper red. "Yes, you. Look… I know I'm an ass at times, but Adrien has left me in a lurch. You know Gabriel doesn't approve of us running around solo and I need to get this done tonight. You were my partner before, pretend you are again for just an hour. I need someone to watch my back. Please Marinette?"
Marinette was shocked into silence and she remained mute for a good minute because Roger had never said please to her before. Technically she was still on desk duty so if Gabriel caught wind of this she could get into some minor trouble... again, BUT Marinette knew that Gabriel also wouldn't approve of her rejecting Rogers' request for backup. The worst he could do would be reprimand her since it was Roger who invited her to tag along even though he knew she was on desk duty. Although if something did happen Roger could say that she had forced him into taking her along and get her into trouble that way. Wairily Marinette glanced up at him taking in his disheveled appearance and the nervous tick that was making him shift every couple of seconds.
When Roger was her partner he'd had a bad habit of getting injured any time he'd gotten out of her sight while they were on the street. It was a large part of the reason she had left him out of anything dangerous she'd had to do. He was an idiot, an impatient one as he demanded "Well?!"
Rolling her eyes, Marinette decided to chance it. Her badge was in her pocket, she was wearing her jacket, and it wasn't like she had anything better to do at the moment. Besides, if she returned to the safe house now she would just be bored as she waited for Chat to return. There really was no reason to refuse his request and there was a high chance that Roger would pull something idiotic if he went alone. Mind made up since she didn't want to take the chance of Roger getting himself killed, Marinette finally managed, "Who are you going to meet?"
A smug look snuck onto Rogers' face masking his initial surprise, "A Hawkmoth informant. They said they have some proof to back your smokescreen theory. Interested now?"
As much as she hated to admit it Marinette was. She hadn't known that Roger had an informant within the Hawkmoth gang, and while he might be blowing things out of proportion, Marinette knew he really shouldn't be meeting up with someone alone. Especially not a Hawkmoth member.
"I'm more worried about you walking into an ambush honestly." Marinette muttered under her breath, following as Roger made his way to a police car that Marinette realized was parked illegally. Not mentioning the illegal parking she waited till Roger unlocked the car before sliding into the passenger side.
"Hang on a sec." Roger muttered as his phone started to ring before he even got around to his side of the car. Closing her door as he answered the phone, Marinette watched as Roger took a step away from the car, one hand raking through his greasy hair.
Shaking her head Marinette pulled out her own phone and grimaced as she realized that she only had a sliver of life left. Knowing Adrien would absolutely flip if he returned to the safe house and still found her missing, Marinette tapped out a swift message.
-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.
Hopefully Roger had a phone cord in the car she could use.
Just as she slid her phone into her jacket pocket Roger returned to the car and hopped into the driver's seat.
"SO! Let's uh… let's get going yeah?" Roger asked lamely and Marinette simply raised an eyebrow in question.
An awkward silence descended in the car as they got moving and somehow Marinette held in her desire to question Roger, knowing that he wouldn't respond to her inquiries well. Even when they had been partners he had never been able to handle her curiosity, and most of the time he took her curiosity as an insult, even if it was over the simplest thing. Deciding she didn't mind the awkward silence, Marinette gazed out the window. The longer they were in the car the more she noticed the exhaustion creeping back up on her which really wasn't good if they were going to be trekking through dangerous streets. Idly she wondered if they were going to be closer to her home or the safehouse when they finished and whether she would be able to make it home under her own power. While she could just ask Roger to drop her off where he'd picked her up she didn't need him to become curious as to why she would want to return to that area when she had said she was done with her 'family emergency'. Asking him to take her home was probably a safer bet and she could plug her phone in once there.
"Marinette?" Roger called, snapping her from her reverie.
Turning Marinette faced him another yawn breaking up her words, "Sorry... zoned out for a second. What?"
Roger looked her over as he pulled down a darker street, "I was just saying that I'm glad you came along. This is our stop actually."
Their stop was beside an alleyway just off the main street and Marinette pulled out her phone only to realize that somewhere along the drive it had died completely.
"Damn… Do you have a phone cord?" She requested, flashing her phone at Roger.
"No I don't. Need me to send a message for you?" Roger asked, stopping the car and turning it off. He looked relieved to be wherever they were.
"If this takes a while maybe." Marinette admitted, "Adrien ummm… asked me to let him know when I got home."
"Phone died before you could tell him you were with me?" Roger inquired, his voice a little high.
"Yeah." Marinette lied automatically, even as she pushed open the door to the car. She didn't know why she lied, but it really wasn't all that important in the end she supposed.
"You two seem protective of each other even though you aren't partners." Roger commented offhandedly but Marinette heard the insinuation in his words.
Not rising to the bait Marinette straight up lied, "Adrien is still getting used to the precinct Roger and I agreed to help him fix a file that he mixed up. Although it's getting late so I'll have to do it tomorrow. I am basically doing your job by helping him through all the mires of paperwork and crap. Have you even gotten a second chair for around your desk so he can sit and ask you for help?"
"I… I'm working on it!" Roger blustered, "I've been busy!"
Marinette rolled her eyes, but she didn't press the issue since she really didn't want Roger asking those sorts of questions, nor did she want to inflame his curiosity. The man had a mouth like a leaky faucet and the last thing they needed at work was someone asking after the sort of relationship she and Adrien were in. Thankfully Roger didn't ask any more stupid questions, mearly walked in silence as he messaged someone. Yawning again Marinette followed, wishing she had remembered to charge her phone before coming out here. It was past 9pm now and she knew that Adrien would probably be looking for her at this point. She just hoped that he wouldn't drop down and interrupt their meeting with whoever Roger was taking her to see.
"How much further?" Marinette yawned.
She was starting to wonder if this had been a good idea. Roger seemed to be wandering at random and if Marinette were being honest with herself she was starting to really become exhausted. The tea, food, and sleep had helped a great deal, but walking two miles probably wasn't the wisest thing she could have done right after waking up. Roger didn't answer, turning into a dead end and stopping as he looked around. The alley wasn't huge, probably only 6 foot across and about 13 ft deep. There was no access to the roof here but the graffiti on the back wall looked interesting. Marinette moved past Roger to study the graffiti a little closer. It was a surprisingly intricate piece of work but to her disappointment there were no hidden codes or messages in the art. Other than the art, there wasn't anyone or anything else in the alley that was of interest, making Marinette wonder if Roger had gotten the right location. Most people, especially street informants, didn't like to meet in boxed-in areas like this. Roger swore, ripping his phone out to type something, ignoring Marinette completely. Annoyed, Marinette leaned against the far wall, happy to stop for a moment since she really was tired. A message pinged on Rogers' phone and he started sputtering as he read it, his face turning red in fury.
Guessing that things weren't going according to Rogers' plan, Marinette yawned again, wishing she had said no to this whole farce. By now she should have been in bed sleeping again or at least looking through stolen documents from the Hawkmoth gang. The last thing she expected to be doing was sitting around in an alleyway listening to her former partner curse up a storm.
Pushing off the wall Marinette was about to suggest heading back to the car when the stone in her waistband vibrated suddenly, making Marinette jolt to attention. It wasn't the vibration she was used to feeling for Chat, instead it was the one she usually identified with danger. Quickly Marinette scanned the alley then the rooftops, but she didn't see or hear anything other than Roger cussing at his phone as he jabbed at the screen.
Warily, Marinette moved back towards Roger who was still standing in the middle of the alleyways entrance. "They ditched you didn't they?"
"Yes." Roger sneered, "The idiots are scared! If it had been Adrien they would have been here to help but the second I said I had you the dumbasses took off!"
Marinette blinked at Roger, his words not making sense to her tired brain. "What? Why would you need help with Adrien?"
Rogers' head jerked up as he stared at her, his face paling before her very eyes. Something was wrong, very wrong and the feeling was confirmed as Marinette felt the stone pulse again.
"What have you done Roger?" Marinette demanded, her exhaustion shoved to the background as adrenaline flooded her system.
Roger licked his lips, "I-I uh…"
Marinette lunged, snatching the phone from Rogers hand and he yelped, falling back as Marinette glanced down at the screen.
-No way, seen her fight she ain't going down unless we have ten at least. Stick to plan, bring Adrien out tomorrow. - HMG
"What's the meaning of this?" Marinette demanded, looking up to find Roger pointing a gun right at her.
Backing up a step Marinette felt a tendril of fear snake down her spine. She hadn't noticed a gun on him while they were walking, and the gun he held was not a standard issue weapon. "Roger?!"
"It wasn't supposed to be you tonight. Those Hawkmoth cowards are too timid to try and take you without numbers though." Roger spat, advancing a step and getting annoyed as Marinette took one back to maintain their distance.
Ice filled Marinette's veins at the bile that was coming out of Rogers mouth. "You… You're part of Hawkmoth…"
"Surprise!" Roger chuckled darkly, liking the thunderstruck expression on Marinette's face. "Apparently you are too hard to catch off guard so they decided to use Adrien as bait. Adrien was supposed to come out, get kidnapped by the Hawkmoth gang, and you my dear were supposed to go save him only to be killed in action."
Expecting her to be furious or terrified Roger was shocked when she busted out laughing instead.
"You… You were going to kidnap Adrien? Hold him hostage?" Marinette gasped, suddenly a little glad that she was standing here and not Adrien. "Oh my god… He would have killed you all… What a friggen mess that would have made."
Roger blinked stupidly at her and Marinette didn't bother to explain as she tried to reign in her laughter. Adrien hated Roger and she knew that no one could have snuck up on him in these surroundings. The second he realized it was a trap he probably would have turned into Chat Noir and killed everyone who had dared think they could take him on. Considering Hawkmoths penchant for overkill there would have been quite a few bodies to clean up. Not to mention the fact that Roger was a detective, so his death would have led to trouble. There was no doubt in Marinette's mind that things would have gotten out of hand very quickly and there wouldn't be any proof that Roger had been the one at fault. The whole disaster would have been very counterproductive for the Chat Noir file she was pulling together.
"He wouldn't have had the chance!" Roger shrieked, pissed that Marinette wasn't cowering in fear. "Now give me my damn phone back and maybe I'll make your death quick. Claw marks are a pain in the ass to create when someone is wiggling around."
"Claw marks?" Marinette demanded, feeling confused even as she took another step back. She should have run for it when she snatched Roger's phone. Having seen his marksmanship before, Marinette knew that he wouldn't have been able to hit her with his gun if she'd taken evasive actions. Blaming her stupidity on her ever rising exhaustion, she waited to see if Roger was going to answer her question. He was always talkative, ready to share whatever stroke of genius he thought he'd had, so Marinette wasn't surprised when he advanced another step then stopped.
"You have the Chat Noir case and I know from Hawkmoths people that you have met up with him at least once. It's easy to pin a kill on him since a lot of his investigators die by his supposed hand. The claw marks are hard to get just right though."
Marinette knew that Chat hadn't killed all the people his file claimed he had, but actually hearing that fact from someone else really made Marinette wish she were recording this conversation. It would be excellent evidence in her file when she essentially told Gabriel that the Chat Noir stalking the city wasn't the same one who had killed so many officers and other people.
Standing strong, Marinette had a flash of brilliance and discreetly hit record on Rogers' phone. "So let me get this straight Roger… You were going to lure Adrien out tomorrow and have him kidnapped, all to give Hawkmoth a chance to kill me because I would have tried to rescue him. But because you ran into me tonight, you decided to move your timetable up and instead frame this Chat Noir for my death with fake claw marks all the while you walk off freely into the sunset?"
Roger snorted, "Basically, Hawkmoth will reward me bigtime for this, and since I'm in charge of the case too… The Hawkmoth gang is going to become the rulers of this city. I'll have an army practically at my fingertips and be rolling in wealth. Then Chloe will regret having broken up with me and everyone else will respect what I have to say. Especially Gabriel and Adrien... Although Adrien might get a bit broken by the time all this gets finished. I don't think Hawkmoth has decided what he wants to do with him yet. Don't worry too much… I'll pretend to cry at your funeral."
"It will never happen." Marinette calmly reprimanded. "Adrien will stop you, tear you apart, and let's be quite honest Roger, you couldn't find your way out of a wet paper bag with a map and a sword. You will never be anything more than a pawn. The Hawkmoth gang is already rotting from the inside out, won't be long until the whole gang collapses and you… you will be in jail, or dead. Depends on who gets to you first I suppose."
"Shut up Marinette." Roger snarled gun rising. "Just tell your old partner I said hi."
It had been a little too much honesty Marinette realized as she tossed his phone to the side, distracting him as it cracked against the ground. The phone was now evidence against Roger and his traitorous antics, but Marinette had no plans on letting him retrieve it. There was no way she was going to let him walk, and like her third partner Marinette was more than happy to take him in herself. The weight of her manriki dropped into her hand as she slid to the left, and Rogers hand clenched on the gun as she moved. Needing to take him down fast, Marinette let her weighted weapon fly, smashing into the barrel of the gun as he tried to follow her movement. There was a loud bang and Marinette winced as pain radiated through her shoulder. The bullet had only clipped her thanks to her quick reaction time and she pressed her advantage since Roger stumbled back a step in shock.
He had never fought against her before, and Marinette had only used her weapon once in his presence while he had been fairly distracted by other things. In truth this was the first time he had ever seen her use her Manriki. Darting in as he fired twice more, Marinette used her now unnatural speed and his nervousness against him, causing him to miss completely both times. Sweeping the chain out again as she closed the distance Marinette caught his legs and leaped to the right as he tried to shoot her again. In the next instant Rogers legs flew out from under him causing him to land on his butt and stunning him as he tried to figure out what in the hell had happened. Unfortunately he didn't have long to think as Marinette's fist smashed into his face a moment later, sending his head cracking against the ground. Blinded by pain from his now bleeding nose Roger reacted instinctively as he cried out, the gun going off once more. This time in close quarters there was no room to dodge and Marinette grunted as the bullet ripped into her. It was a lucky shot, one that Roger hadn't even meant to make, but it was a devastating shot nonetheless.
Stumbling back Marinette could already feel the warm damp heat of her blood seeping through her shirt and knew she was in deep trouble. Belatedly Marinette realized that she shouldn't have closed in unless she was making a break for it. With the stones' influence her strength was feasibly high enough she probably could have whipped him into the wall using her chain and grabbed his gun. That would have made arresting him fairly easy at best, at worst she could have run for it since she could have easily outdistanced him. Instead she had let her anger overtake her and now the shock of getting shot prevented her from getting any sort of head start.
Automatically one hand had pressed to the wound, trying to stem the flow as she backed off, mind spinning from the sudden pain. Touching it hurt and hissing in pain she barely registered Roger scrambling to his feet even as she wavered on hers. The wound was bad, the miraculous magic within her already telling her that fact. Taking in a sharp breath she tried to focus her magic inward, tried to re-stoke her internal fire and push it towards healing herself, but pain shattered her concentration making her bite back a whimper. The scrape of shoes on stone made Marinette glance up, feeling sick and a touch woozy from over using her abilities. She had fallen too deep into herself and noticed Rogers erratic movements far too late. Before she could try and dodge the butt of his gun slammed into the side of her skull making her cry out and fall to her knees.
Managing not to collapse all the way, Marinette clung to consciousness with a tenacity that seemed to piss Roger off even further. This proved true as she practically hissed at him, her free arm flashing out causing the weighted end to crack into his side. It clipped the gun in his hand along the way making Roger yelp and the gun went off a final time, the bullet missing her entirely to ricochet away. The sound of the gunshot seemed to scare Roger more than her attack had, making him drop the weapon as he stumbled back in surprise. That was the only good thing to come out of her desperate throw though. There wasn't enough force behind the throw to do any damage and the blow to the head had messed up her aim. She had meant to hit him in the face.
Infuriated and embarrassed, Roger left the gun where it had fallen, closing the distance between them. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for Marinette and before she could attempt a block his foot smashed into her wounded side, sending her rolling. Gritting her teeth so she wouldn't cry out Marinette curled into herself as he delivered another couple of kicks cursing her as he did so. Marinette remained silent and still, one of her hands still pressed to the bleeding wound in her side. The bullet had gone straight through her and she was losing blood from both ends. Unfortunately, she could only attempt to plug one side, not that her hand was doing the best job anyways.
Panting heavily, Roger backed off. Beating someone to death was not something he enjoyed and in his opinion it was far too messy. Blood tended to go everywhere and he was already going to have to change and burn the clothes he was in to avoid being tied to this attack. Marinette had gotten him good in the face but he didn't feel like kicking her to death so he would need the gun to finish her off. Realizing he had left the gun where it had fallen from his hand, Roger cursed in fury only to wince from the pain of his broken nose.
Marinette watched Roger through slitted eyes trying to modulate her breathing and not whimper as he turned to stumble back to where the gun lay. Roger clearly thought she was unconscious, but it wasn't a bad thing since it gave Marinette a few precious moments to try and collect what was left of her stamina. Grunting softly Marinette desperately tried to push her magic into healing herself again knowing she wouldn't make it very far bleeding like she was. Unfortunately she was utterly drained, Marinette had used too much of her ability earlier that day healing the others. Her reserves of strength were completely depleted. Desperate she reached for the energy inside the stone opening a door within herself she hadn't even known existed. The stone responded to her touch, to her pain, but the bond between them was too new and even it couldn't do much more than ease the bleeding that would eventually kill her, if Roger didn't finish her off first.
It did nothing for the pain but she had survived far worse, and Marinette decided she sure as hell wasn't dying here by Rogers hand. Knowing there wasn't another choice, Marinette tried to regain her feet hoping that if she could just get up she could do something more. Biting her lip hard enough to make it bleed she managed to focus, sliding her good arm under her so she could lever up her torso onto her elbow. Managing to get onto her elbow she pushed herself somewhat upright, only to grimace as she saw Roger stalking back towards her gun in hand. He had been about to retrieve his phone but having realized she was still conscious Roger decided to finish her off first. Marinette was down but she wasn't out and she glared up at him with such uncontained fury that it made him pause for a brief second the gun in his hand shaking.
"You know… If you had just stuck with me none of this would have happened. Hawkmoth was pretty pissed that he had to kill you a second time. You were supposed to die as a warning to Tiki but she bit the bullet instead. It should have made you back off but you just refuse to follow the rules… I'm sure Adrien will follow the rules far better since I know he won't want to end up like you and leave his poor overbearing father alone." Roger snarled, his voice almost sad.
Marinette wanted to make a pithy comeback or at least tell Roger he was full of garbage but she couldn't seem to catch her breath properly. Everything hurt making her concentration waver but then the gun rose again and Marinette knew she was screwed. Being shot, then trying to heal herself had drained every last scrap of energy she'd had left and the blows Roger had delivered had weakened her past the point of no return. At this point she didn't have the energy to do much more than keep her eyes open and keep one hand pressed to her bleeding side, Marinette definitely couldn't dodge a bullet. Just as she thought it was truly over the stone in her now blood covered waistband gave a gentle vibrating purr. It was a comforting sensation, one Marinette knew well and it made a small smile flicker to life on her lips.
"What are you smiling about?" Roger demanded the gun lowering slightly, creating a reprieve in their odd standoff. He should have just shot her and been done with it but this particular smile was a vindictive one and he couldn't help but wonder what a dead woman would be smiling about.
"I don't have the will or the energy to stop him." She whispered and a moment later the air was split by a roar.
Her words hadn't even processed in Rogers mind, much less the roar when Chat slammed down on top of him. Before he even hit the ground, claws raked Rogers' face before shattering the wrist that held the gun. Roger screamed in pain and terror as something else snapped on impact with the hard cobbles, but before he could even refill his lungs to cry out a second time Chat threw him like a rag doll down the alley. He bounced against the cobbles twice, slamming his head both times, before tumbling end over end, and finally coming to a sliding stop on his face. Roger didn't move from his new face down position but it didn't matter, Chat was going after him, going to kill him, until the softest of words paused his fury.
"Chat." Marinette breathed.
With her name on his lips Chat spun around taking in her slumped form and he swallowed hard. He could smell blood, her blood, and knowing he could either save her life or take the fools Chat realized it wasn't a choice at all. Scooping Marinette off the ground to press her to him Chat used his baton to sling them to the rooftop.
"Wh-what took you so long?" Marinette asked jokingly, wincing as he landed hard, causing a spike of pain to radiate through her. The only good thing was the pain had jolted her mostly back to consciousness. For a moment there Marinette had been on the verge of passing out.
"I had to set a building on fire to keep the paper raid from being discovered and then I had to track you down with no directions! What the hell were you thinking going off with Roger on your own?!" Chat snarled his fear getting the better of him. If he had been just the slightest bit slower...
"Said he… needed backup for an hour. Wasn't expecting… him to be Hawkmoths... too stupid. He was going to try and… and kidnap you tomorrow... if I hadn't come with him tonight… that would have been worse, way worse. I got him recorded… admitting it on his phone… it's in the alley... need to-to get it… evidence..." Marinette panted her eyes flickering shut for a second as Chat bristled. As soon as she was safe he was going back to kill that man. He didn't care about evidence or the fall out for killing a detective. Chat, if he was ever caught would proudly say he was defending Marinette's life.
"My Lady, keep talking to me…" Chat said running as fast as he could in the direction of the nearest hospital. "Why aren't you healing yourself?"
It took a moment but finally just as he was getting nervous she spoke again "Roger was… going to blame… you, Chat, for my death. C-can't heal... Not enough energy… hurts… I-I hate being shot." Marinette managed, curling further against Chat. He was so warm and she could hear his heartbeat under her ear, giving her something to try to focus on.
"Yes it is a rather unpleasant thing to have done to you isn't it? No worries though, I'm taking you to the hospital. I don't think Fu can handle this level of injury with the other two already in their care." Chat chuckled with mock humor even as he clutched her tighter. He could feel her blood seeping into his suit, and he knew that she wasn't going to last much longer.
"You… can't bring me… to the hospital. Too many… questions… the mask. Might try to-to catch you." Marinette panted and as Chat cleared a street in a single bound he flicked his gaze to hers.
"They can try My Lady, but I'm a-furred they won't be able to keep up with me." Chat answered as his feet pounded the rooftops.
He didn't understand her fear and Marinette didn't have the energy to try and argue with him. Her consciousness was fading and the stone in her waistband gave a sudden pulse, reminding her of its presence and the potential danger of it staying with her. "Chat, Miraculous… small zipper… pocket in waistband... t-take it... and warn them… Whispers… warn them about Roger… Adrien you can… keep them together…trust you."
Her voice was weak which was unfortunate since she had felt a little better the second he had lifted her into his arms. When the stone pulsed again Marinette snuck a quick glimpse within herself and realized why it was pulsing. Chat, whether he knew it or not was feeding her stone energy, and the stone in turn was feeding her abilities. For a brief moment she wondered if Chat even knew what was happening or if the draw would hurt him. Unfortunately it wasn't like she could turn the draw off, she didn't know how and even she could, instinct told her that it was too little too late. She couldn't borrow enough energy from Chat to pull herself out of the danger zone even if she was bleeding less now. On a really good day even if she could heal herself back to perfect health the drain would put her out of commission for at least a half a day if not more. There wasn't a snowballs chance of healing herself out of danger now and while the Whisperers would have an excellent chance of saving her life they could do nothing for her in a legal manner. Roger was still running free, though he might not live very long with Chat on his tail, and truthfully Marinette wasn't even sure if she wanted him to live. He had betrayed her, betrayed Adrien, and even if he'd failed Roger had tried to kill her on direct orders from Hawkmoth. Marinette was going to need some protection which meant the hospital was her only option. She just didn't want the stone to be accidentally lost in the shuffle.
"I don't want to take the stone from you Marinette." Chat murmured as a kind of warmth pulsed through him at her words. She was worried about her coworkers, her Whisperers, the stone, him, pretty much everyone but herself even as she was bleeding out in his arms. Even though this was a terrible situation he couldn't help but feel hopeful for their future.
"Please… will lose… it… love..." Marinette managed and Chat could barely hear her. Still on the move he managed to slip the stone from her pocket and slide it into his own feeling a buzzing, pulsing warmth coming from the stone as he did so.
"That can't be good." Plagg muttered in the back of his mind but Chat couldn't spare a moment to ask what he meant. They were almost there, he could see the hospital's lights just ahead and it was then he realized she wasn't speaking anymore.
"My Lady? Marinette!" he snapped, shaking her slightly but she was limp in his arms with her eyes closed. He could still hear her heart beat though, could still detect the slightest movement of her chest as she breathed in shallow gasps. Snarling he pushed himself to go faster and moments later he pounded up to an ambulance that was in the process of being loaded, probably to fetch a patient.
"I need help!" Chat roared far too loud, startling the two men loading the ambulance.
Ears plastered to his head and a prayer his luck for once wouldn't be absolute crap he was on them in seconds lifting Marinette onto the stretcher. The taller man took one look at her and started speaking rapidly into a walkie talkie while the other cursed. Chat wanted to curse as well, her whole side was covered in blood as well as the band of her pants where the miraculous had been.
"Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she was shot and has lost a lot of blood." Chat snapped somehow keeping his ears flat and tail still as a third man ran over to them. Swiftly Chat moved back allowing them to crowd her still form. Then as they began to push her towards the emergency entrance Chat melted into the shadows and vanished.
Enjoying the story? Review if you have the time!
