Poor kitty is not getting a break... Will they finally catch Chat or will they have to put him down?
LB-CN... I don't have any plans for Fu to transform in this story as of yet. Although we may get more of his backstory sometime in the future...
(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?
Clean Up
The ambush was set and Stormy tried not to think of all the ways things could go terribly wrong when Chat finally showed up. Max had lost Chat between their failed first ambush and now, so he was keeping his drones high over their area in hopes that Chat wouldn't notice their presence. The drones were extra eyes in the sky, but even though they had night vision they couldn't find Chat. Part of Stormy hoped that Chat had passed out from getting hit by two darts and they were now sitting out here for nothing. Somehow though Stormy doubted it, instead she had the feeling that Chat was circling their position like a shark testing the water for blood, to see if the bait was really worth entering the trap for. The tracker was the only thing luring him in and Stormy had her doubts that it would work even though Gram had assured her it probably would.
Since they didn't know where Chat was, much less the direction he would approach them from, Stormy could only cross her fingers and hope that he came into the alley from the right direction. If he came from behind her, things would not work out the way she hoped they would and it would be up to Poppy to make the first strike. Shot had backup on her and Poppy's position but Stormy didn't want to draw Chat's attention to him again. That's why everyone had been ordered to only shoot if Stormy's attack fell through. If that happened all shooters were to open fire and simply hope for the best. As good a shot as her team was, Stormy knew that in this worst case scenario her team wouldn't be able to escape Chat without injury or death.
In the meantime Stormy had tried to think of ways to cover any traces of her team, and she'd had the foresight to set off a smoke bomb in the hopes of covering their scents. Breathing through special masks to keep from choking had not been a whole lot of fun while the smoke dissipated but now the smoke was more like a mist and it was getting lighter by the second.
"Where is he?" Poppy hissed softly, her form visible from Stormy's position.
"I told you I didn't know how long this was going to take." Stormy hissed back, slowly stretching one of her legs out before it started cramping.
Her electrified brass knuckles rested heavily on her fingers, a reminder of the dangerously important task she had to achieve. The only thing that kept her from totally panicking was the feel of power humming through them. It was a comforting buzz against her skin and for some reason it gave her the confidence she needed to try and calm Poppy. Although, she completely understood Poppy's nervousness since she wasn't prepared to fight if Chat came at them from behind Stormy. While Poppy was carrying a small gun with darts in it everyone knew that it probably wouldn't stop Chat in time to save them from injury or even death. Poppy's and Stormy's safety in all this was completely dependent on a good dose of luck as well as the rest of Stormy's team should things go downhill. They had been waiting for 15 minutes already since Stormy had activated the button and even she was starting to get impatient when Max alerted her to some movement on the rooftops.
"I swear Chat just crawled out of the shadows… Like there was nothing there then poof and oh hell he's already in the alley."
"Poppy do you see him?" Stormy barely breathed into her mic and Poppy shifted just enough to glance over her shoulder.
"He's here…" Poppy confirmed her voice trembling.
Like they planned Poppy faced forwards and slowly started to move, hopefully luring Chat into following her. Chat would have to cross in front of Stormy and that was when she was going to take him down. If he tried to climb the walls and get around in front of Poppy, Stormy's team would also open fire.
Stormy started to move as well, wanting to already be in motion by the time Chat entered her view. Staying low to the ground Stormy pressed the tops of her brass knuckles together priming them and 30 seconds later Chat stumbled into view. He literally stumbled, nearly tripping over his feet as he tried to follow Poppy and Stormy was relieved to see that the previous darts had had some effect on him. A sound close to a growl or a mumble came from his mouth making her second guess this take down. Had Chat returned to his right mind, or was this a trap of his own as he tried to lure them into a false sense of security? There was no time to think about it and Stormy didn't want to take the chance of someone getting hurt because she didn't take him down here and now.
Bolting from her position Stormy rushed Chat her knuckles sparking as she barreled at him. Chat heard her footsteps and started to turn but the darts had slowed his reaction time, leaving him in a weakened state. A brief look of surprise twisted Chat's face, his eyes looking the slightest bit more human but then Stormy slammed into him. Her fists struck his chest and side, her body following through with the blow to drive him into the alley wall. The brass knuckles emptied their electrical charge into him upon contact and the impact with the wall helped to stun Chat further. Chat made a sound between a snarl and shriek, his body spasming from the electrical current even as Stormy bounced out of the way of his flailing. Landing on her toes Stormy ripped off her one brass knuckles and whipped out the tranq gun she had. The electrical shock she had used on Chat had been strong enough to knock out a human being and even though Chat crumpled to the ground she wasn't sure if he was out yet. Approaching slowly Stormy kept the gun trained on him and winced as she saw his hand spasm into a fist.
"Chat? You in there?" Stormy called softly as he started to shake off the electrical shock.
A growl filled the air between then as he tried to roll to his feet but his body still wasn't working well due to the jolt she had given him. While he managed to get an arm under him, smoke like tendrils floated up from his body as a louder growl colored the air. The concrete started to dissolve under Chat's hand and Stormy knew there wasn't another option.
"Oh fine… Shut up and go to sleep you stupid cat." Stormy snarled right back and shot him twice in the neck with her gun. The twin impacts made him flop back to his belly and after a few half hearted attempts to rise Chat simply stopped moving the growl fading from the air like a bad smell. This time Stormy waited a minute until she approached knowing that even if he was still somehow conscious there was no way he could slash at her. Even still she nudged him with the toe of her boot when she did finally approach, half expecting him to growl again or for her boot to start turning to ash.
"Is he out?" Poppy asked cautiously, creeping over to her.
Dropping to her haunches Stormy rolled Chat over, pulling the two darts out of his neck as she did. Chat didn't even twitch and Stormy sighed in relief. "He is down… Thank god. I need to call Gram and see what she wants us to do."
Poppy nodded, sliding out of Marinette's jacket and handing it over to Stormy. "Let me know when he starts to come back around. He's gotten hit with enough of my sleep toxin that a normal human would be in a coma for a day… if they woke up at all. I'm curious to know how his body handles it."
"Sure Poppy. Thanks for the help." Stormy replied, taking the jacket.
Poppy may have been genuinely curious about Chat and the effects of her sleep toxin but it wasn't enough to keep her out here any longer. It was obvious to Stormy that Poppy was exhausted and she was probably looking forward to returning to her sister. Truthfully Stormy was a little jealous, since she knew that Poppy would probably be in bed in the next hour while she would still be cleaning up the mess that Chat had caused.
"Is Chat down?" Shot asked over her mic and Stormy realized she had left her team in the dark while she mused.
"He is down." Stormy answered automatically. "Get cleaned up and I'll call Gram. We will have to see what she wants to do."
"Gotcha Stormy." Shot replied echoed by the rest of her team.
Giving herself another couple of seconds Stormy dropped to her knees and stared at Chat. His face was shrouded by shadow, the mask, and the mop of golden hair that seemed to be closer to a mane. Black cat ears poked out of the unruly mop and suddenly very curious she reached forwards to brush a finger over Chat's cat-like ear. It was warm, fuzzy, and it even twitched as she rubbed it out of curiosity, making her jump. It was very real, something she had known yet not quite believed. Feeling very awkward all of a sudden, Stormy called Gram.
"You have good news." Gram sighed over the phone even as Stormy poked Chat's ear again. She couldn't help it. It was so weird to think that he had actual cat ears, real ones, that it made her want to check again. She would never ask to touch them when he was conscious because it seemed too odd of a request, and even if she did Stormy had a feeling that Chat wouldn't let her either.
"Stormy?" Gram demanded and Stormy jumped as she realized she had gotten distracted again. In her defense she really was tired.
"Uh… yeah Gram. Sorry… Chat is down. Everyone is safe and Poppy is heading back to her sister. What uh… what do you want us to do with Chat?" Stormy asked, forcing herself to focus. Honestly she was getting a little too tired to be dealing with this.
"Bring him to the meeting yard. Do not restrain him as it might activate his powers subconsciously. I will meet you there with a few others as back up. If he begins to wake in transport, put him back out." Gram stated.
"You don't want me to see if he has his mind back?" Stormy wondered
"Your safety is more important Stormy." Gram sighed, "If his mind does not return as he wakes it will take too long for you to be able to tell and another dart at that point will just inflame his fury. Better to be safe."
"Alright Gram. We will meet you there." Stormy acknowledged and hung up before switching to the open com. "We have our marching orders. We need to load Chat up and get him over to the meeting yard. Someone will have to ride my bike while I keep watch over Chat in the car."
"Awe… We aren't putting him in the trunk bound and gagged?" Shot pouted making several of their teammates chuckle.
"No Shot." Stormy laughed, "We are not monsters and he is unconscious so he wouldn't even feel it. Also there is a risk if we tie him up, his abilities could accidentally activate unconsciously and we don't want that to happen in a car. Remember what happened to your gun?"
Shot made a grouchy sound but he didn't fight her on the matter, and Stormy assigned people their tasks while she remained sentinel over Chat Noir. Moving him was more of a pain than Stormy had thought possible. The stupid cat was far heavier than a human had a right to be and it pissed Stormy off. Usually she could carry a full grown man on her own, but Chat seemed to be in a different league even though he looked to be about the size of an average male. Thankfully he didn't even stir as they shoved him into the back of a van one of her team brought over, and even through the ride he was still. More than once Stormy checked Chat's vitals, a little worried that she may have hit him with too many darts. One would have probably sufficed since Chat had seemed half out of it anyways, but hindsight was always 20/20 and Stormy hadn't wanted to leave it to chance.
Gram had already arrived when they dragged Chat out of the van and brought him into the courtyard. They laid him down in the center before Stormy went to greet her Grandmother.
"Hey Gram… We brought the stupid cat. Any word on Marinette?" Stormy whispered as soon as she was within earshot.
Gram shook her head. "No but the timing of Chat going mad and Marinette's disappearance is too oddly coordinated. We will see what he has to say for himself when he wakes."
Stormy nodded, noting that everyone in the courtyard had a weapon of some sort and she hoped that Chat woke in a better mood than he'd been knocked out in.
It took less time than Stormy expected for Chat to show the first signs of waking. They had been willing to wait all night and into the next day, taking shifts if necessary. Gram had said it wouldn't be needed but Stormy hadn't been sure. Even still it made everyone jump when Chat rolled from his side onto his back. They had placed him on his side in case he vomited since no one wanted him to choke to death or have to do CPR on him. Chairs had been brought out while they had waited for Chat to wake and at this first sign of stirring everything was packed up. It had been a little less than three hours since Stormy and her team had taken him down, so she was a little surprised but happy since this meant she could go home soon.
Gram moved to the forefront, "He will be conscious soon. Be ready but do not fire unless I say so."
Murmurs of yes ma'am rang through the group, and everyone held their breath as Chat groaned.
Chat shivered as his head spun, and it felt as if a fog was retreating from his mind, making everything feel a little disjointed as he finally came awake. Hearing and vision came first and Chat forced his eyes open, not comprehending the view even as he understood that it was still nighttime. For some reason he was on his back looking up at the light-polluted sky and his whole body ached like he had been swatted around by an Akuma again. Ok maybe it wasn't that bad but he still didn't understand what in the hell was going on.
"You have been a troublesome kitten tonight." A crackly old voice said.
Hearing that voice made Chat grimace and slowly he forced himself into a crumpled but semi-upright position. Darkness shrouded the area for the normal human but Chat could pick out every person surrounding him as well as the weapons they all held. Recognition slowly dawned within him as several people moved about and an older woman stumped closer.
"Gram? Where am I, and what happened?" he demanded, ignoring the kitten comment even as he winced and rubbed at his aching head.
"You went nuts you stupid kit!" Plagg snarled in the back of his mind making him wince again as Gram shook her head.
"I am glad to see you have returned to your senses Chat. You however are the one that needs to tell us what happened." She reprimanded, "Mime gave Fu your message and soon after one of our Whisperers sent out an SOS concerning you. By the time I made it here Stormy had thankfully gotten the drop on you with the others' help."
Chat blinked at her words as he tried to remember what had gone on. There was an odd hazy feeling in his mind that he prodded at, only to wince as a brief moment from earlier in the night flashed through his head. Realizing he'd been totally out of control Chat swallowed hard, "I…I didn't hurt anyone did I?"
"Only their pride, a few ribs, and limbs, although I don't think you really saw us as a threat. If you had I think you would have simply killed us." Stormy answered, stepping out of the darkness next to her grandma her hands fisted around bits of metal. The metal sparked slightly and Chat suddenly remembered the lack of feeling and consciousness the last time he saw the metal spark.
"You hit me with electricity?" Chat asked and Stormy grinned, tapping the brass knuckled together and creating an arc of electricity as she did so.
"Marinette calls it my thunder punch. These were an idea of hers from a long time ago. I knew they were about the only thing that could stop you in your tracks tonight though. I may have also shot you with a dart or two to fully put you out. I had no intentions of fighting fair." Stormy answered and Gram cracked her cane against the ground impatiently making both of them go silent.
"Enough chatter Chat Noir. You have not told me what warranted your wrath this evening. You have injured several of my people and disrupted the night life of this city to an unprecedented extent. We have already had an incident today, if there isn't a sufficient reason so help me…" Gram trailed off and Chat swallowed hard at the threat. The reason this whole debacle was immediately at the forefront of his mind and his annoyance sparked once more as he remembered. An almost silent snarl had him peeling his lips back and Stormy shifted a little bit in front of her grandma. Others shifted in the shadows surrounding them and Chat felt his annoyance flair a little hotter into the anger territory. There were guns pointed at him and Chat had a feeling that quite a few of them had actual bullets.
"Adrien take a deep breath or I swear I will de-transform you in front of all these people." Plagg snarled from within his mind and Chat froze, feeling as if Plagg had just dumped a glass of icy water over his head. Plagg had gotten plenty pissed at him before but he'd never straight up threatened to de-transform him in front of another person. Especially this many people. Still Chat understood and he did as the kwami demanded, not wanting to force him to follow through on his bluff.
"Give me a second." Chat ground out harshly then slowly folded his legs under him and took several deep breaths. He was a dangerous threat, one that Stormy and the other Whisperers had managed to take down already once tonight. The way Chat's head felt he knew they had to have hit him with something really strong and he also realized that if Gram so desired, he wasn't going to be leaving this area alive tonight. He was a little surprised when Gram waited for him to speak but Chat knew better than to test her patience. After one last deep breath, forcing his body to relax he spoke up again from his sitting position. "When I become enraged my instincts sometimes take over and I can lose touch with my rational mind."
Gram nodded "You are still learning to control your power. Still just a kitten."
With a flinch as Plagg snickered in his mind Chat nodded, "Yes ma'am."
Tapping her cane against the ground Gram frowned at him. "Makes sense but what drove your rage tonight? You have fought against true monsters and never lost control. What has happened? Do not make me ask again."
Chat rubbed a clawed hand across his face and decided to get right to the point before Grams patience ran out. "You know where I was, on the job, I mean… Anyways… I had been getting a bad feeling towards the end of the job and when I finished I realized I had a message from Marinette. It wasn't a bad message but I had a bad feeling so I went to hunt her down and as I got close I heard a gunshot..."
The air in the yard went still as Gram's eyes blazed "Hawkmoth?" she demanded.
"One of his little rats although this one was a detective named Roger." Chat spat the name, his tail twitching in agitation on the pavement. "He shot Marinette and was going to frame me for it but I managed to stop him, injure him before he got off a killing shot. I was going to kill him. I will kill him when I find him but Marinette was bleeding badly and I made the choice to save her instead." Chat glared at his claws, still infuriated he hadn't been able to take the man down.
Gram stepped forward using the end of her cane to tap his leg and make him look up. "Where did you take her?"
"To the nearest hospital, she was bleeding too badly for me to go anywhere else. I couldn't stay with her like I am so I returned with the intent to kill, but Roger had disappeared. I found his phone…" Chat paused reaching into his pocket and pulled it out happy to see that it was somehow undamaged. "Marinette managed to record him talking about his nefarious plans… It's evidence. Marinette will want it when she wakes."
Gram nodded at Stormy who came forward to take the device. "We will work on the phone. Continue."
Chat bared his fangs at the order but he did as asked knowing that he was in hot water. "A car had picked Roger up and I… I was already close to losing it. I was going to cool off, try to pick the scent up later but one of your Whisperers caught me, said the exact wrong things to me and... I lost control." Chat said, the pain and annoyance in his voice making Gram sigh.
Slowly Gram shook her head as she stumped her cane against the ground in agitation "I warned that foolish child. Ever since Tiki I warned her but she can't seem to find anyone to watch her back out here. We do our best but Tiki taught her far too well. Marinette moves like smoke and if she doesn't wish to be followed not even the Whisperers can keep track of her for long. She has proved that for certain tonight. Marinette should have been sleeping, instead she slipped out. I swear I am going to imbed a tracking chip in her."
Chat understood, at this point between his interactions with her as both Chat and Adrien he had found that Marinette knew the city better than anyone probably alive or dead. She knew the rooftops as well as the underground and keeping the streets in check were like a joke to her. No normal sane person could keep up with her if she were determined to lose them, especially not now that the miraculous stone had permanently affected her speed and strength. However he wasn't most people and unlike everyone else he could keep up with her or at worst track her when she did vanish on him. He could still feel their new connection, stretched by distance but there and he knew that it meant that Marinette was still alive. The sensation filled him with relief, calming his agitation further.
"I can track her and I will make sure she is never alone from now on. Don't you dare put a tracker chip on her." Chat snarled, making Gram look down her nose at him.
"She needs someone without a mask kitten." Gram said tartly, ignoring his comment on the tracker entirely. Slowly she turned away having found out everything she needed from Chat.
Chat blinked, frozen by her words then realizing she was moving away he climbed to his feet only to fall back to his knees as dizziness struck him. "Wait where are you going?"
"To tell the other Whisperers that Hawkmoth has made his last mistake, he has made several mistakes as of late but this is the final nail for his coffin. Marinette is strong and won't be stopped by something like this. When she returns to the streets she will need our help. Before we did not have the ability to take control if the power balance shifted; now we are ready. It is time for the Whisperers to rise from the shadows." Turning back to Chat she poked her cane none too gently into his chest, nearly knocking him flat on his back again. "You have been hit with enough tranquilizer to knock out a rhino and I am sure Stormy's Thunder punch has done some damage as well. You will need to heal so you can help us put this whole mess to rights. For now… Go wash the blood from your paws kitten, it will soon be too dangerous for even you to be roaming the darkness alone tonight. Fu is your contact and he will be in touch soon. Fair warning Chat, if this ever happens again I will give the order to have you put down permanently. We don't need any more monsters on these streets."
Gram spun on her heel, walking until she reached an open door on the side of one of the buildings. Vanishing inside the door snapped shut with an audible click before Chat could even think of following her. A moment passed and Chat wondered if maybe he should have followed but after glancing around, he realized that it would be very unwise. Eyes were still watching him from the shadows and he could still see a slight arc of electricity bouncing every so often from the darkness as Stormy moved away in a different direction from her grandma, Rogers phone in hand. Sirens wailed to life in the distance and Chat had a feeling that the city would very soon become a violent place. There was a war already brewing in the shadows and the seemingly innocent shooting of a detective was the spark that would drag it into the light of day.
"The creepy old lady is right, we should go." Plagg said and Chat agreed, trying again to rise to his knees. Annoyingly it took him pulling out his staff to make it fully upright and then it took several more minutes of focus before he could leave the yard behind.
After almost falling off the rooftops when he misplaced his steps Chat took the streets half expecting to see someone on his tail at any moment. The streets he ran through were eerily quiet although sirens broke the silence periodically as he made his way home. Jumping into a fountain to wash the blood from his suit, Chat raced to one of his hiding spots where he rested for a few minutes. After making sure no one was following, Chat returned to the rooftops, his balance marginally better as he carefully made his way back home. De-transforming the second he hit his balcony Adrien somehow managed to climb down his ladder without falling off.
Exhaustion pulled at him as he walked through his flat to his kitchen, but Adrien managed to ignore it even as a weary Plagg flew from his pocket. Knowing he would need the fuel after expending so much energy tonight, Adrien got food out for himself as well as Plagg's favorite cheese. Taking the cheese from him Plagg sighed.
"We are going to have to talk about what happened tonight."
Adrien winced "How bad was it really?"
Plagg swallowed a chunk of cheese, licking his tiny paws before grabbing another piece. "The Whisperers worked well as a team, keeping you distracted so Stormy could strike a final blow. Because they were so good at keeping you moving you didn't do anywhere near the damage I would have expected. You only ashed a car's roof and a couple other useless things. I'm also pretty sure the worst of their injuries are cracked ribs and maybe a broken arm. You didn't use cataclysm on any of them so they should heal good as new in a few weeks. They will be a dangerous foe to fight so don't piss them off again."
Adrien nodded. He had to work on his control, no excuses. If he were only human it would be fine since he was good at burying his emotions. As Chat however his emotions greatly affected his mental state and burying his emotions did nothing but cause trouble. "I'm sorry Plagg. I've got to find a better way and I'm not sure where to start."
"Start with Marinette." Plagg answered, causing Adrien to choke on the bite of food he had taken. Once he was done hacking Plagg spoke again before his kitten could get a word out. "She balances you. I don't know how it works but her presence balances your temperament. Also she is close to fully activating her Miraculous and she gave it to you tonight in a major show of trust." For a moment Plagg went silent, his thoughts spiraling before he slowly said. "It's presence might actually be why you didn't totally go off the deep end. Your attacks stopped short once or twice for no reason at all other than to prevent a kill. I think her stone allowed you to remain a touch in control even though you were still on a rampage. Besides, Marinette is going to need you more than ever now, as both Chat and as Adrien."
Adrien gaped at Plagg. "What?!" he exclaimed finally, his hands slamming down on the table as he dropped his head to stare into the kwami's eyes. "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Plagg blinked at him then popped another oversized piece of cheese into his mouth and swallowed. "Exactly what I said. Now you should really get some sleep because it's going to be a long couple of days and nights. Also when you go to see Marinette in the hospital you should return her miraculous so it doesn't get lost around here."
Adrien slumped and fisted his hands in his hair due to sheer frustration as Plagg flew off the table. Then Plagg paused and before Adrien could move he dove at him phasing through his jacket into a hidden pocket there. A few moments later he popped back out, a red and black stone clutched in his paws. Ignoring Adrien's odd look Plagg flew to his personal pillow, dropping the stone to it before curling up in a tight ball around it. The kwami was clearly done talking although Adrien had a feeling he would be scolded by him later. It was obvious that Plagg was exhausted and Adrien felt a prickle of guilt as well as sadness since he knew it was his fault.
Slowly he walked over to where Plagg had curled up around the stone his body vibrating as he purred. "Hey Plagg why didn't you just force the transformation to unravel when it was clear I went off the deep end?"
Plagg growled, seemingly annoyed at being interrupted while curling up a little tighter, "My cat tendencies and powers have already affected you even in your human state. Your senses are far above the normal range for a human, so is your strength and stamina. Unraveling the transformation with you in such an enraged cat-like mental state would probably damage your psyche. I wouldn't take that risk unless you were truly about to do something irreversible. Your life and mental state is far more important than a broken arm or a stupid fence."
"Oh." Adrien murmured, touched by what the grumpy cat hadn't said but meant. His kwami partner had been worried about him and cared enough that even if Adrien went nuts he wouldn't stop him if it meant hurting him. The sentiment was as flattering as it was disturbing and Adrien couldn't help the wry smile that etched its way across his face. Reaching out Adrien gently ran a finger down Plaggs back. "Thanks Plagg."
Plagg sighed arching under the touch. "Three more strokes then go away. I want to sleep."
Adrien hid his smile and did as the kwami asked before going into his room to take a brief shower. In truth he hardly had enough energy to rinse off the worst of the dirt and sweat before he nearly fell asleep on his shower bench. Deciding he'd rather sleep in a bed rather than on the hard tiles of his bathroom Adrien forewent his usual bedtime preparations. Drifting back into his room, his exhaustion hitting him full force Adrien slumped into his bed with a grumble. The dart's toxins were still in his system at least a little and the energy drain from being in the suit was starting to hit hard as well. Managing to roll into a comfortable position Adrien didn't even have time to wonder about Marinette before his mind simply turned off like a light.
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