Well, here we are. The last of my Marichat May one-shots.

This one is a bit over 3,000 words but it had to be. Proud for how it turned out.

Alternative bit from the 'Miraculous World: Paris' special. If Alya had been in her own room when she turned into Ubiquity and brought, Betterfly, Shadybug, and Claw Noir into their dimension. So they don't go to Marinette's room after Chat Noir gets turned into Celesti-Chat and loose the villains.

Shadybug didn't read Marinette's diary, she didn't try making the wish, she and Claw Noir don't know the other's identities, and Monarch hasn't recruited them yet.

Basically, after both groups got separated, Shadybug and Claw Noir decided to explore the city. Meanwhile, Betterfly continues searching for them while Marinette and Adrien go home to get some sleep. This is the following morning.

Claw Noir recognizes his favorite bakery and the girl working behind the counter. And decides to actually go in himself.

*Teeny warning of Claw Noir being pushy, a 'space invader,' and a bit grabby. (encase that bothers anyone but it's not a lot)

Marichat May 2024

Day #29: Angelic / Demonic

Through the purple, feline eyes of Claw Noir, Paris in another universe was…odd.

Everything was brighter, people didn't look depressed and/or terrified all the time, people knew about miraculous super heroes and practically worshiped the ground they walked on, and no Supreme.

Some of that he didn't mind, some he found annoying and dumb. Especially how bright the day time was. He couldn't wait for night to fall so he and the Cockroach could continue their search for Betterfly.

After losing the goody two-shoes thief and their current-dimension counterparts the night before, he and Shadybug had gotten into another argument after he tried to take her earrings off of her. They calmed down after their intense emotions attracted a kamiko to them—which he destroyed—but then, not sure what else to do, the Cockroach insisted they split up and explore the city.

She was off somewhere—he didn't care where—getting a feel for the city, just like he was. Anything might come in handy for later. They might as well explore and get to know how this places works if they'll be there awhile anyway. She also insisted they both keep a low profile, until they were ready to face to heroes again. They planned to meet up again after sun down and pick up where they left off.

Low profile wasn't Claw's thing. He loved being direct, loud, and reckless. Sneaking around was fun sometimes but bored him easily. He would just love to terrorize some unsuspecting citizens. But that would quickly bring in the heroes and he didn't want to face them alone.

"If you draw those heroes to yourself by acting like an idiot, I'm not gonna swoop in and bail you out. I'll just sit back and watch with a bucket of popcorn as you get your ass kicked!" she had said to him just before fleeing, followed by a quick "later loser!" And then she was gone.

Good riddance, he thought. Exploring this different Paris will be a lot more fun without her nagging in his ear. Even if he had to lay low.

As he leapt around the city, just enjoying the different but still familiar scenery, he made it to Notre Dame. Still a sight, even in the obnoxious daylight.

Then he recalled that just across the Seine was the high school his father insisted he attend. But he had refused. Who needs friends and teachers all up in your business?

However, there was one thing about the school he did like.

It was right next door to a certain cute little bakery where a certain cute little lady worker.

Claw spotted the bakery from the cathedral's roof. He pulled out his baton and turned on its scope mode. On his tiny screen, he could see through the windows.

And sure enough, she was there. The baker girl.

Same bluenette hair in pigtails but her bangs were a lot shorter. He thought that the dark pink bangs in his baker girl's face were cool but now he could see her whole face a lot more clearly. Her clothes were different but sort of similar too. No thorny vine patterns on her black jacket, no scarf around her neck, no fishnet fingerless gloves. And no dark eye make-up.

It was a slightly cheerier look. Not like his world's baker girl's darker, edgier look, much like his own.

Still…she was cute.

And he was hungry.

~*MDC+CN*~

Marinette didn't have a problem with working the counter in her parent's bakery. She loved helping out and serving their customers.

Just not while she had two doppelganger villains from another dimension on the loose in the city!

After she and Chat Noir, plus Betterfly, lost them the night before, they tried searching for them but came up short. They were most likely hiding or getting the lay of their new environment before they fought again. They didn't want to be found.

So, after hours of searching into the wee hours of the morning, Betterfly insisted that she and Chat return to their homes and get some rest. He'll continue to search for the villains and take shelter where he can find it while keeping a low profile.

Marinette had gotten a good night's sleep, but then her parents had informed her that they had a very important delivery to make across town so they needed her to man the counter for about three hours. She didn't have school that day or anything else going on so she didn't have a good excuse to say she couldn't and they should just close the shop while they're gone. Hence, she was stuck there until they came back and relieve her of duty.

Standing behind the counter with her back to the front door, Marinette was snapped out of her worrying when she heard the bell chime, signaling to her that someone had just entered the bakery.

She spun around to greet them. "Bon-" she started to say but gasped when she saw the person standing in the empty bakery with her.

Claw Noir. The villain holder of the black cat miraculous from another dimension.

"Bonjour, petite dame," he said, grinning cockily as he walked in like he owned the place.

"You…you're…" Marinette stuttered.

"Claw Noir," he said, stopping at the counter. Only the register was between them. It wasn't nearly enough for Marinette. And it was only worse when he reached for her hand and raised it up to his lips. "enchanté," he whispered before kissing her knuckles. Marinette quickly wrenched her hand back to herself. If she had it her way, he'd be kissing her knuckled with a lot more force. "And just to clear some things up for you, I'm like your Chat Noir, but from another dimension. And I'm not a goody two-shoes hero," he explained. Screw his 'low profile' just this once. Who was this one girl going to tell? He could always make her keep her mouth shut if he had to. Threats went a long way.

"So…you're a villain?"

"Duh," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

She wasn't Ladybug at the moment. She wasn't supposed to know anything about him or the others. And she didn't have her suit or yoyo to defend herself with.

Marinette watched him carefully as he started walking around the bakery, looking at everything in the display cases. He touched a few things but put them back roughly where he'd found them.

"What…um, what are you doing here?"

"Here in this dimension or here in your bakery?" he asked, inspecting one of the empty display boxes closely. "The first one; to capture an enemy of the one I serve back in my dimension after he fled here like a wuss. The second one; I'm hungry," he explained simply before carelessly dropping the box back on the side counter. "And I was curious about something," he added, facing her again.

"About what?" she asked curiously.

Claw smirked at her. "I've been to this bakery in my dimension a few times before and I wanted to see if the food was just as good," he said, walking back over to the glass cases on the opposite side of the store front where all the baked goods were displayed and stared at them.

Marinette let him stare at the pastries for a minute. "Are you…uh…going to hurt me?" she asked hesitantly.

This guy was not her Chat Noir who'd never hurt an innocent soul. Heck, he even felt guilty for accidently cataclysming Monarch's arm by accident. After fighting him the night before, he was violent and dangerous. Besides that, he was unpredictable to her.

Claw turned back to her, staring at her with his lips in a firm line, puzzled by her asking him such a question so directly.

He walked toward her again, but leaned in over the register a bit more so he could look closer at her face. Marinette leaned back a bit but refused to take a step back from him. A part of her knew it wouldn't be a good idea to antagonize him, but another part with her hero pride also wanted to show him that she had a spine.

He didn't say anything at first. He stared at her for a bit and Marinette didn't move a muscle.

Finally, he grinned again and replied. "Nah. You're too cute and innocent looking to lay a claw on." Marinette breathed a mental sigh of relief but was puzzled at the same time by his reasoning. "You're almost as cute as the other you. The girl who works in this same bakery back in my dimension." Marinette's mind was racing, thinking about the other her—who she assumed was also Shadybug—that Claw Noir was referring to. "Her sense of style was a lot darker and cooler but…you look nice," he said sassily, looking her up and down. Marinette took little offence to the comment. His tastes were just different. "And you're bangs are shorter. I can actually see those pretty blue eyes," Claw reached up and quickly grazed the tips on her short bangs with his fingers. At this, Marinette couldn't help but step back slightly. Claw leaned back again and just smirked, finding her timidness adorable. "It's funny. I never even went into that bakery and talked to her, like I am with you right now."

"Why not?"

Claw shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't transformed every time I went over. I stayed outside and watched from the window while my…friend went in and bought my pastries for me," he explained. His bodyguard wasn't exactly his friend but he didn't want anyone thinking that he—Claw Noir—needed one. Even this girl.

Marinette was still baffled by the idea that this Claw Noir apparently had a thing for her—or, the other her back in his dimension but at the same time, didn't get along with her while she was his partner Shadybug—but tried to push that aside so she could focus on the bigger issue.

He was still in her family's patisserie.

Marinette took a deep breath and calmed her fear.

Now she just had to get him to leave.

"If you're hungry, I'll give you whatever you want from our inventory. Just please don't do any damage to anything," she said in a level but sort of pleading voice.

Claw crossed his arms and stared at her again. Then smiled.

"Okay. Since you asked so nicely," he said before glancing at the display case again. "Do you have any chouquettes?"

After being told what he liked the most, Marinette grabbed some boxes and filled them generously.

A full box of macaroons, several chocolate chip cookies, a few pain au chocolat, some croissants, and a bag full of chouquettes.

Overall, it was a big order. More than her family usually allowed for 'on the house.' She just prayed her parents understood why there wouldn't be money in the register for all these pastries.

"There," Marinette said, exacerbated as she walked around the register and handed him a big bag with all the pastry boxes inside. "That's a little of everything you like."

Claw Noir took the bag, ignoring her words, as he reached in and found the smaller bag with the chouquettes. Placing the big bag on the side counter, he took out the chouquette bag and popped one in his mouth. "Mmmm," he hummed as he chewed. "Okay, I'll admit it. These are good," he said before swallowing and then eating another one.

Annoyed, Marinette forgot her plan of being cautious. "Good. So can you please leave now?" she said impatiently.

Claw stared back at her again and swallowed. "Trying to get rid of me, are you?" he said teasingly before eating another one. "Maybe I don't want to leave yet," he said as he chewed. "Maybe I like it here," he said after swallowing. Then he glanced out a window and saw a billboard with Ladybug and Chat Noir's faces. "Miraculous holders are treated like celebrities here," he said before leaning back against the side counter and popping another chouquette in his mouth.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are because they're heroes. Monarch, the holder of the butterfly miraculous, is a villain. The public loathes and fears him," Marinette told him.

Claw swallowed again and chuckled. "Even better." Claw placed the chouquette bag beside the bigger bag on the counter and stood up. "They can do whatever they want without hiding their presence." The miraculous were supposed to be a secret to average people back in his dimension. When he and the Cockroach hunted for Betterfly, they had to be discrete. He hadn't discrete. Holders in this dimension still hid their faces with masks but everyone knew they were out there; the good and bad ones. The thought of citizens knowing his name, afraid to even speak it too loudly. It excited him. Sure, stealing was illegal but he could take what he wanted while avoiding the itty-bitty authorities. As Claw looked around the shop again, his eyes fell back on Marinette. She froze under his intense gaze. "Yeah, I could stay here a while," he leered. Maybe not forever, but if he was stuck there for more than a week or so, he certainly wouldn't complain. Claw kept his eyes on her as he stepped closer to her. Marinette stepped back but Claw just took another. And another, until she felt her butt hit the front counter where the register was. Claw grinned bigger as he stepped closer, placing both his hands on the counter behind her, trapping her with his arms a both her sides. "I could come back and see you every day and you'd give me more pastries," he hissed, leaning in closer. Then one of his hands moved to her arm.

Panic and fear coursing through her, Marinette started to struggle.

"Stop! Let go of me!" she cried, blindly pushing on his chest with one hand while her other hand tried to wrench his hand off her arm.

She was able to get his arm off, but when pushing him away wasn't working, her arm reeled back on its own then swung forward, striking the creep in the face with the palm of her hand.

When Marinette finally opened her eyes, she saw Claw's face turned to the right and his cheek was a bright red. At least he backed off a bit.

Realizing what she had just done, Marinette fearfully took her hand back and just stared in horror. She wasn't sure whether to apologize, beg for mercy, or just run.

Surprisingly, Claw's shocked face slowly morphed into an amused smile as he touched him burning cheek. Then he chuckled.

This girl, he thought to himself. Not as innocent and helpless after all. "You're feisty," he said out loud, turning his head back to her. "I like that." Again, Claw tried to move closer to her again but Marinette didn't feel anymore reservations about slapping him again. Fully aware of what she was doing this time, Marinette reeled her arm back again but it was quickly grabbed. "Sorry. No seconds for you," Claw said, his voice more harsh than amused.

As he continued to hold her wrist up, Marinette tried to struggled. "Let go! I-" she demanded but was cut off when Claw slammed his other hand down on the counter behind her, snapping her into silence and her attention back on him.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Wha-?"

"What's your name?"

Even back in his dimension, he never bothered asking his bodyguard to get the baker girl's name when he went in to buy him pastries. Maybe he liked the added mystery of not even knowing her name since he barely knew her at all, except from the image of her through the car window.

But now he did know her. Or, another her. And now he was even more curious about her. The mystery wasn't enough for him anymore. He needed to know more.

"Uh, Marinette," she replied, still timid.

Claw hummed. What a pretty name. "I hope you remember this day, Marinette. I know I will," he smirked. "I hope that from now on, every time you think about your hunky cat boy hero, you also think of me." She must be a big fan of the heroes since she spoke highly of them earlier. She might even have a crush on his counterpart. "When I go back to my dimension and revisit my baker girl…I'll think of you too. Maybe I'll actually go in and talk to her. See if she's just as intriguing as you are." Yet another reason that he had to go back eventually. To see her again and actually talk to her. And yet, this Marinette was a pro to want to stay a bit longer if he could. Whatever dimension he was in, at least he knew she'd be there. Claw finally released Marinette's wrist and, before she could strike him again, he took several big steps backwards until he was back by the side counter and collecting his bag of baked goods. He made his way to the door but stopped and turned back to her. "If my useless partner and I are still here around this time tomorrow, maybe I'll come back for more," he said over his shoulder. Marinette couldn't help but shutter in fear. He noticed and chuckled. "Until tomorrow, my little chouquette," he said to her, then blew a kiss to her with two fingers. "Au revoir."

And finally, he opened the door and walked out. Marinette watched through the window as he jumped up to the rooftops and disappeared from sight.

Marinette shuttered out a shaky breath as she leaned back against the counter, letting out more heavy breaths, trying to calm herself down.

This guy wasn't like her Chat Noir at all. He was like him if he were possessed by some demon. Not exactly like when he was Chat Blanc but the fear she felt around them both were similar enough.

He was evil. And the eyes he had for her made her skin crawl.

When she had her wits back, Marinette decided that Claw Noir couldn't come back to the shop.

She never wanted to encounter him while she wasn't transformed again.

Ladybug needed to go out and hunt him and Shadybug down, right now. After texting her parents that she needed to close the shop early because she wasn't feeling well, she locked everything up, transformed, and left from off her balcony.

She needed to get him back in his own dimension fast. Like, yesterday fast!

I went with the 'demonic' half of this prompt and I think it was a bit of a stretch, but I liked this idea too much to not write it for these.

Anyway, that's the official end of Marichat Mya for me this year.

Hope to see u all in Ladrien June! ;D