_______

•☆° She had found the colors to paint him.

   Where the world had left him gray.

-Atticus •☆°

✾  ༄   ꧁꧂ ༄  ✾

_______

Marinette stepped out of the police cruiser.
The moonlight casted an eerie glow to the path of her apartment doors. 

She had spent most of the night being questioned by the police about what had happened - Marinette made sure not to leave out any details. Despite being incredibly tired and still having the drive to continue work the next day, Marinette couldn't find it in her to move her feet.

It all almost felt surreal. 

She was only moments away from being killed, but Chat had shown up at the right time. Marinette was sure she was about to do well on her own, but by the way her assailant had her pinned, the fight would have been in vain. The police knew about the mysterious cat hero who prowled the streets at night, looking for the unknown serial killer who had taken the lives of many young women in Paris, and it was a cold day in hell to finally learn that they may have finally caught their killer.

At least that's what she had hoped and felt confident in.
Marinette wasn't told about anything in regards to the detained suspect, all she knew was that the weapons that were found on him, matched many of the wounds found on the women who were recovered from the dark alleys from which they died.

She wasn't told a name, an age, a motive. She wasn't told anything.

The lines beneath her eyes deepened, and the young women shuffled her keys between her pale fingers as the police cruiser slowly pulled away from the curb, leaving her alone on the street once more.

Her blue eyes trailed up the pavement leading to the secured building in which she resided. She yawned, her heart nearly sinking into her stomach the moment she suspected that it could have been the very early hours of the morning.

Crap.

That just means only three hours of sleep and waiting in line for a good half hour for the coffee machine inside the cafeteria at work.

She reached up, fixing the blouse of her outfit and tucking a few strands of loose dark hair behind her ear before she tiredly made her way down the pavement. 

                                                                                   __________

                                                                            •☆    ꧁꧂ •☆

                                                                                    __________

 Marinette was still shaken by the time she hitched the elevator to her apartment. She had spent hours at the police station with many people in her ear assuring that she was alright, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she could find herself in danger again sometime soon.

She also couldn't get Chat Noir out of her head. She couldn't rid the sound of his voice, his flexibility, and his timing.

Marinette couldn't have been more grateful, and though she didn't see much of him after the police arrived to the scene, she couldn't help but hope that she'd see him again.

Of course, she hadn't hoped to see him under such circumstances, but Marinette never had the chance to properly thank him for saving her life, as well as taking the time out to help solve the murders.

She sighed, lowering her eyes as she began to unbutton her blouse with a grimace. Marinette wasn't sure if she would be able to sleep - it was quite frightening. She closed her eyes briefly before she glanced down, carefully stepping out of her heels and placing them to the side.

She was anxious, that went without a doubt, and Marinette was worried she'd be having nightmares about the whole ordeal. If that really was the killer, then the streets should be safe for her and her friends to walk.

At least that's what she hoped.

She couldn't get the sound of her assailant's voice out of her head. She couldn't get the image of his face away from her mind. She could still feel the sharp blade of the knife pressed against her pulse even as she stood at that very moment inside of her own bedroom.

Marinette held a brave face but she was terrified. She always knew the world could be scary, but she never thought she'd have something like that happen to her.

She was grateful that Chat Noir was there at the right place at the right time, but she couldn't solely depend on him, could she?

Marinette faced her balcony, her eyes glancing through the glass doors as she was embraced by the Parisian skyline alongside the moonlight that permeated through.

Her hands clutched her blouse, and Marinette could almost feel her heart sink into the pit of her stomach with fear the moment her blue eyes unexpectedly met with a pair of glowing green eyes that glared back at her from the other side.

Marinette pressed her lips together, stifling a scream that wanted to escape her throat.

The dark figure climbed onto her balcony, standing tall as he tucked his weapon behind him.

Marinette exhaled, her hand slowly easing up on her blouse the moment she recognized the stranger who had stopped by.

In fact, it was none other than the hero who had stepped in to save her only hours earlier into the night.

She kicked her heels to the side, a subtle blush covering her cheeks as she stumbled over towards the balcony doors. Her fingers trembled as she gripped onto the handle and she grunted the moment she was finally able to get it open.

A gust of warm air embraced her, and for a brief moment Marinette flinched as strands of her hair flew into her eyes.

"I...hope I wasn't interrupting anything..." he spoke, his green eyes lowering briefly to the buttons that had been undone to her blouse. "But I thought I'd come check in on you after everything that happened."

Marinette gulped, immediately reaching up to close the opening that had parted down her blouse.

"I...uh...no, it's fine," she breathed, her blue eyes blinking rapidly as she felt considerably awkward standing in front of him. "How did you find me?"

The hero crossed his arms, his glowing green eyes lowering down to the ground as he continued to hold an impassive expression. Marinette couldn't help but allow her heart to sink.

He looked so tired.

The more Marinette thought about it, the more she pondered the kind of pressure and stress he was under. She wouldn't have the slightest idea what compelled him to take on the role of a hero, but she could only assume that he had a life outside of this hobby. He could have possibly had stress in his personal life too.

"At the police station, I sort of followed the cruiser back here when you left." Chat sighed, his lips tugging into a frown. "Look, I'm going to stop by here more often, just to keep a lookout on things. I have no doubt that you'll be exploited in the media before this week is over, and because I was involved, it'll be so much worse..." the male sighed, reaching up to run his claws through his thick and tousled blond hair.

Marinette blinked, completely stunned and unsure of how she felt about being prowled about like a small mouse attempting to flee from the big black cat of Paris.

"W-What? Why? We caught the murderer, didn't we? I mean, I can decline the interviews by the tabloids, but the streets of Paris should be safe again," Marinette sputtered, the blush on her skin only growing deeper.

"It wasn't him," Chat deadpanned, his gloved hand caressing his chin as he contemplated. "They ran the fingerprints, but it didn't match any of the fingerprints left at the crime scenes. He provided a DNA sample - it could be a bit before we get the results back, but I have no hopes of it matching. The assailant had a criminal history of petty robbery crimes, and the murderer we're looking for wasn't in the database. So that tells us that the murderer doesn't have a criminal history. I theorize that the assailant who attacked you had the intention to rob you while holding a weapon to copycat the actual person who has been responsible for the series of murders," Chat explained, dropping his arms to his side.

Marinette felt her scalp grow cold, her heart squeezed within her chest and her blue eyes lowered to Chat's hands as they clenched at his sides.

"W-Wait..." she breathed softly, her voice trembling. "S-So that means the killer is still out there?" Her blue eyes moved up to his glowing green eyes in a panic. "B-But if they put my photos all over the media- then that means-"

"That means they'll tip off the real murderer out there. You fit the descriptions of his other victims and all the tabloids will do is serve him another potential victim," Chat interjected softly with an exasperated sigh.

Marinette pressed her lips together, her eyes slowly closing as she was completely exhausted. She was tired of everything - she was tired of being scared, she was tired of the murders, she was tired of her flat line job.

She was just simply tired of it all.

"L-Look, I'm sure you have other things to deal with aside from doing your night job," Marinette murmured, gesturing to his night life of being a superhero, "But you don't have to follow me around all day. I understand that you want to protect me and I do appreciate that you stepped in at the time that you did..." her voice trailed off as she glanced up, watching as Chat Noir casually climbed the balcony rail.

His black belt tail casually swayed behind him, and his left ear curiously twitched as he faced away from her, his eyes glanced down at the dimly lit Parisian skyline beneath the balcony of her luxury apartment.

"B-But I think I should be able to hold things on my own for now," Marinette continued, reaching up to nervously rub the back of her neck. "Starting tomorrow on my break from work, I'll go to the shops and buy some pepper spray or anything that I know will protect me. I'll leave in broad daylight where I know there'll be many witnesses. I know he won't come after me with people around."

Chat Noir paused, crouching down as he briefly glanced over his shoulder to layer his glowing green eyes onto the woman who stood completely dumbfounded behind him.

"Don't worry, you won't even know I'm around. Just ask to see me, if you want to see me. But I assure you that this is all for your safety," the hero deadpanned. "I trust you're good at taking care of yourself and I won't deny you that right, but I won't miss the opportunity to catch this guy if he ever does decide to appear around you."

Marinette reached up to rub her eyes, her heart quickening within her chest out of fear at the thought of being approached by a murderer on the street once more.

She had no doubt that she could put up a fight but the more she thought about it the more she felt that the idea of having Chat Noir nearby would be a good idea.

Her blue eyes remained locked onto his golden hair as it blew in the warm wind.

Marinette parted her lips, her heart aching in her chest as she wanted to express her worry for him as well as thank him for the intervention moments before when she was attacked in the alley, but her words were caught in her throat when Chat Noir simply leapt from the balcony.

The young woman gasped, her eyes widening as she immediately ran towards the baluster to look down at the city below her. She sighed, a warm feeling permeating throughout her body as Chat Noir was no where in sight.

Marinette groaned, unsure if Chat Noir was still lurking about somewhere she couldn't see him, and yet she also couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever see him again. 

                                                                                __________

                                                                          •☆    ꧁꧂ •☆

                                                                                  __________

"When was the last time you had sex?"

Marinette nearly choked on her coffee the moment Chloe uttered her impertinent question.

This was a habit for her callous coworker, but it was almost as if it surprised her every time Chloe came up with something to say.

But then again, Chloe was simply known to make wild conversations inappropriate for work.

Marinette gawked at Chloe, her lips quivering as they pressed together. Chloe was completely nonchalant about her starter - it was almost like they were having a casual conversation in a room full of fellow coworkers.

Marinette pressed her fingertips against her coffee cup, her heart sinking in her chest the more she thought about what had happened the night before. She hadn't seen anything about it in the media yet, but Marinette was hoping to keep the entire thing a secret - she didn't want to be the next target of the serial killer.

She was embarrassed about the situation, and Marinette couldn't help but be shocked at her encounter with Chat Noir.

She didn't quite understand what he meant when he told her that he'd only appear if she asked, and she didn't know why she expected him to be chipper than he actually was.

The hero she met seemed incredibly distant and impassive. She could sense a warmth, but he had seemed so tired. She almost felt bad for him.

Marinette glanced down at her cup, running her thumb along the lip of her drink as she exhaled.

Of course, the situation was stressful and worrisome for the both of them. They both thought they'd finally removed the serial killer off the streets of Paris, only to find out they weren't even close.

Who would be chipper after that?

There was an enormous pressure on his shoulders, and Marinette couldn't blame him for being distant.

"Chloe, do you think that is appropriate for work environment conversation? If someone heard you, we could both be reported for sexual misconduct. We could both lose our jobs. I know you're on good terms with Gabriel Agreste, but I'm sure that even he has some limits of what can and can't be said in the workplace," Marinette replied, rolling her shoulders as she tried everything in her to brush off what she had recalled the night before.

The more she acted normal, the less people would be suspicious of anything.

She could only hope the local media wouldn't say anything about the assault and Chat Noir's involvement.

"Oh, please," Chloe scoffed, reaching up to twirl her manicured finger into ends of her perfectly perched blonde pigtail. "I'm not too worried about that. That old bag finally decided to step down as the president of this company. He handed it off to his only son," Chloe smiled, her pink lips stretching as her blue eyes glanced upwards. A deep blush covered her cheeks as she exhaled, and Marinette was concerned for a moment. "He's so hot."

Marinette blinked, not entirely stunned by Chloe's obvious crush on their new boss, but was actually quite stunned that Gabriel Agreste would no longer be with the company. As long as she worked here, Gabriel had always been there. In fact, he was the one to hire her.

Marinette felt a little sad at the idea that he was leaving but she also couldn't help but feel concerned. She had been so distracted by the incident that had happened last night, she must've missed the urgent email that announced Gabriel's sudden resignation.

She hoped he was okay.

Marinette knew nothing about his son, but she had seen him as the face of the company's brand. He was the top model that displayed all of Gabriel's new addition, even the underwear line, but by the way he grew up, Marinette could only wonder how spoiled he was.

She just hoped he was nice.

Surely someone who is assuming the role of a multimillion euro company should be business savy.

"O-Oh..." Marinette breathed, looking away from her coffee as she noticed the employee cafe had started to empty. "I must've missed the email..."

Chloe scoffed once more, rolling her eyes and parting her lips to offer a rebuttal but paused the moment they both heard the sounds of high heels clicking onto the hard floor of the cafe.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng," A familiar voice called out to her from the front of the cafe. "Mr. Agreste would like to see you."

Marinette tensed, knowing Nathalie's voice all too well. She quickly glanced up, her blue eyes widening at Nathalie who waited for Marinette.

She gulped, wondering if she was somehow going to be blamed for Chloe's inappropriate conversation, or if she was going to be fired for the incident that happened the night before.

Marinette was completely clueless as her blue eyes followed Chloe who simply moved away from the table and walked away without mentioning a word to either of them.

That bitch...

                                                                              __________

                                                                           •☆    ꧁꧂ •☆

                                                                               __________

Marinette shifted her weight, her eyes trained on the elevator doors as she stood awkwardly beside Nathalie in silence.

Marinette knew of all people that she had a tendency to overthink and talk herself into a coma when it came to these kinds of things. She didn't have the nerve to ask Nathalie what was going on, and Marinette was almost sure to poop her pants the closer they got to the executive suite of the entire building.

She clutched onto her sketches, and her heart pounded painfully in her chest as this was the first time she had ever been to that floor. It was exclusive to higher ups only, and Marinette only considered herself a lower leveled designer who would create designs under Gabriel's name.

Marinette pressed her lips together, her toes curling in her heels.
Perhaps it would be better to think about things in a more positive way.

Maybe Gabriel wasn't handing the company over to his son. Perhaps he had been so impressed by the designs that made it to fashion week that he was going to offer Marinette the entire company itself and Adrien was simply meant to be her assistant.

A deep blush covered her cheeks and a spark of stars ignited in the pit of her stomach. Marinette felt incredibly bashful at the thought.

Of course she'd have to refuse that offer of taking over the Agreste company. Marinette had dreams of starting her own company, but she'd at least have some experience under her belt.

She'd be honored to be offered that position in the first place.
Marinette grinned, her mind taking off in directions where she'd be the next president of a huge corporation. Her name and designs would be everywhere.

Adults, children, teens and seniors will all be wearing her designs, no matter the body type or the size.
It was certainly a dream come true!

Marinette never really thought about a personal relationship when it came to the future.
Eventually she'd like to get married, settle down and start a family, but Marinette couldn't remember being remotely interested in anyone or even intimate with someone since her college boyfriend a few years back.

It had been a long time since she had been with anyone, and Marinette wondered if she'd even have the time to balance a relationship with how busy she was at work.

But of course she wouldn't admit to anything like that out loud.

Marinette glanced up, nearly jumping out of her skin the moment she heard the sound of the elevator coming to a halt.
The small ding rung throughout her ears and Marinette watched in horror as the doors opened. She could feel her heart pounding rapidly within the confines of her chest as she followed Nathalie out the elevator.

She clutched her sketches to her chest, the sounds of both their heels completely stifled by the carpet beneath the both of them. Her blue eyes followed Nathalie who walked in front of her, guiding Marinette down a narrow hallway that ended with two colossal wooden doors.

A lump formed in her throat as both the women paused the moment they approached the door.
Nathalie stood beside the door, allowing them to open so that Marinette could step inside.

Marinette glanced up, her blue eyes enamoured by the warm sunlight that permeated throughout the executive room from the large windows that covered the entire scenery.

Just across from her, Marinette could vividly see the presence of a young blond male, facing away from her as he stood by the window.
Her heart quickened in her chest as Gabriel Agreste was no where in sight.

That realization only made her even more nervous the moment Marinette heard the double doors close behind her, leaving her alone with this mysterious person.

She lightly rocked on her heels nervously, reaching up to tuck one of her fringes behind her ear with a soft sigh.

"You must be Marinette!" He spoke, turning to face her with a small smile. "My father has said a lot about you."

Marinette gulped, a deep blush covering her freckled cheeks regarding the fact that Gabriel Agreste even merely mentioned her name or skill to anyone.

She awkwardly glanced around, somehow suspecting that there was another woman by the name of Marinette in the same room with them.

"I...uh...assume that you're Gabriel's son," Marinette mumbled anxiously, her heart squeezing inside of her chest as the sweat on the back of her neck began to bead against her skin.

Marinette watched as he turned to face her, his hand running through his smooth hair and Marinette could have seen the innocence in his face from where she stood.

He had quite of a light boyish charm to him, and Marinette may have gotten the sense that perhaps Adrien wasn't as spoiled and on cloud nine as she had initially thought.

Of course he had a beautiful face, he was the one front and center in almost all of Gabriel's promos. He was on the front cover of almost every fashion magazine and he was the first one on the stage during Gabriel's fashion premier shows.
Marinette couldn't recall why she had never met him or even had a chance to talk to him, but she was glad that if Gabriel were to suddenly retire, he put the right people in charge.

Who else would be a better candidate besides her to run the entire company? Of course Adrien would be, he most likely had the most experience out of everyone there. He was the first and only son of Gabriel Agreste. He had worked beside his father for many years.

The choice was blatantly obvious.
Adrien Agreste was the perfect option.

"I didn't realise the news would get around so quickly," Adrien spoke, immediately veering Marinette away from her train of thought. "I knew it was on short notice, but I was hoping it would go smoothly."

Marinette blinked, reaching up to brush a few stray hairs away from her eyes.

"Don't worry too much about it," Marinette replied, her eyes moving towards the colossal windows that surrounded them. "It's bound to happen. Aside from Gabriel Agreste, no other big names with big experiences stop by to take over a large company."

Adrien smiled, a small blush damping across his cheeks as he reached up to run his hand through his tousled blond hair.

"Actually, uh... that's the reason I requested Nathalie to bring you here," Adrien confessed, his arms dropping to his sides like a small child that had been huddled into a corner. "I have no experience at all..."

...

...

...

"...What?"

Adrien coiled at Marinette's expression, immediately reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"My father had said nothing but amazing things about you. I was hoping that you'd be the one to show me the ropes, to run the show and help me run things smoothly," his voice quivered as he spoke.

Marinette exhaled, her eyes moving down to the ground with her lips pressed tautly together.

An assistant?

For Adrien Agreste?

Was this a promotion? She simply couldn't tell.

                                                                                                __________

                                                                                             •☆  ꧁꧂ •☆

                                                                                                 _________

Marinette stumbled on her heels the moment she walked outside, she could feel the warm breeze of the early fall wind blow through her hair.
She wasn't finished with her shift, but Marinette knew this was going to be another long night. If she wanted to make it to the bus stop in one piece, she'd need to have some sort of mace or pepper spray on her. It went without saying that she needed to be out during the day while there were people on the streets and the shops were open unless she'd have another run in with Chat Noir again.

Marinette gasped, a twinge in her chest at the mention of Chat's name in her head. She parted her lips, her heart pounding ferociously within the confines of her chest.

Marinette wasn't sure if she was just curious about him or if she were simply delusional.
She wanted to think the latter.
She was attacked, spent all night at the police station, didn't call off the night before and she somehow agreed to be Adrien's right hand assistant after he had suddenly emerged from the blue to run his father's company.

She thought the entire scenario was strange, but the Agrestes were strange in general.

If she had the opportunity to work beside the administration of the company with increased pay, she'd be insane not to take it.

At least then she'd be able to learn first hand the administrative aspects of running a company. Adrien Agreste was the president of the company and Marinette was his right hand woman, she was his advisor.

The thought nearly made her scream.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng?"

Marinette paused, her heart sinking into her stomach at the unfamiliar voice that called out to her, pulling her out of her euphoric trance.
Her brow furrowed and the young woman turned around, her eyes landing upon a brunette female around her age, sporting glasses and a short pinafore dress stopping at the top of her knees.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Marinette asked, turning over to fully face the unknown woman who reached out to her.

The unknown female smiled, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose before she reached out for a formal handshake gesture.

"I'm Alya Cesaire. I'm a correspondent for TV news. I'd like to get an interview for the incident that had happened around this area last night."

Marinette felt her blood run cold.

Chat Noir did warn her about the press coming after her the night before, but she didn't expect them to react so fast.

She exhaled, soon pressing her lips together as she had a new task of trying to come up with a way to somehow get out of this without causing a scene.