The Miraculous Marichat

Part Twelve

Adrien growled in anger as he ducked into an alleyway.
"Looks like we have to rescue your girlfriend once again," Plagg teased.
"Plagg, claws out!"

The giant ape had already climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower by the time Chat Noir caught up with it.
It raised its fist, Marinette still inside and roared out over the city.
Chat leaped and vaulted his way up the tower, only stopping once he reached the highest landing.
"Let the lady go!" he called, too worked up to even bother with a joke.
The monster roared before leaping down to be on the platform with him.
Ducking and weaving as the akuma attempted to clobber him, Chat tried to come up with a plan to free Marinette.
"Chat!" his friend called out. "His eyes!"
Following her advice, Chat extended his baton to stab at the creature's face. It growled and flailed its arms as it tried to rub away the pain. The tower shook with its movements, but it did open up its fist.
Chat caught Marinette in his arms before she could hit the metal landing.
"We really need to stop meeting like this, Princess," Chat purred once he saw that she was safe.
"Chat, look out!"
He released Marinette just in time as the ape backhanded him and sent him flying.
He groaned in pain as he collided with the solid metal railing.
The akuma beared down on him.
Chat reached for his stick, but it was gone, probably knocked away from him when he was hit.
Chat could hardly move with how badly the wind had been knocked from him as the ape snatched him up in its fist.
Chat wheezed at the crushing sensation. He was oddly reminded of the time his body guard had been akumatized.
"Put him down!" Marinette yelled from the platform.
She brandished his baton at the creature.
"Marinette, no!" Chat called, struggling against the akuma's grip.
The girl let out a battle cry as she dashed forward. The akuma growled and roared back, taking a menacing step forward.
At the last moment, just before she would have been crushed, Marinette extended Chat's staff and used it to launch herself up to where he was still held. She stumbled on the ape's massive arm and caught herself with a hand in the thick fur.
The akuma roared and began shaking his arm.
"Marinette don't! Get out of here! It's too dangerous."
Marinette held firm and grit her teeth. She had an intense look in her eye that neither Chat nor Adrien had ever seen before.
"Get ready, kitty!" she grunted before changing her grip on the baton and extending it straight into the ape's chin.
The akuma howled as its head snapped back with the impact. It stumbled and fell, releasing Chat Noir and dumping both him and Marinette off the side of the Eiffel Tower.

—

Marinette bit down the scream that surged into her throat as she was thrust into a free fall. She dove toward Chat Noir and managed to snag hold of him. She pulled him close to her with one arm as the wind yanked at her clothes and hair and readied his baton.
"Hold on!" She yelled as she extended the stick.
It clinked against the ground and she used their downward momentum to fling them forward in a vault.
Chat desperately gripped her shoulders as she tried to recreate the move a second time, but she missed her mark and the baton slipped.
It slowed their fall, but it was sloppy and clumsy and the pair toppled to the grass before rolling to a halt.
"Are you okay, Chat!" Marinette cried, sitting up and examining him. He still held onto her tightly.
"Am I okay?" he gasped. "What about you! You—I mean, you just—I can't believe—"
Chat Noir laughed out loud and stood up, spinning Marinette in a circle.
Marinette clung to his shoulders as he spun her around.
"You were incredible! That was so brave and crazy and amazing and—" Chat laughed out loud again. "Gosh, I could kiss you!"
Marinette stopped giggling at this declaration.
Chat was grinning widely, seemingly unaware of what he just said or the implications.
Marinette felt heat rising to her cheeks once again.
Chat blinked and comprehension seemed to cross his face.
He set her down and backed up a step.
"I mean—what I meant was actually—"
He didn't get to finish as the akuma roared and leaped down from the tower.
The two gasped as the creature bellowed. It's form became enveloped in purple smoke once more before it transformed into an enormous Godzilla.
"Thank you for your help, Marinette," Chat Noir said, taking his baton back from her. "Even though you can clearly handle yourself, it's still very dangerous. Let Ladybug and I take care of this. Get somewhere safe."
With that, Chat took off toward the monster.
Marinette nodded and ran in the opposite direction, searching for a discreet place to transform.
She tried to chalk up the racing of her heart to the adrenaline from the fall, but even she knew she was kidding herself.