Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the only daughter of the wealthy mayor, is merely a young woman who wants to live life one adventure at a time. But when a man dressed in all black actually grants her that wish, she's torn on whether to explore the world wit...
"The human eye cannot see beneath the surface, so why do we trust them as if they can?"
— Forbidden Fruits
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER TEN
»»☆««
Marinette was too tired to freak out over the single bed in the center of the room.
In truth, she was more concerned about Chat Noir—which was an odd thing to internally admit, considering she was still furious at him for kidnapping her, but nonetheless, throughout the ride here, she couldn't help but glance over at him several times. Every time she would discreetly look at him, all she found was a man underneath his invincible facade. Chat Noir had been severely dehydrated, and she was honestly surprised he'd remained upright for hours on end in such a condition.
But what confused her the most was his selflessness. Everyone knew the infamous Chat Noir to be a selfish person because of his thieving actions in which he took anything without remorse according to his reputable reputation. Except now, as she rode beside him and watched how he treated his men, she realized rather quickly just how selfless he truly was.
Even towards her.
He'd given her the last of his water and even the hat atop his head, knowing what consequences would ensue on his own health, and yet, he hadn't hesitated for a second.
Despite her not wanting it to, that caught her attention...
...and softened her heart. Just a bit.
Chat Noir moved across the bedroom in silence. He lit the lantern with his match, which only further illuminated the dark space. Then, he turned once more to face her and moved to approach her.
Marinette stayed routed in her spot. She didn't even move an inch when he reached up to gently remove his hat from her head.
His emerald green eyes bore into hers. For a moment, neither of them were capable of glancing away. They stared into each other's eyes, neither wanting to break eye contact for some reason she couldn't quite understand no matter how hard she tried to comprehend it.
This same thing had happened more than once already. Since the first time Marinette had ever looked into his eyes, there had been some sort of strange connection that she couldn't fathom.
But just like the first time, something would flash in the bandit's irises, and he would be the first to avert his gaze, breaking whatever connection she was still trying to figure out.
"You can take the bed." Chat Noir said with his gaze off to the side. It left his jawline entirely exposed to her wide, curious eyes. "I shall sleep on the floor."
Again, a selfless act—something she still couldn't comprehend. Why was he being so kind to her? He was her kidnapper! He had taken her from her home! Why would he even think to show her an ounce of kindness?
