Criminal

Chapter 1: Black

"You have to admit... he is EXTREMELY hot." Alya said, "Not that he's my type... but he is really good looking."

Marinette rolled her eyes, "Alya, he's a criminal. I'm never, EVER, going to say that he's hot." Alya scoffed at Marinette's response, fixing her glasses before she continued scrolling through the news photos of Chat Noir. "Whatever you say girl," the brunette retorted, seemingly in disbelief.

Chat Noir was on the news for a robbery, he was known by pretty much everyone in town. But no one actually knew who he was.

Marinette shrugged and continued her essay. She needed to finish before midnight. Luckily, she had 2 or 3 hours left.

"Can I raid your cabinet before I leave?" Alya asked, and Marinette shrugged. "Don't you always?"

A small smile spread across Alya's lips before she got off the cozy couch and went into the kitchen. Alya always stopped by after college classes, and then usually went back to her mom's house or Nino's. Sometimes she'd stay the night at Marinette's apartment but Nino's place was closer to college.

So Alya preferred Nino's... traitor.

Marinette sighed and took off her blue light glasses, placing them next to her computer and spinning in her chair.

She had moved out of the bakery since she started college a year ago, she missed back home sometimes but she also loved the independence she was offered by herself. She liked her little apartment space. It was cozy and modern. Plus, she decided against painting all her walls pink, a good decision really.

"Alright girl..." Alya said munching on a pastry, "I should get going now before it gets too late."

Marinette sighed, she couldn't think of how to start her essay, so she decided she should get out for some fresh air to get a little inspiration. "I'll walk you out. I think I'm gonna grab a coffee at the gas station anyway." She said, grabbing her purse and apartment key.

It was cold outside, and Marinette wished she had brought a jacket, but she didn't feel like going back to get one. She walked Alya down a block or two before they parted ways, Nino's house was the opposite of the gas station, but both were pretty close by.

Marinette could see her breath in the air, it was only getting colder, and darker. Yep, she definitely should've brought a jacket. She was only wearing a thin strap and some ripped jeans. She could feel the cool wind against her skin, giving her goosebumps. Dumbass, she thought to herself.

She was almost there, not too far away, her hands went to the sides of her arms in attempt to warm herself, which didn't help much... but it was better than nothing. She felt that feeling in her gut, the feeling that something bad was about to happen. Like someone... was watching her.

She thought about just heading home, but decided against it when she could see the lit up sign of the gas station. She could spot the silhouette of several guys in the parking lot, her heart beat accelerating and she couldn't ignore the bad feeling in her stomach anymore.

She started to walk slower, and eventually just came to a complete stop right before the gas station parking lot. It was cold...

Her heart ached, worried. Should she call her parents to pick her up? No... that would take even longer than just walking home.

The men in the parking lot began walking towards her, there were four of them. She stepped back a little, what could they possibly want from her? She didn't want to think about it... They were a few meters away, and she could see their faces more clearly. They all seemed to be about in their 40's, with beards and rings on their fingers.

She gulped and turned around, her heart hammering in her chest. There was no one around... no cars or people walking. Just her, and those guys.

"Hey sweetie, come here we just wanna talk to you." She heard one of them say, and she started to walk faster. "Don't walk away from us."

"Hey bitch, we're talking to you!"

She began to run, knowing their intention was obviously no good... she just wanted to go home. She wanted to pull out her phone and call the cops but it would only slow her down, plus... the cops sometimes took a while. She felt her heart drop when she heard their walking footsteps turn into running after her.

She turned the corner, hoping to lose them or find some other people but all she could see was tall buildings and empty streets. "HELP!" She shouted, running as fast as she could before she felt someone tug on her arm and pull her back. "Don't fucking touch me, asshole." She shouted.

She was now facing him, the man grinned, exposing his yellow teeth. He had a silver tooth and a bandanna. The other men caught up and one of them snatched her purse. "Hey, give that back!"

"I don't take orders from you, bitch." He said, as she began to panic when she was completely surrounded by the four. Two of them held her arms back and she struggled to get out, slipping out of it before they grabbed her once more and pulled her back. "Stop, stop, let me go!" She rasped.

One of them grabbed her face and grinned, "You're pretty ain't ya?" He asked, one of them chuckled. "Feisty." She gasped as their hand harshly pressed into her arm, and she spit in their face.

"Bitch." The next moment she felt a hard hit to the face, as the two continued to hold her back and grab her harder. She let out a whimper as someone kneed her in the gut and she folded back. Their nails dug into her skin and she felt the blood rush to her cheek where she had been hit.

"Let her go."

All of their heads jerked to where they had heard the voice come from. Marinette felt her eyes water, their grip on her was hurting, she could feel the scratches on her arms but everything suddenly stopped. Marinettes turned her attention towards the person, her breath hitched in her throat.

Chat Noir...

There he stood, her eyes meeting his. He had sharp, electric green eyes. His fists were balled, he was wearing a tight leather suit and a black mask. She wanted to pay attention to more details, but she felt like she could pass out any moment. Her nose was bleeding and she could already feel bruises forming all over her arms and her cheekbone.

The two threw her to the ground, all four of them ganging up on him. She felt a patch of skin on her elbow tear as she fell against the road. All she could do was lay there and watch. Her phone... where was her phone... it was on the floor nearby, and she began crawling towards it.

She felt weak, too weak... she couldn't think. The last thing she saw was four men on the ground and then... black.