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Adrien didn't think he was meant to witness this. In fact, he didn't think anyone was supposed to, since most students have already left the school to go back home.
He himself had to be at his afternoon fencing classes in less than fifteen minutes and he absolutely wanted to avoid his father's wrath for being late but he couldn't help but freeze at what he saw.
Completely unaware that he was watching them from outside, his heart dropped as Lila slammed one of his friends against their classroom's whiteboard, the latter audibly wincing as the metal borders collided with her back bones. He could see her holding back tears, her face twisted with pain.
A sudden wave of protectiveness and guilt surged over him and he clenched his fists tightly at the scene that just unfolded itself in front of him. His mind went back to the ridiculous advice he'd given Marinette a few months back, that she should take the high road since Lila's lies weren't causing harm to anyone.
How incredibly stupid.
Adrien felt the small pressure from his shirt's pocket going in the direction of the door, Plagg's way to tell him to act this time, and he didn't need to be told twice. He wouldn't and couldn't turn a blind eye to the situation; he'd already let Marinette down enough times.
He slammed opened the door, making both girls jump feet away from each other at the sudden intrusion.
He'd give Lila an Oscar for the speed her eyes watered as she immediately brought her hands up to clunch at her heart — as though Marinette had said something hurtful to her.
He didn't give her time to start spouting her lies. “What the hell are you doing, Lila ?” He startled himself by how cold and blank his voice came out (he ignored the quiet sinister voice that he knew wasn’t Plagg that whispered ‘ Like father, like son’ in the back of his mind).
“A-Adrien!” She wailed. “It's Marinette! She- she-”
The boy wrinkled his nose in disgust, not bothering to hide his disdain when she brought her hands to her face and kept ‘sobbing’. She rushed to him, burying her head against his chest as she sought comfort from him.
He watched as Marinette hung her head low, too tired to defend herself to someone else, simply giving up, and the sight of it made his heart clench with a pain so intense it felt physical.
Protect, something at the back of his mind supplied and he found it impossible to ignore.
She raised it back up to meet his eyes only when he pushed the brown-haired girl away in one swift motion, looking at him in utter confusion. The pain in her eyes was something he was not used to seeing in her.
“Quit it, Lila ,” he spat, each word he spoke twisted with venom and he couldn't tell whether he was angrier at her or himself. “I've seen what you just did to Marinette.”
While said girl remained frozen in her place, Lila went to clunch one of his arms in a desperate attempt to make herself pass as the victim, her nails digging deep into his flesh like it often did whenever she hovered around him.
Even though he'd taken worse injuries than nails digging in his skin as Chat Noir, Adrien still tensed at her touch. It made his skin crawl and he could hardly repress a shiver at the unpleasant feeling it provoked.
Danger, his brain whispered to him and he knew that ever since he's become Chat Noir, his civilian self had started to pick up some of the cat tendencies he'd adopted when transformed.
Therefore, it was no surprise to him when Marinette's eyes widened in surprise when he felt his pupils narrow down to slits, perhaps so thin that one could barely see it.
“It's not what it seems like,” Lila cried out. “Marinette set this up so that it looked like I was bullying her . I don't know what I've done to deserve this, Adrien! I was just trying to defend myself against her assaults!”
With each second Lila's nails pressed against his skin, the blond could feel his blood boiling hotter by an additional degree. Thoughts swirled around his brain like a fan at top speed until he could no longer make sense of any of them.
It wasn't until he let out a low primitive growl that he'd realised he had called for his transformation, and despite the severity of his rash decision, he couldn't seem to care about anything else other than protecting Marinette and getting rid of Lila.
“Stop. Fucking. Touching. Me.”
Lila let go of him as if she'd been burnt, and his ears managed to pick up Marinette's sharp inhale.
Transforming seemed to have been the catalyst for his cat-like senses to explode, like glass cracking under pressure. His toxic green eyes remained focused on his prey, blurring Marinette in the background, and he could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up.
“What's wrong, Lila?” He hissed, quite literally. “Surprised that you're not the one in control anymore?” He reached for her wrist, tightening his hold when she tried to pull away from his grasp.
Funny how the tables have turned, he heard Plagg murmuring telepathically and he had half a mind to sink his actual claws in her skin like she always did to him.
Nevertheless, Chat Noir shamelessly took pleasure in the frightened expression she wore, pure terror flashing in her eyes as her poor, pathetic figure trembled.
“I know you've been threatening Marinette all this time and I'm pretty certain it wasn't her ‘clumsiness’ that made her fall down the stairs.”
She stood speechless for a while, opening and closing her mouth several times until she managed to stutter out some excuses at the accusation.
He took some slow steps towards her until she was within his reach. He held her face between his clawed thumb and index finger, applying the slightest pressure for his personal satisfaction — something that Plagg should reprimand him for but hey, the little shit was the God of Destruction and Chaos ! Adrien knew that his kwami would crack up instead.
“I also know more than anyone that Ladybug and you are not best friends,” he said, letting out a mocking laugh at the absurdity. “Hell ! She'd rather reveal herself to Hawkmoth than admit you and her are even friends.”
He ran his tongue over the pointy fangs that slightly poked out of his mouth whenever he transformed, noticing how they were longer and sharper than usual.
“You think you're powerful, Lila~?” He purred menacingly, his leather tail swinging back and forth against his legs with hostility. “I'm sure you wouldn’t want to find yourself on the receiving end of my Cataclysm.”
“L-Let me go!” she choked out once it was too much, genuine tears pouring down her cheeks at his threats and scrambled out of the classroom.
Chat Noir's gaze stayed fixed on the door as if letting Lila get out of this unscratched was an offence before he forced himself to look away.
“Are you okay, Mari? Did she hurt you?” He rushed to her, gently touching her sides to assess any potential injuries. His pupils were slightly dilated by then, with the threat now out of range.
“N-no,” she answered, though the hero was too busy examining her closely to notice either her stutter or the blush that crept on her face.
“You shouldn't have done this.”
Chat was certain that he wouldn't have heard her if it wasn't for his cat ears. He immediately straightened up, distancing himself from the personal space he had carelessly invaded.
“I don't regret it, Marinette,” he spoke softly and, dammit his Adrien side was showing. Where was the confidence the Black Cat miraculous offered him when he really needed it?!
“But Ladybug…”
“I'll explain everything to her, I-”
“But what if Lila- !”
“It's a risk I was willing to take,” he cut her off. He bit his lips anxiously; it would be a lie to say that he didn't feel nervous about the consequences of his actions.
“I couldn't let her hurt you any longer…” he whispered, unsure if he had been heard until he caught sight of his friends’ wide- heh, wider eyes.”
He shook his head to himself as he spoke, barely noticing how close he sounded to begging. ”You absolutely cannot tell anyone, Marinette.”
“I know,” she replied immediately and it reassured him a bit that she understood what was at stake.
They fell silent for a couple of seconds before Marinette decided to break it. “Won't you be late for-” idiot, now he's gonna know you stalk him!, she reprimanded herself mentally but it was already too late, “-your fencing classes?”
“I am,” he signed, running a hand through his messy blond hair in frustration.
He took a deep breath and brought his arms up to stretch himself, which seemed to have calmed him down a little.
“Father's already mad by now so,” he flashed a grin at her, “Why not make the most of it?”
“Huh-” Without giving her the time to process, he picked her up in his arms and fetched for his staff.
“Adrien?!”
“Don't worry, Purrincess,” he channeled his inner Chat. “I won't let you fall.”
And with that, they took off and landed on her balcony within a few seconds.