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The wind blew shards of ice and snow in his face as he chased after the Kamiko. Griffe Noire was running across the rooftops of the Louvre, the ground he was running on slippery with a glaze of ice. He and Toxinelle had been chasing after Hesperias latest champion, Jill Frost, for the last four hours. The Kamiko had created a large-scale storm that had blanketed the city in a thick layer of frost and snow.
Fortunately, it was the middle of winter so an ice-based superhero wouldn’t cause too much disturbance with the public. After all, the world doesn't know about the miraculous or the heroes and villains that have waged war with each other in the shadows. Griffe wonders if this was Toxinelles strange luck kicking in or if Hesperia just had a weird sense of humor with his champions.
The Kamiko was flying ahead on a broom made of ice and was shooting sleet and hail at the villainous duo out of a wand made of crystal-like snow. Jill Frost looked like some kind of witch made of frost (go figure), pointy hat and all, as she blasted gusts of icy wind and ice pellets at Griffe. The building he was running on was now frozen solid, enough so that he had to drop to all fours to prevent slipping off the roof and falling onto the shivering Parisians below.
His boots were slipping but his claws were sharp enough to keep him grounded. Unfortunately, Toxinelle didn't have that luxury, besides her bandalore and heels, she didn't have any sharp items to stabilize her. He could see the bug slipping and grasping at any and anything around her to stay upright. Griffe would laugh at the comical sight if he wasn't freezing his tail off.
He wasn't a big fan of the cold, he’d much rather be at home curled up next to a fireplace and stuffing his face with all the sugary snacks money can buy. Sadly, he was stuck out here getting ice and snow in places he didn't think possible. Thankfully, it seemed like their suits provided thermal heating. They wouldn't be at risk for hyperthermia but they would still get cold enough to shiver pretty badly from it.
Griffe was still running at 100%, perhaps it's thanks to the predatory nature of his miraculous. It was great for hunting and helped provide an extra layer of warmth with a winter coat. Toxinelle however had the same suit as always. Her suit seemed duller somehow, the red looked muted and the black looked faded. Her movements seemed slow and more sluggish than usual, while her eyes heavily drooped. What, was the fight so boring she was falling asleep?
Toxinelles breath was ragged as her steps seemed to stagger. She would occasionally pitch her bandalore at the kamiko, but most of her hits kept missing. The yo-yo came short of catching anything, least of all the fast-flying Kamiko. She had been like this the whole fight.
As soon as Jill Frost had lobbed her first ice attack Toxinelle seemed to slow more and more during the course of the battle. She better get her act together, Griffe wasn't willing to share the glory of defeating the witch with their superiors if she didn't pull her weight.
“Pick up the pace cockroach or I'm leaving you behind! Then you can tell the Supreme how I defeated the Kamiko and get all the credit for myself!” Griffe shouted over the roaring winds. It was hard for him to hear over the loud gusts of air, but it seemed like his partner got the message, if the sneer she sent his way was any indication.
She ran past him in a sudden burst of speed and chucked her bandalore at the icy broom Jill was riding. The yo-yo was able to wrap around the witch's mount and was pulled hard. The Kamiko lurched and fell off her broom to the frozen ground below.
Griffe was able to pounce and pin the ice witch, quickly looking for the kamikotized item. Jill was face down on the ground, but the wand was just a little away from her grasp; he needed to work fast before she could find a way to blast him off. The Kamiko could be in one of the accessories she was wearing, or maybe the wand? Griffe was about to rip the witch hat in his claws with a cataclysm, but it seemed Jill hadn't given up yet. She had somehow grabbed her wand and shot one last burst of frost at the villainous black cat.
Luckily, Griffe was able to push the witch far enough away to dodge the hit completely. He could feel a faint layer of ice build up where the blast almost hit him. He was about to pounce on the Kamiko once more when he heard a pained shout. Griffe turned back to find that Toxinelle seemed to have a dead-on hit with the ice attack.
A star of ice was spreading across her chest where the blast must have hit her. She struggled to stand as her face was slowly turning blue. Toxinelle dropped her bandalore and slowly fell to her knees. Griffe tried calling out to her, trying to snap her out of whatever stupor she was shocked into. Unfortunately, her balance failed her and caused her to lean off the edge of the building and plummet to the ground far below.
“Toxinelle!”, Griffe shouted.
He dropped the Kamiko and, without a second thought, grabbed the dropped bandalore and dived off the building. He vaulted after his falling partner, the sharp edges of hail pelting his face and blocking his vision. He saw a faint blur of red and black and reached out a clawed hand. He was able to grab Toxinelles waist and toss her yo-yo hard enough to wrap around a nearby ledge.
Griffe held his bug in one arm as he swung around the city with the other. The muscles in his arm were aching and his weight was constantly shifting his path; this was a lot harder than his partner made it look. He found a deserted alley to hide in and finally took a moment to inspect his fallen comrade.
Toxinelle seemed to have completely collapsed on herself and was covered in a thin layer of frost. Her lips, normally an ebony black, were turning blue, and her spots were extremely faded. Every breath she took was hard and labored; she was barely moving. That was bad, didn't shivering mean that you were still alive?
“Cockroach, c’mon what's wrong? Toxinelle? Duchess?!”
He called her name, shouting over the harsh winds and jerking her every which way. He called her every nasty name he could think of and threatened to take her miraculous. He talked about giving her over to Hesperia or the Supreme. Trying anything to just get her to open her eyes. Nothing seemed to be working, Toxinelle remained still in his arms. Too still, far too still and cold, like a corpse.
Griffe was getting horrible flashbacks. Instead of Toxinelles dark blue hair and her ruby red gaze, he saw platinum blonde locks and forest green eyes. Instead of a snow-covered alley, he was in a wake, and instead of his superpowered costume, he was wearing a dark two-piece suit. His father was crying next to him, drowning in grief, and Nathalie had a hand on his shoulder. There were people gathered around, but he didn't know any of their names or faces. There was a giant mural with her face, she was smiling and dressed in white, but all he could see was his mother being lowered into the ground and-.
No, nope. Not happening right now. Toxinelle will be fine, he’ll make sure of it. He took hold of his partner, holding her princess-style. He ran away from the direction he left the Kamiko and back into the city. Griffe made sure to keep Toxinelle close and carry her as gently as he could. Hesperia could deal with his own champion, Griffe Noire had a partner to save.
All the buildings were dark and the street lights were flashing. The snow must've caused a blackout. Griffe needed to find a place that had few people and ample space to warm his dear duchess up. The public homes were out of the question and his mansion was too far away to run to. That meant there was only one option left, with lots of room to hide in and enough facilities to help them both.
He ran down the back alleys and streets straight for Le Grand Paris Hotel. Griffe didn't have many options, he needed to do this carefully. He snuck to the back of the building and used his cataclysm to quietly break the locks. Making sure no one was in his path he slinked through the hallways as quietly as his powers would allow and tiptoed his way to the very end of the hotel.
All was quiet save for the creak of a pipe or the groan of a settling floorboard. The residents and staff must have either gone home or locked themselves away in their own rooms. Griffe noticed that most of the building was dark, but it seemed like the emergency power at least left some of the lights on and the thick walls kept most of the cold out at least. He dutifully walked to the very end of the hotel, choosing the last room in the hallway. He placed an ear to the door and listened to hear if anyone was still inside.
Hearing nothing but silence, he picked the lock with his claws and shuffled his way inside. He re-locked the door and barricaded it with a nearby chair, just in case. With Toxinelle, still cold and limp in his arms but now safely out of danger, he leaned back against the door and took a moment to mull over everything that's happened.
Griffe just ditched a fight with a Kamiko. The Supreme will be very upset over this, especially with how much it affected the city with this snowstorm. He’ll have to think of some kind of cover story so that he and Toxinelle don't get punished too harshly. He wonders if Jill was out looking for them or if she was causing her own chaos. At least he was out of that blizzard, being inside was helping him think more clearly.
Lets see, he made it to a secure location where he could warm up his partner. There should be plenty of food in the kitchens, however, he doesn't know if any of the facilities were still working thanks to the blackout. He looked around the hotel room to see what he was working with.
The area was pitch black, but with his night vision, he was able to see everything just fine. It was a standard-sized one-bedroom suite, with a few closets and another door to what Griffe assumes leads to a bathroom. The curtains were drawn and the lights were out. It was chilly thanks to the storm rapidly covering the city, but it was better to be in here than out there.
He placed Toxinelle on the center bed and wrapped her in the thick wool blankets. He leaned an ear close to her mouth and listened, it was faint and slightly winded, but she was breathing. However, she still wasn't shivering. Griffe raided the closets and nearby rooms, taking their blankets and pillows as well. He made sure to wrap Toxinelle in layers of cloth and warmth.
The thin layer of ice covering her was slowly melting but her lips were still tinged blue. He must've gotten a dozen blankets but his partner wasn't stirring. He waited for what felt like an hour but Toxinelle was still lying there like she was…
No, he was fixing this. His partner was too stubborn to die in such a lame way. She was a cockroach through and through, she'd get through this. Seeing no other choice and with extreme hesitance, Giffe crawled under the covers and brought Toxinelle into his arms. He made sure to rub her arms and keep her body close to his, building and sharing heat. If the blankets won't warm her up, hopefully his own body heat can.
The air was starting to get stale and bitter, but Griffe stayed still, gently rocking against his partner. He closed his eyes and listened to the soft breaths of Toxinelle slowly relax into something more natural and less labored.
He wasn't sure how long he’d been there, cuddling up next to his dear duchess and listening to her breathe. But it was as the last of the thin sheet of frost covering her melted away that he started to feel it.
A faint quiver rocked through Toxinelle, enough so that Griffe felt it through both of their suits. Hoping it wasn't a fluke, he sat up, paying close attention to the girl in his arms. He rubbed her arms and blew warm gusts of breath on her hands.
“C’mon Tox, wake up.”, he hopefully whispered. Scared that if he was too loud he might ruin the moment.
It was a few minutes later but another pulse racked through her. He could feel the small vibrations coursing through her body and hear the quiet chattering of teeth. She was shivering. She was moving. She was going to be okay, he fixed it.
Seeing his partner make some progress, Griffe curled into her even more. His arms wrapped around her torso, his chest was flush against her back, and even his tail entwined itself around her legs.
“Come on cockroach, just a little more. Wake up already.”, he whispered into her hair.
Now that Toxinelle was getting better, he couldn't help but relax. Griffe didn't realize how tense he was before then, how much he was holding his breath, or how hard his heart was pumping. He couldn't help but close his eyes, just for a little while. He’ll rest his eyes for a few minutes and then check back on Toxinelle.
The quiet breaths of his partner and the warm touch being shared between them helped drag him under more and more. Just a few minutes, then he’ll check on Tox and see how the storm is raging.
He couldn't see but felt Toxinelle turn around in his arms. She was hugging him back, snuggling into him. Her hair tickled his nose and she smelled like pastries. Just.. a few…minutes. And Griffe Noire was asleep.
When the feline villain stirred himself awake, he was wrapped up in the blankets and was toasty warm. It was so comfortable Griffe was close to being pulled back to sleep. He reached a hand out, ready to pull Toxinelle back to him, but came out empty-handed.
Now on high alert, Griffe Noire jumped off the bed and scanned the room. The windows were slightly drawn, letting in a small beam of light. However, the door was still locked and the chair blockade was still there. Most importantly though, the bed was empty, Toxinelle was gone.
“Cockroach, where did you go?”, he called out into the empty room. With only silence greeting him, Griffe worriedly started checking under the bed and moving the covers, hoping to find the small bug somehow hidden underneath them.
“Toxinelle? Duchess, seriously, where are you?!” He couldn't help but shout. Where did his partner go? It was just him and Toxinelle a few minutes ago, did Hesperia find them? If so, how did they get in, and why only Toxinelle? Did he take advantage and kidnap the bug in her sleep?
Enraged and distressed, Griffe started building a cataclysm in his hands. The smell of rot and decay spread throughout the room. The walls cracked and the floor creaked as the magic started to leak from his claws. He was ready to burst out of the room and hunt down the stupid butterfly and his rotten champion. Grife would destroy anyone and anything who dared to take his -.
“Calm down fleabag. Unless you want the whole building to know we’re here, quit it.” The refreshingly familiar voice of Toxinelle snarked out. It was muffled and sounded exhausted, but it was Toxinelle.
Griffe strained his ears and found the source of her voice coming from the ensuite bathroom. He walked to the door and turned the knob, only to find it locked. He frustratedly banged on the door, rattling the knob all the while. His partner wasn't missing or kidnapped, she merely locked herself in the restroom.
“What the hell Tox, you almost gave me a heart attack! Why did you lock yourself in the bathroom?”, Griffe couldn't help but ask. He really panicked when he couldn't find his bug next to him.
The sound of shuffling came from the other side of the door. She must be either searching the bathroom or checking herself. When she finally replied her voice was aggravated, but Griffe could still pick up the slight wavering as she spoke. She must still be feeling pretty groggy.
“Because when I woke up I was cuddled up next to a certain stray cat and locked inside a random room without my weapon. Why do you think?”
Oh, right. Griffe couldn't help but cringe at the reminder of what he’d done. He supposes waking up in a random location after a fight and saddling up against your sometimes enemy sometimes partner would throw him for a loop too.
“You got hit by the Kamikos ice beam and practically dropped dead. I had to drag your sorry ass out of there and away from the fight.”
“Yeah, sure I'll believe that. And that explains why you locked us in this room and took my weapon?”
“You still have your miraculous, don't you? What's the big deal?”, he deflected.
She was asking too many questions for his comfort. Honestly, he probably could have just dropped her off at some abandoned building and run off home. Instead, he did all of this, making sure she was safe and warm, and he’s not completely sure why.
Toxinelle didn't bother responding to him and he couldn't really blame her. They've had their miraculous for about a year now and for the whole time they've been at each other's neck. Either trying to one-up each other for the Supreme or steal the others miraculous. Going out of his way to save her isn't really part of the normal modus operandi they've come to get used to.
He leaned his back against the door, straining his ears to listen to any movement from the other side of the wall. He heaved a heavy sigh and hesitantly started to speak once more.
“Look, Tox, you weren't moving. Your lips turned blue and you were barely breathing. Our suits are supposed to protect us from the cold, but you were freezing and-. I thought you were dying okay.”
Silence greeted him still, but he kept talking. “You couldn't fight anymore, you were knocked out cold, and I panicked, so I ran over here to try to warm you up. I got a bunch of stuff but you weren't getting better, so I…yeah. That's the story.”
There was another minute of silence, but eventually, the door creaked open. Griffe turned around to see the bright red eyes of his partner peeking through the door. She tried to stand tall but Giffe could see the exhaustion wearing her down.
”And the barricade?”
“In case one of the workers or Hesperia found us, I wanted at least a little head start.”
“And why did you save me? You could have taken the glory and my miraculous all at once.”
He took a moment to think about that. Why did he save Toxinelle? He could have finally gotten rid of her and gotten the power of both Destruction and Creation. It's something he’s always dreamed about, but when he saw her drop off that building he couldn't help but flinch at the sheer terror and fear that wracked through him.
“Sure, I could have. But if you died, who would I have to annoy with my wonderful puns?” He tried putting as much confidence as he could into his response. His voice pitched a little, but he was desperately hoping Toxinelle wouldn't bring it up and just go with it.
She stared right into his eyes, searching for any fault or lie in his story. She wouldn’t find any, he was being completely honest, he was too tired to mess with her anymore tonight. Instead of a proper response, she merely hummed and held out her hand, waiting.
He promptly detached her bandalore he had latched to his waist and placed it back into the hand of its owner. She examined her yo-yo, checking for any nicks or marks. Satisfied, she clipped it back to her waist and slowly exited the bathroom.
“So, the Kamiko is still active?”
“More than likely.”
“And where are we?”
“Le Grand Paris Hotel. One of the farther back rooms.”
“Ah, I thought I recognized the room layout. Has the Supreme tried to contact us?”
“Nope,” he replied, popping the ‘p’ at the end. “Looks like we're on our own until Hesperia decides to recall his champion or the lights turn back on.”
“Hm,” Toxinelle said. Griffe could tell she was trying to hold herself high and confident, but could see the shivers still racking her body and hear the slight clacking of her teeth chattering. She was still cold.
“C’mon bug, back under the covers.”
“Excuse me?” Toxinelle said, affronted at the idea.
“You're still cold and we're still stuck. So, unless you've got some kind of miracle cure that can fix all this we might as well wait it out.”
“And what makes you think I won't just ditch you here and leave?”
“You seriously expect me to believe that you'll be able to go more than thirty feet without collapsing out there?”
With a huff, she marched back to the bed and angrily wrapped herself in the blankets. Satisfied, Griffe sauntered to the bed and back-flopped next to his partner. He got himself comfy while Toxinelle decided to act all moody. He craned his head to address his partner and ask some questions that had been eating him for hours.
“So, now that the threat of death has passed. Explain to me why you take one hit and drop like a dead cockroach.”
“Look, I don't do well with the cold-.”
“Oh, really? The near-death experience didn't tip me off.”
“Let me finish alleycat. Ladybugs - normal ladybugs hibernate in the winter. Usually, they travel in swarms to help keep eachother warm, but obviously I don't have that option.”
“Hibernate? What, like an insect or a bear?”
“Oh, don't judge. I've seen you hiss and meow plenty cat boy.”
“So, you weren't dying?”
“Nope, but it's so nice that you care.” She said sickly sweet. She definitely wasn't ever going to let him live this down, great.
“No problem, next time I’ll just leave you on the cold street floor covered in ice and snow and see how you are in the next three hours.”
“Hmph.”
“So, how did you even figure all this out?”
“What, like you didn't do a ton of research on cats when you got your miraculous. You weren't scared that you'd start hacking hairballs or yowling at every passing girl?”
“Those weren't exactly the things I was worried about, but my question was how did you figure this out? The details of the hibernation thing, I mean?”
*mumble*
“I'm sorry, what was that?”
“Ugh, I said that I recorded myself sleeping last winter and compared it to my usual sleeping patterns. There, you happy?”
“Very much so, yes. It’s nice to know that throughout all of this, you're still the overly paranoid cockroach that I know you to be.”
“Whatever fleabag.”
An awkward silence filled the room. The sound of Toxinelles shivering started turning for the worse and the only other sounds he could focus on was the groaning of the pipes. It was as Toxinelle started to sway that, without a word, Griffe gathered the rest of the blankets and wrapped them around his partner and himself.
Toxinelle gave him a stink eye before he lifted an arm, inviting her in. She gave him the most puzzled look he’d ever seen on her.
He sighed and in a tired voice said, “Look, either way I see it, you freeze to death in this room or we suck it up and get through this together.“
Once more she was silent. Her eyes switched between Griffe and the blankets. He could only imagine what was going through her mind, what escape plans or alternatives she was trying to come up with.
She must have agreed with him in the end, that or she was too tired to think of anything else, because she slowly joined him under the blankets.
His arm gently wrapped around her. He leaned against Toxinelle and his chin rested on her head. Her hair was soft and her ribbons slightly tickled his nose. He never realized just how small his partner was, she barely came up to his chest.
Her head was leaning against his chest. She could probably hear his heartbeat. He wondered what it sounded like to her. After a few minutes, she tucked herself into him, her hand softly clutching his.
They stayed like that for a while. Just existing next to each other, sharing body heat and warmth. Griffe wasn't sure if it was because of the Kamiko or their miraculous, but right now at this moment, everything felt kind of right.
Griffe isn't sure how long they stayed like that. Just huddling together in the dark room, but Toxinelle suddenly spoke back up. Her voice chagrined, laughing at some cosmic irony.
“Heh, we only need a fireplace with some cookies and we’d have a nice little Christmas scene here.”
“I wouldn't call being trapped in an abandoned half-frozen hotel because of a magic blizzard a ‘winter scene’, but sure I guess.”
Toxinelle nudged him, her voice breathy and jovial. “C’mon, pretty boy. If we're gonna be here a while might as well make it interesting. Don’t you have any fond winter memories?”
“What happened to us having secret identities?”
“Oh yes of course.” she scoffed, “I'd absolutely be able to figure out who you are if I know you have hot chocolate before you hang your stockings. Oh shoot, you've caught me in my nefarious scheme.”
“Alright alright, I get it.”, he said, ruffling her hair with his chin. She tried to swat him away, but an attempt to bite her fingers made her stop.
“Fond winter memories huh? Well, sometimes my parents and I would watch old movies together.” Said movies were films his mother had starred in, but Toxinelle didn't need to know that part. But it was one of the few times a year his family would come together and just be happy. No business, no meetings, just them together enjoying themselves, it was nice.
“What about you bug, what does your family do for winter?” He looked down at Toxinelle. He could feel her shivers had finally left and her skin was starting to gain some color back.
She looked off, lost in thought and memories. Although her hand was still clenched in his she moved it around to help exaggerate her explanations. Her red eyes sparkled and her lips tipped up in a content smile.
“We did a ton of stuff. Sometimes we’d go out of the country to visit family, sometimes we’d stay in Paris and have a little Christmas at home. I remember my dad taking me out to the countryside one year. We went sledding and had hot cocoa with those little marshmallows.”
“Man, I remember those. Did you have them with whipped cream and those little sprinkles that look like stars?”
“The star sprinkles? Ah, a fancy boy I see. Alright, rich kid, what else did your family do?”
“Oh uh, not much besides that honestly. You know that classic mother vs father during Christmas stuff, that was my family.”
She tipped her head up to look him in the eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He hesitantly started rubbing his hand across her fingers. Excusing the action as making sure she was properly warmed up. She didn't tell him to stop or pull away.
“As long as I could remember, they were always clashing with each other. Mom wanted to go out and travel, but dad wanted to hunker down and stay home. Mom loved big and lavish parties, dad liked staying inside with a good book. Mom would want to give mountains of presents and dad would give that one single handmade gift.”
“Your family sounds like a household of opposites.”
“Yup, but it somehow worked. They loved each other so damn much, like you wouldn't believe. No matter how much they argued or bickered, we would always end the night together, happy and loved. It was nice.”
“Hm, it sounds like it,” Toxinelle whispered, she leaned her head back into his chest and closed her eyes. “It’s kind of ironic though. I was frozen not too long ago, but right now I could really go for some snow cones. I haven't had them in ages.”
“Snow cones?”
“Yeah, the blue ones were always my favorite. Do you think it's actually blueberry or raspberry, I just call them blue.”
“No, I mean, snow cones are real?”
Toxinelle paused whatever her response was going to be and lifted her head once more to look him straight in the eyes. Her face was filled with confusion and disappointment. “...What the fuck?”
Realizing he just made a massive mistake he tried backtracking. “What, I didn't know snow cones were real sue me. I thought they were only eaten in movies or TV.”
“How have you never had a snow cone before? They literally sell them every year on the street carts.”
“I don't know, I thought you just get a cone and scoop up some snow right?”
Toxinelle leaned back, her lips pursed to try to hold in the laughter Griffe knew she was trying to hold in. “That is absolutely not how snow cones are made. Seriously, how do you not know this?”
Embarrassed and humiliated, Griffe detangled himself from Toxinelle and stormed out of the blanket huddle. Sitting curled in on himself on the edge of the bed, he refused to look back at her. “I just…haven't okay. Let's just drop this, please.”
Before he could get far Toxinelle grabbed his hand. “Fine, fine. I'll drop it just, don't go, okay.”
Griffe looked at Toxinelle and saw…something in her eyes. Her body was now properly warmed up and she was no longer in danger of falling asleep. But her grip on his hand was tight and refused to let go. Carefully, he lowered himself back onto the bed and re-wrapped both of them in the blankets.
The togethor once more the duo relzxed once more. Toxinelle sighed, content, and leaned back onto his chest.
With a quiet humming Griffe asked, “How long do you think this storm is going to last?”
“Hm, probably about an hour to two, maybe more. I can't imagine Hesperia would let their Kamiko run loose when there's no one to fight.”
“Well, at least it's not all bad.”
“Yeah. You're pretty alright, for a fleabag, I mean.”
Griffe couldn't help but snort. Even after everything, neither of them could admit what they were really feeling. Especially not with each other.
He hugged Toxinelle as close as he could. Her body was warm as it leaned against his chest and her hair smelled like sugary treats. His eyes slowly dropped as he stared into the ruby eyes of his duchess. He never realized how bright they were, like rubies. It was kind of pretty.
His body slowly felt more and more heavy as he leaned his head against hers, hearing the steady rhythm of her breaths. He murmured one last response before the dregs of sleep pulled him under. His hand clenched tightly in hers.
“You're not so bad yourself, cockroach. You're pretty cool sometimes.”