BREATHING BLUE
Chapter One
~ Pain Unites Us ~
Summary: "It's like being locked in a cage that's unlocked. I can get out, but I've trapped myself. It's like suffocating but you're still breathing. It's not a way to live, it's a way to die." Traumatic events have led to Marinette going down a dark path, but with help coming from unexpected places, is it too late to bring her back into the light?
Author's Note: So this is set in a slight alternate universe. There's no 'miraculous wielders' or any Akumatized victims, however there are human versions of Tikki and Plagg. Also there are members of the Quantic kids in this story: "Melodie" who was been given the fan name Allegra and Felix who is being cast as Adrien's older brother. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!
Featured Review: Since this is the first chapter of this story, there isn't a Featured Review. For my newer followers, Featured Reviews is something I do with all my works. It's a way to say thanks to those who stop and took the time to let me know what they thought. I pick a review and say why I liked it, if it made me smile or how it helped me.
Warning: This story may contain the following themes. You have been warned!
- Sexual Content
- Strong Language
- Graphic Violence
- Possible Character Deaths
- Mentions of Self Harm & Suicide
- Mentions of Physical & Sexual Abuse
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
December 24th
Snow fell from the sky in small and elegant flakes, covering Paris in a thick blanket of white. The sky was grey, completely covered by heavy clouds, while the air was numbingly cold. Letting out a sigh, Chloe Bourgeois pulled her jacket around her neck tightly, enjoying the warm feeling the fur collar sent through her body. While she loved Christmas time, she hated the cold weather. What she wanted more than anything else was to be back at home in the warm with a nice cup of hot chocolate. But instead she was out searching for a last minute Christmas present. To this day, she hadn't been able to find the perfect gift for Adrien, and with Christmas being right around the corner she was starting to panic. He was her best friend after all, she wanted to give him a gift that showed him just how much she cared. However, with the shops being almost cleared out her selection was looking slim at best.
"Sabrina, I don't know what to get him! This is impossible!" Chloe whined.
"Well, when I get people presents I normally keep in mind what they need and if what I had planned would be something they'd actually want or use. What does Adrien need?" Sabrina asked, trying to be as supportive and as helpful as she could possibly be.
"I can't get him what he wants..." Chloe muttered, looking down at the ground. She knew Christmas was a hard time for Adrien, ever since his Mother disappeared he hadn't really enjoyed the holiday. What the young man wanted more than anything else was to find her, but even Chloe couldn't do that. However, the thought suddenly gave her an idea. Back in her room, she had an old photo album, and she was pretty sure there were several photos of a young Adrien with his Mother in there. Maybe she could make him a scrapbook of sorts?
"That's it! Sabrina you're a genius! I've got to go back home, I'll see you later!" Chloe explained, running off and without saying another word, while leaving Sabrina in a state of confusion.
It didn't take her long to reach the Pont Des Arts bridge, but when she was half way across she stopped dead in her tracks, a look of shock and horror spreading across her face. Her eyes locked on a young woman who was standing on the railing of the bridge, looking down at the freezing water below. Her feet were bare, and the only thing protecting her skin from the cold winds and the snow was a pair of shorts and a vest top. Her skin was incredibly pale and dark bags rested under her eyes. Looking down, Chloe noticed droplets of blood in the snow leading up to where the young girl was. The source of the blood seemed to be a large gash on her right leg, which was still oozing out blood at that very moment. The sight alone struck fear into her, but she could barely even breathe when she realised who it was.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one of her classmates. While they hadn't really got on in their younger years, things were better now. Well, by better Chloe actually meant they didn't talk. She'd accepted a long time ago that Adrien didn't feel the same way about her as she did him, so she'd let go of the one way crush. The only reason she'd picked on Marinette so much was because it was obvious the bluenette liked Adrien, and Chloe didn't want any competition. But the day she let go of Adrien was also the day she stopped picking on Marinette. Snapping out of her thoughts, Chloe gasped in horror as Marinette looked as if she was going to jump.
"Marinette! Stop!" Chloe yelled, running over to the young woman as fast as she could. The shock of hearing the blonde's voice caused Marinette to jolt in surprise, causing her foot to slip. In mere seconds she'd fallen off the bridge and crashed into the icy waters below, screaming as she descended. Leaning over the rail, Chloe had tried to reach out and catch the falling girl, but her attempts had been futile as her hand was just out of range.
"No! Marinette! Somebody help!" Chloe screamed, attracting the attention of some nearby joggers, who rushed over to her immediately after hearing her distressed pleas.
"What's wrong, what happened?" One asked, eyes full of concern and worry.
"M-Marinette…! She fell in! She hasn't come back up!" Chloe stuttered, her voice wobbling from the shock of the situation. Looking down at the water, she prayed for Marinette to suddenly resurface, but nothing happened. With the water levels being so low, it was very likely that Marinette had hit her head. The first jogger pulled out their phone and called for an ambulance, while the second started making their way down to the water level.
"This is all my fault...i-if I had just...she wouldn't have slipped..." Chloe muttered, tears forming in her eyes. The amount of guilt swelling in her chest felt like it was going to crush her.
"It's alright sweetheart, the ambulance is on it's way. They'll help your friend." The first jogger stated, before returning their attention to the call they were currently engaged in.
In a moment of pure instinct and desperation, Chloe ran towards the end of the bridge, hoping to find a set of stairs that led down to the river. Marinette didn't have time to wait for an ambulance. Something needed to be done now. Running along the riverbank, Chloe soon found a step ladder that led down into the Seine itself. Taking a deep breath, she started climbing down the ladder, bracing herself for the freezing temperatures that would soon greet her.
"What are you doing?! Get out of there!" The second jogger yelled. Ignoring him, Chloe jumped off the ladder and landed in the water, gritting her teeth as the water hit her. It felt like her legs were being stabbed by thousands of tiny needles. The water stopped at her waist, allowing her to swim to where Marinette fell. Once there, she took a deep breath in and dived under, searching desperately for the bluenette. It didn't take long for her to spot a rising red liquid coming from the bottom of the river. Following it to it's source, she quickly located Marinette and grabbed her, lifting her beneath the arms before swimming back up to the surface. It hadn't been easy. Her own limbs were growing heavy with the cold temperatures, so adding the extra weight from Marinette had almost made it impossible. But when she resurfaced and could hear Marinette's faint breathing, she knew it had all been worth it.
"There they are!" A voice called, bringing her attention up to the pavement, where she saw two ambulance paramedics standing. They were instantly coming to her aid, meeting her at the step ladder to lift Marinette out of the water, then helped her out as well.
"Come on, we need to get you both to the hospital. Here, keep this around you." The second paramedic instructed, wrapping a blanket around Chloe before guiding her to the ambulance. The first paramedic had already placed Marinette on a stretcher in the ambulance and put a blanket over her, trying to warm her up slowly and safely. Chloe climbed in shortly afterwards, sitting down while looking at Marinette with tears forming in her eyes.
"That was an incredibly brave thing you did young lady. Don't worry, we'll do our best to help your friend. She's in good hands now." The second paramedic stated, giving her a reassuring smile. Nodding softly, Chloe leaned forwards and placed her hand over Marinette's.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered, closing her eyes as the tears started to flow.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
It had been almost four hours since the doctors had taken Marinette away. Four hours since Chloe had heard anything about the bluenette's condition. Within the first ten minutes of her being here, she'd called her Father, telling him what had happened and after assuring him that she was fine, requested that he contact Marinette's parents to make them aware of what was going on. They arrived maybe half an hour after the call ended, eyes red and puffy. After telling them what had happened, they'd both hugged her so tightly she thought she was going to be crushed, they kept thanking her for saving their Daughter's life over and over again, even though she told them that it wasn't necessary, how she'd only done what anyone else would have. Despite the fact she knew very little about Marinette, she wasn't going to let her die.
Something had obviously happened to the bluenette, something awful that had caused her to attempt taking her own life. Whatever it was, it was clear no one else was aware of it, not anyone who was present anyway. Her parents obviously had no clue, they were muttering to one another about how they should have noticed before, asking how they could have been so blind and not seen their daughter's suffering. Maybe Alya knew? No, Chloe doubted that very much. Even though she was Marinette's best friend, if Alya believed Marinette was at risk she would have come forward and told her parents. Maybe that new student Tikki knew something? Then again, she and Marinette had only just got to know one other, so the chances of Tikki knowing Marinette's secret was highly unlikely. Besides Nino and Adrien, Chloe couldn't really think of anyone else Marinette would have openly confided in. But even then, she doubted those two knew anything. Nino spent most of his time booking gigs and taking Alya on dates, the only time he spoke to Marinette was when they were all together, and Chloe had a hunch Marinette wouldn't talk about her issues in front of them all at once. Then there was Adrien, whom Marinette still had trouble forming complete sentences around. So he was marked off the mental list Chloe was forming in her head. Then again, she maybe she needed to be thinking outside the box. Of course Marinette wouldn't want to worry her friends. Or anyone for that matter. She was that kind of person who put others before herself. But she had to be getting her feelings out somehow, or she would have exploded. Standing up, Chloe excused herself from the bluenette's parents and walked down the corridor, turning around a corner and made sure she was out of earshot before pulling out her phone.
"Sabrina? I need a favour. Do you remember a few years back when Marinette and I were both running for class representative, and I asked you to steal her diary? I need you to do that again." Chloe requested, smiling nervously when there was a long silence on the other end.
"No. That thing is lethal, it almost cut my hand clean off! And besides, why do you need Marinette's diary anyway? It's not like you two are fighting any more. What possible reason could there be for you needing dirt on her?" Sabrina scoffed.
"I'm not trying to find some dirt on her, I'm trying to help her. Something bad has happened. I can't really explain right now, but her parents aren't home, you'll be in and out unnoticed within a matter of minutes. This is really important. Please Sabrina, I need you." Chloe pleaded. There was a long pause, but eventually Chloe heard a defeated sigh.
"Fine, but you owe me big time for this." Sabrina huffed before hanging up. Slipping her phone back into her pocket, Chloe let out a sigh of relief. It may not be the most moral thing to do, but Marinette had tried to kill herself. Unless there was a way to help her and find out what was wrong, there was no guarantee she wouldn't try to do the same thing again. While it was the wrong thing to do, invading Marinette's privacy, it was for the right reasons. At least, that was what Chloe kept telling herself. She may have been a prat in her early teen years, but she'd matured since then, growing into a decent human being with compassion and understanding.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Chloe checked her reflection in one of the windows before heading back to the waiting room where Marinette's parents were.
"Everything alright dear?" Sabine Cheng asked, looking at the blonde with slight concern.
"Oh, yes, that was just my Father calling. He wanted to know if there had been any updates." Chloe stated, which technically wasn't a lie. Her Father had called, just earlier. And he had requested that Chloe kept him updated with Marinette's condition.
"That's very kind of him." Tom Dupain smiled, however the expression was weak at best. It was completely understandable, and Chloe took no offense. The fact the man was trying to appear happy when his Daughter was fighting for her life was more than enough for her.
"Mr. Dupain? Mrs. Cheng?" A doctor's voice suddenly called, making all three look up rapidly.
"H-How is she doctor? Is she going to be alright?" Sabine asked, worry filling her voice.
"The fall caused some severe injuries. The water levels weren't enough to break her fall safely, resulting in several broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. When her head hit the bed of the river, it caused a depressed fracture in the skull." The doctor stated, causing both parents to gasp in a mixture of shock, horror and devastation, holding onto one another tightly.
"What's a depressed fracture?" Chloe asked, having never heard of the term before.
"Depressed skull fractures involve a portion of the skull extending into the brain cavity. This type of fracture often causes pressure on the brain or direct injury to the brain. In addition, the bone fragment may cut the dura mater, a relatively tough covering over the brain, causing a cerebrospinal fluid leak. The damage to the skull was extensive, and several fractured pieces risk causing further damage, we need to take her into surgery now." The doctor explained.
"P-Please do whatever is necessary to help our Daughter." Tom pleaded. Nodding softly, the doctor departed from the waiting room, heading down the corridor he'd come from quickly.
"Tom...what are we going to do? What if she…?" Sabine whispered, her voice starting to break.
"Don't say that. Marinette is a fighter. She'll pull through this. We just need to be strong for her. I'll head back home and pick up some clothes for her." Tom stated, standing up.
Realising Sabrina was probably still searching for Marinette's diary, Chloe leapt up to stop him.
"No! I mean, I'll go. It's better if you both stay here in case they need to update you on anything. Besides, you both look exhausted, travelling around isn't going to help either one of you. Just stay here and get some rest." Chloe instructed, giving them a polite and kind smile.
"That's very sweet of your Miss Bourgeois. Thank you for everything you've done." Sabine smiled, taking a hold of Chloe's hand before pulling her in for a gentle hug.
"It's not a problem at all. I'm sure Marinette would do the same for me. I'll be right back." And with that she was rushing out of the hospital towards the bakery. That had been close.