Escapades of Friendship
Description: Ladybug and Chat Noir have discovered that training new superheroes is not as easy as one might think. Plus, the king of drug smuggling operations is back in business, and this time with a new goal: to conquer the world. Can the Miraculous Team save themselves, their friendship, and the world? Sequel to Secrets and Betrayals. Read that first.
A/N: Hello, all my lovely readers! LilyTheNinjaGirl is back with a sequel for you! Sayuri and I are very excited to write this for you! I was planning on taking a much longer break or not writing a sequel, but the amount of reviews and PMs asking for a sequel inspired me to write one.
However, do not expect updates to be very frequent. Once a week is what I'm aiming for right now. Is that okay with everyone? Good? Good!
Now without further ado, I'll let you read the first chapter of Escapades of Friendship! This chapter is everything that happened in between Chapter 40 and The Epilogue of Secrets and Betrayals. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Bonne Nuit
The first night after Hawkmoth/Gabriel's defeat had been hard on everybody. The entire miraculous team went home with bruised and aching bones, stiff and in desperate need of sleep. Not to mention that Alya's mother sat her daughter down for a long lecture on superhero safety. The others had to lie to their parents and come up with excuses for being gone during the whole ordeal.
While Adrien was still unconscious, Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng had a chat with Emily Agreste. The three vaguely knew each other on professional terms, but it was still a little awkward. After tears shared by the women and even a big hug from Tom, it was decided that Adrien would stay with the Dupain-Chengs to help Adrien recover and give Emily time to adjust. Plus, Gabriel Agreste's death had to be made known. Not how he died or who he was, but that he died.
Adrien had taken the news surprisingly well after his mother had explained herself. It made Emily's heart ache to hear how uncertain he was. He thought she would run and leave him as soon as she could. After much reassurance that she loved him and she would never leave him again, she gave her son a big hug. Then she was gone.
She stayed in the area for one entire day, to help set up Gabriel's 'sudden and tragic death by a stroke'. She also made peace with a bit of her past. And she gave away her dear friend, Pavvo, to a young girl who wanted to help others. She hoped the girl enjoyed the power while she could. The enjoyment probably wouldn't last...
After Emily left, Adrien fell asleep on the couch again. That's how it was for the next several days. He drifted in and out of sleep. Marinette propped his head up and wrapped him in a blanket, kissing his forehead lovingly before going to face her parents. She wanted an explanation for a few things Gabriel and Emily had mentioned. They did not disappoint.
Nino, after reassuring his mother he was okay and hanging out with his family for a few hours, managed to sneak out of the house under the pretense of 'finishing the grocery shopping he was supposed to have done before the crazy zombie thing'. Instead, he transformed and headed off to the Agreste mansion. He slipped through Adrien's bedroom window and surveyed his friend's room. He found a duffel bag in the closet and started tossing stuff into it: Adrien's blue scarf, a few changes of clothes, a black hoodie, Plagg's favorite blanket, Adrien's phone, and his toothbrush. Then he dropped the bag off at the Dupain-Cheng bakery before grabbing some groceries and heading home.
When Adrien woke up, Tom and Sabine brought him up (carefully, with Tom supporting him) to the upstairs guest bedroom. His room was about three steps away from Marinette's. It had a single bed, a dresser and a closet. That was pretty much it. Adrien crawled into the bed and curled up, falling asleep again. Sabine left the lights on.
It was dark outside when Adrien woke up again. The light from the lamp in the corner hurt his eyes, but it was a relief as he blurrily blinked his eyes and looked around. Marinette knocked on the door and let herself in. "Hey," she said softly.
"Hey," Adrien replied back. She sat down on the edge of the bed.
"How do you feel?"
"Awful," Adrien confessed, running his good hand through his hair. "I just... I know this is all over and I should be okay, but..."
"Adrien, you shouldn't be okay!" Marinette interrupted him. "Nobody expects you to be okay. Nobody wants you to fake being okay. You went through a lot, more than I can imagine. Nothing you feel or do is stupid. I don't know how you managed to hold up this long."
He shrugged. "I'm a good faker."
"I know that now." Marinette scooted closer to him, leaning against the pillows and cradling his head in her lap. He closed his eyes again and exhaled softly. "All those cat puns, 'My Lady', 'Princess', your goofy grin. I couldn't see through it before. I guess I knew I was missing something... But we never really talked often enough for me to figure it out."
"I'm a model, but I think I would be a better actor."
"Hey, you can do whatever you want, except for one thing."
"Oh really? And what is that one thing?"
"Promise me you'll never decide to be a comedian!"
Marinette had expected his Chat laughing style to slip past his lips, loud and joyful and boisterous. She had expected at least one of Adrien's soft chuckles. But all he did was twitch the corner of his mouth into a grin. She frowned.
"You're not okay."
"Never said I was."
"We're going to fix that," she announced determinedly. He shrugged again, his eyes still closed. Marinette felt a tug at her heartstrings. "I'm going to go get you something to eat. I hope you like croissants," she informed him as she slid out from underneath him and walked to the door. He grunted in response.
Marinette walked into the kitchen, where she found Tikki munching on cookies. Sabine was bustling around in the kitchen, putting pots and pans away. Marinette went over and hugged her mother. The mother and daughter embraced each other tightly, Sabine slowly rocking Marinette back and forth. She felt like a little girl again, safe from everything in her mother's arms.
"What do I do, maman?" she asked softly. Sabine pondered the question for a minute.
"Love him. Be there for him. Whether or not he knows it, that's what he wants the most. It's what he needs the most. You won't see an immediate change, but things will get better. Give it time."
"Thank you," Marinette said, smiling a bit. "It just kills me to see him like this."
"He has a past to reconcile and a future to worry about. Think about how you would feel if you didn't have me and your father."
"I wouldn't be able to survive without your support."
"Exactly. I'm always here for you, and you know that. Adrien doesn't. He doesn't have a father, and as far as he knows his mother isn't ready for him. He doesn't know what he wants to do or what he wants to be. He needs a constant in his life. Be that constant," Sabine advised. Marinette nodded as she piled croissants on a plate.
"Love you!" she called as she left the room. Sabine sighed. Her child was growing up. Tikki nodded sympathetically at Sabine and followed her chosen out of the room.
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Adrien crawled out of bed and changed into sweatpants and a hoodie before collapsing back upon the soft sheets. Sabine came and said goodnight before she flipped off the light. Adrien rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. The darkness. It was horrifying... It was closing in. There could be something in here. Under the bed, in the closet maybe. Was that a shadow?
Adrien stiffened and immediately pushed the thought from his mind. A small scratching sound caught his attention, but he tried his best to ignore it. "It's just Plagg. It's just Plagg. It's just Plagg," he told himself over and over again.
He didn't know how long he laid there, frozen in fear and fighting for control of the rational part of his own mind. He glanced at the clock. He had held out for an hour. Suddenly, the old house creaked and Adrien couldn't take it anymore. Letting out a squeak, he pulled the blanket around him and slipped off of the bed, limping to Marinette's room. He knocked softly, and when there was no response he invited himself in.
"Mari? Are you awake?" he asked softly, poking her. She groaned and rolled over, her hair all over her face.
"Not anymore... Waddya want?" she groaned.
"My lady, I..." Marinette cracked an eye open.
"Oh, it's you. Thought you were Alya for a second. Are you okay?"
"It's just... The darkness... It's stupid and I-" She let him get no farther. She grabbed his good arm and pulled him carefully into the bed next to her. He snuggled down under the blanket, burying his face in the pillow. It smelled like lavender and vanilla and Marinette. He cuddled up next to her, purring softly.
"Kitty," she murmured happily.
They both slept well that night.
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"What are you doing?" Ladybug asked exasperatingly. Papillon shushed her.
"Quiet, LB. She's concentrating," Jade told her, putting a hand on his friend's spotted shoulder. Ladybug raised her eyebrows as she surveyed the scene in front of her. Papillon had currently akumatized Queen Bee, and had given her the power of mind reading. Volpino stood a few feet away from them, looking nervous.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ladybug asked. Jade shrugged. "I never experimented with my powers like this..."
"Yeah, you went flying around the city like an idiot and crashed into Chat, who was trying to tightrope walk on his baton fifty feet above the ground like an idiot," Papillon retorted, keeping her gaze on Queen Bee.
"Think of a number," Queen Bee instructed Volpino. The boy furrowed his brows on concentration. "Seventy three!"
"You got it," Volpino nodded. Papillon released the akuma.
"Well that's another power I can grant," Papillon said confidently, planting her hands on her hips. Ladybug cocked her head.
"How many other things have you tried?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer. Papillon shrugged bashfully while Jade chuckled. "You know, this is not how a patrol is supposed to work," Ladybug informed them.
"C'mon, we saved the world like three days ago! Cut us some slack!" Papillon said. Queen Bee nodded. Ladybug shook her head.
"Patrol's over. I'll show you the routes tomorrow so you can all start doing it properly. And guess what? Chat will be joining us! He got my mom's okay!" The teens cheered happily.
"The fans will be so happy to hear this! I'll have to snap a few distant pics, of course," Papillon said, clapping her hands together. Jade was grinning like an idiot. Volpino was fun to hang out with, but he missed his best friend. Queen Bee felt inexplicably proud of Adrien for some reason.
"See you tomorrow!" Queen Bee called, diving off the side of the building. Volpino waved and quietly disappeared on his hoverboard. Papillon gave Ladybug a hug before taking off, and Jade gave her a wink. Ladybug sighed before taking off to get home. Adrien was waiting to have his butt kicked in a round of Ultimate Mecha Strike III.
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The next night, Ladybug was back on the rooftops, this time with Chat Noir at her side. He perched on an air vent, watching as she pointed out the patrol routes to the rest of the Miraculous Team. Her finger ran up and down the lines of roads. The others paid close attention.
"I think that will cover it. This way, most of Paris will be covered and each of us won't have to do an overwhelming amount of work," she finished. Suddenly, they heard a thunk. Ladybug whipped around, yoyo in hand. Chat's baton was at the ready.
Instead of an enemy, they saw a girl. She looked to be about their age, with bright red hair and deep aquamarine eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful blue outfit, which twisted and ran together with purple and green streaks. A hint of gold was sewn in every here and there just for shine. A belt around her waist had two colorful (and deadly) looking fans hanging from it. At the back of her, a beautiful peacock tail spread out behind her.
"I want to help you."
It was more of a statement then a request.
"I know who all of you are. I met your mother, Chat Noir. She gave me this... miraculous. After Chloe.. Queen Bee... made me angry, I felt so helpless. I wanted to help people, but I blindly followed others. I never stood up for myself or anyone else. Now's my chance. I want to learn to become a superheroine."
"Sabrina?" Queen Bee asked suddenly. Understanding dawned upon all of them.
"You're welcome to join us as long as you remain trustworthy and worthy of wielding a miraculous," Ladybug said solemnly, smiling.
Peacock smiled back. It was tentative, but it was a start.
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Adrien and Marinette had a whole routine worked out. School would start in three days, but for now they just enjoyed each other's company. Gabriel Agreste's funeral took place over the weekend. Adrien had difficulty playing the part of the greiving son shocked by his father's sudden death, but it was passable.
Being able to go out as Chat Noir, even though it was brief and he wasn't allowed to do much, was a relief and a joy. He loved it, and it reminded him how free he could truly be. But for right now, he was happy to stick with his little routine.
Every night Sabine and Tom would say goodnight to each of them separately, Adrien in the guest bedroom and Marinette in her room. Then as soon as they left Adrien crept across the hall and crawled into bed with Marinete, where they snuggled until they fell asleep. Plagg never even bothered moving around with Adrien. Every evening (after eating his usual dinner consisting of WAY too much cheese) he planted himself in Marinette's fabric pile and went to sleep.
"You don't mind this, do you?" Adrien asked suddenly one night, having just snuggled against Marinette.
"Mind what?"
"Me invading your bed every night and taking your time all day and making you worry and... everything," Adrien confessed. Marinette smiled.
"I could never mind, Adrien. You deserve nothing but the best. I don't mind taking care of you at all. Your part of my family now, and I love you."
Adrien ducked his head. "I love you too Mari. I'm glad you're part of my family."
They sat in silence for awhile, until Adrien (who sounded incredibly nervous) broke it. "Hey Princess?"
"What?"
"What if I loved you... a little more than that...?"
"That's great, because I love you a lot more than that," Marinette said, flipping over to face him. She leaned in and their lips connected. And when Marinette pulled away she couldn't help but smile at his face. His hair was tousled and misplaced, and in his baggy hoodie he looked a lot more like Chat than Adrien. And he looked so incredibly kissable...
They shared another kiss, this one more passionate. Gasping for air, Marinette rolled over and buried her head in Adrien's shoulder. "Je t'aime, kitty cat. Bonne nuit."
"Je t'aime, my lady. Bonne Nuit."
A/N: First chapter is done and here! I'm gonna need a lot of inspiration to help me through this sequel, so feel free to leave some for me in a review or PM. I'll see you guys next chapter!
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Have a great day!