Chapter Two - I Heard Someone Crying
woah okay this took forever I'm so sorry for that I'm not even going to try and make excuses here we go hang on tight
Adrien's Point of View
Three days. Three days I spent tearing Paris apart in search of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, with absolutely no sign of her. Wherever Ladybug was, she didn't want to be found. And she had to be hiding as Ladybug, because there was no way Marinette would go unnoticed by anyone out there. Everyone had their eyes open, looking for the missing girl. The police had revealed to the public that her body was not located alongside her parents' within the burning rubble of the bakery, and that there was not any sign to suggest they had missed it. Still, people weren't sure what to think. Why wouldn't she show herself if she was alive?
There were rumors that she had been kidnapped. Kidnapped by the AMU to prove their point. A sick and twisted point, but a point no less. To be honest, it's not a bad theory; well, it's a quite awful thing to think, but not hard to believe. If I didn't know better, I probably would believe that myself, if I didn't think Marinette was dead.
But I do know better. I'm the only one who knows a single thing about Marinette's disappearance, and I can't even say anything about it. After all, I'm not the one who knows anything; Chat is. And Chat Noir can't say anything because that'd be a betrayal to Ladybug. The only reason I can be sure that Marinette is okay is because I stumbled across her detransforming, and I can't tell anyone that.
So instead I just keep desperately searching for a girl who, for one reason or another, doesn't want to be found.
I don't understand why she hasn't reached out even to me, which hurts more than anything. Why hasn't she reached out to me? I just want to help her, but I can't do that without knowing where she is.
I flop down onto my bed with a groan, having just returned home from yet another round of searching for Ladybug as Chat Noir. "Where is she?"
"I don't know," The god of chaos groans, digging through my trash can. "Where's my camembert?"
"Plagg! This is serious," I sit up and glare at him as he flies over to the fridge to check there.
Plagg briefly looks to me, huffing, "Stop whining! Your lady will show up eventually."
I gape at him, "Her house just burned down. Her parents just died! How can you not be concerned? What if she's hurt? Or dead? Or if you don't care about Marinette, what if something happened to her kwami?"
Before the nuisance of a kwami can respond, my phone dings, and I jump, surprised by the sudden noise. I rush over to my dresser, hoping it'll be Alya with an update about Marinette. Or maybe it's Nino. I don't care which one it is, so long as I get some sort of news on what happened to her.
But neither of their names light up on my phone screen. No, the name that's there feels surreal to see. I can barely breathe as I stare at it, struggling to believe it.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng - 1 message.
Briefly I could've sworn I went numb, but then the feeling returns to my fingers and I swipe to the left so I can read it. A nagging, sick feeling in my stomach asks how I feel about her reaching out to Adrien and not her partner, Chat, but I push that away. I can't be thinking about that right now. I need to focus on the fact that Marinette reached out at all.
She's more important than petty jealousy for my civilian self on the part of my alter ego.
Marinette: Hey Adrien, this is Marinette. I'm sorry to bother you, but I need some help.
My heart breaks for Marinette. Sweet, kind Marinette. She never asked for any of this. Why has this happened to her? Why would she apologize for asking for help after all that's happened?
Is she worried I'll be hurt if I'm associated with Ladybug, even if she doesn't think I know her identity and isn't Ladybug right now?
Either way, I'm not just going to sit around trying to text Marinette. That's absolutely crazy. Instead, I click her contact, and slam my finger on the call button.
Holding my phone against my ear with my shoulder, I rush to my desk chair to grab my jacket and scarf as it rings. It's cold out, and from the looks of my window, raining too. Maybe I should grab an umbrella? It'll be hard to get out of the house already, so I don't know if an umbrella will be more cumbersome, but if I need to help Marinette get somewhere safe, I want to make sure she's not wet.
Right as I'm beginning to worry that she won't pick up, the ringing abruptly stops, and a quiet voice quivers over the line as Marinette speaks. "H-Hi, Adrien. I'm, uh, really sorry to bother yo-"
"Where have you been?" I interrupt, surprised to hear myself choke up a bit. I never thought I'd be so happy to hear Marinette's voice, but I also never expected to hear it sound so...defeated. "Everyone has been worried sick. Are you okay?"
She goes silent for a moment, and I worry she's hung up, only to hear a mumbled, "This was a mistake."
I grab the door knob to my room like I'm trying to sink my claws into it as Chat Noir. "No!" Realizing my own mistake at being so loud and forceful, I swing the door open as quietly as possible before repeating myself in a calmer tone. "No. Marinette, this isn't a bother. Why on earth would it be? What happened to you...I don't even know what to say. It's horrible. What can I do to help you?"
"I..." She trails off, sniffling, "I don't know."
"Are you safe right now?" I ask, surprising myself at how protective I sound. But this is my lady we're talking about, my treasured classmate, partner, and friend. Of course I'm going to be protective; I love her. "Do you have somewhere to stay?"
"...no." Her voice is even quieter than before, if that's possible. "I was going to ask Alya, but...well, her family already has a lot of people to take care of. I can't add one more. And I didn't know who else to ask that shoulder understand and..." The quietest sob escapes her, and my heart breaks as I hurry down the stairs, even more determined to find her.
"Where are you? I'll come and get you." I pause, and then add, "You can stay at my house. Unless you don't want to. Then you could just stay for a few days till we found you something you were more comfortable with."
"Will your dad be okay with that?"
I bite back a growl as I throw open the front door. "Screw my father. If he's not, then he's even crueler than I thought. Marinette, your safety is much more important than my father's feelings on the matter."
I step out into the courtyard, waiting to see if she'll concede and let me help. After what feels like forever, the bluenette says, "The park."
"I'm on my way." Before I can say anything else, the call ends, and I pull the phone away from my ear to peer at it in shock.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my sweet classmate who would never hurt a fly, just hung up on me.
Now especially worried, I hurry towards the gate, needing to see her. This whole thing just has me even more worried for her. But as I approach, a sound hits my ears that throws me into a panic. I move to slam the button that'll open the gate, knowing that I have to rush or else I won't be able to help.
Nathalie's voice rings out, loud and stern as usual, though I think I hear a tinge of confusion as well. "Adrien, wait! Where are you going?"
"To help a friend!" I press the button, impatiently bouncing in place as the gate begins to take its sweet time swinging open.
The rapid clicking of heels stops, and the question asked throws me off guard. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"
I pivot, turning to look at her in surprise. "How do you-"
"I see the news, Adrien. And I know who your friends are. Come on, let's go. Your father will kill me if I let you go alone."
"Wait, you're not going to stop me?" As I ask, she walks past me, heading towards the street.
"You'll find a way to go even if I do." She pauses to look back at me. "Besides, wanting to help someone isn't a crime."
I hurry to catch up, giving her a quick hug when I reach her, more on an instinct than anything else. "Thank you, Nathalie."
Her serious demeanor seems to melt a bit as she smiles, looking away and fishing keys out from her pocket. After a moment of shuffling through them, she picks the right one, unlocking the car and ushering me inside and out of the rain. I hop into the passenger seat, buckling up as I watch her start up the car.
"Where are we going?" She asks, beginning to pull the car out.
"The park." I glance at my phone, wondering if I should text Alya about this situation but deciding against it.
Like Marinette said, Alya will want to help by taking her best friend in, and her family probably won't be able to support taking care of another person. Although wanting to selfishly be my partner's savior - even if she doesn't know it's me - is probably playing in as well.
Peering out the window, my eyes widen as I come to a startling realization. "Nathalie, are you speeding?"
I whip around to look at her as she slowly eases up on the gas pedal. "Sorry, I was just..." She shakes her head, frowning. "Never mind." Before I can ask, she slams on the brake, throwing me forward. "Here's the park."
I practically trip out of the car as I exit, clutching my umbrella as tight as possible as I hurry towards the entrance. Based on the clicking behind me, it seems like Nathalie is staying pretty close behind. I really hope she doesn't judge the bluenette too harshly. Despite her sudden burst of warmth today, I don't know how she'll actually feel about my friend.
Upon entering the area of the park where I know the benches are, I look around, frowning. There's no sign of Marinette here. But she said she'd be here, and she wouldn't lie, right? Still, this is concerning. Did something happen to her?
"Adrien?" The quiet voice draws my attention over to one of the benches by a bush, where a figure is lying curled up on a wet bench. They look drenched as they push themselves up, blue eyes meeting mine. I hurry over, kneeling down beside Marinette as she struggles to push herself up. "You...actually came."
"Did you ever doubt me?" I raise an eyebrow with a teasing smile, but when she sneezes into her elbow, my smile falls back into a concerned frown. "Oh gosh, Marinette, you're sick. How long have you been out here in the rain?" She shrugs rather helplessly, sneezing again. "Come on, let's get you out of here."
Carefully I pull her up to her feet, but her legs shake and she crumpled into my arms. "I'm s-sorry, Adrien."
The click of heels catches up, and suddenly I hear Nathalie's clipped voice announce, "Adrien, can you carry Marinette?"
I blink, looking back at her and trying to read her stern expression. "What?"
"Can you carry her?"
"I-Ya! Ya, I can carry her. If, um, that's alright with you, Marinette." I glance down at the shivering girl, who gives a weak nod.
Nathalie's concern nags at the back of my head the entire trip home, but I can't focus on it. The bluenette laying with her head on my lap is more than a bit distracting. Especially knowing that the girl is also Ladybug. My longtime partner-crush and my sweet friend are the same person. I absolutely adore her, and I wish I could tell her that. My heart aches at being so close to her but not being able to tell her who I am.
Instead, I content myself to sit and watch her doze in and out of the realm of sleep.
When we arrive home, Nathalie has me carry Marinette once more. We bring her inside, and as we go up the stairs, Nathalie begins to list how things should go from here. I'm surprised but appreciative of her sudden interest. Whatever it might be, something has caused a sympathy in Nathalie for my friend, and I'm not going to argue with her. Marinette needs care, and I'm going to help her in any way I can.
As we reach one of the guest rooms, the person I was hoping to avoid decides to arrive at the scene. "Adrien! Nathalie! Where have you be...who is that?" There's a disdain in his voice as we turn, and the cold look on my father's face infuriates me. How can that be his reaction? Doesn't he recognize the girl who won his contest, the girl who was just devastated by the fire she didn't deserve to have happen? "I will not tolerate-"
"Adrien," For the first time in what I think is my life, Nathalie cuts my father off, "Please take Miss Dupain-Cheng in and let her rest on the bed." She gestures to the door before turning back to my dad. "Mr. Agreste? A word, if I may."
I watch them both stare each other down and then walk inside, easing the door shut with my foot before heading over to the bed. Marinette, still sound asleep, curls up amongst the blankets, and I smile. She looks at peace, at least for now. Still, I wish I could make sure.
Letting out a sigh - of relief? Of exhaustion? I'm not sure which - I open the door again to see Nathalie has disappeared, leaving my father to greet me as I quitely shut the door behind me. "Father? I-"
He cuts me off before I can properly try to excuse anything that happened. "Miss Dupain-Cheng may stay with us for now. We will discuss this further once she is awake and able to join us. That will be all, Adrien."
This chapter is really crappy. I'm so sorry, I tried, but it was hard to write and I don't think I did a good job of it. Maybe eventually I'll come back and rewrite it but I've already rewritten it so many times that I can't handle doing so again right now. I really want to keep moving with this story so we can get to some of the more interesting parts, so for now, this is our chapter two. Hopefully it's not too disappointing. :/ I'll try to get another, better update out soon.
Untiiil next time!
~ Dagger
