Chapter 1: Negative Aftermath
"What…what is this? W-where am I?"
These were the only words that came out of Marinette Dupain-Cheng's mouth as she took in her surroundings. It was all so sudden how she'd woken up in this strange, featureless void. One moment she'd been sleeping, the next, she'd woken up here. There was nothing but black all around with the only source of light being a single spotlight that shone over her as if framing her against the pool of darkness around. The bluenette could still feel ground beneath her feet, which was strange enough despite the fact there were no features to see, not even a floor. She just shrugged, content she could at least stand and walk around. Marinette began to walk forwards, hoping to find any discernible sign of life in this black void. The spotlight followed her, seeming determined not to let her out of its light. That made the French teen feel uneasy. Why was it following her? Who was even shining the light to begin with? She wanted to look up but it was too bright to see anything so she didn't even bother, just keeping her head down and looking straight ahead. At least with the spotlight, it wasn't total darkness and she could see herself.
"I've spent most of my days fighting akumas and trying to track down Hawk Moth, but I've never been through anything THIS strange!" Marinette exclaimed, glad to hear the sound of her own voice, "Where am I? And what even IS this place?!"
She continued to walk, hoping to see signs that she was still in the real world after all. That was something else strange about this world. Time seemed to be non-existent here. She was sure she'd been walking for a long time, yet she still hadn't found anything. Was she even moving forwards at all? To what had seemed like minutes, she was still in a void of black as if she hadn't even moved from the spot she had woken up in! The teen superhero began to feel increasingly nervous. Was she in one of those weird dreams where no matter how long you walk for, you never truly go anywhere as if the scenery is just endless and no amount of walking would change anything? After several more moments of walking, Marinette decided to stop right there and ask for help.
"Maybe Tikki can help me out." she mused to herself, reaching down to her purse and opening it up, "Tikki, what's going on here?"
But to her shock and horror, the purse was empty! Tikki was nowhere to be seen. It was like she'd just vanished! She frantically ran her hand around the purse to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. She couldn't feel Tikki anywhere inside. She really was gone! Marinette now felt her heart pounding in fear as the icy grip of terror began to close around her. Stuck in a black void and no Tikki! What was she going to do?!
"Oh no…no, no, no, no, no! Not you! Not you! Where did you go Tikki?! Where are you?!" she squealed in fright.
"Your Kwami cannot help you now, foolish child!" boomed a terrifying voice that made Marinette leap about a foot in the air. The voice had come as such a surprise that she had to check her heartbeat to make sure it hadn't stopped.
She looked around, searching for the voice. It had been loud, deep and ominous, yet sounded vaguely familiar. Why was that? Was it the voice of an old enemy? Perhaps even…?
"Who's there? Where are you? What's going on?" Marinette cried, "Did you bring me here?"
"Why or how you got here is of no importance." the voice boomed again, "But you know full well who I am little girl. You've spent your entire days hunting me down and foiling my akuma minions from taking your Miraculous!"
That was when another spotlight suddenly turned on, showing that Marinette was no longer alone in this featureless world. Marinette put her hands to her mouth in shock, unable to believe her eyes. She could feel her legs trembling, threatening to give way at any moment. The spotlight that had turned on was shining over a man in a purple suit with oversized black lapels, a silver mask with a butterfly marking around the face and carrying a cane. Her shock turned to fury for the blue-haired teen knew exactly who this was.
"Hawk Moth! You sadistic monster, how dare you show your face again after what you've done!" Marinette snarled, her voice sounding savage and hateful which sounded strange coming from the usually meek, mild and kind girl she usually was, "How are you even here anyway? The Joker killed you!"
"Fie! I cannot die! I am immortal!" Hawk Moth sneered, pointing his cane straight at Marinette like a rapier, "I am like my akuma, you cure one and another takes its place! Not even The Joker can take me down my child."
Every time he spoke, his voice sounded amplified and echoed ominously all around; making it sound like his voice was coming from everywhere at once.
"Then maybe it's time I finished what he started." Marinette growled, clenching her fists with rage.
"I do not see how you intend to finish me off when you have no Miraculous to fall back on my dear." the purple-suited man sneered, "We all know that you're not Ladybug without your Miraculous!"
"You're wrong!" the French heroine declared, "It was never my Miraculous that made me Ladybug! I'm Ladybug, with or without my Miraculous! And I don't need my powers to take you down!"
She then roared a savage battle cry as she threw herself at Hawk Moth, intending to rip him apart limb by limb. All the people he'd akumatized, all the lives he'd ruined, all the corruptions he'd been behind, all the damage that had been caused by his mad schemes, it was enough to make Marinette want to drive something sharp into the man's heart. Beating him to a pulp would have to do though. She was sure she was strong enough for that. But as Marinette charged into Hawk Moth, something surreal happened. The butterfly-themed villain vanished in a puff of smoke the moment she hit him! Marinette cried out, scrambling to keep her balance as she found herself hitting empty air but she had been going too fast and the surprise had been enough to cause her to trip and fall over flat on her face. She got up on her hands and knees, shaking her head as she registered in what had happened. Just behind her, the purple smoke that drifted in the air spiralled around and reformed into the shape of Hawk Moth. The masked man looked down at Marinette with a cruel smile on his face.
"You deceive yourself." Hawk Moth crowed, "Do you think that you could've stopped my akumas if you hadn't been given the Ladybug earrings? Without the Miraculous, you are nothing Marinette. Nothing special at all, nothing even "Miraculous" about you…just a clumsy baker who's always falling over herself and obsessing over a crush she knows she'll never get a chance with. Speaking of which…I believe you know my son?"
He pointed ahead with his cane. Marinette looked in the cane's direction and saw another spotlight turn on just ahead. To her delight, it wasn't another villain out to get her, but in fact, her beloved Adrien Agreste. The girl jumped to her feet and ran over to her love, keen to feel his arms around her and forget this hell she was in.
"Adrien! Thank goodness you're here!" Marinette shrieked delightedly, "I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't find you here!"
But just as she was about to throw her arms around Adrien, the blonde-haired teen did something strange. He drew his arm back and slapped her hard across the face. He had done it with such force that Marinette found herself falling down onto her side. A tear of pain leaked from her eyes as she felt the sore spot on her face where she'd been hit. What was going on? Adrien NEVER hit her! She looked up at Adrien, who was now glaring down at her with hostility in his eyes. If looks could kill, then Adrien's face was pure murder. Marinette cowered on the floor, scarcely able to breathe as she saw the hatred in her boyfriend's eyes.
"A-A-Adrien? W-w-what are y-you doing?" she stuttered, "W-w-why did you h-h-hit me?"
"Did you really think that I would ever love you? ME?" Adrien retorted. His voice was a sneering tone of mockery, as if taunting the girl, "Why would a rich, famous model like me EVER fall in love with the likes of YOU? You're below my notice Marinette! I'd rather hang out with Chloe! At least she's not always being a colossal failure like you are!"
He then proceeded to grab Marinette by the neck and hoist her off the ground. Despite his lean build, Adrien showed surprising strength by lifting Marinette up off the floor as if she weighed nothing. She may as well be an empty sack in his hands. Marinette struggled in Adrien's grip, trying to stay conscious.
"A-Adrien, please!" she whimpered, choking as the boy's grip tightened around her throat.
"I'm Adrien Agreste! I'm the son of Hawk Moth himself!" the teen model sneered, "Why would I ever love you? You're nothing to me Marinette! You deserve to be forgotten forever!"
The boy's crippling words were like daggers through her heart. Marinette couldn't keep herself from crying as she acknowledged what was being said. Tears streamed down her face but Adrien showed no mercy to her. He still had that cruel smirk on his face as he continued choking the poor girl. Hawk Moth stood beside him, looming over him like a devil on his shoulder.
"My son is following in his father's footsteps it seems…" he crowed, "And why not? It's in his blood to be like his father…"
Marinette couldn't do anything more as Adrien's grip tightened around her neck. As her eyes closed, she thought she caught a glimpse of what looked like the butterfly logo on Hawk Moth's mask forming around Adrien's face. That explained everything now! He'd been corrupted by Hawk Moth! He wasn't himself! She tried to speak, to try and appeal to Adrien's better half but her voice wouldn't come to her. She was finding it increasingly harder to breathe as her air supply was diminishing. Marinette was completely helpless, doomed to suffocate at the hands of her own boyfriend!
But then just as it seemed like it as all going to be over for her, the Agreste family suddenly vanished, once again in a puff of smoke, and the spotlights shining over them shut off. Marinette collapsed onto the floor, clutching her neck to relieve the pain she'd been given by Adrien. It felt good to breathe again. She stood up, wondering what was about to happen next. Where did Hawk Moth and Adrien go? Had they just decided to abandon her? She wiped her tear-soaked eyes as she tried to pull herself together.
"OK…OK…this is just Hawk Moth trying to mess with me…I won't let him get to me!" Marinette declared, "I've handled worse than this!"
But she soon ended up eating those words for another spotlight switched on. Marinette turned to see what it was illuminating this time. What she saw was the worst thing she could ever lay her eyes on. There were two bodies lying on the floor with the spotlight over them…dead bodies. And they weren't just any bodies…they were the bodies of Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng! Marinette screamed as she took in the sight of her dead parents. They were laying lifeless, blood oozing from bullet wounds in their heads, chests and stomachs. The sight was enough to make Marinette fall onto her knees in anguish.
"NO! MOM, DAD! NOOOOOOOOOO!" she wailed, tears coming to her eyes a second time.
As she cried, she didn't notice that somebody was approaching her from behind, cackling menacingly as it came closer to her. Once it was directly behind her, Marinette heard the laughing and turned around to see the face of her parent's killer. What she saw was the cackling, chalk-white, red lipped smiling face of The Joker, the number one arch-enemy of Batman himself. He was holding the revolver that he had used to kill Tom and Sabine and he now pointed it at Marinette, clearly intending to shoot her. His maniacal cackles were echoing, making it sound as if even the world itself was laughing at her. Marinette stared at the revolver, petrified and unable to move.
"Hello Marinette!" The Joker cried, his voice amplified and booming like Hawk Moth's voice had been, "Ready for some fun?! My, my, my, look at you! Tear soaked cheeks and that mouth turned upside down! You look very miserable! As I like to say…ha, ha, ha, ha…WHY. SO. SERIOUS?!"
He then pressed the gun directly into Marinette's forehead, making the French teen shudder. The cold steel of the gun barrel was like death itself and she could already feel the bullet slamming into her brain now, and The Joker hadn't even fired it yet. The Joker laughed again, his finger tightening on the trigger.
"Well miserable girl…let's put a smile on that face!" the clown criminal shouted excitedly, "Once I pull the trigger, you'll never feel a problem again! Just a nice, quick escape into insanity as you realize that you're no longer in the world of living! Don't worry…death is the best release one can get! AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
Marinette closed her eyes and waited for the trigger to be pulled and her death to come. But while she heard a tremendous bang sound, to her amazement…nothing had happened. The Joker had vanished, and so had Tom and Sabine's bodies. The teen heroine even felt her forehead, amazed to feel no bullet wound. Everything was fine. It was like the gun had fired, but no bullet had come out. What else was going to happen in this crazy world?!
But it seemed time wasn't going to give her time to figure it out for something else began to happen now. The black void had finally changed into something else. She was now in space, but somehow still able to breathe despite this fact. Marinette even took a few breaths to make sure she wasn't imagining this. Air still came to her. This was enough to tell her something was not right about this. How can she be in space and still be able to breathe? The blue-haired girl looked around and saw that she was looming above the Earth itself. But there was something wrong. The Earth itself…was completely engulfed in a raging inferno. The entire planet was burning huge flames of fire that flickered wildly. It was like watching the world's biggest bonfire display, just on a planet-sized scale. If hell was a planet, chances are it would look like the Earth right now. Marinette stared in horror, unable to believe that this was really happening and that she was really looking at this. What must it be like on the planet below with all this fire burning everywhere?! And then she noticed something else was happening. There were red beams that seemed to be coming from the planet and heading straight towards her. The teen girl screamed and tried to run but it was hopeless. She couldn't move at all. She was just stuck spinning through space as the beams came towards her. She could feel them as they swept over her, turning her whole vision red. It was like she was on fire! She was burning up! And then…
…she woke up. Marinette sat up in her bed, gasping and panting as if she'd just run a marathon. She clutched her chest, feeling tense as she looked around. She was back in her own room. The Earth wasn't on fire and she was no longer in space looking down at it. The nightmare had finally ended and she was now here, safely back in her own bed, in her own room and in her own home. Relief swept over Marinette like a wave. She had never felt so happy to wake up in her life. She lay back down in her bed, her head softly sinking into her pillow.
"Oh thank god…" she muttered to herself, "What a horrible nightmare! And it felt SO real! Thank goodness it wasn't…oh my gosh…"
She ran a hand over her forehead as she played back the events of the nightmare. What a horrible ride it had been from start to finish! Sure was sure this had come about from the events of Hawk Moth and The Joker's alliance to get the Miraculouses and kill Batman. What else would've brought this up? And yet something didn't quite add up about it. The Earth on fire, the red beams coming to her…what did that mean? She was just asking that question in her head when a familiar voice whispered to her.
"Marinette? Are you OK? I hear you muttering in your sleep and you woke up screaming! Did you have a nightmare?"
Marinette felt her heart leap in joy as she recognised the voice, for it was Tikki, coming out of the little house Marinette made for her in her room. The Kwami's round eyes were full of concern as she reached the girl, who gently took hold of Tikki in her hands, which were shaking slightly. Tikki took hold of one of her thumbs gently, giving her a comforting look.
"Just breathe, Marinette, okay?" she reminded, watching as the blue haired girl nodded and took a few more steady breaths, feeling her heart thumping a lot more calmly than how it was just now.
"Thanks, Tikki...I'm sorry for waking you, I didn't mean to..." Marinette said with guilt, only for Tikki to smile.
"Don't be. Tell me what's wrong. What was the nightmare?" she asked gently.
Marinette took a bit of time to reply as she wiped her head so as to make sure she wasn't sweating. After doing so, she spoken up to her friend.
"It was horrible, Tikki...I...I wasn't in this kind of void, and then I saw Hawk Moth, he said that I would never get rid of him. I tried to fight him, even when you weren't there, I tried, but he kept saying a lot of horrible stuff...then Adrien was in it and he hit me, saying he wouldn't waste his time with me and...he tr-tried to strangle me...it was so real, Tikki, I...it was just horrible..." Marinette explained, trying not to cry as images of Adrien's face twisting in anger came back to her.
Tikki took hold of her nose and wiped away the tears that started coming down, her eyes soft and kind.
"Marinette, it was just a nightmare. After finding out who Hawk Moth was, him getting killed, you're bound to have nightmares of what could've happened or what might happen. It wasn't real and I know Adrien wouldn't do that to you. It's your fear." she comforted, being as quiet as she could so as not to wake up Thomas and Sabine. She was often use to Marinette worrying about Adrien rejecting her or Hawk Moth winning, so she handled it like any grown up would.
"It got worse though, Tikki...I found my mom and papa dead...and that Joker killed them, like he would've done at the hotel and...he just enjoyed it so much, laughing all the way, talking like it's his favourite thing...he tried to kill me. But seeing mom and papa dead was one of the worst...he butchered them, Tikki, like they were nothing but food he was cutting up..." Marinette explained, sniffling as she remembered the gruesome look of the bodies.
Tikki gasped at this. She had hoped Joker didn't make a lasting impact on Marinette, but after hearing what she just told her, Tikki could understand why this nightmare was a lot worse for Marinette.
"That's not good...after being bound to him I've found it hard to even feel joyful. All that insanity, the deaths he caused, I could feel it. It was so toxic...I can see why you'd be having nightmares of him. We should've asked that Bruce Wayne how he copes in fighting those horrible souls like Joker." Tikki noted after thinking over what to say to Marinette, who nodded with a sigh.
"Yeah, we should've. Or Wonder Woman, because she must've seen her share of horrors...I just thought the sooner we'd get back home, the quicker we could relax a bit more easily but...I'm really not sure. Everything is just so quiet and lifeless in Paris now..." Marinette said sadly as she remembered the last few days of being back home was like entering a whole new world, a city full of fear, something Paris should never be full of.
"After all that happened, Marinette, it'll take time before Paris is back to the way it was." Tikki reminded softly, sitting in her hands again. Running a finger over Tikki's head, Marinette nodded.
"Yeah...it always will...I just hope I'm ready for what else will be coming..." she said more to herself than to Tikki, who frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn't be doing much since Hawk Moth was dead.
"The last thing I saw in my nightmare, Tikki, it was...it was weird but just so frightening. The whole Earth was on fire, I was in space, and then I was getting shot by these two laser beams coming from the Earth...you don't think I'm having a glimpse into the future, do you?" Marinette asked worriedly after describing the hellish scene to Tikki, who looked unsure for a bit.
"I'm not sure, Marinette. We're part of a larger world of heroes and villains, and given you've met some of them, you are probably thinking of the possibility of fighting some of them." Tikki said, giving her own answer to the other part of the nightmare. Marinette blew out a bit of air in grimness as something came to her.
"It couldn't have been Superman that did that then, destroying the world and killing me with those laser beams of his. He was so nice when he spoke to me and Adrien...I don't know, Tikki, ever since what happened, I've just been feeling so tense, like I can't even relax now that I'm back home. Always looking around for the slightest thing that's not right and...I don't wanna feel like that, I just want to feel more easy." Marinette replied, pushing her eyelids around a bit. Tikki smoothed Marinette's hand gently with a lighter look in her eyes .
"Take this from someone who's been alive since the beginning of everything. You'll get there in the end, Marinette. These dreams and nightmares are normal after everything you've seen. You need to focus on what you have right now; your mom and papa are safe, you're back at school, you've got more superheroes to turn to for help, and you've got Adrien. He loves you and you helped him get through the last few weeks. That's what is important." she said softly, her voice full of wisdom yet always so squeaky.
Marinette smiled and took Tikki up in her hands "You always know the right things to say, yeah?"
"I'm speaking from experience Marinette." Tikki replied modestly, "I've been through many things in my life and with many different owners, especially Queen Hippolyta."
"Yeah, I still couldn't believe it when you and Wonder Woman turned out to know each other." Marinette giggled, "But thinking back to the nightmare...do you think that it might've been brought on by my stint as Madame Beetle when Adrien used Hawk Moth's Miraculous?" she suggested. She wasn't sure what had made her think that but a part of her reckoned the presence of Hawk Moth could be because of that.
"What do you mean? Do you think it's something like "because you was transformed by an akuma", the very thing Hawk Moth used to create his minions?" Tikki asked, "I don't know if that'd be the case since Adrien was using an akuma for good. Why would it give you nightmares if it wasn't corrupted or evil like when Hawk Moth uses them?"
"I dunno, I'm just...thinking out loud." Marinette sighed, "Overall, I just hope I never get a nightmare like that again..." she muttered, lying back in her pillow.
"I'm sure you'll be fine and you've got nothing to worry about Marinette, but if you have any concerns, you could always bring it up to Master Fu." the little kwami suggested, "He might know what to do about it."
Marinette thought about this. Seeing Master Fu did seem like a good idea at this point. While the nightmares could just be a result of her hellish encounter with The Joker and his near success in razing the entire world, she did still have concerns and wanted to make sure the nightmares wouldn't come back. Maybe tomorrow, she could see him first thing after school. For the time being, though, it was time to go back to sleep, as it was only two in the morning. She shuffled her head back into her pillow as Tikki took to the air. Marinette gave her a smile as she closed her eyes.
"Goodnight, Tikki. I'm glad we talked." she said pleasantly, getting a bright look from Tikki.
"Me too, Marinette, sleep as well as you can." she replied as she flew back to the little house the other side of the room.
Marinette smiled as she relaxed herself and let her mind carry her off into sleep, trying not to think of the horrible nightmares and think of all the good she had brought about. With a sigh of pleasure, Marinette went back to sleep.
Yet as Paris slept away, it did not know that underneath its streets, great evil was at work again. Something far worse than Hawk Moth, Riddler, and Joker.
A homeless man, who looked only young enough to be in his late twenties despite the rough beard he grew, found himself waking up to seeing nothing but an endless field of darkness. Gasping in fright, he tried to move forward, but first found a sharp pain running from his head, making his body throb in agony, reminding him that he gotten a brutal hit from a thick weapon of sorts. Secondly, to his horror with his eyes going wide, he found his body was being held back by something rather metallic, his arms bound to his sides and his neck held down by a clamp. It wasn't tight but he couldn't move his head much. And all this did made his heart beat faster, as he looked through the endless stretch of black, wondering where he was.
"Wh-Where am I? Please, I'm just a mere homeless man, I did nothing! Please!" He called out, his voice filled with fear and dread, his body already running with sweat along with rivers of blood trailing down from his wound, making the pain even more thick for him.
That was when a low laugh filled the air, stopping his heart for a second. It sounded so hollow yet loud enough to reach his ears. The man then noticed a red glow of sorts from his right, turning that way to see a tall figure of sorts standing far over there. From what he could see, the silhouetted figure was tall, yet curvy with big hips and a long line of hair on the left side of her body. What made his heart tight more was that whatever form of light she was holding gave way to her face, which seemed thin and smooth, yet long eyelashes stretched from eyelids that held two red eyes that looked at him with frightening interest, while her lips parted to show a smile of sorts.
"You call yourself homeless? That means that you are of no importance? Oh you don't know how much that what you have is just so right for why you are here, and why I have you" she somewhat said soothingly, her voice filled with a seductive tone, yet this did not fill the man with any warmth, only making him shake more as he tried to take in what she said.
"What? What do you mean?" he asked, his voice just dripping in fear.
The smile of the woman only gotten a little bigger.
"For how little you value yourself. And with that, you don't value life that much, do you?" she asked, yet she sounded as if she knew the answer already.
And even before the man could ask her anything else, he heard a whirling of machinery of sorts from around him. That was when his sight was filled with a sickening view of mechanical syringes, knives, and torch like devices coming down on to him, even right towards his eyes. His heart went faster as his body felt its nerves going off an all sorts
"Please, no, I-I..." he didn't get to finish as the mechanical tools did their gruesome work, only screams of agony and horror echoing throughout the dark, yet the woman smiled more sweetly as she watched on.
"And there's the next one..." she said as she then lowered her light, going off into the darkness as the man screamed louder as the machines did its work on his body.
The night went on rather quietly for the rest of Paris, morning soon coming with a rather bright sky, yet the warm sunlight did little to bring about a lot of activity in the city, for it was still coming to terms with all that happened a few weeks back. Everyone was almost too scared to leave their homes, and for good reason, often wondering what other villain would be out there to come and attack, to hurt who else they cared for. And some wondering whether they were anymore safe with another Agreste out there, not knowing the full thing about what he knew of his father.
For Adrien Agreste, coming back to Paris was very hard for him. Sitting up in his new, soft bed, he sighed as he looked outside, almost a billion thoughts going through his head as his green eyes tried blink away the tiredness, for he was just thinking all night. He sighed as he looked about his room, taking in the soft scent of candle wax that had been put out in the night, its smell warm and comforting, yet a big reminder that he was not in his home.
"Another day in a new life." he said quietly to himself, yet he soon gotten an answer from a certain cat Kwami.
"Yup. Another day waking up in a smaller room." Plagg said as he came out from behind her curtain near the windowsill, sitting beside Adrien on his bed. His eyes looked at him with deep concern, seeing Adrien avoiding his look.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, his voice not full of sarcasm.
Adrien only tutted and fell back onto the bed. "No...not really." he said grimly as Plagg then went beside his face. "Its not easy, Plagg, trying to move on. It was nice Bruce Wayne gotten me some help for my powers, even if that John Constantine smoked too much..." he trailed off with a small smirk, but it then vanished as he went on ,"Got no father. My home is gone, all of Paris probably hates me...and taking that lie detector was even more frightening than anything else..." he explained, remembering when Captain Roger took him out of his school a day ago to have him go through a lie detector with Interpol, about what he knew of his father being Hawk Moth. He told them the truth and passed every question, but his shoulders and back still felt as if he was being held down on the ground with little to no freedom.
Plagg patted his ear a bit with a smile, trying to raise his mood.
"Oh c'mon. Look, you have to wear a hood whenever you go out, but no one except Marinette knows you're here, that Bruce Wayne did a lot to make sure you had a new home to go to, and you still get to go to school. Gotta be something to be happy about, right?" he suggested, only getting a small shrug from Adrien.
"I'd have been happy if the guy I was living with told me earlier about my dad being Hawk Moth." he said grimly as he looked to the window again, taking in the bright sky.
Plagg looked at him a little more seriously.
"Look, dude, I have to be blunt, but you've gotta focus on the positives. You can't keep feeling restrained by your dad's reputation. Your Adrien Agreste, the Chat Noir of Paris, nice guy, and most of all, you've got your girlfriend. That's something you oughta be happy about, right?"
The blonde teen considered his Kwami's words for a moment. Yes, he supposed he was right. Why feel so down about his father's reputation as Hawk Moth when he still had so much in his life to be glad about it? He still had school, and this time WITHOUT restrictions from his "father" so he didn't have to worry about him forbidding him to go there anymore. No doubt his friends would be happy to see him again. And Marinette...could he be luckier to have a girl like her? His beloved Ladybug turned out to be the clumsy baker girl he had considered a friend at school and it didn't mean anything to him. He was honestly glad that of all the people he knew, Ladybug had turned out to be her. And unlike Hawk Moth, he knew full well that Marinette was a wonderful person and nothing at all like his evil father. So as grim as it seemed, at least he had so much to be thankful for. It would've been even more disheartening if he'd lost everything in his life, school and Marinette included. Adrien patted Plagg softly on the head.
"You never cease to amaze me buddy." the teen hero said graciously, "You may seem like a lazy, laidback kinda guy, yet you know just to what say."
"Aw come on, I maybe eat a lot but I still have a good head on my shoulders!" Plagg retorted, "Besides, I'm just looking out for you Adrien. It's a Kwami's duty to make their masters happy."
"And there's no doubt that you know how to put a smile on my face." Adrien admitted, "I think I can happily say I'm thankful I still have you with me Plagg." he added kindly.
"See, now you're focusing on the positives!" Plagg snickered teasingly, "I knew you could do it buddy!"
"Alright wise guy, don't push it." Adrien retorted, smirking humorously at his feline-esque Kwami, "I sure hope I get to see Marinette tomorrow. A part of me...really wants her by my side right now, you know what I mean?"
"I get ya, pal. She was the first one there for you after we all found out who Hawk Moth was, and she's been there for you throughout all this." Plagg pointed out, getting a nod from Adrien.
"Not just that...she's a good person. I've always wanted to be around her more because she's just...got this thing about her that you just know you can be normal around her, and she knows the right thing to say...I mean, if Ladybug never existed, or...gave up on her earlier, I think I'd have fallen for Marinette a lot quicker" Adrien explained with a warm look in his eyes, getting a smirk from Plagg.
"Here we go, lover boy is daydreaming again, thinking of his girlfriend." he said with a teasing voice, getting a small smooth from Adrien's finger.
"Hey, just expressing how I feel...I mean, my stay at Wayne Manor was great because I was with her. Her laughter, how nerdy she could be, how much she stands up for everyone, I could listen to her talking about her fashion designs forever...If I never gave her that umbrella that day, I don't think she'd have been my friend earlier. She's just so nice and understanding." Adrien sighed happily, looking up to the ceiling as he thought of Marinette.
"Yup. Lovers can never stay too far away, I can tell ya." Plagg noted a lot more genuinely as he sat on Adrien's chest, getting a smile off of him.
"You're actually happy for me, aren't you?" he asked with a lot of interest, getting a shrug from the Kwami.
"Look, kid, you've been looking for the one you love long enough. I'm just glad she can kick butt and talk sass, because I think you need a bit of that in your life. And admit it, you always liked that about her, didn't you?" he questioned cheekily, getting a nervous giggle out of Adrien.
"I, uh, always rooted for her whenever she looked like she was about to fight, I can tell ya" he said with a blush, already imagining Marinette beating up a few bullies.
"You can tell her that when you get to school, just make sure you're alone or it'll be school gossip." Plagg noted, sitting by the clock as it read the time was twenty minutes past seven. That told Adrien it was time to get up and get ready for school, and it was enough to make him feel more excited about seeing Marinette. Just seeing her would be enough to make his day a lot better and help him get through it.
"You think I should ask her if I can come over?" He asked Plagg as he gotten into his new clothes, which were a lot comfier than his more visually rich clothes.
He was now wearing a grey zip up hoodie, a black t-shirt, darker blue jeans, and differently designed orange shoes. Not too different from his old clothes, but not the same brands or designs.
"You oughta just go on and do it. Her mom and papa are fine with you, and you are her boyfriend. You're welcome enough to go around there." Plagg offered his advice, getting a pleased index finger waving at him.
"Yeah, just go on and ask. I can be myself around Marinette, so yeah, just ask." he said more to himself as he grabbed his bag and filled it with the usual stuff that was needed for school.
"Don't ya miss those old clothes of yours?" Plagg asked as he flew beside Adrien as they went towards the door. Adrien's face sunk a little as that was brought up.
"Look, Constantine made me realise it was the right thing to do. Why wear something that Gabriel made me wear just to help boost his facade around Paris and promote his company?" he said as he opened the door and went down the stairs, taking him to the rather neat cream walls and red cupboards and wallpaper, with Chinese decorations all around the place.
"Just asking." Plagg assured as Adrien went through the fridge, getting the lunchbox he prepared himself.
It was a bit of a weird result with the bread looking out of place where he cut them up. Still, he had it all done for him back when he was a rich kid, so it was best to forgive him for what it gotten like.
"Sorry, I'd rather just leave it all in that bin I burnt them in. I'm not the rich kid anymore, Plagg, and just as you said, this hoodie is good for me to hide in the public." Adrien said as he put the lunchbox in his bag.
"You will have to show your face in the public someday, Adrien." said a soft old voice from behind, making him stop and stand stiffly.
A rush of anger came through Adrien, but he instead breathed out the tension through his mouth, trying to ease his body as he turned around to see the voice was that of Master Fu's, standing there in his red Hawaian shirt and tan trousers, with Wayzz and Nooroo frosting beside him. The same old man who he helped when he ran away from home. The same old man who had given him the Chat Noir Miraculous...the one who was looking after him right now.
"You shouldn't be afraid. They'll realise the truth soon, Adrien, and you won't have to hide in that hoodie of yours." Nooroo said kindly as he flew towards Adrien, who gave the Kwami a small smile, ignoring Master Fu.
"I appreciate it, Nooroo. Hopefully you're right." he replied as he gave him a smooth on his head, having taken good care of the Kwami during their stay at Wayne Manor, doing his best to treat him with a lot of kindness after everything Gabriel did to him.
Master Fu went over to Adrien and patted his shoulder, though this made him flinch a little, looking at Master Fu with a lot of doubt in his eyes.
"Your friends will understand everything, Adrien. You just have to talk to them and express how you are feeling." he suggested, only for Adrien to walk away from him with his eyes closed, a feeling of hurt running through him.
"Look...I appreciate you looking after me, and that Bruce Wayne told you all that happened, but...I can't even look at you. You knew..." he said with a lot of anger rising in his voice, yet Master Fu didn't move the slightest, as if he knew Adrien would be like this, or that he had seen all sorts of emotional people in his years.
"If you chose me as Chat Noir, you should've known what you were getting me into...I mean, you knew my fa...Gabriel was Hawk Moth. What was I? A chess piece in the grand scheme of things? A tool to bring Gabriel down?" he asked with a sharp glare, his green eyes full of hurt and disgust, the feeling of positivity going away as he brought this all up. For it was true, that Master Fu had known of who exactly had the Butterfly Miraculous and he didn't even get hold of Adrien to tell him what he knew.
Master Fu's often wise and bright face sunk a little too, guilt running through him. Adrien had a point, as he should've known how much turmoil Adrien would be put through given Gabriel was Hawk Moth, yet he only contacted Marinette...but he couldn't agree with what Adrien also said.
"Adrien, you were never a chess piece. I know you might see it that way, but I knew of how much you desired to be part of the rest of life, and Chat Noir was that extra boost for you, and with that passion and desire, I...just felt you would be better." he tried to explain, only for Adrien to look down, his eyes still full of anger.
He wanted to shout, throw his fists around, to make it clear what he wanted from Master Fu...but a quick look to seeing Nooroo looking nervous about everything going on made that heat of anger wash out from him. Relaxing his muscles, Adrien sighed as he went to the door.
"I...I can't forgive you...not until you admit you could've done better. Not until you tell me everything you know." he said sadly, not liking all this negative feeling he had for the old man. He might've had his reasons, but he shouldn't be behaving in such a way that seemed like it was all normal.
Master Fu went forward but stopped when Adrien opened the door.
"I'll be here a little later. I'll be seeing Marinette after school, so just know that, okay?" he said hurriedly as he and Plagg left, closing the door behind them. F
or a moment, Master Fu stood where he was before looking down at his feet, sighing as he let Adrien's words sink in. Wayzz and Nooroo floated in front of him.
"Don't feel down about this, master, he'll come around" Wayzz assured softly, yet Nooroo looked unsure.
"I don't know, Wayzz. After everything that happened, I don't think Adrien will be coming around quickly...but I think you should take his word and admit your flaws." Nooroo then passed his own advice to Master Fu, who nodded.
"You are right, Nooroo...I thought Bruce Wayne sending him here would be enough to give Adrien some content, but...for being alive for so long, I should remember it's not that simple anymore." he said sadly as he turned to his living room, sitting in his chair as he took hold of the Miraculous Book, having kept hold of it since Marinette gave it to him.
"But when, master? I can't really stand the sour mood whenever you're both in the same room." Nooroo said, as it all seemed too similar to the dark intensity of whenever Gabriel would hurt him into akumstising people.
"I will, Nooroo, but there is a lot I have to explain to him, not just about his father...but about his mother, and that is something I'm not sure he's going to take very well." Master Fu said as he looked out to the window, already thinking over the talk he will be having with Adrien. Wayzz nodded.
"I think we should have a gathering for that talk, with those that can help keep him calm. Like Marinette" he suggested, yet he only gotten a sharp look from Master Fu.
"I'm not sure if Marinette will be enough for that. There has to be others that can help..." he said as he turned a page detailing about the Fox Miraculous holder and the Turtle Miraculous holder.
It was always strange what time could do to a person. To think it hadn't been that long since Adrien had been riding in his car on the way to school with his bodyguard, the Gorilla, at the wheel like normal, waiting for those precious hours of mingling with the crowd and getting to be a normal person for once instead of a pampered rich kid like he was at home. And yet those days now seemed so far away. Not that Adrien wanted to remember those days since the memories had turned sour thanks to the revelation behind Hawk Moth's identity. Now here he was, walking to school, not riding, and doing his best to remain hidden in the public eye as he pulled the hood as far over his face as it would go. He also walked with his head low to make it even harder to see his face. The disguise seemed to work for nobody noticed him or seemed to recognize him. He was invisible, just another boy in the crowd to mingle with the commoners to anyone walking by. Perfect! Just what the blonde teen wanted!
His walk to school had been uneventful, which is what else he had wanted. He didn't want any trouble or to get caught up in any after all. But Adrien had noticed that all around him, his father's image was being scorned, jeered and abused as he saw a man with dark skin and a bad rash throwing away a bunch of magazines that had Gabriel Agreste on the covers. Fashion magazines that were no longer of any interest to anyone, he knew that much. He didn't disagree with the man's decision, feeling that he would've done the same. Marinette had done as such the moment she had returned to Paris, throwing away everything to do with Gabriel as if simply taking out the rubbish. She had even told him so afterwards.
"I got rid of all your dad's fashion magazines, posters, and any designs I drew based on his own." she had told him over the phone, "I still can't believe I ever looked up to him! I admired him so and it turns out that he's a crazy super-villain who wants our Miraculouses for his own nefarious needs?!"
"Yeah, I don't blame you for doing so." Adrien had replied, "It's like when you look up to a famous movie star or singer and they turn out to be a jerk...or worse..." he muttered, "It just hits you like a kick to the face doesn't it?"
"I feel worse than a kick to the face in this case." Marinette muttered, "More like a stab in the heart. No doubt the same as you..."
Adrien wasn't sure if Gabriel being Hawk Moth had felt like that. A stab in the heart still seemed like an expression not adequate enough to sum up his grief and horror at discovering the truth. As Adrien walked on, he could faintly hear a couple of people talking to one another. They weren't talking particularly loud, but they weren't talking quietly either so he could just about hear what they were saying. He quickened his pace once he did, not liking what they had said:
"This recent news is an outrage! The famed Gabriel Agreste was really a supervillain and the one responsible for all these Akuma attacks?! I'm never gonna buy another suit of his again!"
"I'm not buying ANYTHING with his filthy name on! Not even underwear! And I certainly don't want any children wearing the clothes his son models for him! I bet his son's just as bad as he is!"
"Gabriel's a supervillain, so maybe his son is too! I sure hope I get my hands on him so I can make him feel sorry for all the grief his father has caused!"
It was just as he'd feared. Some people were still stupid enough to believe that because his father was evil, he must be evil too. Adrien felt relieved when he could no longer hear their voices as he walked further away. If he had stayed any longer, he might've felt the urge to punch one of them.
"Has it never occurred to these people to never judge children by who their parents are?" he growled angrily to himself, "Just because my dad was evil, it doesn't mean I am too!"
He was able to push those thoughts out of his head as he turned a corner and saw the familiar sight of the Françoise Dupont High School. He'd be able to settle in and just have a normal day at school with friends and have to worry about getting his answers right than what the public thought about him. Normal worries that a boy his age should have to deal with. And it looked as if this day was going to get even better for as he approached the school, Adrien heard someone coming and a familiar voice calling to him.
"Adrien! Good morning! It's great to see you here!"
His heart was washed out of any sourness he felt earlier, for his face beamed bright when he turned to see who it was. There she was, pigtails neatly done, and her purse still at her side and her eyes as full of life as always. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his girlfriend, the one person he loved more than anyone. He didn't see Ladybug at all whenever he saw her. He saw the same kind, brave girl that always made his school days better. And she sure made the last few weeks enough for him to get through.
The young couple happily embraced each other, holding tightly close as if they had been apart for eternity. Taking in the soft scent of her hair, Adrien warmed from head to toe in happiness, holding his love so close to him as if the world was about to end. For Marinette, it was great to finally get some time with her boyfriend instead of just talking to him over the phone, taking in his strong body close to her smaller one was something she could only dream of. And with it now bring reality, she could give him her warming love, like any girlfriend or boyfriend would do with her touch and words. She listened closely to his heartbeat, taking in how it was beating so normally, telling her he was okay. This wasn't the Adrien from her nightmare. This was the real Adrien, the one who fought by her side everyday and risked so much to protect her.
Gently pulling apart, they both stared into the forest and oceans of their eyes, reminding themselves of who they still had, and what they had gotten in the end. Each other.
They kissed softly, Marinette standing on her tiptoes to reach up to him. She honestly didn't mind, and neither did he. They kissed closely as they took hold of each other's hands, wrapping their fingers around each other, their kiss sending sparks of joy running through them. For what seemed like an eternity, they parted, opening their eyes to see small, pleased smiles coming off each other, with Marinette smoothing his cheek ever so gently.
"It's great to see you." she said softly, her cheeks turning red as she took in the moment, with Adrien wrapping his arms around her back to hold her closer, his eyelids drooping dreamily as they took in her beautiful face.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting to have some time with you, Marinette." he said quietly, his voice just enough for her to take in.
Marinette was delighted to hear that. Adrien had been keen to see her again! And to think she had seriously doubted in the past that he'd ever love her! So much for what the nightmare had been telling her.
"I've been waiting to have some time with you too." the blue-haired girl said brightly, "It feels like we've barely had any chance to see each other since the whole thing in Gotham. We should totally meet up after school and just have the night to ourselves!" she exclaimed, enthusiasm evident in her voice.
"I'd love that beautiful." Adrien said with a smile, "I honestly think the two of us having a moment together is just what we need."
"Me too." Marinette agreed, "You know, I wonder what our friends will think to your new clothes?" she added, glancing at Adrien's more casual attire he now sported, "I mean, they look great on you, don't get me wrong, but it's not...you know? Your usual style? Um, if you know what I mean?" she added sheepishly, hoping her words hadn't accidentally come out as an insult.
"I know, it's gonna be unusual for them to see me looking more casual." Adrien sighed, shrugging, "They'll probably understand why though. They probably know about my dad too and will understand that I don't wanna associate myself with him anymore. I just hope...that none of them start thinking I'm a villain too." he muttered grimly.
"You? A villain? No way! Why would anyone think that malarkey?" Marinette exclaimed.
"Because my dad was one. I've heard people assuming I'm just as bad as he was, and on the way here no less!" the blonde teen explained, "I still remember when Roger made me take that lie detector test! It felt like I was under arrest, even though I hadn't done anything! I know it came out all true and all but it seems it's gonna take a while before anyone starts trusting me again..."
Marinette's face fell, feeling nothing but sympathy to her boyfriend. Wasn't it enough that his dad turned out to be a supervillain that now the world felt the need to punish him some more by making him publically hated too?! Why did life seem so keen to make him suffer all of a sudden? She decided that she'd show life that she wasn't going to let it punish Adrien and make him miserable any longer. She took hold of his hands and gazed into his eyes with a tender look in her own.
"You know I trust you." she insisted.
"I do, and that's why I was so keen to see you again." Adrien replied, his voice soft and gracious. It was quite clear to the bluenette that he was happy to be with her now.
The two were about to kiss again but they quickly realized that they were still standing outside the school and were going to be late if they stood out here any longer. At the very least, they'd have all the time in the world later on when school was over. They separated, but stayed by each other's sides as they headed towards the school.
"Better not be late again or Mr. Damocles will be mad." Marinette snickered teasingly.
"I'd rather have his owl-like face scowling at me than what we had in Gotham." Adrien replied lightly, taking hold of her hand as they went towards the entrance, with Adrien lowering his hood when they went through the doors.
Inside the sports pitch that was in the middle of the school, Marinette and Adrien felt the eyes of the other students fall onto them, shock and curiosity filling them, taking interest in Adrien's change of clothes, some even laughing at him, whispering among each other, probably about how poor he must've looked and how he deserved it. Some of the students were filled with distrust while others were filled with jealousy, eyeing the holding hands of Marinette and Adrien, finding it hard to believe he actually chosen her, while some thought she was an utter idiot for dating him now, seeing that he was not even worth to be with.
Adrien didn't care what they thought of him, though. The people he had to earn the trust of was those in his and Marinette's class, for they were his friends, the ones that knew him. He couldn't help but feel his chest tighten as they went in through the door. As soon as they went in, Adrien found it hard to even look at them once they all looked to see who came in. There they were, everyone of his friends who his father hurt. Those who he helped and became friends with, through himself and as Chat Noir. Everyone was there, all looking at him with open mouths and eyes in shock, taking in his new outfit. Everyone...but Chloe, her absence marked by an empty seat next to Sabrina, who looked away with an unsure look as his eyes looked over to it.
A gentle squeeze of his hand from Marinette told him not to feel guilty, for she saw his look and could only feel something similar. She could only wish she had pulled her phone away from her at the last second...
"Well, you gonna take a seat next to me or what?" came Nino's voice, being the first to speak up of them all.
Adrien almost jumped and both he and Marinette took in how he looked. He was up from his seat, his eyes were full of sympathy, and his arms were open, almost as if he were wanting a hug from the blonde teen, who frowned at him.
"Are...you sure? I mean, I don't think- "
"Now now, don't give me any of that, man! You think I'm gonna act like you don't exist!? Get here, man!"
Marinette couldn't help but smile as she stepped back and allowed Nino to envelope Adrien into a warm hug, greatly stunning Adrien for a moment as he let his arms hang by his sides. Marinette beamed as she saw the warmth run through Adrien as he hugged his best friend. She knew of all the people that would believe him, Nino would be one of them.
"Gee...th-thank you Nino. I honestly don't know what to say..." Adrien said sheepishly, embracing his best friend back. He was so touched to see that Nino didn't have any ill-feelings towards him that he almost wanted to cry. He even thought that he felt a tear trickle down his face for a minute.
"What, did you think I was suddenly gonna hate you because your dad turned out to be Hawk Moth?" Nino scoffed, the whole idea that Adrien would even tease such a thought sounding ridiculous to him, "Why would I do that dude? We know you're nothing like him!"
"Too right." agreed his girlfriend and Marinette's best friend, Alya Césaire, "We're not like those people who think that if the parents are bad, the kids must be! We know the real you Adrien and we know you're nothing like Hawk Moth." she finished, winking at the green-eyed teen.
Adrien couldn't help but smile, feeling as if he'd been hit by a wave of joy. Welcomed by his friends and hearing them acknowledge he wasn't the bad guy just because his father was, this was just the kind of day he was hoping to have to wash away the grimness and despair of the past events that had transpired. Coming here had been the best decision he had made since returning to Paris.
"Thanks everyone. I really needed that." the blonde boy said graciously.
"No kidding." Alix agreed, "I bet you were getting a lot of crap about how you must be "evil" just because your dad was."
"Like you wouldn't believe. It's why I came dressed like this, so I can hide from public view and not be noticed." Adrien explained.
"I'd say the clothes suit you dude, even if they look...less expensive." Nino said.
"So, um, how's Sabrina been since...you know...what happened to Chloe?" Marinette asked, choosing her words carefully in case she accidentally triggered something in her friends.
Her encounter with Batman and his enemies had ended with the rich, spoilt brat dead when the Riddler had rigger a phone to explode and it just happened to be hers that had the bomb. She, Adrien and everybody in the class had been forced to witness the sickening moment where the phone exploded and tore Chloe's head off. She had heard recently that her father, Mayor Andre Bougeios, had taken a leave of absence to try and recover from the shock and grief of his daughter's passing. Marinette had found it a strange experience overall.
On the one hand, she had no love for Chloe whatsoever due to being bullied by her for four years straight and had thought that, in a way, she had asked for it. She had been stupid enough to ignore Batman and it had cost her her life. On the other hand, Marinette had NEVER wanted Chloe dead, no matter how horrible she had been. She was not the kind of person to wish death on anyone, no matter who they were, and had thought even Chloe didn't deserve such a gruesome fate. And she hated to admit it, but she would've preferred it if Chloe was still here now. School was going to seem strange without her and all Chloe's absence did was brutally remind her on what an ugly stain Batman's rogues had left on the lives of everybody in the room.
She noticed Sabrina looking away with a tense look on her face. Her posture was rigid, as if determined not to make herself comfortable. She also seemed to shudder slightly. It was clear that she hadn't recovered from the shock of Chloe's death yet. Would she ever recover? Marinette hoped so, but she felt that it would be a long time yet before that happened.
"Poor girl's still waking up crying in the night." Juleka explained solemnly, "She opened up to us the other day and expressed just how much it still makes her feel sick just thinking about it. Chloe may have been a bully and a stuck-up brat...but we can't deny her death was quite horrifying. Even I find myself cringing whenever I think back to that day..." she muttered, screwing her eyes shut in disgust.
"I think we all can agree on that, Juleka." Marinette said sadly, remembering that gruesome moment as Ladybug, "I wasn't there, but I can only imagine how it went. I mean...we've never seen anything like that before, so it's understandable why we're all...tense." she explained, patting the arms of her and Rose, remembering how Rose had fainted when Chloe was killed.
The sweet hearted girl had a distant look in her eyes, still remembering that horrible moment. Ivan had been cuddling Mylene as this was all going on, trying to ease any pain of the memories she was getting from that night. The kids had really been affected big time by the whole thing and you could only think of what it took to get through such a thing.
Lila stepped up and walked over to Marinette and Adrien, her eyes low and sad.
"I'm just glad I didn't lose the rest of you guys. I mean, I thought I'd be alone after that whole lying thing I did, but then thanks to Marinette I gotten actual friends out of you guys. I'd hate to lose more of you. I'm glad you two weren't there" Lila said with a hint of gladness, not knowing the truth of the whole situation, getting Marinette and Adrien to share a sad glance over this.
Alya then raised an eyebrow as she looked at them both.
"Yeah, where were you guys? You didn't get abducted, and the last we saw of you, you were both running off to the hotel when Joker came." she reminded.
Now even more interested eyes focussed on the two with thoughtful looks. Marinette smiled shyly while Adrien rubbed his cheek in a similar way. They had expected a question like this and thus, had been preparing themselves the perfect answer to give.
"Well, yeah. Joker would've hurt my mom and papa and...I just could go stand back, I had to go and see them...then Ladybug, Chat Noir and Batman got there and that was when the big fight started" she explained to their gathered friends.
"Yeah. I went after Marinette and I didn't want her to go on until it was safe. We bumped into that Bruce Wayne, and he took us to the hotel he was staying in to keep us safe. Me and Marinette gotten emotional over the whole thing because we saw it on TV...and by that I mean the whole thing, hearing how Chloe died, the fight at my home, Gabriel being revealed as Hawkmoth...it all gotten a bit much, but I was glad Marinette was with me. If she wasn't, I'd...I'd have honestly beaten myself to a pulp...I mean, you guys nearly getting killed, Gabriel being behind all our misery...I don't think I'd have gotten through it." Adrien added, looking at the floor with tears coming down his face. He quickly wiped them away as his words sunk into everyone, who couldn't believe they were seeing Adrien crying. He didn't really cry, given he was so upbeat, but that was even more than enough for them to see how hard he had taken it.
Marinette looked stunned at something he mentioned though. He felt like...beating himself up? Hurting himself? And he never told her this? Then again, he would've been filled with a lot of thoughts and feelings over all that had happened with Gabriel. From what Nino told her, and what Adrien opened up to her over the weeks, Gabriel certainly sounded like one of the most neglectful of people she ever heard of. Marinette even wondered if he only ever had Adrien was just to get a free employee model to keep his fashion going, because it sounded like he treated Adrien more like a tool than a person.
Adrien then smiled at Marinette and took hold of her hand, his warmth going together with hers as they stared longingly for a moment, and Alya noticed, with her eyes wide in a mixture of emotions.
"Um, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? The love stare?" she asked, drawing everyone's focus to Marinette and Adrien's moment.
"Come on Alya, don't make a big deal about it." Marinette replied sheepishly.
"It's OK Marinette, I think it's OK to let them know now." Adrien said softly, "May as well give them something to be happy about. You're absolutely right Alya, you're seeing what you think you're seeing." he announced, not just to Alya, but the whole class, "Me and Marinette are in love. We just recently became a couple."
"And we couldn't be happier!" the blue-haired teen cried excitedly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You mean you two...are officially...a thing now?!" Alya cried, gaping, "Like, really?! Marinette was lucky she could form more than two sentences in front of you and you're seriously telling me that you're officially a couple now?"
"No joke." the two teens replied in unison.
They both blushed at this and stood closer as Mylene beamed at them, feeling happy for her friend, who did help her and Ivan get together, so it was only right she felt happy for her.
"How though? I mean...you're always pretty shy, Marinette, how did you go through with it?" she asked with interest, getting a raised eyebrow from Nathanael.
"Yeah, how?" he asked a little more sharply, a pang of jealousy in him as he asked them.
Marinette and Adrien both looked a bit shy and glanced at each other.
"Uh, do you want me to or...?" Adrien asked but gotten a reassuring look from Marinette.
"I think I can manage." she said confidently as she spoke up to everyone, "Well, I just had to be myself. No more stuttering, no more running away, just be myself. I mean, I couldn't do all that after what happened to you guys, and...for once I could take in everything about Adrien. I mean, I always liked him because he was nice but I was...scared he'd hate me because I was just an ordinary girl." she said shyly, looking away from his eyes as they were filled with shock. Adrien smoothed her hand with a smile.
"There's nothing wrong with being ordinary, Marinette. I can tell you that." he assured, causing Rose's eyes to widen in awe as she took it in.
"Oh this is so wonderful! Keep on going, please!" she begged, getting a few giggles out of everyone.
Marinette went on, "And...the more time I spent with Adrien, not just over the last few weeks, but those other times with the gaming tournament, when my great uncle visited, I saw more to him. More than a nice guy. He's funny, smart, and I uh...didn't think he was a sweet lover." she giggled, making him blush as remembered when he had a taste of her parent's croissants.
"Yeah, and honestly, I was glad to have those times with Marinette too. Didn't take her to be a gamer, so that helped me settle around her a bit. She's got quite a bit of sass to her and that...drew me in a lot more, I'll be honest," Adrien added as he remembered those times he met Marinette when he was Chat Noir, remembering how sarcastic and cheeky she could be, "But she's nice...brave, and she always knows what's right for everyone else. That drawn me to her a bit more but it was these last weeks where I just realised...she was the one who I loved. I just wished I was brave enough to have spent more time with her." he told everyone, leaving Marinette in a blushing mess as she remembered those times they had.
Everyone took this in with a lot of happiness lightening up their faces. Even Nathanael and Lila, as they both knew they took too far in a step with Marinette and Adrien, and they could see they were best for each other.
Nino looped an arm around Adrien as he grinned.
"Dude, do you know how long we've been waiting for this!? It's like wrapping up a story arc or something!" He said, getting everyone to stand up and walk over to them.
"Yeah, I mean, we've all been wondering when you'd speak up, Marinette. About time." Kim said with a smirk.
Marinette and Adrien smirked teasingly in response. So like Kim to make cheeky remarks, but with no malicious intent as usual. It really did feel good to be back at school to be mingling with their friends and getting to forget their troubles for the time being. And the fact they were all happy to see them again, and also happy to see them officially as a couple, just made this day even better! Just as Marinette and Adrien were about to reply, the door to their classroom opened and in walked the science and maths teacher, Ms. Mendeleiev. She hadn't changed a bit since the teen superheroes had last seen her, looking as odd as ever with her purple hair, pointy chin and thick-rimmed spectacles. The white coat she wore seemed oddly appropriate for somebody who taught science. As usual, she wasn't smiling. In Marinette's eyes, she doubted Ms. Mendeleiev was even capable of smiling. The purple-haired woman sat behind her desk and addressed the class, her tone sharp and to-the-point as usual.
"Good morning class." she said, not sounding particularly happy saying those words.
"Good morning Ms. Mendeleiev!" every voice in the room replied back.
"No doubt you're all aware that we have a student missing in this class." the teacher added, motioning over to the empty chair next to Sabrina, "Chloe Bourgeois' death was...most tragic indeed. I personally blame that awful Batman character for bringing his enemies to our city but we're not here to discuss that. Everybody get out your maths books and turn to a blank page so that you may write down today's multiplication sums. And I want EVERYONE to look busy!"
The class obeyed and got out their books to begin their maths lesson of the day. Marinette forced herself to look away from Ms. Mendeleiev, otherwise if she stared at her any longer, she might've picked up the obvious scowl she had on her face. How dare that woman blame Batman for Chloe's death?! He had come to Paris BECAUSE one of his enemies had run away to the city! He hadn't bought the Riddler with him! It was true that The Joker had come because of Batman, but that wasn't his fault! A part of her wanted to transform into Ladybug so she could lecture the woman on how horrible it is to blame people's deaths on superheroes instead of the ones who actually did it. But she resisted the urge and turned to a blank page in her book. At least the maths sums for the day would keep her mind occupied and let her forget her worries until the end of the day.
But what she and Adrien both didn't realize was that their superhero lives would soon catch up to them. Marinette's nightmare had ended with her being blasted by red beams. To anyone else, it wouldn't mean anything. But to a member of the Justice League, it was a sign that something worse than The Joker or Hawk Moth was coming. A sign...that darkness was coming...
As you can see, it's not been easy for Marinette and Adrien to return to their normal lives after the events of "Miraculous Knight". But they still have each other at least. ^^ However, things won't stay quiet for long. Who is the mysterious woman kidnapping homeless people? Does Marinette's nightmare mean anything? And if so...what?
All the answers await for you in the next chapters so keep on reading and me and my co-writer, Reece Wooldridge, hope you enjoy! :D
