Adrien wasn't surprised when Alya burst out of the classroom soon after him.
"You too, huh?" He stuffed his hands in his jeans' pockets.
Alya smiled, it was more teeth than grin and Adrien winced. "You got to say what I wanted to say before I could, so I had to get creative."
In the back of his mind, Adrien reminded himself to never get on Alya's bad side. She was sharp, and loyal, and made a much better friend than enemy. The two walked towards the principal's office, moving fairly quickly through the halls. Though they didn't say anything out loud, Adrien knew they both hoped to get to Marinette before she reached the principal.
Alya was the first to break the comfortable silence.
"I hope Mari is okay..." She tugged at a chunk of hair, looking aggravated.
Adrien gave a little nod. "I'm sure she's fine. Marinette is a lot stronger than people give her credit for."
"Well, I know that." Alya tossed him a sly look and he flushed, realizing he was talking to the person who knew Marinette the best. "But still, that was harsh, even for Chloe."
"Something about Marinette makes Chloe especially nasty." Adrien sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. "She's threatened by her, for some reason."
"'Some reason'. Right." Alya's tone was strange and Adrien turned to her, about to ask what she meant when Alya froze.
"Do...you hear that?"
Adrien paused, listening. "Hear what?"
"Listen closer." Alya shook her head. "And don't talk for a second."
The two stood in silence, Adrien's ears straining to pick up whatever Alya was talking about. Even out of the suit, his hearing was better than most. Though he was as quiet as possible, all he could hear were the soft breaths he and Alya were letting out.
"I don't hear anything." Adrien finally admitted.
"Exactly." Alya nodded her head vigorously, then huffed at Adrien's confused look. "We're in the middle of Paris on a Monday. There should be the sounds of traffic, or people talking, even birds. But I can't hear any of that."
Adrien tensed, once again trying to listen. She was right, the usual city sounds, the white noise Adrien had known all his life, were absent. A chill ran up his spine, the sudden stillness almost suffocating.
"Who do we know that would be upset enough to turn into an akuma?" Alya sound breathless and strained.
They made eye contact and grimaced.
"Marinette."
They took off running.
She wasn't in the principal's office, or the waiting room outside. Alya started ducking into bathrooms, calling out the girl's name. Adrien searched the halls and peeked into other classes. No one seemed to be screaming or shouting in panic. In fact, and it took him a couple different classrooms to realize, no one seemed to be talking at all.
Each room they passed, Alya and Adrien found completely silent, the students and teachers looking tired and dull. They moved like they were robots, programmed to carry out tasks. And not a single one of them was talking. Not even the teachers at the front of the rooms, their brows furrowed and throats straining to make noise. They were obviously behind her and Adrien was trying to work out what to do when they eventually caught up to Marinette.
He needed to turn into Chat Noir, and soon, but with Alya around it was dangerous. It be bad enough if she was just a civilian, but this was Alya, his friend and the brains behind the Ladyblog. She'd caught him just before his transformation ran out more times than he cared to count. He'd have to find a time when she was distracted and not paying attention to him. The sooner they found Marinette, the better, because that would serve as the perfect distraction.
Just a moment later, the two turned to corner to their own hallway and saw her. Her back was facing them, and she was looking into the classroom through the windows, but when they stopped moving she turned to them.
Adrien had seen a lot of akuma victims, but never one like this. It looked like she was at war with herself, her arms twitching idly at her sides and her face shifting between panic and anger. The transformation was only half formed, parts of it dripping away to reveal her regular clothes and appearance underneath. What had managed to come together appeared to be a black, skin tight suit, so dark it almost seemed like looking into nothing rather than looking at a person.
Perhaps the most disturbing part was Marinette's face, her jaw working and her mouth opened in a silent scream.
I am Silent Night. Marinette's voice wasn't something Adrien heard, but something he felt, winding into his thoughts like cool water. You look so weary handsome boy, you ought to sleep.
He suddenly felt like curling up in a ball and sleeping for the rest of his life. Marinette's very presence was soothing and he found himself closing his eyes and leaning against the hallway walls. It would be so easy to rest, it was quiet and calm here, it was safe. Distantly, he could hear Alya speaking, to him or Marinette he wasn't sure. Even more distantly, he could feel a tug at his collar, and what seemed like little claws scraping at his chest.
All at once, the illusion of safety and warmth fell away as Alya shook him, hard. Adrien's eyes snapped open and he straightened. He'd slumped so far against the wall that he was almost on the floor. Marinette (Silent Night?) was staring at the two of them, her expression largely the same but her eyes now wide with panic.
"Adrien, you need...to get away from here." Alya's speech was slow and labored and Adrien knew if he tried to talk, his voice would sound the same. "Get...help."
Adrien took a deep breath and glanced between the two girls. "What about...you?"
Alya gave him a small, sad smile. "I have...to stay with...her."
Adrien wanted to protest, leaving an unarmed civilian alone with an akuma victim was not something Chat Noir was supposed to do. If Ladybug found out, she'd have his head. But, Ladybug wasn't there and Adrien had already been looking for an opportunity to transform. Hopefully, he could get back in time before Silent Night did anything to Alya.
After a quick nod, Adrien shook his head, trying to clear away the confusing emotions he was experiencing. If whatever powers Marinette had managed to obtain through her partial transformation were strong enough to do that, he shuddered to think what they would do at full strength. As he backed away, he saw Marinette's eyes track him. For a second, he thought she might follow, but Alya stepped in between them, her shoulders set firm and sure.
"Hey love, what's happened to you?" Adrien heard Alya whisper as he turned the corner, her voice stronger than it had been a moment before and gentler than he'd ever heard it.
He got as far as possible before stopping and opening up his jacket. "Plagg, are you there?"
"Adrien." Plagg sounded deadly serious for the first time since Adrien had met the kwami. "Something isn't right."
Adrien hardly noticed the little tears in his shirt from where Plagg had tried to get his attention, instead thinking about Marinette's strange appearance, so unusual for an akuma.
"I know." He gave a short nod. "But we need to work on distracting her until Ladybug gets here."
"No, Adrien, that's not it. Marinette is-"
"I'm sorry but we don't have time!" Adrien exclaimed. "Plagg, transform me!"
Plagg was sucked into the ring, more resistant than usual and Adrien felt the green and black light of his transformation overtake him. Black leather stretched over his arms and legs and the familiar (comforting) weight of his mask settled over his cheekbones. Within seconds, he was no longer Adrien, but Chat Noir.
He shook out his hair and straightened, already pulling out his baton. "She's almost definitely headed for Chloe."
Chat knew he should probably contact Ladybug, but a sudden crashing stopped him from making the call.
With his baton extended, he began running back the way he had come. In the hall outside the classroom, he found Alya. The redhead stood still, staring off into the distance. Chat approached her cautiously, assuming she was like the other students and in a catatonic state.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when she turned to him abruptly.
"Chat Noir. Is Ladybug here as well?" Alya asked, twisting her hands together.
"Not yet, but I'm sure she's on her way." Chat assured her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Where did the akuma victim go?"
Alya motioned to the classroom just a bit down the hall, but her brow was furrowed in confusion. "It was...really weird. I've encountered akuma's before, I've even been one, but something about Marinette seemed different. Other than her weird outfit..."
Chat inclined his head, gesturing for her to continue.
"It's just that...they're never really conscious, are they? And they don't really pay attention to anyone other that the person who wronged them, right?" Alya questioned, her phrases slow and thoughtful.
"In my experience, not really."
Alya turned away from him. "Yeah, she definitely knew who I was. She said my name and everything. And she didn't try to attack me, especially after seeing Adrien run off. It was like..."
"Like?" Chat prompted when Alya didn't speak.
"It was like she was fighting back." Alya sounded shocked and proud, glancing back to where Marinette had gone. "Like she wasn't letting the akuma take over."
"That sounds like Marinette." Chat Noir stared off in the distance, giving a nod.
Alya whipped around to look at him. "You know Mari?"
"Uh, yes, well." Chat coughed, trying to cover his mistake. "I've encountered her in a few attacks and she always seemed...stronger than most?"
"Hmm." Alya's expression turned critical. "You probably need to get going. Akuma victim, and all."
"Right!" He was thankful that Alya let him off so easily, he knew in a normal situation he wouldn't get away with a flimsy excuse like that. "I better go distract her until Ladybug arrives."
With a wink and a jaunty salute that Chat didn't really feel, he took off for the classroom.
Inside, all the other students (and Mme Mendeleiev) were still, watching as Marinette approached Chloe. Chloe obviously knew who the akuma was, cowering in her seat. Chat was hit by that strange, calming sensation from before. Everyone else seemed affected by it as well, all blinking slowly and watching Marinette advance with no reaction.
"Princess!" Chat called, figuring it was safer to address her by familiar terms than her villain name. He certainly wasn't calling her 'Silent Night' in his mind.
Maybe, if Marinette was fighting, maybe she could win and shake off the akuma. Ladybug's expression when she arrived to an already saved victim would certainly be something worth seeing.
Marinette paused in her approach, her motions stiff and jerky as she faced him.
Chaton, don't get involved. That same not-voice told him and he shivered.
"What is it, Princess? Chat got your tongue?" He cocked a hip and swung his tail, giving Marinette a cheesy wink.
A strange sound came from Marinette, out loud this time, and Chat realized with a start it was a laugh. A wrecked, strangled one, but a laugh all the same. The realization filled him with hope, maybe he could save someone on his own. The fact that it was Marinette just sweetened the deal, he would able to help a classmate who had always been kind, if not a bit awkward around him (for reasons he now knew, but didn't have time to dwell on).
Suddenly, the black spandex started to spread further along Marinette's arms and legs and her expression became less conflicted and more angry.
Sorry mon petit minou, but that won't do. Rest now.
She lifted a hand and Chat was struck by that same sluggish feeling as before. He couldn't think straight, he could barely breathe.
(He couldn't wonder why Marinette had called him petit minou, Ladybug's nickname for him.)
All he could do was stumble forwards and swing his baton, hoping that a physical disruption would lessen the effects of Silent Night's powers. But she wasn't there when he swung, somehow having moved to the other side of him.
With a firm kick in the back, Marinette knocked him over easily and he tumbled to the ground. It was like she could anticipate his next move perfectly, her foot dropping at his side to prevent him from rolling away, the other kicking his baton out of reach just before he grabbed it. All it took was another firm kick to his stomach to make him wheeze, and curl over on his side.
Stay down Chaton. Her voice threaded through his mind and he was compelled to obey, to lay down and let her move on to her next victim.
Marinette moved her foot from his side and started towards Chloe again, who gave a pitiful whimper. She seemed to be the only one still present enough to react to anything.
Chat groaned, clutching his stomach. Marinette's request, no demand, was still ringing in his ears and it would be so easy to stay on the ground. Part of Chat (and he suspected it was the parts of him that were really Plagg) fought the fatigue and tried to jump him back into action. But everything was so fuzzy and confusing and Chat couldn't find the energy to think, let alone move. In the fog, the only coherent thought Chat had seemed to echo through his mind.
Where is Ladybug?
AN: I'm so blown away by the incredible response to this fic. In less than a day, this fic got more attention than a fic that I've had up for two years got. Normally, this is where I respond to all the comments, but since there was such an influx of them I'm going to do things a little differently. I'll answer any questions that aren't already addressed in this chapter, but other than that I won't be answering every single one. (I'm sure you don't want to wade through over 20 responses of the same kind too.) To anyone I don't directly speak to, thank you so much for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it so much!
LittleBirdsCanRemember: The way I've approached it is that, even though Marinette's got Tikki with her, because the Miraculous isn't 'activated' she was able to be akumized. However, this chapter pretty clearly shows that it isn't as easy as that and there is still part of Marinette fighting back.
Ladybugxchatnoir: In a word? Yes ;3c
Vanitas' Queen21: As you've seen, the outfit isn't very...typical of an akuma, for several reasons. I think that if it had been more normal, 'Silent Night' would be wearing black spandex, and I really like the trend of working people's shirt designs into their villain personas (like when Nino and Nath were both transformed) so maybe flower blossoms, like on Marinette's shirt?
Guest: The next chapter is actually partially in Marinette's perspective, so we get see what's going on in her head a bit more. I don't want to give too much away but I'm not planning for this fic to get to angsty, even though there are 'angst' tags. Basically, no one is gonna have to give up their Miraculous, unless things change along the line.
Also, I'd just like to tell y'all that if you have questions that you want answered between updates, check out my tumblr! There is a link on my profile, and my askbox is open to anons if you're shy. I'm more likely to be able to update there, and if you wanna share stuff with me, tagging 'mazberrypie' or 'all is calm ml' is a good way to get my attention.
