A/N: Back at it again with part 3! The action kind of picks up from here I think. The first two chapters of Holding Out for a Hero were so action packed in comparison to Shatter Me. Hopefully no one fell asleep during the first two chapters here lol! Anywho! This is the lone, random sole Adrien POV chapter. I actually went back to chapter 1 after I wrote this chapter and added an Adrien perspective to it so that this chapter didn't seem to terribly out of left field! A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, followed. It means the world to me!
"Did Ladybug seem off to you tonight or was I seriously just imagining something?" Adrien asked Plagg as he checked around the corner.
"How should I know?" snorted Plagg. "I prefer my cheese over women. Speaking of cheese, just who exactly did you think you were mimicking with the whole squeaky, nasally voice bit? I sound nothing like that!"
"Speak for yourself." Adrien rolled his eyes. "But you noticed it too right? Ladybug acting kind of weird."
Plagg sighed melodramatically and threw his little head back in the air. "Yes she seemed weird. Are you happy now?"
"Very, thank you." Adrien told him. A large portion of him was grateful that he wasn't going crazy. "I wonder what was bothering her."
"Again I like cheese, not girls, but when she's ready to tell you Ladybug will tell you. You've been through this before." Plagg huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Can we please get this over before it gets too late? I'm tired and hungry."
"Can't eat when you're asleep Plagg." he reminded Plagg. Though, knowing Plagg it would be something he'd try to do anyways.
Adrien opened his button up shirt for Plagg to hide inside before doing up the buttons all the way. There wasn't much he could do to make his casual outfit look dressy but the least he could do was tuck the shirt into his jeans. He took a breath and stepped out from his hiding place.
The backstage area was an organized chaotic mess. Stage crew members tore down the set from the night's performance. There were already some back drop pieces that were ready to be loaded on to the truck to go back to storage. Some of the younger dancers were hovering with their well dressed parents off to the side, speaking to the instructors and choreographers. Other instructors talked with the older dancers. Adrien heard snatches of conversation as he passed them. A lot of it was critique. Where the dancers had struggled, how they could improve, and what they'd work on when lessons resumed. There were also a few regular people talking to some of the more premier instructors and the directors. The sponsors.
A huge wave of nostalgia hit him. He remembered being here with his mother. He remembered talking to some of the dancers. There was even a time when he was fairly young that a couple of the company boys had taught him how to do arabesques. Adrien had been mesmerized by how far those boys could raise their legs in the air. It was nearly a full 180 degrees! He wasn't as flexible but one of the instructors had seen him catching on pretty quickly. His mom had laughed a little when they'd asked him if he wanted to join the company and learn ballet. She'd said that they would have to talk about it. Dad had ultimately said no but it hadn't crushed Adrien.
"Young man!"
Adrien jumped at the harsh voice. He spun around. A security guard stood right behind him with his hands on his hips. Busted. "Do you have a backstage pass?"
"I… uh," stammered Adrien. He really should've planned for this. An embarrassed blush started creeping up his neck and face. "No. No I don't, but I… um… used to come here a lot with my mom when I was younger. I haven't been here in ages and I just wanted to say hi to some of the instructors and tell some of the dancers good job."
Wow! That sounded so lame to his ears. Inside his pocket he could feel Plagg laughing hysterically. The little jerk.
"Yeah, well you can't be back here without a pass." The guard moved to 'escort' him out. Maybe he should've just come as Chat Noir. Adrien doubted that the guard would've kicked him out.
"Adrien? Adrien Agreste?" a voice called over his shoulder. Adrien turned, knee jerk reaction. An older woman was making her way over to him. She was wearing the zip up coat that identified her as a dance instructor. A pang of familiarity pricked at his mind.
"Madame Millar!" Recognition suddenly hit him. His mom had talked to her a lot after shows. She'd always had some kind of candy in her pockets to give him. If he recalled correctly, it was also Mme. Millar who had introduced him to the boys in the company who'd taught him arabesques.
"It was always Marie to you little one." Mme. Millar told him fondly.
"You know this kid ma'am?" the security guard asked her.
"This young man's mother used to be one of our most generous supporters." Mme. Millar explained as she rested her hand on his shoulder. Adrien didn't remember there being so many spots and wrinkles on it. She'd gotten so old! Had his mother really disappeared that long ago? "It would be incredibly rude to throw the boy out. Don't you think?"
The security guard tipped his head. "My apologies ma'am."
Then the guard walked away without another word. Adrien smiled at Mme. Millar, "The show was awesome tonight. Just as great as I remember it being."
"It's been such a long time since we've seen you here. I always wondered how you were doing. You've really grown up." Mme. Millar told him. She gave his shoulder a squeeze before ushering him to mass of people that had congregated backstage.
He laughed a little, "Thanks. I hadn't realized how much I missed coming to these performances until the curtain went up tonight."
"We've missed seeing you too. We've missed your mother too. The director of the company still keeps a picture of her hanging on the sponsors' wall. She always loved dancing. It hasn't really been the same since her sponsorship ended."
Her voice trailed away as she looked out across a group of dancers that were all chatting together. A handful of them held second hand, raggedy duffle bags. The company was smaller. There were less dancers. A lot of the kids that had danced in the company when he was younger had been on scholarship. Sponsors like his mother helped to offset the cost of teaching them. Granted, her disappearing hadn't been the main cause for the evident lack of scholarship money, but it had contributed. Adrien chewed on his lip.
"Maybe… maybe I could ask Dad to make a donation, or maybe take a small sponsorship. Y'know, in her name." he suggested. It wasn't being asked for but it hurt to see the dancers that his mother had loved so much struggling to do what they loved. Mme. Millar gave him a genuinely shocked look.
"Oh Adrien, sweetheart that is incredibly kind of you. You do so remind me of your mother." whispered Mme. Millar.
Adrien flushed. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Don't mention it."
Mme. Millar patted him on the back before raising her hand to call attention to the group of dancers. "Ladies and gentleman! Come here. I have someone I'd like you all to meet." she shouted to them. She shot a kind glance at Adrien. "You did say that you wanted to praise the dancers didn't you."
Adrien nodded vigorously as the group came his way. Mme. Millar made the introductions, calling each dancer by name and telling him which act they had performed in. A couple of the girls knew who he was even before Mme. Millar told them who he was thanks to his modelling career. They were the ones who shoved their worn pointe shoes and permanent markers at him to autograph. Adrien was also pretty stoked that a couple of the dancers had performed in the "Infernal Dance" from Firebird that had been Ladybug's favorite. They'd been all too willing to autograph their shoes for him, especially when they found out it was for a girl he liked. All the dancers thanked him sincerely for his compliments and were eager to tell him how exciting it was for them knowing that they had just danced for Ladybug and Chat Noir.
He made a mental note to definitely ask his father to consider supporting the company once again and to invite Nino, Alya, and Marinette to the next performance. They would most likely really enjoy coming. He stamped down the idea of getting an extra ticket for the express purpose of inviting Marinette's 'friend' Felix. It was hard remembering Ladybug's advice.
Plagg tugged on the inside of his shirt, apparently ready to go home. In fairness, it was getting pretty late. He really did need to get home. "Thank you again for letting me come backstage," he told Mme. Millar before looking at the dancers, "You were all fantastic tonight. Really you were!"
"Come back and see us again soon." one of the girls told him as she shook his hand.
"Yeah and bring your lady friend." winked one of the guys, giving Adrien a slap on the side of the shoulder.
"If I can convince her." laughed Adrien.
"Angeline! Sweetheart, what's the matter?" Mme. Millar's dismayed voice caught his attention quickly.
Adrien immediately recognized the girl that was rushing towards them. Mainly because she was still wearing her gold and white costume that she'd worn on stage. It was the talented blonde haired graduating senior dancer that had danced the final act. Her flowy skirt trailed behind her as she ran. Her hair was still in it's tight bun and she still had on her thick stage makeup. However, it was obvious that she'd been crying. Mascara streaks ran down the side of her cheeks. "Please tell me that you've seen Therese." she begged, wringing her hands together and looking around at the crowd briefly.
"I'm so sorry Angeline. I haven't." Mme. Millar told her. A little frown crossed her face. "Are you two actually fighting?"
"I upset her and she ran off and now I can't find her and I need to apologize and I…" Angeline's voice was lost as she choked on her own lack of breath. She dissolved into a coughing fit. Mme. Millar separated herself from Adrien and patted Angeline on the back.
"I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Have you tried looking for her in the bathrooms?" Mme. Millar asked.
Angeline nodded, "And the prop room. The costume room. The front lobby. The warm up room. The musical storage room."
She ticked the places off on her fingers as she named them off. The girl could speak a mile a minute. Adrien was impressed. "Maybe she went home?" one of the younger girls suggested helpfully.
"No, that isn't possible. She left everything in our dressing room. I've looked everywhere for her and I can't find her!" Angeline's eyes started to well up again.
"Alright, alright. Just calm down Angeline. We'll find her. Don't worry." Mme. Millar said as she wrapped her arms around Angeline's shoulders.
"Hey! This area is restricted! You need a pass to get back here!" shouted the security guard that had nearly thrown Adrien out on his ear. "Let me see your badge and I don't think your instructors will be happy to see you parading about in a costume that's not your's! What do you think this is? Some kind of dress up ga… Stop spinning and… "
His final word was cut off. A dark violet light lit up the dimly lit backstage area and the security guard screamed. "What on Earth?" gasped Mme. Millar as she jumped up.
Standing in the middle of the area was a beautiful dancer in a stunning classical black tutu embellished with purple and white rhinestones. Her dark brown hair was in a high ponytail with gentle waves curling around her neck and shoulders. Perched on her face was was black mask that was studded with the same jewels as her tutu. Adrien's heart leaped into his throat. There was a distinct butterfly shape to the mask. If that wasn't enough of a clue for him then the marble statue of the security guard made what was happening pretty darn clear.
A dead silence fell over the backstage. Everyone was too stunned to say anything. Then the quiet shattered like glass.
"Akuma! Run!" someone in the crowd yelled. Adrien's hero instincts took over. He grabbed the nearest dancer to him and shoved them hard in the direction of the doors.
People screamed in terror and ran for their lives. Without missing a beat, the akuma ballerina turned a sharp pirouette. She came out of it with her arms and leading foot pointed in the direction of the dancer Adrien had pushed towards the doors. Purple light flared. It nearly blinded Adrien. However, not nearly enough. He watched with horrifying clarity as the boy froze midstep, completely encased in unyielding, pristine, white marble. The boy's face was still contorted and a scream was still stuck in his throat. Adrien stumbled backwards. He could feel the color drain out of his face and the warmth bleed from his body. "Mon Dieu!" Adrien whispered, eyes wide.
"Nobody leaves!" she declared. The sweet, calming tone was definitely not what he'd expected to come out of the ballerina's mouth. He'd kind of held the expectation that she would shriek like a banshee. People were still running and trying to escape even as the akuma ballerina turned those fleeing into statues. "I am Primadonna and I am now in charge of this company. I say no one leaves!"
Welp! That wasn't exactly going to work for Adrien. Especially seeing as how he needed to hightail it out and let Chat Noir hightail it in. Maybe if he was lucky Ladybug hadn't gone far yet. She might even be within hearing distance of the chaos!
Adrien turned on his heel. In front of him was one of the large set pieces that the stage crew had dismantled and set off to the side. Not the best place for a transformation but arguably not the worst he'd had to use. He split, racing for the set piece as he pushed through the panicked crowd. Adrien didn't even realize there was an instructor turned statue right in front of him until he found it with his nose. He yelped and staggered sideways as he pressed his hand to his throbbing nose. "Who am I kidding?" he muttered under his breath, "I am not that lucky!"
Nose still pulsing, Adrien peeled himself away from the statue and continued to sprint. His fingers fumbled blindly with the buttons on his over shirt as he pulled at it roughly. By the time he'd ducked behind the set piece Plagg was already flying out of his hiding place. "Just once I wish Hawkmoth would go to bed early." whined Plagg.
Adrien snorted, "Or just take an extended vacation to somewhere really cold. I hear Antarctica's a balmy negative one hundred and thirty degrees in some places."
"I was thinking some place much warmer." muttered Plagg.
"We'll give him the choice." Adrien promised. Someone close by screamed. Playtime and banter was over. "Plagg! Claws out!"
Chat Noir stepped out from behind the set piece. He took a really quick glancing count. About a third of the people who'd been backstage were now statues by his guesstimation. Not good. Not good at all! He already had his staff in hand to get to his communicator. Ladybug must have still been transformed because she answered on the second ring. "Chat, it hasn't been that long since we went our separate ways. I didn't think you were this needy." she told him in amusement.
"Like a fish needs water my lady." Chat Noir told her without thinking. He winced. Now was probably not the best time. "There's an akuma at the recital hall! She's turning everyone into statues."
There was a very brief silence on Ladybug's end. "Hang tight. I'm on my way back. Be careful!" she replied in a deadly serious voice.
"Hurry!" Chat Noir said. It kind of went without saying but he said it anyways. Neither he or Ladybug bid each other goodbye when he disconnected. Chat Noir shoved the communicator back into place and flicked his staff. It extended as he charged Primadonna. Not the smartest plan but she was currently grand jete-ing her way towards some unsuspecting sponsors that had taken refuge behind a small table.
"Don't be scared." Primadonna told them almost kindly. "Have you seen my belle Angeline?"
She dipped down elegantly in front of them. The sponsor gave a sob even as Primadonna reached out and caressed his face tenderly. The poor man shook his head vigorously, tearing it away from her hand. Primadonna only seemed mildly irritated. She gave a tired sigh and rose back to her full height gracefully. "Such a pity. I shall look for her elsewhere then. Now be good and stay where you are."
Her arm extended, hand glowing purple. Chat Noir swung his staff. The purple beam of light went wide and went shooting into the air, completely benign. Primadonna turned sharply, never losing her grace. "You really know how to rock a packed house mademoiselle." he joked lightly.
Nothing about his stance even remotely suggested he was joking. Every fiber of his being was pulled tight and waiting for the next move. Adrenaline sang through his veins.
"Chat Noir," Primadonna said, turning to face him. Chat Noir flipped his staff around into a horizontal block. The cornered sponsor took advantage of her distraction and ran. She didn't even seem to notice. Primadonna dipped a low curtsey to him. She rose and levelled her eyes on him. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My new patron tells me that you have something he wants. If you would be so kind as to hand your Miraculous over to me I would be very appreciative. I have other important things I must attend to."
"Your new patron being Hawkmoth I take it." Chat Noir replied conversationally. "Well… despite the fact that you're the single most polite akuma I've ever met, I'm afraid it's going to be a no from me."
"Such a shame. I really hoped to end this quickly." said Primadonna. Her hands came up into position in front of her her. Chat Noir braced himself for what was bound to come next. He just had to keep her busy enough until Ladybug showed up. It was a matter of playing around with her and distracting her from worrying about civilians. Primadonna slid her foot forward in preparation to move. Chat Noir redistributed his weight evenly on his feet. "We'll just have to do this the hard way then." she sighed.
"T… Therese?" a horrified voice stuttered. Primadonna whipped her head around that it was a pure miracle that she didn't pull a muscle. Angeline was standing off to her side, hands shaking and wide eyes. It looked as though she were fighting a losing battle to keep her mouth from hanging wide open. "Therese is… is that you?" Angeline whispered.
Primadonna frowned, clicking her tongue in admonishment. "Angeline my pet, my name is Primadonna and I'm very angry with you."
"Therese, I don't understand! What is going on? What happened to you?" Angeline demanded. Suddenly all her horror vanished. Pure and unadulterated anger replaced it. She stepped forward, raising one finger in the air threateningly. "Turn these people back Therese! Right now!"
Chat Noir looked between the two of them. Wasn't Primadonna asking those rich old coots she had cornered where Angeline was, Plagg asked in his head.
"Yeah," mumbled Chat Noir. Very slowly he started shifting his way closer to Primadonna. It was easier now that she only had eyes for Angeline. "Angeline was looking for her earlier. She told Mme. Millar that she'd said something to Therese to upset her."
It kinda looks like she was looking for Angeline as well.
Chat Noir nodded. He had a very bad feeling about this.
"I am Primadonna!" she snapped at Angeline. "I will keep these people here as they are forever. They will never leave me… just as you will never be able to leave me!"
Angeline covered her gasp with her shaking hands. It looked as though she'd just made some terrible realization judging by how quickly her face paled was any indication. Chat Noir wondered what it was. He hoped it wasn't just dawning on Angeline that her friend was a grade A psycho at the moment. That was pretty much obvious.
Primadonna rose up on pointe. Her delicate black satin shoes arched harshly. The line of her arm went hard and rigid. Her eyes narrowed as she looked straight at Angeline. Chat Noir swore under his breath and jumped forward, staff extended. Primadonna was already in motion though. Her pirouettes were just as pointed at the rest of her movements. Angeline stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet and falling on to her back. Fear flashed through her eyes. "Therese, please! Don't do this." she begged, reaching out to Primadonna seconds before her pirouetting ended.
Chat Noir kind of screwed up her landing. Okay, so he completely obliterated it. As Primadonna went to do some kind of crazy, pointing arabesque towards Angeline, he stuck his staff right underneath her feet. The little surprised screech that Primadonna made out was not something he anticipated. Nor was the way she landed on the ground with her feet stuck straight up in the air. Both he and Angeline stared at her with open mouths. "You really don't have to gravel." he said without much thought.
"Oh my God," Angeline murmured, "you just tried to turn me into a statue!"
"Statues can't leave." Primadonna answered simply as she climbed to her feet fluidly. It was like she hadn't even fallen in the first place. "You can't leave if you're a statue."
Primadonna's arms rose again. Chat Noir lunged in front of her, putting himself in between her and Angeline. Chat Noir had been right. This was very bad. He didn't see any possible way that this could end well. "Run!" he yelled over his shoulder, "Run! She's after you!"
"But…" Angeline started to say. Hesitation didn't seem to even come close to describing what he heard in her voice. He could literally feel her looking straight at Primadonna.
"Go!" Chat Noir shouted again.
"I… I can't just leave her!" Angeline told him desperately. She meant it too. Chat Noir grit his teeth. The last person who hadn't ran when he'd told her too had been kidnapped by an akuma. That had been Marinette. Now Angeline was going to end up becoming a statue if she stayed. Fine! If she wouldn't leave that was fine.
"Mademoiselle you're putting me between a rock and a hard place." Chat Noir said to Angeline. He threw a feral smile at Primadonna. For a tense second, no one moved. No one, not even Primadonna, breathed. Silence stretched out to the point where if a pin dropped they'd all be able to hear it. "Looks like I'll just have to take matters into my own hand then!" Chat Noir shrugged.
He pressed a button on the side of his staff. With as much force as he could muster, he threw it directly at Primadonna. Angeline cried out in warning. Chat Noir's ears were deaf to it. He heard Primadonna gasp in shock as his staff split into two and whiz past her. Chat Noir wrapped his arms around Angeline and pulled her close to his chest. If she didn't want to run to safety when an anger driven akuma was after her that was fine. He would just do the running for her! He wasn't about to let history repeat itself!
Primadonna livid screech was interrupted by a hard, resounding smack as Chat Noir's split staff circled back around on it's boomerang course and collided straight into her. He turned right in time to see his staff come back together and Primadonna nursing her probably bruising wrist. Chat Noir didn't waste much more time on it. He caught his staff and extended it to pole vault to the nearest roof.
Angeline yelled in his ear the entire time while Primadonna screamed at him below.
Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, followed, and favorited!
XaoOfTheMists: The flower thing was intentional :) Why? You'll find out!
Jojo37: No spoilers for the ending, but I'm really looking forward to watching how readers react to it! Thank you for your compliments on my style and grammar as well as my story focus. It really takes a long time for me to plan and write these stories! To know that it is appreciated means a lot!
maia (anon reviewer): Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. I hope everyone likes the ending better than the first one too lol.
aiko (anon reviewer): I enjoyed the LadyNoir moment too. That entire scene was fun to write!
FallenFan77: Awesome? I don't know about that but I try :) I'm glad you like the story!
AmuxIkutolover: Communication is definitely important on all fronts. A lot of people said that consent was the main focus of Holding Out for a Hero and I'm starting to think that communication is the big focus for Shatter Me. I am trying to draw parallels between Therese and Angeline AND Marinette and Adrien. It's going to come into play later on in the story.
Q-A Authoress: Nope! Things just went to heck in a hand basket and Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to have to figure out how to stop it!
Sky65: Thank you!
star-eye: The hard part for me was to figure out how many references to the song to put into the chapter. At times I thought I was overdoing it. Poor Marinette has such an overactive imagination and a huge tendency to overthink things. I think she's a lot like a lot of people in that way. Very relatable!
NitenGale: Marinette can't help but freak out lol. Part of it is her own nature and part of it is the fact that she's already been rejected once. I think she's even more scared of what will happen if she were to ask Chat Noir out because he's her best friend on the masked side of her life. He's her partner and her confidant.
Momijifan Low-Ki: Describing the performance without bogging it down with description was difficult. It was about finding the right balance. I think I did alright.
DinkyTheRyugmai: Thank you! I spent a lot of time developing the story especially after Holding Out for a Hero.
Sunny Lighter: I love the song too. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to connect it to the plot threads that I already had. I love Lindsey Stirling too!
