What's this? Me updating again before the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? It's a miracle!
Obviously, I'd like to thank my family, Zoloft and Vistaril for helping me get this far. Lot's of honey nut feelios in this chapter, so get ready.
And without further ado, enjoy!
Adrien clutched his sides tightly as he trudged down the sidewalk,trying to give himself a small sense of comfort. The walk home was long. Chat Noir could have easily shortened the trip, but Plagg had firmly told him not to transform. The kwami was uncharacteristically silent, peeking out of Adrien's breast pocket and staring blankly in front of them. Adrien swallowed hard. The ring pinched slightly at his finger, and he tried his best to ignore it. But the anxiety bubbling in his stomach remained. He replayed the fight with Chat Blanc over and over, unable to figure out what had happened. He wasn't himself, of that he was sure. In his right mind, he'd never use his cataclysm on a victim.
Would he?
Adrien balled his hands into fists. He could do this. It was just a piece of glass, and all he had to do was look at it. He could prove none of this was real, all he had to do was face his reflection.
He turned his face to his bathroom mirror, eyes squinted shut.
Slowly, he opened one eye.
The boy in the mirror held his same tense expression.
Cautiously, he opened the other eye.
His reflection followed, staring at him with the same worried look he wore himself.
Was it...ok? Was everything fine now?
His fingers found their way to his miraculous, which suddenly felt tighter upon contact. He tugged on it gently, and the ring refused to yield.
"It's pointless, you know," a voice called from behind him.
He whirled around with a yelp towards the sound. "Marinette?" he gasped out. "How did you get in here?"
He rubbed his hands against his eyes. Was he imagining this, too?
There she was, peeking around the wall of his shower, grinning at him devilishly. "I have my ways, Kitty."
Wait. Kitty? He turned back to the mirror, seeing his alter ego in his place. His heart slammed in panic.
"It's pointless," she said again. "You won't be able to get that ring off. At least on not your own."
Chat stared at her nervously, watching as she began to step out of the shower, adorned in nothing but a towel. He averted his eyes.
"W-what do you mean?"
He flinched as he saw the towel drop out of the corner of his eyes, deciding it was probably best to close them.
However, she seemed unphased. "It's becoming corrupted. You'll have to fix it before it can be removed."
An icy weight settled in his stomach. "How do you know about my ring?"
He heard her footsteps getting closer, he squeezed his eyes as tight as they would go.
"So many questions," her voice was soft, right in his ear. "Don't you trust me?"
"Of course, but-"
"No 'buts', Chaton," she ran a hand along his shoulder. He flinched. "Just trust me."
She was in front of him now, hands gently cradling his face. "Open your eyes."
"No, I respect you too much. It wouldn't be right for me to see you like that."
She hummed. "Why would it be wrong?"
Chat swallowed, trying to pull away from her grasp. "Because I would enjoy it."
She giggled lightly, coming ever closer. He felt her warm breath on his lips.
Marinette lightly kissed the side of his jaw. "C'mon, Kitty. Have you ever been able to deny me anything?"
All the blood in his body suddenly had a very different agenda.
Her smell was everywhere, intoxicating him and weakening his resolve. Her hands roamed his chest at an agonizing pace. "M-mari."
She continued to slowly pepper his jaw with kisses, making her way down to his throat. "I'm here," she mumbled desperately into his skin. "I've been here all along. You just have to open your eyes."
He felt her lips work their way back up to his mouth, her tongue lightly licking his flesh.
Chat couldn't take it anymore. Blindly, he yanked his arms up from their place at his sides and grasped her face, sloppily slamming his lips on hers. She sighed in delight, but he still kept his eyes closed.
He held her as close as he could, hands roaming her bared skin. He damned his suit, preventing him from finding out if her skin was as soft as it looked.
Chat scooped her up in his arms, one eye peeking open to locate the sink and counter.
He swiftly moved them towards it, pointedly avoiding looking at their reflection in the mirror. He sat her down softly, never separating his lips from hers. Her fingers tangled deliciously in his hair, pulling him down and deeper. He pulled away to kiss along her jawline, playing copycat to her earlier ministrations. She moaned in his ear and it was the most beautiful sound he ever heard.
He needed to hear it again.
Chat moved down to her neck, nipping and sucking as her little sounds ebbed him on. "I want you." he heard himself growl.
She laughed breathlessly. "Then what are you waiting for? I'm all yours."
Finally he pulled back, eyes wide open.
Marinette sat before him, gazing at him with half lidded eyes, swollen lips and a flushed face.
She was completely exposed to him. But there was something different about her.
On her face, she donned a very familiar spotted, black and red mask.
"M'lady?" he gasped in disbelief. "Is that you?"
"I'm whoever you want me to be, Chat," she giggled again. "Because I'm not real."
"W-what?" his eyes whirled back to the mirror, finding the surroundings behind him slowly fading away.
"It's all in your head, silly cat." she spoke, teasing grin still in place.
"What are you talking about?" he asked again, desperation leaking into his voice. The world around him spiraling away.
She winked coyly. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out."
He grabbed her hands. "Please don't leave, Mari."
The girl suddenly turned serious, desperation leaking into her gaze. The spotted mask melted away. "It will all be fine, I promise. Just don't give up control. Don't stop fighting."
'Wait! Please!"
But it was too late, she had already disappeared into his ring.
Adrien woke with a strangled cry, the silver ring throbbing on his finger.
Plagg was by his side in a moment, a unreadable expression resting in his features.
For a long moment, neither said a word.
Finally Plagg turned away with a sigh, landing limply on Adrien's unused pillow.
"You have to stop, kid." his voice sounded heavy with worry and something else Adrien couldn't place. "You have to stop before it's too late."
Adrien's heart slammed in his ribs. He didn't think he wanted the answer, but some part of him was certain he already knew what it would be. "Stop what?"
"You can't be Chat Noir anymore." his voice sounded watery. "I won't let it take you too."
"W-what? Plagg, you can't be serious! Ladybug needs me."
Plagg huffed. "You won't be any good to her if this keeps up."
Adrien sucked in a breath, blood feeling more like ice. "What do you mean?"
Plagg finally turned around to face him. "The ring. It isn't safe anymore. You saw how it changed you yesterday. You can't even take it off, can you?"
The boy didn't answer.
The kwami smirked bitterly. "That's what I thought. It's already got a tight hold on you. It will only get worse if you keep using it."
Adrien nervously held his hand as far away from him as he could. "Can't you fix it?"
"Don't you think I would have if I could? I can only make it worse." he snapped. "Why do you think I don't want you to transform? Only you can fix this."
Relief flooded through him. So there was a cure. "How?"
"You have to combat the negativity inside of you. You have to control your anger, your fear, your self-doubt, everything. You have to find a balance. Eventually, when you've got that down, you should be able to take it off. With some help from Ladybug's miraculous, that will restore the balance between creation and destruction and fix the ring. It's nearly impossible to do at this point however, the ring already has so much influence." Plagg's gaze fell downward, Adrien finally recognized his mysterious emotion as guilt.
"I can do that," Adrien chewed his lip, slowly processing the new info.
"It's not as easy as it sounds," the kwami warned. "You have so much fighting against you. You can't do it alone."
"Who could I possibly ask to help with this? No one besides Ladybug could even begin to understand but I can't contact her if I can't transform."
"Marinette." Plagg replied firmly.
"You've got to be kidding, Plagg. I've already asked for too much from her. I can't ask her to carry this with me. How am I even going to explain it to her if I can't be Chat Noir?"
A suspicious gleam appeared in the kwami's green eyes. "Leave that to me, kid. After school today, you guys are going on a date."
"If this goes to hell, I'm blaming you." Adrien growled, pulling the black hoodie a little further down his face. "I look like I'm about to mug someone."
"Oh, stop your whining. It's gonna be fine. I've got this under control."
Adrien rolled his eyes. "What am I even supposed to do?"
"The practice boyfriend thing was your idea, kid. You just have to learn to open up and talk to people. Let people be there for you."
"I open up to Nino," he argued.
"Yea, as Adrien. You need to open up to someone as Chat Noir. You have Chat Noir problems to work out."
"You want her to be my therapist?"
Plagg squinted up at him in annoyance. "Yes, Adrien. Because any friend you feel comfortable talking to about personal stuff is a therapist."
"Whatever, cheese breath."
"Besides," the kwami smirked evilly. "Wanting to make out with your therapist is just weird."
Adrien tripped.
Marinette wasn't sure what she was feeling.
The fight yesterday had shaken her to her core. It had nearly been fatal and she had been sleeping. Some Ladybug she was. Tikki had told her that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't have known it would happen. She's human. She can't be on guard all the time. But it didn't ease her conscience. Waking up today felt like sandpaper. Everything about her felt rough and scratchy and her heart throbbed with every move.
Unbalanced, she decided. She felt unbalanced. Her whole world was tipped painfully to its side, and she had no idea how to set it right again.
She did her best to smile at Alya's attempts to perk her up, but her friend's jabs at Chloe and gushes at Adrien (he was definitely staring at her all through lunch.) were just draining. She'd love to just be left alone.
She almost didn't notice it when it fell from her locker,white and fluttering gently to the ground like a purified akuma. Absently, she picked it up from the floor. Tikki peeked out from her purse to get a closer look. "What is that, Mari?" she asked.
Marinette unfolded the paper. "I think it's a note."
Princess,
What would you say to another date? Meet me in the park by the carousel at sunset. Dinner will be provided. I think I owe you some explaining.
-CN
Marinette swallowed,sharing a worried look with Tikki. She wanted to see him again,of course she did. But as much as she hated to admit it, she was scared. Something was wrong with her partner. Something had broken inside him and left deadly, jagged pieces in its wake. She loved and needed him, they completed each other. But she didn't want either of them to take a wrong step and get cut by his shards.
Adrien shifted nervously in the giant black hoodie,hands deep in his pockets. What if she didn't come? What if she didn't get the note? Or worse, what if she came and recognized him?
The hoodie dipped down over his eyes, and he had to fight the temptation to flick it off his head completely. Plagg had suggested buying black makeup, and he smeared the chalky powder over his face where his mask usually was. He realised afterwards that the dark eyeshadow he had selected had a certain sparkle to it, reminding him a the shitty vampire movies Chloe had made him watch when they were kids. He rolled his eyes, which looked very odd surrounded by black but lacking their cat like appearance.
He glanced at his phone. 7:03 pm.
The sun had set at least twenty minutes ago, leaving a dull blue glow on the horizon. He glanced at the basket of food he'd brought with him, feeling terribly stupid.
"Who are we kidding, Plagg? She's not coming. Not after what happened yesterday."
"Chat? Is...Is that you?"
Adrien jumped in surprise,whipping around towards the voice.
There she stood, wearing an adorable pink wool coat with white fur trim. A matching hat covered her head and that's when Adrien noticed he hair was free from its usual pigtails, and fell loose over her shoulders.
Deep concern was carved into her face as she gazed at him. Fear danced her eyes.
Adrien felt like she had stabbed him.
She was afraid. She was afraid of him.
It took everything in him not to run away. He pulled the hood lower. "Yea, Mari. It's me."
She took a nervous step back. "Why aren't you transformed?"
He stared hard at the ground. "I...can't. Not for awhile anyway."
Marinette clutched at her purse strap. "Why?"
"It's just not safe right now. But I promise I'm perfectly okay as long as I'm not transformed. You don't have to be scared.
She stared into his eyes, concealed by the shadows. She could not see them, but she knew full well they could see her."I'm not scared, Chat."
He stared back at her in surprise. How could she not see him as a monster?
"For myself, anyway," she continued. "I'm scared for you. There's something you're not telling me."
Adrien looked away again. "There are a lot of things I'm not telling you."
She looked at him expectantly.
Seamlessly, he slapped on his Chat Noir charm. He offered his arm. "Come with me, little lady. I believe I owe you another lesson. We can't let your prince slip away, now can we?"
Her face scrunched in confusion, and she hesitantly stepped forward and slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow. She tried to resist the urge to reach up and pull of the hood and wipe the dark makeup from his face. As much as she told him otherwise, she wondered about his true identity often. Who was this mystery boy? He had so many layers to him. Everytime she thought she had him figured out, he'd whip around and surprise her with something entirely new, and yet entirely him at the same time. She had no feelings towards him except fondness, of course, but he was enticing in a way that would make anyone wonder.
He lead her towards a nearby tree, where quilts were neatly folded and basket sat waiting.
"Lesson two," he spoke. "Learn what you should expect from your prince and the treatment you deserve."
He gently detached himself from her, and strode ahead towards the tree. He reached for the first quilt and unfolded it. He gave it a few shakes, then draped it across the ground. He gestured a welcoming hand towards it. "Please, sit down."
Unable to resist a small smile, she stepped onto the blanket and sat down. Adrien grabbed another blanket and softly laid it on her shoulders. She glanced up at him, a broad smile at seeing the return of her Chat. He smiled back, and there was something undoubtedly loving leaking from his hidden features.
Marinette looked away shyly.
He sat down next to her and pulled the last quilt around himself. "Anyone worthy of your time will always take care of you first. Never settle for anything less."
He opened the basket and handed her a plate.
"Thank you."
"He should always put your needs before his." he began to load her plate with bread, cheese and fruit. "He needs to listen to you, respect you and make every decision and "us"decision and not a "me"decision. He needs to honor it when you say yes," he looked at her intently. "And even more importantly, he needs to honor it when you say no. It doesn't matter what it is."
He placed some food on his own plate, sneaking a piece of cheese into his pocket for Plagg.
"You deserve someone who will cancel plans for you. Someone who will be there for you, just I know you would for them. You deserve someone who will love you as much as you'll love them. Do you understand, Mari? You are far too wonderful to settle for anything less."
The moon shone perfectly on her face, revealing blue eyes that were brighter than normal, and faint sparkles running down her cheeks. Without warning, she set her plate aside and all but flew into his arms. Her face was buried in his neck, and she clung to him like a lifeline. Stunned, Adrien set down his plate as well, slowly wrapping his arms around her shaking form. She began to sob, nearly choking on her words. "I was so scared, Chat. I was so scared. I thought you were gone. The news said Ladybug was almost too late to save you."
Adrien winced, damning the news for giving every little detail of every single fight. He pulled her close to him and leaned against the tree, tugging his blanket around both of them in a safe little cocoon. "It's alright, Mari. I'm fine. I won't leave you."
He sighed. Plagg could suck a bag of cheese dicks. There was no way in hell he was going to burden this girl with something that had nothing to do with her. He'd already done enough.
She continued to cry as he held her, gently stroking her hair and whispering whatever words of comfort he could think of, their food long forgotten.
"Everything is alright, Mari. I promise."
Her cries slowly quieted, and her shaking stilled. Adrien soon realized with a pang in his heart that she had fallen asleep. It seemed a sin to wake her, and one that Adrien couldn't make himself commit.
