Chapter 11: Reunion
~Adrien's P.O.V~
School and my personal life may have been put on hold, but my private schedule appointed by my father and carried out through Nathalie, remained active. My father kept true to his words, I hadn't been allowed to so much as put a foot outside my room unless I was going to a private lesson; and the only time I was permitted to leave the house was when I was scheduled for fencing or a photo shoot.
It was late in the afternoon by the time my modeling shoot came to an end. When I finally exited the building the streets were crawling with the evening rush of people. Black umbrellas were a standard sight through the crowd even though there was only a light drizzle.
Judging by the dull looks, and occasional grumbling of passerbyers, everyone was tired of the rain by now, myself included.
I hadn't brought my umbrella with me, but I was in no rush to get inside the dry car where the gorilla waited to take me home. Instead I peered around the street, fiddle with my phone and even re-tied my shoe before arriving at the door, stalling as much as I dared. Then just as I began to grip the handle-, a bright flash zoomed past the corner of my eye.
A gasp rose from the crowd and excited chatter spread through the streets. I shot my head around trying to get a glimpse of whatever had caused the commotion-, as another radiant swarm of ladybugs flew around the square making the very air shimmer in its wake.
"Lucky charm," I muttered, spinning around to watch it dash around the buildings.
I gaped with the masses only a moment longer before the swarm dashed out of sight and I finally snapped out of it.
"Plagg," I yelled taking a large step forward as I scanned the area for the nearest alleyway. "We need to transfo-," I had begun to say when a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder anchoring me to the ground.
I peaked over my shoulder where the gorilla towered over me with a notable grimace on his face. The weight of hand was enough to stop me from getting any further.
"Uh, s-sorry," I grinned up at him nervously. "Just wanted to get a better view. Do you mind if I just-"
He opened the passenger door before I could finish my sentence, practically shoving me inside before slamming it in my face. When he entered the driver's seat again he locked all the doors for good measure.
Something told me he was still upset that I eluded him the other day, so I remained compliant for the rest of the drive.
The moment we pulled into the gates of my mansion and the locks clicked open, I leapt out of the car and sprinted for the house. As soon as I got inside Nathalie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with her clipboard in hand in her usual stoic manner. Like my father, her attention seemed to be completely on her work. I slowed my pace anyway, not wanting to clue her in on any sense of urgency. The last thing I needed was for someone to check my room later.
"Your father wanted me to tell you new business just came up and he won't be attending dinner tonight," she announced, not looking up from her work.
It was all too predictable, as I was used to my father canceling our plans. Normally I would have been upset that my father had pushed aside our time together, but today I couldn't have been more relieved.
"That's fine," I waved off, doing my best not to sprint up the steps. "I wasn't very hungry anyway."
"I could arrange for something to be delivered to your room later," she continued flipping through her papers.
"I'm feeling pretty tired so I think I'll just head straight to bed. Wanna get a good night's sleep and everything."
By the time I reached the top step she had finally took her eyes off the clipboard to look at me. "Are you certain?"
"Positive, see you tomorrow." I waved quickly not waiting for a reply before sprinting around the corner.
The instance I stepped in my room I threw my bag to the floor and opened my jacket for Plagg to get out. He did so at his leisure.
"Geez, what's all the commotion about? I was trying to sleep."
"It's Ladybug!-, or-, not Ladybug but her Lucky charm! I saw her lucky charm!"
"Ahh, okay," he yawned, floating past me to rest lazily on the couch.
"We need to transform!" I urged him, running to the windows and searching the streets below for any onlookers. I pushed against the cold glass far enough to slip out, but not so far as to let in any rain.
"You're always in such a hurry, we need to go here now we need to be there, can't we take a break for one-"
"Claws out!" I yelled.
I slipped out the window and jumped a few buildings over until I reached a balcony that provided shelter from the rain, then I wasted no time flipping out my staff to contact Ladybug.
"Pick up," I pleaded to the staff in my hands. "Please pick up…"
I reasoned that she had probably de-transformed by now, but enough time had also passed for her kwami to recharged meaning she could transform again, so I waited, gripping the hilt of my staff and staring intently at the small monitor.
With every unanswered ring my heart twinge with anticipation.
I waited and waited, barely daring to breath until finally the ringing ceased and the small screen lit up.
The room she was in was dimly lit, but upon further observation, I realised the lights were dim because she was under what appeared to be a thin white bed sheet.
"Chat Noir?" She called out. The sound of her voice immediately lifted a weight off my chest and I almost sank to my knees.
"Ladybug!" I couldn't help but cry with relief, pulling my staff closer.
I took a moment to run my eyes over her face, truly taking time to notice every detail. Her raven hair looked a bit more unruly than I remembered, and her complexion seemed to be… different. Paler? Less lustrous perhaps? I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but of course what little I could see of her skin was hidden beneath her mask so there really wasn't much for me to judge off of.
"Are you-"
"Are you doing alright?" She asked before I had the chance, her big blue eyes looked at me with genuine concern and I nearly choked.
"A-am I alright?" I gestured at myself incredulously. "You're the one that's been missing and you want to know if I'm alright?"
"Yeah, about that..." She shifted her eyes away. "I'm sorry I've been out of touch for so long, it wasn't my intention."
"What happened!? Where did you go?"
"It's... a long story. But first I was hoping I could talk to you about-"
"Woah- woah, hold up," I held up a hand to stop her. "You've been missing for days. Before we talking about anything else, I want to know what happened. At least tell me if you're alright."
She let out a small breath as if preparing herself for something difficult. "It's uh.. Well. It's a bit complicated." She began still avoiding my gaze. I noticed a strange raspy sound come out her throat like she had trouble getting air. Had it been any softer I might have missed it, but my heightened senses were so keen I had no trouble picking it up.
"Are you sick?" I asked her before she could get a word out.
She blinked. "W-what makes you ask that?"
"It's part of being a cat, you know things." I shrugged. "Also you're voice sounds a bit raspy."
"Of course," she scoffed.
"So you've been missing this whole week... because of a cold?"
"No," she snapped indignantly only to paused. "Well...maybe, sorta.." She admitted, biting her lip. "This is where it gets complicated."
"I'm all ears," I persisted, not taking my eyes off her for a second.
She let out a sigh. "When I first became Ladybug, I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with all the akumas that appeared, so I found someone to inform me whenever an attack happens."
"You have an informant?"
"Of a sort," she nodded.
I scrunched my forehead. "But, if you have an informant helping you, why didn't they tell you when the Akuma showed up?"
"My informant was attacked that day at Dupont middle school."
"But who-?"I had begun to ask when I was hit with a sudden rush of dread.
"It was Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Ladybug said, confirming my realization.
The silence that filled the space between us was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
"Marinette?" I repeated, unable to find the words to form a proper response.
"It's all a big mess really," Ladybug shook her head. "I was so sure that if something were to happen I would be informed, and I wasn't paying attention like I should have been and by the time I found out what happened at the school it was too late for me to do anything..." She bowed her head guiltily.
I guess that guilt was something we both shared.
"I'm so sorry Chat Noir, I swear I didn't mean to-"
"I-it's alright." I held up a hand to stop her. "You're here now and that's all that matters. Hawkmoths new Akuma is on the loose and I need all the help I can get to track him down."
"Professor Bolt is his name right?"
"Yes," I nodded. "But really he's a medical inventor named Louise Sanguine. He used to have a career as a doctor and gave a lecture at the school just before he was akumatized."
"Louise sanguine?" She tested the name as though it sounded vaguely familiar. "Are you sure, how do you know?"
"...Marinette figured it out," I admitted.
Her eyes widened, then her expression smoothed over once again. "So I-, uh.. I mean, Marinette helped before you were both attacked?"
"She did more than help," I muttered.
Her mouth lifted into a faint smile. "Well I'm glad you thought she was useful, because she's going to be helping us keep in contact for the next few days."
I snapped my head back to her.
"Keep in contact?" I repeated. "Why would we need help keeping in contact?"
"I'm doing some.. undercover work right now," she explained without giving me much detail. "I can only turn into Ladybug sparingly so if you find anything or you need to get a hold of me when I'm not transformed, Marinette will be the best way for us to keep each other up to date."
"Are you sure that's our best option?" I interjected. "With the Akuma on the loose I could use really use your help to track him down. "
"We still don't know what he's after," she negated. "Until we figure out what he wants and where he's hiding, there's nothing we can do but stay vigilant."
"What about the people of Paris?" I pointed out. "Wouldn't it be good to keep up a regular appearance for them? Let everyone know we're looking out for them."
"This is more important than public appearance," she disagreed. "And so long as Professor Bolt and Hawkmoth stay hidden there's no need for us to make one."
I wracked my brain for a flaw in plan, but I found none. She had obviously thought this through, like she did with all her plans… but I still couldn't silence the feeling that something wasn't right.
"I'm still not sure about this," I confessed.
"Do you have a problem working with Marinette?"
"No, it's definitely not that." I brush a hand over my hair, flinging a few drops of rain. "I trust Marinette completely, but she's already done so much... I don't know if it'd be right to involve her anymore."
"It's nothing she hasn't done before," she brushed off easily enough.
I gave her another incredulous look. "Exactly how long have you two been working together?"
"Um, Marinette's been helping me for a while now," she shrugged. "More importantly, she knows what to expect and I know she can take care of it. While I'm out of the public eye she'll be the best way for us to keep in contact."
I hesitated as we began to broach the subject I wanted to avoid most. "And you…" I paused. "You know what happened to her when professor bolt attacked the school right?"
"I do, and when I talked with her she assured me she was fine."
"If you'd visited her you might not think so," I disagreed.
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, she doesn't have to do much. If there's anything she can't handle, she'll be the first to let you know."
I flickered my eyes around her face with uncertainty. "Are you sure about this?"
"Positive," she nodded.
"Then alright," I let out a tense breath, giving in besides my better judgement. "When would be a good time to check in with her?"
"Until we get a better idea of what's going on, we should check in everyday. Also! you'll need to make sure my-, uh.. M-Marinette's parents don't see you, so try to come later in the evening."
"Then I'll visit her after I'm done patrolling the city," I nodded.
"Good, that should work perfectly," her shoulders sagged and I couldn't tell if it was from relief or exhaustion.
"Thanks for all your hard work Chat Noir, just hang in a little while longer and I'll get a hold of you when I can. Bug ou-"
"Ladybug?" I interrupted before she could duck out of view.
She began to lift the screen back up to her face, but she did so almost... reluctantly.
"Yes?"
"You and I…" I hesitated, wanting to tread on the subject lightly. "We're fine, aren't we?"
Her forehead scrunched in confusion for only moment before she smoothed out her features again. "Yes, I told you I only didn't respond the last few days because I-"
"No it's-, it's not that," I swallowed hard to clear my throat. "What I mean to ask is..." I glanced at her expression looking for any sign she knew where the conversation was headed, when I just.. froze up. I cleared my throat and parted my lips once more to speak, but again I couldn't get the question out.
Her eyebrow scrunched up inquisitively and she cocked her head to the side. "What you meant to ask is…?" She prompted me to continue.
"N-nothing," I backed down flashing what felt like a weak smile. "Just uh, give me a heads up next time you plan to disappear."
"Oh, yeah of course," her entire demeanor became serious again. "I'm sorry I worried you Chat Noir, I don't plan on it happening again." She assured me with as far as I could tell was genuine sincerity.
"That's good to hear," I smiled sheepishly.
"I'll get in contact again soon, bug out," she waved, and just like that, the screen went blank.
I leaned back into the wall and slid down onto the floor. My breath rose as steam in the cold night air and I watched it swirl away, letting my shoulder relax, and allowing myself to breath, to really breath.
'Ladybug would never abandon me.' I scoffed at myself for having ever been so paranoid. We could always count on each other and that would never change… Even if she didn't want me the way I wanted her…
I stood abruptly, shaking myself out and ruffling the back of my hair. I had to keep in a positive headspace. Ladybug was okay, she was back to helping me take down the akuma, and that was all that mattered.
'Besides,' I thought to myself somewhat more cheerily, 'Now I had a reason to visit Marinette.'