Welcome back! I hope that you've all been having a lovely week. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews on the previous chapter. Your feedback always helps me to keep writing and I always really appreciate it. Also, thank you so much to everyone who has followed this story and added it to their favourites. It means a lot to me.
Chapter 25: Just a Normal Day
As was usual for these past few days, Marinette could barely concentrate on her work as she tried to force her eyes to stay focused on the worksheet on the desk in front of her. She tapped her pen against the paper, unable to shake the strange feeling in her stomach that just wouldn't go away. But she just couldn't find the source of what was causing it. This strange feeling had been bothering her for days at this point. It was like her whole body was on red alert, yet she didn't know what she was supposed to be on the lookout for.
Shaking her head, Marinette tapped her pen more furiously against her desk, using her other hand to reach down under the table and gently grab her stomach, applying a gentle pressure to maybe quell the strange feeling of dread. This feeling went way beyond nerves. It was like the feeling you get when you know you're about to receive devastating news, like you know that something is about to go terribly wrong and that there's nothing you can do to change anything.
But everything had been fine. Honestly, the only strange phenomena that had been occurring lately was that Hawkmoth seemed to be rather on the quiet side. Though Marinette kept trying to tell herself that this was a good thing, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that it might mean that Hawkmoth was up to something. Though Marinette had no idea what this could possibly be. Or Hawkmoth could be literally on the verge of giving up. There was only so many people he could akumatize, and her and Chat Noir always managed to easily beat them. If Marinette was Hawkmoth, she knew that she would be doubting herself and on the verge of giving up.
However, she didn't quite know how Hawkmoth's mind operated. He had pulled a few strange tricks on them in the past, and Paris' villain didn't seem like the quitter type to Marinette. He was desperate for the ladybug and cat miraculous. But why? It was likely just the typical desire for absolute power and the ability to control the universe. The usual motivation of greed.
But no matter what Hawkmoth was planning, there was no way she and Chat Noir would ever let him get away with it. They would be ready for whatever Hawkmoth was preparing to throw at them next. They had to be. Because there was no way they could ever let him get his hands on their miraculous. They had to defeat him. They had to seize his miraculous and rescue the butterfly kwami. They had to stop him from terrorising the city of Paris, and using people for his own means.
Despite trying to reassure herself though, that strange feeling still wouldn't go away. Something was nagging and tugging at her, but Marinette just couldn't quite pin-point what it was. It could just be nothing though. She had had feelings like this before and nothing had ever come of them. Maybe she was just stressed and anxious because of everything that was going on lately. Yeah, that was probably the most likely explanation, she kept trying to reassure herself. She was just being silly and she shouldn't let this feeling get to her so much.
"If you don't stop tapping that pen, I'm going to throw it out of the window," Alya hissed her threat at Marinette, who jumped slightly at the sudden sound of her best friend's voice in her ear.
"Sorry," Marinette apologised as she placed the pen down on her desk, staring out the window at the clear day.
School was almost over for the day, and the sun was now beginning to hang low in the sky. It bathed the normally blue sky in a yellow glow, almost as if the sky was on fire. It was very beautiful and breath-taking, yet Marinette's stomach continued to do frightened somersaults. She bit her lip nervously, the chatter of the class around her was nothing but white noise to her as she continued to become lost in her own thoughts.
"Hey, Mari, are you okay?" Alya asked, snapping Marinette out of her daydreaming again.
"Hmm?" Marinette hummed in confusion as she turned around to face Alya again.
Her best friend was staring at her with an expression of confusion and slight worry on her face. Alya raised an eyebrow at Marinette, her hazel eyes looking her up and down. Marinette couldn't bring herself to care though as she picked up her pen and began absentmindedly tapping it against the desk again. This time, Alya huffed and snatched the pen off her.
"Hey!" Marinette yelled.
"I warned you to stop tapping," Alya said as she held Marinette's pen as far away as possible as she tried to lunge for it, "and I asked you a question, remember?"
Marinette huffed, giving up trying to get her pen back before slouching back in her chair. "Sorry, I was miles away and didn't hear you properly."
"I can see that," Alya noted as she analysed her friend again. "I was asking if everything is okay? You've seemed really distracted lately."
Marinette shrugged. "I'm fine. Though I do wonder if I might be coming down with something."
"Uh huh." Alya smirked. "And are you sure that it has nothing to do with a certain Adrien Agreste?"
"Ssssssh!" Marinette clamped her hand over Alya's mouth before worryingly glancing down at the blond boy sat in front of her who was busy staring down at his work.
Luckily, it didn't look like he had heard anything Alya had just said, which caused Marinette to let out a huge sigh of relief before she shrieked as she felt something wet against the palm of her hand. Marinette quickly whipped her hand away from Alya's mouth as if she had just been burned before blushing as everyone in class turned to stare at them, including Miss Bustier, who looked up from her work with a slight frown on her face, her eyes instantly zeroing in on Marinette and Alya.
"Is everything okay you two?" Miss Bustier asked, looking firm but confused at the same time.
"Errr, yeah, we're fine – sorry," Marinette gasped out, her face growing even hotter under the gaze of all of her classmates, especially after having been called out by the teacher.
Alya just sat there trying hard not to giggle over the whole situation as Marinette wiped her hand against her pink jeans, trying to get all of the Alya germs off her hand as soon as possible. She couldn't believe Alya had just done that and made her look crazy in front of the whole class. Her best friend was so dead. She loved her, but she was dead.
"Well, please try to keep the noise level down or I'll be sending you both to the principal's office," Miss Bustier warned, the whole class sniggering at them before moving on and getting back on with their work and conversing with those around them.
The only person who hadn't seemed to care over what was going on was Adrien. He never once turned around to look at them, instead continuing to stare down at his worksheet, not writing anything in particular. Unable to resist being nosy, Marinette peered over her crush's shoulder, noticing a lot of scribbles on the side of his paper. It didn't seem like Adrien was concentrating at all which was unusual for him. Normally, Adrien loved school. He breezed through all the work, having pretty much already learned all of it himself when he was home-schooled.
But today, Adrien seemed different. He'd been off school for over a week and no one, not even Chloé, knew what was going on. Marinette, Nino, and Alya had called around to his house to check if he was okay, worried that he might be sick, however, Nathalie had simply, and rather coldly, told them to go away and that Adrien wasn't up to seeing anyone.
To be fair though, this wasn't too unusual. Adrien's father was forever pulling him out of school for a variety of reasons. It seemed to be Gabriel's favourite line of punishment whenever Adrien did something he didn't agree with. It also wasn't unusual for the Agreste household to be all enigmatic and secretive. But things seemed even weirder than usual this time.
And ever since he came back to school yesterday, Adrien hadn't been the same. He had been more withdrawn, barely saying a word to anyone, even blanking Nino most of the time. He was polite and answered questions when spoken to, just simply explaining to his friends that he had been ill with the flu, and that's why he had missed several days of school and wasn't allowed to see anybody. But that didn't explain why Adrien was acting so odd all of a sudden. Maybe he'd had another argument with his father?
"Hello? Earth to Marinette!"
Marinette blinked, and her eyes finally refocused back on reality just in time to see Alya waving a hand in front of her face and chuckling slightly as she did so. Looking around in confusion, Marinette's eyes finally settled back on Alya who was smirking at her again before looking towards Adrien and then back again.
"So it is to do with lover-boy!" Alya gasped. "It all makes sense now! You have both been acting weird lately after all."
"What? No!" Marinette protested. "And I can't believe you licked me!"
Alya rolled her eyes. "Don't cover my mouth with your hand then."
Marinette lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. "I only did that so Adrien wouldn't hear you."
"Chillax, Marinette, Adrien seems too distracted to notice what we're talking about." Alya chuckled again. "But just what exactly is he distracted over, hmmm?" Alya leaned towards Marinette with a coy smile on her face.
Marinette waved her off. "Whatever it is, it's got nothing to do with me." She then sighed, her tone growing sad and concerned. "But I am worried about him."
"I'm sure it's just because of tension between him and his father again or something," Alya dismissed.
"I know, I just…I hate to think of him hurting." Marinette gazed at the back of Adrien's head with a worried expression again.
Alya sighed. "Nino's tried to talk to him about it, but Adrien always insists that he's still feeling a bit weak from the flu. I mean, he could be telling the truth for all we know. The guy has rarely interacted with people, it's no wonder sickness hits him hard."
"I guess…"
"And if you're that worried," Alya teased, "you could always go over and talk to him about it."
"Are you nuts?!"
"What? It'll be the perfect way to get talking. Plus, Adrien might find it cute that you're so concerned about him," Alya suggested.
"Or he might find it suffocating and invasive," Marinette countered.
She could just see it now: Adrien getting frustrated with her and thinking she was nosy. Marinette being in his face was probably the last thing that Adrien needed right now. There was nothing that Marinette would love more than to offer Adrien a comforting shoulder and a listening ear if something was indeed bothering him and making him upset. But were they close enough for Marinette to do such a thing? Would he find it weird? Would he be comfortable opening up to her?
Marinette couldn't help but shoot Adrien a worried look again. She wanted to help him, she really did, but she also didn't want to risk making things worse for him. If she was going to try and comfort him and figure out if it really was more than just flu that was bothering him, she would have to be careful about it. If Adrien didn't want to open up to Nino, then why would he want to open up to Marinette?
"Marinette, you're the kindest most sensitive person I know," Alya praised, "so if anyone is going to help Adrien feel better about whatever it is that might be bugging him, it's you."
"I don't know…"
"Seriously, girl, just go for it," Alya urged, "I hate seeing Adrien like this too, and if anyone can help him, it's you."
"Okay," Marinette said as she took a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face, "I'll try."
Alya gave Marinette a playful nudge on the shoulder just as the final bell rang for the day. The class immediately began packing their things away, eager to go home. Everyone immediately began dashing out of the classroom and into the locker rooms to collect all of things they needed, and Adrien was one of the first to dart out of the room, mumbling a quick goodbye to a confused and concerned Nino.
Marinette sighed as she knew there would be no chance of her catching up to him now. If she ran after him, then no doubt it would look weird. He hadn't even spared her and Alya a glance when he had left. It was like the world around him didn't exist. It was like he was on autopilot, going about the day's normal activities, all the while he remained completely switched off from the world.
As Marinette stood up from her desk and swung her backpack over her shoulder, her stomach painfully twisted again. It was so sharp and so sudden that it almost had Marinette doubling over in pain. That strange feeling carried on looming over her. Something didn't feel right. It was like Marinette suddenly felt out of sync with the rest of the world. A dark sense of anticipation consumed her, like waiting for a jump-scare in a horror movie or waiting for the roller coaster to go plummeting downwards. Only nothing ever came. So the anticipation only built up to dizzying proportions, causing a lump for form in Marinette's throat that she just couldn't swallow back.
"Hey, dude, are you okay?" Nino asked, him and Alya having both frozen as they had started walking down the steps towards the front of the now empty class, noticing that Marinette had not started to follow them.
Marinette gulped. "Y-yeah…I'm fine…"
"Are you sure?" Alya asked. "You're looking a little pale."
"Maybe I definitely am coming down with something. Sorry, I just…I've been feeling strange all day," Marinette tried to explain as best as she could.
"So we've noticed," Alya tried to joke, however, there was no denying the slight concern that seeped into her tone.
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Marinette tried to reassure herself more than her friends, "I think I just need a relaxing evening and an early night."
"If you say so," Alya responded, reaching to grab hold of Nino's hand as they all finally began heading out of class together.
Meanwhile, Marinette trailed along behind the pair of them, staring down at her feet as she walked. Her stomach continued to twist and contort while Marinette did her best to ignore it. However, that was difficult when it kept sending shockwaves around the rest of her body, causing her fingers and toes to tingle slightly. It really did feel like she was about to receive some bad news or something. But everything was so normal. This day had been about as normal as a day could get. The only thing that was slightly out of the ordinary was Adrien's behaviour, yet there was likely a perfectly logical explanation for that.
The crisp autumn air hit Marinette's face as soon as she exited the school, and she couldn't help but once again stare up at the brilliant yellow sky. That was until she bumped into Alya's still form in front of her, snapping Marinette out of her deep thoughts. She frowned in confusion, looking down to meet Alya's eyes as she subtly motioned with her head to look to the side.
Marinette followed Alya's instructions and looked down to her left to see Adrien sat on the steps to the school, resting his chin on his hand and his elbow on his knee. From this angle, Marinette couldn't see his face, but judging by the way he was just sitting there, Marinette could now definitely tell that there had to be something more than illness that was bothering him.
Nino and Alya then quickly dashed off, leaving Marinette all alone with Adrien just a few steps down in front of her. The breeze was chilly, and Marinette was surprised that Adrien wasn't feeling cold just sat there in his typical attire. Surely that had to be a bad idea, especially if he had been ill with the flu.
Marinette watched as Adrien's shoulders sagged even more. Her heart broke, and she wanted nothing more right now than to be able to wrap her arms around him and reassure him that everything was going to be okay. It hurt her that he was hurting. But even though she couldn't embrace him, she could still at least try to help and be there for him as a friend.
"H-hey, Adrien," Marinette stuttered awkwardly and nervously as she approached him from behind, slowly bending down so that she was sat next to him on the steps.
Adrien seemed startled by her presence, but he didn't look up at her. Marinette could now see his face properly, and she had to contain her gasp at what she saw. His face was ghostly pale, almost translucent, and his eyes looked hollow and dead. His hair was slightly darker and unkempt, like he hadn't washed or brushed it properly in days. He had large, dark circles under his eyes, and his whole form looked willowy and fragile, as if he would snap like a twig at the simplest touch.
It appeared that words became stuck in his throat, rendering him unable to reply. Meanwhile, Marinette twiddled her fingers, trying to think of something to say. She really didn't want to come across like she was trying to pry into his personal life, but at the same time, Adrien was her friend, and she wanted to make sure that he was okay at least. Though to be honest, he looked far from okay right now.
"W-what are you still doing here?" Marinette tried to start a conversation. It was very odd that Adrien was still here after all.
"My bodyguard got stuck in traffic and is late picking me up," Adrien explained in a monotone voice.
"Oh – ummm – that sucks."
"Yeah."
Marinette bit her lip, trying to desperately think of a way to keep the conversation going. "You could – errr – you could always come over to my house and wait? I'd hate to think of you sitting out here in the cold all on your own."
"That's very kind of you," Adrien sighed out, "but my bodyguard will be here any minute now and I need to be straight off to a photoshoot my father needs me to attend."
"Umm, okay," Marinette mumbled.
There were a few seconds of awkward silence between the two of them.
"So – errr – how have you been?" Marinette asked. "I heard you had the flu?"
"Yeah."
Marinette stared at the side of Adrien's face sadly before she looked down towards the ground, pulling her jacket tighter around herself as the breeze once again picked up slightly. Adrien, however, seemed completely unphased by everything that was going on around him. Marinette could see goosebumps starting to form on his bare arms, but he didn't seem bothered at all by the cold. Judging by his distant eyes and blank expression, Marinette was willing to bet that Adrien was lost in his own mind right now.
"Adrien…I have a feeling there's a lot more to this than just the flu. I don't mean to pry, but…you haven't exactly been yourself lately." Marinette found the words leaving her mouth before she could stop herself. "I'm really worried about you, Adrien, we all are. You don't have to tell me or anyone what's wrong if you don't want to, but I at least want to know that you're okay."
Adrien turned around to face Marinette for the first time all day. His eyes were slightly wide, but other than that, his expression still remained blank in an almost perfect poker face. His eyes were difficult to read, no matter how much Marinette tried to scan them, ignoring the growing heat in her face as she did so. She couldn't let her embarrassment and awkwardness get to her right now. Adrien needed her, and she needed to remain serious.
"I-I'm fine…" Adrien answered, his voice going slightly higher, "I-I just have a lot going on right now."
"I see," Marinette murmured. "Do you want to talk about it? Get anything off your chest?"
Adrien sighed, his expression turning dark. "You have no idea."
"Is it something to do with your father?"
Adrien chuckled humourlessly. "Something like that." He was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. "Do you ever just wish you could turn back the clock? That you could have done things differently? When you find yourself stuck in a hole that you've dug for yourself, and now you're trapped and you can't get out? When you know you're doing something bad, but you just can't stop yourself, especially when you're doing it for someone you love?"
Marinette's eyes widened as she didn't know what to say.
"Sorry," Adrien groaned as he leaned further forward to run his fingers through his hair. "I guess it all just kinda burst out of me. I didn't mean to bombard you like that."
"No, no, it's okay," Marinette quickly reassured him, "if ranting helps, then rant to me as much as you want. I can be your chief person thingy that you can rant to…" Marinette trailed off, wanting to slap herself for sounding so weird.
Adrien shot her an odd look before smiling at her sadly. "Thanks, Marinette. You're a good friend."
Marinette tried to pretend like she hadn't just been shot in the heart right that second. But she was glad that Adrien seemed to be starting to open up to her, and that he trusted her enough to rant to her about his problems. Even if he did just see her as friend, Marinette would take what she could get, and no matter how Adrien felt about her, she would always be there for him.
"It'll all be over soon anyway," Adrien continued, "I'm going to sort everything out."
"That's the spirit!" Marinette tried to happily encourage.
"It's going to be tough, but there's some things that I just have to do. It has to be this way. It's the only way I can –" Adrien cut himself off, looking away before balling his hands into tight fists.
Marinette tilted her head to one side, but decided not to push him for more information. It was definitely clear that Adrien had indeed had a lot on his mind lately. It kind of almost reminded Marinette of the way Chat Noir had been behaving lately. He too had been acting really strange lately, and the way he had held her last night…it was almost like…he was saying goodbye. It had given Marinette the chills, but she tried not to think too much about it. Maybe it had just been his way of apologising for being so snappy and weird with her lately.
"I'm sure you can do it," Marinette reassured. "Whatever it is that you need to do, I have every faith in you."
"But how do I know that I'm doing the right thing?" Adrien asked, still looking away.
"Well, sometimes we just don't know these things," Marinette sighed out, "sometimes we just have to roll that dice and deal with the outcome. As long as you're not purposefully hurting anyone, then I suppose all you can do is listen to your gut and try and make sure that you get the best possible outcome."
"I never knew you were so wise, Marinette." Adrien turned around, attempting to smile at her, but failed miserably.
Marinette shrugged. "I don't really think so."
"You are," Adrien reassured her, "and you've helped me make up my mind. Though I'm not going to lie, I'm still terrified."
Marinette returned his reassurance. "I'm sure everything will work out fine. Trust yourself."
However, Marinette's breath soon hitched in her throat she felt Adrien's warm hand wrap around her own. It sent shivers up her spine, and sent a tingling sensation around the rest of her body. It was like she had just been electrocuted, but Marinette managed to stop herself from instinctively pulling away. Her shock soon settled down though, and the shivering and tingling were soon replaced by warm waves, as if she had laid down on the shore of a tropical beach, the ocean washing over her as she basked in the heat of the sun.
Adrien smiled down at her, though his smile still looked incredibly strained. So many thoughts danced around behind his eyes, and Marinette longed to catch a glimpse of what he might be thinking. She wished that she knew what had him so worried and afraid. She longed to be by his side as he faced it, helping him and supporting him. She hated the thought of him being scared and on his own. She wished that she could take Adrien's pain away and that she was suffering in his place.
But Marinette didn't get a chance to ask Adrien more about what was going on. She didn't get the chance to enjoy the moment of his large hand engulfing hers, as it wasn't long before Adrien's bodyguard pulled up next to the school in his usual silver car. Her heart sank, and by the looks of it, so did Adrien's, as his face immediately drained of colour upon sight of the car.
Adrien turned back towards Marinette. "Well…I guess I better go."
Yet, Adrien made no move to head towards the car, nor let go of Marinette's hand.
"You sure?" Marinette half-joked. "Because you can always hide out with me at my place?"
Adrien chuckled, but it sounded more sad than amused. "Don't tempt me," he said before slowly standing up as his bodyguard got out of the car and made his way around to open the door for him.
They were still holding hands as Adrien began to walk away, their arms reaching out towards each other, their fingers still clinging together. But it wasn't long before their grasp on each other loosened, hands straining to reach for each other and still hold on. Soon, their fingers finally parted, and they were no longer touching each other. Adrien's hand swung limply back down to his side while Marinette's still hung in the air, reaching out for him as she watched his retreating form.
He didn't look back at her, not even once. He didn't even say goodbye.
Marinette could feel her heart aching as she watched him climb into his car. His face was once again completely blank and devoid of emotion. His eyes were hidden behind his hair, and he continued to stare straight ahead as his bodyguard climbed back into the driver's seat before speeding them both off.
Unable to move or think properly, Marinette sat on the steps of the school for a while longer, her hand still warm and tingling from Adrien holding it. She stroked it with her other thumb, cradling it and staring down at it, unable to believe or process what had just happened. Adrien had held her hand. And it was even better than she had dreamed it would be. It was just a shame that the whole thing had happened because Adrien was upset over something.
But Marinette soon stared off to where he had disappeared, feeling slightly happy that she seemed to have managed to help Adrien out slightly. That had been what she had set out to do. Though she couldn't help but wonder what he meant by everything that he said. It was all rather enigmatic. But whatever it was, Adrien now seemed more sure over how he was going to deal with things. Marinette considered that a huge achievement, and for the first time in a while, she felt like she and Adrien had bonded a little bit more and grown closer. She felt like she had finally seen a more vulnerable side of him and was now truly getting to know him. And that only made her love him more.
Marinette didn't feel like anything could spoil this day for her now.
Feeling elated, but still retaining that strange feeling in her stomach, Marinette got up and began to skip home, flexing the fingers of the hand that Adrien had held just moments before. She could still almost feel its grip on her, and it continued to send warm waves up her arm and into her heart, which was still beating rapidly over the whole thing.
Trying to get herself to focus again, Marinette opened the door to the bakery, whistling to herself as she closed the door behind her. However, Marinette hadn't made it far in when she noticed her mother struggling to move a huge sack of flour around. Smiling, she quickly dashed over to help her mother, who was startled slightly by the sudden ease at which she could move the flour around, though it wasn't long before she noticed why.
"Oh, you're finally home, dear," Sabine grunted as they both pushed the flour into the corner of the room, ready for Marinette's father to use when he opened the bakery again in the morning.
"Yeah, sorry, I got talking to a friend," Marinette explained as she dusted herself off.
"That's alright," Sabine said as she looked around the bakery to see if anything else needed doing before turning back to her daughter. "Thank you for the help, sweetheart. Where would I be without you."
She pinched Marinette's cheeks who playfully swatted them away before kissing her mother on the cheek.
"Good thing I'm not going anywhere then," Marinette joked as she began to head towards the stairs.
"Oh, dinner will be a bit later tonight," her mother quickly explained, "I need to head out now to help your father with some supplies. You'll be alright on your own for a few hours?"
Marinette rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, mom, what could happen?"
"Alright." Sabine smiled before getting ready to leave. "I'll see you soon, sweetheart."
"Bye," Marinette called as she began to run up the stairs and into their apartment.
She headed straight up to her room like she usually did just after school, dumping her bag down on her chaise lounge before collapsing on top of it herself. School always took it out of Marinette, and it made her wish that she was as smart as Adrien was. With the little akuma attacks they'd been having lately, Marinette could almost feel herself adjusting to normal life again. In fact, today was the most normal she had ever felt. That was until her beloved kwami Tikki made an appearance.
"Did you hear everything that happened, Tikki?" Marinette asked, unable to keep the squeal out of her voice as Tikki headed towards where Marinette kept all the cookies. "Adrien held my hand!"
"That's great, Marinette," Tikki mumbled with her mouth full.
"I mean, don't get me wrong," Marinette continued to babble, "I feel awful that Adrien feels so sad, but…he held my hand!"
Tikki smiled and shook her head before taking another huge bite out of the cookie.
Marinette then sighed. "I just wish I could have been of more help to him. I wish I could have made him feel one hundred percent better. All I really did was behave like an idiot, yet Adrien still seemed to find comfort in what I said. I wish I could be there for him more."
"Well, maybe you will be in the future," Tikki reassured her. "I was really proud of the way you handled talking to him today. Not too much stuttering, and you were just being yourself and being there for him. I know that Adrien really appreciated that."
"Do you really think so?"
Tikki nodded.
Marinette sighed happily and relaxed back into her chaise, staring up at her ceiling with a dopey grin on her face. For the first time, it felt like things were finally starting to move forward. Like her life was now finally starting to head in a completely positive direction. Right now, Marinette felt like she was on top of the world and like she could conquer anything.
She turned her head slightly to stare at her latest designs. Maybe one day, she could impress Gabriel Agreste enough that he would hire her. Then she would be able to work closely with her favourite fashion designer and get to hang out with his model son. The two of them would grow closer as he would wear and model some of her designs. All of her dreams would come true. She would get her happily ever after.
"Huh, I wonder what's going on over there?"
The sound of Tikki's voice interrupted Marinette's daydreaming. She turned around, feeling slightly disgruntled over having been disturbed, when her eyes caught sight of what Tikki was talking about. Marinette sat up and blinked at the strange looking clouds in the sky. The day had been mostly clear, and rain wasn't forecast, so it made no sense as to why there were huge dark clouds in the distance.
Marinette heaved herself up before walking towards her window where Tikki was sat observing the clouds. Squinting, Marinette watched as the dark clouds rose into the air, swirling around as they ascended from what appeared to be an orange glow in the distance.
Wait…those weren't clouds…
"It's smoke!" Marinette cried out in horror and confusion.
"Smoke?" Tikki repeated, sounding just as confused. "But what could cause that much smoke?"
"Let's find out," Marinette mumbled nervously as she switched her computer on.
Immediately, news filled her screen of an akuma alert, which only made Marinette panic even more. She should have known. She should have known that it wouldn't be long before Hawkmoth attacked again. He had been quiet for way too long. Marinette should have been more alert. She should have been keeping a better watch over things. Now that akuma had been raging around the city for goodness knows how long, all the while she had been squealing over what happened between her and Adrien today.
It appeared that there was a live broadcast covering what was going on, and Marinette wasted no time in clicking play.
"Parisians flee in terror as the city is attacked by what is possibly the most dangerous and deadly akuma yet," Nadja's voice instantly filled Marinette's room. "It appears that this akuma has the ability to control fire, and his main target appears to be the Agreste mansion."
Marinette and Tikki gasped in horror as the camera zoomed in on the fire that was beginning to surround Adrien's home.
"It is not known whether Gabriel Agreste and his son, Adrien, are in the house. Fire fighters are attempting to control the fire, but at the moment it's looking like a losing battle. Chat Noir is already on the scene, however, there is still no sign of Ladybug –"
Nadja's voice was cut off by Marinette quickly shutting off her computer.
"We've got to get there, Tikki!" Marinette yelled desperately. "I can't let him hurt Adrien or anybody else!"
"Be careful, Marinette," Tikki warned, "this akuma looks especially dangerous."
Marinette ignored her, desperate to get going and save Adrien. "Tikki, spots on!"
Ladybug had barely given her transformation time to finish before she was leaping out of her balcony door and flying through the city as fast as she could. She could smell the smoke in the air even from her apartment, and that only caused Ladybug's heart rate to skyrocket. If only she had been paying attention. She could have gotten the alert sooner and she could have been there in time to stop the akuma.
As she pushed herself towards the scene as fast as possible, Ladybug prayed to every god that she could think of that nobody was in the house and that they were all safe. The smoke in the air continued to grow thicker and thicker, and soon, Ladybug couldn't help but cough as it began to fill her lungs the closer she got to the blaze. The distant orange glow grew brighter, and it wasn't long before Ladybug could see the tall flames rising into the air, completely surrounding the mansion.
Fear completely engulfed her, and Ladybug began to lose all sense of rational thought. What if Adrien was in there? He must be terrified right now. She had to get there! She had to make sure that he was okay. She couldn't believe that Hawkmoth had given someone powers this dangerous. She would definitely have to make sure that she put a stop to this akuma before it could cause any more damage and endanger anyone else.
The mansion soon came into view, and it was completely surrounded by flames. The air was thick with black smoke, causing Ladybug to cough and choke as she landed on the adjacent building, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. Her heart was beating so fast, that Ladybug was worried she was going to go into cardiac arrest.
A loud knocking sound echoed within her ears, causing her to shake her head slightly in confusion and alarm. The noise was so loud, that it could only have resonated right next to her. However, when Ladybug looked around, she couldn't see anything. It was just her standing alone on the roof.
However, Ladybug soon focused her attention back on the fire, the heat of the flames radiating against her face. She stared at the house in horror, knowing that Adrien could be trapped in there somewhere. She just had to rescue him! She had to stop this akuma! She had to find Chat Noir! Everyone was in danger! It was all resting on her!
Ladybug leapt forward, however, it was like her whole body was suddenly made out of lead. She floated slowly through the air, the fire and the mansion growing ever more distant.
Marinette.
Ladybug gasped at the sound of someone calling her name. The scene before her continued to shrink as she remained floating in the air, her stomach then twisting in fear as the flames rose up even higher, heating up her whole body, making her feel like she had just been placed on top of a giant stove.
It was too hot! She was on fire!
She was too hot!
Marinette!
All Ladybug could do was scream as the flames engulfed her, scorching and burning off her skin.
"Marinette!"
I'd kinda been dreading writing this chapter because I really wanted to try and get it right, so I hope that you guys feel like I did a good job. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts in a review as it always helps me out a great deal. I hope you guys have an awesome week!
Also, I decided to go with the idea of creating a Taurus Pixie Twitter account. It is now brand new and up and running. So now if you have a question that you want quickly answered, want to message me, keep up with what I'm up to and when I'll be updating, you can now follow me and interact with me! My username is Taurus_Pixie.