I'm alive! I'm so sorry for disappearing for so long; it was completely unintentional. Basically here's a list of all the reasons I vanished: hospital appointments, training, real life drama, mental health issues, physical health issues, my job being a pain, and dealing with the police because I got robbed – twice. So yeah, I haven't been having fun, believe me. I would have much rather been focusing on writing chapters for this story. I am really sorry though, especially if I worried anyone like I seemed to be doing. I'm super grateful for your concern and I would never abandon my work without telling you guys.
Anyway, things should hopefully be calming down now. Especially now that my job have cut my hours because they realised that forcing me to work so much overtime meant that they actually had to pay me for it. I know, right? Who would have thought it? Never mind that cutting my hours puts all of our safety at risk. Ahem, I'll stop ranting now, sorry. I'm back now and hopefully there will never be a large gap like that between updates again. Thank you so much for waiting and for all of your wonderful reviews of support!
Chapter 38: New Light
There she was in all her beauty. Dancing in the setting sun, twirling gracefully as the string of her yo-yo spun around her like a flowing ribbon. A content smile lit up her face, her blue eyes were closed, and her pigtails bounced as she continued her dancing. The dusk colours of the sky brought out the intense redness of her suit, making her look like a warm and inviting flame in the distance. Paris was spread out before her, receiving the most perfect view of her endless beauty.
Adrien smiled and watched, enjoying the sight of her lost in her thoughts, allowing his eyes to feast on her perfection. A perfection that almost burned his eyes as if he was staring at the sun. At any moment, he felt like he would be blinded by her radiance, but he didn't care. He would happily go blind rather than look away from her. As long as the image of her delicate features were burned into his mind for all eternity, he could live with that.
Watching her made his heart swell. She could not look any more perfect.
As she continued to twirl, the sky began to grow dark. That was weird. Adrien had no idea that it was supposed to rain today. It was like the dark clouds had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He had merely blinked, and in that time, the whole environment around him had changed. But Ladybug remained twirling around like nothing had just happened. She looked as happy, tranquil and innocent as a ballet dancer inside a music box. Her eyes remained closed, a small smile still adorning her features.
But Adrien couldn't escape the ominous feeling that was now consuming him. He tried to shout towards his lady, but upon opening his mouth, no sound was released. Adrien's eyes widened in panic as he tried again and again, but his voice was gone. Giving up on that idea, Adrien tried to throw himself forward, but his whole body moved entirely in slow motion. A force kept pulling him backwards as he tried to dig his nails into the concrete of the roof.
When he looked up again, he realised that it wasn't storm clouds that had filled the sky above him – it was smoke. It began to choke his lungs, making him cough violently as he desperately continued trying to pull himself towards his lady. It was like his lungs were suddenly filled with thick cotton, and no matter how much his gasped for air, he just couldn't breathe enough of it in.
Panic further set in as the orange glow from the sky now moved to the streets below them. Ladybug remained oblivious while all Adrien could do was silently scream. He watched in horror as her suit began to turn a dark shade of red before a thick red liquid began oozing out of her. It made Adrien freeze as his stomach lurched at the sight of the blood leaving a thick trail while it seeped towards him. It flowed between his fingers like the rivers of hell, the fresh warmth almost burning his skin. It pooled around him and imprisoned him.
His head snapped up again to gaze upon his lady, her face still serene. Like something out of a horror movie, her flesh began to slowly melt away. First her skin, then her muscle, all while blood continued to drip from her body in a never ending waterfall. Finally, there was nothing but bone left, before even her skeleton began to disintegrate right before his eyes.
All Adrien could do was silently scream, his heart shrivelling up and disappearing along with her.
Adrien gasped as his eyes flung open, the light of the room nearly blinding him before he began violently coughing. Panic continued to consume him as the smoke remained in his lungs, choking and incapacitating him. It felt like his throat was closing up, and his eyes squeezed closed again, too terrified to open them and witness the empty space where his lady had been just moments before. It was all his fault. He couldn't save her…
"Oh my gosh, Adrien, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"
That voice… That familiar voice again…
Could it be…?
Adrien opened his eyes again, automatically following the sound of that angelic voice, hoping that maybe he too had died and was now in the afterlife with his beloved. A heavenly glow surrounded her, confirming Adrien's suspicions, but upon squinting to see her better in the bright light, he realised there was no mask. No cute pigtails. Instead, Marinette stood before him, gazing down at him worriedly, the furrow between her eyebrows deepening the longer he took to answer.
"M-Marinette?" he stuttered, his voice slightly horse.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Or choke you. I was just trying to dust the table next to you," Marinette explained, fidgeting nervously.
That's when Adrien noticed the feather duster that she had gripped tightly in her hand. Marinette's whole body was stiff and tense, and her eyes kept darting around wildly, something she had been doing since she had arrived here earlier. That's right. Marinette had unexpectedly paid him a visit. He was home. He was here with Marinette. He couldn't believe that he had fallen asleep on her. That was so embarrassing. He got to hang out with her as his civilian self again and he was wasting it.
"No no no, I'm sorry!" Adrien quickly replied. "I'm the terrible host. I can't believe I fell asleep!"
"You must have needed the rest," Marinette reassured him, still looking unsure of what she should do with herself. "I didn't have the heart to wake you."
Adrien couldn't help but smile slightly at that. She was too cute.
"I still feel bad though –" Adrien went on to continue to protest before his brain finally properly woke up and registered exactly what Marinette had in her hand. "Wh-what are you doing?"
Marinette shuffled awkwardly again. "Sorry, I hope you don't think I'm interfering. I just thought that you could use a hand with the cleaning."
Adrien cringed. "That's really kind of you, but honestly, there's no need. You're a guest and…" Adrien turned to the side slightly to mumble to himself, "It'll only get messy again anyway."
He couldn't believe that Marinette had been cleaning his house for him while he was asleep. He was supposed to be there for her, not employing her as an unofficial house maid. Not to mention it didn't exactly paint a very good impression of himself. He could clean. It's just… other things kept getting in the way. There were some days where he just didn't even see the point. It was too much effort and a waste of time. He rarely ever had guests over apart from Nino, and he was used to it.
"I know how that feels," Marinette mumbled in response, her eyes staring off into the distance.
Adrien glanced back up at her worriedly. He recognised that pain in her voice. It almost mirrored the same pain that he felt. The very pain that he was trying to protect her from. To help her heal from. Now he had not only embarrassed himself, but was also ruining Marinette's progress. He was such a selfish idiot. He should never have let her in here. He should have never allowed her to see his true self. A pathetic, worthless, useless waste of space.
"When you feel so low," Marinette continued, "it's easy to forget the tiniest everyday things. But it turns out that they're the ones that are most important and are always taken for granted. They are the base of everything else in your life. I never realised just how hard it could be to simply take a shower, to comb my hair, to clean things… it all seemed so pointless."
Adrien's eyes widened as he continued to watch and listen to her. She had perfectly hit the nail on the head. That was exactly how he felt.
"But you just have to force yourself, because like I said, they form the base for everything else. I learnt that you have to trick your mind into thinking that everything is normal, and to do that, I had to clean and stick to a normal routine. Otherwise I would just be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of being pathetic and worthless. I would just be validating my own thoughts," Marinette sighed out that last part, almost as if she didn't quite believe her own words.
"I had no idea…" was all Adrien could whisper in response.
A tense silence fell between them as he tried to imagine the happy and bubbly Marinette he used to know being in a similar situation to him. No wonder she had changed so much. But he could still see that glint in her eye on occasions. The promise that Marinette was still in there. The promise that she could fight through all of this. He would make sure that she could. Adrien knew the feelings that she was beginning to share all too well. He wouldn't wish them on his worst enemy, let alone the girl he lo –"
Smack.
Adrien's vision suddenly darkened as he felt something soft land on his face. His heart skipped a beat in surprised, totally confused over what was happening as whatever had hit him in the face slowly fell down onto his lap. It was… a piece of cloth? All Adrien could do was blink down at it in confusion before the musical sound of Marinette's laughter filled his ears.
"Sorry," she giggled, "you looked super deep in thought, so I couldn't resist."
Adrien couldn't help but smile back at her. Her laughter was so infectious, and it was such a rare sound that he wanted to do nothing more than sit there and listen to it forever. Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink, and her own eyes held a hint of surprise at her own actions, as well as a sparkle of humour, and something that Adrien couldn't quite place. He wanted to make her smile and laugh over and over again. Making her feel better made him feel better.
"Very funny," Adrien chuckled out as he tossed the cloth back at her, which Marinette clumsily juggled before dropping. It was good to see that some things hadn't change about her. She was always so awkward and clumsy. It was always something he found endearing and adorable about her. Even before all of this had happened, it had always made her stand out among his friends. He could always count on Marinette to make an experience fun and unique because of it.
"I hope so, because I'm sick of all this deep stuff." There was an almost manic edge to Marinette's voice this time that caught Adrien off guard. But before he could worry too much about it, she perked up again, this time sounding more normal.
"Let's get cleaning!"
"Really?" Adrien frowned in confusion as he slowly stood up, his limbs feeling wobbly like jelly. "We could always do something else? It's not fair that you've come all the way here to clear up my mess."
Marinette waved him off. "I like to help. And it looks like you sure could use it." She gestured around the room at all of his mess, though it already looked like she had made a good start on things.
Adrien blushed, once again feeling embarrassed over the whole situation. But it did genuinely sound like Marinette wanted to help him. Maybe he could humour her just this once. He was supposed to be looking after her, not the other way around. But Marinette in all of her stubbornness seemed to be completely determined. If anything, maybe he could turn this into an opportunity to get to know her more. By this point, it felt like he had known her for an eternity, but she remained pretty caged up about a lot of things. Maybe she would admit things to Adrien that she couldn't admit to Chat Noir?
But did he really want to do this? Did he really want to play this game? Something told him that it was going to be incredibly risky, and he could already hear Plagg's teasing voice in his ear over the whole situation he had gotten himself into. But this is the situation he found himself in now. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just hanging out with Marinette, one of his oldest friends. What was so bad about that? What could possibly go wrong?
"Besides," Marinette's soft voice interrupted his deep thoughts again, "what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't help out? I've neglected you for years, and I want to make it up to you."
"How many times do I have to tell you, Marinette?" Adrien sighed out in frustration. "You don't have to feel bad for not seeing me for a few years. You had your own stuff going on. Plus I probably wouldn't have even let you in anyway. The only person who managed to keep checking up on me was Nino, and to this day, I still have no idea how he got around my security system that first time around."
Marinette pulled a weird face at that remark, but it was so fleeting, that Adrien wasn't sure if he was just imagining things.
"Not that I'm doing this just to make myself feel less guilty for not seeing you," Marinette quickly replied, preventing Adrien's musings from going any further. "I mean – I do feel guilty. But that's not the main reason I'm doing this. I mean – I'm doing this as a thank you for the other night. And because I do still consider you as… as a friend."
The word 'friend' stung slightly, almost as if a needle had been stabbed directly into his heart. Adrien did his best to ignore it though, and instead laughed at Marinette's typical clumsy stuttering.
"It's okay, Marinette, calm down," Adrien reassured her, "I know you're doing this because you're a good, kind-hearted person. You always have been." He couldn't resist letting his complete and utter adoration for her seep into his words.
Marinette gazed at him in shock, her cheeks turning a brilliant shade of pink before she bit her lip and looked away and spoke in a low whisper, "I wouldn't say that."
Despite wanting to argue with her, Adrien managed to stop himself. He didn't want to go too overboard, especially since he and Marinette technically didn't know each other all that well, and she wasn't as close with him as she was with Chat Noir. He didn't want to look too weird and suspicious, and the last thing he wanted to do right now was scare her off. It must have taken a lot for Marinette to convince herself to come here, and he didn't want to blow it.
"I thought you wanted to avoid all of the deep stuff?" Adrien tried to playfully tease, nudging Marinette before turning to start wiping down one of the nearby tables.
Marinette chuckled, seeming grateful for the subject change. They both began cleaning together as an awkward silence fell between the two of them. Adrien held his breath as he tried desperately to think of something to say to her, but his mind had suddenly gone blank. Come on, Adrien, say something! But no matter how much he internally yelled at himself, he just couldn't think of anything. Great, he thought to himself. First he fell asleep on her, and now he has her cleaning his house while he remained painfully silent. Some host he was.
He couldn't help but glance back at her, watching as she reached up to clean a few cobwebs that had decorated a bookshelf for as long as Adrien could remember at this point. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he'd touched that stuff at all since the house had been re-built. His mother's books originally filled that shelf, but they had been destroyed in the fire. In some sick attempt at reclaiming the past and some normality, Adrien had bought exact copies of those books, even attempting to arrange them in the same order. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he did that, because it soon became too painful to look at.
But there was something almost soothing about seeing Marinette in that area. Despite the fact that she was cleaning, he could just about make out her eyes glancing over the various titles, and he smiled as she tilted her head in curiosity at some of them. His mother certainly had some broad taste, and no doubt Marinette was picking up that fact as she read their titles.
However, as if she could sense his eyes on her, she slowly turned her head to gaze at Adrien curiously, her cheeks still pink, and one hand remaining frozen in the air, hovering over the book she had just been dusting.
Adrien nearly choked on air at having been practically caught staring at her, and he quickly fumbled through his brain, once again trying to desperately think of something to say.
Say something, Adrien! Anything!
"Ummm – how are you?"
Anything except that!
"Oh… ummm…" Marinette seemed taken aback by his sudden weird outburst.
Damn it Adrien! You weren't supposed to freak her out! He really could have picked something better and less awkward to say, but it was the first thing that had popped into his head to try and at least get some sort of conversation going between them. It was such a stupid question. He knew exactly how Marinette was. He couldn't have picked something more insensitive to ask!
"I'm fine, I guess," Marinette answered, seeming confused, but thankfully there seemed to be no trace of offense in her tone. "Much better than I was the other night."
"Oh, that's good." Adrien let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.
"And it's all thanks to you." Marinette beamed at him.
"Me? Why?"
"Oh come on, you practically saved me!" Marinette protested, still smiling at him as she continued on with her dusting again. "If it wasn't for you, who knows what would have happened.
Adrien nearly choked again. "Errr… yeah."
Did she… did she remember? He was sure that she didn't. It may be cruel, but he really hoped that her amnesia would stay. She had already been through so much. Some things are best forgotten, and as much as he hated that the bastard had gotten away with it, his princess' wellbeing was much more important. No memory, no pain. At least that's how he saw it anyway.
"I'm just glad nothing did happen."
Well, that answered his first question.
"But I'd rather not talk about that right now." Marinette turned serious and… sad? "It seems like I had good reason to leave the party."
"Oh?" Adrien pushed for more information before he could stop himself.
Marinette's eyes widened as if she said something that she wasn't supposed to. "Oh, I wouldn't want to bore you with my silly drama. Plus, I wouldn't want you to get caught in the middle."
"Why would I be caught in the middle?" Was she referring to Alya and Nino? His blood began to boil at the mere thought of the way they had behaved that night. But he needed to keep a lid on things. He wasn't Chat Noir right now. He had to play dumb. He had to behave the way Marinette likely remembered the way that he behaved.
"It's just… I seem to have upset Alya and Nino…" Marinette slowly admitted, almost looking like she was biting back tears as she began to dust more vigorously.
"I find that hard to believe," Adrien replied through clenched teeth while trying to keep his tone fairly light.
"I don't know what I did… Alya didn't really explain it properly," Marinette continued. "Knowing me, I probably tried to interfere in some way to try and get them back together."
"Ah."
"I'm guessing that it all must have backfired somehow. My memory is really fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure that there was some shouting involved, and when I called Alya earlier today, she was still mad at me. Whatever I did, it must have been really bad for them to have just ditched me like that."
Adrien couldn't take it anymore. Clenching his teeth together, he slammed his fist down on the table before turning towards a startled Marinette, gripping her shoulders while staring deeply into her eyes.
"Don't say things like that," Adrien scolded, "I'm sure that whatever happened, you were just trying to help, and that you didn't intentionally upset them. Alya and Nino shouldn't have taken their relationship drama out on you. You say you don't want me to be caught in the middle, yet they've both forced you into the middle. They had no right ditching you like that, especially if you'd been drinking!" Adrien exploded before he could stop himself.
His actions soon caught up with him though as his eyes widened and he let go of his death grip on Marinette's arms. He took a few slow steps back, mentally scolding himself for being so stupid.
"I… I'm sorry…" Adrien apologised, his voice shaking slightly. "I… I just hate hearing you put yourself down like that…"
"It…it's okay," Marinette finally responded, still in a state of shock. "It's sweet of you to say all of those things about me, but maybe don't be so hard on Nino and Alya? They're our friends and they're both going through a lot at the moment. I'm sure there's got to be some sort of reasonable explanation. Alya's been so good to me over the years, and it seems like my time has come to start returning the favour."
Marinette then gazed out of the window to watch the setting sun. Meanwhile, Adrien grinded his teeth. He was still incredibly mad at the two of them, but maybe Marinette was right. Maybe there had been some sort of misunderstanding somewhere. Deep down, he knew that the two of them weren't purposefully malicious. Though it sure felt that way with Alya sometimes. Between her and Rena Rouge, he just couldn't escape the painful thoughts of… Ladybug.
The ribbon began to burn in his pocket again, and memories of his dream from earlier began to flash before his eyes. He quickly squeezed them shut though and shook his head, desperately trying to dispel the horrifying images that had begun to mercilessly attack his brain.
"Are… are you okay?" Marinette asked cautiously, thankfully rescuing Adrien from his visions.
"What?"
"I asked if you were okay," she repeated, looking even more worried now.
"Oh… yeah… I'm fine," Adrien replied a bit too enthusiastically.
Marinette bit her lip and looked away, appearing unsure about whether or not she should say something. Adrien watched and waited, hoping that maybe she would come out and say it. But she never did. He guessed he would have to get the thought out of her by prodding her.
"What is it?"
"Hmm?" Marinette hummed, sounding distracted.
"You looked like you were going to say something," Adrien probed.
"Oh, it's just…" Marinette shuffled awkwardly. "It didn't look like you were sleeping too well earlier. You were tossing and turning a lot."
Adrien looked down, once again fighting off the memories of his dream.
"And you were talking in your sleep."
No!
Adrien gasped in alarm, though Marinette seemed to misinterpret his panic.
"Don't worry, it's okay, you didn't say anything weird or embarrassing," Marinette giggled.
Adrien sighed in relief. At least it seemed like he hadn't accidentally revealed anything to her. But still, this revelation had him on edge. He would need to stay in better control of himself in the future. No more falling asleep while anyone apart from Plagg was around. He couldn't afford to let anything incriminating slip from him. Then he would be done for. He would lose Marinette and everything else that he had left. He'd be thrown in with his father for the rest of his life. They'd keep him strapped to a chair in a strait jacket, lock him in a padded cell and throw away the key. Though it would be no less than he deserved…
"So – ummm – what did I say then?" Did he even want to know the answer?
Marinette shrugged. "Most of it was incoherent. But at one point it sounded like you said, 'it's all my fault.'"
Adrien could feel the colour draining from his face.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Marinette looked more concerned than ever as she dropped her duster and took a few cautious steps towards him, seeming unsure of whether she could touch him or not, like he was the most fragile object in the entire universe.
Adrien gulped.
"Only you look like you're gonna pass out on me again."
Adrien shook his head in an attempt to snap himself out of it. "Nope. I'm fine. I guess this cleaning stuff has been too much hard work too soon."
"I'm so sorry!" Marinette gasped. "I didn't think of that! We can stop now if you want. I'm really sorry!"
Adrien chuckled, though he felt awful that his excuse had made her feel bad.
"No no no, don't worry about it. It feels kinda good to have made a dent in this pig sty of a house," Adrien couldn't help but truthfully admit as he looked around.
The air in the house almost felt breathable again instead of being thick with dust and poorly circulated air. There was a freshness that provided him with more energy and motivation. The colour was also returning to his belongings, and it looked like Marinette had cleared away some of the dirty dishes while he was passed out. There was still a lot of work to go though, but Adrien just wasn't sure if he could face it right now. Marinette's mention of his sleep talking had spooked him too much. Plus he really needed to check on Plagg.
"I should probably get going anyway," Marinette noted as she once again glanced at the setting sun. "I'll probably be meeting up with someone very soon."
Adrien couldn't help but smirk at that remark.
"Is he anyone special?" he teased.
"What?" Marinette gasped, turning bright red. "No… I mean yes! I mean – we're just really good friends and… wait… I don't remember saying it was a he?
Oops.
"I just assumed from the way you were acting," Adrien smoothly saved himself, giving her a quick wink. Her reaction to his question sure was interesting though. Why was she getting so flushed over the whole situation? After all, they were just friends, weren't they? That thought stabbed another needle directly into his heart. Why should that thought affect him so much? Why was he so interested in how Marinette felt? Nothing could happen. What was happening?
"To be honest, he is really special though," Marinette admitted in an almost dreamy tone, taking Adrien by surprise. "He's done so much for me and I don't think I'll ever be able to re-pay him. I can almost be myself around him, and despite everything he's done in the past, it's like there's something more to him and he wants to change. I have so much respect and admiration for him for that because he's been really trying."
Adrien couldn't help but freeze and blush at those remarks. She… she really thought that? She really thought that… about him?
"It sounds like you better not keep him waiting then," Adrien gasped out, still completely frozen.
"You don't mind?" Marinette sounded unsure yet excited at the same time.
If only she knew.
"Of course not," Adrien replied before faking a yawn. "I'm probably just gonna crash out as soon as you leave anyway. Thank you so much for helping me today."
"I can come back again soon and help out some more if you like?" Marinette offered.
Adrien smiled. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest and sore into the sky before exploding from joy. Of course he would be okay with this! He only wished that he could spend every moment of his life with Marinette. She shouldn't even feel like she needed to ask. He would always welcome her with open arms in the hopes of enjoying her soothing embrace. He could never get enough of this strange sensation she made him feel. She was almost like a drug to him at this point, though this was one addiction that he never wanted to fix.
"That would be awesome!" Adrien cheered, though tried not to appear too eager and weird. "Just stop by whenever you want. I'll be here."
"Great!" Marinette leaned in to give him a quick hug, and Adrien had to resist the urge to cling on to her and never let her go.
Alas, much too soon, Marinette pulled away and began heading towards the door, which Adrien then opened for her, excited at the prospect of being with her again in just a few moments. He didn't have to worry about being apart from her for too long. Why was he worried about this plan again? It was almost perfect! He knew he would have to be careful, but he'd been careful for the past few years of his life. He could handle it.
"I'll see you soon then?" Marinette turned to smile at him one last time before she left.
"See you very soon!" Adrien couldn't help but subtly joke as he smiled back and waved at her.
Marinette waved back before turning to walk down the pathway and out of the gates. Adrien watched for a few extra seconds after she disappeared, his heart pounding in his chest the entire time. However, his panic soon took over and he quickly closed his front doors before pressing the button to lock the gates. After this, he immediately relaxed again, though excitement of seeing Marinette tonight bubbled in his stomach, and his limbs began to tingle with an intense energy that made Adrien feel like he could bounce around for hours.
"I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I?" a familiar voice called from the top of the stairs.
Adrien gasped and looked up, just barely able to make out the form of Plagg hovering at the top of the stairs, his arms folded across his chest and his bright green eyes narrowed slightly. Adrien's mouth kept opening and closing, unsure of what to say or how to explain himself. His whole body began to tense up, unsure of how exactly Plagg was going to react to all of this.
"Great goldfish impression, kid," Plagg joked as he flew down towards him.
"Plagg!" Adrien cried out happily. "You're okay!"
"I told you I would be," Plagg shrugged off, "but are you ever going to tell me what's going on?"
'"I was so worried about you." Adrien's eyes scanned his kwami, terrified that he could collapse again at any second. He already looked so much better than he did a few hours ago. He seemed to have all of his energy back, and he was even making jokes. It made Adrien so happy to see Plagg looking so much better. His kwami really had given him a huge scare earlier. He just hoped that Plagg had been telling him the truth when he explained what was going on.
"Hey, don't avoid the question!"
Adrien sighed. "There's nothing to tell to be honest. Marinette just came round for a visit. That's it."
"Aaaannnddd?" Plagg teased.
"And nothing!" Adrien blushed. "Speaking of which, I want to go and see her tonight. Do you think you'll be up for it?"
"I guess," Plagg replied, "but how come she came to see you?"
"Because she wanted to thank me and help me out," Adrien explained. "And she said she would come back and visit me again soon! Isn't this great, Plagg? It means I get to spend even more time with her!"
Plagg looked a little nervous. "I don't know about this…"
"Since when have you been so cautious?"
"Since I actually care about you and any bad things that might happen to you," Plagg reluctantly admitted. "You've been through enough. At first I found this funny, but… now I'm not so sure…"
"I'll be fine. Marinette helps me and makes me feel better. I thought you'd want that?" Adrien asked, shocked and hurt that Plagg seemed to be so suspicious of Marinette. He was flattered that his kwami cared that much about him, but wasn't he the one who had been eager for him to see Marinette on some occasions? Just what was his kwami playing at? Did he know something that Adrien didn't? Had Plagg just been deluded from exhaustion when he expressed interest in being around Marinette?
"I just hope you know what you're doing," Plagg finally responded. "I'd hate to see you get hurt."
"How could Marinette possibly hurt me?" Adrien questioned, the mere idea feeling like blasphemy.
"Just… be careful," was all Plagg responded with.
Adrien nodded, if only to soothe Plagg's concern for him. But for once, Adrien was actually excited and had high hopes for the future. He had no idea where things were going, but for once, it felt like the raging river that was his life had calmed, and he was now enjoying a pleasant and relaxing ride through blue and tranquil waters. It was a refreshing change, and it was all thanks to Marinette. She was the sun that had broken through the clouds and was now shinning on him with her heavenly light, breathing new life into him. She cleared away the storm that darkened his world.
It gave him hope. Hope that he wasn't alone, and that he never had to face things alone again. Hope that he could feel human again. Hope that he could feel happiness again. Hope that he could…
Adrien froze before digging through his pocket and pulling out the red ribbon he had carried with him for so long. He held it in the palm of his hand, running his thumb along the silk before bringing it up to his lips to place a gentel kiss on the precious relic. He lingered for a few seconds before gripping it tightly and storming outside with a new-found determination.
It didn't take him long to find the spot where she had fallen. Grass and wild flowers adorned the once scorched earth as if nothing terrible had ever happened there. Before he could change his mind, Adrien knelt down against the grass, using his fingers to begin digging a small hole. He carefully cradled the ribbon and placed it down in the freshly dug hole. His heart ached as he slowly covered the ribbon, burying it into the ground and under all of the beautiful wild flowers.
Adrien stared at the patch of disturbed earth for a few seconds, and he could feel Plagg's eyes burning holes in the back of his head the entire time, but neither said a single word to one another. A light evening breeze blew by, and the whole area seemed eerily silent. The grass blew in the wind, creating tiny green waves that was like looking down at an ocean from high above. An ocean where Ladybug could now float forever, finally free.
Adrien sighed before finally standing up again. It was time to move on. His princess was waiting for him.
Hmmm, I wonder if I actually still have any readers left? I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of them have bailed. Once again I am sorry for the four month wait for an update. It pained me so much to go that long without updating, but I just simply didn't have any time to write. Feel free to check out my blog for more information on that and all the writing/projects that I have planned for 2020. Also don't forget that you can follow me on Twitter to keep up to date with everything I'm up to.
In other news, I've cleaned up my FanFiction profile, and now it actually has links! So yeah, links to all of my social media and other stuff are now on there to make things easier for you guys. Saves you having to search for me on stuff. Turns out FanFiction does still allow links on profiles, you just have to know where to look. But yeah, follow me on stuff! Say hi! We all have fun!
Anyway, feel free to let me know your thoughts on the story so far, as it really helps me out. I imagine this chapter probably came across as quite rusty, so I'm a little bit paranoid over it. I'm also sorry if this chapter feels on the shorter side, especially after such a long hiatus. It's just because this chapter was originally meant to be part of the previous one. Also, feel free to make all the Chat Blanc jokes you want; I've had a hundred of them already lol. I hope that you guys are all doing okay, and I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Happy New Year!