Happy Valentines day everyone! Enjoy the new Chapter on this day of love.
Emily... But but getting shot advanced the plot! (Cackles madly in the distance...)
(Slow Burn Detective AU!) Marinette is used to working alone on the streets of Paris as she strives to take down the Hawkmoth gang. When the thief Chat Noir comes crashing into her life things are bound to get magical, especially when co-detective Adrien returns to Paris and seems to want to be her new partner. Will their fated partnership end in a capture or a kiss?
Damage Control
Catching a cab back to the precinct gave Adrien the time he needed to finish listening to the recording. It did end up encompassing his entrance onto the scene as Chat Noir with a truly terrifying roar and ended soon after. Adrien was sure that Gabriel would be able to swiftly connect the dots, especially if the hospital staff mentioned the mysterious figure that had brought Marinette in. It made Adrien really wish he'd thought to detransform before pounding up to the emergency entrance. It might have made the situation better in a way since he would have been able to get the hunt for Roger rolling far quicker but then again Adrien doubted he would have managed to get the recording if that had happened.
Putting the 'what if's' out of his mind Adrien continued with the task he'd set himself to keep from going stir crazy in the too small cab. Plagg was purring away in his pocket, trying his best to comfort him as Adrien managed to charge Marinette's phone enough to check her messages and see if his reply from last night had gone through. Having already deleted it from his phone Adrien didn't think it would have still been sent but he needed to check just in case.
Other than her two messages to him there was nothing else and Adrien left the flashlight on to kill her battery off again before he made it to the precinct. The cabbie glanced back at him nervously as the cab came to a stop and Adrien realized the recording he'd been listening to had been rather loud. Paying the poor man Adrien arranged his features into a bored mask then opened the door to the cab. He wasn't surprised when the cab took off before the door even fully shut. Hawkmoth's name tended to have that sort of reaction on the streets, especially with people like cab drivers. It was all too easy to pick up the 'wrong' person and be found in the river dead at a later date. Putting the slip up out of his mind Adrien focused on his objective.
Striding into the precinct Adrien passed the front desk, marveling how routine all this felt even though nothing was right in his world. The precinct was calm and filled with the usual buzz of noise that always permeated the early morning air. People passed him with coffee in hand or jaw cracking yawns and very few people gave him a second glance as he made his way to his father's office. A few coworkers were comfortable enough to greet him as he walked past although none of them dared join him without Marinette at his side. Somehow Adrien managed his normal acknowledging nod to each of them, all the while reminding himself not to be rude in case someone did try to stop him. One truly brave soul asked him if Marinette was running late sending a spike of pure despair through his soul, but he managed not to snap at them. The look on his face must have been terrifying though because they scurried off before he could compose a reply. Keeping moving and staying focused Adrien ignored how the question had battered at his heart, finding solace in the stairwell. Pausing for the briefest of moments, Adrien sucked in a breath of air while checking to make sure he hadn't broken Roger's phone from squeezing it too hard. The phone was fine, unlike his mental state. His mind felt like it was slowly being shredded from the inside out until all he was left with was tatters. It was disorienting to see how life carried on even in Marinette's absence and Adrien felt her vacancy all the more as he realized it. No one in the precinct knew she was currently betrayed and badly injured, laying in the hospital unconscious. Hell, hardly anyone seemed to notice her absence at all which made Adrien grit his teeth, while a hiss scraped its way out of his throat.
"Adrien you need to relax before you spiral." Plagg stated, flying up out of his jacket to hover before Adrien's face.
"I-I know Plagg. They just… everyone is just carrying on with their lives! Like nothing has happened!" Adrien griped.
Plggs ears fell flat as understanding washed between them. "Nothing has happened to interrupt their world yet kit. They don't know what happened to her and besides Marinette isn't important to them like she is to you."
"That's… cruel Plagg." Adrien chided, his heart just not in the reprimand.
"No it's factual and that's ok. Her ties to them are not as important as her ties to you and right now your ties to her are unstable. You need to go be at her side until they stabilize, otherwise I know you won't rest at all. So go talk to your jerk of a sperm donor and get your stubborn butt back to the hospital."
A small chuckle fell from Adrien's lips as he took another fortifying breath and started climbing the stairs. "You have a way with pep-talks Plagg."
"Yeah well, you still owe me cheese. The good stinky kind." Plagg muttered, zipping back into Adrien's jacket. What went unsaid was that Plagg was truly worried about Adrien. Even before Adrien had bonded to him and they had become Chat Noir, Adrien had always had a tinge of instability to him. It had been why they had worked so well as a human team. Plagg recognised it because Adriens instability mirrored his own even as it allowed them to work as an incredible team. As long as they had each other to keep them grounded it wasn't too much of a problem especially when it allowed Adrien to sidestep mental pitfalls that most people fell into. Unfortunately, with their combination into Chat Noir the balance between them had shifted and Adrien was suffering as a result. Plagg knew he had not possessed the most stable of mental minds even when alive but that's why he'd had Tiki! She had been his balance as Marinette was Adrien's. Plagg's purr deepened almost into a growl for a moment before he pulled himself back. Adrien was already unstable from his mental fall into his instincts and even now Plagg could feel those instincts wearing along the bond he and his kit shared. The last thing Adrien needed was Plagg getting worked up and leaking bad luck or causing Adrien's mental state to degrade even further. Hopefully this meeting with Adrien's idiot sperm donor would be quick and they could return to Marinette's side. Plagg needed to talk to Fu but he wasn't going to leave his kit until he was safe and at Marinette's side. She would keep Adrien safe even if she was unconscious at the moment.
While Plagg had his mini-crisis, Adrien exited the stairwell, allowing his final destination to be within sight. As he approached his father's office door Natalie caught sight of him.
"Adrien! I thought you were elsewhere?" Natalie asked, her eyes raking his form while her tone was distractingly flat. It was like she believed that he had been forced to come against his own will or maybe she wasn't really sure that he was there at all.
"You have been apprised of the situation with Marinette?" Adrien murmured, keeping his voice low so the curious ears in the surrounding offices couldn't hear.
"Yes, your father has started making calls." Natalie answered, hitting a button on her desk to alert Gabriel she needed his attention.
Adrien pursed his lips, understanding why Roger's phone had started ringing just before he got to the precinct. He had recognised the number of course but he hadn't answered the call. Adrien wanted his father to hear the recording directly and if he had answered Roger's phone his father or Natalie probably would have told him to take the evidence directly to forensics. Adrien would have fought the idea or blatantly ignored the order which would have led to unsavory arguments at best. In his father's words 'Forgiveness is usually earned after the deed it is asked for, not before.'
"Natalie." Gabriel's voice demanded from the desk.
"Sir, Adrien is here." Natalie stated.
"Enter." Gabriel sighed, and Adrien wondered at the slightly tired sound in his father's voice.
Without further invitation Adrien quickly entered Gabriel's office, relaxing his shoulders as he went so he didn't appear as stressed as he felt.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon Adrien." Gabriel declared softly as Adrien made his way across the floor, only to pause before him.
Gabriel was sitting at his desk and staring down at him and Adrien couldn't help but think that his father felt more human today. The attack on Marinette seemed to have shaken him and Adrien knew the evidence he held in his hands would probably shake him further.
"I wasn't going to come in to be honest." Adrien admitted, "However, I have found concrete evidence that Roger was not only working for the Hawkmoth gang but he was actively planning on killing Marinette and quite possibly me as well."
Gabriel's features darkened as his fists cracked against the polished surface of his desk. "You what?"
It was posed as a calm, collected question, but Adrien could practically feel the rage festering behind those two innocent little words. Placing the bag of Marinette's bloody things in a chair Adrien pulled out Roger's phone. Gabriel's eyebrows contracted slightly until Adrien opened the device up and hit play on the recording. Gabriel recoiled in his chair as Marinette began to speak and his features became thunderous as he continued to listen. Letting the recording play all the way through Adrien waited for the fall out.
"How bad is she?" Gabriel managed through gritted teeth.
Adrien gave him a rundown of what the doctor said and Gabriel rubbed at his temples, before reaching out for the phone. "Of course she antagonized him to get the proof she needed and thought to record the whole thing. I wonder how she managed to get the phone off him. She truly is an enigma."
Adrien handed the device over and hardly breathed as Gabriel flicked through the messages saved on Roger's phone. Long minutes of silence passed until Gabriel placed the phone on his desk, turning it off as he did so.
"I am assuming you have already gone through the messages on this device?" Gabriel asked, his tone as cold and sharp as an icicle.
Adrien nodded, somehow managing to keep the guilt off his face. "I didn't know whose phone it was since it was in Marinette's things along with her own phone. Initially I was worried that someone else had been killed or injured along with Marinette since we hadn't even known that she had been injured till this morning. Also… Alya and Nino heard the recording in Marinette's room when I initially turned the phone on. I meant to just do a quick search in the settings but the recording started to play as soon as I opened the device. They will have to register as witnesses and I was thinking that we may want to use Alya's contacts with the press to make a statement, unless you'd rather keep this under wraps. Either way I will stand guard at the hospital."
"You don't think the danger has passed?" Gabriel stated, his voice oddly neutral.
"For this attempt… maybe. Roger and the Hawkmoth gang had a fairly concrete plan though. If they suddenly choose to attack Marinette again, it would probably be wise for someone to be present that can protect her. I don't think I am in any danger right now. I was to be bait afterall and with Marinette injured it would be foolish to try and take me or anyone else since she cannot respond. If they do consider trying to take me, staying with Marinette will limit the times they can target her or I. Roger's phone has all sorts of information on it that we can use against them which is why I wanted to bring you this evidence directly. I wanted to be sure you heard it in case Roger shows his face somewhere. He is dangerous, still at large, and quite possibly unhinged father."
"And?" Gabriel pressed looking Adrien in the eyes since he knew that it wasn't the whole story.
"Roger is currently in charge of the Hawkmoth case. I wanted you to hear that recording in case it was tampered with or in case the device vanished." Adrien admitted.
For a brief moment Adrien thought his father was about to explode like a volcano as Gabriel stood, his fists clenched. "If any of this evidence vanishes we will know that we have another rat to hunt down. I will make sure that these things are under special security. Clearly Roger has illusions of grandeur that will not allow him to sit back and accept his failure. Roger had no qualms about selling you out to kill Marinette and that is completely unacceptable. Working with Hawkmoth was crossing the line and with his actions I see him as nothing more than a rabid dog. A dog that must be put down. I will personally walk this and Marinette's… things to evidence. I assume her phone is in the bag as well?"
"Yes sir." Adrien began, "It's dead though. She texted me last night… I was ill…"
"Yes you have already stated that to me. You don't look very stable even now. Return home or to the hospital and await orders. The next time you come in I hope you are in a better disposition." Gabriel said, waving off Adrien's comments.
Adrien flinched but he accepted his father's gracious way of saying that Adrien looked like crap. He had reasons, valid reasons but it wasn't like he could explain them. "Understood father."
Not wanting to continue any further discussions Adrien moved towards the door, slipping out and almost scaring Natalie as he walked past her. Thankfully she didn't ask anything of him and Adrien didn't bother to make small talk with her either. Instead he made his way out of the precinct and walked home. Even though Adrien knew he should keep up appearances by staying in his pseudo uniform he had no desire to sleep in a suit. If any one from the hospital or a precinct officer questioned him about it he could simply state he was working undercover. It was a believable statement since Marinette was his friend first and co-worker second, that wasn't taking into account the bond between them as lovers. Changing into a far more comfortable set of clothes Adrien snuck into Marinette's flat and gathered some things he knew she would want when she awakened. He knew what it was like to wake up in a hospital covered in wires and sweat, so he knew the first thing Marinette would probably want to do would be take a shower or at least bird-bath one. Grabbing clothes and pajama shorts he made sure to get a pair that had a hiding spot in the waistband for the miraculous. Sitting around naked under those hospital gowns as people prodded at you was bad enough. Flashing people as you went to the bathroom was an even worse feeling.
"You ok kit?" Plagg purred, making Adrien jolt in surprise.
Adrien rubbed at his eyes, "I'm exhausted. I probably really should take a nap or something before I go back up but… I don't want to stay away any longer."
"That's understandable." Plagg hummed, flying out of his pocket to sit on his shoulder. "Make sure you grab some stuff for yourself too. There is no reason for you to be uncomfortable up at the hospital."
Nuzzling Plagg in thanks Adrien gathered some of his own comfort items then left for the hospital once more.
Nino and Alya were in the room still when Adrien arrived, although they barely glanced up as he walked in.
"How is she?" Adrien asked, dropping his few possessions stuffed into a pillow on the couch. He placed Marinette's things in one of the tall cabinets while making eye contact with Alya. She seemed surprised that he had a bag filled with items from Marinette's home but she shrugged it off to answer his question as Adrien took a free chair and sat on Marinette's other side.
"They got more results on her scans, or I guess they have decided to share more in depth results with us. Not sure which to be honest. She bled internally but not enough to require opening her up to fix anything. The nurse checked her bandages and she said that she's never seen someone bleed so little with her kind of wound before."
"Makes me wonder if she has enough blood to bleed..." Adrien scoffed making Alya snort.
"Yeah that's about what I said but the labs they drew are hanging stable. They will probably draw another set in a few hours to make sure she doesn't spring a leak inside and to make sure everything else is still good. How was the visit to your pops?"
"It wasn't the worst visit ever. He was completely, utterly pissed, and for once not at me! He might use you to release a statement to the press."
Alya huffed, " He's already called. I'm going to talk to my boss in a bit and see how they want to spin it. So jerk off dads aside, how are you holding up?"
Adrien frowned, taking Marinette's free hand into his. "It should have been me lying here Alya. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say this is my fault, although I wish I could take her place. This outcome could have been far worse and I know that but walking into the precinct, seeing everyone carrying on about their daily lives…"
"The word you're looking for is sonder man, and yeah the realization that everyone has their own lives to deal with and don't really care about yours sucks." Nino commented as he came over to wrap his arms around Alya's shoulders.
Alya leanded back into Nino and it took quite a bit of fortitude on Adrien's part to remain in his seat. He wanted to pull Marinette into his arms and snuggle her against his chest or even climb into the bed with her. The machines around him told him that she was alive but Adrien needed to feel that for himself, which was partly why his fingers were wrapped around the pulse in her wrist. Sensing his discomfort, Plagg had taken to purring lightly in his pocket and Adrien took a nice long deep breath. It was going to be a long day of fighting instincts and Adrien wasn't looking forward to it with so little sleep.
The morning turned into afternoon and then into evening as the three friends stood watch over Marinette. Nino and Alya had gone to get food twice while Adrien adamantly refused to go with them. Thankfully neither of his friends tried hard to argue with him and Adrien was able to place Marinette's miraculous stone in her hand while they were out. The small bag Alya had placed around Marinette's neck had plenty of room to fit the stone but Adrien had the feeling that she needed skin contact with the stone for the moment. Plagg was even nice enough to confirm the feeling and he curled up on their joined hands while the others were out. It was almost pleasant until they hit their next obstacle, who got to stay the night.
The hospital was adamant on only having one person stay overnight even though all three of them said they didn't mind squishing together on the couch and utilizing the chairs to achieve a semi comfortable sleeping position. It was unsurprising that Alya had wanted to stay the first night but Adrien saw no need since he there was no way in hell he was leaving that night. The argument over who got to stay had started to become quite heated until Nino had offered up a compromise. At first he tried the whole one night on one night off but Adrien pointed out that they didn't know if Marinette was still in danger from a possible attacker. It had been an excellent point and Alya had grudgingly agreed to let Adrien stay the first two nights. She would stay on the third night and they would alternate from there until Marinette could return home, no matter how many days it took. By the time they had reached an agreement it was time for them to leave and Alya sniffled.
"You take care of her Agreste, you hear me? If anything happens to her I'll be super pissed!"
Nino comforted her and clasped hands with Adrien before leading Alya away. Once they left Plagg floated out of his hiding space with a sigh.
"You need sleep kit, and that's going to be pretty tough considering the nurse is going to be coming in and out every few hours."
Adrien turned to the couch which wasn't even really long enough to accommodate him and let loose his own sigh. "I'll live Plagg. You know that if I went home right now I wouldn't be able to sleep with her like this unprotected. I'd last for maybe three hours and then I would just suit up and watch her from the window. Is that what you would prefer?"
Plagg hissed at him in answer and Adrien returned the sentiment right as a nurse entered the room making her jump and squeak. Bolting upright, Adrien cleared his throat even as he heard Plagg sniggering off to his left somewhere.
"Ah… sorry, I stubbed my toe… didn't mean to scare you."
The nurse eyed him strangely but soon went about her business as Adrien made his bed for the evening. Adrien knew he wouldn't be sleeping in the makeshift bed for very long but the image was necessary to keep his friends from heckling him more. Before the nurse left she gave him a rundown of the rules, told him when quiet hours were, and showed him where the call button was in case he needed something. Relief flowed through him when the nurse left and Adrien settled into the chair next to the bed.
"You still need sleep." Plagg heckled as Adrien pulled the miraculous stone from his pocket.
"I'll sleep when I get tired." Adrien muttered as he placed the stone in Marinette's hand before wrapping his own hand around hers.
Plagg grumbled something but it was too indistinct for Adrien to hear and he found that he really didn't care all too much. As he watched Marinette's chest rise then fall worry and helplessness swirled through him. There was nothing more he could do at this point and Adrien hated being idle. Exhaustion was starting to press in on him as the hours passed but Adrien couldn't find it in him to try and sleep. Logically he knew he should. If someone did decide to try something he would need to be in tip top shape to protect Marinette. Being half dead from sleep exhaustion wasn't the way to go. Rubbing at his face Adrien tried to talk himself into taking a cat nap. The couch was starting to actually look like a decent place to rest his head and the doctors had said she probably wouldn't wake till at least tomorrow...
"How is she?" An elderly voice asked, causing Adrien to leap to his feet with a scathing hiss.
"How the hell did you get in here?! It's like one am!"
Fu chuckled, moving into the room carrying a small bag, "Funny thing about being old, no one notices your presence. Also it is nearly three am, have you slept at all tonight?"
"I'll sleep when I am dead." Adrien grouched, "I just need some coffee."
Fu shook his head sadly as he watched Adrien settle back into the chair. "Come now, you know better than to act like that. Your body needs more rest not less. Especially since I know you probably didn't sleep well last night. Your energy levels need to be replenished naturally or you might collapse. I doubt the hospital will allow the two of you to share a room."
Adrien rubbed at his face again. "Why are you here Fu? Do you need Chat Noir? Unless that bag has Rogers head in it I won't leave Marinette's side."
Fu shook the bag with a bit of a chuckle making it clink. "It's a little small for such a gruesome prize so no. I do not need Chat Noir either. I simply wanted to check on you two and you were not answering your phone. How is she?"
"She hasn't woken yet." Adrien finally answered, sounding strained. "Doctors say she will make a full recovery and expect her to come around tomorrow but… I think it's going to take longer than that. It feels like it's going to be longer than that. What's the word on the streets?"
Glancing at Adrien for silent permission Fu reached down to take Marinette's other hand. Except for beeping machines silence filled the room, even as the air seemed to thicken slightly. It made the hair on the back of Adrien's neck stand up but he didn't dare intrude on Fu's meditative state. When Fu did speak Adrien jumped.
"The streets are uneasy. Your… episode stirred the streets far more than what was expected, but the Whisperers have been using it to our advantage. Warnings of Akuma have been circling and many people believe that's what you were. The Hawkmoth gang has gone totally silent although there were several unexplained bodies that have turned up around the city. All of them have an unnatural taint the previous Akuma victims had and we believe they are failed Akuma experiments. Police simply think it's the gang wars starting up again. As of yet we haven't been able to locate Roger but I don't think we will until he is killed and disposed of. He was too useful in his position as a detective and considering the amount of data his phone had, he probably knows more than he should. Hawkmoth might have already executed him for losing his phone like he did."
"I should have killed him when I had him before me. That way I would know that he couldn't be an issue again." Adrien snarled softly, berating himself for the missed opportunity.
"You and I both know that would have done more harm than good Adrien." Fu soothed, "Besides, Marinette may have been worse off had you delayed longer. She is only in such good health now because you took her to safety immediately. I fear you are correct about her not waking tomorrow but she will wake. When she does, she will want to see you healthy, not sleep deprived and drained. As such, I will stand vigil for the next few hours. Sleep Adrien, or I will make you."
Adrien opened his mouth but instead of a snarky comment a yawn popped out. "Fine… tomorrow is going to be hectic anyways. Don't let the nurse catch you in here."
Slowly Adrien stood leaving the miraculous stone in Marinette's hand. Plagg didn't even twitch from his spot on Marinette's pillow and Adrien had a feeling that he probably wasn't going to move until morning. Trusting Fu and believing his threat, Adrien slunk over to the couch before collapsing into it on his side. His eyelids slowly fell as Fu sunk down into the chair at Marinette's bedside and the next thing Adrien knew Nino was shaking him awake.
"Dude, go home and get some sleep. Alya and I will watch over her. The Nurse said you were awake practically the whole night. You gotta take better care of yourself man."
"I am fine Nino. I slept here and there." Adrien replied through his groggy state.
Coffee was shoved under his nose via Alya and Adrien forced himself into an upright position before accepting the drink.
"You still look like crap Agreste. You can sleep some more after you eat something with Nino down in the cafeteria, unless you really do decide to go home. Your choice." Alya said before she sat down in the chair Adrien had used most of the night. Nino smiled fondly at Alya, missing Plagg as he zipped over into Adrien's pocket Marinette's miraculous stone in his tiny paws.
Taking a sip of the coffee Adrien stood, happy that he had worn sweatpants to sleep in. "Food sounds like a good idea. Alya, Nino, do you want something?"
"I'll come with you dude." Nino said standing as well. "I mean it's probably going to be a long day and we woke up and came right over ya know? Babe, you want anything?"
While Nino took Alya's order Adrien patted his pocket, gently checking on Plagg and getting very sharp claws dug into him as a prize. He would have to ask Plagg when he was in a better mood when Fu left and Adrien wondered if Fu would return again that night. He would also have to catch a brief nap sometime later in the day. Maybe he would return to his flat for that so he got real sleep then come back in the afternoon since he knew Marinette wasn't going to wake during the day. Deciding to think about it later when he had food in his stomach Adrien made small talk with Nino as they exited the room.
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