Chapter Three: A World of Uncertainty

Marinette felt heavy from fatigue as she made her way home from school. The day had been hard and wearisome. Rose had made a comment about how Marinette must have bribed the producers of their favorite show to include her as an extra. Naturally, no such talk occurred about Chloe.

Besides ridicule about her person, all Marinette had heard was how excited people felt at seeing an animated-version of Chloe talk with Adrien Agreste, and how honored they are to know her. It was odd to Marinette that no one questioned why they would be in the show.

It just was.

And, to Marinette's ever-growing surprise and confusion, Chloe hadn't seemed to make the connection between Adrien and Arien. Marinette was thankful for her obliviousness and hoped it would last. Still, she found the entire situation strange.

A light snow was falling, making Marinette shiver in displeasure. She hated the cold.

Thankfully, one thought had warmed Marinette's heart throughout the day: Chat Noir. She couldn't wait to talk with him again tonight.

The previous evening had been lovely—though embarrassing—and wonderful. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled so much. After spending an entire day in the grey shadow of her reality, Marinette started to contemplate how nice it would be if she were Ladybug. She could leave this hostile environment and spend more time with Chat Noir.

Yet…her desire to run should not be her motivation to be a hero—if she really was Ladybug. Her motivation should be more righteous in nature because that is the responsibility of a hero. If she were truly Ladybug, she must leave this world with the desire to do good and make things right.

Humming to herself as she wrestled with her thoughts, Marinette felt glad when she spotted the door to her estate. The end to her cold misery was near.

Her focus had been so intent on the door that Marinette had failed to see the person standing near it. She was startled when she walked into that person with a resounding thud. She likely would have fallen backwards had his arms not grabbed her.

"I see we are being extra observant today, My Lady."

Marinette immediately smiled at the voice. Looking up, she met the eyes of Adrien Agreste. She would have stared at him for hours, taking in his likeness, had a gust of chilly wind not brushed against her neck.

With urgency, Marinette said, "Too cold. Inside."

Adrien giggled as she crawled up the stairs. It took all her focus as each cell in her body screamed at her to shut down.

"Oh, My Lady. Never change."

Marinette heard those words before she was abruptly picked up. Instantly wrapping her arms around his neck, Marinette basked in the added heat his body created. Giving into the warmth, she leaned her head against his neck. Marinette didn't care where they were going if she could stay in his arms.

With her eyes closed, Marinette barely saw the glimmer of green before she felt the shift in the soft fabric of his shirt transform into warm leather. Opening her eyes, Marinette gasped.

"What are you doing? What if someone sees you?"

Chat Noir smirked as he said, "Trust me."

Without a second to lose, he used his baton to project himself towards the sky before landing smoothly to the edge of her window. Marinette felt like her eyes were bugging out of her face.

"You left the window unlocked, yes?"

Chat didn't wait for an answer and opened it. Seeing that it moved without snagging, he smirked at Marinette before popping out the screen and making his way inside.

Marinette stayed unmoving in his arms—feeling slightly paralyzed by the unexpected movement of his jump. With indignation, Marinette said, "We could have used the front door."

Content to keep her near him, Chat shut the window before he settled on the floor, still holding Marinette.

"I could have, but that would have risked the chance of running into Chloe or your mother. This way is much easier. Plus, you won't have an immediate list of chores to do right away."

Marinette could give him that, though she was sure her list would be doubled if her mother knew she was home and doing nothing.

Not wishing to think on that, Marinette breathed out while debating if she should move out of his arms or not now that they were in her warm room. She made a slight shift in movement and felt Chat tighten his grip. Looking up at him questioningly, Chat only smiled sheepishly as he said, "I don't get to do this often so, if you don't mind, let's stay like this for a bit."

Marinette didn't argue. Drowsiness from the day was beginning to catch up to her. In her fatigue, she spoke mindlessly. "Maybe when we go home, I will let you hold me more often."

Marinette felt Chat Noir freeze but thought little of it. Moments later, he relaxed and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Let's do that, My Lady. I'm holding you to it."

Marinette only smiled before she drifted off to sleep.

…

The dream began with flashes of red and black drifting through her vision—as if gazing at a sky riddled with bright fireworks before being immersed in darkness. Then a deep purple fog settled over her. A butterfly emanating surges of silver electricity emerged from within the fog. Towering over her paralyzed form, its large body sapped all of her strength leaving her vulnerable. Marinette felt an intense fear encase her heart at the sight of the large insect. With adrenaline racing through her, Marinette closed her eyes, hoping to block her mind from the sight of the beast.

A loud crack echoed in her eardrums causing her eyes to rip open. As if in slow motion, Marinette watched a powerful light bubble at the core of the butterfly's being before it bursted forward, its target aimed at her chest.

She couldn't move.

She couldn't breathe.

In the haze of her mind, Marinette thought she heard the voice of Alternate. Her body caught on fire as the energy stuck her chest with dominant force.

Then, her vision went black.

…

Sweat dripped down her neck as Marinette opened her weary eyes, her mind slowly regaining bits of consciousness. Her vision was hazy as she took in Adrien's worried expression. In the distance, she heard him say, "I think you have a fever. You're burning up."

Marinette thought he might be right. Her dream had left her body fragile. The fire that had encased her body when the light hit her chest had turned cold—as if it had burned through her body only to freeze her veins. She shivered, wishing for warmth.

"Kitty." Her voice came out raspy, surprising her.

Adrien's face blurred as he came closer. Softly stroking her cheek, he said, "I'm here."

Marinette opened her mouth only for her voice to fail her. Feeling her body slowly give out in its exhaustion, Marinette wanted to voice her fear of dreaming, but her mind did not allow it. Within moments, Marinette drifted back into a world unknown to her—a world aglow in nightmares as her mind brought to life akumas set on her destruction. Then, her dreams slowly morphed into images of Chat Noir being hit by akuma after akuma; Chat Noir's lips turning back as hate filled his eyes, Chat Noir disappearing as an akuma erased him from time, Chat Noir fighting her at the akuma's bidding. A slow, burning headache began building at the bottom of her neck while she thrashed through each dream.

The burning headache evolved into an avalanche of ice shredding through her bones when her dreaming mind came to a sudden halt as her brain conjured an image of a city encased in white. Marinette took in the surrounding destruction with horror-filled eyes. There was an eerie silence before a haunting tune filled her ears. "Little Kitty on a roof.."

His usually dark suite was snowy white, allowing him to blend in with the ash white city. Marinette would not have seen him if not for his tune.

Her voice left her body before she gave it permission. "Chat Noir?"

The icy blue eyes of Chat Blanc met hers. A stray tear slid down the white of his mask. He quickly blinked the tears away as his eyes grew determined. Before Marinette understood what was happening, Chat Blanc was rushing towards her, his aim intent on her ears.

Marinette kicked him to the ground to escape him. Bitterly laughing, Chat Blanc said, "Now you're breaking more than my heart, Marinette."

Marinette gasped before tripping. With stealth, Chat Blanc prowled towards her. His smile was wicked as electric white cataclysmic power pooled into his palms. Aiming his palm upward as his power grew, he said, "The simple truth is, you don't love me…"

She felt her body become cold before her vision went white.

…

The image of icy blue eyes soon melted into emerald green hues as Marinette shakily opened her eyes. Her brain did quick work in its muddled state, taking in the man before her. His gold hair fell over his eyes as he leaned over her, his brow worried. With a shaking breath, he said, "Marinette?"

With the dream still vivid in her mind, the adrenaline brought her upright and scattered away from him.

With a panicked gaze, Adrien said, "Marinette? What's wrong?!"

Putting a few feet between them, Marinette spoke with fear laced through her every word. "Please, stay back."

Adrien froze, his face shadowed in hurt.

Marinette did not have the mindset to feel guilt. A headache continued to brew behind her neck while her mind recalled each vivid dream. She brought shaking hands to her ears and grew abnormally still as an irrational fear took hold of her heart when she felt the absence of earrings.

The headache rippled its way to her forehead as her mind reeled. She wore earrings, right?

Glancing up at Adrien through blurry eyes, Marinette took in his somber expression. Marinette's lips trembled as her confusion mounted. What was happening to her?

Plagg slowly floated a few inches from her face, his expression serious before he closed the gap, his small paw coming to rest on her cheek. "I know you're afraid. Your mind is trying to remember, and not all the memories are good." Plagg paused as he tapped his paw on her cheek for emphasis before he continued his speech. "Just know, Pigtails, that you're not alone. We are here to help you, and we will keep you safe."

Marinette felt a stray tear fall down her check as he spoke. Plagg brushed it away with his paw before he slowly made his way back towards Adrien. Marinette hardly felt his absence as the ladybug flew from the houseplant and promptly took his place, resting where his paw had been on her cheek. Marinette embraced the comfort the presence of the ladybug allotted and allowed herself to breathe, attempting to clear her mind.

While the pain in her head still lingered, the strength of it had receded as she slowly calmed down from her fright. Glance back at Adrien, she notes that his expression was still heavy. Marinette felt guilty as she thought back on her previous actions. With her body still weak, Marinette slowly crawled back towards him. Stopping just a foot away, she took in his curious but cautious expression. Not having words, she allowed her exhaustion to take hold of her and rested her head on his chest, careful to place her head in such a way that the ladybug would not be squashed. He didn't need prompting as he quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him.

"You're still burning up."

Learning closer, Marinette said, "I feel cold."

Plagg snorted. "That's cause you have a fever, Pigtails."

Marinette only hummed her acknowledgment, not having the energy for words. In the background, Marinette could hear the sounds of Adrien's reprimand and Plagg's attitude. Yet, the world was slowly growing fuzzy around her. All she knew was that she was warm and safe. She can't control what her mind might conjure up for her while she sleeps, but she can rest in her trust that Adrien and Plagg care enough about her to watch out for her in her vulnerable state. No longer able to fight her heavy eyes, Marinette smiled softly before entering a dreamless sleep.

…

Marinette felt as if a truck had run her over. Every part of her body ached from the lingering aftermath of her feverish state. Naturally, this did not deter Madam Cheng from giving her a list of chores that morning—its contents doubled in size from her skipping yesterdays. Fevers were not enough of an excuse in Madam Cheng's book.

With her body weary, Marinette was slow to iron the clothes and wash the dishes. She did her best, but she would likely do chores well into the night. At least, that is what she'd thought until a mischievous Chat Noir offered a hand once the other members of the household left the estate.

A list that would have taken all day boiled down to a few hours thanks to his help. Marinette was incredibly grateful. It was certainly handy having a superhero's help with the housework.

Looking up at him as he dusted the high ceiling fans, Marinette smiled. Dusting those fans usually took her hours. Though, most of that time was her convincing herself to climb the latter. She never was a fan of heights. Meanwhile, Chat Noir merely shot himself up with his baton and had the job done in minutes.

As the man in question began his assent down, he smiled at her, noticing her stare.

"Like what you see?"

The smirk on his face was completely unnecessary. Marinette couldn't help rolling her eyes as he struck a pose.

Huffing, she turned away from him, not having the gumption to deny it. He seemed to know this because his smirk widened with each passing second. Seeing his expression, Marinette's heart started racing in her flustered state. She needed a distraction. A thought popped into her head, one she was curious about.

"Chat?"

Her tone must have shown she was being serious because he quickly softened his stance and tilted his head at her. "Yes?"

"Does… does Ladybug wear jewelry?"

Marinette observed his face. He didn't seem surprised by her question. He smiled softly, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"She does. Can you guess what kind?"

Marinette knew his statement was a call of acknowledgment on her part.

Clearing her throat, Marinette looked to the ground. Her fingers reached her earlobes before she realized what her actions might indicate. Quickly placing her hands in front of her, Marinette looked back at Chat, hoping he hadn't noticed. From the look on his face, he had noticed.

Sighing, Marinette said, "I don't own any earrings… so I can't be the Ladybug you're looking for."

The expression on his face was a mystery. It was equal parts affection, curiosity, and satisfaction. With a tone deeper than his usual voice, he spoke. "Marinette, there has been no mention in the show regarding the ladybug miraculous. They only reference my ring. That you are even aware of what piece of jewelry Ladybug wears is significant." Marinette made a move to argue, but he interrupted her. "I know you don't want to acknowledge it, but it needs to be said. On another note, I'm not sure where your earrings are. My guess is that they are hidden in this world. But I know we will get them back when you become Ladybug again. You can't be Ladybug without your earrings."

Marinette could only nod, having no rebuttals for his statement. He smiled at her before he got back to work. Marinette felt as if her mind were reeling, attempting to digest her new revelations. Looking at the man before her, his content expression as he began scrubbing the floors, Marinette was even more confounded by his affection and care towards her person.

Four days had passed since his arrival had shaken her world, yet she felt she'd known him much longer. If his suspicions were true, then their relationship extended longer than the last four days—making her feelings of ease and trust around him understandable.

Marinette shook her head at her thoughts. There is no way he was correct about her being Ladybug… right?

Marinette was becoming less certain by the moment.

…

Fun fact: It probably takes me double the time to finish writing a chapter when my cat thinks the most comfortable spot in the room is my face.

(Or he's just trying to suffocate me.)