Adrien sat slumped over his computer, going through the monotonous task of deleting his endless photos of Ladybug. He had already boxed up everything else, and sent it off with his bodyguard to pass on to Nino. He had saved some of the other action figures from the miraculous team line for his bodyguard as well, who was an avid collector. Adrien didn't feel like having them around.
"You know you don't have to do this right now," Plagg said, glancing over at the uneaten lunch Natalie had brought up hours ago.
"If I don't just do it, It'll just keep on reminding me," Adrien responded blankly. "It's like...like...ripping off a bandaid.
"Yeah, but you don't rip off a bandaid till you're healed," Plagg dropped himself onto Adrien's pillow.
"Adrien!" Natalie called, and then turned the doorknob into his room.
Quickly Adrien clicked out of his tabs, and opened a Fédération Internationale d'Escrime webpage, where his last fencing competition had been featured.
"Adrien? Oh good, you're up," she commented, turning her head to clear her throat and cough. She straightened herself, and frowned at the untouched meal. "Are you feeling better?"
"A bit. I'll be fine," Adrien crossed his arms across himself. "You don't have to worry about me Natalie. You should be getting rest yourself."
"Umhm," Natalie hummed looking at her tablet. "Well, your father wanted to me to remind you about the upcoming photoshoot, it key to our summer launch. Also, your Chinese and fencing lessons have been rescheduled for Wednesday and Friday.
"Of course, thank you Natalie," Adrien replied politely.
She nodded looking up at him as he turned back to the computer screen. She watched him for a moment, and then slipped back out of his room.
Adrien looked down at the keyboard, and then restlessly pushed himself away from it. He started pacing his room like a caged lion, and flicked the handles of his idle foosball table. He glanced over at his tv, that still had a paused game glowing on it's screen. He didn't feel like playing again, he had already beat the game three times. What was the point?! His room was stocked with countless things to occupy his time, to help him hone his skills. Nothing excited him. There wasn't a challenge in any of these things.
Plagg perked up, watching his holder. "Wanna get out of here?" Plagg suggested.
"Yeah, l need to get out of here!" Adrien replied almost to the point of desperation.
"You know the words!" Plagg smiled, stretching his arms up.
"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien called, and as his transformation wove its way over his limbs, he was already unlocking the window. Shadowcat, not Chat Noir emerged from the window, and catapulted himself over to the next roof. His boots hit the tar of the roof, and his feet didn't stop. He just ran. The wind whipped against his face, and he shook his jet black hair out of his eyes, as he plunged himself to the next chimney. There were no barrel-rolls, backflips, or playful jumps...he was a bullet of darkness moving at a breakneck pace.
He thought of nothing but moving forward, and leaving everything behind. Quarter after quarter he sprinted. His stamina and his miraculous gave him the strength to keep going for miles. He might have run like that forever, but eventually the houses started to become more and more spread apart, and stretches of highways interrupted him as he reached closer to the edge of the city. He slowed, and looked out from his current perch, and kicked a pebble, making it clang as it ricocheted off a drainpipe. He couldn't escape the wave of thoughts and emotions because he carried them with him. With a sigh he pressed the button on his baton to gradually make his way back. It was only then that he noticed that the paw-pad with blinking.
Pressing the button, he saw that his mailbox was full. Hesitating, he put his baton to his ear, and replayed the messages.
"Hey Kitty, it's me! I'm sorry about earlier okay, we'll talk later, but right now..." Ladybug's voice blared through the speaker. He skipped over it, on to the next message.
"Chat Noir, you can't be gone. You live for being a hero! I figure I will see you soon, so..." Ladybug chirped, but he skipped over it to the the next one.
"If you seriously think that after everything we've been through that you can just disappear..." Ladybug threatened, but he skipped the rest, cutting her off.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I really need to talk with you. I know things haven't been easy lately. Please, we've got to talk..." Ladybug apologized. But he wasn't really to talk.
"Are you okay? No, of course you're not okay! You've got to let me know what happened to you!" Ladybug's voice pleaded, but this time her tone was too painful to stand, and he felt a tinge of guilt in making her think he had suddenly vanished. He couldn't listen to it all, so jumped to the last message.
"Hi Shadowcat," the message started out, making him jump. This was the first of the messages designated for 'Shadowcat!' "Thank you for stepping in the other day, and helping me defeat Diamont Solitaire. I couldn't have done it without you. I needed to talk to you about a serious matter as soon as possible. I don't know when you might get this message, but if you could meet me at the Eiffel Tower at 8:00pm tonight then I can fill you in on what is going on. I'll be waiting for you."
This was the only message he listened to in entirety, and it had a strangely formal, ominous, and yet enticing tone to it. Had Ladybug given up on Chat Noir, and accepted that Shadowcat would be the new cat weilder now? What serious matter could she possibly have to discuss?
Shadowcat looked at the time. It was was getting late and someone might notice that he was gone...maybe not, but he didn't want to take that chance and have them start keeping closer tabs on the frequency he was using his window as an exit. Extending his baton he jetted himself across whole blocks, making short work of the return trip. Still, he had gone further than usual, so it took a while to retrace his steps.
It took longer than he had expected to get back. In the state of mind he had left, he guessed that he hadn't paid much attention to the distance he'd covered. Finally, Shadowcat dropped in through his bedroom window, and breathed heavily "Plagg, Claws in." Even Plagg was exhausted as he was released back into his kwami form.
Plagg did not even complain. Did not even let out a grunt. He was totally spent. He just dropped listlessly into Adrien's hand.
"Plagg, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had pushed you so hard," Adrien said worriedly, petting Plagg's head with his index finger.
"Just give me a m..mm..." Plagg wheezed.
"Mozerella?" Adrien offered hurrying his friend to his stock of cheese.
"No! What do you take me for!" Plagg summoned the energy to protest. "I just meant give me a minute to catch my breath!"
"Oh yeah, of course. You're really okay?" Adrien still cradled him in his hands.
"Well...I wouldn't say no to a little Camembert" Plagg dropped his head back down into Adrien's hands.
Adrien smiled, and set Plagg down in a whole wheel of his favorite cheese, to which Plagg immediately started to devourer.
"Well, you enjoy. I need to take a shower, and figure out what to do about Ladybug's message," Adrien pulled his white Gabriel exclusive t-shirt over his head, and tossed it over the couch. Already, Plagg was curled up happily in the wheel, working through his next wedge of creamy cheese. Adrien shook his head affectionately at his kwami, predicting that when he returned from his shower he would find Plagg in a well-deserved cheese induced coma.
Padding into the bathroom Adrien reached around the tile wall and turned on the shower, waiting for it to heat up. He was interrupted by a knock, and Natalie informing him through the bedroom door that there was someone from his class who had arrived to drop off his homework.
"Sorry, " Adrien called back to her "I'm just in the shower! Can you tell them thank you for me!"
"I will," Natalie confirmed.
Then Adrien paused, and called out, "Who was it that came by to drop it off?"
But Natalie had already returned down the stairs, and was giving Marinette Dupain-Cheng the news that Adrien was unable to come to the door, but wanted to express his gratitude to her for delivering his homework.
"Oh...yes...well, no problem," Marinette said disappointedly. She looked up at the imposing marble stairs, and then back to Natalie. "How...how is he doing? He's not too sick I hope!"
Natalie evaluated the girl before her, readjusting her glasses slightly, and then replied, "Adrien I'm sure will be much encouraged by your um...affectionate card..." she peered at the colourful drawings dancing around the home-made card setting on top of the books she was handed, "...and thought-felt gesture." She glanced at the basket held by Adrien's bodyguard, who stood wedging the door open. The basket was brimming with cookies and pastries from Marinette's family bakery. "I'm glad he had such thoughtful friends when he's...not himself."
"Not himself?" Marinette asked in instant concern. "What is wrong?"
Rather than answering Natalie nodded a signal to Adrien's bodyguard, who ushered Marinette back out through the doorway. "Thank you once again for coming by," Natalie replied in closure, and the door was clamped shut behind Marinette's heels.
"Not himself!" Marinette repeated to herself, her brow furrowing. "Something IS wrong!"
If Marinette couldn't figure out what it was, she knew who could!
She stomped determinedly across the street from the Agreste mansion, and ducked out of sight. "Tikki! Spots on!" she called. She would come to Adrien's rescue and ensure he was okay no matter what!
