Here we go for more drama, more suspense, more revelations...
Chapter Five: Two birds, one stone.
Adrien slowly breathes out, about to utter the words allowing him to transform, when his breath abruptly hitches in his throat. The whole labyrinth suddenly trembles as if there were an earthquake out there. Or maybe just in here. He makes eye contact with Marinette for a split second, only for it to be broken when the glass wall, along with all the mirrors, begins to move around them. He barely has the time to blink when after a couple of seconds, the map of the labyrinth completely reshapes, all the mirrors coming back to a stop.
"Marinette!" His cry of despair gets lost in the hubbub of mechanical movements, as well as what probably is her response.
But then another noise wrecks the havoc, only to emphasize the current chaos; a rather scary cackle breaks the surroundings before a female voice starts to speak.
"What did you think you were doing? Did you really think you'd break the glass with a little baby punch? This is underestimating me once again… Adrien."
Adrien.
Okay. Firstly, it doesn't sit quite right for him to be called by his civilian name if the akumatized villain wants Chat Noir. Secondly, bloody hell! That voice sounds like the devil in disguise, and also, deceptively familiar.
He brushes that thought aside for now. At the moment, there is something—well, someone—much more important to care about.
"Where's Marinette?!"
"Marinette here, Marinette there... always Marinette!" The voice gets more pungent as if filled with venom coming out from a snake, hissing and spreading it outside. "If you care so much about her, go ahead, try to save her, Roméo!"
In a burst of unexpectedness, the mirrors begin to move again. They spin all around Adrien and he feels like an ant trapped in a kaleidoscope where the colors reflect back with great intensity... or in a washing machine on a spin-drying cycle turning very fast.
Starting to spin in circles, he desperately tries to defy the laws of gravity. He hopes he can catch a glimpse of his partner appearing in a short while loophole and break its way to her. But sometimes he feels like the mirrors spin in the same direction as him, and other times they go the other way around. He feels worse than Jack Sparrow dancing on the deck of the Black Pearl with an empty bottle of rum in hand, as the ship sails in the middle of a stormy sea and… he's seasick, okay! And this is much worse! His stomach is in pain and the bile rises in his throat. His concern for Marinette and his increasing panic drives him to the brink of nausea, and if he doesn't do something about it, he's afraid he'll end up lying on the ground in a fetal position.
This is absolutely not what he's ever wished for, and the very thought of being weak and useless eventually pushes him to his limits. A strong rush of adrenaline runs through his veins; a second wind, isn't it… He could have a hundred second winds for her. She was that calm strength from which he could always draw the one he needed to get back on his feet, for better or worse. Talk about marriage; a partnership like theirs is worth more than any signed premarital agreement. Their bond is so strong, he won't let anything stand in their way. And so once again, he takes his strength from her, allowing himself to finally get his head out of this hellish turmoil.
"ENOUGH!" Adrien shouts. His hands move, cradling both sides of his head as he falls on his knees. "Plagg, claws out!" As he says the words, his eyes fill with unbridled impetuosity.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Chat Noir gets back on his feet with a war cry that is no longer an unknown call. "Cataclysm!"
The word echoes again and again, relentlessly. He has never been so grateful to be able to use his power as often as he wants since until now. He has always been cautious and distrustful with such a destructive yet so delicate power, only using it a second time at most if it was really needed during a fight. But today it doesn't matter. Today, there are no rules. He's 18 now. No restraint.
A mirror blows up underneath the power of destruction, crackling and sparkling in the palm of his hand.
Cataclysm.
A second mirror shatters in a thousand scattered pieces.
Cataclysm.
A third mirror comes down under the impact of his raging fist.
Cataclysm.
It's a chain of splinters flying and gravitating around the feline as he completely loses it. His vision starts to fog up. His tears stream down his face until he can taste them. They fill his mouth, the salty taste spreading over his tongue like venom that further strengthens his madness.
Cataclysm.
His breath suddenly hitches in his throat as the glimpse of a blue-jean catches his eye behind the glass shards. There's not even a shred of hesitation as he rushes headfirst through a jagged mirror. He literally plunges forward, his dash ending in a somersault when his spandex-clad body touches the ground again.
This woman really would make him do anything, to the end of the world and back.
When he finally straightens up and starts searching for the blue that had caught his eye, he realizes that it's actually Marinette lying motionless on the floor.
"Marinette!"
"A-Adri—Chat…"
"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry!" He kneels down next to her, guilt already gnawing him to the bone.
"No, I…" Marinette coughs. She grabs Chat's hand and squeezes it tight. "I think… I think this isn't a side effect f-from the anesthesia."
"What do you mea—"
A loud snicker cuts him off. Instinctively, to protect Marinette from whatever upcoming aggression, he pulls her onto his lap. She crawls against his torso, burying her face in his chest as she coughs some more.
"Well, well, well." Suddenly everything comes to a stop in the labyrinth of mirrors. A beat of silence settles until the voice speaks again. "Look what the cat dragged in. You spoil me," the female voice cackles, her tone not leaving any doubt to the madness filling it. "I didn't expect to kill two birds with one stone tonight. Although, I'm somehow disappointed. I've never been fond of Chat Noir. But I must admit that black leather suits you pretty well, Agreste. And the Black Cat Miraculous coming with it is a wonderful bonus."
Adrien gulps and his eyes widen as his cat-like ears flatten over his head. He realizes that they somehow miscalculated the reason why they are both trapped here. Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't targeted. Adrien and Marinette though, obviously were. He just revealed his identity to an akumatized villain, and so to Atlas by means of the control she has on her pawn. He's angry with himself, yet he doesn't regret anything. Marinette is his number one priority at this moment and nothing could change that for all he cares.
Resting his chin on top of Marinette's head, he gently strokes her hair, closing his eyes and whispering, "I'm sorry they know. I screwed up."
"You didn't." Unexpectedly, Marinette disagrees with him. "Y-you helped us. Now we know… who kidnapped us…" Her breathing is still laborious yet her deductive spirit doesn't fail her. His Lady will always impress him. "There's only one person… who wants to put me down and keep me away from you… and is crazy enough to poison me… so that I can disappear from the picture."
"Lila…" Chat Noir groans, baring his teeth. "Wait! Poison?" The hero shifts a little, fumbling around to break away from his partner and look into her eyes. The pain and worry flashing through them speak volumes and is enough to alert him of the current situation. "Why would she do that? Why would she want to keep you away from me?" His pitch drops as he nuzzles his nose against her ears and murmurs only for her to hear him, "she manifestly didn't know our secret identities. She didn't know that you stood in her way because you're the lady I'm in love with." There's so much pain shooting through his voice.
"But…" Marinette suddenly shifts in his arms, slowly looking up at him and bringing a hand to cup his cheek. She clears her throat, her whisper turning into the louder cry of the heart she can bring herself to unleash. "She knows that I'm in love with you. And she doesn't like this. She has never liked this."
"You mean…?"
"Yes. It was always you, Adrien." Marinette's hand slides from his face, baling into a fist in front of her mouth as she begins to cough again.
"You make me sick, Marinette. You're weak and have always been. You're no match for Adrien," Lila steeply spurts out.
If Adrien thought he knew what anger meant before, he was wrong. So wrong. It creeps from his guts, through the bitter taste lingering inside of his mouth and rises up to his eyes until all traces of life-filled green disappear. His dark gaze is like a threat to kill and it's much stronger and harmful than the mere danger Lila dares to put on his beloved. If the freaky liar wants to play, they'll play, but she'll have to walk over his dead body first.
"Why are you doing this?! What exactly do you want, Lila?!" The anger spread outside, his voice thick with unshed hate.
"I want you! I want you to be with me. I want a public engagement and a wedding following straight after because we'll say we fell madly in love. Love at first sight. And most of all, I want a prenup to make sure you never leave me for this little bugger or your precious Ladybug." His partner's name rolls over Lila's mouth like a piece of dirt thrown in a trash can and he doesn't like that.
"No!" Marinette shouts, though she ends up in a fit of deep coughs, her strength failing her.
"As long as you give us the cure," Adrien sternly warns Lila. "I will do it."
"No you won't! I don't want you to stoop to marry that bitch!" His partner has really overdone herself; she's so stubborn.
"Then the bitch says; no cure," Lila sneers.
Chat Noir's jaw clenches as he glares down at Marinette. "Do you really think we're in a position to refuse because you're stubborn?!"
"Do you really think this is the right time to argue?!" Marinette glares back at him with all her might.
"Well… You might die, Marinette!" Chat's pitch raises.
"You're being dramatic as usual, Chat Noir!" She rolls her eyes, pointing an accusing finger toward him.
"And you're being unbearably stubbo—"
"Enough!" The voice of a newcomer abruptly cuts them straight away. "We're not done telling you what we want. Lila's conditions are also mine, and the same deal goes for me and you, Marinette," the male's voice states as a matter of fact.
"Who the hell are you?"
Since I finished written the whole story, I will update on Friday and Wednesday until the end of it. Yes, two updates/week. Isn't that great?
I hope you still enjoy the drama... Again, I know this is very different from what I'm used to write, but I really like how this story turned out.
Miraculous Kisses!