Chapter 15: Three of a kind
Marinette's POV:
Marinette woke up to the sound of Mr. Brightside again and frowned.
"Please. Change your damn alarm" she grumbled.
He leaned over her and grabbed his phone. "I will. Someday. But your little grouchy face is adorable" he hovered over her and kissed her nose after shutting his alarm off. He transformed and opened the shades.
She smiled at his kisses. "good morning sunshine" she sighed.
His heart fluttered at the nickname. He has been called sunshine a lot as Adrien but hearing it from her towards Chat, hit a soft spot in his heart.
"Good morning princess" he scooped her into his arms and she nuzzled into him accordingly. He began stroking her hair. "I love your hair, my lady. It's so silky" he sighed. He felt so deeply in love. The touch of her hair was enough to give him energy for the day. She felt like his life force at this point.
"Likewise, kitty. Yours is like gold" She giggled. "How do you feel by the way?" she questioned. They had had another round in the middle of the night, and she felt drained.
"Amazing. Exhausted, but amazing. You?" he breathed dreamily.
"Amazing… and sore. But it's a good sore" she squirmed a little bit.
"As long as it's a good sore." He kissed her forehead. "I never want to hurt you" he nuzzled her lightly with his nose.
"You haven't Chaton. I promise" she hummed closing her eyes again.
Adrien's POV:
Chat Noir watched as Marinette slept for a while longer. His arms didn't feel sufficient enough to keep her safe. He needed to protect her with his body and his soul, but he didn't know how.
"I love you" he whispered as she slept. He knew he wouldn't get a response, but he needed to say it anyway. His heart burned for her. He missed her even though she was just a dream world away. He pulled out his baton phone to check the news for distraction until she woke up. He tapped on a news story…
Adrien Agreste takes on Madrid! The model did a shoot recently, dramatic, and sullen, his eyes search for his love, Lila. How romantic. Where will he go next? The news caster mused. It appears Lila, is back in Paris! Will the two be taking a break here or…
Madrid. He thought. Felix was in Madrid. He tensed and relaxed. He removed his hands from Marinette's shoulders and clenched and unclenched them angrily. He felt like killing his cousin and disappearing all at once.
"I'll be back , love" he kissed her forehead and got up from the bed. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew he needed to find him, to find Felix. He rummaged through the kitchen drawer and pulled out a sticky note and a pen. He wrote out a quick note and placed it back into the room.
He looked back at the living room and hoped he wasn't getting himself into any trouble. Ladybug would kill him if he died. He climbed out of his window and powered up into astrocat. He reached the sky with a deep sinking feeling in his stomach. "I'm sorry my lady, I'm sorry for leaving" he muttered under his breathe. He hoped she would understand why he was going alone once he could finally talk to her about everything. But he had to wait until she knew he was
Marinette's POV:
Marinette woke up feeling her stomach tightening with anxiety. She could tell he wasn't there. She opened her eyes and frowned at the empty space next to her. The blinds were cracked open so that the sun and curtains casted shadows around the room. She touched her hand tenderly on the dent Chat Noir had left. It wasn't warm, which meant he wasn't there anymore. The tug in her body increased and she winced. She rubbed her eyes, swollen from crying happy tears the night before and sat up. Where the hell did he go? Her eyes darted around as she woke up further when she noticed a small pink square on her pillow. She picked it up.
I have some important civilian duties to get to today my love. I'll be back before you know it. If I'm not back this afternoon, I'll try and be at patrol where you will have every right to kick my ass for ditching ;) there's coffee in kitchen so that you don't totally hate me.
- CN
p.s I love you and your sleepy face. You should see how adorable you look right now
She read the note and sighed. She still felt the pull of his distance, but she felt a bit more at ease. She also smiled at his handwriting. She loved that he wrote "I love you" for her to read repeatedly until she saw him.
Chat Noir's POV:
Chat Noir was a protector at heart. He wanted everyone around him to be safe, especially those he loved the most. Keeping people safe was his way of showing how much he cared and when it came to Ladybug, he cared a lot. He was anything she needed him to be. He was her knight, her armor, her sword, and her shield. He had been her friend and her partner and now her boyfriend, but their love felt so much deeper than that. His love for her consumed him with flames of passion he never knew were possible. Though he wanted so much to be selfish and revel in her love and cherish every moment he had with her and their new budding romance, he knew that things weren't safe enough yet. The city, his lady, and possibly the world was not safe enough for him to be selfish yet. And it hurt him to be away from her.
His chest and his stomach felt a pulling sensation that almost sent tears to his eyes. He wanted to hold her and tell her how scared he was as he flew towards his enemy. But he knew he couldn't. he couldn't be scared, and he couldn't let her follow him. Felix was a threat to her. He had grabbed her in a way that sent Chat into such rage, he felt like he could cataclysm him right then and there.
She was Ladybug, a superhero like no other and she was Marinette, the girl who stood up to anyone and everyone. Strong, fierce. The girl who brought people presents and advice whenever they needed it. But she was also Ladybug, who's eyes watered when she doubted herself, who clung to him at parties, and who fell apart in his arms when the weight of the world was too much for her. She was the beautiful and clumsy Marinette with two left feet and a stutter. The soft girl who he scooped to safety every time a battle broke out in her presence. She was incredible but she was fragile.
It broke him to see her freeze under Felix's grip the way she did. As much as he wanted to be with her right now, he knew she was safe. He remembered her sleeping on her back, her hand draped over her head and her mouth slightly open. The blankets were tussled around her as she tended to move in her sleep. She was truly and undeniably gorgeous. She was so vulnerable in her sleep, and it ached his heart, but she was safe there; and she wouldn't be safe following him towards someone who had hurt her before. Anger rose in his chest, and it sent blood to his ears. Felix was a threat to her. When someone threatened the safety of the girl he loved more than anything in the entire world, he became fiercer, stronger, and more focused. He unclenched his jaw and breathed in. His eyes homed in on the city below him. He made it.
He landed in the middle of the city. He glanced around at hurrying groups of people. A brown haired woman spoke Spanish on the phone and met his eyes briefly raising her eyebrows but she quickly switched her focus back onto her phone call. A man stood smoking against a restaurant across the street. He made his way towards him carefully. His hands were still tense, and his transformation felt weird and unbalanced. Something was earie. He peered around himself, feeling like something was wrong but he couldn't shake it. It was like his stomach was tied in knots and he felt the strangest sense of anxiety rushing through him. He pictured Ladybug, Marinate. It allowed him to take a deep breathe but the feeling only grew worse. Maybe he should've brought her…. No…. he could handle this… he could do It alone.
"Hola" he started shyly.
"Bonjour" the man responded with a sly grin.
"You speak French? How did you know I wasn't Spanish?" Chat was surprised.
"I know who you are, you are one of the hero's from France. And besides, only a Frenchman would dress in a little cat suit and prance around cities like a little girl" he scoffed
Chat frowned and crossed his arms.
"Oh, it's a joke, it's supposed to be funny!" the man teased
Chat frowned and lowered his eyes "hilarious" he responded sarcastically.
"So, did you cross the street to ask me for a cigarette, directions, my phone number? What is it you want?" the man laughed
"I need to help a model from France. Have you heard of a boy named Adrien Agreste? He should be modelling here, and I need to find out where" he finally asked
"Oh yeah! They're doing a big shoot at the hotel around the corner. You're in luck. It's called La Familia." He gestured towards the end of the street. Chat Noir felt too out of it to thank the man or even give him any parting words, he began walking in the opposite direction.
He walked carefully until he faced the front of the hotel. He recognized it from when he was a child. La Familia. How ironic. A Hotel his father had stayed at when he first began to model. He hid behind a trashcan on the side of the building, watching as different agents and photographers paced in a frenzy around a couple of tents set up outside. His eyes searched for Felix but couldn't find him. He decided to jump up the side of the building. Luckily, the hotel had lumps of brick that stuck out every few feet, so his climbing was easier than usual. He remembered his father usually stayed on the top floor as it had the massive, expensive suites. Was it 511? 512? The hard brick started to slide under his foot but he caught himself. He reached a familiar balcony and hopped onto it. He peered into the window and felt his stomach drop. There he was, sitting in the hotel room. His head in his hands on a small blue couch. It felt like watching himself from outside of his body. Chat Noir felt his ears ring and stopped thinking. He kicked the window in with his foot, feeling it shatter under his boot and tumbled into the room.
Shaking off any bits of glass, he focused on the boy. He charged towards him with his baton sliding forward, hatred and revenge flowing through him like lava. "You'll pay for what you're doing!" he cried.
"STOP! Its- it's not who you think it is" the boy shouted, falling to the ground under Chat's baton.
"Oh come-on I know you're not Adrien. I know who you are. Drop the façade…. Felix" Chat sneered, his baton crushing the boy's chest into the floor.
"I'm….i"m not who you're looking for… please. He can probably hear us" the boy whimpered, grasping onto the metal pole. His eyes closed slightly.
Chat saw the innocence in his face and heard it in his voice. "If you're not Felix… then how?" his voice shook a little. He knew what was going on…. Felix had created something horrific... Something immoral…. Why would he ever?
"I'm not…I'm not Felix….I'm not Adrien either…" the boy's voice shook just like Chat's. "I… don't even know who I am…. I'm just trying to act like him… like Adrien…. So that he doesn't hurt me…. So that he doesn't… erase me" his mouth tightened and tears streamed from his eyes. Chat lifted his baton and closed it. His stomach dropped again. He seemed…so real.
"Did he create you? Did Felix create you?" his voice hung low and scared.
"Yes. He did. Please don't hurt me. I don't know what I am…who I am. I feel like a person but…"
"You are a person" Chat cut him off. "You're just not the person you look like. Why did he do it?" Chat Noir tried to stay composed.
" I think I'm a coverup for Adrien while Felix is working with Hawkmoth… Hawkmoth is if you didn't know already. And Felix hasn't told him but Adrien has been hiding away somewhere. He doesn't know why. He also doesn't want Hawkmoth to find out Adrien is still hiding. He either wants to fight him for himself or he's protecting him. They are family…" The boy got up from the ground, patting his jeans.
"Family doesn't always mean anything" Chat looked away, crossing his arms. His eyes lowered. He was definitely trying to save him for himself to fight. He would never protect him.
"I wouldn't know" the boy headed towards the door.
"Wait!" Chat Noir called. "The glass… I'm sorry about the window… I'll clean it up" he started
"No! It's ok. I get it. He really hurt Ladybug when he gave Hawkmoth everything. I would've acted like you did too, for someone I love. I'll say I did it by accident and they'll have it cleaned in no time." He smiled slightly. "I've got a photoshoot to get to… They'll be waiting for me" he shrugged in a strangely Adrien-esque manner. It made Chat Noir queasy.
"If you can't tell me where he is… can you at least hint?" Chat asked following him to the door.
"The city of love." he muttered, shutting the door behind him.
"Paris…" Chat muttered. He was still there. He stood there, unable to think for a minute. Breathe in, Five, four, three, two, one, breathe out. Just as he was beginning to turn towards the window, a small paper slipped under the door. It was a receipt with Spanish writing on it. He turned the paper over and there was a note. it read:
There's a secret layer in the Agreste Mansion. Push the painting, you'll see. To find out more.. go to "la casa de Vallarta" tomorrow at 3p.m. I'll be there and I think its loud enough for me to tell you more.
The painting? Of his mother? His stomach flipped again. Five, Four, Three, two, one. Breathe in. Five, four three, two…. His fist clenched and he couldn't control his breathing. Shit. He clutched his head near his temples. He could feel the tension like a headband. His mother didn't deserve to be a door to some… dungeon… secret layer. Chat's chest heaved in and out. He couldn't take it anymore. The pain was growing too strong to bear and he needed something. He needed her. His lady. Her soft eyes. Anxiety consumed his heart and he felt himself needing her close, her touch, her laugh, her eyes on him, or anything really. She could ease it by merely standing in his presence. His breathing hitched to small hiccups. Stop. Stop it. He bit his lip and opened the windows, his hands moving fast. His shoulders tensed and his arms grew weak. If he didn't have his astrocat wings guiding him, he was sure he wouldn't have made it into the sky.
He felt like his heart was stopping. The world moved around him fast as he shot through the sky like a rocket. He still could barely catch his breath and he could feel tears coming, fogging his goggled eyes. Stop it. Pull yourself together Adrien. He attempted his breathing exercises but they failed. He could see the Louvre in the distance. He stared at the ground and aimed, right in front of the building. He could barely feel his feet hitting the ground, they felt numb.
"Chat noir! Tell us about your space suit!" he heard a fan cry. He let his power up fade as he became himself again. More voices and sounds echoed around him.
"Chat noir! Where's ladybug? Tell us about the new villains!" a reporter nudged a microphone into his face. Too many people… too many voices.
"I….I" his eyes searched for her. Save me. He kept thinking. Normally, he was her knight, sturdy and strong. He was supposed to be the one keeping her safe but now, in this moment, he felt like a child. His cousin, his father, the senti version of himself, his dead mother, Chat Blanc, it was all too much. He put his hands up to his face and backed away from the people, swarming him. The voices grew louder… say something… tell them to leave. His ears rang loudly, and he could hear his heart beating. He wanted to scream at them, cataclysm the ground, run away. He lifted his claws to his hair and pulled. Breathe in…
"I think he's gonna faint" he heard a man cry as the world turned black.
Ladybug's POV:
Ladybug opened her yo-yo. No calls or texts from Chat Noir. Anxiety seeped in. She looked at her surroundings and listened for anything going on. She was always extra alert when she patrolled alone. Just then she heard a shriek. She straightened her posture, listening harder. She was sure she heard a crowd of people in trouble.
"Someone call an ambulance!"
"Let me get closer"
She heard cries coming from the Louvre. She hoped no one had been severely injured. If there was someone hurt though, and if an ambulance wasn't there yet, she could take them to a hospital. She landed steadily with her eyes scanning like a hawk. When the time came to be serious, Ladybug was calm. She knew the citizens needed her, even in non-villain related times of need. She kept her cool about her and headed towards the crowd.
"Do you think he got attacked? Where's Ladybug? Does his suit come off? Maybe he's overheated" She heard as she quickened her pace.
"No, it's a magic suit idiot" a child's voice sounded. A magic suit? Her heart dropped. Suddenly she found herself shoving through the crowd. If he was hurt…Her eyes dropped to the ground at her partner, laying on his side, unconscious with his eyes scrunched in distress. She fell to his side.
"Everyone back away!" She shouted facing them, her eyes blazing with protection.
"Kitty. What happened? Can you wake up?" She lifted his head with her hand on his cheek. A small pout grew on her face. "Chat Noir?" His eyes opened to long slanted emeralds. "My lady. I think I fainted. Can we go… please?" he scrunched his face into her hand, she could see that he had been crying.
"Of course." She lifted his arm around her shoulder and hoisted him to his feet. Despite their size difference, she was able to carry him in her suit. "Let's go to my place" she whispered.
She lowered them into her room and dropper her transformation. "I have your mask if you want to give plagg a break" she said to him gently.
"Yeah. I'd like that. Thank you, princess," he gave her his best smile. It made her heart hurt to see a pretend smile but she decided to nod and find his mask first. She found it laying on her desk and handed it to him. He took it out of her palm tenderly and shrugged shyly.
"Oh. Right" she giggled closing her eyes.
"Claws in" he called. "Ok it's on, my lady" his voice sounded small. She opened her eyes and gave him a smile. He did his best to smile back at her and she swallowed. He watched as she crossed the room to the corner.
Marinette fussed with a tangled chord and a laptop. She felt a pain in her chest because she knew he wasn't okay. She could feel how distant and hurt he felt from across the room and it killed her to not be able to know everything. She looked up at him and met his eyes. They were dim and cloudy but beautiful and green nonetheless.
"Want to watch a movie or something?" she offered heading towards her bed. She blushed as she saw him in his clothes. He was wearing a black hoodie that reached over his hands and what looked like black slacks and black vans. He removed his shoes shyly and sat on the end of her bed. His eyes perked up.
"Yes! That sounds perfect!" he mewed. She made her way into her bed and brought her blanket over her legs. "C'mere silly!" she patted the spot beside her and he slid next to her comfortably. He wrapped his arm around her and they settled into each other.
"It's funny being here like this" he looked at her softly.
"Like what? As my boyfriend?" she smiled
"Well yes and also knowing you're my ladybug" he pressed his forehead on hers. She giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"It was so hard not to tell you whenever you'd come over and hangout with me as Marinette" she laughed.
"Oh my god I completely forgot…you totally gave me advice about ladybug! That's so embarrassing!" he blushed
"No, it wasn't! It actually made me fall for you pretty hard. Hearing your soft side for me.. it was hard not to blush" she remembered him coming over countless times to talk about his love for Ladybug.
"It did? Wow that's funny…. Coming here to talk about you as Ladybug made me realize I had a crush on you as Marinette. It was so confusing. Until now" he nuzzled her. It made her heart buzz thinking of him liking her for both sides of her.
"That means a lot to me, Chaton." She nuzzled him back. He smiled halfheartedly and her heart hurt again. "Kitty… what happened earlier?" she cupped his cheek. He avoided eye contact.
"Mari… if I tell you now. I'll risk my identity" he trailed off.
Her stomach dropped. She felt the familiar wall between her and the boy she loved. It wasn't a strong wall but it was definitely there. While all of her walls were down, she knew he still held a few to protect his identity and it felt increasingly harder to bare. She wanted to know all of him, to know his soul as he knew hers. She wanted to help him through his pain the way he helped her but she knew she couldn't know yet. She knew it would be dangerous. His eyes spoke to her practically screaming out, I need you. She looked away from him and bit her lip.
"Can you at least tell me if you're in danger?" she asked
"I'm safe. For the most part" He whispered.
"I…" she gulped feeling tears fill her eyes.
"Soon my lady. The time will come for it to be safe" he assured her.
"I know kitty it's just… I want to know all of you… the way you know me… and it hurts that I can't yet" she cried
"My lady" he started softly. "You do know me. Even with the mask and the stupid secret identity. You know me more than anyone else ever has. And more importantly, you have all of me. You have my heart, my soul, my body, and soon you'll have a name to put to it all but you have me" he breathed
Her shoulders shuddered at his words. "You have me too kitty. All of me" she kissed him lovingly. She felt him smile under her lips.
"Let's pick a movie" she giggled.
The two of them spent the evening watching the Harry Potter movies until the end of the third one, where they fell asleep. Tikki shut off the computer for them and pulled the blanket over them. She tucked herself into Marinette's collarbone and Plagg tucked himself into Adrien's. The four of them slept peacefully until the morning came.
