This one's a doosey lol
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Chat Noir.
"Coming up at 9 o'clock: New footage shows Gabriel Agreste being led out of his mansion in handcuffs, with multiple policemen surrounding him. What did this fashion designer do to get arrested? Stay tuned to find out! I'm Nadja Chamack and this is your morning scoop. Don't be bemused, it's just the news!"
Alya gapes at the news report playing on her cell phone. Her journalistic mind runs in a million different directions, trying to make sense of the information being teased.
Gabriel Agreste? Oh my god, how is Adrien? Maybe he knows... maybe I should ask.
She shakes her head. That might be insensitive.
"Hey, babe! I—"
"NINO!" She cries, turning to him and thrusting the paused video into his face.
He squints in confusion, then suddenly his face twists in recognition at the man on screen.
"Adrien's father? What did he do?"
Alya shrugs miserably.
"I don't know. Tax evasion? Isn't that what rich people normally get arrested for?"
It's a sloppy guess, but one she'll have to go with for the time being.
Her boyfriend shrugs, his concern growing for his best bud.
"I'm not sure. I might ask Adrien when he comes in, but you know how he is. Late and all."
But to the couple's surprise, Adrien walks into school — hand in hand with Marinette, Alya realizes with a shock — right on cue, almost like clockwork.
Adrien could feel the eyes on him as he stepped onto school grounds. He tries to steady his breathing, reminding himself that it's just odd for everyone to see him here so early since he's always running late.
Marinette gives his hand a squeeze.
Oh yeah, he remembers, and I'm with Mari. That's new for everyone to see.
But the rational part of him knows that by now, news had to have spread. His father was taken into custody around 7pm the night before, and there's no doubt that footage of the arrest is circulating around news channels. Not that he could bring himself to look.
He risks a glance at his two friends standing by Alya's locker, locking eyes with Nino. Biting his lip, he takes a deep breath as he and Marinette walk towards them.
"Yo, Adrien, what's up?"
Nino greets him with a smile, raising a fist to give him a fist bump, and Adrien tries not to cringe.
There's no way he doesn't know.
Regardless, he still follows suit and gives his best friend a fist bump, offering him a small smile.
Then the bomb goes off.
"Hey, Adrien. What happened with your father?"
His heart rate quickens and he gulps, meeting eyes with the Latina standing next to Nino.
The smile on his face becomes forced.
"A lot," he manages.
Alya eyes him suspiciously, glancing at Marinette, then down at their connected hands. She looks back up to him, deciding that (despite how exciting it seems) questions about her friends' relationship status could wait.
"Do you know why he was arrested?"
His breath hitches in his throat as Alya asks him the question, and he's thankful for Marinette's strong grip on his hand, or else he might have already had a panic attack.
"Yeah, I do."
"Alya, could we talk about this later?" Marinette interjects nervously, glancing at Adrien worriedly.
His breath has quickened quite a bit and she's afraid he'll start hyperventilating, so avoiding the topic for the time being seems to be the only way to stop some of his anxiety.
The Latina narrows her eyes at Marinette before looking back at Adrien, nodding.
"Okay. I'm sure the news stations probably know. I was just wondering if he had any idea," Alya says to Marinette, still staring at Adrien.
He's now avoiding her eyes, rolling his lips in and attempting to take deep breaths.
Nino watches the exchange worriedly, eventually turning to his girlfriend and resting a hand on her shoulder. She looks at him and he just shakes his head before looking back at Marinette.
"We'll see you guys in class," he mutters before pulling Alya away from their friends.
She pouts at him, crossing her arms.
"Nino!"
He sighs, releasing her.
"Don't push him, okay? I get it, you're a reporter, but this is something personal. Don't try to pry for answers right now. He's obviously still upset and you're definitely not going to help by asking a bunch of questions."
Alya relaxes, finally nodding.
"Alright, alright. I'll wait a bit. Like I said, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," she retorts sarcastically.
She starts to walk away, but Nino pulls her back.
"What's with that attitude?" He asks, keeping a vice-like grip on her arm.
"What attitude?"
He rolls his eyes, becoming increasingly annoyed with the girl.
"The whole 'I guess I'm not getting the first scoop, so whatever' attitude. This is our FRIEND, Alya! Your last priority should be getting information for your blog. Shouldn't you be at least a little bit worried about how he is? You didn't even ask if he was okay..."
His disappointment is so transparent that it makes her wince.
"Well, you didn't either..."
"At least I greeted him. I didn't bombard him with questions without even saying hello," he sends her a pointed look.
Alya swallows, finally realizing her behavior, and nods.
"Sorry, I just..."
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
Suddenly, the vice-like grip on her arm is gone and she's left standing alone with her thoughts.
The walk to their first period class was nerve-wracking for Adrien. He's not even sure if it's possible, but he senses more eyes on him than before, which only increases his anxiety. The only thing keeping him grounded is the presence of his lady beside him.
Marinette bumps his side as they stop at the door to Miss Bustier's class, effectively catching his attention. She flashes a smile and stands up on her tippy-toes to give him a quick peck on the lips. This earns her a smile.
"It'll be okay," she says.
He nods, taking a deep breath, and pushes the door open.
The bickering between classmates halts as the couple enters the room. All is quiet, besides whispers and odd looks at the blonde, as they make way towards their respective seats.
"Alright, class," Miss Bustier claps.
All attention is transferred to the teacher as she begins her lesson.
"Today, I will be assigning a new novel for you all to read and annotate. I expect the reading to be finished by the end of the semester, but new annotations are required and will be checked chapter-by-chapter. We will be having a weekly socratic seminar about our views and perspectives on a specific group of chapters. The book being assigned is 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus. Any questions?"
The class is silent, taking in her explanation of the assignment.
Miss Bustier nods, clearing her throat.
"I will call each of you up individually to receive your book, as well as review your test scores from last week. You may speak for the time being, but quietly."
Adrien exhales, laying his arms on the desk and resting his head down. He feels another headache coming on. A whole novel? He won't have time for that. Between his fencing and Chinese lessons, his photoshoots and his duties as Chat Noir...
Wait. He frowns. There is no Hawkmoth anymore, so there can't be any akumatizations. And my dad can't force me to take those lessons anymore, or do any photoshoots.
Somehow, that realization only makes his head hurt worse.
Marinette frowns at Adrien in front of her. She knows that nothing is easy right now, and adding more school work to the mix won't help at all.
"Hey, Marinette?" Alya asks beside her.
She looks at her best friend, wiping the frown off her face.
"Yeah, Alya?"
"I have a few questions about you and Adrien..." said girl raises an eyebrow with a knowing smirk.
Marinette shakes her head, a smile growing on her face.
"Let's just say, I finally confessed and... I guess we're together now? I mean, he asked me out and I agreed, so—"
"HE asked YOU out?!" Alya whisper-shouts, her jaw dropping. "That's a plot twist I wasn't expecting."
She nods in response, peeking over at her kitty before looking back at Alya.
"Yes. It's kind of hard to explain the circumstances because it really wasn't the best time or place, but—"
"Don't be so secretive, girl! I want all the deets!"
Marinette rolls her eyes. Of course she does.
"Alya, I really can't tell you right now. We have some things to sort out and then I'll spill. It's, uhm... Everything kind of ties together, so I need to be able to tell you the full story," she explains.
With a pout, Alya nods and turns away from her best friend to look at Adrien. She notices that his head is on the table, and he seems to be breathing deeply.
Curious, she taps on Nino's shoulder and leans down to whisper in his ear, "Is Adrien okay?"
Nino seems annoyed at her question, as he shrugs and gently pushes her away. Alya huffs in annoyance, crossing her arms and staring forward, deciding just to wait until her name is called.
A gentle tap on his shoulder startles Adrien, but he slightly lifts his head to look at his best friend.
"Hey, dude. Are you doing okay? It's none of my business what happened but I at least wanna know if you're alright..."
His groggy eyes blink as he comprehends Nino's question, before he shakes his head slowly.
"Don't wanna talk about it, Nino," he mumbles.
Nino simply nods, patting his shoulder.
"Alright. Just let me know if you do."
Adrien manages another nod before he shoves his head back into the crook of his arms, letting out another long exhale.
Marinette could feel the seat bouncing as Alya begins to bounce her leg up and down repeatedly, so she looks over to the girl confusedly.
Her eyebrows are creased in concentration and her lips seem to be permanently carved into a frown. As much as Marinette doesn't want to deal with her friend in a bad mood, she needs a distraction. Badly. So she decides to take a deep breath and take a chance.
"Uh, Alya? What's up?"
Alya looks over to her and sighs. Without warning, she scoots closer and leans in to whisper in her ear.
"Do you know what happened with Adrien's dad?"
Marinette scowls in frustration.
"Yes, I do, Alya. That's part of the full story that I told you I can't talk about yet!" She snaps, a little louder than she wanted to.
Alya's eyes widen, and she backs away.
"Sorry, girl. I just figured you might know something—"
"But does that make it okay? It's none of your business, Alya. And it doesn't matter anyway, because you're going to find out with the rest of Paris in, like, an hour. Don't you have any patience at all?!"
Adrien lifts his head at the sound of Marinette's outburst, knowing that Alya must have crossed the line.
He's kinda tired of all the questions himself. Although he knows that there's going to be so many pushed into his face the moment the news gets out, he wants Alya's attitude to stop. He's sick of it already.
"Let's just say that Paris shouldn't be scared of akumas anymore," he says, his voice strained.
He stares forward, unable to look behind him — not with his pounding headache, anyway. He doesn't ignore the way everyone in the class quiets at his words, but he tries to stay calm. He will not answer any more questions right now. He can't. Just saying that one thing was too much for him.
Alya lets his words sink in, letting herself lean against the backrest behind her. Adrien's words replay in her head, over and over again.
Let's just say that Paris shouldn't be scared of akumas anymore.
What does that have to do with Gabriel Agreste? Does he have some sort of affiliation with Hawkmoth, like Lila does? That would explain his arrest, considering Lila was forced to go back to Italy once the news got out about her lies. That's the only possible reasoning behind his words.
Alya nods. Yes, that's it. An affiliation with Hawkmoth.
Although there's a part of her that believes there's more to Adrien's words. She still wishes to get to the bottom of it, but she's thankful for his input.
Marinette stares at her kitty worriedly. She knows that his words will set off a bomb in the classroom, and he already has enough to deal with. She just wants to get him out of the room, and fast. So, her hand shoots up as quick as humanly possible, and she waits for Miss Bustier to call on her.
After what feels like an eternity, Miss Bustier looks up from the student she was talking to, catching sight of Marinette's raised hand.
"Yes, Miss Dupain-Cheng?"
"Adrien says he needs to go to the nurse. Mind if I take him there?"
Adrien gathers some of his strength and turns around in his seat, shooting a questioning look at his... can he say girlfriend now?
She just raises an eyebrow, as if challenging him to do something.
Miss Bustier watches the exchange suspiciously, but still gives the bluenette a firm nod before saying, "Of course. I will need to see you both after class, if possible."
Granted, she has heard the news about the fashion icon. The blonde sitting at the front of her class also seems to be quite disheveled, and she feels that it would be wrong of her to deny such a request.
Marinette nods, immediately grabbing her book bag, getting out of her seat, and putting a hand out in front of Adrien. He takes it and stands up, suddenly feeling lightheaded.
Wow, maybe I did need to go to the nurse, he realizes.
Adrien grabs his bag and lets his lady guide him out of the suffocating classroom and into the hallway. He lets out a breath, which he was unaware he was holding, and releases her hand. He feels his stomach lurch and nearly gags.
"I need to sit down," he mutters, sliding down the wall a little ways from the classroom.
The bluenette watches as he does so, and looks around to make sure that no one else is in the hallway, before she takes off her backpack and crouches down next to him.
Adrien barely registers the hand on his knee or the feeling of tiny paws kneading on his chest. His eyes are closed as he tries to steady his breathing.
"Kid," he just barely hears a gruffly voice from inside his shirt, "Are you okay?"
He swallows, putting a hand on his stomach, and shakes his head.
"I feel sick," he croaks out, squinting his eyes as he feels a sharp pain shoot through his head.
"Marinette," a high, squeaky voice starts.
Said girl looks over to her kwami.
"Yeah, Tikki?"
"Don't you keep some painkillers in your bag?"
Marinette narrows her eyes.
"Um... no, I don't. That could get me in trouble."
The Ladybug kwami smiles sheepishly.
"I may have put some in your bag this morning. I had a feeling something like this might happen," she says.
Surprisingly, Marinette doesn't scold her. Instead, she wordlessly reaches into her purse and pulls out the painkillers. She opens up the bottle, then glances at Adrien.
He's breathing heavily, nearly panting, and he's holding his stomach as if he's about to throw up.
She pours three tablets into her hand, before closing the pill bottle and shoving it back into her bag as quickly as she can.
"Here," she whispers, grabbing one of his hands and dropping the pills onto his palm.
To her surprise, he doesn't ask for water. He simply plops all three pills into his mouth, leans his head back, and promptly swallows them all at once. She gapes at this action.
"Woah. How do you do that?"
He shrugs, leaning his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes again.
"Photoshoots give me headaches a lot. I don't have water with me all the time, so I just swallow painkillers dry. It's nothing I'm not used to," he offers.
"Yeah, okay. But three at once?"
He shrugs again, this time not saying a word.
Marinette sighs, resting her head on top of his.
"Adrien?" She whispers after a moment.
He hums.
"You didn't have to say anything, you know."
Adrien licks his lips.
"Yeah, I know. But that'll shut 'em up for a while."
At this, Marinette nods.
One of her hands rubs his upper thigh in a small circular motion, in attempt to offer him some comfort. She's relieved when his breathing finally evens out.
Silence passes over the young superheroes, which Marinette is thankful for, because Plagg usually never shuts his little mouth. It gives her time to think.
How will she, as Ladybug, approach this? Well, she knows she'll have to set up a press conference, to clear up any misunderstandings and answer any questions. But what will she say?
The two sat in silence for a multitude of minutes
Plagg phases out of Adrien's shirt, turning to look at the boy that has become dangerously quiet in the past two minutes.
He snickers.
"The kid's asleep. Good luck during passing, Marinette."
The girl just rolls her eyes, ceasing her hand's circular motion on Adrien's thigh.
"It'll be fine. I'll just tell Miss Bustier that he couldn't make it to the nurse and that he just needed to rest."
Plagg nods, a thoughtful expression appearing on his tiny face.
"Everyone is gonna find out about his father in an hour. You guys will still be in school, but I don't think that's a good situation. Kill me if you want, but I would ditch right now before things get bad. I mean, Adrien could barely handle all the looks everyone is giving him. And I'm sure there's gonna be less curious looks and more dirty looks as soon as the news gets out," the black cat kwami explains.
Marinette looks at him thoughtfully, before nodding.
"You're right, Plagg. We should get out of here. I'll just have to email Miss Bustier later."
She exhales, reaching into her bag and grabbing her cell phone. With one hand, she dials her mother's phone number.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri—
"Sweetie? Everything okay?"
"Hi, Maman. Um, I just realized that Nadja Chamack is going to be telling all of Paris about Hawkmoth soon and Adrien isn't feeling well, and I don't think we should be here when that news gets out—"
"Of course, honey. I'll send Papa on his way to come get you two. I saw the teaser on the news earlier, I should have sent him right then. I shouldn't have let you two go to school today—"
"Maman, it's okay. But Adrien has a headache and his stomach hurts. He's just extremely anxious and everyone keeps looking at him weird and Alya keeps asking questions and..." Marinette takes a moment to inhale sharply, "I didn't think about any of that before. Don't feel guilty about sending us to school, okay? We should be here, anyway. Just under these circumstances, it's... a lot."
Sabine nods on the other end.
"I know, honey, I know. Alright, let me send him down for you. Hang in there. Love you."
"Love you, too. Bye."
She hangs up, puts her phone back in her bag, and sighs. Resting her head back on Adrien's, she focuses on the sound of his breathing. In, out. In, out. In, out.
It's calming, to say the least. Especially since he's been riddled with anxiety since yesterday, it makes her feel a bit better that he doesn't have to think about anything while he's asleep. But at the same time, it brings a frown to her face knowing that he will only get peace and quiet now when he rests. He deserves more of it, but she knows that won't be possible for a while.
And like the universe just wants to prove everything to her, the bell rings, waking Adrien up. He groans, rubbing his eyes and yawning. His eyes wearily watch all of the students rush past him, before they land on the pretty bluenette he's leaning on.
"How long was I out?" He asks, yawning once again.
"Only about ten minutes, Chaton. Did it feel nice, at least?"
His eyes widen at the nickname before he realizes that it's very loud in the hallway, and that no one was listening to their conversation.
He shrugs.
"It was okay, I guess."
She nods.
"I called my mom. She's sending Papa down soon to pick us up, before the news gets out. Plagg said that it'd be better if we weren't here when that happens. We know everyone would go crazy. Especially Alya," she rolls her eyes.
Adrien rolls his eyes as well.
"Yeah, true. Sounds good to me. And my head doesn't hurt as much, so that's a plus. Hopefully I can make it through today."
Marinette sends him a sad smile, grabbing one of his hands and giving it a little squeeze.
"It's gonna be a rough couple of months. But I'll be here for you through all of it. You know that, right?"
He nods, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
"Thanks, Bugaboo."
Her sad smile turns into a hopeful one, making him grin as well.
"Alright," she grunts, pulling away from him and standing up. "Let's go to the front office and wait for my dad."
She offers a hand to the blonde, who takes it gratefully, using it as leverage to pull him up from the ground. Then, they grab their backpacks and start heading towards the front office. Adrien tries to ignore the looks, but no avail. His good mood dies along with his confidence, and by the time they arrive, he is just as exhausted as before.
Marinette notices, but doesn't say anything. She just gives his nose a peck and pushes him down on one of the chairs. Then she waltzes over to the front desk with confidence, and he watches with a smile.
She lets the woman at the desk know about the situation (as much as she can indulge) and sits down next to Adrien, deciding to grab his hand.
He chuckles. She's so cute.
"Hey, I know we haven't officially gone out on a date yet but can I call you my girlfriend?" He whispers, rubbing a thumb over her hand absentmindedly.
"Well, kitty… I want to call you my boyfriend, so I guess we can make that a thing," she smirks.
Adrien nods, a small smile falling over his features.
"Good."
"Good."
The ride to Marinette's house was quiet, but not in the uncomfortable way. Which is actually kind of weird because whenever Adrien is around Tom, he never stops talking. Ever.
Maybe it's the circumstances, maybe there's traffic, who knows. Mr. Dupain simply focuses on the road, occasionally glancing in the rear-view mirror at the teenagers, but otherwise ignoring them at all costs.
Even Marinette finds it weird, but she doesn't say a word.
Because sitting in the backseat with her boyfriend, head resting on his shoulder as Jagged Stone plays distantly on the radio, with him rubbing his thumb over her knuckle... and the now-faint scent of Adrien: The Fragrance blessing her nostrils... she can't find it in herself to complain. Because despite the saddening circumstances, she's happy. Happy to finally be with the boy she's loved since she was fourteen; happy to be holding his hand; happy to be sitting in the back of a car with him, snuggling into his side.
She feels like she's where she is meant to be. She feels at home.
Adrien does, as well. He feels at home with Marinette. Her soft hair rubs against his neck as she lies against him, and the smell of blueberry-flavored pastries calms him immensely. After years of isolation in his father's mansion, moving into a cramped little apartment above a bakery is exactly what he needed. Her parents were welcoming and loving, and she made him feel comfortable whenever they were together. School used to be his safe haven, but now... it's her.
He doesn't even want to think about the rest of the day, and how everyone will look at him as an accomplice to his father's crimes or send him pity. All he wants is to escape this reality and to him, the best way of doing that is to cuddle with his girlfriend (he's so happy he gets to call her that).
Because she's really the sweetest and most understanding person that he knows at the moment — the only person he can really trust.
Once they arrive at the bakery, Adrien steps out of the vehicle and offers Marinette a hand.
"I shall lead the way, m'lady."
She giggles at his cute gesture, taking his hand and stepping out the car, making sure to close the door behind her.
"Subtle much," she leans up to whisper in his ear, "Chaton?"
He shrugs, the grin not leaving his face.
Sabine greets the young couple as they walk in behind her husband, unable to hide her melancholy smile.
"How bad was it?"
Adrien bites his lip, not wanting to respond, but ultimately decides to be polite and answer the woman that is so kindly putting him up for while. It would be rude not to.
"Lots of people were staring, I just couldn't take it. Gave me a huge headache."
And now that he's mentioned it, the pain seems to start again. He brings his free hand up to his forehead to rub it, shutting his eyes tightly.
"Would you like some painkillers and some green tea, honey? Let me go grab you a croissant!"
Adrien winces, not wanting these people to waste any of their food or time on him, feeling like he's already imposing way too much. Marinette seems to notice this and gives his hand a light squeeze.
Tom notifies his wife that they are out of green tea packets, in which Sabine frowns.
"Can you go to the store and get some? Oh, and while you're there, we need some milk," she asks him quietly.
Adrien wonders if he was meant to hear that. His chest tightens as he feels a pang of guilt.
"You really don't have to—"
"Go ahead and lay down for a bit, Adrien."
Apparently Sabine didn't want to hear any of it. Her voice held an undertone that he knows all too well from his father: do not question my authority.
It makes him shiver.
He does as he is told, pulling Mari down with him.
Marinette watches him worriedly. She could tell that his entire demeanor shifted when her mother interrupted him. He almost seemed… scared. Which makes sense, she rationalizes, since all the adults in his life have either turned out to be supervillians or just plain abusive. Actually, not Gorilla. He's the exception here, even when counting his akumatized identity.
She just wishes that he wouldn't be so afraid of her parents. Well, her dad, she gets; he was very horrifying as Weredad, and now knowing that Adrien is Chat Noir, it makes sense why he would be afraid of him. But her mom? She was extremely kind, albeit a bit protective. If anything, that should comfort Adrien, not frighten him.
Her worry stays, but it's laced with more confusion now than ever. Adrien stares at the TV, which is teasing an upcoming game of baseball, eyes glazed over. She can tell he's not here anymore, he's lost in his thoughts, and she's starting to learn that's not a good thing with him.
Suddenly, his grip on her hand tightens so much that she can see her fingers go white, but she says nothing. His breathing quickens, becoming shallow, and his legs and arms start visibly shaking.
Marinette snaps out of her observant trance, realizing that something is very wrong.
"Adrien? Hey, you in there?"
He ignores her, still shaking, still keeping the vice-like grip on her hand.
"CHAT? Adrien, please calm down!"
She barely registers the small black creature flying in front of Adrien's face.
"Hey, Kid! Kiiiiiiiiiiid!"
No response. His breathing quickens even more, and she wasn't even sure that was possible.
"Adrien! I want Camembert! Snap out of it, you're scaring me!"
At those words, Marinette looks at the kwami. She's never heard such sweet words come out of his mouth before. She shakes her head. Now is not the time.
"Adrien," her eyes fill with tears.
"Tikki!" She exclaims, calling to her own kwami. With a shaky hand, she pops her bag open, letting the red demigod fly out and inspect the scene.
"Okay, guys. Stay calm. Don't panic with him, it will only make him freak out more."
Marinette shakes her head.
"He's panicking?!"
Plagg sighs exasperatedly.
"The kid has these all the time. It might be better if there weren't so many of us here. I can tell it's overwhelming him," he says seriously.
Tikki nods, flying out of the way. Marinette stares at her incredulously.
"Can't you heal him?!"
The red kwami shakes her head.
"That's not what my healing powers are used for, Marinette. Let Plagg handle this."
Marinette looks back to the boy next to her, then to Plagg, and back to Tikki. She exhales and gives her a firm nod.
Plagg takes over.
"Alright kid. I need you to tell me three things you see in front of you. Go."
Adrien's shallow breathing still persists, but he seems to hear the creature. His glazed over eyes start to dart around the room.
"T-TV," he stutters, so quietly that she can barely hear it.
"Good. What else?"
His breathing slows. Not too much, but just enough to where Marinette notices a difference.
"U-Uh, um… You-you."
Plagg nods, crossing his arms.
"One more."
Adrien moves his head this time, looking to his left.
"The-the win-" a sharp intake of breath, "-dow. Window."
"Okay. Something you're touching."
She feels his fingers wiggle in her grasp, and his grip loosens.
"Ma-Mari," he clears his throat, shaking his head.
His breathing has slowed significantly now, which calms her down.
"Yeah, and name three things you can hear."
Marinette and Tikki just watch in amazement as Plagg expertly grounds his chosen, effectively calming him down enough to where he isn't even shaking anymore. She wants to be happy that he's okay now, but… Plagg should NOT be that experienced with this. It makes her worry just how many times Adrien has had panic attacks, where there was no one else around.
This thought makes her heart sink to her stomach.
What did Adrien do when he didn't have Plagg?
Suddenly she's extremely grateful for Master Fu's choice. He must've known Adrien needed an escape.
"Plagg, that was awesome!" Tikki tackles her counterpart in a small hug. "But you did it wrong."
Plagg's eyes narrow. "How so?"
"It's supposed to be 5-4-3-2-1, not 3-1-3-2-1!"
"Does it matter?! The kid's fine now, and you did nothing!"
"You didn't want me to do anything!"
"GUYS! Shut up, Adrien has a headache," Marinette says exasperatedly.
Indeed, Adrien does still have a headache. It almost feels worse now, and he feels like he can sleep for hours.
"Hey," she whispers to her boyfriend, releasing his now-sweaty hand.
All he does is shut his eyes in response, taking a deep breath.
Sabine decides to enter the room now. She halts momentarily at the sight of the kwamis, but continues into the room anyways.
"I have a croissant, some Ibuprofen, and some wat—"
The mother notices the state that Adrien is in and steps closer to him, cautiously.
"He already had some painkillers, Maman."
"Oh, alright. Well... Adrien? Sweetie, are you alright?"
She makes sure to set down everything on the coffee table in front of him (excluding the Ibuprofen) as he responds.
"Yeah… T-th-thanks."
She narrows her eyes worriedly, before looking at her daughter.
"He had a panic attack. I didn't know what to do, but Plagg calmed him down. Oh, Plagg is his kwami. Sorry," she offers, rushed and dazed.
Her eyes soften as she looks to the young boy once again.
"Hey, I have a croissant here for you, if you get hungry. It's caramel-apple flavored…"
Just as she hoped, she got a small reaction out of that. A split-second smile that didn't reach his eyes, but she'll take it.
Reluctantly, she leaves the two teenagers sitting in her living room. At least they have their kwamis to look over them. That thought settled her racing heart quite a bit.
Marinette watches her boyfriend closely, and is about to say something when—
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The noise startles her. She pulls her phone out of her back pocket, looking at the caller ID.
Alya Cesaire.
She rolls her eyes. Her best friend doesn't have the best timing.
Pressing the green button, she puts the phone up to her ear.
"Hey, Alya. What's—"
"MARINETTE, ARE YOU WITH ADRIEN RIGHT NOW?!"
Her eyebrows furrow.
"Yes, why?"
"They just announced why his dad was arrested. Where are you guys?"
Well shit. Here comes the next reveal.
"We're at my house, but school is still—"
"Nino and I are coming over. Lunch is in 20 minutes, anyway. We won't be missing much, and honestly, I love her but Miss Bustier can kiss my ass."
Marinette giggles as Adrien lies against the couch, with his head leaned all the way back. He brings an arm over his eyes, and exhales heavily.
He could tell from a mile away that Alya is on the phone. Her voice booms so loud, he's convinced she wouldn't even need a microphone at her own concert.
"—be careful. Love you! See you soon. Ok ok! Bye!"
She hangs up the phone, letting out a huff of air.
"That was Alya. She and Nino are heading over right now."
Adrien wants to make a witty retort about Aly and how loud she is, just as he had thought, but his energy level is very low. So he simply settles for a nod.
There's a pregnant pause as Marinette slouches next to him, setting her phone down at her side, before she speaks again.
"We'll have to tell them everything."
She feels him nod.
"I know."
"Oh, Nino is Carapace, by the way. Alya is Rena Rouge," she adds as an afterthought.
Under his arm, he raises an eyebrow.
"Hmm. I can see it," is all he says.
Marinette expected more of a reaction, but she supposes that dramatic reactions can be quite exhausting when you just had a panic attack.
Suddenly, he groans.
"I don't wanna explain everything again."
"It's okay, I will—"
Two small demigods appear in front of her, and she blinks. The words seem to dissipate at the sight of them.
Magic is weird, she decides.
Plagg speaks up.
"Kid, don't stress over anything, okay? Sugarcube and I got this!"
Tikki snorts, "Plagg, they won't... WAIT. YEAH! They've both been given a Miraculous before! They know what we are!"
Said black kwami hmphs and crosses his arms, turning away from her.
"I'm not always thinking with my stomach! Trust me sometimes, Sugarcube!"
Tikki rolls her eyes and turns to Adrien.
"Let Marinette handle it, and Plagg and I will talk, too. Don't worry about anything."
At this confirmation, Adrien takes his arm off his eyes while bringing his head back level with the other beings next to (or in front of) him.
He flashes a smile at the kwamis.
"Thanks guys," he turns to Marinette, "thank you."
The sincerity in his voice makes her heart flutter. Her eyes and nose crinkle as she grins cheekily.
"Always."
Five minutes later, Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe are being ushered into the Dupain-Cheng household. Before they realize it, they are standing in front of their best friends.
"Yo, dude!"
"Girl! I need an update!"
Marinette laughs, and Adrien tries to as well.
"Hey guys, wanna sit down? There's a lot to talk about," the bluenette offers.
Alya, with her hands on her hips, scoffs.
"You're telling me! I'm okay standing, thank you."
Nino, however, takes the offer. He sits down at his best bro's feet, patiently waiting for any explanation.
Finally, Marinette takes a deep breath.
"So you guys saw the news, you said? They announced why Adrien's father was arrested and—"
"—Yes!" Alya interjects.
"He's Hawkmoth," she continues, then shakes her head, "Damn, that must have sucked to find out."
Adrien simply shrugs, having been scolded by his kwami just minutes before:
"Don't say ANYTHING, got it?" Plagg demands. "I mean it! If you do say something, I will not hesitate to put Camembert down your pants!"
He cringes thinking back to it. The last thing he needs right now is smelly pants and the texture of Camembert against his skin. Ew. Just ew.
"Yeah, dude. So how'd you find out? Marinette, you must know about it too. Were you there or something?"
At this, she takes another deep breath.
"Alright. There's gonna be like... five bombs going off at once here. Alya, please do not post any of this on the Ladyblog," she glares at the girl.
Alya shrinks under her glare, but nods. She straightens her shoulders and Nino bites his bottom lip, both getting ready for the... bombs, as Marinette called it.
The bluenette breathes, "Okay.
"I'm Ladybug. Adrien is Chat Noir."
She tries to ignore the shocked expressions on her friends' faces.
"And we found out that his dad is Hawkmoth purely out of luck. Or rather, by his bad timing. We had been on a midday patrol yesterday, and we came across Gabriel looking really... confused. It was kind of far away from his mansion, so we followed him, from afar of course, to make sure he got home safely.
"What we didn't expect was for him to turn the corner into an alleyway, which we assumed wasn't his normal route, so we jumped down from whatever building we were on and followed from afar that way, and a small kwami came out of hiding. Nooroo, the Butterfly kwami. He has been missing for years and it's common knowledge among holders and the Guardian of the Miraculous that whoever possessed the Butterfly and Peacock miraculous must be Hawkmoth.
"And personally, I thought that it couldn't have been Gabriel because we had defeated his akumatized self a while ago. Remember 'The Collector'? That was him. Basically, we were suspecting him but he akumatized himself so we wouldn't think it was him. Anyway! I'm getting off track."
Marinette shakes her head, shutting her eyes for a split second before she gets back to her story.
"It wasn't until we saw his kwami that we stopped walking and I said something. I was like, 'Gabriel Agreste'? And I'm pretty sure Chat was shocked still for a moment, but he was the one who took charge and demanded his miraculous and everything. Then he revealed himself as Adrien, we got his miraculous, and we left the scene."
She lets out a huge breath, not realizing that she had even been holding it in. Then, she looks to Alya.
Her best friend looked mortified: her mouth was agape, her hands were pulled into fists, and her eyes portrayed a mix of anger and concern as she looked at Adrien.
Then she glanced over at Nino. His head is tilted down, legs are pulled up to his chest, and she couldn't see his face, as his hand rested on his baseball cap. Slowly, he shakes his head back and forth.
Finally, she looks over at her boyfriend. His eyes are trained on the floor and he's wringing his hands together, clearly anxious.
Marinette snaps out of her short trance. She puts a hand on Adrien's leg, which grabs his attention. He looks to her and smiles sadly, showing no teeth.
Alya is the first one to break the silence.
"Wow. Um. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I guess, there's no other way you could have found out. I mean, you guys don't normally hang out much outside of school, because Marinette can't talk around you, Adrien, but..."
The only blonde in the room inhales slowly as the girl rambles, subconsciously wishing for the girl to take a second and breathe.
But he gets it. He himself had trouble breathing about an hour ago, anyways; he just wouldn't wish that on anyone else.
Nino speaks up next, "Yeah bro. This is... that must've been..."
Adrien stares at his friend as he struggles for the right word.
The young DJ licks his lips, picking up his head up and deciding to try a different approach.
"Are you doing okay?"
It takes a moment, as Adrien ponders whether he should be truthful or fib a little. Nodding his head would indicate that everything that just happened to him the day before didn't affect him in any way, shape or form...
He shakes his head.
"No, not right now. There's still a lot to take care of, too, so I can't really..." he trails off.
"KID!" Plagg phases out of his over-shirt, then floats in front of his chosen's face. "I thought I told you not to say anything!"
Adrien shrugs.
Marinette catches the raised eyebrow of the aspiring journalist in front of her, and chuckles.
"This is Plagg. He's the kwami of destruction, and he likes Camembert cheese. Steer clear at all costs," she teases.
Plagg turns to her with a scowl.
"My cheese is delicious—"
A small red being comes to her rescue.
"Don't take it personal, you stinky sock!" She scolds, then turns to Alya.
"Hello! My name is Tikki! I give Marinette the power of creation! Nice to meet you!"
At this, Alya smiles.
"It's nice to meet you, as well. You're adorable."
Tikki blushes (not that anyone can tell; her natural color covers up any extra color on the scarlet spectrum).
"Thank you!"
Deciding that he should greet the black kwami, Nino pushes his legs out from their previously tucked-up position and strikes up a small conversation with him.
"Plagg... you're so cool, dude. Super dope," he compliments.
Plagg crosses his small arms, huffing.
"At least someone appreciates me!"
Adrien rolls his eyes, "I appreciate you, Plagg. You are cool. Super cool. The coolest. Your cataclysm is purrfect!"
Nino laughs, noting the most prominent similarity between his best bud and his favorite superhero: the puns. He almost forgets about everything Adrien is going through — almost. His eyes are still softened, as his heart fills with phantom pain for his best friend. He wishes he could take it all away.
"Okay!"
Tikki's voice brings Nino out of his thoughts.
"Like Adrien said, there is a lot to take care of before this is all over. Yes, his father was taken into custody right when he returned home yesterday. And yes, Marinette has the Butterfly miraculous safe and sound. But Gabriel either still has the Peacock miraculous with him or it's still at the mansion. If it's at the mansion, it will be an easy retrieval. If it's with him in prison, we're all in danger."
Alya shakes her head, "Prisoners are subject to searches. I'm sure that if he had it with him, the police have found it and are keeping it somewhere."
Marinette nods, glad to have another voice of reason, but then dread fills her stomach.
"But if it gets into the wrong hands..."
Nino shakes his head, reaching over to place a hand on her knee.
"It's already been in the wrong hands. We can trust the police. I would go over soon, though, and get it as quick as possible."
Adrien gulps, licks his lips, and takes a deep breath. Plagg is about to start freaking out, afraid that his kid is about to say something stupid—
"They would need me to go in. They won't give any of his stuff to someone who isn't family. And honestly? I'm not ready to do anything that has to do with him right now."
Well, Plagg reasons, it wasn't stupid. Just depressing.
Nino nods, "It's ok, dude. We'll check your house first, and make sure it isn't there. We can do that, right?"
The blonde teen nods, but then shakes his head.
"I was gonna say you can, but there's a pin to his safe that I can't tell you guys."
Marinette's eyes widen as Nino responds, "But your dad can't keep you from—"
"The grimoire," is all she says.
She turns to Adrien eagerly.
"The grimoire is in that safe, right?"
He nods.
She smiles, "Good! Then I can bring it back to Master Fu so he can—"
The superheroine cuts herself off with a frown.
"But I'm the guardian now. And I don't know how to decipher all those codes!"
Alya quirks an eyebrow at her best friend.
"Girl, chill out. Everything happens for a reason, and at the right time. Maybe you don't need to know all that stuff yet."
This relieves Marinette, albeit for only a moment, before she remembers more details from the unveiling of Hawkmoth.
The wish.
He wished to bring back his wife. Adrien's mother. She's dead, and that would mean a life for a life, and—
"My wife is not dead! She is in a suspended state."
The memory hits her like a ton of bricks.
She slaps a hand on her boyfriend's forearm, startling him.
"Your mother."
His breath hitches.
"What about her?"
She racks her brain, trying to figure out a way to explain, before shaking her head.
"Your dad said she wasn't dead, that's she's just in a 'suspended state'. And once he mentioned that, he never mentioned it again! He probably didn't mean to say that!"
His eyes widen.
"I thought he was just lying."
She shakes her head vigorously, "No, that can't be it."
Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath. She notices her strong grip on his forearm and lets it go, muttering a small apology.
Adrien's head spins.
His mother could be dead, but she could also still be alive, just barely. If she was still alive, where was she?
Fath–Gabriel had always said that she disappeared. The word always put a bitter taste in his mouth, and he could never figure out why.
He always assumed that his father just wanted to omit any term relating to death, both for him and those in the fashion industry.
Adrien's eyes narrow.
But why would he have to hide her death? Why couldn't he say that she died? Adrien doesn't think that would negatively impact the company; if anything, it would boost sales, due to pity from supporters. It confuses him.
Why was he being so damn secretive about it?
He thinks back to every encounter he's had with his father in the last two years. There's not many. But one moment in particular stands out.
"There's something important I have to talk to you about. I think about telling you every day, but I don't know how to find the right words," father had said.
"I think I already know, father."
"But, how?"
"I've noticed how close you and Nathalie have become. If she can make you happy again, then... as far as I'm concerned, she's already part of our family."
He had looked angry.
"How could you possibly think such a thing? Nobody could ever replace your mother. As long as she is still in our hearts, she lives on."
'As long as she is still in our hearts, she lives on...'
Adrien's not sure why, but this phrase lingers above him. He wants it to perish, but it won't. The tone in which is father said it was just... too harsh. Too defensive.
She lives on...
The remaining teenagers and kwami in the room jump at the blonde boy's sudden gasp.
"She's still alive, she has to be," he mutters.
Marinette, Alya, and Nino exchange worried glances. All seem to notice that Adrien's gears are turning, as though he's nearing a revelation.
Another gasp.
"Th-there's this, uhm..." Marinette hears him gulp, "this garden, in the basement, that I've heard father mention a few times."
Plagg, who has taken to nuzzling up to his owner's neck, is instantly aware of his short breaths and rapid heartbeat. He forces out as long of a purr as he can muster, knowing it calms him.
It does, but only a little.
"I don't think I was- was supposed to hear anything, b-but... but, um. He was talking to Nathalie, saying that he was gonna g-go down to the garden and spea-speak to her."
From this confession, everything stills. The silence is deafening as the teenagers and kwami comprehend his words.
Surprisingly, Nino is the first one who understands. Tikki could tell by the way his eyes widen and how he slaps a hand over his mouth.
"Dude, your mom is... she's..."
Adrien gulps, nodding.
"She's still alive, and he's keeping her in the basement."
It's unanimous.
Holy shit.
I mean, that was my reaction ;)
Also, writing action scenes aren't my thing so I won't be including any of that. If that's what you came for, sorry not sorry. Just enjoy the big doses of angst and Adrienette ;)
Lastly, considering there's not going to be many chapters (there's only 4 planned out), I see no reason to have a set posting schedule. I THINK I WILL POST ONCE A WEEK. This chapter was already halfway done when I posted the last one, so that's why this is such a quick update. I don't know what day I will post the next chapter next week, but just be ready!
As always, thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews!
xx Elisabeth
