Ch 4 – Heartbeat

Lub-dub…

Adrien felt foggy.

Lub-dub…

Can a person be foggy? Can a foggy be person…? Wait, can a…? Ahhh! Adrien took a sharp intake of air, as his head erupted in pain. Ugh, what happened?! With shallow breaths, he managed the pounding agony in his skull. Maybe I'm sick, and Father will let me… let me stay in bed. Mom always… let me… me… in bed when… am I… in bed? Where… am I?

Adrien opened his eyes, and for a moment, he was lost. Did Father add a skylight to the ceiling? No… wait… This wasn't his bedroom. Laying on his back, he saw a patch of blue peeking through gray clouds. That's pretty, he thought as dark little spots clouded the corners of his vision.

I think… something happened. His eyes drifted shut. Something bad… What… was it?

It took him a moment to remember. I fell. Did I fall?… Or maybe, I'm… still falling…

Falling… I'm falling… falling into a deep far… into a dark fog.

Honestly, it wasn't so bad in the fog. The pain didn't bother him here. There were noises and things trying to wake him up, but Adrien couldn't have found his way out of oblivion even if he wanted to.

Who could save him? Who knew where he was, and more importantly, who knew he was in trouble?

Not his father.

Not Natalie.

Not his friends from school.

Not Ladybug.

And not Master Fu… but there was still one person…

"ADRIENNNN!" Plagg wailed as he flew to the bottom of the alleyway. At first, he feared the worst had already happened. He blurred over the boy's eyes and mouth, searching for signs of life until he finally pressed an ear to his master's chest.

After an excruciating moment, he heard it. Lub-dub.

He's alive! Plagg could've swam in the wave of relief that hit him.

Lub… Lub… lub-du…dadadadadada…

Oh-no. Plagg's relief evaporated as he realized there was a high chance his boy wouldn't last much longer. "Come on, Adrien! Hang on!" Plagg had to do something. He had to find help. He had to save his boy…

His mind raced for a solution. Who could help? Who could fix this? Even Tikki couldn't repair damage unless it was caused by a Miraculous Holder or a Kwami…

A Kwami… A kwami who could heal… Daizzi! His fellow resident of the Miracle Box could grant the Power of Healing, and she more than capable of healing on her own. If he could just get her here…

Plagg zipped through the air towards the Miracle Box, but a choked sound stopped him short. Returning to the mouth of the alley, he watched Adrien gasp for air as he gurgled blood. He was suffocating, fighting for each breath.

Plagg couldn't leave him like this. He WOULDN'T leave him like this. If worst came to worst, Adrien would not die alone. No! He won't die at all! I can't let that happen. What was the point of having all his power, if Plagg couldn't stop his boy from dying?

An idea came to mind. A last desperate act… No, no, no, we're not there yet. But with his little head pressed to Adrien' chest, he still realized that there was a terrifying delay before the next lub….… dub.

Adrien needed help, but Plagg couldn't leave his side long enough to go get someone.

Fortunately for them, help was on her way.

"Please, Marinette, I need to save Chat Noir."

"Of course, Tikki. We'll transform and…"

"No, Marinette. If you come, you could learn his secret identity. Under no circumstances can you know who is behind his mask…"

"Yes, right. I'm sorry." Marinette said. "Ok, Tikki, go help him. I'll find Master Fu!"

Tikki didn't need to be told twice. She nodded and spirited away before Marinette had finished the sentence.

When Adrien fell silent again, Plagg panicked. He zoomed to Adrien's face, smacking him in hopes it'd get a reaction.

"Come on, Adrien! Wake up!" Adrien eyes fluttered open, and he released a weak breath. Then, the eyes shut. No! No! No! No! No! No! "I swear Adrien if you pull though this, I'll give up Camembert for a month… Or at least, a week," he amended, being more realistic.

But it was no use. Nothing Plagg said or did got another response from Adrien.

"NOOOO!" Plagg pressed his head to Adrien's chest, listening for his master's heart. There was soft trembling, followed by a weak lub…

Then, nothing.

No breath. No heartbeat. No choking. Not even the weak fluttering of a heart trying to go on. There was nothing. Nothing but the greatest silence of Plagg's life.

If there was ever a time for desperate acts, it was now. Plagg knew what he had to do. There was only one way to save Adrien, but Plagg couldn't do it alone.

No sooner had Plagg figured it out, than a small red and black blur appeared. "Plagg! Pla-" Tikki stopped short when she saw what was left of the once beautiful Adrien Agreste. "What happened?" She murmured.

"We de-transformed, and Adrien fell…. You've gotta help me save him..."

Like Plagg, Tikki pressed her small head to Adrien's chest. "Plagg," she whispered, "I think…"

"It's not too late!" Plagg snapped. "We can do this. If we merge our powers, we'll get one Wish. We can save him…"

"Plagg, we can't. If we save Adrien's life that way, it'll come at a cost. Someone else will lose their life to preserve the balance. We've seen this play out before. Likely it'll be someone close to Adrien that dies. Do you really want to bring him back and explain that we're the reason his father or mentor or friend is dead? Can you really sacrifice one life to save another?"

"I'll do it."

"What?!" Tikki answered, aghast. "Plagg, I've known you to do some selfish things over the years, but sacrificing a stranger to …"

"I won't," he cut in. "I won't sacrifice a stranger." His huffed as though insulted that she'd even suggest such a thing. Then, his lips quirked upwards. "I'll sacrifice myself."

Tikki was dumbfounded. Plagg's impish smile indicated he was joking, but how could a person joke at a time like this? Oh, right, Tikki thought, this is Plagg we're talking about. Her eyes narrowed. "This isn't funny."

"I never said it was, Sugarcube."

"Plaaaaagg," she warned.

"What we need is to exchange a life for a life. We can trade mine for Adrien's…"

"What?… You… We…" She searched for a reason that'd explain why this was a TERRIBLE plan. "Plagg, stop messing around. We… They… Paris will need BOTH of us to defeat Hawkmoth. I can't… I mean, my Ladybug and I can't do this without you…"

Oh, if looks could kill. You'd have thought she'd stolen his entire stash of Camembert. "I am NOT messing around, and if it worries you that much, Sugarcube, I'll just have to turn over my full power set to him."

"Plagg, no! No human has the right to wield all our power. They might abuse it."

Plagg was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Adrien would never do such a thing. If anything, he'd probably wield Plagg's power better than Plagg ever had. But it was a moot point anyway, Plagg wouldn't let Adrien die. For all his jokes and irreverence, Plagg loved this boy. Adrien was the best owner he'd ever had, and he'd been bonding with humans for a very long time.

Furthermore, Plagg couldn't help but feel that Adrien deserved this. He deserved to live. He was the nicest kid you could ever meet despite having every reason to be a spoiled, rich brat. His mom was gone. His father was cold (and borderline abusive). Adrien was rich enough to have anything he could ever want, but he never took advantage of his wealth. He loved his friends. He was loyal, selfless. An amazing kid, a great superhero, and a wonderful owner. Tikki might think she'd lucked out with Marinette, but Plagg knew that, of the two of them, Adrien was the better kid.

He'd never met anyone like Adrien. There was no one else who deserved a long, happy life as much as that boy did. Adrien deserved better than to die alone in an alley. He deserved to live. He deserved to be happy.

"You can help me… or you can get out of my way because either way, I'm doing this." He landed on Adrien's cheek, nuzzling it. "The Wish will save his life. And transferring my power will ensure Paris keeps the hero it needs. Everybody wins." He lifted his eyes to his counterpart. "But don't be too worried, Sugarcube." The smirk was back. "I have an entire kilo of Bleu d'Auvergne waiting for me at home. I have no intention to let that go to waste. You WILL see me again… someday."

Tikki didn't look convinced. "Promise?"

"Would I ever joke about cheese?"

In spite of the seriousness of the moment, Tikki couldn't stifle a laugh. "Never," she said. She had never seen Plagg so determined to save one of their owners, and they'd known each other since the dawn of time. She looked again to the battered body on the ground, to Adrien's golden hair soaked red, his chest unnaturally still…

Then, she looked to Plagg. "Ok," she murmured. "How can I help?"

Plagg curled up on his master's chest, knowing that it might be for the last time.

Even now, he could smell the lingering scent of the empty Camembert box hidden in Adrien's shirt. The stinky sweet odor almost had the little cat purring as he closed his eyes.

He released a contented sigh. The Universe had been kind enough to grant his wish, and now it was just a matter of time before the exchange was complete.

Plagg waited for… Lub-dub.

It was working. Lub-dub… Plagg could've broke into song. He'd saved his boy! Lub-dub; Lub-dub.

Another Kwami might have spent their final moments fretting over what'd happen next. After all, such an epic transfer of power was sure to have consequences. But Plagg wasn't like most Kwamis. He suspected that people like Master Fu and Tikki might say that he had planned this. (It was just the rebellious sort of thing that Plagg was famous for).

But the truth was that Plagg hadn't planned it.

He hadn't planned any of it.

Ha hadn't planned on breaking the rules.

He hadn't considered the consequences.

He'd just wanted to save Adrien's life.

And he was willing to do it at all costs.

Around him, Plagg felt Adrien stirring… but he also felt himself fading. Such an incredible transfer of power came with consequences.

It came at a cost.

As Plagg stared that cost in the face, he wondered if, when it was all over, the ends would justify the means, but then he heard Adrien's labored breath, and he knew it would. His boy would be alright. Adrien would've died if not for Plagg's quick thinking... and sacrifice.

That was all that mattered. Any guilt Plagg might've felt over his actions evaporated as his thoughts became muddled.

Adrien was worth this.

He was worth all the incoming fallout and then some.

The Kwami relaxed, his mind adrift. When Adrien woke up, there'd be a lot of questions, but Plagg was beyond worrying about them now. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady beat of Adrien's heart grow stronger.

It was going to be ok.

Adrien was going to be ok.

Paris was going to be ok.

Everything would be ok… Plagg just wouldn't be around to see it.

Author's Note: Hi all, Thank you so much for the support. I'm really sorry for the wait... and for the cost to Plagg (assuming this is the end for my favorite Kwami...).

Side Note regarding Daizzi's Power of healing: That is total Hogwash. When I originally wrote the bulk of this story, it was before the episode Chat Blanc aired AND before we got to meet Viperon. In the first draft of my story, Plagg went to get Sass, the snake Kwami (who I'd made the Kwami of Wisdom and Healing). But then, the Serpent Miraculous was revealed to have other powers so I switched it to the Pig Kwami... and ended up cutting her presence from the story altogether because I really wanted Plagg to be the one to save Adrien.

Those who believe dogs are man's best friend, have never known what it's like to earn the love of a cat. :)

Thanks for reading. I hope to get the next chapter out soon.