Let's take breath, shall we?
—
Paris was a city trapped in time. The rain blurred the past from the future, the happy and the sad, the night and the day. Erik Satie tried to emulate this effect with his Gymnopedie, and the impressionist painters worked with soft edges to create an atmosphere of calming mystery.
Here, on the sidewalk somewhere in Montparnasse, Adrien and Marinette, or rather, Grimalkin and Lady Lacrima, stood in the haze, freedom and imprisonment blurring lines. They were out, Salo was dead…
But it didn't really feel real.
Lady Lacrima stood back and looked to her partner.
His eyes were dilated, a small smile on his lips. He ever so gently reached up and brushed her bangs out of her face.
Returning his smile, she took his hand and interlaced their fingers. Then they started to walk.
It was too wet to take to the rooftops, and in this weather, no one was out. Still, as they walked, they passed big picture windows. Businesses closed for the night, cafés dimmed with candlelight, people in their own little bubbles, completely unaware of the monsters stalking outside.
They walked passed a salon, empty, save for a woman with a blonde bun sweeping. The lights were warm, and the atmosphere looked friendly and inviting. There was a tv on the wall, with Nadja on the screen. She was reporting on them. A screen capture of their final words to the camera shown on a small screen next to her. Lady Lacrima couldn't hear what was being said, but by the grave look on Nadja's face, it wasn't good.
Without much thought, Lady Lacrima pushed on the door, and went inside.
The air smelled of chemicals, of hairspray and dye. But also fruity and clean. Soft music played as the woman worked.
"Just a second!" Called the woman, alerted by a bell at their entrance. She leaned the broom against the wall. "I'm so sorry, we're about to close, but I can take you down for an appointment to—AHHH!" She spoke before turning around, but when she saw them in their appearance, she shrieked.
Neither of the akuma reacted to it, considering the amount of screams they had heard not so long ago.
Another woman with short black hair ran out of the back room at the scream and skittered to a stop at the sight of them. She looked like she was about to scream too, but held it back.
"We wanted out of the rain." Explained Lady Lacrima, blankly.
The blonde woman snatched up the broom like a weapon, trembling in her limbs.
But the other woman relaxed ever so slightly, and took a few steps towards them. "Marinette? Honey, it's me, Jillian. You remember right?"
"…Jillian?"
"That's right. I cut your hair every few months. It's alright." She took another step towards her, but Grimalkin stood in between and hissed.
"Oh! And Adrien! We've…we've never met, but we're all big fans of yours." She pointed to a poster on the wall, an old ad with his face on it.
Grimalkin's eye twitched, but he calmed down slightly.
Jillian looked to her coworker. "Kelly, put that thing down. We have guests."
"Didn't you just see the news?" Kelly whispered harshly. "They just murdered like ten people."
"Fourteen." Lady Lacrima clarified. "We killed fourteen people."
"See!?"
Jillian took a shaky breath. "Look…I'm not…I'm not sure what we should do in this scenario."
"We should call the police!" Shouted Kelly.
Grimalkin snarled, getting on edge again.
Jillian hushed her. "Would you calm down a second?"
"No!"
"They've been through a lot of trauma, okay? I'm not going to pretend like those people didn't deserve it—"
"Oh they definitely did!" Kelly agreed. "I'm just saying—"
"Look at them Kelly." Jillian gestured. "They're tired, dirty, and hurt. I'm sure there's going to be a whirlwind of police and hospitals and…whatever. Let's just…give them a few minutes out of the rain, okay? Where they can breathe and…I don't know, relax?"
Marinette frowned to herself. Relax? What did that mean anymore?
"Marinette honey," Jillian said walking closer. "Your hair is disgusting." She chuckled.
That was something Lady Lacrima couldn't argue with, and she twitched her lip in a smile.
"Can I wash your hair? Give you a trim? It might make you feel better."
Feel better. That's all they wanted. They wanted all this rage and pain and hurt to go away.
She nodded stiltedly.
Kelly seemed to come to grips with what they were doing and smiled a little more at Grimalkin. "And what about you Adrien? Would you like your hair washed? I know cats don't really like water…" She chuckled.
The joke made Grimalkin's eyes dilate and his ears perk up. He looked to his lady, asking her to answer.
She met his gaze, translating his look. "As long as he can keep an eye on me."
"Of course! We'll put you right next to each other, and you can hold hands!" Jillian grinned. "C'mon, right here. Just settle in and relax." She gestured to two chairs with sinks connected to the head rests.
Kelly walked over to the door. "I'm going to lock the door so no one comes in. You can still leave anytime you want, though." Then she closed the blinds on the windows so no one would look in.
Both of the akuma sat down carefully, watching the hairdressers as they got their supplies ready.
"Now," began Jillian, playing with Lady Lacrima's hair. "I can see already that your tattoo has some infection on it. It's not really bad, the first letter just has some blistering on it. I can apply some rubbing alcohol to help…but you really need to get to a hospital when you can." She ran her thumb over it lightly, making Lady Lacrima wince. "For other reasons too, of course."
Grimalkin heard her wince and sat up to growl at Jillian, but Lady Lacrima just squeezed his hand in reassurance. Hesitantly, he leaned back again.
Kelly came around to make eye contact with him. "Chat, your left ear is really infected, and the right may be so too. I can also put some rubbing alcohol on it, but it won't really help. Don't take out the earrings either, or else the holes will close with the infection still inside. I'll try to be careful, but I might bump them while I wash your hair."
Grimalkin frowned slightly, but gave a little nod in understanding.
Then they both heard the sinks turn on, and braced for cold water to splash them.
But it didn't. Jillian and Kelly just sprayed their scalps with a warm, gentle stream. Then they started to massage shampoo into their long overdue hair.
"This shampoo is specially designed for thick blonde hair," Kelly commented, carefully scrubbing days of oil out of his locks and making the color shine again. "It's Diamond Oil from Redken. Your color has faded with your natural oils and lack of vitamins. This should make your hair feel nice and silky."
A loud purr cut through the air as Grimalkin closed his eyes and enjoyed the ministrations.
Lady Lacrima sighed softly in return. "This feels nice."
"Good, you deserve it. I'm sorry I can't offer more."
"This is fine." She insisted. "We have some business to take care of after this. Then we'll be getting proper treatment."
"Oh good!" Chirped Kelly. "I was worried! Because akumas aren't really…they don't really give up on their own…"
"The suits that Hawkmoth have provided us act like exoskeletons. Our wounds are packed."
"Still…" said Jillian. "Don't let this business take you too long. A lot of people are worried about you both."
Lady Lacrima rolled her eyes despite the sad tone she spoke with. "You mean my parents? They're just about the only people that ever believed me. Everyone else thinks this whole thing was a hoax. No one even tried to save us."
Jillian rinsed the shampoo, and then knelt at Lady Lacrima's side and took her hand. "Marinette, a handful of gullible people believed it was a hoax. Everyone else in Paris, in France, the whole world even…we believed it was really happening. And people tried to find you…I'm sorry that they couldn't."
"Like who?" she challenged back.
"Like the police. At least four investigators were killed while looking for you."
Lady Lacrima didn't have an answer for that, and so she didn't say anything.
"Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee were also spotted a handful of times," Kelly added. "But for a while, the police were saying you were in Germany."
Rena Rouge.
That name sparked anger in Lady Lacrima.
Alya.
Her best friend.
Ex-best friend.
Who had turned her back when Marinette needed it the most, trusted a liar and left her in the dust. It was a petty high school squabble, one that most people would have forgotten and let go of, considering the circumstances.
But Marinette had a lot of time alone with her thoughts. A lot of time to stew in her hurt from her betrayal.
The Cesaire apartment wasn't that far away. Alya would be first. A warm up.
Jillian spoke again. "You're tensing up. I'm supposed to be helping you relax. I'm sorry. I'll shut up."
Yes, revenge would come, but this was now. And she wanted to feel better.
Jillian rinsed the conditioner. "You know, I've got this facial cleanser from Lancôme, would you like to try it?"
"Alright," Said Lady Lacrima.
Jillian squirted some mousse onto her fingertips and gently began to massage the cleanser onto her face. "Smells nice, right?"
"Feels nice."
The bubbles turned pink with the blood they picked up. But the black streaks under her eyes remained. Jillian passed the cleanser to Kelly so she could put some on Grimalkin's face.
"There," said Jillian as she dried off her hands. "Just relax for a minute and let the cleanser have a chance to get into your pores. We'll be right here."
At first it was relaxing, the month of grease being lifted from her skin as the bubbles tingled. But then the silence became maddening, and she became paranoid. And by the way Grimalkin squeezed her hand, he was too.
"Jillian? What are you doing?"
"I'm getting you some wine. Just a little. I don't have any food unless you want a sucker." She chuckled.
"And Kelly?"
"I'm just sweeping!" She called from the other side of the room.
Jillian came back over, and a wet washcloth delicately cleaned off the suds. She then placed a dry towel on her hair. "Alright, let's get you into a chair."
Kelly mirrored the action with Grimalkin, careful of his ears, both fake and real.
They moved over to a pair of barber chairs, positioned just a little too far away to hold hands.
Grimalkin whimpered.
"I'm right here, love." Lady Lacrima said softly. "It's alright."
Jillian handed them both a glass of red wine, before getting to work tying a smock on their shoulders. Then they were both turned to face the mirrors.
In this lighting, the damage was even worse. This was the first glance they got to their akumatized forms.
"Is that me?" Lady Lacrima asked, distressed by how deranged she looked.
"You look pretty badass." Said Kelly. "Don't stress out about it. You don't plan to be akumatized forever, right?"
"I…I guess not…"
Still, it was a jarring sight. She barely recognized herself.
"Marinette, I used a lot of conditioner, but your hair is still pretty tangled. This might hurt."
"Okay."
She could hear Grimalkin whimper again as Kelly started to pick through his tangled mess. She cooed over him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
It didn't last too long though. Soon, the teeth of the comb were gliding through her locks and dragging across her itchy scalp. Lady Lacrima sunk into her chair and exhaled loudly.
"Will it bother you if I use an electric razor?"
"Since you warned me, it should be alright. What about you kitty? Can you handle that?"
Grimalkin let out a relaxed sigh.
"He's alright with it."
So Jillian and Kelly got to work, trimming and evening out the hack job Salo had done.
"There. That'll do for now." Jillian took off the smock and brushed the loose hair from her neck. "Come see me again sometime. We'll make sure to take good care of you."
Lady Lacrima finished off her glass. "Thank you, Jillian. Kelly. Once we give up our akumas, I doubt we will remember this. But we do appreciate your hospitality."
Kelly towel dried Grimalkin's hair, fluffing it up. "There, now you look a little less threatening."
With a smile, Lady Lacrima pet his head, eliciting a purr from deep in his chest.
Jillian let out a trembling exhale. "Alright. We won't keep you any longer. We won't tell a soul you were here. Do what you need to do and then get to a hospital. I beg you."
Lady Lacrima gave a half smile. "We'll do our best." Then she took Grimalkin's hand and led him out of the salon.
Once they were gone, Kelly fell into a chair. "That was the scariest thing I've ever done! Why did you let them stay?! Why didn't you call the police!?"
Jillian also sat in a chair, swinging around to lean her arms on the back. "I was watching the stream on my break. I saw what they did. I saw…how they killed all those people. Part of me was worried that if we turned on them, they'd kill us too. But the other part of me was just worried about Marinette. I've been cutting her hair for…probably 15 years. I love her…and I just wanted to help."
"Jill. You are too kind for your own good."
"I try. Let's clean up and head to the bar."
"Sounds good to me!"
—
The rain continued, but it eased into a manageable drizzle. Now, people were starting to venture out onto the streets.
Lady Lacrima summoned a grappling hook with a steel cable, then tossed it up to the rooftops. "You ready, kitty cat?"
Grimalkin purred deviously, as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
Together, they launched into the air and landed on a familiar terrain of sloping roofs and terra cotta chimneys. Old friends greeted them. Pigeons and the wind.
Grimalkin sneezed.
"Gesundheit."
He stood a little taller and looked her in the eye, asking her a question.
"You remember Alya, right?"
His lip twitched in a preempted snarl.
"After all this time, her actions still hurt me. Her home isn't far from here…let's take care of her first, before the others."
Grimalkin's eyes were wide and his ears back as he whimpered lowly.
"No darling, we're not going to hurt her…just scare her. Shake her up a bit."
He seemed much more receptive to that plan as he gestured her on, in a 'ladies first' sort of way.
The path to the Cesaire household was muscle memory. It was one of their landmarks for patrol in Montparnasse. The corner, top-floor apartment on a few story building.
They landed on the balcony outside Alya's room. The windows were shut and locked. Peering inside, the room was dark and void of people.
"I don't see her. She may not be home, or she might be in the living room."
Grimalkin leapt to the next balcony over, pointing at the window cracked open.
"This is the twin's room. We must be quiet."
She opened the window slowly, and crawled inside. Both of the little girls were in their beds, sleeping peacefully. Grimalkin stepped in too, slinking in like a cat.
Unfortunately, the girl's room was not as tidy as they had hoped, and Grimalkin's first step on the floor landed on a doll.
Let it go! Let it go!
Grimalkin growled at the sound.
Ella stirred. "Mmm?"
The akumas froze, hoping the girl would go back to sleep.
But instead, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Lady Lacrima waited, crouching close to the ground to try to remain unseen.
But as Ella blinked to alertness, she noticed Grimalkin's eyes, which glowed red in the dark.
She inhaled to scream, and Lady Lacrima leapt, pressing a hand on the girl's mouth. "Sshhh…" she hushed, quietly.
A scream tore out from the other side of the room, where Etta had awakened.
"Shit," Lady Lacrima swore under her breath.
There was no time to hide. Frantic steps ran to the room and the door swung open to reveal Nora.
"Who the hell—!?"
Grimalkin leapt at her, slammed her against the wall, and pressed his claws to her throat with a deep jungle cat growl.
But Nora was a fighter, and she didn't take to being slammed around kindly. She slammed her fist into Grimalkin's stomach, making him recoil.
In the chaos, Etta and Ella dove under a bed to hide.
"That's enough, Nora." Lady Lacrima demanded, summoning a machete. "We have no quarrel with you."
"Like hell you don't! You were trying to hurt my little sister!" She barked, ready to punch again.
Otis and Marlena came running after the shout, and stood in the doorway, horrified.
"You misunderstand. We're looking for Alya."
Nora's face twisted slightly in confusion, then realization. "Beetle? Mr. Whiskers?"
Marlena stepped into the room. "Marinette? Is that you? How did you…? They said you were…you…" She sobbed and ran and hugged her. "We've all been so worried about you!"
The machete fell to the ground and disappeared.
Grimalkin growled, but didn't attack.
Marlena pulled back. "Alya's safe. Don't worry."
"Where? I need to talk to her!"
"You need to get to a hospital."
"Tell me where Alya is!" Lady Lacrima screamed, startling the woman.
Nora rested a hand on her mother's shoulder and pulled her back. "She's an akuma mom, she's dangerous."
"Tell me where Alya is right now or I'll force it out of you!" She trembled. Her wrath and her innate moral compass warred with each other, the urge to hurt becoming stronger and stronger.
"She's at the Agreste Manor, with your parents," Nora answered. "Mr. Agreste has the whole place on lockdown. There's no way to get in unless he lets you in. And I doubt he will if you're like this."
Like this.
She said it like Lady Lacrima was a monster. Inhuman.
Maybe she was. Marinette had lost her humanity in the darkness. Only pieces of it remained.
Grimalkin paced the room, unsure what to do. No one was attacking, and his lady wasn't giving any commands. It was easier not to think for himself. Just protect his lady, and do as she asks. That was all he had to do.
Lady Lacrima let out a strangled cry.
She just wanted to fix her hurt!
"Ladybug?" A little voice spoke.
Etta and Ella poked out from under the bed, looking at her with teary eyes.
"I…am not Ladybug. Not anymore."
"Why not?" They asked.
She didn't answer, just looked at them with some degree of disgust.
"They didn't watch the stream." Marlena explained. "We couldn't bare to let them. Would you really like little kids watching that?"
Lady Lacrima hugged herself.
Grimalkin crouched, coming closer to the little girls.
"And you're Chat Noir!" Etta chirped, touching his cat ears.
He shook his head, backing away.
Marlena took a different approach to diffuse the situation. "You two must be hungry, why don't you come in and eat?"
Eat.
Lady Lacrima swallowed. She was hungry. So hungry!
Grimalkin's stomach grumbled loudly.
Nora rolled her eyes and grabbed Lady Lacrima's wrist. "Come on. That wasn't a suggestion, it was a demand."
Lady Lacrima pulled at the hand tugging her, instincts telling her that a firm grasp on the wrist meant pain, but her brain and her stomach felt otherwise. Everyone being so nice to them was throwing a wrench in their revenge plot.
Grimalkin was being led by the hand and tail by the twins.
In the light of the apartment, the Cesaire's got a better look at them.
"Is that blood?" Ella asked, pointing to the red stains on Grimalkin's suit.
He nodded.
"Cool."
Marlena gestured to the couch. "Take a seat here. I'll get something warmed up for you."
So they sat, hunched, tense, and uncomfortable, no matter how soft and plush the cushions felt. Ella and Etta sat on the couch on either side of them, making the akuma scoot closer together.
Otis sat at the other end of the couch, and turned on the TV.
"…over a several hour period of absence, it was concluded that Marinette Dupain-Cheng actually escaped Salo and her men, though Adrien Agreste was left behind." Nadja was on the screen, with a banner under her name that read, 'Breaking news: Ladybug and Chat Noir Escape Torture.' "In the hours of her disappearance, Agreste was flogged near death. Then finally, after ten hours, Dupain-Cheng was brought back and was flogged as well.
"Then, in a stunning twist, Hawkmoth was the first to locate the heroes and come to their rescue, akumatizing them to aid in their own escape. They seem to go by the name 'Lady Lacrima' and 'Grimalkin'. The cameras caught this chilling scene from the final broadcast on 'make ladybug suffer dot com'. Please be advised, the footage is graphic, and not suitable for young audiences."
The scene jumped to a recording of the torture chamber. Salo's body laid on the floor in shadow, so the gore wasn't completely seen. But Lady Lacrima and Grimalkin were still dripping red as they looked down at her. Butterfly masks appeared over their faces.
"No…Paris has gotten lazy with Ladybug and Chat Noir around. And in our absence, things have only gotten worse." She paused. "And we'll get it. But we have business to attend too. Thank you for the akuma, I'll be taking it now. Goodbye."
She turned to face the camera, with eyes that held no mercy. "I am Lady Lacrima. This is Grimalkin. We seek Justice, and Justice will be what we get."
Grimalkin pounced at the camera, and the feed ended.
Nadja came back on the screen. "This scene took place one hour ago, and we are continuing our coverage as the story updates. It is not yet known if Ladybug and Chat Noir are still akumatized, or whether or not they are even in Paris. No sightings have yet to be reported.
"Fifteen minutes ago, Minster of Interior, Arthur Vanderguard, tweeted the following: 'The reign of Salo is over. Thank you to the brave men and women who have put their lives on the line in the investigation of this case. We will not rest until Marinette and Adrien are home.'"
Lady Lacrima tilted her head in confusion. "Who is this Arthur Vanderguard?"
Otis answered, "The Minister of Interior is the government official in charge of homeland security. He's like the boss of the chief of police and the Secret service. He's been catching a lot of flack for your case."
Lady Lacrima squinted her eyes, the name was familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"Here we are!" Said Malena, placing a plate on the coffee table. "The soup is warming up, but I've got some fresh bread from your father, and these appetizers left over from a dinner at the hotel tonight. Honeycrisp apples with brie, wrapped in prosciutto, with a balsamic glaze."
Lady Lacrima licked her lips. "…thank you."
"Of course dear."
"…has been criticized over the last month and a half since Ladybug and Chat Noir's capture. Most notably for withdrawing troops from the investigation and allowing Edward Savauge to walk free."
Lady Lacrima looked up at the screen and zeroed in on the story.
It was a previous recording, of Arthur Vandergaurd at a press conference. "Talking with M. Savauge, we have ruled out his involvement with Salo and the capture of Ladybug and Chat Noir. He has agreed to cooperate with us to find them, so that they can be rescued."
"That press conference was held two weeks ago, and even now, Edward Savauge hasn't even met with investigators. He most likely will not be holding up his end of the bargain."
Lady Lacrima's spoon clattered to the floor.
"During the course of the investigation, four investigators were killed under uncertain circumstances. The only connection between the murders was, of course, the link to the Ladybug and Chat Noir case. After the death of Detective Bertony, resources were pulled from the case, a move that contradicts normal procedure. In response, Mr. Vanderguard had this to say."
The shot again changed to the Minister of Interior at the Press Conference. "My officers assume the risk of bodily harm and losing their life when they join the force. But they don't expect to be in danger when they go home to be with their wives and children. Being assigned to the task force of looking for M. Agreste and Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, is a death sentence. We unfortunately have not made any headway in the investigation, despite all that has been broadcasted. We believe that Detective Bertony had a lead, but all information with him in his hotel room was reduced to ash on the balcony. Because of the nature of these murders, I will be launching an inside investigation among the police in Paris, conducted by an outside attorney. Mayor Bourgeois has approved the city's plan for a comprehensive, independent, transparent investigation of the task force members' misconduct. As much as we owe to Ladybug and Chat Noir, we can't afford to lose anyone else to these terrorists. This investigation will most likely further disrupt our work on the Ladybug and Chat Noir case.
"While this investigation goes on, I ask that everyone stop watching the stream on 'make ladybug suffer dot com'. Giving Salo and her men attention is only fueling their torment of the victims. Ladybug and Chat Noir will be safer if we stop watching.
"To the families of M. Agreste and Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I am truly sorry."
Nadja came back to the screen. "Though the apologies of the Minister seem to be well intentioned, critics have been asking the same question that goes unanswered. Where is the French Gendarmerie? Isn't it made for situations like this?"
Lady Lacrima stood. "Thank you for the food. We must be going now."
"Are you sure?"
"We have wasted enough time. Tell no one we were here…for your own safety."
And just like that, she threw open the window, and they leapt out into the night.
Malena sighed as she collected their dishes, noticing how little they had eaten. "That was sudden. I wonder if it had anything to do with the news?"
"I think it had everything to do with the news. If I was the Minister of Interior, I'd pray to God right now."
—
This chapter was born of me, a cosmetologist's daughter, thinking "if I was isolated for a month in complete darkness, in my own filth, for a month, what is the first thing I would do when I got out?" and my immediate answer was, "wash my hair, eat, and sleep for 24 hours, in that order."
Hey! So are you super eager for the next chapter? Well good news for you! ShadeOps21 wrote an alternate ending to the rescue! He posed to me, "what would happen if GIGN did what they do and rescued Adrien and Marinette?" I said "I dunno what that is." So he wrote it!
Basically special forces come in and save the day and it's awesome and intense and everyone should read it. It's called 'Even Heroes have Heroes' on Ao3.