Chapter Seven

The moment Marinette slipped through her skylight, she collapsed on the bed, her transformation disappearing in a flash of pink light. Immediately, not one but two kwamis were by her side, Plagg nuzzling into her neck while Tikki stroked her hair out of her face.

"Just breathe, Marinette," Tikki crooned gently. "I know that was a hard fight, but you kept it together very well out there."

"Yeah, you did good, kid," Plagg agreed, a low purr shaking his entire body. "Adrien would be proud of you."

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers clenching in her pillow. "I miss him," she whispered, choking back a sob. "I can't do this on my own."

"You're not alone, Marinette," Tikki reminded her firmly. "You have all your friends behind you, you have Master Fu, and you have us: me and Plagg, and Trixx, Wayzz, and Pollen, too."

"I know that, but I… I just…" she burrowed her face into her pillow, struggling to breathe past the tears.

"We know, Marinette. We understand. Plagg and I are yin and yang; neither of us is complete without the other. It's always the same for our Chosens. You need each other, and that's why we're going to get him back."

She didn't answer. She couldn't. She was already shaking. The tears were leaking from her eyes. So she curled into a ball and just sobbed, releasing all of the pain and the frustration and the horribleness of that fight into her down pillow while her two little kwami friends offered her what comfort they could.

She couldn't keep this up on her own. She needed Chat back. This was only the second akuma since he'd disappeared and already she knew that she couldn't keep pretending not to know where he was or what had happened to him. All she wanted to do was scream at Hawkmoth. Throttle him. Gloat that she knew who he was and what he had done, and demand to have Chat back. To have Adrien back.

Had it really only been a day? A day since she had discovered that Chat Noir and Adrien were one and the same, a day since she had learned her idol was her mortal enemy, a day since she had revealed herself as Ladybug to Alya, Nino, and Chloe, a day since Alya had discovered at least part of the secret of Hawkmoth's hideout, a day since she had sent her the horrible screenshot of Adrien, huddled on the floor, her scarf wrapped around his face.

She was having a hard time breathing again.

Marinette hardly even heard the knock against her trapdoor, nor the voice that cautiously asked if its owner could come in, but she did flinch slightly when she heard Tikki giving her permission. She was halfway onto her elbows when she recognized the dark, curly hair and understood why Plagg and Tikki weren't making any attempt to hide themselves.

"Hey Alya," she mumbled, dashing the tears from her eyes as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Hey, hunny," her BFF replied, closing the trapdoor so that Trixx could zip out of her hair and tackle Tikki and Plagg in a hug. Alya tracked them with her eyes for a few moments, then turned back to her. There was a light of sympathy in her eyes, but she knew better than to bring it up. "I have some good news," she smiled, climbing up the ladder to join her.

"Yeah?" Marinette replied dully, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees.

"Trixx and I found Hawkmoth's lair."

Marinette's head snapped up, her eyes suddenly bright, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Where?" she demanded.

"An observatory at the Agreste mansion. There's a window shaped vaguely like a butterfly that opens and closes with the akuma attacks. It doesn't look well defended, but it would shock me if there weren't a few surprises. But it looks like any and all business that he does as Hawkmoth is handled there. Speaking of, we caught a glimpse of Nathalie standing there with him, and Trixx even managed to zoom in on a pin attached to her lapel that looks mysteriously like the Peacock Miraculous. My money's definitely on her being Mayura."

"So that's all we need, isn't it? Let's get the team together! Let's get Adrien out of there!"

Alya hesitated, her hazel eyes unusually dark. "Girl, I understand how desperate you are to save Adrien. Really, I do. Seeing him over my video feed… that hurt me, too, so I can only imagine how much it must have hurt you. But you need to slow down. You're no good to Adrien if you destroy yourself fighting to get him back."

"But Alya, I have to get him back! Don't you understand, I can't do this anymore! If I have to face another akuma without him then I'm going to snap! I can't… I can't…" She gasped, one hand pressed against her chest, panting rapidly.

"Sh, sh, hunny," Alya soothed, gently rubbing her back and drawing her into her arms. "If you keep this up, you might be the one who ends up akumatized. And where will we be then, huh? Where will Adrien be then? So just breathe with me. Come on. In. Out. In. Out."

Slowly, Marinette settled, sagging into her BFF. "I'm sorry," she whispered, silent tears running down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"I know. I know, baby. Just breathe. Now remember, this isn't just about getting Adrien back. This is about keeping him from ever being in danger again. To do that, we can't just spring him from that hellhole. We have to stop Hawkmoth, too, and you're right: you can't do that alone. But I'm also right: we can't do that if you're not in peak condition. There shouldn't be any akumas tonight since Hawkmoth already released one today, and with your wonderful performance, he shouldn't know that we're in the know about Adrien and the Ring.

"So here's what's going to happen: we're going to tell your parents that we're having a sleepover at my place tonight. We're going to Master Fu's and then I'm going to call Chloe and Nino and we're going to make a plan to take down Hawkmoth and rescue Adrien once and for all. Then Master Fu's going to give you some calming tea to help you sleep. Okay?"

Slowly, Marinette nodded, uncurling herself, fighting to remember what Tikki had said. You are not alone. "Okay. Let's go."

They packed up their backpacks for the sake of her maman, then slipped downstairs and left the shop after Alya asked permission for an impromptu sleepover. Maman beamed at them and told them to have a good time. Marinette forced a smile, one that she knew wasn't very bright, and they were off.

She let Alya lead; she didn't have the presence of mind to do so herself. She could hear people talking about the most recent akuma battle, speculating about where Chat Noir might be, and how desperate Ladybug had been during the fight. A few people were openly criticizing him, demanding to know where he had been when Ladybug needed him most. It was all Marinette could do to keep from snapping at them, screaming that they didn't know anything and that her kitty would never abandon her.

Alya reached back and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

You are not alone.

Marinette's grip tightened on Alya's hand, and her BFF didn't try to pull it back. She just led the way through the crowded streets, dodging every pedestrian that crossed their path, running her thumb up and down across Marinette's knuckles.

She wasn't sure if it was comforting or distressing that the action reminded her of Chat, but it certainly did heighten the insane resolution forming in her heart.

Before she knew it, they had reached Master Fu's shop. He glanced up curiously as they walked in, his grave expression melting into a smile. "I was hoping that you would visit soon," he said, rising to his feet. "It has been very quiet without Wayzz to keep me company. How goes the investigation?"

"We found Hawkmoth's lair," Alya announced, guiding Marinette into a sitting position, "as well as confirmed Mayura's identity."

"Well that is excellent news!"

"I figured we should call the team together. With any luck, we'll have this finished by the end of the week."

"Tomorrow."

"What?"

Marinette looked up at Alya, channelling all of her passion and determination into her words. No way in hell was she waiting that long. She was going to get Adrien back or die trying. "Tomorrow. Our biggest advantage right now is the element of surprise. If we wait any longer, then we risk losing that. This ends tomorrow."

Alya blinked at her a couple of times, then grinned in a way that reminded Marinette of why she had chosen her as the wielder of the Fox Miraculous to begin with. "Now there's a Ladybug that can save her kitty. Come on, let's call the others."