Let's Take It From The Top, Chapter 8: The Audience Responds
Marinette came down from wishing Adrien - er, Chat Noir, she thought with a giggle - a good night's rest, closed the hatch to her balcony and plunked herself down into her desk chair. She knew she should get to sleep soon, as tomorrow's school day beckoned, but there was just no way she was going to wind down that quickly.
Tikki floated towards her, looking pleased. "That was a really nice gesture by you, Marinette! Chat Noir looked so happy to have your help."
"Well, how could I not?" Marinette reasoned. "As Chat Noir, he's supposed to be my partner from what you told me earlier, and I'd be frozen solid by now if he hadn't helped me against Andre. As Adrien, he's my friend! And as either one, he needed the help more than he'd ever admit."
"You seem pretty sure that Chat Noir is Adrien..." Tikki began... then saw the look Marinette was giving her, and relented with a grin. "Okay, yeah. I don't think I can cover for him now, after what you've both been through. He kind of gave that away, didn't he?"
"Tikki, the only thing that made me wonder, before I knew for sure... he does act differently as Chat. He's so quiet and polite as Adrien, but he puts the mask on and he's flirty, he's funny, he's a big cornball. But in a good way!" she hastened to add. "His Miraculous doesn't change his personality, does it?"
"No, and neither does yours, in case you were wondering at all," assured Tikki. "Maybe he feels like he has a role to play when he's in costume, or maybe it's just a confidence boost. Or he's just getting away from his real self for a while."
"I'll have to work on what my own real self is, any more... I've been two other selves today already!" Marinette's eyes lit up. "Speaking of which... did you hear how Adrien kept talking about Firefly, how adorable he thought she was?"
"Uh-huh! He's got it bad! Though maybe not just for Firefly," suggested Tikki, stating the obvious.
"You mean for Ladybug, too? He didn't seem quite as into her, more suspicious," Marinette replied. "I mean, we got along well enough, and he did help me out of that freezing trap..."
Tikki grinned to herself. She'll figure it out before long. She'd better! If she's oblivious to how he's starting to feel about her, she'll drive the poor boy crazy!
"Is that a good thing, if he's crushing on Firefly? You can't be Firefly again, at least not without assistance..." she asked.
"I'm... not really sure," blushed Marinette. "Adrien is kind of complicated, you know? More so by the minute. But so am I, lately! And I don't think a boy has EVER looked at me, no matter what outfit I had on, and thought 'Wow!' I need to figure out how I feel about that."
"I'd keep your costumed secrets... all of them... secret for now, if I were you," Tikki advised. "You two are just getting to know each other in all your combinations. See how that plays out before you decide what you want to reveal." And I'd rather you didn't tell him that you're Ladybug at all, but we'll see if that's avoidable, she thought to herself.
"Speaking of secrets, Tikki," Marinette smiled. "If we're going to be this close going forward, I don't want secrets between us. Let's talk about ourselves and get to know each other better!"
"I'd like that very much," Tikki replied with a smile, as the pair settled in for a long conversation.
It took her a while, but Marinette finally managed to nod off for a few hours. She awoke to the sound of her alarm clock, and to the aroma of eggs frying downstairs. Mmmm, she thought. Breakfast sounds good about now. I wonder if I should go get a second plate and take it up to Adrien?
She smiled to herself, Maybe I should see if he actually stayed this time, first.
Marinette threw a robe on over her pajamas, tucked her bare feet into slippers, and opened her balcony hatch as quietly as she could.
The sunrise that morning was beautiful. As sunrises tend to be, it was also bright, and its intensifying light guided Adrien Agreste out of a deep sleep and into a slightly conscious state.
He thought he heard a sound nearby, but it only registered slightly in his mind. It'd been a few days since he'd slept soundly, and his body was intent on forcing his mind to cooperate and stay that way a while longer. Maybe a bird landed on the railing or something, he thought, hazily.
He spent the next ten minutes like that, waking up very gradually. A shadow over him made him wonder. Is that a cloud? It must be. But if the sun feels this warm and bright, how can it be covered up by clouds?
Slowly, Adrien opened his eyes...
"Am I dreaming?" he asked.
"You probably were," smiled Marinette, who was kneeling beside him. "But you're not now."
The gravity of the situation pulled him fully awake, but he didn't jump up; after all, it wasn't anything that he hadn't worked out the night before.
"Hi," he sighed.
"Hi," Marinette replied. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did. Thank you again for that." He got a funny expression on his face, and added, "But you don't seem surprised that I'm not the same person you tucked in last night."
"I kind of figured that out," she giggled. "A mysterious boy on the run from his father, a mysterious catboy on the run from HIS father, they both came to me for help, and the boy appears and disappears from my balcony at will? I didn't need you to draw me a diagram."
"So I'm not very good at this secret identity stuff. I'll work on that," he grinned, lazily. "But I'm kind of glad. I don't want to hide anything from you, Marinette... and, apparently, I can't! You're okay with that? If you feel like my being here puts you in danger, I'll leave right away..."
"I'm not sure that there's a safer girl in Paris, silly," Marinette teased. "You ARE going to make sure I don't get turned into an ice cream sundae, right?"
"Absolutely," he replied. "Though I do want to treat you to one sometime, in gratitude." And that's just for starters, he smiled.
"I think I can put that on my calendar," Marinette grinned. "Should we give Andre a chance to redeem himself, or try another place first?"
Adrien gave her a look. "How did you know that Chat was fighting Andre last night?"
"Um..." Marinette covered for herself quickly. "Somebody's cell phone video was on the news, I told you. And how many pudgy ice cream slingers are there in Paris? Everybody knows Andre."
"That's true," said Adrien, satisfied by that. He looked up at her again, losing himself in her eyes momentarily. "What am I going to do with you, Marinette?" he asked, softly. "You are so good to me... and I'm still not sure I deserve any of it. You amaze me."
"How about you start by letting me get you some breakfast?" she asked, glowing a little. "I'm pretty sure my mom's cooking downstairs, and I really should let them know you're here. I'll come back up, either with a plate or with orders to bring you downstairs. And it's up to you if you want to tell them about your feline side."
"I'll think about that," Adrien said. "And I, uh, thought I smelled eggs cooking but I didn't want to be presumptuous..."
"It's fine, I'm sure," Marinette said. "I'll talk with them. Bathroom's down the hatch and first door on the right, when you need it."
She padded away and climbed downstairs. If the look of adoration she got from Adrien had been solid, it would've knocked her down the ladder like a battering ram.
"Good morning, Marinette," Sabine called as her daughter entered the kitchen, dressed for school. "Ready for breakfast?"
"Very!" she replied. "In fact... um... I might just need two plates this morning."
Tom folded his newspaper down, his attention piqued. "Oh? Is our hotel open for business again?"
"It... is," Marinette admitted, sheepishly. "My mysterious visitor returned, and he slept on the balcony last night. I'd really like you to meet him and talk with him, if that's okay."
Sabine looked at Tom, then at Marinette. "I don't even have to ask the question, right?" she said to her daughter, with a serious face.
"MOM! You don't! THAT is not why he stayed! He's never even tried to kiss me," gasped Marinette. "Honest!"
"Oh, I believe you, honey," Sabine said. "I do know you better than that. Tom, do we have room for one more at the table?"
Her father didn't look entirely enthused, but he nodded his assent. "I'm not in the habit of turning away people in trouble," he said. "Have him come down, and we'll talk. Lure him down with promises of ham and eggs."
"Will do. Thank you, Dad," Marinette replied happily, hugging him. "I'll go make sure he's presentable."
As she flew back up the stairs, Tom grunted, "So... am I an idiot or just a pushover, honey?"
"You're a good man," Sabine said. "And a caring father. And we'll know a little more about Marinette's decision-making in a few minutes. He seemed like a nice young man when I met him in the bakery, but let's find out for sure."
Marinette reached her bedroom door, and heard Adrien in the bathroom. "Are you decent?" she called out.
"I am," Adrien replied. "Just freshening up. What did they say?"
"To lure you down with ham and eggs, so we can all talk about it," Marinette replied. "Are you tempted?"
"Like you wouldn't believe," he smiled, coming out while rubbing a towel over his hair. "Dinner last night was cheese puffs, though your snacks were tasty. Plagg really liked the cheese."
"What's a... Plagg?" she asked him.
Adrien closed his eyes, mentally kicking himself. "I told you that I really need to work on this secret identity stuff... I told you about what a Miraculous is, right? A Kwami is the spirit that gives it its powers, and Plagg is the Kwami for my Miraculous. Hey, can you come on out for a minute, buddy?"
In a corner of the room, hiding behind Marinette's dresser for the moment, Plagg looked at Tikki. "I guess that's my cue," he laughed.
"We'll talk more in a minute or two, once they go downstairs," Tikki whispered. "It's so good to see you again!"
Tom raised an eyebrow as Marinette returned to the kitchen, leading a blonde boy her own age down the steps, a little timidly. He was wearing one of her sweatsuits, apparently secure enough in his masculinity to be comfortable in a pink ensemble.
"You know, I did think that when my daughter brought her first overnight guest down from her room, she'd be older than fourteen," he growled... then laughed loudly at the looks on both their faces. "I'm completely kidding, you two! Come here, son, and have some breakfast."
Sabine laughed at the shade of green Adrien had turned at Tom's joking accusation; Marinette was scarlet and fuming. "How do you like your eggs, Adrien?" she asked.
"A-any way you're making them, I'm not fussy," he replied, meekly. "I'm so sorry to disturb your home like this."
"It's a little unusual, but I'm sure you have a good reason for it, right?" said Tom, much more soothingly. "Tell us a little about yourself, and please relax. You're among friends. We're not about to chase you out; we're just curious about what brought you here."
"Thank you, Mr... Dupain-Cheng?" Adrien replied.
"Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng. Marinette gets to be both. Call me Tom," he smiled.
"Okay... Tom," smiled Adrien, visibly a little uncomfortable at not using 'Mr. Dupain.' "My name is Adrien Agreste. I'm the son of Gabriel Agreste, the fashion designer, and I'm new to Marinette's class in school this year..."
Adrien explained as much of his situation as he felt it was possible to explain. Oh, I tried to use a magic cat and a magic moth to bring my mother back to life, and I blew up my father's assistant! THAT old story, he thought. I'm sure they'd believe that one.
Instead, he described how he and his father had had a falling-out, and that things had been said and done that he felt couldn't be unsaid. Which is mostly true. He emphasized that there was nothing illegal or abusive going on... more like shame on his part, and he wasn't sure how he'd face his father again. His expressions of gratitude towards Marinette's kindness were sincere enough to have her blushing again and Sabine smiling broadly.
"I'm sure that your father is worried sick over your being missing. How are you addressing that?" asked Tom.
"I'm... going to get back in contact with him soon, one way or another. Probably over the phone first. I don't want him to worry like that, and from what Marinette has told me, he has been looking for me," replied Adrien. "He's... a good man, and I'm not just saying that because he's my father. I really shouldn't hurt him like this. But..."
"...But?" asked Sabine.
"It's... complicated," said Adrien. "There are some personal things going on that I can't talk about right now, I'm sorry."
Tom and Sabine exchanged a few meaningful glances.
"Breakfast is delicious," added Adrien, hoping to deflect the subject. "Thank you very much for that."
"My pleasure," Sabine grinned. "Are you going back to school with Marinette?"
The teens looked at each other. "I'd... like to?" Adrien stammered. "But I don't know if I'm ready, or if my father will have my bodyguard waiting at the classroom door to collect me. I've never been a big fan of diving out a window. I know I can't stay away from school forever; I fought pretty hard to get INTO public school in the first place. I'd LIKE to be there." He turned and looked at Marinette, with longing eyes. "It's where I've met some incredibly special people."
"We hadn't really talked about that yet," added Marinette, trying not to be overwhelmed. Adrien, you are going to make me melt if you keep this up! "I do need to leave for school in a few minutes, myself... It's up to you, Adrien."
"Before you do, Marinette... can you step into the next room for a minute, Adrien?" asked Tom; he looked at Sabine, who nodded. "We just need to talk this over for a minute."
"Certainly," Adrien said. He smiled at Marinette, a little nervously, and walked far enough away not to eavesdrop.
Master Fu sat in a lotus position, meditating on the events of the week.
So, my solution to two Miraculouses being loose, and potentially misused, is to put a third one out there. The most powerful of them all. Am I losing it in my old age?
Hardly, he assured himself. That girl radiates goodness so strongly that it's a wonder she doesn't glow like a star. She has amazing potential to be Ladybug, and with guidance she could be such a force for good in this world! And Tikki will see to that.
And who besides the Ladybug is capable of belling the Cat?
I wish that I could speak with Plagg and get his impressions of the young man he's guiding, he mused. Grainy video on the news isn't the best way to judge one's character... but so far, he seems to be behaving. Perhaps the girl will be a positive influence on him as well... perhaps more than that!... though teenage emotions are always volatile. I will keep an eye on her from afar and see how things progress.
It is far more concerning that someone out there was collecting Miraculouses! Master Fu reasoned. Troubling enough that someone besides myself knows what they are, but to have recovered two and to grasp much of their potential? I wonder... There is far more to that than meets the eye. At least the Moth seems to be acting benevolently. as well... for now.
But the streets of Paris will not long withstand three-way conflicts like the one on the news last night. Will one side persuade another to form an alliance? And, if so, which? And for how long?
He stilled his troubled thoughts for now, returning to a state of harmony. If age and experience have taught me anything, he told himself, it is patience. I have played my hand. I must be willing to wait, and watch, and see if it is a winning one.
I only got it wrong once; it will never happen again. At least I hope not.
Marinette sat down at the kitchen table, visibly anxious, watching her mother walk over to her father's side. "I... know this is a crazy situation, Mom, Dad. I'm sorry about this..."
"Don't be," said Tom. "Am I thrilled about this? No, I'm not. But I can see why you're fond of Adrien. He's not telling us everything... but he's being honest about what he is telling us. I can tell that much about him."
"He seems charming, in his own way. Troubled, obviously, and that's a shame," agreed Sabine. "But I like him."
"Can I ask you something, Marinette? I'm just putting a few things together in my head," Tom asked. "My daughter makes a new friend, who appears and disappears on my roof and no one knows how. Then a mysterious package shows up, and my Marinette gets powers from a magic red pixie... and I'm STILL wrapping my head around that..."
Marinette shuffled her feet, dreading the end of his thought process.
"And the other superhero I saw on TV last night is blonde and about her age, just as a certain blonde boy turns up on my roof again in the middle of the night. Very mysterious," her father smiled. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, honey?"
Marinette closed her eyes and lowered her head, momentarily. When she looked up, she replied, "I don't ever want to lie to you, Dad. But it's not my secret to tell. Whatever it is, it's his."
"I see!" he said, looking more amused than angry. "Well... if he wants us to know, he'll tell us, I suppose. Sabine?"
"Well... I'm looking at it this way. Some things in life are going to happen one way or another. You can keep them close by and provide some guidance, or send them away and just hope that they turn out right." Sabine looked quite thoughtful. "I know which one I'd rather pick."
"And what do you think, Marinette?" asked Tom. "What should we do about this?"
"I think you should do what you think is right," Marinette answered, carefully. "That's what you always taught me to do. And last night, I think I did, and I hope you agree."
"Adrien?" Tom called out, suddenly. "Can you come back in here, please? Before Marinette goes to school, I'd like to ask you something."
Across town, Nathalie walked into the dining room of the Agreste mansion, where Gabriel sat picking idly at a breakfast platter. "Still no word from him?" she asked.
"None." Gabriel looked up with red eyes, at least partly from lack of sleep. "It's maddening, is what it is."
"If he would just come home, or at least CALL, I could tell him that he's forgiven for what happened! I know he didn't mean it!" Nathalie offered. "He... is forgiven, right? At least by me, he is."
"Of course he is!" insisted Gabriel. "He's my son. Though he and I do need to talk, long and hard, about what happened... especially after what I saw last night."
"What was that?" Nathalie asked, her interest suddenly high.
"The Ladybug Miraculous is in Paris," he said, evenly. "It's ironic, isn't it? I held one half of the puzzle for years, I searched the world over, and the other half eluded me. My son misuses the Cat and runs off with it... and within the week, there's the Ladybug, ten feet away from him."
"Wait... you're serious?" she exclaimed. "The Ladybug and the Cat are both here? Then that means-"
"I know precisely what it means. And I refuse to accept what it means." Gabriel looked up at her, helplessly. "I could lose myself pursuing them so easily... and my son would likely pay the price. There's no way that I can even think of risking that. But if I don't-!"
"You don't think you can possibly sway the two of them to your side?" asked Nathalie. "Especially Adrien, if he learns what you could do with those?"
"I need to get him home, first. All else is secondary," sighed Gabriel.
"Are... you going to eat that?" added Nathalie, with a curious expression. "I'm STARVING again."
"Be my guest," Gabriel offered, standing up. "My chefs will gladly cook you your own breakfast, of course, rather than my leavings."
"They did," Nathalie said, diving into some eggs as Gabriel left. "Twice."
Adrien stepped back into the Dupain-Cheng kitchen, maintaining a nervous smile. "I'm here. What else would you like to know?" he asked Marinette's father.
"A couple of little things," Tom said, keeping a straight face. "IF... you were to stay here for a little while... you'd understand that it's not permanent, and you'll be expected to try to reconcile with your father?"
Marinette suppressed a happy gasp. Adrien smiled, solemnly, and replied, "I understand. It would be a remarkably generous offer..."
"And that while you're here, it would not be a free ride? If you're not in school, and I hope that you will be again soon, you'd be helping Sabine and I around the house, doing whatever chores we give you, perhaps helping me out and learning a few things down in the bakery?"
Adrien laughed, "My cooking is legendarily bad, but I'm willing to learn anything. And, yes, I'll pull my weight."
"And that if I did find out that there's something serious going on with you that you're not telling me... something like drugs or crime that could put my daughter at risk... you'd be out on your ear in a heartbeat?" Tom glared, raising up to his full height and considerable bulk.
"There is nothing like that to be found. I promise you that," Adrien said, unhesitatingly. Except for the magic in my right hand that could end up killing people... his conscience nagged at him, and he tried not to let his face betray his inner conflict.
"In that case..." Tom replied, "Marinette, you'd better hurry to school or you'll be late. Hurry home right after; we'll want your help setting up the spare room for our guest."
Marinette ran to her parents, hugging each tightly. "THANK YOU so much," she told them, then turned to Adrien... considered hugging him as well... leaned in... leaned back... watched him lean in... lean back... and they both started laughing.
"I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" Marinette told Adrien, squeezing his hand gently... then headed for the door quickly with an eye on the time.
"I do have one other question," Tom grinned in Adrien's direction, seemingly as an afterthought. "How DID you get up and down from Marinette's balcony that night, anyway?"
Marinette stopped in her tracks with a little squeak. If she'd been facing her father at the time, he'd have seen her eyes bug out like a stepped-on frog's.
Adrien winced, but he didn't skip a beat. "I would say 'magic', but I really doubt that you'd believe that," he stated.
"Probably not," Sabine said. "Though we've seen a lot of strange things around here lately." She looked at Marinette, who'd turned back her way and was silently mouthing Please don't at her.
Does he know... Sabine whispered to her, pointing quickly at Adrien, then making a subtle motion with her hand imitating a fluttering Tikki.
Not yet! whispered Marinette, frantically.
"I have... something going on in my life right now that's pretty much impossible for me to explain," Adrien said. "It's not drugs, it's not criminal, it's not abuse, it's not anything that would endanger anyone in this house, or I wouldn't be here now. I've told Marinette that if she's ever uncomfortable with it, I'm gone that instant with no regrets. And if my not telling you means that I have to leave, I'll understand."
Marinette held her breath.
"Hmmm," Tom mused. "If I had my own... secret life, and I'd made a sincere promise that I'd keep that secret at all costs... that's just the kind of thing that I would say." He broke out in a smile. "Go on, Marinette, before they start looking for you," he laughed.
With a relieved look at Adrien, she did just that, running to beat the opening bell.
As class was about to start, the students talked among themselves, with two vacancies across from each other in the front row.
"Still nothing from Adrien, huh?" Alya asked Nino, casually. "That's starting to get weird."
"I know, right?" he replied. "I thought we were getting to be buds, but I haven't heard from him in days. I hope he's all right."
"He has to be!" sobbed Chloe, with full dramatics. "I finally get to spend school time with my Adriekins and now he's DISAPPEARED!"
Sabrina did her best to console what passed for her best friend, while the rest of the room treated Chloe's outburst as pure noise and routed around it.
Abruptly, a dark-haired pink blur skidded into the room, taking her seat next to Alya while catching her breath. "Look what the cat dragged in," smirked Alya.
"Cat? What cat? Where did you hear about - oh! Hi, Alya," Marinette stuttered. "Did I make it?"
"Barely, but yes," she smiled. "You look... all charged up today. What's got you so wound up?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Marinette, quietly. "Not in a million years."
"Which means, of course, that you HAVE TO," Alya replied. "Spill!"
Marinette just grinned back, silently. "I would if I could," she whispered, as class began. "Later."
As the day progressed, Marinette was dying with curiosity as to how things were going at her house. Adrien had a good sense of timing, and provided an update as she walked between her third and fourth classes:
[Adrien] What do you know? I'm NOT hopeless in a kitchen after all.
[Adrien] Making a little something for you today.
[Marinette] Dad's keeping you busy, huh?
[Adrien] It's pretty interesting, really. Didn't know baking could be this complicated.
[Marinette] I can't BELIEVE they're letting you stay for a while! I mean, I'd hoped...
[Adrien] Me neither! I owe all of you so much for this. I am so grateful...
[Adrien] I just hope I don't end up ruining it.
[Marinette] How could that happen? I know you'll be on your best behavior.
[Adrien] ...
[Adrien] There's more wrong with me than you know.
A chill ran down Marinette's spine.
[Marinette] WHAT?
[Marinette] oh you are NOT dropping that on me right as Physics is starting
[Marinette] Are you sick, or something? Please say no.
[Adrien] Not... exactly. Look... let's talk tonight, the two of us, okay? I promise.
[Adrien] You deserve the whole truth from me.
[Marinette] You better believe we'll talk.
As class began, Marinette put her phone away lest it be confiscated by her teacher. Her imagination, however, was running on overdrive and not at all in productive or happy directions.
At a sidewalk cafe, not far from the Agreste mansion, an impatient Nathalie Sancoeur sat at a table.
What is with me today? Do I have a tapeworm, or something? she wondered. It's like I have a hunger that food just isn't satisfying. I just can't stop eating!
She drummed her fingers on the table, waiting for her order to arrive. It's a nice day to be out, at least, she mused. The sun feels good, there's a nice breeze... I just wish that I could relax. Or that Gabriel could. That news about the Ladybug really threw him for a loop, and I can't blame him!
One of the waiters was nearby, attending to another table, and Nathalie decided to ask him if there was any sign of her salad yet. "Pardon me, sir?" she asked, reaching out to tap him on the arm. "Could I ask you to-"
*SNAP!*
As she made contact, dark energy crackled abruptly around her hand... and the waiter dropped like a stone to the ground.
Nathalie gasped in horror, and the other customers reacted with shock and alarm. "JEAN-PAUL! What happened?" asked a waitress, rushing to his side. "Did you see what happened to him?" she asked Nathalie, frantically.
"No! One second he was standing there, the next, he just... passed out! Is he okay?" panicked Nathalie.
A shout of "Call an ambulance!" got people moving. One customer stared at Nathalie, intently. "I saw that! You touched him, and he fell! What did you do to him, lady?" she accused her.
"I didn't do anything! I swear!" she stammered, backing away from the fallen waiter. "IS HE OKAY?" she begged the waitress tending to him.
"He's breathing, he has a pulse, that's good... but I don't know, other than that," the waitress whimpered. "DID SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE?" she shouted.
As subtly as she could, Nathalie snuck out of the outdoor seating area and made her escape. She watched from a safe distance as the ambulance arrived and paramedics loaded the waiter on board. They're not in a big hurry; that's a good sign, she thought. If they thought he was dying, they'd be flying out of here. What in the hell did I DO to that poor boy?
A memory came to mind. Did I... somehow?... do to him what Adrien did to me?
One other thought drifted across her mind, and it was not a pleasant one, either:
I'm not hungry any more.
Next time:
* Nathalie considers whether to confide in Gabriel.
* Settling into the spare room, which is... well... nearby.
* Dinner for four.
* A long talk, and a productive one.
* "Papillon? ...It's me."