Clarisa: Thanks again for the fantastic thoughts. I did have a transition space in my writing, but tends to get rid of those in my copy and paste process. Your thoughts on Marinette are spot on! You will get a taste for what Alya said to Adrien in this chapter. I'm not giving it all to you. You can fill in the gaps. I love hearing you analysis of my characters. Keep it up.
8YearsOfMaka: Thanks! Marinette has been fun to work with. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as well.
"Rough day, huh kid?" Plagg sang as we entered my bedroom after a long day at the carnival. "First you lose your girlfriend and then you get threatened by her best friend. Sounds like an outstanding day to me."
I glided over to my bed and curled beneath the covers feeling comforted by their warm, gentle hugs against my chilled skin. The events of the day spiraled through my mind as I tried to digest everything that had happened. I had not expected to lose my status as Marinette's boyfriend so quickly, and I most definitely had not expected to feel so crushed when Mari had so blatantly pointed out the fact that she was not my girlfriend to Alya.
Alya, on the other hand, just seemed to think that Marinette was being foolish, continuing to call me her boyfriend, secretly lifting my spirits. However, those spirits were quickly brought back down once Alya had pulled me to the side to have a little 'chat.'
She began by calling me "pretty boy" and demanding that I treat her best friend with "respect." I had been horrified by the possibility of others thinking that I had any ill suited intentions towards Marinette. After profusely apologizing to Alya about my misjudged flirtatious behavior, she then went on to tell me how happy she was that Mari and I were finally together saying things such as "seeing the way you look at her fills my own heart with joy."
Just as I was beginning to think that our conversation was going well, she remarked on my newfound "unpredictability" and the fact that she knew that there were still many hidden parts of myself that she nor Marinette had yet seen. Her exact words had been, "I'm just hoping that those hidden parts of you will work in favor of your relationship with Marinette once they come out." Alya's perception had astounded me and I made a mental note to be careful around Alya from that point on. If anyone was going to discover that I was a secret superhero, it would be her.
To top everything else off, she then proceeded by warning me not to "screw this up" or I would have to suffer the consequences of dealing with her, later. After all of that, she decided to confuse me utterly and completely by complementing on how cute Marinette and I looked together and saying that she couldn't wait to see how our relationship would grow.
Saying that my conversation with Alya had overwhelmed me would be an understatement. Her nearly bipolar view of my relationship with Marinette had me reeling with joy alongside an insatiable terror. Alya could either be our biggest supporter or my worst enemy if I got things wrong. Needless to say, I did not want to speak about any of this with my way too condescending kwami.
"Shut it, Plagg, or I won't get you any of your precious Camembert." I threatened in an icy tone that was meant to thwart him from taking the conversation any further. Although, I should have known that nothing would come between him and his cheese. He would always find a way to weasel himself into getting it even if he did not necessarily deserve it.
Plagg descended upon my nightstand and proceeded to sway across it as if it was one of my father's catwalks. "But… without my cheese, how could you ever hope to reach that box to see if Ladybug responded to your letter?"
The letter. I had completely forgotten about the letter that I had written to Ladybug with everything that was going on with Marinette. Also, I absolutely hated the way that Plagg had said Ladybug, hanging on to it in such a way to make it sound as if I was actually still in love with her. I most assuredly was past that phase of my life and I had no intentions at all of going back down that path. I had done my duty. I had let Ladybug know that I was doing well. Did she need anything more than that? I definitely didn't think so. Nothing good could come from opening that line of communication again. My time with Ladybug was sadly, but truthfully, over.
"That's fine by me," I curtly responded, "I'm not planning on writing any more letters to Ladybug anyway."
Plagg flew over and nestled himself down on the pillow next to me. "Do whatever you want, Adrien. I don't care," he said as he yawned and turned over whispering something about finding his own way to get some cheese.
"Thanks, Plagg, I will," I spat as I rolled over snuggling even further down into my silky sheets.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, Plagg decided to speak up, "But…. Aren't you even the tiniest bit curious as to what your Lady might be wanting to say to you? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to possibly discover who Ladybug really is. Are you sure you want to pass up on that?"
For some reason, this conversation was really getting on my nerves even though Plagg did pose an interesting question. Ever since I had met Ladybug, I had been dying to know who she was underneath the mask. I would have done anything, given anything in order to know who that mysterious girl was. However, things were different now. I was no longer in love with Ladybug, and I had Marinette to think about. Honestly, with Marinette in my life, all desire to know the identity of Ladybug was gone. It didn't matter who she was. At this point, it wouldn't change a thing.
"Yep," I confidently replied. "I could care less who Ladybug is and what she wants to say to me. Now let me sleep"
( )
I woke up in a cold sweat having dreamt that Marinette had been attacked by an akumatized villain. For some reason, I could not transform into Chat Noir and Ladybug was nowhere to be found. All I could do was watch as the menace harmed the girl that I cared for. I had never felt so much hopelessness and fear in my life until that moment. Even if it had been only a dream. I looked over at Plagg to see that he had somehow managed to sneak away some cheese as evidenced by the half uneaten wheel that he was currently sleeping on.
Even though I knew that what I had just experienced had only been a dream, I could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with Marinette. I tried to settle myself down, but sleep was not going to come to me until I had determined that Mari was okay.
Without even thinking, I yelled, "Plagg Claws Out!" The poor sleeping kwami was sucked into my ring as I transformed into my other self. I darted out the window, neglecting to look at the time, lunging myself in the direction of Marinette's home. The cool air felt wonderful against my still clammy skin that was a result of sweating during the nightmare.
The moon's dim light happily glistened off the otherwise dark windows of the sleeping city below as if in a silent gesture welcoming its favorite black cat back into the night. Strolling through the streets of Paris while others slept peacefully in their beds was nothing new for me. I had spent countless hours in high school aimlessly leaping from rooftop to rooftop as I tried to escape the reality that had been my life. I shuddered at the memory of how angry and lonely I had been back in those days. My only refuge from the pain seemed to have been those long and quiet nights spent alone in the darkness. The entirety of the city had been mine, hindering nothing in my path - a stark contrast to the stifling nature of my daytime routine.
I had nearly gotten to the bakery when the sound of a young girl's scream halted my progression. Even though I desperately wanted to check in on Marinette to make sure that everything was alright, there was no way that Chat Noir was going to ignore a civilian in need.
Just as I landed on the rooftop above the darkened alleyway where the scream had emanated, I heard a familiar voice demanding, "Get away from her!" Looking down below, I caught sight of a young blonde woman held in the arms of an unknowingly ill fortuned man, now that Chat Noir had arrived. He turned his menacing gaze towards the voice that had called him out sending a chill up my spine. As I looked upon the girl that had spoken, my heart nearly stopped beating. I couldn't breathe, and for some unknown reason, I couldn't even move. It was Marinette.
Wild visions swarmed through my head as I contemplated the circumstances that could have placed Marinette walking the streets of Paris at this time of night. I wondered if my nightmare had been a foreshadowing or a warning of this exact event; there was no way of knowing if that dream had only been mere coincidence or if I had been sent to this moment for a particular purpose. I did know one thing, though, and that was the fact that nothing bad was going to happen to Marinette. I would not allow it.
The other men began to walk towards Marinette as the one holding the blonde mocked her, demanding that she be brought to him. My ears thrummed and my body surged with adrenaline at the thought of hurting every last one of these despicable scum. They would not put a single hand on my princess. My heightened senses alerted me to the fact that this group of ruffians had overpartaken a certain beverage that likely should have been avoided entirely. I knew that their reaction time would most certainly be dampened, but their overall actions would be much more volatile than regularly expected. Speed would hopefully be the only thing that was necessary in this situation. If I wasn't fast enough, then things could go south quite quickly.
As I readied my baton and bent my knees in preparation of my jump, Marinette sprung into action causing me to only be able watch in unsurpassed wonder. "Not going to happen," she promised as she gracefully sprinted around the hands that were reaching towards her. Seeing Marinette move like this brought images of Ladybug in action flashing through my mind. Then, as if in an effort to pull me back into reality, she launched herself upon the main assailant yanking his hair and locking him in a deadly chokehold. He let go of the girl as he fumbled with Marinette's arm trying to get her to let go. However, in a flash, she was off of his back and swiftly running away with the girl draped over her shoulder.
With an unfaltering inability to breathe, I watched in disbelief as Marinette, my princess, ran towards the bakery with the girl that she had just heroically saved. Some of the men tried to follow her, but I knew that that just simply could not happen. With a newfound determination, I quickly caught my breath and flung myself from the rooftop landing in front of the unsuspecting gang while twirling my baton. "You will not be going after those girls," I hissed, "or you will have to deal with me!"
Without even saying a word, every single one of the perpetrators turned on their heels and ran in the opposite direction. A deep sense of satisfaction crept through my bones at the fear I had witnessed within their eyes. It was nice knowing that Chat Noir still frightened those who intend to do evil, even after all of these years of hiatus. A wicked grin spread across my face as a hoard of cat puns raced through my mind. If it wasn't for the fact that I had someplace to be, I most certainly would have chased those men down and given them an earful of my greatest lines.
Leaping back into action, I used my baton to hurdle myself right back in front of the unsuspecting gang. "Where do you think you're going?" I taunted. "Don't you realize that I have to 'cat'ch you now? You know purrrrfectly well that I can't do that."
If only Ladybug had been here, then we could have just rounded them up with her yoyo. However, I would have to be much more creative. I looked around as the men began to back away spotting a narrow alleyway that I knew to be a dead end. I extended my baton holding it horizontally, just as a tight right walker would, and charged towards my prey slamming into them and forcing them into the alleyway. With my normal strength, there would be no way that I could have pushed five grown men at once, but with the strength gained by my miraculous combined with the coursing adrenaline in my veins, it was no problem. I herded the men until we reach the back wall. Then, I shoved the baton tightly against their guts and extended it further so that it would be braced into the sides of the walls effectively pinning my prize.
"You guys do look pretty 'hissterical' if I do say so myself. Now don't go anywhere; I'll be right back." With that, I ran to the police station to inform the officers of my catch. To say that the entirety of the station was surprised to see Chat Noir was an understatement. There was no way that this was going to stay quiet.
After the police had taken the men into custody and I had retrieved my baton, I bolted towards the bakery to make sure that Marinette had made it there safely. My stomach felt nauseous at the thought of anything bad happening to Marinette. Even though I didn't have very far to go, it seemed as if ages had passed before I made it to the entrance of her tiny home. Peeking in through the window, I could see her comforting the blonde girl as she cried into Marinette's shoulder. A wave of relief washed over me as the realization that my princess was safe sunk in. I decided to go back to a neighboring rooftop so that I could watch and make sure that no more harm came to the two girls in the bakery.
As I allowed myself to calm down, new thoughts drifted into my head. What had I just witnessed? Marinette, my sweet, peaceful Marinette, had just plowed through a group of five men in order to save a helpless girl in need. I knew that Marinette could be brave, but I had had no idea that she could pull off something like this. In fact, the precision that she used in her movements reminded me a lot of how Ladybug used to fight as evidenced by the brief visions of the heroine that had somehow been triggered. Granted the final method that Marinette used in freeing the girl was not Ladybug like in any way, but really what else could she have done in a situation such as that?
I watched the bakery for several minutes before determining that the two girls within were safe. As I hurtled through the streets of Paris, my mind was still trying reconcile Marinette's actions that I had just witnessed with the image of Marinette that I had always known. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected her to do something that reckless and yet courageous. If I hadn't known any better, then I would have thought that I had just just seen Ladybug help a girl in need, not Marinette. But it had been Marinette that I had seen. Not Ladybug. Marinette was not Ladybug.
My body and mind were exhausted when I finally made my way back into my bedroom. I detransformed and immediately flew to my bed willing myself to fall instantly asleep knowing that I could not allow my mixed up thoughts to continue any further. Marinette was just Marinette. That's all she was. This didn't change anything….. nothing was different… Marinette was just an ordinary girl…...