Ayyyy squad guess who's back?
I totally didn't mean for this to take so long, but I really suck at editing (*cough* I need a beta *cough*)
Anywho, I'm really gonna try to update more than once a month because that's kinda ridiculous for a story that's mostly written already.
But I figured if any day was a good day to update, it'd be 4/20
This one's for you, Snoop Dogg.
The stinging wind tore mercilessly at his face, stinging and burning the skin below his mask, but it didn't slow him down. He felt sick, some part of him expecting to wake up at any moment. Because this couldn't be real, right? He couldn't have really messed up this badly. But he remained in the nightmarish reality, the pool of dread in his stomach leapt right up into his heart. Maybe I'm not too late. Maybe the show isn't over yet.
Chat raced from rooftop to rooftop, nearly crying relief when the Louvre appeared on the horizon. Just a little further. Hang in there, Plagg. He landed roughly in front of the Carrousel du Louvre and dropped his transformation. He had long since given up on finding a proper apology, no words were going to be able to fix this. He tore up to the doors franticly, absolute terror filling him as he realised they were locked. Nothing was there to greet him but an abandoned flier at his feet. His own face grinned cheerfully back him. He stomped on it with a scream.
Never in his life had he wished so much that he was someone else.
Never in his life had he wished so much that he could just disappear.
The thick doors of the mansion slammed shut behind him, seeming far louder than necessary. The noise echoed ominously through the deathly silent house. Adrien grimaced, scanning the room, posture alert.
A dark figure loomed at the top of the marble staircase, back turned. He felt ice creep up his spine.
"How kind of you to finally make an appearance." The blond clenched his fists, praying that his courage didn't abandon him now.
"F-father?" he decided to pretend his voice was steadier than it actually was.
"I will only ask this once. Where were you?"
Adrien had never been a good liar in the best of times, and if he was being honest, it was the hardest part about being Chat Noir. The overwhelming fear chased every possible excuse from his mind. He swallowed thickly. "I...I can't tell you."
The older man whirled around with barely controlled fury. "What do you mean, you can't tell me? You will tell me this instant, Adrien!"
Adrien watched his last hope for escape drift away. He hung his head in defeat.
"I'm so sorry."
"You're sorry? I cannot believe your incompetence! You knew how important this evening was. You were the star attraction, and you couldn't be bothered to show up. I am made a mockery. I could not get my own son to perform in my anniversary show. My reputation is ruined!"
Adrien glowered in annoyance despite himself. The Gabriel line would continue on its merry way regardless if he had any part in it or not. "What does it matter?" he heard himself speak. "You said it yourself, it was your show. Why couldn't you save it?" Adrien balked, in shock at the traitorous voice. His hand flew to cover his mouth. Was he trying to get himself killed tonight? Idiot, idiot, idiot.
"What did you just say to me?"
Rarely had he ever been victim to his father's fury. Disapproval? Sure. Mild irritation? You know it. But pure, unaltered rage? That was reserved for major fuck ups only, and it always had a way of making Adrien want to bury himself in blankets and die a slow death as a burrito.
This was one of those times.
At a loss for words, the blond nervously backed up. "I'm so sorry! I...I didn't mean it, it just came out-"
"Well, obviously it's what you truly believe," the man hissed, slowly making his way down the stairs. "You will respect me, Adrien. I will get through to you. You humiliated me, you showed where your priorities lie. Our legacy means nothing to you."
"Father, please! It wasn't like that!"
Gabriel's icy eyes narrowed. "Enlighten me then. What was it that held you?"
Adrien could have sworn his father's eyes darted towards his ring.
"I...I-"
They stood face to face, and the contempt in Gabriel's eyes was far more terrifying than any akuma Chat had ever faced.
"Tell me now, Adrien." his voice was eerily calm and even, giving nothing away.
Tongue limp and useless in his mouth, he frantically tried to form a response.
"F-ather-,"
It was an odd sensation, Adrien mused, it was sudden, numbing and burning all at the same time. He didn't notice his feet losing their balance, or the cry that left his mouth. Despite his previously frenzied state, he felt placid. He wasn't quite sure how or when he ended up smacking against the cold floor, but he knew it hurt. A spike of bubbling pain shot up from his nose. He slowly squinted up at his seething father, catching sight of the unforgiving hand still raised above him. The pieces clicked together in his foggy mind and he realized what had transpired. Gabriel had struck him. Blood dripped in his mouth and he spat it out instinctively. The deep red splattered on the flawless marble, and Adrien found himself wondering if it would stain.
There was no remorse to be found as his father turned and walked away. But the older man paused at the top of the staircase, and briefly glanced over his shoulder.
"Your mother would be so disappointed in you."
And just as Gabriel knew it would, the words stung far worse than any other blow he could deal.
Somewhere in the house, a clock struck two, pulling Adrien out of whatever crying induced sleep he'd managed to fall into. He jerked up into a sitting position, startled. Plagg fell out of his hair with a quiet groan. Bleary, green eyes stared up at his chosen. Adrien wiped away the bloody saliva dribbling down his chin and the memories of the previous evening came rushing back. He was still in the entryway. His face was sticky with dried blood and tears and his nose throbbed painfully.
"Plagg?" he croaked out.
"You ok, kid?" the kwami asked, something akin to compassion briefly flashing in his eyes.
"No," he shook his head with a mirthless laugh. "No, I'm not."
Plagg sighed. "We need to get your nose taken care of. It looks broken."
A hand darted to the swollen appendage of it's own accord, and Adrien instantly regretted it, yanking it away with a hiss of pain. "Damn..."
The cat kwami bit back a laugh at the boy's nasally voice. There would be plenty of time to mock him for it later when the wounds weren't quite so fresh.
"Let's get the first aid kit out of your bathroom. There's an ice pack in there."
"No," Adrien said firmly. "I can't stand to be in this house any longer. Plagg, claws out!"
"Wait!" Plagg yelped, gripping desperately on the boy's shoe. "You really shouldn't transform when you're this upset!"
But it was too late. The ring's call was unyielding and Plagg and his protests were sucked inside. Within moments, Chat Noir was racing through the shadows.
He hadn't really thought this out, he realized when he landed in front of the school. Where would he even go? Plagg had been right, he definitely needed some patching up, but he had been stupid to think he'd find help out here.
He could go to Nino's, he supposed, but he'd have to go as Adrien and that certainly wouldn't end well. An explanation of some sort would be demanded, frankly he just wasn't up to making a convincing lie. Nino knew his home situation wasn't the best, he didn't want to make his friend worry. Or call the cops. Chat winced. If his life sucked right now, there'd be hell to pay if anything that happened tonight got out. He gave a bitter laugh. Wouldn't want to soil that reputation further, would we, father? No, the mask had to stay on, and no questions could be asked. He needed someone who understood the need for privacy. Of course, his mind instantly flew to his lady. She would be there for him, she would understand.
He knew it was stupid to even hope, but some part of him insisted that it was worth a try. Maybe, just maybe his luck would turn for the better. He pulled out his baton, and dialed her, waiting with held breath. One ring. Two rings. Three rings, and the line went dead with a soft beep. Chat's heart sank. He had known better, but that didn't make it any less disappointing.
His lady was not transformed, and likely asleep as any normal person would be.
Chat stubbornly pawed at his eyes. It was a silly thing to want to cry over, but he felt so very alone. Did he really have no one else? His blurry eyes finally looked up from the ground, hellbent on keeping the tears in. They landed on the familiar bakery, and fond memories of croissants and quiche came to the forefront of his mind.
Marinette was understanding, Marinette didn't pry or ask questions.
He sighed. Sorry, Mari. Looks like you're all I've got.
The tapping followed her persistently through the glass house, and no matter where she ran, it only seemed to get louder. Faint green light illuminated the transparent walls around her, making everything merge together. There were pictures on the walls she noted, but try as she might, she could not make sense of the faces. Her eyes were heavy, slowly closing and refused to open up again, but still she ran. She needed to be somewhere, she needed to wake up. The tapping grew louder still.
Wake up, Marinette! Someone called. Wake up!
She slowly felt herself coming back into control, the glass house and its swirling portraits fading away.
Marinette! Wake up!
Her eyes loosened, slowly opening. All the remnants of her dream were forgotten, but the tapping and the dim, green light remained.
"Wake up!" Tikki hissed in her ear. "Chat's here!"
Marinette sat up with a start, meeting two green orbs staring down at her from the trapdoor.
A black claw softly tapped at the glass.
Marinette squinted. "Chat?"
Was that...blood?
Fear pooling in her stomach, she swiftly kicked her blankets off and jumped to unlock the latch. The door swung open, and Chat suddenly found he couldn't look her in the eye.
"Chat?" she asked again, gasping softly as she got a good look at his face. "What happened?"
Surely it wasn't an akuma? She would have known, wouldn't she? Please, please tell her this wasn't her fault.
"Hey, Princess," his smile felt fake. "Uh...it's stupid. I just wondered...do you have any ice?"
The words sounded foolish as they reached his ears. Waking her up at 2:15 for ice? Who the hell does that? He looked away.
"Oh, uh sure." she replied and he jerked his head to her in surprise. "Come on in."
"I can wait here. It's no biggie."
Marinette sighed. "You're coming in here because I'm not not gonna talk out in the cold."
Chat swallowed. "We're...gonna talk?" fuck fuck fuck.
She stared at him exasperatedly. "You come to my house before the asscrack of dawn with a broken nose. We are most definitely going to talk."
The leather clad hero couldn't help the smirk that crawled across his face. "My goodness, Princess! Language!"
"You're gonna find there's more where that came from if you don't get in here now."
He dropped onto her bed with a quiet grunt, coy grin still in place, despite his pain. "When have I ever been able to deny you anything?"
Marinette nodded in approval, closing the the trapdoor. "Stay here," she commanded. "I'll be right back."
Chat watched her form disappear down the steps from the loft, biting back a chuckle when she tripped on the last step, muttering irritatedly to herself as she slipped out of the room.
She certainly knew how to be endearing.
His eyes scanned her room, taking in the details with his heightened sight. It hadn't changed since the last time he was here, but nighttime gave it a certain vulnerability that had not been present before. The darkened loft seemed far more isolated, and staring up at the ceiling made it easy to pretend nothing else existed around it but the moonlight leaking through the window. It was intimate and comforting, two things his own house was sorely lacking. He fell back on her bed with a sigh, head landing on her cat pillow and sending fresh waves of pain through his nose. "Ow," he moaned, arm falling across his eyes. He was so screwed. What was his father going to do? He knew his punishment was far from over, all of his hard earned freedom was as good as gone. Chat smirked bitterly. Sorry I missed your show, daddyo. I kinda lost track of time while saving the world and, oh almost forgot, stopping a vengeful monster that you helped create!"
The door below him creaked open softly, Marinette's blue hair peeking through. She crawled up into the room, ice pack clenched in her teeth and her arms were full of bandages, cotton balls and various bottles and tubes. She quickly made her way back up to the bed and unceremoniously dropped her haul, spitting out the blue ice pack with a grimace. "C'mere, Kitty. Let's take a look."
He crawled toward her with a chuckle. "It appears I'm in very capable hands."
She didn't respond, instead grabbing her phone. The screen came to life, illuminating her features and the dim area around her. She typed rapidly, chewing thoughtfully on her lip. "Well, according to this, if it actually is broken, you'll have to go to a doctor to get it fixed."
Chat mentally slapped himself. Of course he would need actual medical attention. He was stupid to think this would go away on it's own. He scoffed internally. He needn't worry however, his father would be sure to call in the best doctors and plastic surgeons in the country. It's be quite a shame if his number one employee was suddenly unfit for modeling.
"But," the girl continued. "I can help out with the swelling and pain, and then we may be able to see how bad the damage is."
He grinned at her gratefully "Have at it, doc."
Marinette let out a quiet huff of determination. "Right." She bent down and began to dig through the pile of supplies she'd retrieved, sloppily organising them around on her comforter. She selected a damp cloth first, pouring liquid from one of her bottles on sparingly. She awkwardly scooted closer. "Sorry, I uh, I don't know if this is gonna sting or not."
Chat gave her his best attempt at a reassuring smile. "It's fine, Princess. I really appreciate this."
Slowly, she brought the dark cloth up to his face, and he was immediately assaulted by the sharp stench of alcohol. He recoiled despite himself. She grimaced apologetically, but didn't retreat. It didn't sting he noted, but the smell made his nostrils burn and eyes water. It was probably best to find a distraction.
Well, he didn't have to look far.
She was much, much closer than he'd originally noticed. Bluebell eyes focused intently on his upper lip, gently scrubbing away dried blood. He neither confirmed or denied if it had made his heart skip a beat. No one would ever be able to doubt the love he had for his lady, but no one in their right mind would deny that Marinette was absolutely lovely either. Porcelain skin, short dark hair and bright blue eyes, Adrien thought it might be time to consider he had a type. He could easily denounce having any feelings for her beyond platonic, but Lord above, she was beautiful, inside and out.
He swallowed. "So, uh, how was your day?"
Marinette paused, giving him a questioning look. "My day? I feel like that's the least pressing matter right now."
Chat shrugged lightly. "I'm just making conversation. Humor me."
She spared him another glance before resuming her task. "It was alright, I suppose. Just a little busy." if only you knew.
He hummed. "Oh? Busy how?"
She threw the bloodied cottonball aside, satisfied with her work. "Just school and helping with the bakery,' she lied somewhat stiffly. "Ya know how it is."
He snickered. "Actually I wouldn't. I've never worked in a bakery my whole life."
Chat Noir wasn't certain, but he could've sworn he heard her mutter 'smartass' under her breath.
He bit back a chuckle. "Here," she commanded, offering the icepack. "Hold this on for a few minutes and see what that does."
He nodded compliantly, gently holding it to the swollen appendage with a quiet hiss.
Marinette flopped back on the bed with a sigh, hands folding on her stomach. She closed her eyes. "So, Tomcat, you wanna tell me what happened now?"
Chat shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, no actually. I'd rather not."
"You know I don't judge. If you like fell down the stairs getting a midnight snack or something, I totally get that. I'm the queen of clumsiness."
He laughed, instantly regretting it when his nose throbbed again, tears forming. "No, Mari," humor still laced in his voice. "It wasn't because of anything like that."
She sighed, but seemed to take the hint. "Lucky. I'm such a klutz. I can't do anything without falling on my face. It's ridiculous."
"Oh, c'mon now. I don't believe that. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you stumble." he decided a little white lie would be appropriate here.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, clearly you haven't seen me around the guy I like. I'm a total mess the minute he walks in the room."
Chat's ears perked. Mari liked someone? He grinned teasingly.
"What's this? Has the princess found herself a prince?"
She shot him a half hearted glare. "I wish. Everytime I try to tell him, I turn into a blubbering mess of goo."
Chat racked his brain. Who on earth did Marinette act like a mess around? She was always so calm and collected when conversing with anyone in their school. Well except him, of course, but he chalked that up to his celebrity status. He shrugged to himself. Maybe she didn't meet him at school. Couldn't hurt to ask.
"Oh, don't withhold details, Princess. Where did you meet this fine fellow?"
She wrung her hands nervously. "Oh, uh…," Chat had seen everyone in her class, multiple times. What if he was able to narrow it down? Oddly enough, she found that she didn't want him to know the truth. "He comes to the bakery sometimes," well, there. That wasn't a total lie. Adrien had come to the bakery several times.
Chat nodded, grin still in place. "And does he know how you feel?"
Her shoulders slumped, and she groaned. "No, I can barely construct a sentence around him, much less confess my undying love."
He chuckled good-naturedly. "Don't sweat it, little lady. You're not the only one unable to profess your feelings."
Marinette sported a grin of her own, relieved to be out of the spot light. "Oh?" she spoke, mocking his previous tone. "And who could the lucky lady be?"
Chat Noir smirked at her word choice. Quite fitting, actually.
"She'd probably kill me if I started talking about her. She, uh gets annoyed with me sometimes,"
She rolled her eyes. No surprise there.
"I tried telling her how I felt once, but i-it wasn't the best time. I didn't have the nerve to try again."
The girl tilted her head curiously. "You? The great Chat Noir doesn't have the nerve?"
He laughed, scratching the back of his neck bashfully. "You wouldn't understand unless you met her."
"I'll take your word on that," she replied with a wink. "But I have to say, Chaton, I didn't think any girl would be able to capture the heart of a flirt like you."
"A flirt? Oh, Princess, you misunderstand me! I only flirt with a select few, but I will say I'm rather good at it, wouldn't you?" he gave her a cocky, half lidded stare.
And whatever she did, she certainly didn't blush. That would have been absurd. She gulped, rolling her eyes in recovery. "Sure, Kitty. I'll take you seriously when your nose isn't swollen."
He laughed, the stress of the night finally far from his mind. "Fair enough."
She smiled back. "Guess we're both pretty hopeless at love, huh?"
He scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The sun was barely peeking across the horizon when he slipped silently back into his room. His nose still hurt, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Adrien had felt better than he had in days.
"You idiot!" Plagg shrieked the moment he was released from the ring. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"
Adrien stepped back, startled. "I-I, uh what? I did something?"
The kwami groaned. "You stupid kid! You transformed on negative emotions!"
Adrien chewed his lip cautiously. "And that's bad because…?"
"Your miraculous feeds off of your feelings, genius! In Ladybug's case, that's a good thing. She has the earrings of good luck and creation, her miraculous is prone to positive emotions, and it won't allow her anger or sadness to corrupt her. Her emotions empower her."
"Wait," Adrien blinked, deciding that he had not had enough sleep to deal with Plagg and his antics. "Corrupt her?"
"Yes, and you're not that lucky. Your miraculous is fueled by negativity. You activate it too much when you get like that, and it will completely scramble your brain. Among other things!"
He swallowed nervously, eyes flicking to his hand. "What do you mean? What exactly will it do? "
Plagg sighed, irritation slowly wearing off. "It's probably best I don't tell you. I don't want you to constantly be afraid to use the ring. You were fine after your whole Christmas tantrum. I didn't say anything then because I didn't wanna ruin the holiday. Just be more careful in the future and you'll be fine, kid."
Remarkably, that wasn't reassuring.
Adrien stared at his ring curiously. Surely everything was fine? He glanced into the giant mirror above his sink. He looked the same, felt the same. Certainly no damage had been done?
His reflection was that of which it had always been, staring back at him.
He gave the boy in the mirror a tired smile.
The boy in the mirror winked back.
