Yin and Yang
Chapter 3
Marinette was lying in her bed as she clutched her pillow tightly to her chest. It was two in the morning, yet she couldn't sleep. Her mind was swimming with interchangeable images of Adrien and Chat Noir.
She glanced over at the wall next to her desk. Through the darkness she could just make out the pictures if Adrien she had put there. Heat raised to her cheeks and she buried her face in her pillow. The quiet of her bedroom made it impossible to silence her mind.
Adrien Agreste was Chat noir. Adrien. Agreste. Adrien Agreste.
His name played through her mind like a skipping record and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pick up the needle. She shifted to lay on her back while her pillow rested on her stomach and her right arm rested against her forehead.
How could Chat Noir be Adrien Agreste? Or, better yet, how did she never realize? It all made sense now. She should have known when he inexplicably knew that Volpina hadn't actually captured Adrien from his mansion. There were other clues too: she'd never seen them in the same room together, he was never around when an Akuma was attacking, and Alya even said that they kind of looked alike! It all came together so neatly, but still, Marinette couldn't wrap her head around it.
Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir? Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste? She couldn't make it make sense in her mind. Adrien and Chat Noir both held very different, separate places in her heart. How in the world was she expected to combine them? They were on two completely different planes of existence. Even the way they treated her-
A strong wave of blood rose to her cheeks.
Chat Noir is always flirting with me! She thought. He was always calling her "my Lady" and saying they were "made for each other", or whatever. He'd even find subtle ways to touch her when he could. Sometimes he would wrap his arm around her shoulders or find an excuse to grab her hand. He was always encouraging affection, but it was never really a big deal. Marinette always kind of took it for a joke. After all, Chat Noir flirted with her as Marinette before he knew she was Ladybug. Yeah, it must have just been his way of playing around. What would she have done if she knew though? She was always a bumbling idiot around Adrien, so him flirting, even just play flirting, probably would have made her combust. She felt near explosion just remembering all the little intimate moments she shared with Chat Noir. If she would have known, it would have made her come undone.
But then, what if Chat Noir's flirting wasn't a joke? Marinette quickly shook that thought from her head. No, it was definitely a joke. It's not like it was uncommon for young men to do that sort of thing. He probably thought it would be bad for his image as Adrien Agreste, but as Chat Noir he was free to cut loose and have a little fun. He was just having fun. He was enjoying his teen years because as Adrien Agreste he didn't have that luxury. Either way, she just couldn't accept that someone like him could possibly have real feelings for someone like her.
Then, a little (not little at all) intimate moment came to the forefront of her memory. If she was blushing before, then she was full on flushed now. A while back, on Valentine's day, she had kissed him. He was under an Akuma's spell and in order to break it, she kissed him. She kissed Adrien Agreste.
Marinette's hands flew to her face and she began to writhe due to the madness of it all. Butterflies fluttered all over he chest and belly as she continued to take in that she had kissed her crush, and never even knew it. A large part of her was elated and was walking on sunshine, but another part of her was sinking in quicksand.
The problem was: Marinette loved Adrien. Not Chat Noir. Adrien.
Adrien had said he was much more like Chat Noir deep down. Did that mean that the boy she loved didn't exist? That Chat Noir was the only real one of the two? And, if that were the case, did she still love him? Or were all her feelings and wishes meaningless?
She thought of Adrien. She thought of all the little details about his existence that made her love him. What was it, specifically, that she loved? Well, she loved his hair and the way it shined in the sun. She loved his green eyes and how they were soft, but vibrant. She loved how graceful his figure was and how he could fill a room with his presence just by walking in, like a beacon of light.
Those things are all true of Chat Noir though, she thought. His hair and figure were both the same and she'd never known Chat Noir's eye color anyway.
If she was honest, it wasn't really his physical features that mattered. Adrien was kind, gentle, humble, and a real class act. Chat Noir, on the other hand, was arrogant, sly, and an incurable flirt. She couldn't exactly dispute Chat Noir's kindness though. How many times had he given her a pep talk? Or compliment her on a job well done? No, Chat Noir was kind. Of that, she was certain.
Her mind continued to wander and then landed on a new memory. This time it was that day in the rain. The first day Adrien came to school. The first day she began having feelings for him. He'd let her borrow his umbrella while he confessed he tried to take the gum off her seat from before. Such a sweet, kind gesture. It was so easy to fall for him then.
Another memory flashed before her. Valentine's day. Heartbreaker was shooting anti-love arrows and Chat Noir had purposefully gotten into the arrow's way so it wouldn't hit her. He sacrificed himself for her. Whether it was keeping her from getting wet or sparing her from hateful weapons, Chat Noir/Adrien was always putting her before himself. Her cheeks colored again. Maybe they weren't so different. Maybe Chat Noir just brought out his confidence and playfulness. Maybe, Marinette fell in love with Adrien and Chat Noir's core. Maybe, the other stuff didn't matter too much. Maybe.
At this, Marinette felt her eyelids get heavy and her body slowly began to let her fall asleep. Her dreams were full of green eyes and gentle embraces.
They had decided to meet in front of Master Fu's building the next day. They both agreed it would be best to take down Le Papillion as fast as possible and only Master Fu had the intel they needed. The sky was a dreary grey color and threatened rain. She cursed herself for not not bringing an umbrella. She hoped the meeting wouldn't take too long and she could beat the rain home.
Adrien was leaning against the brick wall of the abandoned hotel when Marinette arrived. He hadn't noticed her at first and she took the opportunity to take him in. He was as handsome as ever as his eyes looked off somewhere distance.
He must have a lot on his mind, she thought, probably as much as I do.
Marinette walked closer until Adrien noticed her approaching and gave her a thousand-watt smile. Her heart stopped. How was she supposed to get used to this? She did her best to maintain a calm demeanor and smiled back.
"Good afternoon, my Lady—er, Marinette, I mean, or—," he laughed, and Marinette couldn't remember ever hearing a sound as pleasant, "this is so weird. I don't know what's normal any more. What do I even call you?"
"I think 'Marinette' for when I'm Marinette is probably a good idea. We don't want any one to get the wrong idea if they hear you calling me 'my lady' all the time" she said with a smile.
"Ah, I see your point. Oh well, it won't stop me from calling you that when we're alone together" Adrien said lightly. Marinette had to hide her blush.
"Um, so, are you ready?" she asked, recovering.
"Huh? Oh, you mean to find out someone I care about is potentially hurting people all over Paris?" he asked.
"Yes" she said weakly. That must have been what he was thinking about when she found him. He smiled at her.
"No, I'm not ready, but I don't think I ever will be. How about you?" he asked.
"Pretty much the same. No matter what it is, we'll get through it Adrien. I promise" she said, trying to ease his anxieties a little. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks Marinette" he said and his hand was burning her.
"O-of course! Well, uh, we should go" she said and walked towards the front entrance of Master Fu's apartment. Adrien followed her.
They walked inside and followed the hallway down until they came to the old man's door. Marinette took a deep breath in and knocked.
"Come in!" said a voice from inside and they obeyed.
Upon their entrance, Master Fu's eyes widened, but quickly softened as he smiled.
"So, I see you two have met" he said. Adrien scratched the back of his neck and Marinette examined her fingernails.
"Well, yes," Adrien said, "we thought it would be best after what you said yesterday"
"I see. Please, sit down," he said as he went to the kitchen to grab them tea. He stopped himself short at his window, "ah, April showers"
Marinette craned her neck from her seat and saw that droplets of rain fall cascade against Master Fu's window. She sighed. It didn't look like she was going to out run the rain this time.
Once Master Fu had set them up with warm tea, he seated himself across from them. Wayzz fluttered around the room and then gracefully landed on Master Fu's shoulder.
"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" he asked. Marinette looked at Adrien who turned to her as well. Their eyes locked and Adrien nodded his silent consent.
"Master Fu, we wanted—we were hoping that you would tell us who Le Papillion is, so we could stop him, sir" Marinette said with her back straight and her eyes forward. Master Fu's countenance changed. The black cloud from yesterday seemed to loom over him once again. He looked down and then looked out his window.
"A fitting day for rain…" he said.
"Master" Wayzz said as he laid a tiny paw on his master's cheek. The Great Guardian gave Wayzz a sad smile and then took a deep breath in.
"In order to understand Le Papillion, you must understand Peacock" he said.
"Peacock?" Marinette asked.
"A Miraculous. A powerful one. Her power is based in distraction. In addition to being stronger and agiler than a normal human, she also has the power to use mirrors. They confuse and trap her opponents, then once she captures them in her mirrors, she releases them in order for Ladybug to purify the Akuma. She is the only one with the power to release the opponent from within the mirror. Her capture ability, or 'Mirror, Mirror', is similar to 'Cataclysm' and 'Lucky Charm' in that it causes her Miraculous power to run out within the next five minutes.
"Something you must understand, is that there are other evils out there besides Akuma and it is inevitable that you will face those evils. Two years ago, one such evil called an 'Oni' came to a small town in Italy. It was destroying shops, possessing people, and bringing ruin to the entire town. Peacock happened to be in the country at the time with her husband, and being the kind, noble woman that she was, she went to fight the Oni.
"It was a terrible fight. The Oni was strong and elusive. It was eight feet tall, but had no solid form. The villagers described it as a smoke creature with glaring red eyes and rows of sharp teeth. They fought tirelessly, but Peacock couldn't trap him. Eventually, the Oni got the upper hand and pinned her down. Thinking quickly, she-she—" Master Fu said, suddenly choking on his words.
"It's okay," Marinette said sweetly. Master Fu looked up at her and took a deep breath in.
"She surrounded the Oni and herself with her mirrors, then trapped them both with her powers. They disappeared into the mirrors and the only thing left of either of them was Peacock's Miraculous: a hairclip" he said solemnly.
"That's awful!" Marinette said. Adrien remained silent.
"Truly. Only Peacock can release those whom she has trapped and she can't release herself from within"
"Can't you assign the hairclip to someone else, and then they release her?" Marinette asked.
"I tried, but the Miraculous has seized to respond. My theory is that Peacock is still attached to her hairclip, and can no longer be passed on until she is released"
"What of her husband?" Adrien asked, his voice darker than Marinette had ever heard it. Master Fu looked at him with sad eyes.
"He was grief stricken. He had come to me after the event and begged for a Miraculous that might help him get his wife back. I took pity on him and granted him Nooroo, the Kwami that resides over Le Papillion. I thought it would be a good way for him to gain information and find a way to get her out of the hair clip. He would turn scholars into super heroes so they could uncover information regarding Miraculouses quickly, but he began overworking them. He sometimes wouldn't let them sleep for more than a couple hours at a time and would only allow them to eat once a day. I begged him to stop his tyranny, but he was far to overcome with grief to listen to anything I said. Eventually, he found out about the ancient Miraculous tome," Master Fu gestured to the book Marinette had brought to him the day before, "He used his powers to steal it, and began to fixate on a certain technique found in the book"
"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.
"The Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculouses are the most powerful. They represent life and death, light and dark, creation and destruction. Balance. One can not exist without the other. Normally, they are given to two separate people, but it is possible to combine them. Once combined, they create an all-powerful human being. Their power knows no bounds. It is one of my duties as the Great Guardian to make sure that only the purest of souls gains this power, or that it never exists at all. In the wrong hands, the power could destroy the world"
"Would this being be able to bring back Peacock?" Adrien asked.
"I-I believe they would, but it's too great of a power. I have to make sure it's the right person and I still haven't met that person. Le Papillion came to me with the same question. He demanded that I give him the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculouses, but I refused, knowing he was not worthy of such immense power. He was angry and attacked me, but I escaped. That's when I decided I needed to give the Miraculouses out. Then I found you two" He said with a small smile. Marinette returned it, but Adrien's face was blank.
"So that's why he wants our Miraculouses? To save his wife? That's why he's attacking Paris?" Marinette asked.
"I'm afraid so" Master Fu said.
"That's so sad" Marinette said and then ventured a look at Adrien. He was looking down at his lap and clenching his fists. He might have even been shaking slightly.
"Adrien-"
"His name" Adrien said. Master Fu looked at him, filled with guilt.
"Adrien, I-"
"His name! What is it?" Adrien asked more firmly. Master Fu's brows furrowed and he began to clutch his fists as well.
"Le Papillion is-he's-"
"Who!?"
"Gabriel Agreste. Adrien, I'm so sorry-" Master Fu said, his eyes now glossy with fresh tears. Marinette gasped and put her hands to her mouth. Adrien was already on his way out the door.
"Wait! Adrien!" Marinette called, but he had already run out. Marinette looked back at Master Fu, who seemed miserable and then back at the door Adrien left out.
"Tikki, transform me!" she said and Tikki obeyed.
The rain had escalated from a drizzle to a downpour during the time they had listened to Master Fu's story. Ladybug was scaling all the nearby buildings looking for a sign of Adrien.
He can't have gotten far, she thought. Then, by a stroke of luck, she saw a flash of black on a roof in the distance. She wasted no time in chasing after it. After a couple of swings, she found herself on top of a rooftop with a garden. There were roses and chrysanthemums everywhere, and a pretty paved path along the flora. She found Adrien situated on his knees in front of a bush that had yellow flowers growing from it that she'd never seen before. He had released his transformation and was looking at the flowers like they were a picture of a loved one. There was a sadness in him that she had never seen before.
She released her own transformation, not wanting to speak to him with a mask on. She walked slowly towards him, unsure of what to do or say.
"They're called Potentilla Neumanianna" he said without turning to face her.
"Huh?"
"Potentilla Neumanianna. They were my mom's favorite. This is a community garden and we decided to plant them here a week before her and dad went on a business trip to Italy" Adrien said, choking on the word "Italy".
"Oh, Adrien" she said as she came to kneel beside him. She put a hand on his back, hoping to alleviate even the smallest bit of his pain. Tears tracks lined his cheeks and it took all her strength not to cry as well.
"I can't do this Marinette. I can't fight him," he said, a fresh tear rolling down his cheek.
"We'll find a way"
"How? How am I supposed to go back home and pretend everything is fine? How am I going to tell him to stop? I miss her too, Marinette, I miss her too," Adrien said, his shoulders now shaking with sobs he was trying desperately to control. Thunder clapped and the rain came down even harder.
Marinette, unable to control her impulses, took Adrien's cheeks in her hands, forcing him to look at her.
"Adrien, listen to me. We are going to save her. I promise. I promise you, we will" she said. Adrien avoided her stare.
"You don't know-"
"I do! I do because there is nothing we can't do together. Maybe you can be all-powerful if you were my earrings and your ring, but that's nothing compared to us. Adrien, we can do this. I believe in us. I believe in you" she said, a tear escaping her.
He stared at her. Really stared at her. Like it was the first time ever seeing her. She couldn't move, couldn't blink. All she could do was stare right back at those iridescent, sad green eyes. He took a hand and placed it on one of hers. Instinctively, she moved that hand from his cheek to his shoulder, while his hand gently grazed her forearm. Then, something in his eyes changed. They went from sad to searching. He straightened his back and, even on their knees, he was still a good half-a-head taller than her. She looked up at him and felt butterflies swarm her tummy and her heart pound in her chest. She was just now realizing how close they were.
His eyes changed again. Now they were gentle, but determined. He had made up his mind about something.
And he had. For he slowly, ever so slowly, inched his face closer to hers. And she did too. Not exactly by choice, but by instinct. Like a magnet taken in by another one. There was no stopping it.
He kissed her. Slow, sweet, and gentle. She moved her arms to wrap around his neck and he moved his hands to her hips. He smelled like coffee and petrichor, and she drunk it in greedily. His lips were soft and wet, and just so gentle. They moved like they might break her.
Carefully, their lips separated and Adrien rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. He let out a small sigh and his breath brushed against Marinette's cheeks. Her heart was beating so hard and so fast that she was sure he must have heard it, but she didn't care. All that mattered was him.
And there they were, two teenagers with the world on their shoulders, holding each other in the rain, neither of them wanting to let go.
AN: Here's chapter three. I hope you enjoyed it. So, after writing this chapter, it might have to be longer than four chapters. I really dug myself into a hole lol. Aw well, I like the way this worked out.
Thank you so much for reading and for any and all reviews. I really love hearing your thoughts! They really motivate me :) so thank you!
P.S. I don't take requests, no matter how much you ask. I have a plan and I'm gonna stick to it so don't ask haha.