He woke up to a cold floor, his wrists, ankles and wings tied together and his head heavy with a migraine. He groaned as he attempted to sit up and take in his surroundings. It was a large room, dark and dusty, with shelves against the walls. It was a cellar, which meant he was in the basement.
He glanced behind him at the stairs that led to the entrance, surprised to find there wasn't a guard watching over it. He hesitated, considering trying to crawl his way out. It was better than whatever awaited him, his father's words echoing in his cloudy mind.
'By altering you,'
What did that even mean? What was there to alter? His kindness? He knew his father was a sadistic ass but this was taking it a little too far. What kind of parent ties their child up and leaves him in a cold, damp cellar? Satan apparently.
Adrien let out a huff of frustration as he got up on his knees and began to slowly crawl forward, not getting very far before he heard the door to the exit open. He cursed under his breath, "Merde," and gave up, sitting up on his knees. Who descended the stairs wasn't who he was expecting, but didn't give him any hope either way. Nathalie met his gaze for a moment and he could've sworn she looked... doleful. As if she hated to see him like this. He stared at her, unconvinced; there was no way she felt any sort of remorse for him. She worked for Gabriel, she practically had to be heartless.
"You don't deserve any of this," Nathalie muttered as she made her way over to a metal file cabinet and searched for something.
Adrien blinked in surprise, "Huh?" He wasn't sure he heard her correctly. Nathalie glanced over at him sorrowfully, catching Adrien off guard once again.
"You look just like her, did you know that?" Nathalie said, suddenly changing the topic. Adrien tilted his head slightly in confusion. He had no idea who she was talking about until it suddenly dawned on him.
"Oh. You mean my mother?" He asked and Nathalie nodded, closing a drawer and going onto the next to continue her search.
"She was very beautiful, blonde hair and green eyes just like you. She treated everyone with kindness, even those who didn't deserve it. Like your father." She explained and pulled out a large dusty book from the drawer, then placed it down on top of the cabinet to gather more items.
When Adrien didn't answer, she continued, "Your father never spoke of her because he didn't want his reputation ruined, since she was, well, an Angel."
Adrien's eyes widened, speechless for a moment before he was finally able to force out a word from his suddenly dry mouth. "She was an Angel? B-But that means..."
Nathalie nodded, "You're half-Angel, Adrien."
He felt like he couldn't breathe, all of this was such nonsense and yet it made complete sense. That's why he was always different from other Demons, why he could tame Pookas and even why his feathers were more elegant than most. He forced himself to breathe in, feeling as if his heart was about to stop at any minute.
"W-What happened to her? Why did she leave?" He asked, his voice wavering as he took in all this information, still finding it hard to believe.
"She had to leave because your father took the crown and being part of his life was against the law, so she disappeared without a trace. She wanted to bring you with her, but your father convinced her otherwise. He just wanted a Demon son," She explained and Adrien's breath hitched, his eyes beginning to sting with the threat of tears. His mother wanted to bring him with her, he could've escaped all of this pain if he had just been born with white wings.
Nathalie fell silent for a moment, staring at him dolefully. He refused to look up at her, instead he kept his gaze on the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut, clasping his hands together as a tight pain in his chest made its way up to his throat. He felt like his emotions were bubbling up inside him, ready to pop at any minute.
"She loved you Adrien, she loved you very much. She called you her 'Petit Chaton'... You were her pride and joy," Nathalie said and it was enough to send Adrien's emotions over the edge. He gasped and hugged himself as best he could, his cat ears drawn back as he leaned forward to hide the tears that escaped his closed eyes. His chest ached with overwhelming sorrow, the longing to be with his mother and be with someone who truly loved him too much to bear.
He let out another gasping breath for air, followed by a sorrowful sob. No matter how hard he tried to hold it all in, the reality of it all was if things had been a bit different on his part, everything would've changed for the better. In a way, this was almost his fault.
He tightened his grip on his sleeves, clenching his jaw as he held back another sob that he felt rise to the back of his throat. All of his whimpering had given Nathalie enough time to grab what she needed from the cabinet and set it down on the table behind him. After a few more minutes of his sounds of despair, Gabriel finally arrived, making his way around Adrien to stand beside the table. Adrien knew he was there, but refused to look up at him with his face stained with tears. He knew what his father would say, that he needed to toughen up and act more like a Demon and less like a child. It was so typical that at this point, it didn't even offend him.
"I see you did what I asked of you, thank you Nathalie." Gabriel said, not paying his son much attention. Adrien glanced over his shoulder at the Demons, realizing they were talking about him. What could he have possibly asked of her to do?
Nathalie bowed slightly, "Of course, your majesty. He was... quite easy to weaken."
Adrien furrowed his brows in confusion, turning his body around to face the two, still not able to stand up. "Everything you said... was a lie?" He asked, his voice sounding more broken than he'd would've liked.
Nathalie shook her head, "No, it was all the truth. Your mother truly did love you and... I am sorry, Adrien." She replied, her eyes once again looking doleful. He didn't know what to believe anymore. All Demons were fake and their words were lies, he couldn't trust any of them now. He just wanted his mother back and...
And Marinette.
The thought of her made his heart race and not exactly in a good way. She would be expecting to meet up with him tomorrow but with how things were looking for him, he wasn't sure that was going to be a possibility. His chest once again ached with sorrow, knowing that she'd be there waiting for him tomorrow in the forest, and he wouldn't show up because god knows what's about to happen to him would ruin everything.
He hung his head, using his hands to wipe away any stray tears, promising to himself at that moment that no matter what happened to him tonight, he would never forget Marinette and he would fight for her. No matter what.
"What are you planning to do to me?" Adrien asked, his voice firm again. Gabriel reached over to the large book sitting on the table and opened it up to a random page, skipping back a few to find the one he wanted.
"A while ago I found a spell that exorcises Angels. Now of course, this would only work if an Angel was using another creatures body as a vessel but I found that you may be an exception being half and half." Gabriel explained nonchalantly and Adrien's eyes widened, his wings shuddering in their tight hold.
"You're gonna use an exorcism? B-But that could kill me!" He tried to reason but his father only sighed.
"Oh Adrien, you're beginning to sound like a broken record. Pro Coronam will kill you if this doesn't and besides, I'm only trying to help you. By the end of the night you'll be completely Demon if all goes well,"
"You're insane, what kind of parent does this to their own child!?" Adrien shouted, infuriated. Gabriel didn't reply, he simply set the opened book back down on the table and let Nathalie do all the work. She left the cellar for a moment before returning with two guards, the same from before. They grabbed Adrien by the arms and dragged him over to a symbol carved into the floor. The symbol was a large circle and in the circumference was a diamond that seemed to almost have small wings sprouting from each side of the shape. The guards stood off to the side as Gabriel began to mutter incoherent words under his breath.
At first nothing happened, but Adrien knew something was wrong when he felt his ring heat up with power, usually a sign that danger was nearby. Suddenly he felt a pain in his chest that started off just as an uncomfortable ache but soon grew into something so excruciating, he thought he was about to die. He fell to the floor, trembling and tensing every muscle in his body until he could barely move, strangled cries of pain and whimpers escaping him as time went on, his eyes filling with tears of agony.
He felt as if something inside of him was fighting to stay, ripping and clawing at him desperately. His wings tensed and struggled in their bonds, stretching as far as they could before the bindings finally snapped and his feathered limbs arched up, each individual feather shaking as many completely broke off and drifted to the floor below, moulting even faster.
He let out a loud anguished scream as the pain traveled up to his head, pounding on every side of his skull until he couldn't bear it any longer. This was torture, death was probably sweeter than this. It went on for what seemed like ages, his hands grabbing at his head as if that would stop the pain.
Something in his mind snapped at that very moment. He could no longer feel pain, though he could hear himself still screaming in agony. He couldn't move. In fact, he couldn't control himself at all, it was moving on its own accord now. It was almost as if he was having an out of body experience. Was he dying? Is this what dying felt like? No, he couldn't be, his heart was still beating.
Then everything went white.
o0o0o0o0oWhen he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the middle of the forest. Except something seemed to be surrounding him, like a dome of dark energy. He stepped forward and reluctantly reached out to touch it, immediately drawing his hand back when the force field rippled, the dark matter mixing with tints of blue and purple. It would've been beautiful if it wasn't caging him.
His attention snapped up when he heard a twig snap and he just now realized a dark figure getting closer to him. He stepped back, but kept his eyes on the figure until it stepped out of the shadows of the forest and into the light. His eyes widened.
It was himself but different, dark wings rustled and unkempt, his cat ears a bit larger and his eyes an icy blue. Cold and cat-like, standing out against the black that encircled his eyes like a mask.
Confused, Adrien looked down at himself only to see white garments. He glanced back at his own wings only to confirm his suspicions. They were pearly white. When he reached up to touch his hair, his fingers brushed against his cat ears, almost relieved he still had those extra parts.
"It really is upsetting to see you like this, Adrien." He heard himself say, well, the Demon side of him. He glanced up to meet his icy gaze.
"I... I don't understand, what's happening?" He asked, scanning the dome that confined him. His demon self moved a bit closer, reaching out a gloved clawed hand to tap the force field which once again rippled at contact.
"You've been shut out, you're no longer in control. I am."
Adrien stared at his demon self, who smirked uncharacteristically. Something about this mirror image put him on edge, it wasn't really him. Not truly.
"Who are you?" Adrien asked, tilting his head slightly. His demon self mirrored his actions, an innocent smile crossing his face.
"I'm you, of course. I'm the Demon side of you, but you've already figured that out. So what are you really asking?"
Adrien paused, not sure how to answer when he didn't know what else to say. "What happened to me?" He asked, plucking the question out of thin air.
The demon smirked and began to slowly circle the dome, Adrien's gaze glued to his mirrored self. "The exorcism tore us apart, we were once one, Demon and Angel coexisting but father split us up. He locked you up in that prison and let me take the reigns, leaving me in control. Is that the answer you wanted?"
"How do I get out?" Adrien asked and the demon snickered.
"Do you really think I'd tell you that? For the past 18 years you've been in control, but now it's my turn. I'll make father proud and become the King he wants us to be,"
"What about Marinette?"
The demon paused, stopping in his tracks at the mention of her name. In the distance, the sound of birds chirping was heard, making it feel like he was truly in the forest. But he knew now that this was just his mind, the forest was his happy-place. But somehow, Marinette was nowhere to be seen.
"What about her?" The demon asked nonchalantly and Adrien crossed his arms, furrowing his eyebrows and tucking in his white wings.
"If you're a part of me, then you must love her as I do."
"Love is weakness, Adrien. The sooner you get that through your perfect head of yours, the sooner father will learn to accept you. Marinette is going to be erased from the picture. After all, we don't want to follow in father's footsteps now, don't we?" He replied, subtly bringing up his mother. Adrien clenched his fist, stepping closer to the Demon only to be held back by the field.
"You're making a mistake. This isn't who we are!"
The demon clenched his jaw and flared his black wings behind him, his pale blue eyes shooting daggers at his mirrored self. "No, that was who you were! I've never had a say in how we act—"
"Oh please, you're a tantrum with wings."
"I'm the side of you who acts! You're a coward who runs away and falls in love with an Angel," The demon sneered, letting his wings tuck back in as he gave one last glare to his counterpart and turned to walk away.
"You're going to get us killed," Adrien called out as he watched his Demon self return to the shadows.
"At least I'll go out fighting,"
o0o0o0o0o0oHe couldn't remember what happened after that flash of white, it felt like centuries had gone by when really, it was only mere seconds. He was on the ground, the pain finally stopped and he had gone silent, his heartbeat back to a steady pace. It was almost like he had waken up from a terrible dream, a nightmare. But when he opened his eyes, he was in the cellar and he could hear the chattering of his father and Nathalie behind him.
"Did it work?" Nathalie had asked, his father hummed gruffly in thought.
"I'm not sure... Guards, examine him." He ordered and he heard the sound of metal shifting before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He moved without thinking and grabbed the guard's arm, pulling him forward and sending him flying into the shelves ahead. His wings snapped open, knocking down the next Demon and Adrien quickly got to his feet without much effort at all.
He snapped and summoned a ball of green flames into his hand, firing one straight into the guard's metal chest plate and knocking him over before he even had the chance to get up. Adrien grabbed the Demon by the throat and lifted him up off his feet, the guard letting out a strangled gasp.
Adrien felt no remorse or pity for this Demon. He only felt a sense of rage that burned through any other emotion he might've had before. He had changed and yet he didn't feel any different.
"Woah, woah, Adrien! Put him down," Nathalie instructed, her voice firm. Adrien glanced over at her bitterly, not moving for a moment before finally giving in and dropping the Demon who immediately gasped for air.
Gabriel looked pleased, "Do you have any objections on joining Pro Coronam tomorrow?" He asked suddenly and Adrien stared at him for a moment before a smirk tugged at his lips.
"Not at all, it'll be my pleasure."
o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Marinette sat on a bench with Tikki-who had taken the form of a small blue eyed black puppy with many tiny white spots -on her lap. The Angel subconsciously scratched behind the Pooka's ears who hummed graciously, leaning into her hand.
They sat in silence as Marinette watched the stars twinkle in the darkened sky, reminded as the moon slipped out from behind a cloud that tomorrow would arrive shortly. She sighed in content, Tikki glancing up at her with a knowing look on her face.
"Thinking of Adrien again?" The Pooka asked and Marinette nodded slowly with a small smile on her face. Tikki giggled, "Am I coming tomorrow?"
Marinette nearly gasped, "Of course!" She exclaimed with a grin, running a gentle hand down Tikki's back. "I could never leave you here; you'll always be with me, okay?"
Tikki nodded then nuzzled into Marinette's hand, resting against her paws as she closed her eyes. The Angel smiled, quietly resuming to pet the Pooka.
She listened to the chirp of crickets from the nearby forest, wondering what else was awake tonight. She didn't dare wander in after what happened the night before, being attacked by hellhounds was the scariest thing that had ever happened to her. Scarier than being attacked by Demons, they at least had a ounce of common sense.
Something about that didn't add up, hellhounds were known to be the guardians of Demons, so what were they doing in the forest the night before? And they didn't attack Adrien, then again he did manage to scare them off. Still, it felt almost... staged. As if someone knew she was going to be there.
She shook her head at the ridiculous thoughts; it couldn't be staged. What were the chances of that?
She let out a sigh as she carefully picked up Tikki in her arms and brought her inside, making sure to be quiet to not wake her parents. Once she was in her room, she placed the small Pooka on a large cushion in the corner of the room and got changed into her nightgown, which had an open back to let her wings spread. She climbed up onto the soft hammock that was used as a bed and let her wings wrap around herself like a blanket.
She tried to clear her mind and just close her eyes but she was too jittery, perhaps from all the excitement for tomorrow. She wasn't aware of it yet, but in the back of her mind she could tell that something was wrong, but wasn't sure what. Noticing her jitteriness, Tikki crawled into the hammock with her, still in her dog form and let the Angel hug her until she fell asleep.
The next day came by in a flash and despite usually hating to get up early, Marinette was up and awake before even her parents. She quickly got dressed into a pair of jeans and pink t-shirt, making sure to grab a black jacket and the two bags full of orbs and the vials from Master Fu before leaving the room with Tikki following by her heels.
She made her way out of the bakery and paused to look back at her home, feeling the pit in her stomach grow at the thought of leaving. She had to do this but it came with a price. She clenched her fists and took in a deep wavering breath, forcing herself not to cry. Then she turned and ran.
Once they got to the border of the Kingdom, Tikki changed into a horse and Marinette mounted her, surprisingly more graceful than she expected. The two rode off into the forest just as the sun finally brightened the sky to a beautiful blue. Though it wouldn't last Marinette noted as they made their way through the forest, for a storm was approaching fast.
It was unfortunate and Marinette couldn't help but blame her bad luck.
When she reached the meeting spot, she dismounted her Pooka and took a seat on the boulder to wait. For the first five minute she was patient, but once nearly twenty minutes passed by, Marinette became antsy and unbearably worried.
"Do you think something happened?" Marinette asked Tikki who scanned the area once again.
"I'm... not sure. Something definitely doesn't feel right,"
Marinette's attention was drawn back to the trees ahead of her as a bush rustled and a flock of birds flew off in a hurry. Marinette got to her feet quickly, her heart skipping a beat with nerves. Tikki was by her side in seconds, morphing into a large black wolf for protection. Moments passed when nothing happened, everything was silent. The branches and leaves rustled as a gust of cold air blew by and shook her feathers, causing her to shiver and put on the black jacket she had brought along. She watched as Tikki's ears flicked, listening intently for an intruder, then she growled.
Suddenly, from the depths of the forest, a large black panther emerged and was immediately greeted by a barking wolf, Tikki ready to attack if necessary. But then the panther spoke and Marinette froze.
"Wait! I-I'm Plagg, Adrien's Pooka!"
Marinette rushed over to the two animals, placing a reassuring hand on Tikki who had finally stopped growling. Plagg looked relieved, panting as he leaned against a nearby tree.
"Plagg? But... where's Adrien?" Marinette asked, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach with worry. Plagg's look of dismay didn't help.
"He's in trouble—he came home last night and his father was waiting for him—I wanted to help but Adrien told me not to and then— they dragged him away a-and something happened to him—" He panted out and Marinette could tell that he was freaking out just as much as she was. She rushed over to him and knelt down, placing a gentle hand on his head to try and calm him down.
"Breathe Plagg," She instructed and he did so, finally shutting his muzzle. "Now tell me what happened, where is Adrien now?"
"I-I don't know, after they dragged him away I went to the cellar where they were holding him. There were too many guards so I couldn't get through to help him but I heard him scream... it was awful, they were hurting him." Plagg explained, shaking his head slightly as he recalled the memory. Marinette's blue eyes were blown wide, her heart racing in her chest as she took in what he had just said.
Was he... dead?
She began to panic and she stood up, running her hands through her hair as her breathing became quick and short. Tikki was sure she was about to hyperventilate.
"Marinette, you need to take your own advice and breathe!" Tikki said and the Angel took a seat on the boulder once again, hiding her face in her hands as she felt her eyes sting with tears.
When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she glanced up quickly to meet Tikki's blue eyed gaze. But... she was in the form of an Angel. Short red hair with a single black patch as her bangs, it was uncanny how much she looked exactly like a ladybug. Marinette was stunned into silence.
"Marinette," Tikki said, "Adrien needs your help."
Marinette's breath hitched at the mention of his name again and she felt her eyes gloss over.
"How? What if he's... he's..." She couldn't finish her sentence, it was too painful to even think about.
"He's not dead, I'm sure of it. Whatever happened to him last night didn't kill him," Plagg cut in, suddenly by Tikki's side. He too, was in his Demon form and it pained Marinette to see how closely he resembled Adrien. She took in a deep breath, a single tear sliding down her cheek before she could stop herself.
"He needs your help Marinette," Tikki repeated and the Angel merely shook her head.
"I can't," The words came out in a brittle whisper, her voice quivering as her shoulders trembled. The thought of something happening to Adrien was painful enough, but the fact that it already happened, destroyed her.
The Pooka's fell silent for a moment, before Plagg finally spoke up, taking a seat beside Marinette as he did so.
"Y'know, I trained Adrien a few times. He was never really good, I'll be honest, and maybe it's because he was afraid to hurt me but either way he was never the type of person who fought. But he was strong and whenever he got knocked down, he would always get back up." He explained and Marinette looked over at him as he spoke, her bottom lip quivering as a few more tears spilled.
He continued, "This is just another blow, he'll get up. He always does. But he needs you to tag in and help him, this isn't a battle he can win alone. You two are a team now, and he needs his partner. So don't give up on him that easily,"
Marinette stared at him, stunned, his words alone were enough to get her to stop crying. He was right, she needed to help him, he needed her and she was not going to just let him go like this. She took in a deep breath and nodded as she made up her mind.
"I'll do it, I'll go save him. But... I'm gonna need your guy's help." She said, glancing between the two as they smiled.
"He saved us, so we'll repay the favour by doing the same for him." Tikki assured the Angel and Plagg nodded in agreement. Marinette smiled slightly, standing back up and dusting off her clothes.
"We're gonna need some backup,"
o0o0o0o0o0o
When she finally returned to the Angel Kingdom on horseback with a small cat in her arms, the Angels were scrambling in chaos. Many carried weapons and plates of silver armour and those who weren't joining the war were scrambling to help. Carriages pulled by Pegasus' were loaded with shields and canons. So it was happening, the war was beginning.
Marinette realized she had been staring and didn't even hear Alya calling her name until Plagg nudged her, her gaze immediately snapping to the Angel who stood a safe distance from her Pooka.
"Marinette! Where have you been? It's been chaos all morning and you were out rendezvousing in the forest?" She asked, clearly frustrated with everything going on. Marinette pursed her lips and glanced around quickly for her parents, wondering if they were still in the bakery.
"Uh, I'll explain in a minute, follow me." She instructed as she got Tikki to bring her to the nearby stables which were now empty. She heard Alya huff before following and she waited for Marinette to dismount before continuing her little rant.
"Queen Chloe has already got an army of Angel's helping her in this war, and I've been told that the Demon Kingdom has not only accepted to go to war but also has a new ruler," Alya explained and at the mention of a new ruler, Marinette's heart skipped a beat in panic.
"What the King's name?" She asked and Alya crossed her arms.
"If you're wondering if it's Adrien, it's not."
Marinette wasn't sure whether to be relieved or extremely troubled by this news, if he wasn't the King then did that mean he was killed during Pro Coronam? Or did he just not compete?
As if reading her thoughts, Plagg spoke up, still seated on the saddle on Tikki's back, "With what happened last night, I don't think Adrien would've joined Pro Coronam. His father wouldn't send him out injured,"
Alya stared at the cat in curiosity, "Who's this?" She asked and Marinette realized Alya hadn't met either of the Pookas yet.
"Oh, uh, right. This is Plagg, and this is Tikki," She gestured to the two, "They're Pookas."
Plagg glanced over at Alya with disinterest, then casually began to groom his paws. Tikki showed a bit more interest in the Angel, practically smiling with just her eyes. Marinette wondered if Plagg was always this uninterested in everything, then again, he seemed pretty concerned when talking about Adrien that morning.
The memory made Marinette's wings tremble and she shook her head to rid her thoughts. He was fine, she told herself, he'll be fine.
"How'd you get two Pookas?" Alya asked, eyeing the Angel with suspicion. Marinette rubbed the back of her neck nervously, an awkward smile on her face as she glanced off to the side.
"It's a... long story," She explained before changing the subject, her eyes back on the brunette, "Alya, I need your help." Her friend blinked in surprise at the sudden demand but agreed to help anyway.
"With what?"
Marinette paused, "I need to get into the Demon Kingdom,"
Alya stared at her with wide eyes, taking a moment to process what she had just said. Marinette clasped her hands together in anticipation. This was the first time Marinette had ever seen Alya speechless, it was... unnerving.
"You WHAT?" She said loudly and Marinette flinched, glancing around to make sure no one could hear them.
"It's to save Adrien, something bad happened to him and I'm the only one who can help him." Marinette's words came out more desperately than she expected but she just hoped it was enough to persuade Alya.
"I'm sure you're over-reacting Mari—"
"She's not," Plagg cut in, no longer grooming his paws. He had a stern look on his face that told Alya he was being 100% serious. Marinette felt like he was the type of person who wouldn't have come to her if it wasn't completely serious. "Adrien's in trouble and Marinette is the only person who he can count on,"
"W-what about his family?" Alya asked, and Plagg shook his tiny cat head.
"He doesn't have a family," He said and glanced off to the side, "Not anymore,"
Alya fell silent for a moment before sighing, "Why does it have to be Marinette though?" She asked and Marinette could tell that Alya just didn't want her risking her life for a Demon. But to Marinette, saving Adrien was worth the risk.
"Because I'm his only friend," Marinette answered and Alya stared at her for a moment with doleful eyes, a knowing look on her face. Alya had met Adrien, she knew he was a good person and hopefully, she knew he was worth saving. To Marinette, he was worth anything.
Alya sighed, "Alright, let's go save your Prince Charming."
o0o0o0o0o0o
A plan was laid out, Marinette and Alya would join the Angels who would be going out into the war, but once they got to the forest, Marinette would take a detour, taking secrets trails only her and Adrien were aware of. They would ride the Pookas so that once they were far enough, they would begin to blend in with the Demons. Marinette also had the idea to wear black cloaks to hide their wings, an idea inspired by Adrien.
It seems like everything she did reminded her somehow of him, but with each small reminder, she felt even more determined to find out what happened to him.
"So after we get past the... battlefield, then what do we do?" Alya asked as she placed another pile of black fabric on the desk Marinette was working at. She glanced up from her sewing machine, noting the pieces of fabric beside her and her friend standing behind her.
"Then we sneak into the Demon Kingdom. There'll be two guards protecting the border so we'll get the Pookas to take care of that. Then when they're gone, we'll sneak into the village which will most likely be crowded with soldiers and villagers. Don't talk to any of them though, Adrien said they're not very friendly last time he went." Marinette explained and Alya took a seat beside her.
"O-Kay... then what?"
"Then we'll head over to the castle, Adrien's bedroom balcony is always open so we'll get in through there. But it'll be difficult without anyone noticing us so we'll take the Pookas up. One at a time so people don't notice," Marinette continued as she finished another stitch, moving the fabric again to start on the hood.
"Once we're in, the bedroom door may be locked so we'll get Tikki or Plagg to slip under and unlock it from the outside. As far as I remember, the sleeping chambers are on the top floor so we'll have to go down a few floors to get to the cellar, which I believe is in the basement." Marinette glanced over at Plagg who nodded in confirmation, once again grooming his paws while Tikki took a seat on the desk beside the Angel.
"How do you know all of this?" Alya asked, looking over the mess in front of her. She wasn't sure how Marinette was able to work in such a cluttered space but then again, Marinette was always different.
"Um..." Marinette paused, "Well, Adrien liked to rant about home a lot so I asked him how the castle was laid out."
Alya stared at her, "And he just tells you everything?"
Marinette nodded, "We're best friends— I mean, good friends. No one could ever take your place as my BFF." She quickly corrected and Alya simply nodded slowly, crossing her arms.
"I better not be replaced by a Demon," Alya said, evidently joking with the girl, but even so, Marinette still blushed to the tips of her ears.
"Of course! And he's not just some demon, he's..." Marinette trailed off, trying to think of the perfect word to describe him. Alya smirked.
"Hot as hell?"
Marinette's face burned up once again, "Well, I mean, yeah, but he acts more... angelic. He's super nice and wouldn't hurt a soul," She said and she wasn't aware of it at the time, but those words held more irony she knew even existed.
Alya chuckled, "I'll believe it when I see it, as far as I know, he's a demon who broke his hand punching a tree."
Marinette felt suddenly defensive, pausing her sewing to meet Alya's gaze. "He was upset with his father, he had a perfectly good reason for taking out his anger on a tree other than an actual person."
Alya blinked in surprise, going silent for a moment before adverting her gaze, "I didn't know he had daddy issues... that's rough,"
Marinette's gaze softened and she glanced back at her sewing machine, "Yeah, especially since... since he doesn't have a mother or any other family members. Besides Plagg, I'm his only friend. No one in the Demon Kingdom treats him well, he's an outsider just because he's different." Marinette said, her voice wavering as she thought about his saddened face, how his cat ears would pin back against his head and his eyes would gloss over. She felt her heart clench and Alya could probably see the pain in her face.
"You really like him, don't you?" She asked and Marinette quickly met her gaze, her cheeks once again heating up. She didn't even need to think long for her answer.
"More than anything,"
Alya stared at her for a moment, reading her expression before smiling, "Then there's no doubt you'll save him."