Three: Slip into the Rabbit Hole

Marinette vaguely greeted her parents are she slipped through the bakery to the door leading to the apartment above, and Adrien barely managed to wave to Tom and Sabine before the two teens disappeared upstairs. Once they were in her room, Marinette let go of Adrien's hand and began pacing, her red kwami popping out from her purse and making an attempt to soothe her holder. The blond stood awkwardly by her trapdoor, Plagg flying out of the pocket on the inside of his white shirt. He flitted around his holder, as if making sure that the boy was alright.

"What the hell was that?" Marinette asked, covering her face with her hands as she leaned against her desk. Adrien's green eyes drifted to her wall, where posters of his advertisements hung. "Are you…are you really alive?"

Intending for it to be a joke, Adrien pressed a hand to his chest to feel his heartbeat, relishing in the fact that it was pounding in there are a sign of his nervousness. "It…it sure feels like I'm alive," he whispered, tears coming to his eyes. He heard Marinette shuffle about and felt her hand over his, fingers lacing together. "Did I really die? Did I come back to life?"

"You were dead for I don't know how long," Marinette replied in an equally low voice. "Our bond was unstable for a short while, and I felt really empty until you came back."

"...holy shit." His other hand came up and rested over hers as the tears finally fell. "I remember… I remember getting hit and everything hurt. And then I woke up and had my arm back and nothing hurt anymore so I decided to to help you. I wasn't even thinking about how I got my arm back."

"Is this normal for miraculous holders?" Marinette asked the kwami, squeezing Adrien's fingers.

"Not that I know of," Tikki replied. "Plagg, have any of your chosen…been through something like this?"

"This is the first time. I've never seen a Black Cat come back before the cure has been used."

Adrien gulped as his knees buckled, and Marinette barely managed to catch him as he went down, slowly helping him over to her lounger. As he sat down, he pulled on her arm and didn't let go even as she sat down next to him. Tikki flew over and turned on Marinette's computer monitor, hitting a few keys to turn on the news and see what was circulating.

"...news reports say that Chat Noir, Parisian superhero, has been confirmed as a demi-human. Any information about his whereabouts is greatly appreciated and is to be sent to the police as soon as possible. A bounty has been placed on him for one-thousand euros…"

"Demi-human?" Adrien said, picking his head up. "Is that what they're calling me?"

author's notes:
rides in on a beaten up unicycle covered in dirt and candy wrappers
o shit waddup
this is so short rip me im sorry
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