Four: The Truth is the Worst Thing About Living
The pair had somehow moved over to the desk so Marinette could figure out what a demi-human was. She thought having to figure out what Adrien was would be an adventure in herself, so she couldn't thank Nadia Chamack more when the news reporter called her partner out for what he was.
Speaking of her partner, he was still attached to her at the hip, moving to sit behind her as she was perched at the edge of her computer chair, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Every once in awhile she felt him shudder harshly against her, his ragged breath blowing against her neck. She knew he was scared; perhaps that was why, despite her nervousness and habit of being tongue tied because Adrien Agreste but the mask seemed to help her realize that he was a human beneath the skin. So him touching did send her heart into a frenzy but not enough to leave her unable to function.
"...demi-humans were first discovered in Africa, when a soldier fighting on the battlefields rose from the dead countless times… that sounds terrifying," Marinette read off of the screen, scrolling down a bit. "Um… The defining trait of all demi-humans is their immortality. They are unable to die under any circumstances, such as being completely crushed, decapitated, or even due to malnutrition."
Adrien peeked over her shoulder as she read, tightening his hold. "Well there goes my attempt at killing myself," he joked, letting out a nervous chuckle. "So it is random chance that demi-humans are born?"
"I doubt that…Tikki also said that this isn't normal for miraculous holders. Maybe there's something on the site?" She put her focus back on the words on her screen, leaning back a little when Adrien rest his chin on her shoulder and tilted his head to rest against hers. "... Japanese scientist Ikuya Ogura suggested that the only way this is possible would be because they possess an unknown matter in their body which replaces any body tissues or nutrients lost. So it's something akin to a genetic mutation. Except instead of being a mutation it's a whole new thing in your body."
"Even though I thoroughly enjoy physics and any sciences related to it, I can't exactly wrap my head around this." Adrien buried his face in her neck.
"How do you think I feel? I hate science," Marinette mumbled glaring at him from the corner of her eye. "... The regeneration can take from seconds to minutes depending on how severe the injury is and how much control the demi-human has over his or her IBM although committing—"
"What is IBM?"
"I'm sure if I don't get interrupted, we'd get there. —although committing fatal injuries (such as self-inflicted headshot) would allow them to regenerate quicker—this is known as 'resetting'. That's scary."
"Committing suicide, which one would think would just erase you from the world, but it only makes you come back quicker." Adrien huffed against her neck. "Bullshit. Now what's an IBM, princess?"
Marinette smiled as she reached down to pat the back of his hand. "Hm… Theorized by Ogura to be the main cause of the demi-human's powers, all demi-humans possess Invisible Black Matter which cannot be seen by normal humans. That must be the weird stuff that makes you regenerate. This matter is what allows the demi-humans to replace any lost body tissues or nutrients—"
"Spot on, Marinette."
"Hilarious. —but there is a more lethal way in which it can be used." At that, Adrien picked his head up to look at the computer monitor. Marinette gulped. "Created using the IBM, a Black Ghost is an entity which is manifested by a demi-human and most commonly used for combat purposes...that's what saved me today."
Adrien pulled back from her a little to look at her better.
"When I was trying to knock The Builder down… something black swooped in and knocked him down more, and then it disappeared. What else—?"
"Enough, Mari. I don't want to hear anything else for today. This has been a lot." She stood up when he patted her thighs, and watched him carefully as he stood on shaky legs, ready to catch him if necessary. "I'm gonna go home now, if that's alright."
"Okay," Marinette whispered, walking him down to the living room. "Text me if you need anything? And don't forget about patrol tonight?"
"I will."
author's notes:
all information used in this chapter are actual facts taken from various ajin sources.
im going to con this weekend so yall have a relatively early chapter
youre welcome
reviews:
ghostmistwho: yes. the english equivalent of demi-human is ajin. he does have an ibm as confirmed in this chapter, but he has no control over it yet so it wont be seen for quite a while