Chapter 12: Hostage Situation - Favoritism Part 5 Chapter by beccalovesyuge
Summary:
The gilded walls that now held Marinette hostage.
Part of the Favoritism AU
Order of chapters:
5-Bridal Style
6-Kitty Kisses
8- Bad Idea
12-Hostage
3-Can I pick, Princess?
With Tikki perched on his shoulder, Chat Noir vaulted and twirled across the rooftops. The little kwami could track her Miraculous stones and by default, Marinette and Hawkmoth. Chat's mind was reeling with the knowledge of Marinette being Ladybug and that she was gone; snatched away from him by the one person who held absolutely no sympathy for her or Chat. Tikki patted the side of his neck with her small nub.
"Calm down, Chat Noir. Marinette will be okay. He won't hurt her until you arrive. She's the only leverage he has over you. You'll need to get her away from him quickly, though."
Chat frowned as he pounced over an air duct. "How do you know that? What's stopping him from just killing her? If he knows she's Ladybug, he'll have no reason to keep her around after taking her earrings." She was probably already dead and it was his fault. He should have kept away from her. He should have just been happy being friends with her as Adrien and her other self as Chat. But no. He was selfish. He wanted to keep her. And now he was going to lose her just like he lost his mother.
"Chat Noir, you have to calm down," Tikki scolded. "Hawkmoth wants you emotionally unstable. He'll use your emotions against you."
The hero slid to a stop at the edge of the roof he was on. "I can't lose her," he said with convection. "She…I…" He growled in frustration as he raked his claws through his unruly hair. "I love her. She's the only person there for me. And this is all my fault. I should have never gotten involved with her civilian side." His chest felt a little less tight after revealing his thoughts. "I would take it all back," he continued. "If it meant keeping her away from Hawkmoth, I never would have gone after her as Chat or Adrien."
The little goddess floated from his shoulder to stare into his eyes. "Marinette knew the dangers. She's just as responsible as you are. The past cannot be changed, but right now, we have a chance to protect the future. We'll get her back and stop Hawkmoth for good." She nuzzled her face against his cheek. "If it's any condolence, she loves you, too. Both of you," she added with a little smirk.
Chat offered her half a smile. "Thank you." He nodded forward. "After you, bug."
XXX
When Tikki finally came to a stop on a rooftop in his neighborhood, Chat was confused why she had led him home. "Tikki, this is my home. Why are…" He trailed off as the small goddess whirled to face him; her blue eyes were brimming with tears.
"I'm so sorry, Adrien. We should have realized it sooner. And we did, but then Collector came and Plagg's been with you and Master Fu, too." Tikki began babbling much like her holder.
Adrien shook his head in confusion. "Tikki, what are you…" Memories came back to him. Ladybug telling him his father with Hawkmoth. Various akumas targeting him. The book. His knees buckled. "Tikki…" He gasped for air, but his throat was closing in and the night sky was swirling around him. He stumbled backwards and reached for a balcony rail to steady himself as his stomach churned. Dropping to his knees, he felt bile rising in his throat. He heaved once or twice, acid stinging his throat and mouth as he choked up the meager remains of his lunch from hours ago. "He tried to kill me," he gasped out. Memories of when he'd jumped from the building…Technically, he had listened to Ladybug and was to blame, but still…There was also the time with Kagami.
Tikki nudged him with his head. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we have to continue, Chat Noir."
Chat lifted his head, his eyes glaring daggers into the mansion he'd grew up in; the gilded walls that had trapped him for so many years. The gilded walls that now held Marinette hostage.