Take My Hand

Chapter 2

Flipping through the pages of the comic, Marinette was slowly getting drawn into it. The bright colors of each page and those eyes...there is something about those eyes. She couldn't stop staring into them because it was as if she was being hypnotized by them.

Adrien...you got this…You can confront your father, this time.

Marinette stopped scanning through the pages. On the page was the true identity behind Chat Noir's mask. He was seen standing in the middle of a long hallway in what is presumed to be his mansion. There was also a frown seen on his face. The panel following showed a close up of Adrien's face. It was definitely shown that he is clearly upset as tears were rolling down his cheeks.

Don't be scared. He doesn't control your life. Adrien continued to think to himself with shut eyes in the text block on the page. Tears were now dripping down his chin onto his shirt.

"What is he upset about? Why is he scared of his own father?" Marinette whispered to herself as she continued to look, her heart feeling sympathy for the boy in the comic.

On the next page, she could see Adrien's hand forming into a tight fist. She noticed how the illustrations were focused on the ring on his finger. It was silver, but it seemed to be glowing with how tight he gripped onto it.

He doesn't control you…

A close up of his head leaning down covered the entire next page, but this time it seemed that he was breathing. His chest would slowly rise and fall. Marinette could feel her heart drop to her stomach; she couldn't move. Her slender fingers held onto the comic in her hands as she let out a noticeable loud gulp. The next second was a second that would haunt her forever; Adrien slowly lifted up his face and stared back into Marinette's shrinking pupils. How is it possible? He moved as if he was real. His eyes blinked back to her with more tears forming from the corners. The page was also becoming damp with it, the stain growing throughout the image.

"No...how? What is this? Am I...am I dreaming?" she shrieked, looking deep into his green eyes. He had such charming eyes. "Yes, that's it. I passed out in the café from embarrassment."

At this point, the other two customers were giving looks of concerns towards the girl who was shaking. Slowly and quietly, they left their items behind and exited the shop, leaving Marinette alone. She didn't even notice the door opening and closing, which then left the only noise being small steps coming towards her direction and her heavy breathing. Her muscles became more tense after every second and her face was drained of her original color. She then screamed as someone poked her back.

"Mademoiselle? Is everything alright?" a familiar croaky voice spoke. Marinette slowly turned to look over her shoulder. It was the older man from outside and there was no look of annoyance on his face. Instead, he seemed to be slowly smiling. How strange…

"Oui, monsieur. I am fine. I just...think I'll get this comic book. It's very interesting so far...heh heh." She nervously chuckled and closed the comic book, holding it underneath her arm. "How much would it be?"

The older Asian man lightly laughed back as well, leaving Marinette more confused than ever. She could feel her body temperature rise in alarm. There were so much regret and embarrassment going through her mind.

Why? Just why? Marinette repeated to herself so many times.

"Do not worry about it. You can just take it because you seemed to be enjoying Chat Noir more than anyone I ever saw." He answered to her surprise.

She was taken back. So many questions ran through her mind. "Merci beaucoup! I will definitely become a fan after this issue!"

Her feet shuffled to find the way towards the exit as she continued to smile and wave at the older mysterious man. As she made her way to the exit and being the clumsy girl she is, she would trip over items, but quickly get back on balance. Reaching the door and waving her last goodbye, as well as thanking the man, she quickly left the shop and was back in the streets again. The older man stood in the middle of the empty shop, his smile disappearing and he made his way towards the back.

"I sense that Ladybug is coming soon. She has to be the right one! Just you wait and see Chat Noir!"

…

In a quick dash and throwing her bag to the side, Marinette closed her door and jumped to her bed. She knew her parents were probably questioning her sudden rush towards her room, but she figured she would explain later; but what could she say? There was no time for that.

"Please tell me I am dreaming...please…" Marinette begged as she started to scan through the pages of the comic.

Her mind was going in circles as she stared into those green eyes with each turning page, but to her surprise, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The boy in the comic was nothing more than an illustration. She frowned and grunted.

"I...huh…?" The page was then on the same page she saw the hero's civilian self. Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. Adrien was clearly nothing but an image on the page. However, a strange new feature of the page included a stain. It was the same form that his tears were spreading out on the page. The teenage girl felt like she was losing her mind, feeling more tenser than before.

A knock on the door was enough to snap her out of her spiraling thoughts. By the light tapping on the door, she already could tell her mother was on the other side of it.

"Marinette? Are you ok? Your father and I were worried about you. You came rushing in and didn't say anything."

Marinette threw the comic underneath her pillow, biting onto her bottom lip. What should I say?

"Hehe, yeah. I just had to...uhh…" Her eyes took in the setting she was in, thinking of many excuses that could come to her mind.

"Marinette? Would you please open the door?"

Me and Alya got robbed...no no. Too extreme. She'll lose it. I got lost on the way...how? I take the same route everyday. Hmm...the metro or bus was running late...no...

It took her a couple of seconds until she had to blurt out the best excuse she could think of.

"I'm sorry! I had use the bathroom really badly, mom. I'm changing too. I'll be out shortly."

Oh no...ahh! Is that the best I could do? Yet, Marinette's made up excuse was enough to calm her worrying mother as she could hear a sigh of relief.

Shortly after, her mother's footsteps disappeared from the stairs leading to her room, leaving the teenager in quietness. Thoughts were still spinning in her mind and it was impossible to fight the urge to continue reading the comic, but she had to fight. She groaned once again, picking her legs up and walked towards her drawers. To her, freaking out over small things was always expected from her and people would pay no mind to it that much; yet, this is something different than her other "normal" panic attacks. Some may say she could be losing her mind and even claim that she is just seeing things, but she knew it was the contrary. It had to be.

After changing into a black tank top and fluffy pink pajama bottoms, she was out of her room and ran down the steps leading towards the living room. Marinette sweetly smiled to her parents, embracing them in a hug. She felt a slight tinge or relief seeing the same faces who raised her as she was a bit shaken from her experience. The next hours consisted of nothing but laughter along with her parents as they told her about a crazy experience with a customer at their bakery. The comic book was slowly disappearing from her mind.

…

Yet, there it was again. The comic book was in plain sight on Marinette's lap. Her eyes were glued onto the front page of it and she would bite her lip as she debated on whether she should read it, instead of scanning through it. She would nervously tap her foot, letting out a loud noticeable gulp. Occasionally she would check her phone, in case her best friend was texting that she was on her way since she proposed on spending time with her, but nothing. Marinette sighed.

Marinette was seen sitting on the benches in a park known as Square of Saint-Jacques Tower, where a lot of Parisians can be seen enjoying the warm spring day. Children were screaming with bottles of bubbles in their small hands and adults would talk amongst themselves throughout the park. Birds chirped, bugs buzzed, and the calming sound of leaves moving from the warm breeze was mingled with the urban sound of city life with people walking and cars beeping at each other. So many people everywhere, but Marinette was alone with no one around her area. The atmosphere was peaceful, but the dark-haired teenager was trembling out of anxiety in her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the mysterious comic, her stomach already dropping to the lowest depth there could be. Maybe it was her lunch not setting well in her stomach, but she knew it couldn't be. Over the past couple of hours, she couldn't help but think about Chat's bright green eyes. He was somewhat attractive to her, but...oh god, what was she thinking!

Those are such ridiculous thoughts! Why would I be crushing on a guy who's not real! Marinette stuck her tongue out and shivered.

But, the comic was rather intriguing. She just had to learn about him. The first page showed the true identity of Chat Noir; Adrien Agreste. Such a handsome guy… Marinette blushed. He was drawn modeling clothes for a new summer collection that his father designed and a layout of many magazines featuring him on the front cover was scattered on the page. Girls were even on the corner of the pages with hearts in their eyes.

Once the cameras were off, he could be seen frowning. Adrien could also be seen arguing with the shadowy figure that represented his father and was soon escorted out by his personal bodyguard. Anger was his expression as he gritted his teeth and his hands were fists. Late into the night, Adrien would climb out of his window and escape into the night, trying to find what his city would have in store for him - but it was nothing but a disappointment since there seemed to be no escape from his miserable locked up life. His head would hang low with his hands in his pockets as he was seen walking through Paris at night. The boy's face was covered with the shadow of his hoodie and his feet would kick random pebbles on the road. Marinette felt her heart sting with each frame that she looked. He was deeply hurt.

As he would walk, an older man was seen waiting for the light to change so he could cross the street. The man seemed like he could barely walk as he was handling his cane like his life depended on it and his legs shook with each step. This is where Marinette raised an eyebrow and lously gasped. It was the same strange man from the shop she went the day before. The exact same features, the exact same wrinkles of his face placed exactly where they are, and the same light brown color of his eyes.

"I-is he the artist or writer of this?" Marinette questioned out loud. She continued to read. "Did he create Chat Noir?"

It was then at the next panel that he seemed to be severely struggling, making him lose the balance of his cane as he fell in the middle of the street. Fear struck his eye as he looked up to the light which was now green. The older man was doomed as he dared to turn his head and look at the coming car that would not stop. Like a deer in the headlight, he couldn't move. Flipping to the next page, in a second, Adrien could be seen running to the scene and holding a hand out to halt the car that was about to end the man's life. The bright lights of the car made the shadows of the two figures stand out, but they were lucky enough to stop the coming vehicle. Adrien held out a helping hand to the elderly man and gave back his cane, sweetly smiling to the man.

'Merci! Merci beaucoup!' The elderly repeated with relief as he held onto Adrien's hand and tried to lift himself up.

'No problem. I'm glad I could help. Be careful though.' Adrien replied with a smile still presented on his face. His eyes gleamed, making Marinette's cheeks red again as she looked into them. Sure, it might be strange for her heart to feel jittery when she looked at him, but she couldn't resist. Adrien had a hard of gold and his face was enough to present it. Such slim strokes that shaped his facial structure and with the use of colors shaded onto his face, it brought him to life. His face was delicate with tinges of rose pink colored into his cheeks. Marinette couldn't stop blushing.

After getting the man off the street and thanking Adrien once again, the man went his separate way. He walked away with a smirk on his face, pacing himself far away from the teenage boy. The older man had left behind a small box on the sidewalk beside the kind soul who saved him, his smirk growing bigger with each panel. Soon enough, Adrien noticed the item. The blonde haired boy took the box into his hands and looked up to see if the man was still within eye's view; he wasn't.

Adrien stood in his spot for a moment as he stared at the small black velvet box in hand, not sure what to do with it. His expression was a look of concern, but it quickly changed to shock when he looked toward his wrist and read the time.

'3:45am'

He quickly turned on his heels and quietly followed the same path that leads to his home. Not one being could be seen as he walked through the wealthy empty Parisian neighborhood, making him unseen by any eye to witness on what was about to happen next. Flipping the page, Adrien could be seen opening the box. What lied inside it was beyond his expectations as it was a silver ring that was lightly glowing green. The boy blinked twice and even rubbed his eyes to see if there was an illusion that was playing tricks on him, but he was wrong. The ring had a paw print on it and a small note was placed behind the ring.

'A furry beast with whiskers walks through Paris at night. A furry beast kills his mice with one bite. The feline cries. Claws out!'

Adrien took the ring upon his hand and cautiously wore it as he read the note out loud. At this moment, his life changed forever - he was someone new. A glowing green aurora surrounded the boy and like magic, his clothing changed into skin-tight leather and both of his eyeballs was now completely green. Adrien was out of sight as a new being stood in his place. The being was Chat Noir. He stood there dumbfounded, looking at his new outfit and even let out a small shriek as he noticed his shadow from the streetlight. The boy noticed he had cat ears and a tail made from a belt tied around his waist. His gaze was then focused on a new object in his presence; the beautiful deep blue eyes belonging to Marinette staring back at him. He smiled at her as if he was alive once again.

Marinette froze. She couldn't believe it. This had to be a trick. It has to - for her sanity's sake. Not again. Taking the next step, she smiled back and slowly raised a hand to wave at him. Chat tilted his head to the side and was now walking closer to her. Despite being trapped in a comic book world, he seemed like he was alive. With each step that he took to get closer to her, Marinette her heart thump harder and every ounce of blood drained from her face, leaving her as pale as a cloud. She wanted to run as far as possible from this situation and leave the comic behind, yet her heart was telling her to not do it. Her thoughts were foggy with many thoughts.

"Why hello, princess." Chat called out to her. "Come with me. Our adventure awaits, my lady."

He lifted his hand to reach Marinette's, breaking the barrier of the comic book world from reality. Marinette looked at the hand reaching out to her then turned to look at her surroundings. She was still alone. Biting her lip, the girl looked towards Chat and gulped, her pupils dilating in fear. Would anyone even notice she would be gone? Was she dreaming? Should she trust him? Heaven knows what could be waiting for her on the other side...death possibly. Is all of this even real?

Yet to her dismay, Marinette found herself reaching for Chat's hand. Her fingers intertwined with his icy cold leather covered fingers, her heart shaking inside her ribcage. Her eyes looked deep into his again. Marinette could feel her breathing get harder as she leaned closer to him. What was there to lose?

In seconds, everything went black.

Here it is! The next chapter! Chapter 3 will be up soon. :)

I also have an idea for 2 other ML series I wanted to start working on.

1 - "Creepy Love Letters from Chat Noir", which is exactly like it sounds. There will be drabbles that follow after every episode that include Chat's letter to Ladybug. It is basically something short and silly.

2 - "9 Lives" I wanted to write a 9 chapter story about the background of Tiki and Plagg, and how they both ended up with Marinette and Adrien in Paris. The story will tell about their previous miraculous holders. This will be an AU. Some chapters take place in ancient China, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, New York, the Wild West, and more.

Tell me what you think. Also a SU one shot may be coming soon, to get me back into writing SU fanfic. Stay tuned! :)

Please review/fav/follow cause it really inspires me to write more! You can even write in the reviews to say hi! :)

Love you all!

-Gem Goddess