What can we expect to happen when Adrien wakes up in Marinette's arms?

No less than a catastrophe of course!

Soft rays of morning sunlight streamed across Adrien's face and he breathed peacefully, sinking deeper into his pillow. It even smelled wonderful, like cinnamon and fresh bread, and he nuzzled his face against it. Not far off, birds began to chirp as they welcomed back another day. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so comfortable. For that one moment, he was warmly snuggled and everything was good with the world.

Then there was a loud scream in his ear and suddenly everything was not.

His eyes snapped open, instantly wide awake. Blinking blue eyes stared back and reflected his own shock. It all rushed back to him.

This wasn't his bed. This wasn't his room. He hadn't been cuddling his pillow, but arms. That were still wrapped around him...

Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no- he had to think fast but it felt like he'd had his feet pulled from under him and now it was a matter of stumbling back up but the panic was already welling up as Marinette's eyes widened. When you wake up with a boy in your bed that had definitely not been there before... of course all things would go to hell. What did he expect to happen? And how was he going to explain himself? Where would he even begin? This was not exactly how he'd seen the truth coming out... even though he had a good explanation.

Shit.

I CAN EXPLAIN! He shrieked but Marinette merely thrust him out her arms, not even roughly, and promptly vaulted over him and out of bed. Two things crossed his mind at once. 1) That was not how he'd expect a girl who just found a boy, and not just any boy but Adrien of all people, randomly cuddling with her in bed to react without any flying objects and/or even more screaming and 2) he hadn't even spoken words had he?

He started shaking when he looked down at himself and his still tiny, furry body. This didn't make sense. He should've turned back by now, but unless he was hallucinating or dreaming, those were definitely pink little cat pads on his paws. He squished one to be sure and yup, it was still very real. Dumbfounded, he peeked over the edge of Marinette's bed; she was running around like crazy. When she started pulling at the bottom of her shirt to change he quickly dove under her pillow, burning with horror.

"Tikki, we slept in. We're so late! Mme Mendeleiev is going to kill me." Marinette cried. Adrien, who hadn't noticed her, jumped when Tikki drowsily fluttered off the bed while rubbing her eyes.

"It's because you've been losing too much sleep." She chided half-heartedly, yawning, but Marinette just continued to stumble around, packing her back and brushing out her hair in record timing. She ran downstairs and returned a beat later with a small plate of food in her hand which she put out, grabbed her bag and threw her purse over her shoulder, clicking it open.

"Okay, let's go Tikki! Bye kitty, I'll be back later." She called, waving a warm cookie, and Tikki flew down to grab it and nestle into her purse. Marinette stumbled out of the room, closing the trap door on her way out and suddenly leaving Adrien alone in silence. This had all happened in about 5 minutes and Adrien couldn't help but feel like he'd been hit by a hurricane.

But after the storm had passed, it really sank in.

He was still a cat. He hadn't changed back to normal even though it was morning. He didn't even know what was worse. On one hand, if he had actually transformed back... he probably dodged a bullet there, but why was he still a cat?

Plagg? Plagg! Are you here? Adrien yowled. Plagg floated reluctantly up from under the bed; his face was scrunched in a deep scowl.

We have a huge problem. Adrien frantically gestured over himself but Plagg just narrowed his eyes and flew over to the plate of food Marinette had left out.

"You're telling me. I had the worst night! I'm tired and I haven't had any cheese in over twelve hours." He snapped grumpily, biting into a pastry. "Because someone couldn't think like a smart person and just had to fall asleep."

Plagg. Adrien stared at him incredulously. I'm sorry about all that, but hello? I'm still a CAT. I think we have bigger problems.

"Eh, it's all relative."

PLAGG.

"Okay, okay! I get it." Plagg grumbled. "I admit this is a slight problem."

Slight?!

"Don't get your tail all in a knot. To be fair, maybe we should've seen this coming. The transformations kept happening earlier and earlier each day!"

I didn't think I would just stop turning back though! Adrien fretted. Ok, maybe if he'd thought about it and acted a little more smartly he would've thought about the possibility and could have had the brilliant idea to tell Marinette that first night, but no, like the idiot he was, he'd waited too long and now Marinette was upset and he was stuck as a cat.

A thought suddenly occurred to him that made him go stiff with alarm. What if the Cleansing Light had a time limit? What if he had waited too long and even if he got her to use, it wouldn't work and he was stuck as a cat forever? It also briefly occurred to him that Nathalie wouldn't find him in his bed that morning, the only time she had really checked on him over the previous days, but he couldn't even go back and try to make an excuse because unless she could speak cat it wouldn't do him any good. God, this was turning into a disaster.

Why didn't you stop her before she left? Adrien said, already jumping up to the window which was still thankfully open.

"Hey don't blame this on me!" Plagg said, flying up to cling onto his tail as he darted out. "Whose idea was it to keep this from her? Not mine."

Either way, there's no question about it anymore. Adrien skirted the edges of the building so fast he almost missed his footing a couple of times. We can't wait anymore, we have to tell her NOW.

As he was in a rush, Adrien didn't have time to be careful and he darted straight through the bustling Parisian streets. He was almost stepped on several times, but thankfully the school was near the bakery so it wouldn't be much longer-

His feet were swept from underneath him as he was neatly scooped straight into the air, the bell swinging wildly around his neck. What the-

"Finally! I've been looking for you all week. I never expected the magic to take this long." His captor purred, pulling the net close to his face to examine his prey.

Adrien hissed, immediately recognizing that voice. It was a struggle to turn around in the mesh material, his limbs tangling easily, but when he managed to right himself his lips pulled back to reveal his fangs in a snarl. Leopard King!

"Didn't think I forgot about you did you Chat Noir? That magic should've changed you within a day, but you must be special for it to have taken this long. You've kept us waiting." He frowned and Adrien watched the familiar outline of a glowing butterfly flash briefly over his face. "But no matter, as soon as it had fully taken hold it was easy to find you."

Adrien struggled hard but he couldn't stabilize his footing without a paw slipping through a hole and his claws couldn't get a good grasp on any of the netting. Damnit! He growled out loud in frustration. I need to get-

"Ladybug?" Leopard King purred and laughed at Adrien's expression as he shut up. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves my furry friend. That's the plan, of course. Don't look so surprised now; of course I can understand every word you're saying." He chuckled and roughly tossed Adrien over his shoulder like a sake of potatoes, making him slightly dizzy from impact. "Now, let's be on our way. We have a Ladybug to catch!"

As the Leapord King deftly leapt off, Adrien let out a soft Oof! when Plagg suddenly hit him from wherever he'd hid through the net and nestled tightly against him silently. He wasn't about to say anything out loud and risk Plagg being discovered so they only exchanged a grim glance as the Leopard King flew over the roof tops.

Eventually, the Leopard King slowed and stopped on top of an abandoned building, easily slipping inside through a rusted open hole. Adrien suddenly nudged Plagg off his chest and gestured him to get out much to his kwami's confusion but he only silently shook his head, jabbing his paw in the opposite direction. Ladybug, he mewed softly and though Plagg frowned deeply he nodded in understanding and Adrien watched him zip out of sight after only a moment of hesitation. Though he didn't feel any comfort in being left alone, Plagg was his only hope now.

Suddenly he was pulled out of the bag by the scruff of his neck without warning and automatically started lashing his limbs around before feeling his claws connect and sink against a soft surface. The Leopard King cried out, but unfortunately he didn't let go and Adrien was thrust into an iron cage that dangled from a chain attached to the ceiling. It swung around erratically from the force of the Leopard King shutting the door but he flashed him a smug look all the same when the Leopard King pulled back to tenderly touch his cheek.

"You'll pay for that." The Leopard King growled. "But first, I think it's about time I take your miraculous... wait a minute. Where is it? Where's the ring?" The Leopard King demanded and peered into his cage but kept his face out of range of another swipe.

It's safe. Adrien shot back smugly. Somewhere you won't find it at least!

"That's... unfortunate." The Leopard King frowned momentarily. "Too bad I can't undo the magic. I would've loved to see the true Chat Noir. No matter, as long as I have you captive, that will do, and we'll pull it out of you eventually. But now, we wait for Ladybug to come save the day. And now that I've got you, I can take her down without you getting in the way."

Adrien's ears pressed against his head, tail wrapping around himself protectively.

Don't bet on it! He hissed firmly, but he only wished he felt as confident as he sounded.

~.~.~.~.~

Alya sighed, glancing over at Marinette who was only half-heartedly nibbling at her lunch. Alya couldn't find out what was wrong: she had been in a funk all morning. Usually chatty, she was peculiarly silent and constantly spaced out, her expression was scrunched as if she were troubled, there were hints of shadows under her eyes, and she had run into at least twice as many objects as usual and it was barely noon.

Maybe she was just bummed that Adrien was still sick, Alya mused. When she asked about it Marinette only forced a laugh and waved her off, insisting it was nothing and that she was just tired which could be perfectly true but she still wished there was something she could do. She had dragged them outside for lunch afterwards, hoping a bit of fresh air would brighten her up but so far no such luck.

While Alya continued to ponder, Marinette was far off as she had been all day. Currently she was making a list in her head, mentally scratching off and brainstorming places where she might check for clues of Chat Noir's disappearance or of the Leopard King. Honestly, she would've liked to be out there right now, but Alya had insisted on lunch together. Of course she was already planning to go out later, but even she knew she couldn't keep this pace up. Tikki was struggling too, but none of it made sense. She was convinced that the akuma and Chat Noir's simultaneous absence wasn't coincidental. There had to be a clue out there, or a trace, that she must've been missing, but if she didn't hear anything soon she was definitely going to go-

Marinette inhaled so sharply she accidentally sucked back a piece of her sandwich and started choking mid-bite.

"Marinette!" Alya exclaimed in alarm as Marinette's eyes darted to a spot directly behind Alya. Right outside her peripheral vision floated a small, black... cat thing? And it was waving its arms wildly at her.

Noting her friend's wild bug-eyed stare, Alya started to look over her shoulder but before she could make a full turn Marinette had already launched herself forward at full speed. Plagg's startled yelp was muffled as her hands clapped around him.

"What is it?" Alya asked frantically, trying to see what she was doing, but Marinette was on a mini-adrenaline rush and said the first thing that popped into her head while still blocking her view.

"I-it was a huge rat!"

"Oh hell no!" Alya screeched and stumbled away as fast as she could while flailing her arms in disgust. "Did you just catch it, and with your bare hands? Gross!"

"Ouch!" Marinette yelped, yanking her hand away in surprise when sharp teeth snapped down on her finger. She gazed down at the black kitten-like sprite in her hand, mouth agape in disbelief, as she met his hard, fuming stare.

"Girl, did it just bite you?" Alya panicked.

"Uh," Marinette tucked her captive firmly against her chest, muffling his cry of protest. "Um, I mean, no- yes! Yeah, I'm going to go get rid of it and then I'll go to the nurse to get the bite looked at! "

Alya was still squealing when Marinette fled the scene. She sprinted around a corner and once she was sure no one was in sight she leaned heavily against the wall and tried to calm her racing heart. While she caught her breath, Plagg wrenched himself out of her grip, rubbing his head while groaning.

"Did you have to hold on so hard?" He snapped and Marinette's jaw dropped, hinging open and closed."And I am not a rat thank you very much!"

"I-I'm sorry?" Marinette stuttered. "But you just appeared. And what- are you-"

"Plagg!" A flash of red was all the warning Plagg had before he was tackled out of the air by a pair of tiny red arms that snatched him around the neck.

"Tikki." As if she had sucked it all away, Plagg's irritation vanished for an instant and he returned the tight embrace, nuzzling deeply into her warmth and sighing lightly. He hadn't seen her in solong.

"Uh, Tikki?" Marinette said after a moment, hesitantly interrupting their moment. When they caught her eye, Plagg scowled in embarrassment and Tikki darted back, her body slightly glowing in a full flush.

"Sorry Marinette. This is Plagg. He's Chat Noir's kwami." She explained, floating at his side.

"Chat's?" Marinette breathed and just like that their happy reunion was over. Tikki leaned over him ominously.

"What are you doing here Plagg? How did you find us? Where's Chat Noir? Where. Have. You. Been? We've been trying to contact your for days but we could never get through!" Tikki got louder with every question and Plagg just wanted to shrink with each one. He gulped, suddenly nervous. As much hot water Adrien was in, he couldn't deny that he also might have been slightly at fault.

"Ad-er, Chat's in trouble!" Plagg said. "The Leopard akuma guy came back and caught him."

"What?" Marinette grabbed him gently out of the air. The genuine worried look she was giving him poked mercilessly at his conscious. "Please Plagg. Tell us what's happened."

He twiddled his paws together, laughing nervously. "Actually... and it's a really funny story... there's no time to explain! We need to go find him."

Marinette exchanged a questionable glance with Tikki whose eyes had suspiciously trained on Plagg.

"Ok..." Marinette said slowly. "You're right. Tikki, spots on!" Tikki didn't stop staring at Plagg up until the moment where she vanished into her miraculous. Ladybug rested Plagg on her shoulder before sailing away from the school.

"How did Chat get captured?" Ladybug asked as she leapt across the city. "Why didn't you transform?"

"Er... he caught us off guard and... we got separated." Plagg said.

"But how did he recognize him if he wasn't transformed? Has Chat's identity been compromised?" Ladybug asked insistently. This had all happened so quickly and there were so many holes about all this but Plagg just shushed her.

"You ask too many questions!"

"You haven't given me any answers!" Ladybug shot back in frustration. "Fine. Once we save him, he can explain himself. And he better have a good explanation for all this. Now where is he?"

Plagg gazed down at the city, "Um..."

"Don't tell me you don't know?" She threw her hands up.

Plagg crossed his arms and pouted. "Look, after he was captured, I had to come find you! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going the whole time. And let me tell you, it's not easy to fly across Paris in broad daylight when you're tiny and aren't supposed to be seen."

"Ok...then can you sense his miraculous or something?"

Plagg frowned, giving her a look. "What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know." Marinette admitted, "I'm just reaching here."

"Well, I can't." Plagg retorted sourly and then muttered under his breath. "Besides, it's not like it would've done much good if I could."

Ladybug stiffened. "What exactly does that mean?"

Oops. Plagg forced a chuckle.

"Um, well, we might have... lost it."

"YOU WHAT?"

Ladybug almost flew straight into the side of a building, jerking harshly in surprise. After scrambling up onto the roof, she whirled on him.

"It's not as bad as sounds!" Plagg backed away from her, paws up in defense. "That was a poor choice of words. It's not lost, we know where it is and it's safe... but it's just been out of reach for the past couple of days."

She went stiff, pulling her arms close and suddenly looking very unsure. "Wait, so if he doesn't even have his miraculous, that means you can't transform?"

"That's what you're worried about?"

Ladybug drew back with a frown, but still seemed hesitant. "I mean, it's not the only thing I'm worried about..."

This was growing tiresome. "Okay, look. Trust me, you don't have to worry about that for the moment."

"Why?"

"It's..." Plagg sighed. "It'd probably be better if you just see for yourself."

"Can you be anymore cryptic?" Ladybug groaned, but crossed her arms and stared him down. "This would be a lot easier to understand if you just told me what happened."

Plagg abruptly pointed into the distance. "Oh wait, I just remembered it's this way!" He zoomed off, peeking over his shoulder to see Ladybug trailing behind him, a scowl marring her face.

Plagg groaned inside. How much did a guy have to go through just to get some cheese?

~.~.~.~.~

Adrien nearly had a heart attack when a loud shattering pierced the silence of the old building. He shot to his feet, heart racing, when he caught sight of the familiar black and red spots as Ladybug picked herself up, brushing away stray pieces of glass.

Ladybug!

"Plagg, where's he keeping Chat?" She whispered carefully, glancing at her shoulder where he could make out the flash of Plagg's green eyes.

"Er... he's over there." Was all the warning he had before he froze like a deer in headlights when Ladybug stared straight at him. She gasped and dropped her yoyo in surprise, her eyes flickering to the bell around his neck.

"Kitty!" She grabbed his cage. "How did you get here? What exactly is the Leopard King doing?" She tried pulling on the lock but it wouldn't budge. "Don't worry, I'll set you free. But I thought you said Chat Noir was here, not an actual black cat!"

Plagg grimaced. "It is Chat."

"Yes, we've already established that this is a cat." She glanced at Plagg in confusion. He just put his paw on his face with a big sigh.

"No, you don't understand. It's-" He cut off sharply, zipping into Adrien's cage when the end of a whip sailed out from the darkness and almost managed to snag her arm but she flipped away before it could land.

"It's nice of you to join us at last Ladybug." Leopard King purred, walking into the light with a sly grin tugging at his face. "I'm surprised you found us so quickly."

She spun her yoyo fiercely, glaring him down. "What exactly are you doing, putting that cat in a cage like that? And what have you done to Chat Noir? I know you've taken him!"

The Leopard King cackled haughtily. "I'm afraid you're too late. The spell is permanent now. But hand over your miraculous and maybe I won't hurt him."

"What spell? Where is he?" Ladybug demanded.

"Haven't realized yet? Why, he's right over there." The Leopard King jabbed a claw straight at Adrien. Ladybug craned her neck, looking around him while squinting her eyes.

"You mean behind the cat, or..."

The Leopard King blinked, faltering. "No, of course not! I mean that the cat is Chat Noir!"

As he watched Ladybug slowly turn back to him, it suddenly occurred to Adrien that maybe letting the akuma win just this once wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. At least, it couldn't be nearly as bad as what was surely waiting for him.

I know a lot of you expected Adrien to be human again in the morning and while that would've been sooo great, only a couple of people noticed that he had started changing earlier and earlier each day. But yeah, Adrien's in SO much trouble now.