It had been 2 days since Cat's funeral, and her fainting spell. The Doctor said it was just nervous and grief. She's perfectly healthy. That it was healthy even. It showed how she's moving on with her grief. Yeah, right? She hasn't been out of bed, or in her room since the funeral. She had seen Ayla yesterday, and they talked. Well, Ayla talked, she just listened and made comments. But it was enough for Ayla and her friends.
Her song she sang, is a hit, and everyone wants to record it for her. She gave it to Luka and told him to deal with it, if he wishes. She doesn't care.
Adrien's funeral is in 5 days, and will be at a place they haven't chosen yet. Obviously, it won't be at his home. It's still an active crime scene, and she'd never allow it. The house is, after all, hers now. She hopes this funeral goes better than Cat's did, that her friends don't crowd her.
"Marinette, can I ask you a favour?" Plagg floats up Adrien's ring on the bed below him.
"Anything Plagg." Scratching his head, he gives off a tiny purr, making her smile a little. She misses Cat's purr.
"Can we go to Adrien's house? I… want to grab a few things from there. Maybe throw away the cheese before it stinks the entire city?" He grimaces when she flinches at the suggestion.
"Never mind, I can go alone." He wheezes as he turns to go.
"No, wait. I'll come." Taking a deep breath, she gets up from the bed, where she had been doing her schoolwork. "I could use some fresh air. They asked me what they wanted me to do with the house. Part of me wants to destroy it, but part of me wants to keep it as it is. So I can return to Adrien's bedroom whenever I want for comfort. I could sell it? Live in it? Rent it out? Give it away. I just don't know."
"Yeah, I don't know either. For now, it can just stay as it is. Maybe make it a Cat Noir museum? No." Plagg shook his head as he went back into the ring.
"Yeah, I don't know." Putting the ring in her purse with Tikki.
Putting in the code to open the gates, she steps into the courtyard and looks around. The normally pristine courtyard's full of trash, papers, mails, magazines, and police tape for when the police were there. Gathering up the mail from the overflowing mailbox, she walks up the steps to the front door. How many times had she done this as Marinette? How many times had they sneaked out the front door and off to hang out? Sometimes they jumped out the window as their alter-egos. Sometimes they just left by the front door. How much she'd give to experience that just one more time.
Shaking her head, she sniffs and unlocks the front the door. Stepping inside, she hits the gate button, closing it from there. The foyer looked almost the same as always, just a bit dustier and dirtier than usual. Setting the mail down on the table, she closes her eyes. Imagine Natalie and Gab. In his office, chatting away, while she sneaked up the stairs to see Adrien. While the gorilla watched her with a wink and a nod, before going back to his comic. If she just imagines it hard enough, hard enough, maybe she can create it. Make it real. But, it's not real, it'll never be real again. Gone, they're all gone.
Opening her eyes she turns to the seat where Gorilla sat waiting for Adrien, his latest comic still on the seat. She wonders for the first time where he and Natalie went to. She wonders if Natalie had been Mayura all along, it made sense. Some of Monarch's plans had a feminine touch. She doubted very much that Gorilla knew what they were all up too, then again neither did her or Adrien. The years she spent in this house with Adrien, before she even knew he was Cat Noir. When they were just friends, and not once did she think. It doesn't matter now.
Sorting through the mail, she sees the comics that Gorilla must have ordered for himself. Smiling slightly she set them aside to take home and read, someone should. Wondering what to do with all the condolence cards and letters that had been dropped off. Frowning she grabbed an empty box and placed the cards, letters and comic inside of it. She'll read them all, maybe even reply? Maybe not. Maybe, Ladybug will reply? That makes more sense.
Glancing towards Gabriel's office, she leaves the box and walks towards it. Unsure if she wants to see the aftermath of the attack. It's pretty much all a blur to her. The Doctor said that's normal, as she was in such a heightened emotional state that it'd be a bit blurry. It may clear up, it may not.
Pushing the door open, she wants nothing more than to see Gabriel at his work station working. Snapping at her for interrupting him and his flow. Looking around the room, she notices a few pieces of furniture having pushed to the side, probably when they were getting the bo- cleaning up.
Looking towards where his work podium once stood, it's on its side broken and a gaping hole behind it where the entrance to Monarch's lair once stood. To the side, she notices a safe.
"I wonder what secrets Gab was hiding." Walking to the safe, she looks up at it. "Tikki can you get in?"
"Of course." Floating up, she disappeared into the safe and a few seconds later it clicked and slid open.
"A dead tablet and a book on the monks of the Miraculous. We should take both." Tikki picks up both and floats off to place them in Marinette backpack she brought along.
She hoped for more interesting things, but I guess they'll do. Closing the safe, she turns to the gaping hole. Feeling her breath quicken she steps closer to it, before looking down into the cavern below.
Looking below, she sees the ghostly images of herself, Cat and Monarch. All locked in a deadly battle, one that no one will win. She watches as Cat throws himself in front of her, getting hit by Monarch's blast. As they fly backwards and hit the hard cavern floor.
Sudden she can't breathe. Slowly, she falls to her knees. Her hands were on the cold, hard floor, trying to tell her. It's okay, you're not there, you're here. You're safe, it's over.
"Breathe Mari, breathe." Tikki flies over and hugs her cheek.
Slowly, the air starts circulating in her lungs once more. Taking a deep shuttering breathe, Mari looks back towards the hole before turning away for the last time. She can never come back to this spot, she may never leave again. It almost killed her for the first time to leave. A second? She still wants nothing more, then to lie down in the cavern and never wake up again.
"Let's go upstairs." Tikki suggests. Marinette nods her head and follows Tikki out of the room. Not looking back once, knowing she won't have the strength to leave if she does.
The front stairs. How many times had she climbed up and down them? She had them memorised, knew how many there were, which ones made noise, and which ones didn't. It seems silly to know such things now, but when your BF's father hates you. You need to be stealthy about your love. She hates secrets, so many secrets, so many lies, and all they did was cause Adrien his life. Gabriel in his life. And Marinette's life as well. She'll never be Marinette again. Just thinking about fashion makes her think of Adrien, and the pain it causes is too much.
Stopping outside of Adrien's bedroom, she pulls out the ring and slips it on so Plagg with appear.
"We're here." She whispers, knowing he doesn't need to be told, but feeling like she had to say something.
Slowly, she pushes the door open to reveal Adrien's bedroom. Exactly the way they had left it, the day they fought Monarch. She wishes she had agreed to postpone their assault on him, wishing they'd stayed in bed and had so much sex, so much. Maybe, if she'd got pregnant, they could have it off for a few years at least. Oh, how she wishes it had gone that way. Oh, how much?
Stepping inside, she notices the window that never got closed when they returned. Because they didn't return. Adrien laid dead in the cavern and she laid with him, wishing she'd joined him. It had blown in leaves and dirt from the window during the last 2 months or so.
Reaching up, she closed the window and brushed up the leaves, throwing them away. Taking a deep smell, she could smell him. Adrien, here with her. His smell's the strongest in his room, where he spent 90% of his time. 80% of the time, with her.
Looking over at his desk, she notices their homework. Adrien always insisted they do their homework when together, when all she wanted to do was snuggle with him, sleep with him and have sex with him. She never wanted to leave his arms. And knowing what she knew now, she wishes she hadn't.
Stepping up to the desk she picks up his report, all finished and polished. She has always loved his handwriting. Picking up both reports she slips them into her bag, along with the cute little love notes they would write to each other while studying.
On the desk in front of her, is his favourite picture of the two of them. It's a photo of Ladybug and Cat Noir kissing while holding hands, then beside it, a photo of Marinette and Adrien doing the exact same pose. He always loved that their love was universal. Grabbing the frame she places it in her bag as well.
Glancing to the side she sees his bed, the bed they had slept in before that fateful day, or was it night. She can't remember now. Her PJ's where still sitting on the pillow she slept, he insisted on her keeping a pair there. Sleeping in ones clothes is not comfortable or sexy. Giggling she sits down on the bed and picks up her PJ's, taking a deep inhale of them. They smell more of Adrien then her, closing her eyes she thinks of that night. That fateful night, before he world ended.
"Marinette, maybe we should wait. What if he's to powerful? He still has all the Miraculous, and the power. Shouldn't we wait?" Adrien asked, as he ran his fingers through her hair as they laid in bed together. Opting to skip patrol and instead snuggle.
"Excuse you, this was your idea in the first place. What was it you said? 'It's you and me against the world. There's nothing we can't achieve together.'" She looked up at him and giggled.
"Yes, Yes, I know. But I didn't quite understand the extent of his powers. I… I don't want to lose you, My Love. Or you lose me." He whispered, as something wet hit her head.
"Kitty, look at me." She sat up and turned to face him.
"Nothing bad is going to happen. Me and you are going to be together, forever!" She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.
"You and me against the world, My Lady." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and laid her down on the bed. Stripping them both off their clothes.
"You know it My Love." She moaned as he started ravishing her body with love and kisses.
"Oh, Kitty." She sniffs as she takes off her shoes and climbs into bed. Laying her head on her pillow, she looks at his pillow. And can just make out his face, body and his touch on her body as he holds her close.
"I'm so sorry, I should have listened!" Reaching out, she touches his face, before the image disappears and she's left alone once more in his, his house and her life.
Burying her face in her pillow, she sobs herself to sleep, too exhausted to even more or care if her parents worry about her absence. She needs him; she needs her Kitty, she can't without him. Please, please!
"Please…" She whispers as she falls asleep, her eyes burning from the tears.