Dylan shifted uneasily in his seat, his attention everywhere but on the movie. It seemed to be playing on for an eternity and with every passing minute, his anxiety grew bigger. The only thing he wanted was to take Victoria and lock her in their room, away from Adrien freaking Agreste and his dumbass friends. Only then, once she was away from their prying eyes, would he feel more at ease.
And maybe with her mouth wrapped around him. Yeah, that would do, too.
He'd been exchanging worried looks with Lila all throughout the movie. They had to figure out if the others knew, but how? The possibility loomed in his mind, and the implications of being discovered were terrifying. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Victoria; she was everything to him.
Speaking of, he glanced at the girl in his arms. She seemed to be completely engrossed in the film, her gaze fixed on the screen with an almost eerie intensity. She hadn't spoken, hadn't even moved since the movie started. It was odd, coming from her, but Dylan didn't have time to dwell on it. Right now, he had bigger things to worry about. He had to make sure that they didn't suspect anything. With a sigh, he kissed the top of Victoria's head while staring straight at Adrien.
C'mon, men, look at us. Look at me kissing her, cuddling her, touching her. You know I'm the one who fucks her now. Doesn't that make you angry? Do something. React.
And boy did Adrien wanted to react. Just knowing that Marinette was right beside him yet completely out of reach being shown love by another was… It was excruciating. His heart clenched painfully and there was nothing he wanted more than to grab her and whisk her away from this place. He yearned to take her to safety, away from the clutches of those who had hurt her. Away from Dylan, who was seconds away from getting his face wrecked. Yet, Adrien forced himself to remain motionless, maintaining his focus on the television screen, encouraged by Plagg.
"Calm down, don't react. You can't screw it all up," Plagg whispered, his voice barely audible.
Adrien clenched his hands into tight fists, the sensation of his nails digging into his palms grounding him.
"I love you," Dylan whispered softly in Victoria's hair, making sure Adrien could hear him.
"I love—" Victoria began, but she was interrupted by a sudden yelp from Dylan.
"Ouch, what the fuck was that?" he exclaimed, standing up and shaking his hand.
"Baby, are you okay?"
"I don't know, it's like I got bitten or something. Fuck, it hurts!"
For a brief moment, Adrien was confused, but then realization struck him. He stifled a sudden laugh, covering it with a cough, glancing at Nino and Alya who were also struggling to hide their amusement. Oh, yeah, Dylan had most probably been biting.
While the girl he loved was fussing over her boyfriend and getting some ice from the kitchen, Adrien subtly looked inside his black overshirt. There, concealed from prying eyes, was a little mischievous kwami who simply winked at his chosen. Even though Adrien couldn't react the way he wanted yet, one thing was certain: Plagg wouldn't let anyone mess with his kitten. For that, Adrien silently promised to buy him the finest and most expensive cheese he could find once everything was resolved.
—
Despite her best efforts to stay awake, sleep had claimed Alya without warning the second she had sat down on the bed. The events of the day—hell, of the week—had left her physically and emotionally drained. How could it not?
Her eyelids felt heavy as she blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the darkness of the room. Nino was beside her, snoring, while Adrien was on the small couch, his eyes fixated on the ceiling. Clearly, he had some trouble sleeping, too. But who could blame him? It couldn't be easy, knowing that the love of your life, who had been dead for years, was asleep in the next room, not remembering who you were. Anyone would have insomnia over it.
"You can't be comfortable," Alya whispered, concerned, as she observed Adrien's awkward posture on the sofa, his long legs dangling over the edge.
Adrien turned his head to look at her, and even in the darkness, she could easily discern the emptiness in his eyes. "I don't really care."
Alya's heart ached at his response. Not for the first time, she wished she could make his pain disappear. She wished she could take it all away, but knew how impossible it really was. Even if—no, not if, when—they managed to get Marinette back, Alya knew some scars would never go away. Both of their souls would stay fractured in a way no one would ever be able to fully heal. There are some things that even the deepest love can't change. Some trauma that we can't ever escape, no matter how hard we try.
"You can come here. I'm sure we can squeeze you in," Alya suggested, pointing to the other side of Nino. "It can't be worse. Besides, you know Nino would be way too happy to cuddle with you."
A small laugh escaped Adrien. His smile, although forced, brought some relief to Alya's heart. But a second later, Adrien suddenly tensed.
"What was that?" he asked, his voice hushed.
"What was what?" Alya strained her ears, trying to catch whatever had caught his attention.
Nino stirred, evidently disturbed by their hushed conversation. "What's wrong?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes.
"I thought I heard something," Adrien whispered back.
"Well, there are multiple people here."
"No, I swear, it was weird. Listen."
Their collective focus now on the mysterious sound, the three of them fell silent, their brows furrowed in concentration as they tried to make sense of the barely audible noise. Just when Nino was about to dismiss it as nothing, they heard it again, slightly clearer this time. The sound resembled faint footsteps as if someone was moving around and occasionally knocking on furniture.
"What, that's the sound?" Nino asked. "I don't know, maybe someone just needed to go to the bathroom or something?"
"Yeah, or—" Alya began, but her words were cut off by a sudden call.
"—rien !"
It had been low. So low, they would've missed it if they hadn't been listening. It was muffled as though covered by something. It could've been anything, the sound distorted by the walls. And yet, shivers ran down Alya's spine. She exchanged worried glances with Nino, while Adrien's face turned pale, his eyes wide with shock.
"That's Marinette!" Adrien's voice trembled with urgency, and before Alya or Nino could react, he was already on his feet, heading toward the door. Nino and Alya scrambled to stop him, blocking his path.
"Dude, calm down. We don't know what's going on there!"
"You're kidding, right? It's her!"
"We don't know—"
"She screamed my name, Alya, I'm sure of it!"
The pain in Adrien's voice was evident, and Alya felt her heart breaking for him. She desperately wanted to comfort him, but they couldn't let him act impulsively and risk everything.
"Adrien, please…"
"Plagg claws out!"
The green light enveloped Adrien, transforming him into Chat Noir in an instant. Without hesitation, he ran and leaped out of the window. Swearing, Alya and Nino rushed to the window and looked out, seeing their friend perched on the edge, peering through the window of Marinette's bedroom.
Adrien didn't have any doubts. It was Marinette who had called his name. Deep down, he knew he might be wrong. It could have been anything, could've been said by anyone. But he desperately needed to make sure that she was alright, at least for tonight. He couldn't bear the thought of her in distress.
So why did it feel like a failure when he saw her there, lying in bed, spread out on her belly with her eyes closed? Dylan was next to her on his back, looking at his phone. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal. Marinette was peacefully sleeping and he had lost his goddamn mind.
"Should we have stopped him?" Alya asked worriedly.
Nino sighed, watching Adrien intently. "How? You know how he is. It's not like we can—"
"Shut up, he's coming back."
As Chat Noir re-entered the room and reverted to his civilian form, Plagg appeared, looking at Adrien with pity and worry. The kwami didn't even ask for cheese, simply nuzzling against his chosen's cheek, softly purring.
"She's asleep, 'Adrien whispered, his legs giving out as he collapsed onto the couch. "I don't get it. I was so sure of myself."
'Maybe we—' Nino started to say, attempting to offer some reassurance, but was completely ignored by his friend who interrupted him.
"I can't do it, guys. I can't stay here, watching it all go down, knowing that she's getting…" Adrien's voice broke, and he gripped his hair in frustration. "They're abusing her."
Alya reached out to comfort him, taking his hand in hers. "She doesn't know that yet. It's going to be harder for her later on, but right now she's not angry or sad."
Adrien snorted bitterly. "As far as we know."
"Yeah," Alya conceded after a second of silence. "But she … she trusts them. She's in love."
"In love?" Adrien's expression hardened, and he pulled his hand away. "Seriously? This fucker's been raping her for years, Alya. I don't fucking care how she might think she's in love with him. She wouldn't consent if she knew everything! I swear I'm gonna kill him for ever touching her. Dylan and Lila have been torturing her for years now, physically and mentally, and they're going to pay for it."
The room fell deadly silent as his words settled in.
"I hadn't realized… Not really, not like this …," Nino muttered.
Adrien let out a humourless laugh. "Yeah, well lucky for you, because it's the only thing I can think about."
"Tomorrow morning, we'll ask what happened," Alya suggested, sniffling and blinking rapidly. She couldn't cry! She had to be strong. Both for her sake and for Adrien's. "See what they'll come up with."
"We should check those pills, too," Nino added. "There were what, four bottles? I don't know, something's telling me that she doesn't truly need them."
Alya and Adrien nodded and then they sat in sombre silence, heart heavy. Years ago, Adrien had believed that the pain of losing his mother was the worst thing he could ever live through. And then, Marinette died, proving him wrong and shattering his world. Yet, somehow, knowing that she was right next door and at the same time a whole world away… It was a new form of agony.
After a while, they all ended up on the couch, side by side, hands in hand. Exhaustion started to creep in, and they may have dozed off for a brief moment, but they watched together as the sun rose above the horizon. Perhaps it was the exhaustion playing tricks on his mind—after all, when was the last time Adrien had had a full night of sleep?—but as the first light of dawn broke through the darkness, illuminating the room, Adrien felt an unusual surge of hope in his heart. As if the sun, in the promise of a new day, had told him that everything would eventually be fine. It was nothing more than a glimmer of hope, fuelled by lack of sleep and yet, Adrien clutched to it as if his very life depended on it; and maybe, somehow, it did.
—
As they got up the next morning after their sleepless night, they found Lila in the living room. She was engrossed in a phone conversation, her eyes fixed on the bottles of pills that Marinette had left on the coffee table.
"No, I don't get it, I'm sure I saw her …," she grumbled into the phone. "Hmm… Well, yeah, no shit, I—." Her voice trailed off as she noticed the trio's presence. In an instant, her demeanour transformed, changing to a forced, fake smile and a saccharine-sweet tone. "Oh, sure, let's talk again soon over brunch! Right, bye, see you! Hey, guys, you slept well?"
"Yes, thank you again for letting us stay here," Alya smiled, playing along.
Lila waved off the thanks dismissively. "It's no problem."
"Hey, did something happen last night? We thought we heard some weird noises. Not like, sexual or anything, but…"
Lila's face momentarily paled, her eyes widening imperceptibly before she swiftly regained her composure, putting on a facade of concern. "Oh, it was probably Victoria. She sleepwalks a lot."
"Sleepwalk, huh? My little brother used to do that too," Nino shared.
"Yeah, it's not funny," Lila responded, standing up and clutching the pill bottles tightly in her hands. "She once even got out of the apartment. It scared us to death, but Dylan's pretty good at putting her back to bed. Anyway, if you excuse me, I'll put them back where they belong."
As Lila moved to leave, Adrien stepped forward, his expression carefully neutral. "It's in the bathroom, right? I can put them there for you; I need to go and brush my teeth anyway."
There was a momentary hesitation in Lila's eyes as she searched for something in Adrien's gaze. But he had honed his acting skills, and with a sweet smile, he did his best to suppress his true feelings. The moment felt like an eternity, and then Lila handed him the bottles, clearly not finding what she was looking for. "Sure, thanks."
Adrien turned away quickly, subtly accepting what Alya was handing him. It took everything he had in him not to run. Once safely in the bathroom, he closed the door behind him and locked it before leaning against it, his heart beating fast and hard in his chest.
"You're gonna be fine," Plagg said, coming out of hiding. "Remember what you need to do."
Adrien took a deep breath before nodding and examining the bottles: Merendixil, Auditamol, Zomnolaxte, and Oxylextine. He'd never heard of any of them but hey, he didn't know much about drugs. He pulled out his cell phone, searching for some information, but his hands started shaking as he realized that absolutely nothing came up.
Your search Merendixil did not match any documents.
Your search Auditamol did not match any documents.
Your search Zomnolaxte did not match any documents.
Your search Oxylextine did not match any documents.
"Wait, what? What do I do?" Adrien muttered to himself, the frustration evident in his voice. "How is that even possible, it's like they don't …," he trailed off before whispering even lower, "like they don't even exist. They don't. They're not real drugs. What the fuck are they, then?"
Adrien grabbed the back of his neck as his mind started racing. Lila had been administering these pills to Marinette for years now. Who knows what they contained and what harm they might have caused?
Plagg, peering curiously at the bottles, shared Adrien's bewilderment. "I don't know, kid. Just empty one and replace it with the thing Alya gave you."
Adrien scoffed. "Oh yeah, I'm sure she won't notice if her big yellow pills are now white and small," he said, brandishing the bottle of Auditamol with a touch of sarcasm.
"What about Zomnolaxte? They look alike, don't they?"
The name made Adrien shiver. "It sounds like 'zombie'," he whispered, an unsettling sensation creeping up his spine. He took the bottle to eye level, comparing one of the unfamiliar drugs to Alya's sugar pills from her birth control. "They do have a similar colour and shape. The zombie one has a line in the middle, though."
"I doubt Pigtails will notice."
"Alright, let's go with this one then."
Adrien emptied the Zomnolaxte pill, pocketing the original ones. He decided not to flush them down the toilet just yet, cautious about disposing of potential evidence. He placed the bottles back on the counter and finished his morning routine as if nothing unusual had happened. But just as he was about to come out, his hand on the door handle, he hesitated.
"What's wrong?"
But Adrien didn't answer, his eyes locked on the bottles. And then, without thinking much more about it, he took one pill out of the three remaining bottles, hiding them with the others in his pocket.
"Oh, good idea," Plagg said. "Could that smart kid check them out?"
Adrien nodded. "Probably. I need to know what the hell is in these things. Now, hide."
A minute later, as he walked back into the living room, he caught Nino and Alya's eyes. Their question was evident in their eyes and he simply nodded, almost imperceptibly, and their shoulders visibly relaxed in relief.
One step closer, Adrien reminded himself. We're one step closer to bringing her back.
Marinette was now up, as were Reid and Dylan. Dylan was busy making himself a bowl of cereal, while Reid and Marinette were engrossed in their conversation over a cup of coffee. She was still in her PJs, wearing white shorts and a blue top with a little flower in the middle. And although she was undeniably gorgeous, there was something that struck Adrien to the core; the long scars that adorned her legs and arms. Most of them had healed pretty well, nothing more than a faint line nowadays, but others were longer, bigger and slightly more in relief. He had seen the one on her belly, the biggest one, her worst injury, but it had been in a dimly lit room and he hadn't even noticed the others, not really. But seeing them now, in broad daylight, served as a stark reminder of everything she had been through. He could still see her, bloody and unmoving in his arms. The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
I'm so sorry, m'lady.
If only he had known. If only he'd been able to be there for her. He would've taken care of her, would've supported her through the pain he knew without a doubt she had endured, and would've held her in his arms as she cried. And then, he would have kissed each scar, whispering apologies for not being able to prevent them. But above all, he would have sworn to her that they didn't change anything. That they were beautiful, just like she was. They told the story of her force, her courage and her selflessness. They took nothing away from her and instead, told the whole world how amazing she was.
"Hey, good morning!" Reid's cheerful greeting momentarily pulled Adrien from his thoughts. "Coffee?"
"Uh, sure, thanks," Adrien managed to respond, taking a seat next to Nino, who briefly squeezed his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Hey Nino, we can still go to the studio to work today, right?" Reid asked.
Nino nodded. "Yeah dude, don't worry about it. What about you guys?" he inquired, glancing between Adrien and Alya, who exchanged a knowing glance.
"We'll go talk to the concierge," Adrien lied. "Try to figure out what to do and everything."
"I hope they'll be able to fix everything soon. It's such a shame for you guys!" Reid exclaimed. He then turned towards Lila, who was pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "Wanna sleep at my place after I'm done?"
Lila paused, caught off guard. "Oh, I don't know, I mean, we have guests."
"It's fine," Victoria said. "You can go."
A silent conversation seemed to pass between the two girls. They stared at each other for a moment before Lila sighed. "Yeah, okay, fine."
"Alright, then we should probably get ready," Reid said, addressing Nino before asking Victoria, "Vee, Lila told me you have an appointment with Doctor Duchaine in two hours, right? You want us to drop you off?"
"Sure, thanks!" Victoria responded, glancing at Dylan. "Do you have plans today?"
"Yep," Dylan replied, his gaze briefly flickering to Lila. "I need to study. Got that big test next week."
"So, Victoria, was your client happy with their painting?" Alya wondered, taking a sip from her drink.
Victoria shrugged nonchalantly. For the first time, Adrien noticed how tired she looked. Her eyes seemed small, contoured by dark circles. Her movements were slow, as though all energy had been drained from her. "I don't know. It was my anonymous buyer, so I dropped it off at the studio."
"Your anonymous buyer?" Adrien repeated.
"Yeah."
Alya furrowed her brows. "Don't you think it's weird?"
"Why would it be?" Lila countered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "They pay well, triple the usual price."
Victoria simply nodded. "I mean, I did think it was weird at first," she conceded. "They first commissioned me, what was it, three months after I opened my website?" She turned to Lila for confirmation, who hummed in agreement. "They sent me half the money right away, and then I just had to drop it off at an address. Dylan came with me the first couple of times, just to be safe, but … it's been years now. It's a nice art gallery with multiple paintings, not just mines. There's never anyone, but they must have some cameras because I always get the rest of the money the second I'm back in my car."
"Maybe it's the mafia or something," Reid joked. "Who knows, they might be watching you right now."
Victoria laughed. "Yeah, that's probably it."
"It's probably just some rich fucker who loves art," Lila chimed in, rolling her eyes. "So, are you guys getting ready or are you just going to stand still all day?"
They all stood up, heading towards their respective rooms to get ready for the day. As the door closed behind them, Nino whispered; "What are you gonna do, really?"
"Call Max," Adrien explained, pulling out one of the mysterious pills from his pocket. "We'll ask him to analyze them. These damn pills don't even exist online… Maybe he can tell us what it is. But Nino, you were right. She definitely doesn't need them."
Alya nodded, her eyes fixed on her cell phone. "Nino, you need to see where Mari is going. I see here that Doctor Duchaine is a psychiatrist. There's not a lot of information, can't even find a picture… Oh, there's something here." She cleared her throat before reading, "Dr. Nadine Duchaine is a psychiatrist specializing in amnesia and memory disorders. Based in downtown Los Angeles, she is recognized for diagnosing and treating complex memory-related conditions. To book an appointment, click here… That's weird, I clicked but nothing's happening."
"Maybe she doesn't take patients anymore," Nino suggested.
"Maybe, but if she's the one prescribing these pills to Mari, it means she's on it."
"I'll check it out," Nino promised, giving Alya a quick peck on the lips. "You guys be careful, yeah?"
"You too," Adrien said, clapping him on the back. "Alright, let's get ready for the day."
—
It was almost nine when Reid and Nino returned from the studio, and Alya and Adrien had endured what felt like the most excruciatingly awkward night of their lives. After returning from their supposed meeting with the concierge—which was actually a meeting for Pegasus, who had taken the pills back to Paris to analyze them—, they found themselves stuck in the company of Dylan and Lila. The first one was unusually overexcited and when Marinette came back home in the late evening, he was all over her, showering her with random kisses and making Adrien's blood boil with anger and disgust.
But strangely, Marinette didn't react much to her boyfriend's show of love. She was tensed and still clearly exhausted. Adrien couldn't help but wonder where she had been all day. They had mentioned her appointment with her doctor in the morning, but that didn't account for the rest of her time. Where had she been, and why did she seem so … odd?
The five of them ended up calling pizza and eating in relative silence. Marinette was completely silent, simply exchanging glances with Lila here and there. Alya tried to strike up a conversation with Lila, attempting to maintain the facade of friendship, but Lila kept giving her one-word answers. She told them she was tired, but it looked more like caution, as though she didn't talk in fear of saying the wrong thing. Adrien could've recognized this behaviour anywhere; after all, he had done this his whole life around his dad.
Alya and Adrien were therefore more than happy to see Nino and Reid walk into the apartment. They were chatting, excited over the work they'd done, changing the atmosphere. They told them everything about the new song, obvious to the tension in the room.
"This album is gonna be incredible guys, I'm telling you!" Reid exclaimed, taking a bit of his pizza. "Couldn't do it without you, Nino."
Touched, Nino placed a hand over his heart. "Dude…"
"Dude."
"Dude."
"Alright, dudes, I think that's enough for tonight," Lila said, stretching. "Are you done, baby? We could go back to your place now, I'm tired."
Reid nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, let's go. See you guys!"
"Vee, don't forget—"
Marinette interrupted Lila with a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know, Lila!"
Lila widened her eyes, apparently shocked to have been interrupted by her friend. "Uh, damn, you OK?"
"Yeah, yeah, just tired," Victoria muttered, taking the plates before putting them in the dishwasher. "I think I'm gonna head to bed right now. Goodnight."
She abruptly left the room without looking back. Clearly, her attention was on something else, but what?
"I'm gonna go check on her. Bye, everyone," Dylan said, waving at them before following his girlfriend to their bedroom.
"Well, she's clearly in one of her moods tonight," Reid joked after Dylan had left.
"One of her moods?" Adrien repeated, watching Lila who was staring daggers at her boyfriend. But the latter only shrugged, obvious to it.
"It happens from time to time. Probably forgot to take one of her pills or something. You know, withdrawal and everything."
"We should go, Dylan will take care of her," Lila cut him off, grabbing her bag near the front door. "You're coming, baby?"
"Of course. Goodnight, guys!"
An hour later, Nino, Alya and Adrien had changed into their PJs and were huddled together in their temporary bedroom, strategizing with their kwamis in whispered tones.
"It would be safe to tell Viperion," Alya suggested. "We could use the Second Chance ability if anything goes wrong."
Adrien nodded in agreement. "Yeah, maybe Vesperia, too."
"And I think I deserve some extra-", Plagg abruptly stopped himself, eyes fixed on the wall.
"What's wrong, Plagg?"
But the second the words were out of Nino's mouth, they heard it. It had been subtle the previous night and could've been easily missed. But it was unmistakable this time—there was a fight happening right next door. Adrien had tried to convince himself that whatever he thought he had heard the night before had been created by his imagination. But there was no denying it anymore, especially when Marinette screamed out, the terror evident in her voice;
"Adrien!"
In an instant, their instincts kicked in, and all three of them were on their feet. Adrien bolted towards Marinette's bedroom, his heart pounding in his chest. He had to get to her, had to protect her from whatever was unfolding. He couldn't let her down. Not again.
The door of her bedroom was locked, but nothing was going to stop him now. Fuelled by nothing more than adrenaline and desperation, he launched himself at the door with one swift and powerful shoulder move. The door burst open, breaking under the force of his determination. The scene that greeted him was a nightmare come true, making him momentarily freeze as his blood boiled with a mix of rage and panic.
Marinette lay on the bed, her face contorted in pain and fear. Dylan had her pinned down, her arms bound behind her back. She fought desperately, but she was no match for the brute force that held her. Her cries for help were stifled by Dylan's hand covering her mouth and efficiently silencing her pleas. And then, her eyes met Adrien's. Recognition and hope flashed through them, and she tried to say something, tried to reach out to her friends. But before any of them could react, it was too late. Time seemed to slow as Adrien watched Dylan inject a needle into Marinette's neck.
Her struggles immediately ceased. She visibly relaxed and her eyes, filled with tears, glazed over, her consciousness slipping away.