Chapter Two
"Claws in." Adrien caught Plagg, laying him on the couch in his room, and went immediately to the mini fridge drawer for some cheese. Plagg straightened up and zoomed over to him, seizing his favorite food. Adrien turned away, looking towards the window. He felt…deflated.
This is really happening…I can tell someone.
He hated the feeling of arguing with Ladybug though. It wasn't a victory…and the one he'd wanted to tell most, was Ladybug.
Because I love her?
He groaned, and flopped onto his bed. "I just want her to know," he spoke muffled into his blankets.
"And she doesn't want to know," Plagg snapped. "She's trying to protect you."
"I can protect myself!" Adrien yelled into the blankets, then clenched his fists, breathing hard as he fought to get his temper under control. His emotions were in turmoil… Why couldn't she just say yes?
He was sick of the secrets…
And the thought of immortality…
"How long will I live?" he asked Plagg wildly.
"Depends on if you walk under a bus or not," Plagg growled. Then he shrugged, relenting. "Adrien, no one ever knows how long they will live."
"No, Plagg." Adrien regarded his kwami worriedly. "I mean it. While I'm a Holder, will I have a normal human lifespan?"
The kwami sighed, his head drooping. "Maybe a bit longer," he acknowledged. But he was shutting his eyes. "But…Adrien…" his voice dropped to a mumble.
"But what?" Adrien grabbed his kwami, bringing him closer, glaring at him. "Tell me."
Plagg glared back at him. "Fine." But he looked glum. "Adrien…the Holder of the Miraculous of Destruction…well…they don't usually live as long as the other Holders. They either hand over their Miraculouses sooner. Or…they burn out."
"Burn out?" Adrien echoed.
Plagg shifted free from Adrien's grip uncomfortably. He sighed. "Think about how you are as Cat Noir…you throw yourself into danger recklessly. That is no coincidence. That is the nature of destruction. My nature." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but fell silent.
Adrien was silent too, musing on it. Finally he sighed, resting his head on his arms as he lay on his bed. "Fine. So either I burn out or I hand my Miraculous. So…I guess hopefully I won't have to try to explain that…" He sighed, rolling over. "Who should I tell?" he asked himself. Just one person he could tell…
Plagg belched. "Not Marinette," he said bluntly.
"Huh? Why not?" Adrien demanded, sitting up.
"Because she's your girlfriend and you worry enough about keeping her safe," Plagg snapped. "It'll put a target on her."
"She can keep a secret," Adrien argued.
"Couples don't keep secrets well," Plagg snapped. "Think of Nino. And Alya. They blabbed to each other about Rena Rouge and Carapace, didn't they? Couples—" he shut up fast.
"Couples don't keep secrets from each other," Adrien said quietly, and got off of his bed. He strode from his room. Plagg zoomed after him, through the door as it closed, then yipped and shot back into Adrien's room.
"Adrien?"
He started. For a moment he'd thought it was his mother's voice… No. She's 's gone…just like his father was gone. It was his aunt's voice…Aunt Amelie, staying here for the summer. He turned towards her. "Sorry, Aunt Amelie," he said quietly.
She regarded him thoughtfully. There was always something sharp yet loving in her eyes, waiting.
"I couldn't sleep," he added.
His aunt smiled, leaving her room, clicking the door closed. She hadn't chosen the room that had once been Adrien's father's, but another. "It sounds like you have something on your mind, dear…maybe we should have a midnight snack?"
Adrien's eyes lit up. "Yes, please, Aunt Amelie."
In the kitchen, Amelie set a pan of milk to warm on the stove, and set out some fruit and pastries. Adrien sat down on one of the stools and sliced up the fruit, taking a bite of a segment of grapefruit. He already felt calmer, musing over his argument with Plagg, over Ladybug's ultimatum…
I want to tell Marinette.
He remembered the last time he'd wanted to tell her…when his father had sent him to London, intent on controlling his decisions, ending his relationship with Marinette…he'd transformed into Astrocat, determined to finally tell Marinette…and then his father had been akumatized into Nightormentor…
His gut twisted.
The alliance rings had miraculized people. His father's creations. Nightormentor had spread nightmares across the world. His father had been Nightormentor…
Was my father allied with Monarch? He suddenly thought, feeling sick. He suddenly dug his nails into his palms. Was that why Ladybug had to fight Monarch in my own home? He suddenly thought of all the defenses that lined his home…protections put in place by his father…he thought of Ladybug facing those weapons…his stomach felt like it was twisting…he needed someone he could share this burden with… You make me feel so free, he felt his own voice whisper to Marinette. His heart wanted to tell her so much…but how?
His aunt poured the warm milk into mugs and set one in front of Adrien, watching him concerned. "What's going on?" she asked gently, reaching forward and uncurling his nails from his palms.
He drew in a deep breath, letting go of his thoughts before they could go deeper down the rabbit hole. He freed his hands and picked up his mug, blew gently then sipped. "Aunt Amelie…" he said finally, quietly. "I want to have a romantic date with Marinette, something special. I don't know what though."
She tilted her head. "And that made you nearly hurt yourself?" she queried.
He looked away. "I was thinking about something else. But this…this is important to me."
"Of course." She smiled, thinking. "Well, what do you two like to do? What special places do you have?"
Over their midnight snack, Adrien told her of the dates that he'd had with Marinette…video games in the garden, a trip to the Grevin Wax Museum, a trip to the pool, the cinema…
Suddenly, it came to him. He leaned across the counter and kissed his aunt on the cheek. "I know what I want to do!" He scarfed the pastry, drank the rest of the milk then fled the room, back to his room.
"Don't try to tell me, Plagg," Adrien ordered before his kwami could even open his mouth to start lecturing.
Plagg stared at him, incredulous. "Don't you—"
"I'm not telling you this because you're my kwami," Adrien said. "I'm saying this because I know my heart. I know it's time."