My mind is spinning, I can't breathe, I can't move. I am standing on my balcony, all but in a puddle of my own blood and I can't think of a single thing to say. In, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. Luckily, Adrien takes the initiative and speaks first.
"I-I knew you had been injured…that was why you were in the hospital. I guess I just didn't think it was quite this bad, especially considering you are up and moving around. That looks like a lot of blood. D-do you…I mean-um i-if you want to…you can uh-ya know…" He sighs deeply and I am so caught off guard by his stuttering that I almost don't notice that he still isn't looking me in the eye…almost. Finally, he shakes his head and squares his shoulders before looking up with a determined look on his face while still avoiding eye contact. "If you would like to talk to me about what happened, I would listen. I won't judge and I won't share this information with anyone else. I just…I mean you suffered something traumatic and I want to be here to help you through it. If you'd let me, that is." He looks down again and seems to be waiting for me to tell him I don't want to talk. I almost do before I realize I might be in for even more nightmares tonight and that talking it through with someone might help me through or even prevent it.
"Okay," I say simply because I'm not really sure where to start or what truth I can tell. His head snaps up and his eyes, which finally locked with mine the second he raised his head, are wide with surprise and almost fear. His face still has that not quite right feel whenever I look at him but I force that feeling to the side for the moment as I think through what I will say to him. He waits patiently and doesn't poke or prod like Alya would. He just watches me think and process and when I finally know what to say, I look back up to see an encouraging smile on his face.
"So the first thing you need to know is, I once went on a mission to the future." his eyes blow wide and he opens his mouth as if to say something but thinks better of it and closes it again. "I can't give you many details, just that the mission was for Ladybug and that I was recruited by Bunnix. I ended up going to a version of Paris that was the definition of disastrous. The moon had been split causing the water to rise and cover Paris completely, the Eiffel Tower had fallen over and everyone was…dead." I had to pause the story here as tears began to fill my eyes and I felt like I had a lump in my throat. I clear it as much as I can and do my best to keep the tears from falling as I continue. "The only soul around was Chat but he wasn't Noir, he called himself Chat Blanc. Chat Noir had been akumatized, not sure why or how but it was him that had caused all of the devastation. The ladybug of that timeline had been cataclysmed as well as Hawkmoth and everyone else." I looked over to Adrien to see his reaction but he had turned his back to me and seemed to be made of stone as he looked out over the city.. Probably trying to imagine what I am describing. After taking some deep breaths, I continued my story. "I was sent to calm Chat down enough to find out where his akuma was and once I did, I-uh-Ladybug purified it and I was sent back to my own timeline. But I was in that timeline for some time and the things I experienced stayed with me. Which is why I get nightmares…nightmares of Chat Blanc." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The hardest part is over, the story I have been dreading telling to anyone for almost 2 years is out. I am free.
"So, last night…the akuma was Sandboy…he brought your nightmare to life" Adrien is gasping as he says the words. This is affecting him more than I expected, maybe I shouldn't have told him. "S-sorry uh…p-p-please go ahead. I-I didn't mean to interrupt," he still isn't looking at me which is weird but he asked me to continue so I might as well.
"Um y-yes, last night's akuma brought Chat Blanc to life and he hurt me. Chat Noir saved me and took me to the hospital. Then I went home, thanks to my brave knight and his shiny black car," I say this last part hoping to raise his suddenly low mood but it seems to have the opposite effect as he appears to be angry.
"How can you make jokes right now Marinette? How are you even functioning, how have you been functioning? If it were me, I would be falling apart right now. And I can't believe Ladybug would put that kind of thing on you! At best, it was extremely unfair of her to put you through that, and at worst…you could have been killed, Marinette. In the alternate timeline and last night. How DARE SHE do that to you!" He slams his fist into the railing, which shudders dangerously in response as he turns to look at me with an almost scary fire in his eyes.
He begins to walk toward me and, to my surprise, envelops me in the warmest, tightest hug to the point that my injuries start to complain. I try to ignore the pain but I must have made some small sound that alerted him because he suddenly lets me go. He looks down at me in panic and I try to smile back up at him to reassure him. Judging by the look on his face, I failed in that mission.
"Are you okay Mari? I-I mean are you in pain?" He gestures to the rest of my body vaguely and awkwardly.
"Just got some bumps and bruises is all," I start to say before remembering the blood on the ground and my clothes. One look at Adrien tells me he is not buying it. "And uh….well h-he um-Chat Blanc…he bit me. That's where the blood came from…" As I say this, his head snaps up and he is back to looking pissed.
"He-he bit you?!" he's seething at this point, "I thought he just scratched you with his claws but…I can't believe he bit you." He seems to be shaking and his hands still holding me by my upper arms squeeze slightly before he lets go and clenches them into tight fists. His eyes are green fire and his jaw is clamped shut so tightly I start to worry for his teeth as a muscle pulses along his jaw. As I watch him straight up lose his shit, I get a closer look at his face and something seems weird about his right cheek and jaw and his left eyebrow. Both seem slightly discolored but before I have the chance to ask him about it, I am cut off by his bodyguard calling him. He turns away to talk to him for a moment in a low voice before he ends the call and turns around with an apologetic, if slightly annoyed, look on his face. "I have to go home, apparently I have some company thing I have to attend later this week and Father wants to make sure I am prepared." He pulls me back into his arms, being much more gentle this time. "I am so sorry this happened to you Mari. I am a phone call away if you need me." He releases me and opens the trap door into my room, then a few moments later, I see him exit the bakery and head for his car. I turn to head back into my room as he drives away.