Chapter Text
24th September 2024
Thursday
1: 00pm
“Adrien!” A loud voice growled. It gargled in his throat before it spooled out. The thunder in his voice encapsulated the crashing lights in Adrien's eyes. They turned down to the creaking floor. Tears stained the back of them. They fell, fell, fell to the floor and down his cheek. His arms hung low with his dropping shoulders. His knees shaked until red like the handprint on his cheek.
The walls around were dark and gloomy. Cobwebs appeared with the disappearance of his mother. The house was no longer a home but it was back to the former. It turned into a cell of anger, vengeance, abuse and toxicity. Trapped with helplessness. The void of thoughts floated around as he became a body without a soul.
His soul glided through his thoughts in euphoria. It left him behind to fend for himself. He felt breeze in his hair pushing him back but a boiling liquid trickled down his throat as he swallowed his saliva. His voice was stuck in thorns. The roses withered away and decomposed. The rotten plant seeped into his mind. The brown alcohol like substance poisoned him until he would drop dead. Dead was the only way out in this situation, a voice nugded at him. However, Adrien was a hero, he could get out of this.
“I-I’m sorry,” he let out in a volume too low to be considered a whisper. Adrien could not even think straight to remember what he was apologising for. The vision around him was blurry not just from the streams of tears but from his racing mind. Like the flash, they zoomed around the room in circles. They left back a glowing trail of resilience and motivation which he was too slow to catch.
Gabriel looked down at him with laser pointer eyes. They gleamed in the fire igniting within him. His mouth frowned into disappointment. “Don't apologise! You chose to do this.” he scolded. Gabriel was a horrible man for many things, especially depriving a young child of his own childhood.
“The clothes barely fit you anymore!” Gabriel pinched his nose bridge. His glasses glanced higher than they normally would. Gabriel’s breath was uneven due to him trying to keep Adrien under wraps, he should not be in. He looked down at this already six foot son just showing how tall and intimidating this man could be.
It was just a few inches. Barely four but to Adrien it felt like a hundred. A hundred inches of longing for the love only a parent can give. The hugs when they are proud of you or the pat on your back when you cough. The kisses they give your injuries when you fall or the food that tastes like home. However, his father never touched him with love or cooked a home cooked meal. All that man felt was anger and disappointment which he never feared to show. The disappointment in his father's eyes reminded him of the depression his father felt the day his mother died.
“Just size up!” Adrien scowled back with his head held high. He had enough of all this nonsense. He still looked great, he hoped. The photoshoot yesterday was a disaster. He was barely able to breathe and they had to let his garment out. It made sense, Adrien was still growing. He was turning out to be a gorgeous young man. However, that was just not enough for Gabriel.
“Size up? Size up!” Gabriel's fingers curled inwards. The fist was on guard, ready to hunt. His knuckles bruised white. “We have an image to maintain!” Gabriel spewed out with anger. “Carrying extra weight won't help it.” His voice was quiet but daring and deep. It was at the bottom of the ocean. Terrifying but calm. No one knows what lurks in his mouth before he spits them out.
“I barely put on a kilogram.” His voice quivered. It quivered like the scared girl trying to dip her foot in the ocean. She wanted to explore more and see the fish but she was trembling with fear. The girl was not afraid of drowning, she was scared of the animals which could attack her and she hated the salty taste of the snorkel which gave her air.
Gabriel stepped forward. His eyebrows clenched into one. His eyes were in disbelief. “Adrien Agreste! Just a kilogram doesn't change a size. Just a kilogram doesn't change definition. And just a kilogram isn't so prominent.” He turns away. He does that a lot when he can't look at his son. Gabriel never wants to. To Gabriel, he is the reason Emillié is dead. She wanted a child so bad she would die holding one rather than living a long life. Of course Gabriel still loved his son in his own ways.
Adrien looked down once again. He looked at his stomach, the one he could not stop obsessing over. His hands wrapped around himself. His thighs were too big and his fingers were too chubby. His eyes were too asymmetrical and his skin had too much texture. He was imperfect, a catfish, a flirty nobody and unkempted.
“From tomorrow you will be put on a strict diet. Stricter than ever before.” Gabriel stated. There was no point arguing. Nothing would be achieved. The only thing that one would win would be a trophy for the loss of sanity.
Adrien had nothing to lose. “Please father. You cannot keep on keeping me from feeling full. I've not had that feeling in years.” Adrien's voice demanded back. “Infact, I'm hungry right now. Please f-”
“Of course you would be hungry.” Gabriel scoffed.
Adrien looked up at him. His heart dropped. He wished that was not a hyperbole. He would look better dead in a casket. At least no one could see him under the murky gravel. He pinched himself not to cry. Tears left anyways. His eyes were wide and wet like a pond. The pond was dead from pollution. The fish stopped swimming and sank to the bottom. The corals no longer smiled and flaunted their bright colours.
“Being hungry is the least of your concerns. I need you to lose at least nine kgs before your next photoshoot on the twenty-fourth of November.” That was way less than before. The thought of it made Adrien want to cripple. Gabriel walked to his study. He opened his laptop as if nothing happened. Gabriel started his work once again leaving Adrien to his own emotions.
The hope in stopping his father crashed. Adrien had no choice but to lose weight. His face dropped down. Adrien realised that he was not a kid anymore but now was nearing a young adult. He was not cute anymore, he could not get away with things. Adrien had to own up. Even if he should not do so.
“Leave. Do not eat anything unless authorised.” Gabriel ignored his son after that statement was laid out. Adrien never followed this rule. He always ate the sweets Marinette or her alter ego brought. He ate them like he was never fed in his life. He could scarf down three pastries easily. It gave him energy to continue the day. It stopped those headaches and the spurts of black vision. The sweets helped so much. Now he could not even smell them.
Adrien's footsteps felt heavy as he reached his room. They drowned in quicksand. Slowly losing bits and pieces of himself to satisfy the powerful sinkers. His head was throbbing with dew drops of his peace. They dripped out of his body slowly and soundlessly. The door to his room felt heavier than normal. His hands shook as he opened it with all his strength. The door closed behind him as he dragged himself into his room.
Adrien's breath faltered. Once he caught it, his face was fuming. His teeth clenched just like his fists. The eyes on his face narrowed and burned brown from the red flame. Tears ran down his cheeks, they just would not stop. His ears turned red and the hairs on his neck stood up straight. His knees shaked with the feeling of being overwhelmed by everything.
Adrien hit his head. Once, twice, thrice and a few more times. His head ached from the contact of his lower palm. Although, it burned red into his scalp, the feeling was delightful. He felt much more calm. The anger and harm in him slowly drained out. His breathing turned back to normal and his heartbeat relaxed in his chest. Adrien turned around and tried to catch his breath. He recalled everything that happened.
The words of his father sent hot chills down his spine. Just like a cold he caught his father's anger. His face contorted. The chills did not stop. They made him uncomfortable and they tingled. His heart beat rapidly. It nearly thumped out of his chest. It hurt his lungs, he could not get more than a gasp out.
Adrien walked over to his desk and knocked over everything on it with one fatal swipe. Luckily, his computer was still standing on the desk. The loud thump and sharp snarl of the items blasted to every wall in the room. Unbearably loud crashes echoed in his room.
Adrien felt helpless. He paced around for an escape. His feet stumbled back and forth in his room. His hands were dense. All he could see was the sounds in the room and all he could hear was the colour on the walls. Until he looked up and turned. Adrien saw himself in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. His knuckles undid itself, the steam from his ears went away and the clenching of his teeth turned into an ‘o’.
The intensity in Adrien's tears slowed down. It was no longer a waterfall but a slow river making its way to the ocean. His eyes stared at himself with curiosity. Adrien walked closer. He felt dismissed and violated. Adrien was avoiding mirrors. He did not expect one to catch him.
Adrien lifted his shirt to his stomach. The frown on his face deepened. He lost the slightest bit of muscle definition yet he hated himself for it. He pinched the fat with both hands as his shirt stayed on hold at his lips. Adrien turned to the side. He hated how that fat on the lower stomach bulged out. He hated the fact that his ribs were lost now. Normally, he would feel them with the light brush of his fingers, now he can not even see them.
Adrien's eyes trailed down to his thighs. They were not really big, they were well proportional and a nice muscular fit to his body. He did not see it that way. Adrien thought as if it was weird and unnatural. He flexed them but it did not help his thoughts. He felt too big to be a great model. Not like he ever wanted to be but something in him wanted to please his father.
He let go of his shirt. Turning back to the front, he stretched. Adrien felt the slight tightening near his elbows. He stopped and immediately brought his hands back down. His eyes widened in disgust. In the mirror, he looked at his arms. They grew in size but not in muscle. It grew in fat. The fat he desperately needed to keep on going in his day to day life. Yet he hated it. He despised it. He despised himself.
Adrien went closer to the mirror. His fingers trailed along his hairline and jaw. He felt the slight bumps and ridges. His breath got caught up and before he could let oxygen come through and let him think straight, Adrien opened the cap of his face wash. It was a fancy blue one made just for his skin type. Adrien lattered it on his face. He rubbed for nearly six minutes before splashing his face with water. He dried his face off with a white napkin. He took another glob of soap in his hand. He rubbed his face until it burnt. He washed it off and dried it with a napkin. Adrien did it again and again and a fifth. He looked at himself in the mirror once more. His face was red and blood trickled down his forehead from one of the bumps.
Adrien fell down onto the wet floor. His knees curled up and he sobbed. It was a quiet one but enough to fill a swimming pool. Adrien already missed the school day due to the photoshoot that caused all of this nonsense. Adrien was now absent from his own body. Everyone else made the decision on what haircut he got, the clothes he wore, how much he should weigh. He was tired but he could not escape it. Adrien was stuck in this cycle of perfection he will never be able to achieve.
♡☆_____________☆♡
7 : 30pm
Short breathless footsteps. They glided through Paris. On the rooftops and the sides of buildings. The gleam in her eyes was not from the beauty of the city or the exciting day tomorrow but from the tears which coated her eyes. They dripped down her mask and down her face to her neck in which they tickled her dry skin with every footstep. Her feet even if airy and feather-like felt heavy. Her head stared at the ground making it shake. Unless it was her eyes playing tricks on her.
Her hair came loose. The strands stood out from her pigtails. Her bangs stuck to her face from the perspiration. The tears made her skin sticky and slightly clammy. Her soft footstep trailed behind her racing mind trying to get to the finish line. There she would get the prize of eternal peace with her eyes closed six feet away from reason.
Her feet moved constantly despite the pain of her soles. Her arms cramped from squeezing them in her knuckles. Her teeth clenched enough to rub and make a squeaking sound. She could not hear it because of the throbbing sound on her temples. They begged to be hugged and kissed tenderly. Just like the rest of her. She wanted to be held and loved so badly that just the thought sent her into a frenzy.
The tears did not stop as they blurred her vision. They made her stumble while she gave her all to stay balanced. Hiccups escaped her with a deep sob from her throat. Her voice gurgled out coughs and groans from deep in her chest. Her lungs are desperate for a breath. Only coughs go in just to come back out in petition for help. Her chest tightness and her balance nearly fails. However, her feet never stop.
The lady’s mind was occupied by one person. No, it was not her crush or the person she still considered her best friend. It was not Chat Noir, who was coincidentally her crush himself or her furious parents. No to all except, to Lila Rossi.
I know you are furious that she did not keep her side of the bargain. She did. That's what troubled our heroine. She was scared of what Lila was planning. It was unusual for her. Lila was notorious, well only noticeable to one maybe two people. She was often finding herself squashed in the bathroom not just from a power play but as well as physical and verbal assaults and degradation.
It scared her half to death. Even as a metaphor one could argue she was already there. She shivered in her skin tight suit. The wind blowing against her face was cold which combated her warm face glowing hot from anticipation. The wind playing through her hair often calmed her. Today it did not. Today, it was a gentle reminder of the fact that she was awake and she was not dreaming. The fact her friends left without a trace. Her parents only saw her flaws. The flaws that she could not see in the mirror besides the time her shorts rode up too much just to show a glimpse of red.
Lila smiled at her today. Smiled. Her teeth all even and a sense of innocence on her face. The teeth would gleam under a prominent smirk. Her eyes would be full of hatred and determination. They glossed over her actions but they held a guilt that was not strong enough to change. However, that did not happen. For the past few days she would place innocence and kindness over her face. A mask stuck with super-glue which no one could peel off but the one smart enough to find a ruler to pry it off. In the end, the smartest felt the pain when she bit her after days of feeling hungry for mice.
Lila got Alya to sit besides Marinette during lunch. She tried to convince Alya that the two enemies were now on good terms. The victim wanted to speak out about the lie which could never become a truth no matter how much you fake it. Instead, she nodded and stared down at the meal she packed herself. It was small and not filling because the last few days made her feel nauseous with the feeling of unease.
It traveled up her spine and tickled her. With just their finger tips before becoming eager. Soon, very soon it would come to bite her back. Just like the feather-like touches that would make her giggle with happiness, the small acts of kindness would keep her from toppling over the edge. A few moments later they would get faster and deeper. She would laugh until her breath ran out and until she begged to stop. The intentions were not clear until she was suffering. However, she could not stop hoping it would go back to the peaceful giggling at the start.
She was angry. Angry at her friends who backed away because they heard something better. She was angry because of her parents who did not believe her due to it being too irrational to do so. She hated herself for having an ego loud enough to think about destroying Lila. However, she loved Adrien or Chat Noir for the support he provided for her even when he did not have enough to stand up himself.
The anger slowly got her. It got to her back in her room, where she hastily called her transformation before running through the skies of Paris. The place she would never leave. The place she could not leave. She was trapped in her alter- ego’s life, not her own. Prisoned by the safety of others but not her own. She was pulled down from the rope when it was not her life to live but for others to live without care. She took the tension so they would not have to.
She ran. And she continues to run. Aimlessly in search of someone who would hear her pleads. The ones held in her throat which hurt too much from the silent sobs. She felt helpless. Nobody until trouble occured. Either she destroyed it or was the centre of it. What they wanted her so desperately to fight is what they believed she was. A villain, a monster, someone who could not handle her emotions. A vile human who was a threat to mankind just like Hawkmoth.
Tears streamed down her face. Her strides grew more urgent and faster. She ran with her eyes closed. Without a care in the world in what or whom she might bump into. Her thoughts were just an empty void that led to the end of her life. Her world and her heart. Her chest climbed further out with her heart pushing it. Pushed into somebody else. Their hands gripped her shoulders. Their grasp tight around her.
“Ladybug?” Chat Noir spoke out the one word that Marinette did not want to hear. It was the first appearance of her name in today's telling of the story. She felt a drift between herself and Ladybug. It was as if they were two separate people. Living two different lives with two different minds. They came out of someone she idealized. Chat Noir and Adrien. Her crush from the day she got that umbrella and her partner the one who was never mad at her.
Ladybug looked down. She kept her head low while her tears dripped down her red cheeks. Her neck now drenched with sweat and regret. Regret aimed at the day she questioned Lila and the day she gave up on fighting back. Marinette hated the situation that she managed to put herself in. She bumped into Chat Noir. He would console her and ask what was wrong. He would be worried. That was the last thing she needed. At least that's what she thought.
His grip on her shoulders laid firm. The gentle squeezes on her bone made a shiver run down her spine. His thumbs moved back and forth on her collarbone. Chat Noir's gaze lingered on her bangs which hung from her hairline while her head laid low. One of his hands left her shoulder and tried to comb them out of her face. The jet black bangs defied his motion and quickly jumped back to place. Hearing her silent sobs his hand broke through the hair and tried to wipe the tears under her eyes. He cursed under his breath when he nearly poked her eye. “Ladybug, what's wrong?”
Ladybug's shoulders shrugged. They dropped like a dew drop. They would fall to the floor if they could. She did not want to talk about it. Marinette felt if she did, he would not believe her. He would think she was insane. An overthinking, paranoid and a crazy person. He deserved better. He deserved someone more competent. “Nothing,” she whispered in a monotone voice. Her lie was definitely not believable but she did not care. All she wanted to do was to go back home. Where she believed she should have stayed.
“It's obviously nothing if you are bawling your eyes out while running. You know you can not run from your problems?” He lightly chuckled before he noticed it was not the time. He gripped her chin and forced her to look up to him. He used his free hand to wipe off the salty water under her eyes. “You'll only feel better if you talk about it,” he advised.
Ladybug's hands shaked while she grabbed his wrists. She did not pull them away. Instead she kept a gentle grip. Her eyes glossy and dim stared back at his ones drowned with worries. His lips were pressed together into a thin line. The thumb on her cheek massaged the redness away to release the truly pink blush.
Chat Noir's hands dropped slowly. He made sure her hands still gripped his wrists. He slowly sat down. He brought her with him. Ladybug's knees slowly bent until her ass hit the concrete of the straight roof. They sat across from each other. Their eyes lingered from the others' lips and ocean eyes. Their knees nearly touched but a space just big enough to let a coin slot through remained.
Her hands hesitantly let him go. He caught them. Their fingers tangled around each other. Marinette’s hands were still cold through the suit. Adrien rubbed hers with both of his. He sandwiched her hands in the middle of his before rubbing them back and forth. Ladybug did not move. A small smile replaced her frown when she felt his warm touch. Warm to her fingers and warm to her heart.
Chat Noir stopped when he was content at the temperature of her fingers. However, he continued to hold her hands in between his. He smiled, “Please tell me what's bothering you, M’ lady.”
Ladybug took a sharp breath in. “That girl in my school.”
Chat Noir's heart raced. Did Lila not keep her part of the deal? Did she go on to continue her berating? Thinking Marinette would not tell him. Well, she somewhat did not but technically would. She was speaking out right now and that's all that matters. The thought of Lila not being able to control herself for her own gain made him shutter. What would happen if she had nothing to lose?
Chat Noir's eyes widened. His grip got stronger. His heart sank about what that little dick did again. The guilt in his eyes due to not being able to stop her nearly overflowed and dropped down his face. His eyebrows faced down. His eyes ignited a fire. Luckily Ladybug did not notice with her eyes staring at his hands.
“What did she do?” rasped Chat Noir. His voice was bitter like the skin of a lemon. Sour towards Lila but made a dish for his lady.
“Nothing!” Ladybug bleated. Her head hung low. She was disgusted at her lack of being able to feel relaxed. Goosebumps were constantly on her skin, the hair on the back of her head was always standing and she swears she caught herself sleeping with one eye open once.
“Nothing?” Chat Noir inquired.
“Exactly!” She finally looked into his gentle gaze. “She has been doing nothing this past week.” Marinette wiggled her hands away from his palm. She placed them on her head. Her grip was strong with the anger seeping into her eyes. They made her feel violent enough to hurt herself.
“Why is that bad?” Chat Noir was puzzled. He was curious yet concerned. His eyes narrowed as much as the space in between two pages of a book. His hands tentatively placed themselves on her flexed ones. The knuckles which were turning white calmed down slightly. Her eyes closed. After a few deep breaths she calmed down enough to open them.
“Because she always does that before she…does her antics,” fretted Ladybug. Her eyes teared up. She blinked a few times before they fell.
Adrien's jaw almost dropped. He did not know if it was because of shock or anger. He did know it was laced with hatred. He realised she would be scared if Lila killed her, if Lila threatened her and even if she did nothing at all. The choke hold she had on the lady was intense. It made her breath stop. She was stuck in a loop of fear. From the akumas, her parents, Lila and her own mind. She had a threat at every corner yet had no choice but to live. If she did not, the world she grew up in would explode into ashes. She owed that to the city even if the return was conditional love.
Adrien slowly gripped her hand and unstuck it from her skull. He softly placed his fingers over her tear ducts. With her hand he glided off the tears slowly. He wiped her wet hands on his suit for her comfort. He once again sandwiched her hands in between his and rubbed them together. He got her right hand up and kissed her palm. He looked at her blurry eyes.
Ladybug hiccuped. Her breath was uneven. She was barely paying attention to his actions. “You think I'm crazy! I got what I wanted yet I'm unhappy,” she vented. Her hands shaked under his grasp.
“No! Of course, M’lady.” he vowed. He pressed another kiss on her palm. He once again sandwiched their hands together and rubbed. His gaze was polite. It never left hers. The blonde in his hair was luminous against the street lamps and the dead of the dark. The glossy on his lips shined against the moonlight with a shaky smile. The feel of his suited hands with hers made her feel electric.
“I just feel crazy,” her voice narrowed out towards the end. The gaze of his eyes were not met. Instead the glossy tearful eyes remained on their hands.
He stopped his rubbing a few seconds ago, replacing it with a gentle circling thumb. He left one of her hands to tilt her chin up to him. He wiped away the tears the best he could because the new ones constantly took their place. Chat Noir's hand slowly dallied their way back to her chin holding it up. “Bugaboo, it's perfectly normal to feel anxious. That woman has done so much to you. You are allowed to feel unsure of a pattern she has created,” he assured her. His lips laid themselves on her forehead. They lingered before pulling back. To an outsider it seemed like they were a couple. In reality it's just two stubborn teens in love letting any intimate action escape their brain due to the dopamine it provided.
“Thank you, Chaton,” Ladybug cooed. Her eyes gazed into his. Tears still fell but they were old ones that remained. The new ones did not form for a couple hours. Ladybug's eye squinted as she noticed something unusual. Chat Noir's eyes were red and swollen. Even through his green sclera and thick mask she could tell he had been crying for hours. “Chat you look a little down too. What's wrong?” queried Ladybug.
Chat Noir's eyes dilated. His eyes widened and his face fell. The grip on her hands came loose. “Nothing.” He shamelessly lied. His gaze left hers and fell into the far roads on the right. The gentle circles stopped. The small smile was stripped away.
“You can't lie to me,” she stated. Her hands twisted to grip his. Her eyes softened. They hinted at a sense of relief because they no longer had a discussion about her life. “Let me return the favor. I'll help you feel better too.” The deep love in her voice was visible but not enough for him to see it.
Chat Noir took in a deep breath to keep his cool. The last thing he wanted was to blow up on her face. “I don't want to talk about it,” his voice was cold but it broke at the vowels. The burning sense of tears tingled his eyes.
“I promise you, Chat, you will feel a lot better,” Ladybug coaxed. Her grip on his hands was tight. In the dark she still was able to make out his depressed state.
“I said no Ladybug!” Chat Noir seethed out. He quickly turned to look at her gaze. His eyes sending daggers to hers. The grip on her hand was getting freakishly tight. Fumes of smoke were basically coming out of his red ears. His mouth shook with anger.
Ladybug's face fell. She was shocked about his reaction. She had never seen his collected self like this. Incredibly defensive and offended. Ladybug was not scared she could never be. She was worried about him. Her eyebrows were raised and her mouth was ajar.
Chat Noir saw her like this and immediately started to stammer out, “I'm so sorry, Ladybug.” He loosened his grip on her. His eyes softened but he looked at her with regret for his actions. A few moments passed and his stare traveled down. “I should not have yelled at you. You were just being friendly.” he gulped.
“No, I shouldn't have pushed.” Ladybug looked down with him. “Remember, I'll always be there for you when you need a lending ear,” she insisted. Ladybug moved her gaze with his until both of their smiling eyes met.
“Thank you, my love,” he breathed out. His eyes widened when he heard his tongue. “I meant m’lady!” He quickly squealed out. His face was getting hot. It suddenly felt like a hundred degrees. His smile was more nervous than before.
Ladybug's face turned red at the nickname. She was about to stammer over her words realising it was Adrien. She took a long sign. Her eyes opened and looked but with a deep smirk on her cheeks. “No need to apologise, Kitty cat. My love sounds really perfect.” Her voice was sultry.
“What?” He stammered over his words. He called every cell in his body to keep his composer. “I knew I would swoon you one day.” He leaned in closer. His nose almost touched hers. His warm breath danced on her lips and hers gushed a new excitement in his veins.
Ladybug nervously giggled. Her face heated up even more. She drew circles on his hand. She unlocked her fingers from one hand from his. She brought her hand to his face. She shifted until their noses touched. She pushed him back. “You wish. I would never fall for you.” Now she lied shamelessly. Ladybug wanted to kiss him so bad but for some reason she could not. The biggest fact was, she was sure that when the mask faded and she would turn into a timid girl he only saw her as a friend. Another one was about the obligation to tell him she knew who he was. She did not want to give up that game when it was the only fun one. Ladybug was leading him on. She hated that. However, some part of her felt as if he was playing enthusiastically too.
They sat and talked for some time. Their conversations were kept light. Chat Noir took out a box of cards half way through their chat and started a few fun games with her. The rest of the evening was full of life and chatter. The giggles and laughs of the two could be heard from all across Paris as they enjoyed their special moment.
The twinkling stars talked. They were a person like everyone else. From the whole array of stars they still noticed if one was gone. They would cry when it bursted. Their friends would bawl too. The trees would sway below feeling horrible for them all. The cars honked their consolidations. It was a tough time. They all came together to help.
♡☆_____________☆♡
2 : 00am
The night sky was crowded with the twinkles of the stars. The waking hours were over for them, providing them more energy to chat and play. The roads were silent except for a few winds and cars on the road. The empty roads invited an eerily feeling to pass through. The snores of the town were all different. Tears, love, anger, resentment, happiness or the ones who did not snore at all, the ones who are reading fan fiction in the middle of the night…
Nonetheless, Plagg was basically chewing his nails, which he did not have, off. He sat awake in the corner of Adrien's room. He looked around tentatively. His favourite camembert in his arms but it was left untouched. His teeth, if he had any chartered against each other. He felt bad about keeping a secret like this.
Taking a leap of faith, he gulped down his aged camembert. He closed the lid of the tupperware where the camembert lies. He left a faint trail of the black abyss as he flew to the door. He held his breath, with the help of years of practice and fazed through the glass on his windows. He turned a few times before choosing a side and rushing.
The black glob of a god rushed through the skies of the city. He was panicking. He finally got the courage to tell Tikki what he needed her to know. It ate at him every day whenever he hid this secret from Tikki. He should not keep a secret from his other half for so long. His other half whom he would not exist if not for.
Plagg travelled through the sky. He looked around frantically trying to find Marinette’s balcony. He tried to remember the surroundings from the last time Adrien went there. His eyes scanned until they landed on a small balcony decorated with pink lights and furniture, a plethora of plants and soft fairy lights.
He held his breath once again and fazed through the glass on the skylight. His eyes did not take the time to adjust to the dark as a normal person would due to being a cat. He relished in the warm room unlike his cold home he was always stuck in. The walls made him nearly smile but the lack of camembert kept his poker face on. Which was somehow a smirk.
Plagg’s eyes laid on a sleeping Tikki. She laid on Marinette's pillows. Tikki softly snored with her face facing her master. The drool on her lip fell to the pillow bigger than twenty times her body size. Her bright blue eyes closed and her antennas were at ease. Tikki made Plagg feel complete. Just like Ladybug made Chat Noir feel complete, without the romantic and sexual tension.
A small shake moved Tikki’s arm. However, she did not wake up. “Wake up, sugercube,” Plagg whispered. He shaked her once again. This time her eyes opened.
Her bright blue eyes were a deep contrast to the dark room. They widened and fixated on Plagg. Her body floated up wards. She rubbed her eyes with a groggy expression. “Plagg, is this important?” Her voice was sickeningly sweet. Tikki’s eyes widened with anger. The fire within her women up. “If it is not, we might just discover that kwamis aren't immortal!” The words in her mouth stormed out.
“I'm sorry I hid this from you.” Plagg took her hand and trailed it to the chaise. He sat down with her. “Adrien knows Marinette is Ladybug.” Plagg sighed. He would run his fingers through his hair if he had any or if his hands reached the top of his head. Instead, he looked down and wished he brought a cube of camembert to stress eat with.
“You are joking!” Tikki faked laughed. She looked at Plagg's disappointed yet serious face and bursted out laughing in reality. “Plagg, Plagg, Plagg, you should listen to me more often.”
“Is this about me cutting down on the dairy goodness that is the lovely cheese, cam-” Plagg was getting riled up. His voice was hinted with a truly deep sadness.
Tikki was flabbergasted. She wanted him to shut up. Even after a billion years, Tikki still was shocked at his antics. At least for this conversation she did not have to look at a ladybug shrine. “No, you jackass! That day I-”
Plagg's eyes widened. His eyes almost held the most dramatic tears ever produced. Sadly, Bob Roth when losing a customer holds that title. “Do not call me a jackass! I know I am one but it still hurts!”
“Just listen to me, Plagg!” Tikki exasperated. She was almost losing her brain. Not just her mind but every fibre muscle of her skull. She rubbed her eyes once more.
Plagg rolled his eyes. “Fine.” His voice showed how annoyed he was about someone telling him to indirectly shut up.
“Marinette knows Adrien is Chat Noir.” Tikki spoke out in a shallow voice. She looked Plagg square in the eyes.
Plagg gasped. He was shook. A bigger smirk took over his face. “Finally! We get a reveal!” He sang out.
Tikki steupsed. She ticked her tongue at the roof of her mouth. “One small problem,” her voice was hesitant. “Marinette is keen on making him confused with a game instead of being straight with him.”
“Great minds think alike!” Plagg's smirk turned into an awkward smile. His eyes narrowed into a disappointed and dissatisfied expression.
“No way.”
“Yes way. Adrien is doing the exact same thing.” Plagg slapped his hand on his head. His smile was rotten. “No wonder she had grown so bold with Adrien. That poor girl was a stuttering mess.” Plagg chuckled.
“Hey! No matter how nervous and clumsy she is, she is still one of the best Ladybug's I have ever had.” Tikki purred back. She turned around to see a very peaceful expression on the teenager's face. She slept soundly not knowing the great job she provided to this world. Tikki's eyes sparkled in admiration. She would constantly wonder how she got so lucky with an amazing, courageous, kind and selfless girl who happened to live in a bakery. It was a dream come true for the dear spotted floating mouse bug.
“Wait, let's backtrack.” Plagg stopped her rant. He agreed with her completely. They never had anyone better than two teenagers. “They both know each other's identities but want to run around in circles anyways,” Plagg sputtered out. He steupsed just like Tikki. He was in utter disbelief.
“What can we do?” Tikki pondered. “Nothing. Nothing at all,” her voice grew louder. The annoyance grew stronger every moment. “That's the worst thing about being a kwami.”
“We just have to wait it out.” Plagg sighed. This is all he wanted. To see the look on their faces when they finally reveal each other's identity. Even though they had no I'll intentions, Plagg could not help but feel they were keeping that one joy from him.
“Humans are stubborn!” Tikki shaked her head. Her eyes closed for a brief second. The heavy breath she took echoed in Plagg’s ears.
“Especially both of ours.” He looks up at Marinette. She was shaping out to be a lovely young woman. A good hero with incredible intelligence in both battles and at school. She had a long life ahead of her as long as she got out of this stump.
“I still would not exchange them for the world.” Tikki said with admiration. Plagg smiled at her, enticing a smile back. They loved the kids more than anyone else, even each other. To them, the time they had spent was a short while but it was a time greatly enjoyed. The two were like their kids. They were always happy to help them.
“They really are something.” Plagg chuckled. “Definitely not too bright, though. Ay, ay?” Plagg teased. His eyebrows raised up and down. His eyes kept a deep sparkle.
“Plagg!”
“Sorry, Sugarcube!”
Tikki's face of anger turned back into a smile. “So, how did he figure it out?” Tikki went back to the regular conversation. She knew screaming at Plagg was worthless due to all the years wasted in doing so.
“He found out the similarities between the two and connected the dots.” Plagg snickered. “I was trying my best to convince him otherwise. He tried to pry it out of me. I stayed strong but I guess that was not enough.” He bellowed out. The first time in his lifetime he was this serious.
“How are you so serious? Who are you and what have you done with Plagg?” Tikki hushed. She pointed at his monotone smile.
Plagg quickly fixed it. “It's the business man in me!”
“Haha, very funny.” Tikki mocked him. Her eyes rolled back so intensely I swear I could hear it.
“How did she find out?” Plagg questioned. He was intrigued and so are you. This will be the first time you hear about how. It's a decent way to know.
Tikki took a breath in. She looked Plagg in his eyes. Her smile widened. “She freaked out like crazy! I still remember it like it was an hour ago.” Tikki giggled. “For the way she found out though,” she chortled. “Well.”
The gleaming moonlight peaked through the window like always. The wind got more intense throughout the night. The god's conversation grew like old times. They smiled and laughed madly throughout. It lasted until the weekend mornings of the day before they yawned and bidded farewell.
The sunrise was magnificent. The sun peaked through with its blinding smile. The stars yawned and turned around. They left the get-together. The moon stayed back for a while before they went. It was a peaceful morning until Marinette’s alarm rang.