On any normal night Tikki would have slept soundly, peacefully and unperturbed by anything that the night had to throw at her.
However…Tonight was no ordinary night. Sirens could be heard from every direction, and one would have to be dog tired or tone deaf to be able to ignore it. Being that as it may, Tikki was never one to be bothered with such sounds seeing as the human race was quite an unruly bunch in their own right.
No, it was not the beeping of cars or screeching of speeding policemen. It was the eerie feeling in her gut that Plagg was being reckless.
She always knew when her better half was being a complete idiot, and to be frank, her senses were going off for the last few years, but tonight was different. She had had felt this feeling before, and it never ended well then. There was a big possibility that it wouldn't end well now either.
Tikki was no idiot, she knew what Plagg had just done. She wasn't exactly sure why he had done it, but she was sure that he did.
The kwami frowned to herself.
What exactly had young master Agreste done to prompt Plagg to do a Reversal? Did he not know just how dangerous it would be for Plagg? Better yet, did he even know Plagg could do that?
Tikki sighed, wanting nothing more than to find Plagg and smack some sense into him, he promised he wouldn't do Reversal when she wasn't there to protect him… normally she had no taste for violence. BUT that stupid feline was driving her to irrationality…
Still, he was her idiot, and no matter how big of one he was, she resigned to the fact that she could never go on without him…
Which made her even more infuriated.
If he died, what would happen? Centuries ago, he almost did, for the exact same cause.
He was more loving than anyone else gave him credit for, but he was much too prideful to admit. She closed her eyes. It didn't feel like he was getting hurt, in fact it actually felt as if he was getting stronger. She shook her head, maybe the distance between them was clogging her senses…No, it still felt like he was getting stronger.
She frowned, was it Plagg getting stronger, or was it Adrien?
Tikki sighed, he was alright, and she hoped it stayed that way, the combination of Plagg and Adrien Agreste was a dynamic one, and she just hoped that in the end, the world , and the duo would survive that explosion.
**************************
Chloe stared out at the ocean, watching the waves crash and smash against the rocks. It seemed that the very earth was angry. The tide was high, and the wind blew in every which way.
Yes, the universe was furious.
A mixture of wind and ocean spray pierced her skin, and she closed her eyes, exhaling through her nose as her dress whipped around her and momentarily stung her pale body.
Everything was a mess. The sky. The world. Her life. His.
And yet here she was. Undeniably calm. It was as if everything she had ever done had faded away for just an inkling of a second and while the world screamed and unravelled beyond her lightly closed eyes, she stood completely oblivious and numb to it all.
But…
The sea still raged and the tide was still high. The universe was still expanding and the world was not stopping for her. Time was turning and coursing and twisting and fate was unravelling into a red-string, uncatchable, seconds would change to hours and in the past she had seen that hours had morphed into years, and over time she became every creature she had ever been afraid of, and yet in the blankness of being afraid she was no longer scared, because she became the embodiment of fear itself. She never had to justify herself, and never would she need to, because she was the monster that she hid away from and chased from under her bed, and it all began so simply, so quietly and so suddenly that she never understood what had actually happened until she was beyond the point of giving retribution for her sins. And her sins were addictive, and so utterly refreshing, that even when it disgusted her, it somehow sated her.
To any ten year old, the idea of taking a life would be completely un-thought of, it was something unheard of, and it wasn't something that the conventional child dwelled on. However, she became infatuated with the very imagery of being able to take control of someone else's life.
To be able to be a true ventriloquist. To be God. It started out easily enough, being allowed to boss about her servants, being the one who decided who she liked, and those she wanted fired. She could let a whole servant family starve, with no food or money just by saying that she didn't like them. It thrilled her that she could be so powerful. She was the reason they were not on the streets. It was her very grace allowing those peasants the means to live.
And then it moved to her pets. The darling creatures, ever so trusting and thoughtful, but even animals were selfish.
She had seen it in nature, how eaglets sometimes ate the other eaglet to survive, and how the mother never intervened at times. She had seen how Pandas ate their own offspring. She oft wondered, what prompted them to make such a move? Was it instinct, was it for survival? Was it both?
She decided to test her hypothesis once by locking twelve cats in an abandoned factory in one of the soundproof offices. As the days passed she noticed them become increasingly agitated. Eventually, they began to attack each other, and it dawned on her that she had been right. As she watched the cats feast on each other's mangled corpses it occurred to her how easy it had been to manipulate them, how easily they were broken. She could have made the choice to drop food in, but she didn't, they did exactly as she thought they would, and she realized that she was in complete control. She was the one who had predetermined their deaths. She was the one who had orchestrated their demise, and at any time she could have easily stopped it, but that was the beauty of it, she was the master, she did not have to stop for anyone.
Her curiosity grew, and grew and grew until one day it could not be kept to just animals anymore. She needed a life, a human life, a life that she could manipulate beyond the boundaries of starvation, beyond the boundaries of money.
Someone innocent and vulnerable who she could watch crumble, who could belong completely to her, their master, and who better than perfect little Adrien Agreste. Mommy's little angel was what he was before, oh but she knew he could be so much more than that, he could be hers.
He was the perfect candidate, so easy to blackmail, so easily accessible. He had nobody. He wasn't allowed to fraternise with other children, not even the other models, and it was a marvel that the boy dealt with isolation so well and still behaved normally. It was so easy, and it turned out into everything she could have ever imagined and more.
Oh, how she reveled in the knowledge that he was too broken to even look at anyone in a sexual way ever again. It was positively thrilling that look of utmost humiliation in his eyes every time she closed in on him…
It was so beautiful that he was at her utmost mercy. And then one day she the inevitable happened, she wondered if she could make him love her because somehow along the way, her obsession became much more than just physical. Somehow, she had fallen in love with him…But that bastard, he never loved her back. She supposed it may have been something she deserved, but she knew that if she couldn't have him then damn it to hell, nobody else could. So she continued, and he hated her more, and somehow she found pleasure in it as much as she despised his loathsome behavior towards her. She must admit, it was a nice touch to her insanity, being able to go as far as manipulating the lives of those who weren't even out in the world yet. She could determine how long they lived without them even having to do anything.
Perhaps that could have been why they were so special. Maybe it was because they were the only ones who basically had to love her no matter what since they were a part of her, they were the only ones who never fought back, they were the only ones who she could entirely manipulate in every aspect. However, if she had let them be born, they would grow, and think, and eventually hate her. She would never have complete control over them.
A harsh gust of wind threatened to knock the blond over.
Everything had been just fine.
Perfect even. And then suddenly Chat Noir ruined everything. He was one of the few things that she could not control, and she hated that. She hated that he was always a step ahead of her.
But how?
It was as if he had known her first hand, and had become accustomed to her tricks. In this game of death, he was predetermining her demise, and that was something entirely new to her.
He was somehow always out of reach.
However…From her years of watching and scheming, she knew better than anyone that everyone always left a tiny loophole, and it could have been smaller than a pinprick, but she was certain it existed, because she had always found and used those little specks to get her way.
So what was Chat Noir's speck? She couldn't turn Marinette in for knowing him, that would just make him turn her herself in for all she had done.
What was his damn speck…?
All she could think of was the assumption that he had not told Marinette who he was, and working on assumptions were deadly, but hey, she was already in this deep.
If he had what was hers, she would take what was his until he gave back what rightfully belong to her. That meant she needed that blue-haired filth alive.
It would definitely be risky, but it was something, she would give it all she had. Nobody was allowed to manipulate her. Absolutely nobody.
Except for the voices.
Always the voices whispering. They were so clever. She wondered how she ever managed without them. They offered the best advice, though at times they could be a bit pushy with their ideas, but they were never wrong, they got her this far…
They were quiet at the moment.
She knew exactly what she needed to do.
And she would do it.
********************
Marinette woke up at three, at first she stared blankly at the wall, before realizing that she was sleeping in someone's arms. Her eyes trailed down to the gloved, elegant hand lying loosely on her tummy.
Marinette turned around slowly and looked at Chat's face. Now that she was this close, she was able to see that not a single blemish marred his immaculate features. Nothing was out of place, not even his messy hair. She smiled, tracing his features with her eyes. He was a beautiful creation, but she longed to see what he looked like without the mask.
Marinette sighed. She really wanted him to get better, whatever he was doing now wasn't right, Plagg had told her so, she needed to change his habits.
She slowly began to sit up, but as she did, she heard a low groan and the arms around her didn't budge. Chat was most definitely fast asleep, but he showed no signs of having the intention of letting her waist go. He snuggled into her lap and let out a whine.
Marinette smiled, he was too adorable.
She leaned back against the headboard and adjusted them before letting her hands sift through his hair, scratching his scalp gently.
She looked at the bathroom, then back at him. Well, she could handle holding it in for one night.
She continued her ministrations and let her other hand cradle his nape, but an hour later he began to stir.
Slowly he used his arms to prop his upper body up, and he sleepily came face to face with his princess. For a minute he stared at her with blank sleepy eyes, and she looked back at him with a gentle smile.
She placed her hand on his face.
"Sleep." She said softly.
Chat stared at her and blinked sleepily, not getting what she said.
Marinette giggled and pulled him closer to her chest, which forced his arms to give up from under him, the sleepy villain found himself comfortably on her chest.
He yawned again.
"I'm awake, I'm awake." He said.
"Sleep."
He looked up at her and she ran her hand up his forehead to hold his bangs out of his face.
"But I'm awake now…"He said.
"You can still fall asleep."
"But I've already woken up, how can I?"
"I've been told I have a very calming voice," Marinette said, quite softly.
Chat yawned.
"It's a lie." He said through another yawn.
"Oh kitty, you've hurt my feelings."
"I'm sorry, you do have a calming voice princess. It's like an electric blanket and warm zero-fat milk."
Marinette rubbed his temples and let her other hand rub his back.
"You need to sleep now." She whispered.
"You do too." He murmured back.
"Only if you sleep first."
"That's not fair my lady." He said. Marinette smiled, thankful that he hadn't actually fully woken up.
He suddenly chuckled.
"My fair lady is being unfair." He smiled into her chest.
"Sleep and I'll forgive your pathetic humour."
"Sing me a song and I'll forget that insult to my hilarity."
Marinette smiled and rested her head on top of his.
"Petals, delicate and simple, they teach me a hundred lessons…"
She took another breath.
"Leaves, well they're always somewhere in between…
Skies, blue and bright, teach me what it means to know my strengths
And the wind, taught me how to chase my dreams."
Chat listened to the words quietly.
"And the sea, well he showed me that sometimes we get angry
And the moon, she knew she could un-grit his teeth
And though, the world has shown me a million and one teachings
The greatest one, is that you belong with me …
Because light fades to dusk and dusk fades to dawn
Tempests stir and destiny turns and yet somewhere in the midst
One thing is sure
Your importance in my life
And my presence in yours
And even when the world comes against you,
when the hurricane hits and even water detests you,
and the fires too ice and the blizzard too flaming,
I'll be with you, my heart unchanging…"
Marinette swirled a piece of his hair.
"You see the birds, they taught me that it's possible to defy gravity
And the sand, that I could really be just a speck
The rain, she taught me that cycles are sometimes unbreakable
But the trees say never look down or back…
And so I learned with you the meaning of perseverance
The meaning of love and loyalty and vigilance
And yes the world has shown me a million and one teachings
But my favourite one is you and your beautiful brilliance…"
Chat shifted to stare at her as she sang.
"And yes,light fades to dusk and dusk fades to dawn
Tempests stir and destiny turns and yet somewhere in the midst
One thing is sure
Your importance in my life
And my presence in yours
And even when the world crashes against you,
when the hurricane hits and even water detests you,
and the fire's too ice and the blizzard too flaming,
I'll be with you, my heart unchanging."
Marinette continued calmly petting him as he stared at her, engrossed despite his glossy ,sleepy eyes.
"Now life still has its lessons
And nature has a thousand more
But thankfully, with your hand in mine
They're not as frightening as before…"
She brushes the hair out of his face as he blinks slowly up at her.
"Because although light fades to dusk and dusk fades to dawn
Tempests stir and destiny turns, yes, somewhere in the midst
One thing is sure
Your importance in my life
And my whole being in yours
And even when the world comes against you,
when the hurricane whips and even water detests you,
and the fires too ice and the blizzard too flaming,
I'll be with you, my heart unchanging.
Yes, I'll be with you, my love unchanging…"
Marinette looked down at him.
"Did you write that?" Chat asked.
"I may have written it…"She smiled at him.
"I don't know if I'm just hearing things or what but if I was not sure that you were flirting with me before then I'm almost certain that you may be hitting on me now." Chat said with a serious sleepy face.
Marinette snorted.
Chat picked up her hand and placed a kiss on it.
"That was the most beautiful thing I've ever had the honor of hearing...Thank you."
Marinette blushed.
Chat pulled her back down into his arms and nuzzled her nose.
"You have to sleep now, Kitty."
"If that is what you wish Princess." Chat said, planting a kiss on her head.
*********************
Nino peaked outside his window, Adrien had not returned yet, and it was getting late.
He couldn't help but let his thoughts wander to the idea of Adrien being at Marinette's…
How long had this friendship been going on? Weeks, months, years? Why had she never said anything? She knew she could trust him, so why? Did she not want to betray the trust of Chat Noir?
He frowned, no doubt, it was a highly tangled web that he had somehow gotten himself caught in. Knowing who Chat Noir was one thing.
Knowing that your best friend and Chat Noir had an illegal relationship that you weren't supposed to know about was another.
Chat Noir.
Adrien Agreste.
He had everything…Money, fame, fans, so why?
What aspect of his life had been so lacking that he decided that being a serial attacker would quench his thirst? Did he not realize the dire consequences of what he had done? And did he think that he would be able to hide his identity forever?
It was strange, very strange. Agreste was always smiling, he had never actually seen him without a smile. Nino shivered, only now realizing how different Adrien's smiles were when compared to Chat Noir's.
There was undeniably something psychotic about Chat Noir's. It was unnerving, to say the least.
Nino stepped away from the window and walked back into his kitchen, putting the pizza he had made earlier away. He was curious. Maybe Adrien Agreste was not as happy as his photos showed, maybe there was something that he and everyone else had overlooked. He filled a glass of water and pursed his lips.
Adrien had done an excellent job at hiding whatever pain he was in…could it have been because of the disappearance of his mother? Was that enough to catalyze his actions?
For some reason, Nino felt that that was not the real reason behind the demon that was Chat Noir.
So what was it…?
He took a sip from his glass and leaned against the island table. He didn't know much about Adrien, but something was amiss.
His phone buzzed. Quickly, he retrieved it from the lounge. Alya was calling.
"Hey love." He answered.
"Nino Nemo Nino, I think I figured it out!" Alya said.
Nino frowned and readjusted himself on the couch.
"What did you figure out?" he asked, as calmly as he could despite his curiosity.
"Get this, the night of the exhibition, Chat Noir managed to escape the Exhibit, right?"
"Yes baby, he did…"
"Which, as I've said before, could mean that he's a model. Looking at his structure he's one of the runway models I believe. But now let's look at his first attack, he could have picked any building to destroy, so why the hotel of our dear mayor?"
"I don't know…."
"It's because the mayor may have affiliations with the culprit! He literally told the mayor not to touch what's his, pretty distinctly too. But now the real proof lies in his last attack."
"How so?"
"Okay let's think about it, Adrien Agreste is famous, right?"
"Yeeeeaaahhh?"
"But have we ever seen him with anyone else besides Chloe?"
Nino didn't understand.
Alya huffed, "Laptop, Google Adrien Agreste outings with Friends."
Nino leaned forward and retrieved his laptop from the table, it was already on so he opened up his browser and did as Alya asked. Sure enough, although there were many photos of Adrien with other models, they all looked unapologetically peeved at being near him, and he looked uncomfortable if you scrutinized the picture enough, but every other image was of him and Chloe.
Chloe and Adrien entering the hotel, Chloe and Adrien entering Agreste HQ, Chloe and Adrien at Dinner, Chloe and Adrien at the Eiffel tower, Chloe and Adrien on a boat in the Seine, it's always them.
"Babe?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry love, I see it."
"So now the person who did the crime must be someone close to him, close enough to be affected by his disappearance. And which stupid bitch do we know who's related to the Mayor and best friends with Adrien Agreste and is safely out of the country, out of reach of Chat Noir?"
Nino's eyes widen.
"But baby even so, if Chloe is the one who is behind all of this, that would mean that all those fetuses were hers…I've never seen Chloe look over twelve weeks pregnant…"
"Yes you have, think about, she's always wearing tights, a tank top, and a bolero jacket, but suddenly sometimes she starts wearing these dresses that poof out from underneath her bust. And then after a few weeks, she just stops and goes back to normal."
"But then who would the father be?"
"Well… I was thinking about it, and I know it's crazy but I have this nagging feeling that it may be Adrien Agreste."
"Adrien? Why Adrien? "Nino said, his gut twisting.
"I don't know baby, it just seems weird, like he's always at her place and she's always at his, and like even if they're just friends because I don't believe Chloe when she said they're dating, the temptation is there."
"How is Chloe tempting at all love? I really don't think Adrien would have been seduced that easily…I mean how many times have we seen him literally brush off all the female models around him?"
"Even so, Adrien probably knows a side of her that could be…nice-"
Nino made a gagging noise.
"- and so he may be attracted to her."
Nino gagged harder.
"Babe, concentrate."
"Alya, even if he was…attracted to that devil woman, Adrien Agreste loves kids, like you see him with them, he's so good with them, I don't think he would ever let Chloe…"
"What if he had no idea?"
Nino paused."
"If he had no idea then he would not be able to stop her."
Alya yawned.
"But even if my idea is right, the only ones who know what a horrible person Chloe is, are the few people she schooled with, nobody would believe a bunch of bitter teens. The public loves her because she always portrays the image of a nice human being."
"And even if they did believe us all the evidence we have is an assumption, which is basically no evidence. Also, there's the possibility that Adrien meets up with his friends at home or extremely privately, or even on Skype or Facetime, so we can't really say that for certain. And Chat Noir could have confronted the mayor because the mayor of the town should have been protecting all the citizens yet he clearly didn't."
"Mmm hmmm, you know, I had this crazy idea that maybe…"
"Maybe…?"
"Maybe Chat Noir is…"
"Baby?"
"Nevermind,my mind is running away with me again."
Alya yawned once more.
"You should rest love."
Alya hummed.
"Alright, night Nemo, I love you." She said with another yawn.
"Night Sunshine, I love you more."
Alya cut the call. Nino stared at his phone.
Alya had a very interesting theory going, and though her points seemed possibly valid, she didn't know that Adrien was Chat Noir himself.
If Adrien was the father of all of those fetuses then surely as Chat Noir he could have frightened Chloe into keeping them or something, right?
But then…if it was Chloe behind all of this then there was a chance that no doctors would let out her information, they had a vow of confidentiality, and more so if the patient was the mayor's daughter right?
Oh this was just too messed up.
Nino stretched and walked to his room,he was tired, and that Chat Noir was making him too worried. He huffed, and shuffled into bed.
His life was much too weird.
CHAT NOIR/ADRIEN'S POV
Well, to be very clear, I never exactly said that I was going to hurt Marinette when I got revenge on her, I think… so I'm going to consider my tickle attack earlier as revenge.
Oh shut up, I'm not going soft…
Shit, I'm going soft, aren't I…?
I look down at the sleeping woman in my arms and I really can't comprehend just why she cares for me so much. The real question is… why am I enjoying it?
I had sworn to myself that I would never ever trust someone ever again yet here I am all these years later sleeping in a house that isn't my house, professing love and…cuddling?
Why am I even allowing myself such happiness? I don't deserve any of this happiness, I don't deserve someone as perfect as Marinette, why am I so selfish? Why can't I just let her go?
…Why am I so undeniably in love with her?
I'm not a good person, I don't do good things, I constantly make the wrong choices and I hurt people, and she still cares about me.
It makes absolutely no sense yet for the first time in forever, even though everything around me is going wrong, I feel happy.
It's as if the world was black and foggy and there was no sky, the rain was acidic, and I was a metal doll, destined to feel nothing, and then one day a princess arrived and placed a heart in this tin man's chest.
The world was still dark but a sky was slowly becoming visible and the sulfur in the rain was slowly disappearing. What I had done to deserve such kindness, I will never know, but what I know is that somehow, someway, my life is changing.
I don't think I've ever been in love before, and if I had to describe it to you with my best diction, I know I still wouldn't be able to.
It feels like…
Like every cell in your body finally found its purpose, and every thought and idea somehow link back to that person, and everything around you reminds you of them and every quirk about them is more beautiful than sunrise. It's like your life makes no sense without them in it, and you can't bear to imagine it without them because it would feel like a death sentence, and you want to give them your whole being, every single part of you, the broken, the tainted, everything that makes you you, because somehow and someway they're the glue that keeps you together and lifts your spirit, makes absolutely everything better, like a ray of sunshine in a dark, abandoned cave, like a bottle of water after running a mile.
It's like though you know there are so many faults, every single one makes you proud, because they come from your person, and the person is amazing, even when they may not see it, and even when they don't see how amazing they are ,it's all you're able to see, because they're your smile when you feel like crying, they're your walking stick when you can't walk any further, they're the mirth in your eyes and the adoration in your smile.
And you look at them and wonder how you ever managed without them. How did you even survive before them? And you honestly lay confuddled because you can't seem to understand how you did it. How did you do it? Your life is so much better, not because everything is going right…It could be a complete mess and still be better because of that one person. They become your reason to wake up excited, they become the first thing on your mind each morning and as cheesy as it is, yes, they're the last thing on your mind when you close your eyes to rest. You can't help but imagine a future with them, no matter what kind of a person you are. It can be confusing at times, but one thing is for certain, it's that you don't want to live without them. You want them to be with you forever and ever, and even forever wouldn't be enough time to be together. The idea of not having them there, no matter how infinitesimally small it is, is utterly daunting.
It feels like your intestines are being scrambled around inside you, and you want to vomit your heart out, and you start to feel like you may start to perspire blood soon because the idea of losing them hurts every fiber of your body.
And it's the greatest feeling in the world when somehow; the person you love with all your heart turns out to love you back, and feels exactly the same way.
They feel the butterflies, and the camaraderie and the joy of just being together. It's the most exhilarating, satisfying feeling, you feel contented, and excited, and nauseous (But the very good kind) and playful and so utterly happy…
And that is how I feel.
After everything, after all the horror and pain, I somehow came across a princess who was kind enough to have mercy on my heart. Even though I was not worthy, even though she could done octillion times better than me, even though she could have had anyone else, she chose me.
And not because I did her sexual favors, and not because I had a high status or for the billions in my bank account. It was just simply because she respected who I was and accepted me in all my disturbing and frankly extremely creepy glory.
That is all I ever dreamed of.
I hold her tighter. She is still here. I wouldn't bear it if she disappeared. I never ever wanted to be away from her. She's everything I ever needed and everything I ever wanted conveniently wrapped in the most perfect little package of kind, compassionate, beautiful, loving, pure, caring, crazy, intelligent, thoughtful, amazing, ethereal, pure and so many other things that I'm too busy being in love with to recall the proper French word for at the moment.
All I want to do is make her happy. I would do anything to keep her dizzying smile on her face, and I noticed that I'm thinking less and less evil as of recently.
Is it bad that I don't feel the need to attack as much as I used to?
It's really weird, I don't know what's going on… but Marinette Dupain-Cheng was changing me.
And in the best way possible.
Chloe had another thing coming if she thought I would let my princess get taken away that easily. I'd rather die before I let that filth get her slimy hands on her.
Our game would be over soon.
She thought she was going to win.
Well, that's what the rabbit thought in the race, didn't he?
NORMAL POV
Chat slowly extracted himself from Marinette's arms. He needed to leave before six as he could no longer walk around as Adrien if he left late.
"Where you going…"She muttered.
"I have to go princess." He said as a knelt next to the bed and lay his palm on her cheek.
"Don't leave me." She said in sleepy, sad tone with her eyes closed.
His heart clenched and he frowned.
"I have to go, just for now, I promise I'll back just before crime time." He says gently.
Marinette murmured something unintelligible. It appeared she was not fully awake as yet.
Chat chuckled and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead and tucked the blankets more comfortably around her. He was hesitant in leaving, but he knew he had to.
"Bye,Princess."He said as he exited through her trapdoor before locking it.
He sighed. This was unfair. Chat groaned.
Suddenly an idea popped up in his head, and he began to run in the direction of Nino's house.
He opened the trapdoor and landed right next to Nino on the bed.
"Nino...Nino...Nino."
"Babeeeee, tomorrow."
"Huh?" Chat asked wide eyed.
"Yes of course honey." Nino said.
Chat looked around awkwardly.
"Urm Nino…"Chat called again.
"Babyyyy…I'm sleeping…"Nino spoke into the pillow, reaching out a hand and mistakenly running his hand down Chat's side.
Chat huffed and used his foot to kick Nino off the bed.
"Aaaagh!"Nino yelped, waking off the floor with a blanket over his head only to find the smug feline sitting crouched on his bed.
"What did you do that for?"
"You were calling me baby."
"I wasn't calling you baby, I was calling Alya…Oooohhh Alya isn't here." Nino said sheepishly.
Chat rolled his eyes.
"Plagg, detransform me."
Plagg fell onto the bed.
The three were quiet but even Nino could tell something was wrong with Plagg's demeanor as he slowly turned to Adrien with a deadly glare.
Adrien looked at him wide-eyed.
"You. Complete. MORON."
Adrien squeaked and fell off the bed the same way Nino had, which resulted in Nino bursting out into laughter. Adrien sat up in a rush, pulled the bed-sheet off his head and glared at Nino whose laughter suddenly became coughs.
"I told you. I TOLD YOU! But you wouldn't listen to me. Do you realize that I have a life too?!"Plagg snarled.
"I'm sorry Plagg, I didn't think I would actually drop…"
"That's the thing, kid, you didn't think! You never think about yourself, and now it's affecting me. Do you have any idea what I had to do last night?"
"Uhhhhh…."
"I had to do a reversal. Uh huh. A reversal, you know what that means? It means I came out and had the ability to actually get dead!"
"Urm, Plagg, Sir, I think you meant "Die"…"Nino says, trying to ease the strain on Adrien who was looking every bit like a deer caught in headlights.
Plagg spun around and threw a pillow at Nino, with the strength of something a hundred times his size, effectively knocking him over.
"I know what I meant, don't correct me you fool!"
Adrien snickered.
Plagg turned sharply to him with a twitching eye and Adrien coughed.
"Do you see what you have made me become, you've made me become like angry Tikki! I was cool once! I was the fun one, I could take a good joke, and now, now look at me…I'm repulsive." Plagg said, falling onto the bed, curling up, dejectedly, a loud wailing sound emitted from him.
Both boys got up from the floor, scrambled onto the bed and looked down at the Kwami.
"Awww dude, dude you broke him." Nino said to Adrien who looked from Nino back to Plagg.
"Plagg, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me buddy."
Plagg wailed louder into the bedding.
"Plagg…Plagg, come on, I won't do it again…" Adrien said going to scratch Plagg's ear.
Plagg smacked his finger away.
"Don't touch me." He said.
"Oh bro, he's really mad at you." Nino said to Adrien.
"I can see that, thank you very much." Adrien said with a glare.
"Alya said when a person is angry or crying you just have to feed them…"Nino whispered.
Adrien smacked his forehead.
"Of course! He's just angry because he's hungry."
"You mean hangry?"
Adrien's eye twitched.
"Like Plagg said, I know what I meant, fool!" Adrien huffed.
Nino raised his palms.
"Nino, do you have camembert?"
"Yeah, of course, a shitload of it."
"Oh thank God," Adrien said, racing down the loft, to the kitchen.
He picked up a huge wheel and began to run upstairs.
He saw Nino covering Plagg with a bit of blanket.
"He's not looking good Adrien."
Adrien quickly put the wheel on the bed and the wailing stopped.
Plagg crawled over to the wheel before taking a big sniff.
"This is good cheese…You are momentarily forgiven." He said.
Adrien sighed in relief.
"Now, Nino, take this kid downstairs and make him eat at least two slices of the pizza."
Adrien's face contorted.
Plagg snarled at him.
"If you know what's good for you, you wouldn't complain right now. I'm in a load of trouble right now because I broke a promise in order to save your life which Marinette and I clearly care more about than you do, and now I have a 5817-year-old female angry at me. Have you ever dealt with one of those? NO! And they get crankier with age."
"You have a girlfriend?"Nino asked.
Plagg looked at his cheese.
"It's more like…I have a heart and a soul. She's my soul, and she's my heart. So she makes me, me."
Adrien blinks.
"In all my years of knowing you, that has to be the cheesiest thing you have ever said."
Plagg glared at him and snarled.
The boys squeaked and scurried out of the room.
Nino fixed Adrien a plate of pizza. "So dude, you were waking me up for something. What was it?"
"Oh yes, I need you to go down to the bakery and buy everything."
Nino looked at him oddly.
"Everything? Or one of everything?"
"No, I want there to be nothing so they make their target and close earlier too."
Nino smirked.
"What?" Adrien asked with narrowed eyes.
"Why would you want the bakery to close early?"
"So I can go there earlier…"
"Whyyyyy?"
"None of your business." Adrien said fighting off a blush
Nino smiled.
"Listen Adrien, for Marinette, there's no such thing as making target, if she runs out, she bakes more."
Adrien pouted.
"But, if you want me to help you pick a huge ass teddy bear online to deliver to her house, I can do that." Nino said with a grin.
He slid the plate in front of Adrien.
"After you eat this of course."
Adrien looked revolted.
"There's too much cheese."
"That's dairy."
"Avo is bad."
"Fruits are healthy."
"The grease…"
"Fats and oils."
Adrien looked uncomfortable.
Nino sighed.
He picked up a slice.
"I'll do it too."
Adrien took a breath.
"The things I do for love."
******************************
Marinette turns over and notices that the bed is much too spacious. Chat was gone.
She pouted, before yawning widely.
A vibration from her phone startles her.
A new number had messaged her.
"Hey Marinette, it's Marcus, I just wanted to know how you're doing…and maybe if we could meet to catch up?"
Marinette blinked.
Chat was messaging her as a civilian?
She quickly typed out a reply.
"Hey Marcus, I'm doing great, I hope you are too :) Sure!Just let me know when :D "
She smiled, at least he was loosening up.
Oh, if only she knew.