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If anyone had asked Marinette how she would react upon finding out that Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, she would’ve said a full-scale meltdown. What actually happened wasn’t so far off from that; there was some screaming and stuttering and a lot of blushing on both sides. Then, by mutual agreement, they canceled patrols and agreed to avoid each other at school for the next ten days with the idea that they both needed a chance to adjust to the idea that they already knew each other in real life.
Or at least, that’s what was supposed to happen.
“I thought ladybugs were supposed to be lucky!” Marinette raged under her breath as she ducked beneath her desk. Her father quickly joined her; he couldn’t fit beneath her desk, but he fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her protectively, shielding her with his body.
It was a very sweet gesture in theory. In practice, she wanted to scream in frustration. What had started out as a normal day – even good! Almost everyone enjoyed parent’s day – at school had gone sideways pretty quickly when an akuma made an appearance. The only good thing about an akuma was that it cut off Mayor Bourgeois’s boring speech about how difficult it was to run a city.
“I’ll make you all feel what I feel!” the akuma screamed.
In spite of Tom’s efforts to stop her, Marinette pushed her head up above the desk just in time to see what was going on. Shots of blue light leapt from the akuma’s hands and struck Mylène, Alix’s father, Max’s mother, Ivan and, to Marinette’s horror, Adrien when he dove to protect Nino. All five of them collapsed on the floor, and the akuma laughed over the screaming.
“You’re alone. Always alone! No one will help you!”
Shutters slammed down over the windows. Marinette jumped and then winced when she banged her head against the side of the desk. Rubbing absently at the bump, she watched as the akuma spun around and literally flew out the only open window. A shutter came down over it shortly.
In the distance there were several more slamming sounds, and then a fresh wave of screaming as other students, teachers, and parents were caught by the akuma. She gently jerked free of her father and ran for the door, but, even though it was unlocked and there was no shutter covering it, it wouldn’t open. The akuma had somehow blocked it from the other side.
They were trapped.
“Not good,” she whispered to herself.
“Marinette!” Tom barelled after her, catching her up in another hug – this one so tight that it left her breathless. Even more not good.
“Everyone, stay calm,” Madame Bustier said, looking shaken. She slowly stood from where she’d been crouched behind her desk. “The authorities should be here soon. When the akuma vacates the premises, they’ll come set us free so we can evacuate if Ladybug and Chat Noir haven’t dealt with things yet.”
Fat chance of that happening, considering that Ladybug was trapped and Chat Noir was curled up in a fetal position on the floor. Marinette pried herself out of her father’s grip, casting a narrow-eyed look at the windows. Whatever those shutters were made of, it wasn’t wood. They looked smooth and strong. Juleka’s mother was slamming a chair against them and it wasn’t even making a dent.
“Of course they will!” Mayor Bourgeois popped off the floor and dusted himself off. “I’ll call them right now and insist they hurry!”
“Tell them to come immediately, Daddy,” Chloé cried. “I’m scared!” She began to cry, though whether the tears were genuine or only to light a fire under her father’s butt were anyone’s guess.
“Marinette, come on. Come sit down with me,” Tom said, pulling her back to her desk.
“The akuma’s gone, it’s fine,” Marinette said, casting a worried look over at her partner. Adrien had yet to move; he was laying on the ground, eyes closed as though he were sleeping. It was a plus that he didn’t look like he was going to attack them, but Marinette didn’t like how still he was.
She ran her eyes over the room again. A well-aimed kick from Ladybug might be enough to break whatever the shutters were made of. But it wasn’t like she could transform, or at least not without revealing her identity to the crowd inside the classroom. And unfortunately, while Ladybug was capable of great feats, and to some degree she’d noticed that could translate even outside the suit, something like that would be beyond even Marinette’s abilities.
“Adrien? Come on, dude,” Nino said, hovering over his friend. With the help of his father, he pulled Adrien up and leaned Adrien back against the desk. Mylène and Ivan were both unconscious and being tended to by their families, but Adrien… well, Gabriel Agreste hadn’t seen fit to find room in his schedule for Parent’s Day.
“Is he okay?” Marinette asked, leaning over Nino’s shoulder. She desperately wanted to pull Adrien into a hug, or even lay his head in her lap. They’d done that plenty of times, after all. Chat Noir was a great big cuddly kitten at heart. She’d lost count of how many patrols they’d ended by cuddling up to each other, or with one of their heads in the other’s lap, or even laying down side by side on a rooftop.
But that was Chat Noir and Ladybug. Not Adrien and Marinette.
“I don’t know. He’s not waking up.” Nino lightly poked Adrien’s cheek.
“Nino,” his dad said. “Maybe it’s better if he’s asleep. There’s no telling what that akuma did.”
Right as he spoke, Mylène let out a blood-curdling scream. Everyone jumped, Marinette included. She nearly fell over when Alya jostled her from behind, wrapping her arms around Marinette. They stared at Mylène. Mylène’s mother looked horrified as her daughter continued to scream.
“Mylène, Mylène, what’s wrong? Please, tell me what’s wrong!” her mother cried.
“Is she hurt?” Alya asked, her voice trembling.
“I can’t tell,” Marinette said. It didn’t look like it. But maybe the akuma’s effects were psychological? She hated those kinds of akumas.
“Adrien!” Nino exclaimed.
Marinette’s head whipped around just in time to see a flash of Adrien’s green eyes, opened to slits. He was looking at Nino, but it was like he didn’t even realize that Nino was in front of him – like he was looking through Nino, at something else. Her heart sank straight through the floor. This wasn’t good. She barely realized that Mylène’s screaming had stopped as suddenly as it started, too focused on Adrien.
“I…” Adrien whispered.
“Adrien? You what?” Nino leaned in close, even though his father tried to stop him.
“I’m alone,” Adrien said dazedly.
“What? Dude, no you’re not,” Nino said. “I’m here, Marinette’s here, Alya’s here.”
“Yes, I am. Alone… always alone…” He sounded so lost, almost like a child. Marinette’s heart ached. No, like a stray kitty with no home.
“Dude…” Nino was looking increasingly upset and frustrated. He gripped Adrien’s shoulders. “You’re in the classroom with us. You’re not alone!” He looked at Alya, then at his parents, as if to ask for help.
“Alone,” Adrien whispered.
“Adrikins, don’t be silly.” Chloé pushed her way in, nearly toppling Nino’s dad over. “I’m here!” She knelt, surprisingly, and grabbed Adrien’s left hand.
But Adrien didn’t seem to register her presence anymore than he did Nino’s. His head lolled from side to side in a slow shake, vacant eyes still staring through them. Marinette watched, horrified, as tears welled up in his eyes. One spilled over and trickled slowly down his cheek, landing on his t-shirt. She tried to take an instinctive step forward, but Alya’s grip was too tight.
Again, Adrien murmued, “I’m alone.”
“No, you’re not.”
Marinette didn’t even know she was going to speak until the words were out. She gently pushed Alya’s arms away and brushed her father’s hand off her shoulder. There was no way she was going to let this happen. Her precious kitty was never alone, would never be alone, as long as Marinette was around. And she’d tell him that as often as she had to, until he believed it.
“Marinette?” Alya said uncertainly, but Marinette didn’t look at her. She moved forward; there was no space on either side, so Marinette stood with her feet on either side of Adrien’s thighs, and squatted down. Chloé made a strangled sound that might have been a protest. Marinette ignored her.
“Adrien, listen to me. I’m your partner. We’ll always be together,” Marinette said, finally giving voice to the words that had been bubbling up around Chat Noir for months now. She’d never regretted keeping quiet more than she had right this moment; if she’d only told him, this might not have happened. Gently she lifted his face until she was in his direct line of sight, and felt a flicker of hope when his eyes connected with her.
“What is this?” Chloé shrieked, so loud that Marinette’s ears rang. Someone – probably Alya – grabbed Chloé’s shoulders and yanked her backwards. Marinette ignored the scuffling, keeping her focus on Adrien.
“We live together and we die together, remember?” she whispered, leaning in until their foreheads were pressed together. “Until the very end. As long as we live, I’ll be with you and you with me. You will never be alone. I-I love you too much for that.”
At last, his eyes focused. “My – Mari,” he said, as though realizing just in time they were surrounded by people, and Marinette managed a smile.
“You’re not alone, ma moitié,” she said, and wasn’t surprised when he lunged forward and grabbed her in a hug. His grip was almost painfully tight, but Marinette didn’t mind. She wrapped her arms around him, one around his shoulders and the other pressed against the back of his head, cooing softly in his ear. He was shaking, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if he was crying.
Her whole world narrowed to her kitty, and Marinette lost track of what was going on behind her. So she jumped when she heard the sound of wood splintering, and looked up in time to see a fireman literally breaking the door of the classroom down.
“It’s about time!” Chloé yelled, shoving past the fireman. The mayor was hot on her heels.
Idiots. Marinette fought the urge to roll her eyes, turning back to Adrien. She tipped her head down until she could whisper into his ear. “Minou, can you fight?”
“Y-yes,” Adrien said, voice choked, but he didn’t let go of her.
“Together,” Marinette promised, coaxing him back until she could see his face. It was tear-stained, as she’d expected, but he was still with her and that was what mattered. She tried to smile and clasped his hands; as she stood, she gently pulled him up with her until they were both on their feet.
“We can do this,” she whispered to him. “Together.”
It took a moment, but finally Adrien nodded.