Chapter Text
Something was… off.
That was the best way to explain it, at least. Of course, Adrien considered, the whole day was thrown by the wayside as soon as the akuma victim attacked the school, but that type of disturbance was usually settled in a few hours, if not less.
This morning he- or Chat Noir, rather- went toe to toe with a villain who could teleport you to the nearest locked room. He found himself bouncing from the top of the Eiffel Tower to the sewers of Paris in rapid succession, but thankfully it hadn’t taken long to get the Transporter under control.
By himself.
In discussion of the mood, Adrien knew he was biased. Namely because Ladybug, in all her shiny glory, hadn’t arrived to save the day. As it was, he was having to destroy the akuma instead of purify it the way she would. But regardless, nothing he couldn’t handle. From there it was only a race to class and an excuse about being zapped to a zoo cage.
He felt like there was something he was forgetting, though. Something important.
As Adrien swung into his seat, glancing around the room, it wasn’t just him who felt the weird vibes. Alya kept adjusting in her seat every few minutes, as if uncertain herself. The rest of their classmates were trickling in, some growling about different rooms.
“It was horrible!” Lila said, eyes big and watery. Adrien fought the urge to groan out loud as she entered again, privately wishing she’d have stayed wherever she was at. “I can’t believe where that monster sent me. The janitor’s closet was so messy, I fell right into the mop bucket!”
“Funny, you don’t seem very wet,” came a voice from the doorway. Adrien spun to face the owner in shock at the unexpected bite behind the words.
Nino, arms folded, eyes blazing, glaring a hole into Lila where she stood.
To his shock, his best friend seemed…angry? Which was beyond bizarre. Nino was one of the most patient people Adrien knew, without a doubt. He only ever seemed to get angry when…
When someone he cared about was in danger.
The forgetful feeling doubled inside him, a dawning fear rushing right behind it.
Lila stammered for a moment, blinking in shock. She hadn’t expected this, hadn’t seen it coming from gentle Nino. Adrien glanced at the row behind them, somewhat relieved to see Alya’s uncertain face. She could be doubtful of many things, but her boyfriend wasn’t one of them.
“I had a change of clothes!” she exclaimed, tears brimming again. “I usually have to, there’s so many people who are mean to me-“
“Where’d you keep them then, Lila?” Nino accused, stalking forward. His finger was pointing in a way that made Adrien want to flinch backwards. “Cause *I* was the one who got you out of that closet, dude. You didn’t have a backpack. There wasn’t a bucket in that room. And,” he paused, glancing at the room. His audience of the Akuma class watched with horrified expressions. “And here’s the kicker, Lila. The door wasn’t locked.”
“That’s not my fault!” she shrieked, stamping her foot.
“That’s what the akuma does,” Alya said. She sounded almost faint, but when Adrien looked at her, she was already standing behind the desk, shoving the empty chairs out of the way. “It teleports to the nearest locked room.”
“Why wasn’t your room locked, Lila?” Kim asked loudly, voice lower than normal.
“Better yet, did it even hit you?” Mylene asked softly. Her brows were furrowed. “You ran out of the room. Grabbed a couple people on the way out, to protect them you said? So it couldn’t have hit you.”
Lila’s eyes darted around the room wildly, trying to find some solace somewhere. Already words were flying from her mouth, as if to save herself. But Adrien wasn’t listening anymore, caught on what Mylene had said as he gripped his ring.
Lila ran out with a student. Adrien had been thinking about how to sneak away unseen, of course, but now that he was thinking about it, Mylene was right. He’d spotted Lila pulling someone out the door, just before the akuma got there, already yelping in fear.
Before the akuma got there.
She’d known about the Akuma.
There were a few horrifying thoughts that were coming from that idea. Judging by Rose’s sudden scream, he wasn’t the only one realizing it. The villain herself must have put it together too, as she turned to bolt, but Adrien was faster.
His heartbeat filled his ears as he blocked the door, not slowing his momentum as he spun to face Lila. She reached out to shove him aside, but he got the better grip on her upper arms, turning to pin her against the wall. Ivan was there moments later, the tallest and strongest in class, to grab her arm as well.
Adrien barely noticed it.
Lila had run off with someone, before the akuma. One who was designed to lock someone in a room, where no one could find them. Where Lila could do the exact same thing.
Adrien’s stomach dropped to his feet, yet he didn’t let anything but fury show in his face
He knew what was wrong. He knew what was missing.
Who was missing.
“Lila, where is Marinette?”
The miraculous gave their wielders impressive capabilities. Jumping, stretching, lifting, and other skills were multiplied so many times over that when you were transformed, the superhero suit did most of the superheroing.
Adrien wasn’t transformed right now. He’d never ran faster in his life, not even as Cat Noir, as he sprinted down the school hallways.
“She’s been in there over two hours,” Alya called just behind him, keeping pace at an impressive rate. It made him vaguely wonder if she’d be a good fit for a miraculous herself, before he remembered the akuma this morning and felt naseus.
The rest of the class were coming as well, most further behind. Ivan and Kim were marching behind Lila, ignoring every scream of protest about broken bones and twisted ankles. They weren’t having any of it, snapping that Marinette’s life was more important than a hurt foot every time she spoke.
Nino, while not normally one to participate in sports, kept next to Alya without any problem, both hard on Adrien’s heels. “We have to hurry,” he said, voice low with fear as he ran. “She could be in serious trouble.”
Plagg, from inside his shirt pocket, pressed a paw against his chest. Adrien moved faster.
Finally, he skidded to a stop outside the one door in the school that could actually be dangerous. He never would have thought of it himself, and it never would have seemed threatening before Lady Wifi.
The walk-in freezer, chained shut.
“You chained it?!” Alix snarled, whipping around to face Lila with a furious expression. “You didn’t think that would be suspicious?”
Lila opened her mouth immediately, probably about to fake-cry, when it seemed to register just how upset the group looked. Her eyes darted to the slowing group, scanning for any trace of sympathy. Whatever she found suddenly had her drop the act.
Hands on her hips, smirk in place, exactly like the snake Adrien expected to see. Some of the group gasped in horror at the sudden shift in body language.
“Fastest way to deal with her,” she admitted casually, shrugging. “Marinette is smart. She’d find her way out if I didn’t pull out all the stops.”
“Why hasn’t she called for help?” Nathaniel asked sharply, arms crossed. It registered in Adrien’s mind that Nathaniel’s boyfriend, Marc, was Marinette’s cousin. Judging by the sound of footsteps, he’d already called Marc in.
She grinned like a shark, raising an eyebrow triumphantly before, in a turn of events, Chloe darted forward. Within a moment she grabbed Lila’s purse, yanked it away, and dumped it on the floor.
“Hey!” Lila yelped. No one paid any attention - mostly because their focus was on Marinette’s phone that had tumbled out.
“Pro tip? Should have left it in the janitor’s closet,” Chloe informed the liar helpfully, jabbing a finger in her chest. “Not that there’ll be a next time, after I tell daddy I want you gone.”
“I thought Chloe hated Marinette,” Juleka whispered to Rose, confused. Rose smiled weakly as Chloe flushed.
“I’m a superhero!” she snapped angrily, facing away with a huff. “Queen Bee helps civilians. Clearly.”
Adrien would have been proud of her, would have given her a hug or laughed or told her how incredible she was.
“Marinette’s been in the freezer for hours,” he said, barely recognizing it was him speaking.
Chat Noir had been hurt, nearly gotten sick or worse, after a few minutes. Marinette was just a regular person. She could be freezing to death.
He hadn’t even known.
The gravity seemed to kick in again.
“Her chances of survival are dropping every second,” Max said gravely. Adrien was torn between gratitude and despair that Max hadn’t given a percentage number.
“We need in right now,” Kim said, spinning to Lila. “Where’s the key?”
Lila shrugged again. “I grabbed the lock from a construction site on the way to school,” she told them bluntly. “Chain too. I didn’t bother with a key.”
She wasn’t supposed to get out, Lila didn’t say. They all heard it anyway.
Fury bubbled up Adrien’s throat, and he certainly wasn’t alone. Alya took a single step forward, face stormy, before Nino had to lunge forward to restrain her.
It seemed almost distant, like Adrien was seeing it all from a mile away. No key. No way in. Marinette was freezing, maybe already…
Marinette. The girl who laughed when she tripped. Who planned a party for someone who felt upset. Who stayed to cheer Chat Noir up when he had a bad day. The everyday Ladybug. The girl who snuck out with him to go see a movie, wearing just a towel and a grin, because Adrien asked her to.
“She’s alive!” came a robotic voice. Markov rushed up, display screen of his face focused and serious and relieved all at once. “I can read her vitals through the wall. I’m hacking into the security cameras as we speak, so I can get a visual on her, but I can read a faint heartbeat.”
The relief nearly knocked Adrien off his feet. She was alive. Marinette Dupin-Cheng was still alive.
Then there was a single moment of clarity, where Adrien realized what he needed to do.
He spun again, grabbing the lock. A whisper in his mind reminded him that there would be consequences. That Ladybug would be forced to take his miraculous after this. That taste of freedom Chat Noir provided would be gone forever.
His Kwamii rumbled in his pocket, a silent goodbye, and Adrien steeled himself.
To rescue her, the fastest way in was to cataclysm the lock. And Marinette would always, always be worth it.
“Plagg,” he breathed, closing his eyes, “claws-“
Something collided with him suddenly, nearly knocking him off his feet. He stumbled, catching himself before looking back.
“Marinette!” Marc screamed, banging on the door desperately. He dropped to his knees in front of the lock, tugging something out of his bag. “Marinette, hold on, I’m coming!”
A thin silver tool slid from his hand into the lock, already twisting. Adrien watched with wide eyes, rooted to the spot as Marc struggled to pick the lock.
“I need a second set of hands,” he said without looking away, frustration and desperation in equal parts dripping from his words. “One of you-“
“Go,” Chloe commanded, like a god, and instantly Sabrina appeared next to Marc, tugging out her own set of tools.
“My daddy is a police officer,” she said primly, as if that were an explanation, and suddenly the duo were chipping away at the lock like a professional team.
Almost hypnotized by the movements, by what he’d nearly done, by the knowledge of who was on the other side of that door, Adrien nearly missed Nino setting his hand on his shoulder.
“She’s gonna be fine,” Nino said, without any preface. Adrien could only nod dumbly. Nino had been friends with her for much longer than anyone else, since they were little. He knew better than anybody just how tough Marinette was.
“Live camera feed and audio, initiating,” Markov announced. The class barely had time to react before his face screen switched to-
Adrien’s legs finally gave out from under him.
On the floor, halfway curled, shaking, was Marinette. Her eyes were slits between her eyelids, like she was fighting to keep them open, one hand outstretched towards the door.
But the voice that emerged wasn’t Marinette’s.
“Stay awake just a little longer, Marinette. You can do it, it’ll be okay soon, I promise. Just stay with me.”
The group shuffled, glancing around at each other. “Is that…is someone calling her?” Mylene asked.
“It can’t be,” Max countered, pointing to the pile of junk on the floor. “Marinette’s phone is here.”
“Help is on the way, Marinette, just stay awake. A few more minutes, alright?”
Nino was still holding part of his weight as he gained his footing, but Adrien felt too preoccupied to think. That voice was so familiar, he knew it was. He just couldn’t place it. Maybe if he weren’t scared out of his mind at the way Marinette looked.
The girl twitched, hand adjusting to be more of a cup. The other pushed on the floor before she crumpled, shaking. “Tikki,” Marinette wheezed weakly, hand holding nothing.
To the credit of Marc and Sabrina, neither of them so much as hesitated at their task. Everyone else froze in place, except Lila, who raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
This was so bad, Adrien realized. So bad. No wonder Ladybug hadn’t come to the fight today.
Terror flooded his mind. If Lila was working with Hawkmoth, and anyone gave it away, then Marinette-
“She’s got my phone,” Alya said suddenly. She even patted her pockets for effect, like it had only just occurred to her. As a model, Adrien wanted to applaud her on her acting performance. “Borrowed it this morning. She must have called her mom.”
They’d all been to the bakery more than enough times to know that wasn’t Mrs. Chang’s voice. That lie wouldn’t fool anyone else in the class.
Anyone except Lila, who snarled with anger at this revelation.
Alix, sharp as ever, jumped to her feet. “Let’s get her to the office, Kim,” Alix decided, eyes narrowing. And for once, Kim only nodded in agreement, too stunned to speak.
The two of them dragged Lila away, an ordeal itself.
At the very least, Adrien wasn’t the only one who’s head was spinning. Everyone else was in a stupor of silence.
Alya, ever the journalist, finally broke it. “Tikki,” she repeated, carefully. “The name of Ladybug’s kwamii.”
Which was not public knowledge. Only something a few miraculous holders even knew. Adrien physically shut down that line of thought.
More important matters at hand.
“Popular name, though,” Ivan stuttered. He eyes darted between all of them, as if he were putting together the pieces of this puzzle in a different way. “We can’t prove anything. And Marinette’s really hurt, she’s probably confused.”
“Right,” Nino agreed immediately. His hand was still firmly on Adrien’s shoulder. “Besides, there’s a reason no one knows who Ladybug is. She’d never let it slip. It’s way too dangerous.”
“And good citizens would never endanger Ladybug and her family over something they misheard,” Rose piped in.
Adrien felt a bit slow on the uptake, but he’d never mistaken this special tone of voice before. A deliberate statement, on the verge of a lie. Just like Natalie and Father were so good at navigating, like he used sometimes when he pretended not to understand something.
“We certainly can’t risk it,” Nathaniel said, worrying his lip. His eyes darted to Marc, who was clicking through the lock with feverish focus. “Marinette’s our friend. She’s always been there for us.”
“We’ll help her, too,” Max said, determined. “So if she’s late, or busy, or needs support-“
“That’s what really good friends are for,” Adrien said, calmer than he’d ever felt. “Same for Ladybug.”
Because at the end of the day, of course it was Marinette under the mask. It was so perfect. It made too much sense, like it had always meant to be. The others would see it too.
Alya- journalist who had obsessed over discovering Ladybug’s identity since day one, who went nuts over any lead, who would do anything for the Ladyblog- only smiled and pulled out her phone to tap the screen. A ladybug sticker shone proudly on the back.
“My best friend needs help,” she said, eyes burning. “We’re not gonna fail her again. Not the way we did with Lila in the first place.”
A loud click erupted, and Sabrina only had time to cheer “Got it!” before half a dozen hands were yanking the door open, flooding into the freezer.
And if Adrien was one of the first in, and if he dove for Marinette’s hand, and if he slipped the little red Kwamii to his pocket as the others moved Marinette to the hall, and if he helped hold her to warm her up-
Well. Chat Noir did promise to do anything for his lady. And Adrien promised he’d do the same for Marinette.