Chapter Text
There’s a hovering, red light that bathes Adrien in its glow when he sees Félix hiding in one of the stalls. The Miraculous of the Peacock is pinned to his chest, active and giving his cousin’s skin an unnatural blueish-purpleish tint.
For a split second, Adrien almost thinks this is an elaborate hallucination, but he’s not sure he’s creative enough to make up Félix’s transformed form. It’s unmistakably him too— from the outfit and accessories to the smirk on his face. That’s his cousin.
A cousin who he has very, very mixed feelings about right now.
Even so, Adrien can’t help but ask, “Félix?” To really be sure. All doubt is erased from his mind when Félix holds a finger up to his lips and shushes him, then beckons him inside.
Adrien isn’t sure what he’s going to do when he steps forward. A few thoughts flitter across his mind— punch him for what he pulled? Shake him down for answers? Steal his Miraculous and book it?
Listen to whatever he wants to say so he won’t leave again?
Adrien pushes the last thought away. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s not letting him escape this fact.
Adrien steps into the stall. He opens his mouth, unsure of what he’s going to say other than the fact that he needs to get it off his chest, but never gets a word out in the end. Félix snaps his fingers with his other hand and suddenly, Adrien is—
Adrien is nowhere.
There’s no Félix, no Marinette, no dance that he doesn’t want to go to, no father he’s going to disappoint, no facing Kagami when he’s not sure what to say to her—
There’s… Nothing. Maybe not even him.
It’s strangely comfortable. Like Adrien has fallen asleep, dreaming of an endless, dark void that curls around him like a blanket. He doesn’t need to do anything but rest. All other thoughts and obligations fall away, like oil and water gliding off each other, and Adrien doesn’t do anything for a while.
Everything is fine. Nothing is here.
Nothingness is good.
Then he hears the echo of another snap and startles as existence is thrusted upon him once again. Adrien freezes at first, sucking in his first breath, then another and another, and swiftly takes in his surroundings.
He’s—
He’s not where he was last.
Félix is here again, but so is Kagami. They’re in the middle of a street and above them, that small, red light that Félix had with him before is high in the sky and much, much bigger.
“Kagami?” Adrien glances her over— unharmed but the look on her face is furious. Not at him however, as that honor seems to be entirely for his cousin.
Adrien wishes he could say he was surprised, but his cousin has a track record of pissing people off. Himself included, and Adrien doesn’t anger so easily.
It didn’t always used to be that way, but clearly Félix has changed a lot since then.
“Félix.” Adrien turns his accusatory gaze towards him. If Félix is at all bothered by it, he doesn’t show it.
It’s only then that Adrien notices just how empty the street is. He can’t hear distant yelling or sirens or the sounds of the city. He can’t hear anything else besides them.
Paris is never this quiet.
“What have you done?” Adrien demands, because it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, and Adrien knows his cousin. Kagami wouldn’t be looking at him like that if he didn’t have something to do with it.
The Peacock Miraculous— the red light in the sky— is that a sentimonster?
“I’ve created a better world, my favorite cousin. A world where you’re free.” Félix has the audacity to look proud.
Adrien bites back the part of him that wants to hiss and settles for a sharp, “What?”
“Everything I did,” Félix tells him, “I did for you.”
Félix has always been a good liar. An actor, he calls himself, with the world as his stage. Even Adrien struggles to get a read on him sometimes, and he grew up with him.
(When did he change so much? How much did Adrien miss? Why did so much change in one year?)
Right now, however? Adrien doesn’t think Félix is lying. He doesn’t look guarded or smug— he looks happy. Excited even.
He means that.
He did this for him.
“For weeks I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to set you free. To set you both free.” Félix gestures to Kagami, whose shoulders only tighten as she grips her bokken like it’s the only thing keeping her together.
Adrien can hardly blame her— he thinks he’s in shock.
“To set us all free!” Félix continues on like they’re not both more on edge than ever. “And offer us a new world where no one can tell us what we can and can’t do! And volià— we’re free! And we’re together! Aren’t you incredibly happy!”
Félix looks incredibly happy. His smile is so genuine that it hurts— beaming like every weight on his shoulders has been lifted. Like he thinks he no longer has to worry about whatever’s been troubling him.
Adrien can’t remember the last time he saw him smile like that. It’s— manic, he thinks. The result of one too many late nights spent achieving this dream of his.
Adrien thinks he’s going to be sick.
Kagami lets out a cry, taking a swing at Félix, but he seems to almost expect it. He leaps out of the way, never wavering, but neither does Kagami. She just pivots and attacks again and again— her usual strategic way of fighting is gone, replaced by rage and grief all rolled up into one.
“You made everyone disappear!” Kagami screams, and Adrien truly understands how dire the situation is then. “And I’m supposed to thank you?”
“Everyone?” All the air is sucked out of Adrien’s lungs. He tightens his fists. “You’re out of your mind, Félix! You can’t do this— bring everyone back! Bring them back now!”
“What’s there not to like? What’s the problem?” Félix leaps onto one of many empty cars on the road to evade Kagami’s wrath. “You’re free of your parents now— isn’t that great? It’s just the three of us! We have everything we need to be happy!”
“Happy?” Kagami spits out, gesturing around her. “When no one else is left? That’s happy?"
“How am I supposed to be happy without my friends? Without my father? Without the girl I love?” Adrien counters, his heart twisting in his chest.
Marinette. They were finally getting somewhere and now she’s just— just gone. Adrien was happier than he’s been in so long and now she’s just—
“You really think I’m that evil?” Félix looks affronted by the very idea. He turns on his heel and gestures for the two of them to follow as he heads down the street. Kagami is in hot pursuit and Adrien can think of nothing else to do but jog to catch up.
“Finally met your girlfriend properly— I had my doubts but it seems they were unfounded.” Félix tells Adrien idly as they go. Coming from Félix that’s— a pretty big compliment? Adrien doesn’t think he can handle the whirlwind of emotions he’s going through right now.
Félix hops and lands right in front of a dumpster. He tosses the lid back with a flourish. “Ta-da— uh.”
Back when Félix first took up learning magic tricks, he would practice with Adrien or his mum first before showing anyone else. There was a look he always got when a trick didn’t quite go as he intended— pinched confusion like he wasn’t sure where he went wrong.
It’s the same look he has right now.
Kagami and Adrien both peer inside. Outside of garbage, there’s nothing else there. Adrien sends a look over his shoulder but Félix is frowning to himself, eyebrows pinched together.
“That’s weird, I…” Félix shakes his head and snaps his fingers. Kagami's shoulders go rigid the moment he does but behind all of them, Marinette appears in a puff of smoke and immediately jerks back like she’s preparing for a fight.
Adrien’s breath catches as relief floods through his veins, enough to make him feel dizzy.
Some of the tension drains out of Félix’s shoulders. “There— I thought I warned you to stay put, Marinette. I hid you from the light for a reason, you know.”
“Argos! You—” Marinette looks down at herself, mouth hanging open, like there’s something wrong even if Adrien can’t tell if anything is out of place. “What did you do?”
“I created a new world. A safe world.”
Adrien doesn’t wait for either of them to speak up again, rushing forward and engulfing Marinette in a hug. Kagami joins him, doing the same, and despite her shock, Marinette instinctively returns the hug. A flurry of emotions threatens to drown Adrien but holding Marinette in his arms with Kagami by his side calms some of the storm.
He resists the urge to bury his head in the crook of her neck. As good as that sounds right now, he’s not sure he would be able to pull away if he lets himself relax too much. He might just go limp from exhaustion.
Marinette is here. Kagami is here.
Félix is here.
They’re all bathed under a harsh, red light. A reminder of this ‘New world’ Félix attempted to make.
…Succeeding in making technically. Even if Adrien plans on reversing it, he did succeed in getting this far.
Eventually, Adrien finds the strength to pull away from the hug. His hand finds Marinette’s, anchoring himself despite the storm brewing inside his chest. She squeezes his hand and seems to take Kagami’s too, acting as a foundation for both of them.
Kagami still trembles with rage. Adrien feels too much to put it into words and can’t seem to move. Marinette’s face twists with uncertainty but even then, she still looks braver than Adrien feels.
Félix is smiling again.
“See? The four of us never have to worry about anything else ever again!”
“Félix.” Marinette’s voice hides intense emotions that Adrien can’t name. Her gaze doesn’t waver from his. “Whatever you’re doing, this isn’t right. You— you’ve erased the world! What good does this do?”
“No more Gabriel Agreste for one.” Félix says. Adrien’s heart stutters in his chest but he’s more surprised to see that Marinette reacts too, conflict now shining in her eyes. Félix seems to latch onto it like a dog on the hunt and steps forward. “You understand that as much as I do, don’t you? I saw it at the dance. That’s how I knew you were good for him. You know as well as I do that he’s better off without his father.”
Adrien wants to argue— his father tried his best, didn’t he? It isn’t easy being a single father. It couldn’t have been easy losing the love of his life.
But Marinette doesn’t argue with Félix. She doesn’t even look like she disagrees. She just says, “That’s not for us to decide for him.”
“Under normal circumstances, I might agree with you.” His eyes darken. “But these are not normal circumstances. You wouldn’t understand— the only reason you are here is because you’ve earned enough of my trust.”
“Your trust?” Marinette asks skeptically.
“In a manner of speaking.”
Kagami steps forward, one hand clutches Marinette’s and the other still holding onto her bokken. “If you won’t listen to her, then you will listen to me.” Kagami points her bokken at him, face twisting into a snarl. “You will bring everyone back. Now!”
Frustration flickers across his face. “You don’t get it yet. But you will.” He takes a step back. “Perhaps you just need some time to realize it.”
“Félix!” Adrien quickly matches him, recognizing his movements a little too well. The way he’s bracing himself, stepping back— he’s going to leave and take their chances of fixing this with him. “My father aside, why does the whole world need to disappear? They haven’t done anything wrong! Marinette and Kagami aren’t the only people I care about— Nino, Alya, Rose, Julika, Luka— our whole class!— they’re important to us too! And— and more than that, all of Paris means a lot to us—”
“Except I can’t trust the rest of them.” Félix cuts in. “Kagami is like us. Marinette cares about you beyond her own desires. I can’t say the same for the rest of your class, and I hardly trust all of Paris.”
“Trust them with what?” Marinette finally blurts out. “You keep saying that but you’re not making any sense! You— you keep talking about trust and safety and how the three of you are similar in a way that I’m not but I don’t understand— and I think you’re the only one who does!”
Adrien sees Félix hesitate then. His hand moves for a moment before he stills it, like it was an unconscious motion. The mask fits itself back on his face and Adrien loses the ability to read him completely.
“I’ll explain everything later.” Félix says, taking another step back, then another. Adrien clenches his jaw. “But for now, I think you could all use some space to realize that a free world is exactly what we need.”
Adrien lets go of Marinette’s hand in order to surge forward with a yell. He’s a beat too slow as Félix leaps out of the way. He flees, taking to the rooftops until he’s out of sight and leaving the three of them behind.
Without his Miraculous active, Adrien has no hope of catching up with him.
The red light in the sky doesn’t waver for a moment.
Adrien swallows down the bile that rises to his throat and runs his hands through his hair in an attempt to not scream.
—
When things go wrong, Marinette tries to think of the few things that are still right, and with the entire world outside of the four of them gone, she would safely say that nearly everything has effectively gone wrong.
But her Miraculous is still with her. She can’t feel Tikki’s presence but the earrings are safe at least. And she has Adrien and Kagami by her side— that all counted for something.
It had to count for something if she wanted to fix all of this.
Without Tikki, she couldn’t transform, but even if she could, it would be out of the question. It would give away her identity immediately, and while Félix (or Argos) didn’t work for Monarch, he was near the bottom of the list of people she wanted to tell.
Adrien and Kagami were both very high on that list. Had the circumstances been different, Marinette might’ve transformed already and done something to fix all of this.
But they weren’t different. The circumstances were very, very dire right now, and she couldn’t even be Ladybug to fix it. She has to be Marinette.
Marinette swallows thickly. She needs— she needs to do something. Her options were limited but right now, she wanted nothing more than to get away from that damn Red Moon.
She could do that at least. Not in the same way that she wanted, but she could still escape from its light for a while.
The sooner Marinette could regain control of her bearings, the sooner she could think about fixing all this. If all her time as Ladybug taught her anything, it was that if she couldn’t think properly, everything would go wrong. She needed to keep a level head— Risk had taught her that.
(Félix and Flairmidable had taught her that.)
Adrien hasn’t moved a muscle since Argos left, one hand still entangled in his own hair as he stares off in the distance where his cousin left. Kagami, on the other hand, takes her bokken and chucks it as far as she can. Marinette yelps but it soars above all of them before smacking a wall and clattering to the ground, damaged.
“How dare he?” She roars, not caring about her volume for once. “Who does he think he is? What could possibly be better about this?”
Kagami gestures furiously at their surroundings. It’s eerie— they’re in the middle of the streets of Paris but there’s not a single other person in sight. Even the sounds of destruction would be a bigger comfort right now. At least those are familiar.
Destruction she can fix. She always has, but this— this is different.
The Lucky Charm didn’t give her anything— but the Lucky Charm never fails either. Did it know this would happen? Argos was a part of the solution but maybe that wasn’t all. Maybe there’s something she’s missing.
Marinette hears someone sniff and her attention returns to Kagami. Her face is still twisted in anger but her eyes are brimming with tears. Her whole body is trembling and Marinette no longer thinks it’s only with rage.
If there’s one thing being Ladybug has taught her, it’s that she needs to have her priorities straight. Right now, she needs to be present, because Kagami and Adrien need her here more than ever.
“Kagami,” Marinette approaches her first, hand outstretched. Kagami jerks to face her, fists clenching. She only hesitates for a moment before carefully laying a hand on her shoulder. “We need to get out of this light.”
“Why? So he can’t snap us away? Why would it matter?” Kagami’s words are harsh but they don’t cut very deep. Marinette gives her a sympathetic smile.
“No, it’s just really irritating me personally and I think I would feel a lot better if I didn’t have to have it right in my face. Don’t you agree?”
Kagami visibly hesitates then. She looks away for a moment, letting out a breath before nodding along. “It… Might do us all some good.” She admits. Marinette motions for her to follow before turning her attention towards Adrien.
“Adrien?” His head snaps towards her, blinking like he’s waking up from a dream, or attempting to snap out of a nightmare. “Did you hear what I suggested to Kagami at all?”
“I— no. Sorry, could you repeat it?”
“I said we should go somewhere and get out of the light. I think we would all feel a lot better without it.”
“That sounds great, Marinette.” His smile is strained like he’s trying to be genuine about it but doesn’t quite hit the mark. “Maybe we could go to your house? I know mine is bigger but I’m really not in the mood to be there right now.”
“My house works.” She nods. Carefully she tugs him forward, getting him to finally move and follow after her and Kagami. “Plenty of food there too— I think we could all use a bite to eat.”
Adrien grimaces a little at the sound of food but nods along anyways. Marinette tries to bury the anxiety twisting in her chest and leads all of them through the streets.
Kagami doesn’t take her eyes off the rooftops. Adrien lags behind a little.
Marinette isn’t sure how she’s still in one piece without Tikki or Chat Noir but she doesn’t read too far into that. She just keeps pushing onward.
It isn’t too difficult to find the right direction she needs to go in. The walk is a blur— Marinette moves on autopilot, only glancing behind her to make sure they’re still there. None of them say a word on the way there but eventually, Marinette leads them up the stairs into her family’s apartment and fiddles with the key.
She swallows thickly when neither of her parents come to open the door for her upon hearing her struggle. When she does get the door open, the apartment is completely devoid of her parents.
She knew it would be. It still aches to see.
The TV is on and softly playing what she recognizes to be one of her mom’s favorite movies they have on disk. Marinette shuts it off and turns back to where Kagami and Adrien are both hesitantly entering her house, shutting the door behind them.
Marinette quickly tugs on the blinds to block out the red light and flips on the rest of their lights. The curtains can only do so much, illuminated by the Red Moon outside, but the lights make it look a lot better. The world is no longer tinted red and feels a little more colorful for it.
“See? That’s a lot better!” Marinette spreads her arms out as if presenting it. Both Adrien and Kagami at the very least look a bit more at ease.
“You’re right, I do feel better.” Kagami swipes her eyes to get rid of the misty look she was getting in them. “I… I apologize for losing my temper like I did. It didn’t help anything.”
“We don’t expect you to control your emotions all the time.” Adrien speaks up this time. The lost look is gone from his face and his smile is a little more genuine for it. “It’s okay to be angry sometimes. Anger isn’t always a bad thing.”
Kagami hums, thoughtful. “Regardless, I only wish I was a little more helpful. Marinette,” she looks up to meet her gaze, “I’m glad you’re here. I’m not sure what I would’ve done without you.”
“I’m glad to be here with both of you too.” Marinette glances towards the curtains, uneasy still churning in her gut. She quickly gestures towards the table. “Sit! I’ll grab a few things for us so we can refresh ourselves!”
Kagami and Adrien both immediately go to take a seat. Marinette begins to root around the kitchen, chewing on her lip as she weighs her options before grabbing a few things that will be better eaten fresh rather than stored away. It’s a mixture of fruit and freshly made baked goods in the end, all organized on one big platter. She takes out a jug of milk and glasses for the three of them as well.
“Marinette? Do you need any help carrying anything?” Adrien asks. Marinette firmly shakes her head.
“It’s my house— I’m the host! I don’t want to make you carry anything!” She waves them off. Everything is gathered into her arms and she begins to carefully make her way towards the dining table. “Besides, I can totally handle a few—”
Her foot slips on a small pile of flour on the floor she previously overlooked. Marinette lurches forward with a yelp and Adrien and Kagami both surge forward.
Adrien stops the glasses, and Marinette, from smashing into the ground. Kagami expertly manages to catch all of the food on the platter. Marinette shakes herself out of her brief panic to send them an apologetic look.
“Sorry.” She mumbles. “Two left feet, am I right?”
Her joke falls utterly flat. Even so, Adrien smiles at her and they carry everything over to the table together.
“You shouldn’t take on more than you can carry.” Kagami tells her, neatly placing the platter in the middle of the table so all of them can easily access it. “It’s easy to collapse under the pressure when you’re the only one carrying it, and it’s easy to forget about other things when you’re trying to focus on carrying it all.”
“I guess so.” Marinette replies sheepishly. “But I think I just have extremely bad luck when it comes to anything requiring me to balance.”
Kagami’s mouth twitches upwards. “That too. Do you think you’re cursed? I don’t put much belief in those sorts of things but I wouldn’t be too surprised if you were.”
“I wish.” Marinette groans to herself. “At least curses can be broken by kissing handsome princes or beautiful princesses.”
“Which one am I?” Adrien asks playfully.
“Both?” Marinette’s face feels hot just saying it. “I mean— my friends keep making up analogies where you’re the princess but obviously you’re very handsome too— whichever one you want to be? Both at the same time?” She lets her face fall and thunk against the wood of the table. “I don’t know— you get the idea!”
Adrien snickers. “You’re so cute. Thank you, Marinette, I appreciate that you wouldn’t care if I was a prince or princess. And for the record, I would gladly help break any curse you needed broken, even if we weren’t dating.”
“You’re so sweet.” Marinette sits up and pats her cheeks to try and cool herself down before she explodes in front of both of them. “But— thank you both! Eat whatever you want and as much as you want— we need to keep our strength up!”
Both of them oblige and grab something off the platter. Marinette waits until they’ve chosen what they like before doing the same, picking up one of the strawberries. It’s not the sweetest but it tastes like heaven in her mouth after the day she’s had.
Once Kagami starts eating, she begins blazing through it, eagerly consuming croissants and fruits alike. Adrien doesn’t eat much, taking a few bites before he just starts picking at the food. Marinette tries not to stare too much— she doesn’t wanna make him eat. She gets it, the only reason she has the appetite to eat at all is because her fight with Argos earlier exhausted her.
“I’ve always noticed I’m hungrier after I’ve been angry.” Kagami says conversationally. “Is that true for you two as well?”
“I’ve never really noticed.” Adrien admits.
“It is for me.” Marinette thinks back to all the times she furiously stuffed her face after an encounter with Lila or Chloé. The nerve of those girls is exhausting. “Alya says I look like a chipmunk or hamster whenever I do.”
A giggle escapes Adrien. He covers his mouth but she can still tell he’s smiling. “You’d make an adorable hamster.”
“Do you like hamsters?” Marinette asks quickly, eagerly.
“I love hamsters!”
“We’re getting one. One day. If you’re okay with that.” Marinette feels her cheeks flush more. “This— this isn’t the thing we should be talking about, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Kagami tells them. Her smile is soft but a little— sad, Marinette thinks? “We shouldn’t stop trying to enjoy ourselves. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Neglecting it wouldn’t help anyone.”
“And speaking of helping others…” Adrien glares down at the croissant on his plate. “We should talk. About Félix.”
“Argos.” Both Marinette and Kagami say at the same time. Adrien huffs a laugh.
“Of course it’s a name from Greek Mythology. Okay, Argos.” He glances between the two of them. “I was gone for a while so— what happened? What did I miss?”
“Where were you? Did Argos snap you away too?” Marinette asks. Adrien nods. “That makes sense… He took your place at the Diamond Dance. I showed up to tell you it was okay that you didn’t want to tell me about the dance you didn’t want to go to but went anyway— which, uh, I can finally tell you now since I technically told Félix earlier, not you...”
“Thanks.” Adrien shoots her a smile. “I would’ve told you earlier but my father forbade it and…” His smile dims. “I couldn’t disobey him. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be! My whole point in going was to tell you that you didn’t need to feel guilty or sorry! I wanted you to enjoy the dance!” Marinette shifts her gaze to Kagami who straightens up upon noticing, like she wasn’t expecting the attention. “Kagami, I really hope I didn’t ruin your night by showing up or anything. It was really good to see you too— you look pretty!”
Kagami softens. “Believe it or not, you made the night much better. I wasn’t looking forward to the dance and it was nice to watch you dance, even if it turned out to be Félix, not Adrien.”
Adrien blinks. “You and Félix danced?”
Marinette cringes. “I thought he was you until he called the other kids at the dance ‘Monsters’ and then he didn’t bother keeping up the act.”
“Huh. Sounds like him. What happened after?”
“He transformed.” Kagami speaks up this time. “And revealed the Red Moon. He said he could erase anyone in its light with a snap of his fingers and began to erase everyone at the dance, except for Marinette and I.” Her hand twitches and she swipes a grape from the platter. “Including your father and my mother.”
“Everyone in its light…” Adrien’s eyebrows furrow. “What if there were people inside hiding from it? Maybe we’re not the only ones.”
Kagami grimaces and shakes her head. “I saw people inside disappear too. I don’t think it has to be a direct contact thing, but that’s as far as I know. Maybe they just needed to be able to see the light— or for the light to see them.”
“That’s hard to combat.” Adrien grimaces.
“But Argos didn’t want to make any of us disappear!” Marinette points out. “That’s our advantage here. If he didn’t want to snap Kagami away while she was attacking him, then we know it’ll take a lot more than that to get ourselves snapped away. Which means we still have a good chance of fixing all of this.”
“You’re right…” Kagami gives her a thoughtful look. “I suppose my anger had its uses then.”
“See? No need to feel bad about it— we have valuable information now!”
“What else do we know?” Adrien asks. “Any idea where the amok is?”
Marinette feels her smile drop and lets it. “No.” She admits. “There’s no telling where it is, or if he even keeps it on him. I— I saw him fighting Ladybug earlier, actually.”
“Ladybug? Is she—” Adrien’s face falls when she nods. “Oh.”
“But— but maybe the answer isn’t fighting him? Or maybe the answer isn’t superheroes fighting him but— us. Because he won’t fight us back.” Marinette almost wants to mention the Lucky Charm but she doesn’t want the chance to kill any hope either of them have left. Marinette is still struggling to wrap her head around it.
The Lucky Charm never fails. She was snapped away but now she’s back. She can’t be Ladybug but— maybe that was the point? Maybe this is a problem that Ladybug and Chat Noir can’t solve. Maybe this is only something that Marinette, Adrien, and Kagami can solve.
Tikki would say to trust her gut. Without her powers, her gut is one of the few things she has left.
“He never actually swung back at me.” Kagami muses to herself. “Argos only dodged and parried if I got too close. He’s quick and none of us have powers currently but if we cornered him somehow, we could take the brooch and fix things that way.”
“Or if we can’t find the amok,” Marinette adds, “Maybe we can talk him into bringing everything back?”
Both Kagami and Adrien grimace at that. “My cousin is pretty stubborn when he gets set on something.” Adrien tells her. “I’m not confident we could convince him otherwise.”
“But it’s not impossible?” Neither of them can seem to disagree with that. “It’ll be a backup then, if we can’t find the amok or take the Miraculous back.”
“And… How do we do that?”
Silence stretches between all of them. Marinette tries to think of what to say— of some semblance of a plan— but all she gets back is pure brain static. She groans and lets her head fall against the table again.
“Rain check?” She asks weakly. “I’m exhausted, can we sleep on it and try again tomorrow?”
Adrien and Kagami murmur weary agreements. Marinette pushes herself to her feet but pauses when something hits her. “Oh, uh, sleeping arrangements? Do either of you want my room?”
“It’s your room.” Kagami points out. “You should have it.”
“Are you sure? The other options are my parents room and the couch.”
“I can take the couch.” Adrien immediately offers. “I kinda wanna zone out in front of the TV anyways.”
Kagami’s previous protest seems to die and she nods in the end. “I’ll have your parents’ room then. I promise I won’t mess with anything in there.”
“I trust you.” Marinette smiled weakly. “You don’t have to convince me of that.”
Marinette leaves to grab the spare blankets and pillows for the couch and make sure her parents’ room is clean. It is— her mom is pretty good about that sort of thing— but her eyes get misty just looking at the picture of the three of them on the nightstand so she stays in there a little while longer.
They’ll be back. She’ll make sure of it.
But her heart aches all the same.
When Marinette finally returns to the main room, Kagami and Adrien have already cleared the table before she could tell them not to. She huffs but relents— maman would be proud of her hostess abilities no matter what.
The pillows and blankets are given to Adrien who gets situated on the couch. Spare clothes to change out of her dress are offered to Kagami. Marinette shows Kagami her parents’ room, then both of them where the bathroom is before finally they tell her they’ll be fine and to get some rest.
Marinette has to close and block the blinds in her room but even then, that infuriating red light still leaks through the cracks. After a certain point, Marinette deems it good enough and finally flops on her bed.
She still aches from her fight with Argos— no Miraculous Cure to fix it. She wonders if he aches too.
Some bitter part of her hopes he does.
Marinette curls on her side and tries to sleep.
—
Kagami lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. Even with the curtains closed, she can see the Red Moon’s light shining through the cracks.
Kagami remembers her mother, disappearing in a flash. She remembers being too late and how even now, she has yet to fix it. Mother would be so disappointed.
She’s angry— that part is obvious— but the uncertainty plagued her even more. She might know what needs to be done to fix it but she’s not Ryuko. There’s only so much she can do against a Miraculous Holder, and while she can easily find another bokken, Kagami doesn’t know how much help it would be.
How much help she’ll be.
Marinette is determined and often level headed and strong in many ways that Kagami wishes she were. She is an anchor that keeps her and Adrien from drifting out to sea, the steady foundation they can stand upon in order to find their footing, the beacon when everything else feels dark. Marinette is perfectly imperfect, and Kagami knows that if anyone is gonna get them out of this, it’ll be her.
On the other hand, Adrien sees the best in people. He brings out the best in people too— encourages them to be better. He’s kind and understanding and, once you get to know him, quite silly. He’s good at brightening people’s days, their weeks, their lives— Adrien feels things so earnestly that it’s hard to stay away. Mother told her that she was meant to be with him but Kagami had fallen for him of her own accord.
They are perfect for each other, Kagami can see that plain as day. She isn't sure where she fits in with them. Truthfully, she feels like a bit of an outsider.
But it's difficult to stay away. And right now, they need each other more than ever.
Kagami needs to rest to keep her strength up. Knowing this, unfortunately, does not make her attempts to sleep any easier.
Minutes tick by. Eventually, it becomes clear to her that it’s evading her at the moment. Her thoughts are too loud for it— a distraction will do her good.
Kagami slips out of the bedroom as silently as she can. The living room is lit up by a movie she doesn’t recognize playing softly. Curious, she moves to check the couch and finds Adrien lying across it, eyes still open.
He glances at her and musters up a smile. “Hey.” Adrien tells her softly. “Can’t sleep?”
“Yes. Seems I’m not the only one.” Kagami smiles back.
Adrien shifts to make room for her. She takes the invitation and sits down with him. The movie continues to fill up the silence as they sit there, but Kagami doesn’t let it go on for long.
“I keep thinking about my mother. About disappointing her.” Kagami stares down at the ring on her finger, feeling as though her mother is staring back. “I should’ve been able to take down Argos but I let my rage blind me.”
“He was transformed.” Adrien points out as he sits up. “Miraculous Holders have enhanced physicality— it's hard for anyone to keep up with.”
“Did you ever have one?” She glances at him. Adrien noticeably pauses, then makes a so-so gesture.
“I had the Snake Miraculous before Viperion. It wasn’t a good fit.” Adrien idly twists the ring around his finger. “No matter what I did, I just seemed to fall flat.”
“I know the feeling.” Kagami admits quietly. Her pursuits to find love have been nothing but that. Trying again and again before realizing maybe she should take her own advice and switch targets. Then she learned that it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
Feelings did not fade overnight. Suddenly, she understood more of the protagonists in the manga she read more than ever. Heartache did in fact hurt as much as they lamented about.
They lapse into silence again. The thing that breaks it is the creak of the trapdoor as Marinette emerges from her room and joins them.
“Thought I heard your voices.” She smiles and takes a seat on the couch with them. “I promise I tried to sleep, it was just… Harder than expected.”
“Can’t exactly blame you for something I can’t do either.” Adrien tells her. Kagami nods along.
“Thank you for trying.” She adds. Then, after another pause, “I’m glad both of you are here.”
Marinette smiles so softly that it aches to see. Kagami treasures it nonetheless. “If we’re gonna do this, better to do it together. We’ll figure it all out, I promise.”
Kagami believes her. It’s hard not to when it’s Marinette saying it.
Adrien extends the blanket out for all of them to use. They all silently watch the movie that Kagami still doesn’t know the name of, but quickly becomes invested in. Marinette’s head slowly droops and lays on her shoulder. With time, Kagami finds herself laying hers on her head. Adrien slowly takes her other shoulder as he grows more and more tired and finally falls asleep.
Between the warmth of both of them curling in on her, Kagami isn’t far behind, and the sound of the movie fades into the background.
—
Argos didn’t follow them to the bakery where Marinette lives, but he knows they’re there. In a world with so few people left, it’s easy to pick up on their emotions. He’s not even trying but he can feel their anger still, white hot and striking against his chest.
Argos takes a deep breath and lets it out. They just need some time. They’ll get it later— this is better for everyone.
“Fold my feathers.” He murmurs quietly, and Duusu emerges from his brooch. Félix digs out the trail mix he’s learned to keep on him and offers it to her, who happily partakes in it. “Do you feel it too? Their emotions?”
“I feel everyone’s emotions!” Duusu tells him cheerily. “I did warn you it could be a lot. I’m used to it but you’re new at this! You should really take more breaks.”
Félix’s eyebrows furrow in worry. “Am I exhausting you?”
Duusu seems to laugh at the idea. “I’m not made of glass, silly! I told you before, I might get hungrier faster than you do but I’ll outlast you no matter what you do! There’s a reason we’re considered deities in some cultures— I’ve had over a hundred Holders! I’ve been broken before, but I can’t die! Not really.
“I’m just saying,” Duusu continues, “That this is a lot for someone as young as you to handle! I have a lot of power, but even for adults, it’s too much for them to handle all at once, so I water it down! You’re strong, but you’re taking on a lot of strain with all of this! I’m built to handle it, but you’re not, so you have to be careful!”
“I remember.” Félix nods along. “You mentioned some of this before. But I’m taking care of it— watching myself. I just need to be Argos a little more. Just until I can trust them.”
Duusu nods and fishes out a M&M from the trail mix. “You’re eating too, right?”
Félix pats down his pockets and retrieves a protein bar. Duusu eyes it with a frown. “You’ll need more than that!”
“I’m aware.” He assures him. “It’s just what I have on me right now. I’ll get better food later, I promise.”
Duusu seems satisfied enough with that answer and continues to snack. Félix unwraps the protein bar and takes a bite. Not terribly tasty but he’ll manage. He’s practically been living off of them lately with how little time he’s had for himself. He’s gotten used to the taste.
He chews idly, slowly tuning out everything else out as his eyelids droop.
Then, he hears it. Faint but unmistakable.
“Winning isn’t always what we think it is.”
Félix whips around, tensing for a fight but only finds Duusu blinking at him. He searches for the source, pushing himself to his feet and expecting to find a familiar polka-dotted suit somewhere but sees nothing. Not even a distant flicker of movement.
His heart pounds. Félix knows he heard her voice— not just in his head but out loud. His thoughts aren’t that loud. He heard it. He heard her.
But Duusu just asks, “Félix? Are you okay?”
His mouth is dry. Félix swallows anyway and tells him, “I’m fine.”
“You were frightened.” Duusu says. “I felt it. Did something happen?”
“I…” Félix does one last sweep of the rooftops in sight. Nothing. “I don’t know.”
When Duusu pushes for him to sleep as soon as he’s finished off his protein bar, Félix can’t find it in him to protest. He just tells her to wake him up if anything happens or if anyone gets too close and lets his eyes drift close.