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“You can’t stay here Plagg,” Adrien sniffled, hiding under the covers in his prison that his father had locked him and Kagami in that evening when he had returned. He had heard that Kagami escaped from her hotel room too, but he had no idea where she went.
“Like hell I’m leaving you alone in this prison! I should bust down these walls with my most powerful Cata-” Plagg seethed, flying in small circles under the blanket.
“Plagg! Please!” Adrien croaked, shaking as he tried to hold back more tears. “You have to go back to Ladybug. He has me under surveillance. My identity is compromised and she needs to know that she has no back up,” he cried.
Plagg took a deep breath in before releasing it, trying to calm his mind. “Adrien,” he spoke softly, flying up to his chosen’s face and wiping the tears streaking his face. “This is literally your worst nightmare.”
“I know,” Adrien whispered. “But if you don’t go, and something happened to Ladybug because she didn’t have back up, then my biggest nightmare, bigger than being locked up and alone, will come true. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her. So please, Plagg, don’t make me beg, you know I will.”
Plagg let out the biggest sigh, weighing the pros and cons of everything. He could leave and convince Marinette to come bust Adrien out of this stupid prison cell. It would be really suspicious as to why heroes were called to interfere but this was downright cruel and Gabriel Agreste should be arrested for it. He could phase through the walls and disable the security system but that would end him in another locked room with bigger security, which was still no trouble for the God of Destruction, but it would make people aware. They knew what Cataclysm looked like at this point.
“Uhgg!” Plagg groaned. “Fine. I’ll go. But mark my words, it won’t be for long,” he promised, getting up in Adrien’s face. “And I’m not going til the morning.”
“Alright,” Adrien whispered, pulling the Kwami close as he drifted off to sleep under the blanket, Plagg purring up a storm the entire time, thanking every other deity that Kwami couldn’t be detected by technology.
******
The next morning, Plagg took the ring and flew back to Paris, tears in his eyes, flying as fast as he could with the ring in his hands. He made it back in record time, thirty minutes at his top speed as he broke city lines. He flew straight to Marinette’s window and flew inside, collapsing on her bed, completely out of breath as Marinette, looking about as much of a mess as Adrien, and Tikki stared at him in shock.
“Adrien,” he tried to say, but all that came out of his mouth were green bubbles as he panted on the mattress, trying to catch his breath, barely able to keep his eyes open. “In trouble.”
“Plagg!” Marinette exclaimed, her voice cracking with the dryness of someone who had cried all night, and scooped the Kwami up into her hands. “What’s wrong?! Where’s Chat Noir?!”
“Plagg?” Tikki exclaimed, worry filling her voice. “What happened?”
“They…” he panted. “Locked him up. Locked them both up. Cameras.”
Tikki gasped, her nubs flying to her face in shock. “But you were just here last night!”
“What do you mean here?” Marinette looked at her Kwami with confusion.
“Had…to see her,” Plagg huffed. “Faught Akuma. Left. Got in trouble. Locked them up.”
“Chat Noir is locked up?!” Marinette screeched, scooting to the edge of her loft, clutching the exhausted Kwami to her chest as she climbed down the stairs and ran down the second set of stairs to the kitchen. She threw the fridge open and grabbed the first cheese she saw and shoved it at the Kwami who gobbled it up immediately.
Marinette looked around the living space, breathing a sigh of relief when neither her mother nor father were in the room. “Alright Plagg,” she looked determined, but tired, at the Kwami. “Start talking. What’s going on? What’s this about Chat Noir trapped and in trouble and why didn’t you Cataclysm him out?!” she spiraled.
By then, Tikki had joined them and Plagg had regained some strength as he devoured his fourth wedge of cheese. Swallowing, he looked at Tikki with a seriousness she had never seen in the cat Kwami.
“Plagg…we can’t,” Tikki scolded, shaking her head.
“The hell we can’t!” Plagg hissed, flying to her face. “This has been going on for too long! This needs to stop! He’s in trouble!”
“Tikki, you know I need him! We just found out who Monarch is, I need Chat!” Marinette joined in pleading with Tikki.
“You what?!” Plagg whipped his attention to Marinette, taken aback by her information.
Marinette hung her head and sighed, wanting to cry but having no more tears left to shed. “Monarch is…Gabriel Agreste,” she whispered, afraid to say it too loud incase anyone heard her.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees, making Marinette grab her bare shoulders and look up at Plagg. His head was lowered, but black and green energy crackled around his tiny body, the green energy sparking out from him, hitting the wall and counters, cracking the marble.
“Plagg!” Tikki exclaimed, placing herself between Marinette and the destructive power. “Snap out of it!”
“He-,” Plagg’s voice was dark and filled with hatred. “I’m going to kill him! I’m going to lock him in that room and watch as Cataclysm eats at the rest of his already rotting body and then I’m going to Cataclysm his corpse!”
“Plagg, please!” Tikki begged, getting closer, her body glowing pink as the destruction was fixed as soon as it was inflicted. Marinette ran behind the counter, poking her head up to watch the two Kwamis.
“He’s going to wish he never put that Miraculous under his stupid candy cane ascot!” Plagg roared, his eyes glowing with a green fire.
“You have to calm down!” Tikki reached her other half and took him in her arms, letting her energy flow into him. “You being angry is not going to help him.”
“He’s got him locked in a room!” Plagg wailed, the energy ebbing away. Plagg’s eyes went from glowing to filled with tears as the distraught Kwami cried. “Tikki, please help me save my boy. Please?” he begged.
Marinette came out from hiding, tears flowing down her cheeks as she took the Kwamis in her hands and cradled them to her chest. She fell to the floor in the middle of the kitchen, sobbing with Plagg.
“I can’t,” she sniffed. “My head hurts and I’m not sure what’s happening.”
“The glamor,” Tikki replied sadly. “It’s trying to break in your mind while trying to keep it together.”
“Marinette, we have to get him away from Gabriel. We have to rescue Adrien ,” again green bubbles escaped his mouth. “And Kagami,” he finished, looking at her, willing for her to figure it out.
It was all she needed. The glamor broke, shattered into a million pieces as she put the clues together. Plagg’s anger. Why Chat Noir was missing and trapped. Chat Noir trying to woo her one night and Adrien the next day, meanwhile Chat Noir is waxing poetic to Ladybug about his amazing girlfriend, who in hindsight was herself.
They were a mess.
It only made her cry harder, gripping the Kwamis harder to her chest.
“Marinette?” Sabine’s voice broke through the sadness. “Are you alright?!” She rushed to Marinette’s side.
Marinette looked down at her hands and noticed they were empty.
“M-mama,” she bawled. “Adrien…he’s-” she sniffled, trying to catch her breath.
“What’s wrong with Adrien?!” Sabine pulled her daughter into her arms, squeezing her to her chest.
“His father,” she blubbered. “Made him go to London.”
“Oh,” Sabine replied, trying to contain her anger at Gabriel Agreste, pulling her daughter even closer. “Is there anything your father and I can do for you?”
“Can you adopt Adrien?” she sniffled. “Please?”
Sabine smiled helplessly at Marinette. “Sweetie, he’s not an orphan, we couldn’t adopt him even when we want to.”
“But what if he was?” Marinette whispered to herself.
Sabine busted out laughing as she helped Marinette to stand. Marinette looked at her mother with fear, not intending for her to hear what she had mumbled under her breath.
“You’re very imaginative, Marinette, but Adrien will be back. And technology is very advanced. I have no doubt that the two of you can make it through this little hiccup.” She wiped the mascara running down Marinette’s face. “Now why don’t you go wash up and I’ll make your favorite comfort meal and we can talk about it, ok?”
Marinette stared at her mother, her hands cradled in Sabine’s. Did she want her favorite comfort meal? No. She wanted to give out the biggest knuckle sandwich to the worst person in the world.
“I think…I want to be alone for right now, Mama,” Marinette replied stoically, taking her hands back and walking toward the stairs to her room. “I love you, Mama. I’ll take a rain check, but for now I need to be alone, maybe wait for Adrien to call.”
“Alright, dear,” Sabine folded her hands over her heart, watching her not so little girl walk up the stairs to her room. “I love you, too.”
******
The moment she was in her room, door closed, she turned to the Kwami floating in the middle of her room.
“Plagg, let's go,” she commanded, holding out her hand for the Kwami to place the ring in her hand.
He slipped it off his middle where he had been keeping it, and met Marinette halfway when Tikki flew between them.
“What are you two planning?!” she squeaked.
“We’re going to rescue Adrien,” Marinette nodded, taking the ring from Plagg and placing it on her finger, feeling the destructive power coursing through her body as the ring formed to her finger. “Ready, Plagg?”
“I’ve never been more ready to transform anyone in my entire existence!” Plagg growled, getting pumped.
“But the earrings-” Tikki exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, Tikki, I won’t be using them both. I just need to borrow Plagg for just a little while.” She struck a pose and yelled, “Plagg, Claws Out!” The magic washed over her and she could practically feel Adrien’s presence as it wrapped around her skin, protecting her. Tikki stared at her, worry in her eyes. “Let’s go, Tikki!”
Tikki sighed and flew to Lady Noire’s pocket, nestling in the infinite void. Lady Noire walked over to her dresser and grabbed a few space power ups, throwing a few in her other pocket before jumping up onto her bed and practically bursting out of the balcony window, only to be startled by the figure on her balcony.
“Felix!” she exclaimed.
“That’s not your usual outfit,” Argos gestured to her suit.
Marinette took a moment to look at the one who caused her so much torment in the last few months but had brought her the truth she had been seeking for so long, weighing the pros and cons. She already had a weird trust in him and she could really use the back up. Not wasting anymore time, she reached into her pocket and flicked a magical macaron at him as he caught it without batting an eye.
“Saddle up, Bird Boy, we’ve got lovers to rescue!” she exclaimed, popping her own macaron in her mouth, sprouting wings, similar to her Chaton’s, and a helmet.
“So what’s the plan?” Argos inquired, forming a green glass over his hood and beautiful purple wings sprouting from his jet-pack on his back.
“I’m not sure how much you’ve been watching, but Chat and I have unlimited use of our powers now…so step one…Cataclysm a few walls. Step two, rescue Adrien and Kagami. Step three, kiss them silly. Step four, punch Gabriel in the mouth and force him to eat his own pancakes while we watch the Cataclysm, that I am sure he’s sporting under that ugly ass q-tip ensemble, slowly take him over.”
“I love this plan,” Argos grinned before taking off from the balcony, Lady Noire closely following behind.
*******
Quiet.
It was deafening.
Adrien wasn’t sure how much longer he could take it. He had tried to see if he could talk to Kagami between the walls but they were definitely soundproof. Why their parents were so determined to keep them locked up in prison for a stupid campaign shoot he wasn’t sure, especially when his father was free to use his likeness with his AI tech but still didn’t.
He had tried to use Morse code but it was even soundproof to that and Kagmi couldn’t hear him. While it was definitely the responsible thing to do, sending Plagg away was the second worst thing he’d done in the last twenty four hours.
He sat on the white bed, knees pulled up to his chest. One arm wrapped around them while the other rested on top as he ran his thumb nail back and forth over his bottom lip, trying to hold onto the happiest memory he could grasp onto. Even without the Miraculous, he couldn’t afford to be akumatized and he didn’t know how far Monarch’s reach ended. After facing Akuma in different countries he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. So he held onto the memory of Marinette, her lips on his as she gripped his face and he cradled her head.
Of course their eyes had been filled with tears and it wasn’t the perfect moment they wanted, but it was theirs and theirs alone. He just needed to survive the hell that he was currently in and they’d be reunited. He had to have faith in their love.
Resting his head against the wall, tears flowed silently from his closed eyes as he felt the wall shake. His eyes flew open as he flew back on the uncomfortable bed, trying to figure out what happened. All four of his prison walls looked intact when suddenly an alarm blared and bars came flying out of the ceiling near the door, locking him in even more than he was.
He scrambled to stand, another muffled explosion sounding from somewhere outside the walls, as the alarm continued to scream. His fighting instincts were on end but he had no Miraculous, no Plagg, to defend himself as he watched in shock as the wall adjacent to the one with the door started to bleed black.
A black he was extremely familiar with.
The wall crumbled into dust as he shielded his eyes, coughing as he tried to breath around the particles. He squinted his eyes open to see a surprising, but welcome, sight. Ladybug, dressed as Lady Noire, was standing on the other side of the hole she opened up in the wall, hand outstretched where the wall disintegrated from her touch. Next to her was Argos, standing with his arms crossed looking smug while Lady Noire had the face of someone with murderous intent until she seemed to focus on him and tears came to her eyes.
Adrien’s mouth opened in shock, staring at his partner and cousin. He didn’t know what to think of first, and he didn’t have time because Lady Noire’s speed was incredible and she was in front of him within seconds. She reached her left hand around his neck while the right rested gently on his left cheek as she dragged his head down to hers, crashing her lips against his.
Shock was the first thing he felt, his eyes blown wide open as he looked at his Lady, tears flowing from her eyes as she kissed him. And although he’d only felt them once, so he had assumed, he’d recognize those lips, the kiss, anywhere, or so he thought.
Tears sprang to his eyes, closing them as he kissed her back, grabbing her waist with his left hand, pulling her closer to him while his other hand went to the back of her head, angling her head to deepen the kiss. He wanted to stay that way forever, kissing his girlfriend, his Princess, his Marinette, his Lady, but he was so overcome by emotions that he broke the kiss with a huge sob.
“Marinette!” he blubbered, trying to catch his breath and stop the tears, but the more he tried the harder he cried as he leaned his forehead against hers.
“Chaton,” she whimpered through her own tears, rubbing the pad of her thumb over his cheek, mindful of her claws.
“As wonderful as this reunion is, we still have unfinished business to attend to,” Argos interrupted. The interruption was enough to surprise Adrien as he looked up at his cousin with glistening, shocked eyes. “What?! You think you’re the only one who gets the girl, cousin?” Felix grinned, holding his arms out in a challenging manner. “Now come on, little kitty, next wall,” he gestured to the wall behind him, next to the bed.
“Of course,” Lady Noire sniffed, hugging Adrien to her before backing away and stretching out her shoulders. “I love having unlimited Cataclysms,” she winked a glassy eye at Adrien, making him blush as he watched his girlfriend summon another destructive strike against the prison walls.
******
Standing at the ready, hands poised to fight, since she had no weapon, Kagami watched the wall crumble into black dust, but she never took her eyes off of the area, even when she started to cough from the dust.
Her hands fell to her side when a blue blur came speeding through the dust and grabbed her around the hips, lifting her up, and spun her around, her hands resting on his shoulders. She looked down in surprise at her boyfriend’s red eyes, full of love and admiration.
“Fe-Argos?!” she corrected herself, not that people didn’t already know who Argos was but it was still a good habit to have. “You came! And you brought Ch-” She looked over at the hole to see not Chat Noir, but Lady Noire, who currently had her arms around Adrien as their lips hungrily devoured each other.
“I brought the cavalry, and I think it’s time to end this war once and for all,” Argos grinned, letting her slide through his arms, leaving his hands resting on her waist. “I missed you,” he sighed, pressing his forehead against hers.
“It’s only been twelve hours,” she stated, smiling softly, her heart full.
“That’s entirely too long to go without knowing your location,” he smirked.
“So now you’re kidnapping me?” she teased.
“I’ll always kidnap you,” he winked.
She brought her right hand from his shoulder to his cheek. He leaned into her hand, kissing her palm as it passed his lips. She moved the hand behind his head, lacing her fingers in his hair and pulling him down to her level, and kissed him.
Their lips fit together so well, even though they’d only been together for a total of four weeks, she didn’t think she’d ever tire of feeling this boy‘s lips against hers. Those lips meant her freedom, something they both wanted.
They backed away from the other at the same time, coming back, once, twice, three times, for quick pecks on the lips before she backed away completely, running her hands down Argos’s arm, joining her left hand in his right, lacing their fingers together.
“So, what’s the plan?” She asked, walking toward the hole toward her other friends.
“Well,” Lady Noire grinned, untangling her claws from Adrien’s hair and releasing his lips. “Step one through three were a roaring success.”
“You took Chat Noir’s Miraculous to save us?” She wondered, raising one eyebrow at her friend. “And revealed your identity to Adrien?”
“No,” Lady Noire answered, her left hand held tightly in Adrien’s right. “Claws in,” she detransformed, still wearing the dress she made, except now it was wrinkled a bit with some dirt smudges. Her mascara had faded down her cheeks making her face look filthy.
“So beautiful,” Adrien sighed, giving her the dopiest look Kagami had ever seen on him.
“Adrien,” Marinette giggled, red shining through under the black. “I look like a train wreck!”
“A beautiful train wreck,” he swooned.
Marinette made a noise that was a mixture between a whine and squeal as she looked away with her eyes sealed shut. She shook her head, trying to compose herself, moving her right hand to her left and removing the Cat Miraculous from her right ring finger.
“I’ll deal with that later! Tikki! Spots on!” She yelled, transforming into Ladybug with her hand still in Adrien’s hand and holding the Miraculous. She let go of Adrien’s hand, which made him whimper and reach for her, but he stopped when he saw her face, eyes closed and taking a few deep breaths before she opened her eyes with new determination. “Adrien Agreste,” she held out her left hand, the Miraculous sitting in her palm. “Here is the Miraculous of Destruction. The mission I am about to ask you to join me in won’t be like our past ones.”
Kagami looked on in curiosity, slowly putting some pieces together.
“With it, will you help me bring to justice the man who’s caused Paris, me, but most of all you, so much turmoil.” Tears sprung to his eyes again as a sob wracked his body. Ladybug took his hands in hers, the Miraculous sandwiched between them, and brought them both to her lips, kissing them. “The battle will be tough but we can beat him! We have the upper hand! We just need to get back to Paris. He thinks Argos acted alone.” She rested her forehead against his as his tears slowed down.
Kagami had to resist the urge to comfort her distraught friends but the squeeze of Felix’s hand kept her in place.
“Will you be my Chat Noir again and help me defeat our enemy? And while there are so many things that I still need to tell you about, things I just found out last night, one blow is enough for this morning. We will talk after?”
Adrien nodded his head against hers before standing up straight. “I accept this mission!” He croaked, trying to clear his throat.
He took the ring in his hand, slipped it onto his finger and, after a quick reunion with Plagg, transformed into Chat Noir, and although her mind had already put the pieces together, it was still shocking to actually see her friend transform into the superhero.
“Now, let’s go pluck some wings!”