39. Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Alya had been waiting days to prove that Adrien really was Chat Noir. Not that she wanted to be right, but her gut told her to trust her instincts.
An akuma attack was happening and neither Adrien nor Marinette were answering her texts. After confirming with the concierge that they weren't home, she made her way to the elevators, her heart thumping faster. She messaged Nino that she was following a lead and would be back later.
Her stomach churned, her palms were clammy, and guilt ate at her like a festering wound. She was taking their kind offer of using their place to escape Nino's grandparents just to spy on Adrien. Worse yet, he might actually be a villain.
The long walk to their door felt arduous. The door itself felt leaden. And the empty apartment felt downright eerie.
She hoped she wouldn't throw up.
After rubbing her sweaty hand on her jeans, she grabbed Adrien's bedroom doorknob and breathed out when it clicked open. If it had been locked, her plan would've been ruined.
She stepped inside, noting how clean and orderly everything was, from the bed to his desk, then looked to see where she could possibly hide. There weren't a lot of bulky items, like plants or statues. There weren't even curtains. The man had fancy automatic blinds instead.
The bed, or more specifically underneath it, was the only option.
Sighing, she crawled into the narrow space and positioned herself to see both the door and the windows. She had no idea which way he might come in, though her bet was on the windows, since that was how he got into Marinette's room.
Now, she just had to wait. And conserve her phone's battery power, yet be ready at a moment's notice to start recording. And not be bored to death. Her stomach grumbled. Or starve to death. She'd left her place as soon as the alert sounded, without breakfast and without grabbing even a protein bar.
Lifetime-long minutes passed.
Her back was starting to ache.
She shifted, trying to change her position, and smacked her head on a board. Giving up, she just laid there, suffering in silence.
The back of her head was throbbing. If she ended up with a giant lump, she was going to be pissed.
Tapping her fingers on the floor, she sang in her head, If I could turn back time, away we'd go. No, that wasn't right. If I could turn back time. If I could find a way. I'd take back...
How long had it been?
She looked at her phone and rolled her eyes. Not even twenty minutes.
This was stupid. She was most likely wrong. What was she thinking? Adrien was Chat Noir? What a reach. And if her friends got home and found her under his bed, they'd either have her committed or kicked out and banned from ever coming back. She was risking her friendship for what? A niggling suspicion?
Her phone buzzed, and she scrambled to look at it. The akuma had been taken care of and the streets were now open, though traffic delays were expected.
Her heart kicked into overdrive, pounding against her ribs. This was it. Now or never, Alya. Get out from under the bed and act normal or stay and see if Chat shows up.
But what if she was right? Marinette needed to know she was dating a villain. And Nino needed to know who his best friend really was.
But maybe she was wrong. Maybe—
Something landed on the roof with a soft thud.
Oh my god. Ohmygod. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.
She angled the phone to record the windows and tried to hold still.
A black shape dropped to the iron windowsill. She zoomed in closer.
Chat Noir!
Adrien was Chat Noir!
No. Maybe he was just going to see if Marinette was home and decided to surprise her by coming in a different way. Maybe—
Chat Noir hopped inside and said something.
She covered her mouth in astonishment as the bodysuit vanished and left Adrien standing before her. And this huge black bug was flying nearby him.
She tried to zoom in even more, but Nino's text made her phone buzz.
Her muscles went on lockdown. She stared at the boy on her screen as he moved in her direction, cocking his head as if listening for something.
His feet moved to the bed and she scooted away.
Oh, man. She was a goner. She'd finally dug her nose in too deep. Adrien would surely have to...dispose of her. Or Hawk Moth would. She gulped and scurried out from under the bed opposite of him and made a beeline to the door.
She got it open an inch before it was slammed shut. His pale hand was on the door, fingers flared, one of which had a silver ring that had to be his Miraculous. Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir.
And she was going to die.
She couldn't breathe. No, she couldn't breathe out. Or both. Something was wrapped around her chest, squeezing her ribs.
"Alya," he said, his voice cool. Too cool.
She bit her lip to keep from whimpering.
"What did you see?"
She shook her head. There was no way she could speak. Her mouth was too dry and her heart was lodged in her throat.
He snatched her phone out of her hand, and she turned, slapping him across the cheek.
His head snapped to the side, but the rest of him stayed in place, keeping her trapped against the door.
She looked from her tingling hand to his reddening cheek, mouth slackening from what she'd done. She'd slapped Chat Noir. And she was dead. So very dead.
"Are. Are you going to kill me?" she asked as he white knuckled her phone and clenched his jaw.
"Kid," a little voice said. "You need to relax."
A big bug flew between them. No. A tiny black cat?
"What the?" she thought out loud.
The creature turned to face her. "The name is Plagg. Nice to finally meet you."
She blinked at him.
Adrien breathed out, then played the video of his transformation. His other hand didn't leave the door.
She heard the window sliding open, the soft landing as he hopped inside, then the text's buzz and her gasp. She hadn't even realized she'd done so.
"This wasn't live was it?" Adrien asked.
"No."
"You didn't send it to anyone?"
"I didn't have time."
He nodded and started tapping on her phone.
"What are you—"
"Deleting the video."
"But—" He looked at her with eyes that were not sweet Adrien's, and she swallowed her complaint.
"Here." He held out her phone.
Slowly taking it, she asked, "So you're not going to kill me?"
His face twisted in horror. "Will you stop asking me that?"
"But you're evil."
He leveled his gaze on her, then turned and walked several steps away. "I don't kill people. I don't even hurt people. Inconvenience them? Yes. Scare them? Probably. But no killing."
She wasn't going to die! She wanted to sigh and laugh and cry. Instead, she followed him, as if pulled along in his wake. "You're really Chat Noir and this is..." She gestured to the black cat-bug-thing.
"Plagg," the creature said, slower than the first time.
"He's my kwami, gives me my powers and stuff," Adrien answered.
"Do you like Camembert?" Plagg asked her.
"I guess so?"
The kwami flew to Adrien. "I trust her."
Adrien just rolled his eyes.
"Wait," Alya said. "You're Chat Noir!"
"Yes. I thought we've already established that fact."
"You"—she stepped closer to him—"are Chat Noir." She poked him in the chest.
He backed away from her. "Yes."
"You have been causing Marinette heartache." She poked him again to hammer her point in.
"I have?"
"Yes!" She threw her hands in the air. "She's been stressing over liking both you and, well, you. You're torturing the poor girl."
"I did try to lay off on the flirting. But it's difficult." He rubbed the back of his neck, appearing as his usual self, which made her nearly go cross eyed from trying to keep Chat Noir's image firmly in place. She couldn't let herself forget that for one second.
"Why go to her as Chat Noir? How can you keep everything separate? Who's after Mari that you'd threaten the city? I can't believe you're Chat Freaking Noir. I mean, I can because I guessed it. And Marinette thinks I'm crazy."
"Wait," Adrien said. "You told Marinette?"
"Of course. She's my best friend and she had—has to know the truth."
"But she didn't believe you?"
She shook her head. "Which is why you need to tell her."
"I can't."
"You can and you will."
Plagg flew between them. "He's not supposed to tell people. Humans aren't very good at keeping secrets."
"You're proving my point here, buddy." She crossed her arms. "No way can I keep this from my girl."
Adrien looked from her to Plagg, then back again.
"She deserves to know the truth," she pointed out. With his furrowed brows, it seemed Adrien would cave. He just needed a little encouragement. "She already likes both sides of you. If anything, she'll be relieved. Even thrilled."
"Really?" Adrien looked so hopeful and innocent, she struggled to put Chat Noir's image back on him.
"Yeah."
"Plagg?" he asked, as if for permission.
The kwami sighed. "Fine. But I want Camembert at all of your modeling shoots, and everywhere else I'm stuck at for hours on end."
"Deal."
Watching them interact, she realized the little creature was probably the perfect companion for him: like a close-in-age guardian. Someone he'd listen to but could still be friends with. She shivered at the thought of Adrien not having Plagg and only Hawk Moth.
"Alya," Adrien said rather loudly.
She focused on him. "Yeah?"
"I said I'll tell her."
"Great." She pulled out her phone. "Now we just need to get her butt home."
"No. I don't want to cut short her time with her parents. She doesn't get to see them much anymore. Then she has to go to her internship. I'll tell her tomorrow."
"You think I can keep this from her?"
"Just for half a day. Please," he added with puppy-dog eyes.
How could this sweet boy be Chat Noir? It seemed like too vast a dichotomy to be real. "You better not be lying."
"I'm not, I swear."
"Okay." She made her way to the door. "I'm gonna watch some tv for a bit."
"Tv? Why?"
"I'm not going home yet. It's just his grandparents there." Crazy guy. Had he forgotten why she had access to his apartment in the first place?
oOoOo
"Hey, Adrien," Alya called from the couch. He'd practically stayed in his room the entire time, doing who knows what. But most likely avoiding her. Which she couldn't blame him for. She was the one person who knew his dark secret. And yet he wasn't going to kill her. Maybe he wasn't that bad. Maybe Hawk Moth just had his mind all twisted and confused. Marinette could probably help him with that.
"Yeah?" he asked from above her.
She twisted around to look at him. "Marinette is going to meet us and Nino for dinner in thirty minutes."
"I'm not going to tell her in front of everyone," he said as he walked downstairs.
"I didn't say you should." She twiddled with her phone. "But how are you going to tell her?"
"When we're alone. I'll somehow steer the conversation there. And, I don't know, let her down gently."
Oh man, if she could be a fly on the wall. "You'll do fine. Marinette is very forgiving and she'll understand you're just trying to help your loved one." She won't understand why he's still doing it when someone else might lose their life as a consequence, but Alya wasn't going to tell him that. She smiled at him.
He lifted a brow. "Where are we meeting her?"
"Just around the corner. She wants us to get a table."
"Sure." He turned to the door, but paused. "You're not going to act weird or anything?"
"What?! Of course not." She blew out a breath like that talking horse from an old show she used to watch with her mom.
"You're acting weird right now."
"I'm doing my best here, okay? You're Chat Noir." She had been barely able to focus on the movie. Her mind too absorbed in playing back all of her interactions with him, putting all the pieces together. But she couldn't figure out who Hawk Moth was. And she was dying to ask him. Every time he had come downstairs for a drink or something, the question wanted to leap off her tongue. It had taken everything in her to play it cool. Not to mention, staying on the couch rather than running away in fear. "You won't tell Hawk Moth I know, right?"
"Of course not."
She sighed. While she could somewhat trust Adrien to not kill her, Hawk Moth was an entirely different story.
"Is Nino already on his way?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"What about his grandparents?"
"His mom has them for the evening." Did he hate Hawk Moth and was just working with him for his loved one? Did they know each other's real identities? Who exactly was Adrien? Was he more Chat Noir or was he more Adrien?
"Are you going to stare at me like that all evening?"
Oh shit, she didn't even realize she'd been doing so. "I'm cool."
"You have a lot of questions, don't you?"
She nodded.
"But you understand that I can't answer any of them?"
"Yes." Unfortunately. It was why she had stayed firmly planted on the couch, trying her best to distract herself with the movie.
"Okay, then. Let's go."
"Yeah, let's go." Oh god, she was echoing him. She really was acting weird.
He laughed and led her out of the apartment to the restaurant. Was being by his side the safest place to be? Or the least? She didn't really know, but she pondered it the entire way to the table.
"Hey, babe," Nino said. He gave her a kiss and pulled out a chair for her. "How's it going, dude?" They did a man hug thing and Alya couldn't help but marvel at how normal Adrien was.
"What's up with you? Nino asked her as he sat down. "Did you get that lead or something?"
Adrien scooted his chair in closer to the table. "Lead?"
"It…" She swallowed. She'd been so focused on him and Marinette, she'd completely forgotten about Nino and possibly having to lie to him. "It…"
"Cat got your tongue?" Nino asked with a laugh and Adrien snorted.
Seriously? She gave the blond a hard look, but he just shrugged nonchalantly.
"Or were you just saying that to get out of being with my grandparents?" Nino asked.
"She did come over and crash on the couch," Adrien admitted.
Nino's mouth fell open. "I knew it."
"I just needed a break. I love your grandparents, but, honey, really. They're a bit much." She glanced at Adrien who seemed a tad smug that he was able to change the conversation while avoiding any lies.
"I know. I'm just giving you a hard time." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
That's it. Adrien would have to tell him right after he told Marinette. She'd find a way to make him if he resisted. Maybe she could use a spray bottle on him.
"Hey, guys," Marinette said as she plopped in her chair, stealing everyone's attention. "Today has been absolutely crazy."
Alya lifted her glass to her lips. "Just wait for tomorrow."
Adrien's sudden stare felt like a thousand daggers, and she choked on her water.
"You okay, babe?" Nino asked, patting her back.
She nodded and cleared her throat. "What made it so crazy, Mari?"
"Well, Gabriel was at the apartment this morning, which I was not expecting, and…"
Alya watched Adrien watching his girl with such softness and joy and care, that she had to be the key to getting his head on straight. She had to be.
oOoOo
"Was Alya acting a little weird to you?" Marinette asked Adrien as they walked back to the apartment together after dinner.
"Maybe a little, but you know Alya."
"True." She nestled in a little closer to him, their hips practically joined, like a three-legged stroll. She loved being in his arms. "How was your day?"
"About normal."
"About?"
"Yeah. Until Alya showed up at the apartment." He smiled at her.
"I'm sorry I offered up our place. I just—"
"It's okay. It was probably for the best anyway."
She twisted to better look at him. "Really?"
He nodded, then pulled open the apartment lobby door for her. "How was my dad?"
"Eh, the usual. But I do think he's starting to like me. He seems less standoffish or suspicious or something."
"That's good to hear. Your parents don't hate us for barging in like that?"
"Nah. I think it helped us become a little closer." Can't get much closer than them being in on the Ladybug secret.
"Well, yeah. Your dad didn't even know about the heirlooms."
Among other things. She squeezed him tighter to her as they rode the elevator to the top floor. He dipped his head toward her for a kiss that she was more than ready for. If they could just be like that, lips locked and in each other's arms for the rest of her life, it would be perfect.
The kiss quickly deepened and left her weak-kneed, out of breath, and nearly vibrating from the desire for more. But the elevator opened with a ding that pulled them out of their lust-filled haze. And it was a good thing too. Part of her was ready to rip his clothes off right there. She had no idea how he had so much self-control.
When they made it to their apartment, she'd finally worked up the nerve to talk about taking their relationship to the next stage. He was such a gentleman, he was probably waiting until she was one hundred percent ready. And she most definitely was.
"Adrien?" she asked as he opened the door.
"Yeah?" He dropped his keys into the bowl and fumbled for the light switch.
"I was just thinking that I—we could possibly…" The lights came on, exposing a trashed living room, and her mouth fell open.
Drawers had been pulled ajar. Some were on the floor, their contents spilled out on the ground. The books and pictures had been knocked over. Even the couch cushions had been tossed aside.
They'd been robbed.
"Marinette," Adrien said, his voice disheartened. "I'm so sorry."
"What?" She looked where he faced, then rushed to the stand that once held the gramophone. "Oh no. No, no, no." The Miraculouses. And the kwamis. And Master Fu's heritage.
"It looks like they also took the stereo and consoles. I'll call the police. You go look upstairs and see if anything else is missing."
She numbly nodded and drifted to her room, then his. While they too were a mess, everything was still there. Why would someone take an old gramophone?
"See anything?" he called to her.
"No." Her plan to take down Hawk Moth was now gone.
He ran upstairs and grabbed her arms. "I promise I'll hire an investigator to find your gramophone." He lifted her chin to look him in the eyes. "I swear it."
She wound her arms around him for a hug, needing the comfort more than ever.
AN - Thanks for reading and commenting! Seeing everyone's theories has been a lot of fun. And I'm so excited to find out what everyone thinks about the reveal that I'm going to post a non-spoiler teaser on my tumblr page when I finish the section. Expect that on Wednesday!
I'm proud of my sister. She's improved greatly at editing. Like, in the beginning of the chapter, I had something else and while it was okay, she rearranged some things and stuck that first sentence where it is and it totally made the intro more intriguing. Two thumbs up! 3
Someone asked how Gabriel might know about the gramophone. In the backstory for this fic, it's because he can read the characters on the plaque. He knows of the box holding all of the kwamis just like how he knew about the book. Because he was once a trusted miraculous wielder. I imagine all of the wielders knew about them and were properly trained. But, after the disaster, which I'm pretending happened more recently, Master Fu decided to keep that info, along with his identity, a secret.