Chapter Text
Chapter one:
Marinette rushed out the small bakery door into the street towards her school. Unfortunately, she slept in today, third day in a row this week.
Oh Tikki, what excuse am I going to give my teacher today? Dog ran away? Homework got sucked into the vacuum and shredded? My house blew up?
"Well, I don't think you've used that one before." (Giggles) "You shouldn't worry about it too much Marinette. You're late almost every day anyway, they're probably used to it."
"Yeah, I guess you- HIDE TIKKI!" Marinette whispered as she ran towards the school. She didn't want anybody to see her talking to her bag. She already used talking bag technology excuse on Adrian's personal bodyguard.
Tiki slipped into Marinette's small pink purse.
Good news!You're just on time, Tikki said quietly as she glanced at the clock in the school hallway. I think if you run you won't even have to make an excuse for why you were late!
Thank goodness , Marinette said.
Marinette took on speed as she rounded the corner towards her Locker. Leading her to run right into.... Adrian.
She dropped all her books with the Collision, along with his.
Oh, my!! I mean, oops, -- sorry! I wasn't p-paying attentiu- attention! My bad! She stuttered.
She was about to pick up her books when she noticed Adrian. His face was red, and he had reddish tint in his eyes, and if she could see clearly, small tear stains on his face.
Oh, i-its fine Marinette. It's just an accident.
He quickly grabbed all his books and started to walk away.
H-hey, are you o-ok? Marinette asked. She had never really seen Adrian upset before. like, what could be he be upset about? He had a perfect life.
Oh, yeah I'm fine. I'm really good. He gave her a fake smile.
O-oh, you sure? I mean if you want, we could tal-
Adrian hurried away. Sure, Marinette was a kind, sweet girl everybody likes. But he just didn't want to talk to anybody right now.
His father, Gabriel agrest, took a little too much interest in his ring that morning. He asked him if he would be willing to give it up to him. Adrian had hurried off pretty fast, avoiding the question by using the excuse that he had to go to school.
He wouldn't be too terribly worried about this, but his father who he had rescued from an Akuma to nights before, had also taken a particular interest in his miraculous.
He was getting worried his father knew his secret.
But his worst fear was that if he told ladybug, she would never trust him again. The one thing he had to do was keep his miraculous safe, and if somebody knew his secret, that could give away everything for the both of them.
He couldn't go to class looking at how he did. He has spent the last 5 minutes sobbing in the bathroom stall quietly. He didn't want to be rejected again. He cared about ladybug too much to disappoint her.
He ran out of the small school doorways to the nearby Park, where he normally took photo shoots. But that was the last thing on his mind today. He just wanted to escape his gorilla bodyguard. The last thing he wanted was to be taken back to his prison house and asked more questions.
He ran to a small park bench and sat down. Plagg floated quickly out of his shirt.
Ditching school, now where are we? You've gotten bolder.
Shut up Plagg.
You wouldn't happen to have any cheese on you, would you?
Adrian sighed. He knew Plagg wasn't normally the sympathetic type, but he thought for once he could be a little serious.
Plagg, we have more serious issues to talk about. What if my dad knows about you? it could ruin everything! What if i have to give up my miraculous? Will ladybug hate me? she probably will, I would hate me if I did that. Maybe I should just not tell her? Will she hate me more if I would lie about this?
Adrian nervously rambled.
Whoa, kid, slow down. You are exceeding my brains limit of knowledge with all these questions you're throwing at me. Why don't you just come and eat some cheese? That'll make you feel better.
Plagg, don't you care about anything besides cheese? Adrian said as he grabbed a chunk of Camembert he stored in his bag and handed it to Plagg.
Aww, my favorite! You shouldn't have. Now, what were you saying? Plagg said as he munched the Camembert contently.
weren't you even listening to me? This is important!
Look, kid. You don't know for sure your dad knows about your secret. Maybe he's just wondering where you got your ring from.
I guess that could be true, but he was practically staring at it today.
Instead of worrying about what will happen in the future, you should just focus on the present. You will just get worked up over nothing.
What about ladybug? Should I tell her? I am her partner after all. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other. Besides our identities of course.
Kid, do whatever you want as long as I get my cheese.
Adrian snorted in disgust and was about to reply when he heard a loud crash near the school followed by alot of smoke.
Sounds like an Akuma! I guess I could tell ladybug the truth, it is the right thing to do after all.
Plagg! CLAWS OUT!
•••
Chat Noir ran towards the School. The teachers were trying to evacuate students out of the building. Before chat Noir could help put out the fire, Alya ran up to him.
CHAT NOIR! Thank goodness you're here. I have a friend - her name is Marinette! She's still inside the building! Please... Save her!! Alya was hysterical, looking like she was about to burst into tears.
Nino came running up behind her,
grabbing her in a comforting hug.
Chat ran toward the Flaming wreckage. The entrance was blocked buy a wood beam that fell down. Starting to panic, chat looks for a window. Marinette was his friend too, one of the first friends he actually made. He had grown quite fond of her, but he wanted to keep his loyalties to Ladybug.
Chat found a window, and using his staff, he quickly smashed it.
He bolted inside the school, ignoring the surprised gasps of the nearby crowd that continued to grow.
Dodging all the debris, the first place he checked was the classroom. No Marinette. Not even thinking twice, he bolted into the girls bathroom. He heard the sound of coughing right away.
Running in, he saw Marinette on the bathroom floor, bleeding a little from her arm, but otherwise alright. Besides her fitful cough.
You're going to be all right, he said, to reassure her.
Marinette looked up, surprised.
.cough. Chat..?
He went over and grabbed underneath her legs and back to pick her up. Her small pink purse fell off in the process, but he thought nothing of it.
Turning around he was about to leave when Marinette tried to reach out for her purse. The tile on the bathroom is starting to fall, and he didn't want to get knocked out.
It's not worth it, Chat yelled over at the flames.
Please! She look at him with pleading eyes. He had no idea why she needed this purse so bad, but he ran quickly back, snatched it, and bolted out of the bathroom with Marinette in his arms.
Looking exhausted, Marinette fainted in his arms still clutching her purse.
He ran towards the window he got in, but just as he was about to run out, a beam slammed down in front of him, right on his foot. He screeched in agony as the pain bolted up his leg.
Luckily he didn't drop Marinette. Using his staff, lifted up the beam. Taking off the pressure from his foot made it feel worse. He started limp-running to another nearby window. Each step felt like his foot was on fire. He smashed the glass, and right there was a fireman. The fireman grabbed Marinette off his hands. Chat was about to climb out, but his foot made him stumble. He screeched in pain as an agonizing jolt swept up his leg. Then he remembered the top beams falling down, and everything went black.
•••
Chat woke up with a start. He felt cold. Cracking his eyes open as little as he could, he winced as he saw his already injured leg crushed underneath a nearby beam.
Looking around him, he saw his arm also smashed underneath a beam. He seemed to be buried in debris.
There was a little hole on the side of all the wreckage, and chat put his remaining good arm out of the hole.
He was so relieved he had not used his cataclysm. It would have worn off by now, and he would have been in his civilian form.
He thought he could hear a familiar voice screaming his name, but his ears were ringing too badly for him to hear. His throat felt too dry to respond.
chat.....????!!?
Chat?!?
CHAT?!? WHERE ARE YOU!!
That voice... It sounded so.. familiar.
He felt something grab his hand that he had stuck out of the hole.
M-my... la...d..y..?
CHAT! YOUR GOING TO BE ALRIGHT! HANG IN THERE!
he opened his eyes fully, despite his body's protests.
LUCKY CHARM!
Suddenly he felt the beans coming off his back and leg. All the pressure gone, his injuries felt worse.
He felt ladybug grab him and hoist him up so she was carrying him. He didn't protest.
Beep. Beep. Beep
Ladybug had little time to save them both.
She dodged all the fallen debris.
Stupid cat. You almost got yourself killed. You had me so worried..
She ran out of the schoolhouse.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Chat.. chat I have to go..
She played him gently down in front of the remaining police officers and firemen. The crowd had grown bigger since she was last out.
With one flick of her yo yo, she was gone.
Chat heard shouting. Someone yelled something about an ambulance.
Ambulance.... ambulance...... WAIT.
He couldn't go on an ambulance! The doctors would have to take his ring to treat him!
The whole world will know his secret, and it would be all his fault.
He heard sirens coming in the distance.
NO NO NO NO NO
chat flicked his eyes open. He saw a very worried looking doctor.
He felt himself getting lifted up onto a stretcher.
NO NO NO NO
Mustering up all his remaining strength, chat rolled over off the stretcher and dumped onto the ground. Using his baton, he stretched it up so he was in a very painful standing position.
Large surprised gasps came from the nearby growing crowd.
A nearby nurse looked at chat, annoyed and worried.
Chat, im sorry, but you need medical attention. You're not giving us much of a choice.
A couple of the ambulance crew started to walk up to chat to force him on the stretcher.
An attempt to escape, chat tried to run away, causing him to step on his injured foot. He screamed in agony, and tripped.
Nearby police officers started to push the crowd back, for their own safety.
The ambulance crew got closer.
STAY, STAY BACK! chat threatened.
The ambulance crew look at each other for reassurance, and proceeded more cautiously.
The ambulance had him surrounded.
Feeling desperate, chat did the last remaining thing he could possibly think of.
Taking his baton, chat thrust it upward and, facing it toward the sky, extended it.
He sighed in relief as he felt himself rise high above Paris.
using his one good arm and leg, chat landed on a nearby building. He immediately propped himself up against a nearby wall, catching his breath.
He was so tired. But something in chat was telling him to stay awake. He felt like he was forgetting something. He struggled to remember what happened earlier in that day.
School.... park.... fire... fire?
Chat gasped.
Only one thing could have started that fire in such a short amount of time.
An Akuma.