#v; you say the whole world's ending honey it already did [phase 4]

[xfcalamity]

--tag dump pt. 2

[nathynoir313]

Finding Home, Chapter 4: Storms and Balance

Also Available on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12652419/chapters/28901055

“Honey, when you feel worn out. When the mirror lies and turns on you…When the choruses of doubt are singing way too loud. Honey, I will chase them down… Honey, that's what love's about.”

( Honey – Mindy Gledhill )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kAPgjRyRJU

 Plagg was startled from munching his dear piece of Camembert by a sudden burst of words, forming into an urgent message. It had to be urgent, because the only occasions in which he and Tikki used their telepathic communication was when they didn’t have any other options, or when one of their chosen was in terrible danger.

Plagg! Marinette is in trouble. She’s not transformed. The Akuma got to her before she could do so. She’s in trouble. Get Adrien ready! NOW.

That was bad. Oh, that was so bad. He had to warn Adrien. His chosen would totally freak out knowing his childhood friend and partner was, probably, in mortal danger. Plagg was intrigued though. Tikki’s chosen was one of the toughest Ladybugs he’d ever seen.

The girl was never reluctant on expressing her leadership skills, was always brave, courageous and had just the perfect amount of sass. Even though the cat kwami considered himself pretty selective when it regarded humans, he had really grown fond of the young woman. Part of it came from seeing all that she did for Adrien. The boy either had Marinette or Ladybug, who ended up being one and the same, to hear him, talk to him, discuss silly stuff, and protect him.

He let go of his thoughts though. No matter how tough the girl was, it seemed she had been caught off of guard. They had to get there fast.

Adrien was focused on his sandwich. If Marinette had seen it she would be mad. She used to cook for them when they came back late from work, as the boy was a hopeless cook. But that also didn’t matter at the moment.

“ADRIEN!” the young man jumped from his chair, leaving his sandwich on the plate.

“Dear lord, what is it Plagg? What’s the need for screaming?” Adrien turned to look at his cat kwami. The seriousness on Plagg’s usually mocking expression made him alert at the same instant. “What’s wrong Plagg?”

“Tikki has sent me an urgent message. Marinette is in trouble, and wasn’t able to transform. There is-” the kwami didn’t finish talking, turning briskly toward the window. Adrien accompanied the movement, trying to see what captured his attention.

Phasing through the window right that instant, was the ladybug kwami, Tikki. She was huffing for air, and seemed to be eager to be able to say whatever it was she had to say. Before anything else could happen, Adrien started freaking out.

“Tikki! Where’s Marinette? What happened?” The little kwami landed on Adrien’s hand, saying the words in a hush.

“Marinette. Akuma. Not transformed. He got her. He isn’t doing anything. She’s not doing well.”

“Is she injured?” The panic started to rise from the back of his mind, but he kept it down. It wouldn’t help Marinette if he just lost his control.

“No. Not yet. The Akuma calls himself Nightmare. Marinette… we don’t, we- we…” the ladybug kwami sobbed slightly, and it made Adrien’s heart feel tight. “We- she doesn’t have enough time. Her body or her mind, or both will collapse, she’s been running for almost two hours, and now she won’t get up, and I had to, I had to leave her with the akuma. They don’t know her identity, but we have to get there fast. I’m not sure how long she will endure it. And you have to be careful Adrien. The akuma did not even touch Marinette. The second I noticed something was wrong, she was already running blank stared, and pale. It must be by his stare, so please don’t be reckless. Transform, we’ve got to go right now.”  Adrien called up his transformation, turning to his black cat hero persona, Chat Noir.

“I can lead you to where she is, I can still feel her. She’s tough, so she’s handling it. But I don’t know for how long she’ll be able to do so.” Adrien wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with that situation. Ladybug had always been the toughest between the two of them, he’d never dealt with an akuma that strong on his own. And he had to protect Marinette and her identity…

He had to be ready. He was. He would always be ready for her.

“Lead the way Tikki.”

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Marinette remembered. The flash of green…Adrien. Adrien was dead. He was dead, her parents were dead, Tikki was gone, she was alone, stuck in a bitter, lonely world. She’d never be able to see Adrien smile, to run on rooftops with Chat, to hug her parents, walk to work with Adrien. They were gone.

They were all gone. She had no one left.

Those thoughts themselves were enough to bring her to the deepest feeling of despair and abandonment that she could ever recall feeling on her entire life. She couldn’t remember how she lost them, why Tikki and Plagg were gone, the only thing she had was a solid certainty filling her heart: they were dead.

She felt like she was going insane, and that her whole complexion was fading away, slipping by her fingertips. The world around the corners of her eyes was turning black, little by little. Marinette couldn’t bring herself to get up, to move, scream, sob, anything. The tears rolling down her face did not even feel real, as she didn’t feel real herself.

She wished to disappear. To be taken away. The feeling inside her heart seemed to be dragging her more and more toward an intangible and everlasting darkness…and she didn’t have the strength or the will to do anything about it.

Soon she’d be gone too.

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Adrien wasn’t ready. The problem was not the akuma. He’d use his cataclysm on him if he had to, that’s how furious he felt. But somethings were mingled with his fury, and they were fear, hurt, worry. Fear of seeing the strongest person he knew, coiled up next to cardboard boxes, sitting on an alleyway, crying silently a waterfall of tears, eyes blank, dull of the sparkle that he loved to see whenever Marinette was excited about something, or when she smiled. It was a part of her, and it was simply gone.

It hurt to see her pale face, her whole body shaking from the shivers that were running through her. She wasn’t fighting it. It seemed that whatever illusion she was trapped into, she was actually being led to believe that, that would be her end as well. Marinette was always confident and sure about herself and her objectives. That was not how his Mar was.

And that’s why he worried. He’d never thought he’d see her like that, and knowing that the responsible for her suffering was Hawkmoth…it made his blood boil. The closest he could get from hitting Hawkmoth was attacking his akuma. And oh, how he despised that akuma. It took all his years of being Chat Noir, and the rest of his good sense not to strangle his and Ladybug’s enemy’s newest pawn.  

He wouldn’t let him win. He would never take his family away from him. Marinette was his family, his home. He was not about to let it happen. He did not have many people he loved in his life, and Marinette was pretty much his sunshine. Adrien could always count on her, and he was forever grateful for her just…being her. She lit up the world of those around her, had her flaws like anybody else, but she was always trying. She deserved a happy, long life. He almost wished for her happiness more than he wished for his own. They were best buddies, partners, friends, family. Perhaps… it didn’t occur to him in that moment, but any observer would notice the possibility and the huge ‘what if?’ that the two friends represented. And they both deserved to have the chance to consider it.

He noticed a transparent device covering the top half of the akuma’s face. With a fight that didn’t last long, and one well hit punch on Nightmare, Chat broke the source of his Lady’s terror, noticing though that the akuma only laughed.

“You may have defeated me, but I’ve made her broken. And that, Chat Noir, I doubt you or Ladybug can fix.”  The akuma then turned back to a fancy dressed man, and Adrien went through the process of cleaning up. In that moment it took all of his control not to check up on Marinette. He took the man to the other side of the street, and headed back to his Lady. Catching the butterfly on one hand, Adrien picked Marinette up with one arm, helping her stand, with an arm around his neck, vaulting them both toward a far off rooftop.

He helped her lay against the chimney. The process of cleaning up was simple, but it had a delicacy that collided with Chat Noir’s potential for destruction. It was as if he could have a moment in which he was able to provide the balance that was lacking in the world. Adrien didn’t get to do it many times, but he really liked it. So he began. Picking up Marinette’s left hand, he tangled their fingers together. Taking the akuma on his left hand, he’d bring it close to his heart and say.

“I release you from darkness. Bring back what you took away.” For the cleansing to happen, he had to be holding  Ladybug’s hand. In the moment their hands intertwined, there was balance. And so he could bring back what was broken. Literally, at least. But he didn’t think about other broken things that had to be fixed at the moment. Opening his right hand, which held the butterfly, he released the cleansed, back to white insect, into the night sky, bringing his attention now to Marinette.

Her breath was barely audible, and her eyes were closed.

“Mari?” She didn’t move. “Princess? Please, open your eyes, I need to see your eyes.” She still didn’t make a move. “Mar? Please…” Adrien was whispering, and felt his eyes tearing up. Suddenly, Marinette opened her eyes wide, locking them with Chat’s only for sheer disbelief and confusion fill them. She began hyperventilating, and Adrien didn’t know what to do. Until that look.

Marinette looked at him with her bluebell sparkling eyes filled with tears…and disbelief, and pain… then shock. Her eyes were wide, she seemed to be getting back to herself…but then they rolled back inside her head, and she passed out. Adrien cradled her body to his, letting some of his tears escape from relief. She was alive. She wasn’t injured, she was only overwhelmed. Picking her up again, he nestled her head to the curve of his neck, holding her tight against him. By instinct, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and wrapped her legs around his torso. He carried her to their home.

Adrien felt his heart warm up by her closeness, by her breath tickling his neck, and her arms holding him. She was fine, they were fine.

He couldn’t possibly know about the nightmares plaguing her poor worn out mind, being tormented by terrors even worse than the ones Nightmare had imprisoned her inside earlier that same day. He’d find out soon though. But right in that moment, his ignorance provided him a moment of peace. They had each other. And that made all the difference in the world.  

on ao3:  CHAPTER 1     CHAPTER 2    CHAPTER 3