Black Butterflies & Blurred Lines

Chapter 57

Marinette

She kept glancing down at her yo-yo, disbelief coursing through her. She had been looking at Chat's location a few seconds ago, and had watched it disappear completely. He was at his house, but his location shouldn't have disappeared. He wouldn't have detransformed, not unless the acuma had been defeated. She swung from rooftop to rooftop, until she jumped into his bedroom window, hoping to see him smiling in victory. Sitting on his bed with an exhausted Plagg at his side. Even sitting by the piano. Anything but what she was greeted with. Nightowl stood motionless in the middle of the room, still acumatized. Gabriel was on the floor, sobbing, clutching Adrien to his chest. She had never heard anyone cry like that. It was gut wrenching, and when Gabriel glanced up at her, there was indescribable pain written on his face.

"My son..."

He whimpered, and her gaze finally strayed to Adrien. Blood coated his clothes, and he hadn't moved to look at her. His breathing was labored, and he stared blankly at the ceiling, his gaze fixated on the light above them. His lips were pale, and his body trembled with each breath. She couldn't move, her feet rooted to the spot. Adrien was dying. Tears stung her eyes, staring on in horror. A sob caught in her throat, her chest aching from lack of air. Adrien was dying. Her classmate, her friend. Her partner, her soulmate was bleeding out on the floor.

"Help him!"

Gabriel screamed, and she unwillingly tore her gaze away from him, looking at Nightowl. She couldn't see the acumatized object. She stumbled forward, her legs felt like lead, that same thought repeating over and over again in her mind. Adrien was dying.

"Do something!"

Gabriel screamed again, his sobs echoing in the room. She finally made it across the room, her fingers numb as she reached out, searching for something, anything that could have been acumatized. Tears blurred her vision, looking for a charm, a piece of paper, a piece of jewelry. Anything.

"Her pocket. There's... theres a paper."

She heard him, and she threw up her yo-yo, calling on her lucky charm. Could her lucky charm even fix something like this? A box of matches fell from the air, landing in her palm. She numbly pulled the slip of paper from Nightowl's pocket, her hand shaking as she struck a match. She set the paper on fire, not daring to rip it. She had to do everything right, if there was any hope of this working. The black butterfly emerged, and she immediately swung her weapon at it, trapping it in the yo-yo. She released it, not bothering with a goodbye as she tossed the matches into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

She shouted, her voice wavering. A blur of red and black filled the room, covering everything that had been damaged, including Adrien. She stumbled to him, looking down at him. His wounds were gone, but the blood wasn't. It was everywhere. Staining the carpet and his clothes, dripping from the bookshelf, smeared on the window that had been shattered before. So much blood. Adrien didn't move, but he was still breathing. She had to get him to a hospital. He had lost too much blood for her lucky charm to fix all of it. She pushed Gabriel aside, getting ready to carry Adrien.

"Why isn't he better?!"

He cried, as if it was her fault.

"Whe...where am I?"

She heard Nightowl ask, and ignored both questions. They didn't have alot of time. Adrien was still pale, and his breathing hadn't gotten any better. She started to lift him, when something caught her attention. Something glinted in his hand, and his fist opened. The butterfly pin fell from his fingers, clattering against the floor. How? How had he gotten that? Had he gotten it from hawkmoth, who just fled? Or...