Chat...is that you?

Chapter 4

It had been over a week since Marinette last spoke with Adrien. His mood didn't seem to change. Every time they passed each other in the hall, she was blatantly ignored.
He seemed to avoid eye contact, face never breaking from that monotone stare. She hated to admit it, but he started to resemble his father whenever he would attend a school show or event (which was pretty rare)
Maybe...did his father do or say something to make him like this? Marinette was aware of how Adrien was treated by his father, how Adrien couldn't hang out because he was 'busy' or 'tired'. But everyone knew it was because his father forbade him.
Marinette sighed as she got home. She trudged up the stairs to her balcony and sat in one of the old fold-out chairs, that groaned under her weight. She really did need to replace that.

The sun was falling lower and lower in the sky, and somehow she just had no motivation to do anything at that moment. She felt like she lost Adrien. And she still hasn't seen Chat all week. She hasn't had to deal with many akumas at all though, which is weird considering how common they are.
They even have to do 'akuma drills' along with their usual fire drills at school, unbeknownst to them she is the one saving them from the akumas.

She can't push away her worry though. What if something happened to him? Now it felt like she lost two friends, who she cared about deeply. As Marinette sat there, Tikki napping in the inner pocket of her coat away from the cold spring breeze, she saw something.

What is that? It looked like a black ball of soot, nearing closer and closer.
She stood up.
Can she hear screaming or is it just the wind? Her heart stopped as it went full speed towards her.

Bang!
Marinette fell as it hit her right in the stomach. She fell over her chair, head narrowly missing the railing. Tikki woke with a start, rising into the air.
As Marinette shook her head, her eyes focused on the black mass that lay in her lap. It was murmuring.
She picked it up gently in her hand and brought it closer.
And it looked right at her.
It's...a kwami?? And it looks just like...
Oh my- it's Chat noir's kwami!
It struggleed to pull itself up, as it opened its big green eyes to look up at her.

"Ladybug?" It said hopefully

"Plagg! What are you doing here? You should be with-" Tikki rushed to him as she checked him for injuries. Nothing wrong, he just seemed to be out of energy.

"I need..I need to...I" Plagg murmured as he tried to stand up. Marinette stroked his head softly as she asked.

"What is it?"

"Cheese" Plagg whined, and Tikki rolled her eyes. For a kwami without a miraculous or a holder, he seemed to want the wrong thing right now.

After some much needed cheese and downtime, Tikki and Marinette finally got some time to ask him where Chat noir is.
Plagg lay on the soft pink bedsheets near Tikki, as a worried look swept across his features.

"Plagg where's Chat? I haven't seen him in over a week?" Marinette said as fear tugged at her heart. This made Plagg sigh as he looked up at her, and after taking a large bite of his Camembert, he spoke.

"For the sake of protecting your identities, I can't say everything right now. All I can say is that he is in danger" this made Marinette start to shake as the possibilities flashed through her mind. Mustering up courage she pressed him further for information.

"At least tell me what put him in this danger Plagg! I have to know what to fight so I can get him back!" She felt herself becoming more frustrated and stressed as her face grew red.
Plagg nodded

"Well I don't know everything that happened but....he....went up against Hawkmoth. It was a perfectly normal day but then...he just appeared out of nowhere"
Marinette's heart almost stopped in her chest.
Hawkmoth? Got to Chat when she wasn't there to help him?