Chat...is that you?

Chapter 5

Marinette barely slept that night. After searching practically all over Paris for Chat
-there was no sign of him.
Sure she was relieved he was still alive and...relatively healthy. But he was suffering and right now she couldn't help him.
She returned home, quietly landing on her balcony, tip-toeing down the steps into her bedroom.
She made a bed for Plagg in an empty cheese box from the bakery, as he insisted on having 'home comforts' (whatever the heck that meant)
Tikki happily rested by Marinette on her pillow, asking very few questions about Chat at all. Both the kwamis seemed tired.
She felt tired.
But also scared. Right now she was lying in bed helplessly while Hawkmoth could be torturing Chat for all she knew, or coming up with his next scheme to get her miraculous. 200th time's the charm right?

She sighed. As long as she kept her miraculous, along with Tikki and Plagg safe, the world was relatively safe. It was weird to have both kwamis under her care for once. She could see where Chat got many parts of his usual personality from, based on how Plagg acted. Especially the wicked sense of humour.
She smiled at all the dumb jokes he told in the past. Gosh, how she missed them.
There must be so many layers beneath the cat puns and flirtatious remarks, something deeper to him that she had yet to see.
What happened to him that caused him to be akumatized?

He usually seemed so happy...so confident....
This made her realise that she truly knows nothing about him. Sure that's how it's meant to be between them...
But it makes it harder for her to truly understand what he was like under the mask.
Marinette lay there pondering these thoughts, until exhaustion took her in it's firm grasp, causing her eyes to close and her head to sink into the pillow.

The next morning was school yet again.
Adrien sat in the half-empty classroom in his assigned seat, waiting for it to start. He tried to ignore the annoying incandescent chatter of his classmates, and he couldn't stop a scowl darting across his features. He found himself fiddling with the ring again, his thumb rubbing over the smooth edges.
His mind drifted to last night for what felt like the millionth time. He stroked his hand across his own cheek, trying to mimic her-Ladybug's- touch. He felt a shiver and quickly pulled his hand away from his face.
She would be the death of him. How can he defeat her when she makes him feel so..so...
He had to forcibly stop himself from groaning in frustration.

His father was angry when he returned home last night, saying he was 'jeopardising the mission' and 'if he truly cared about saving his mother, he'd help and stop being such a useless little-'
His thoughts were interrupted when the seat next to him was taken. His eyes flickered next to him. Marinette. She cast a brief smile to him, and he returned it with an acknowledging huff as he turned back around, refocused on his thoughts.
Since he found out about his mother, and what he could do to save her, that's all he could focus on. But he felt himself growing weaker the longer the akuma remained. How long would it take to get her back, if ever?
He sighed as he put his head in his hands.

"Hey Adrien..do you have a headache"
He looked up at Marinette as she spoke. Why is she talking to him?
He shook his head, looking away as he tried to get her to stop talking.
He was too tired to waste energy on that.

"Come on, you need to let me help you" his eyes widened as he looked over to her, watching her open a pill bottle. What did she just say?

"These aren't the strongest, but they'll help I promise!" She handed one to him, and he took it absentmindedly.
As she turned to look at the board as class started, he couldn't stop staring as he shoved the pill into his mouth
Now why did that sound so familiar? He turned to look at the board.
Whatever, he'd have to think over his next move when he got home. Ladybug was out there somewhere and he had to have her...
-to get her miraculous obviously, what other reason??
He cast his eyes forward, thinking.
He had to have her...