MariChat: Chat Out Of The Bag

Plays of Power

In thanks to the attempted Akumatization, school was let out earlier than usual that day. The risk of another attack was too large for the school to be able to justify remaining open, so the children were sent home to minimise the risks to them.

However, Adrien and Marinette remained for a while longer. Primarily, because they had to be looked over by a medical professional. This was the first recorded instance of an Akumatization causing someone physical pain, and thus had to be looked at for any damage to the body that needed examination.

According to the scans the two of them underwent, Marinette had, by far and away, less damage to her body. This was mostly in part due to her not having suffered for even a quarter of the time Adrien had, and, thankfully, there were no serious complications for her to worry about. All she would need is a bit of rest.

Adrien, on the other hand, was a different story. He had been under the corrupting effect of an Akuma for longer, and the damage to his body wasn't negligible. X-Rays indicated there were, in his muscular structure in several places, torn ligaments. Additional scans also showed a heavy strain on his muscles where the dark glow had spread, and could affect his ability to perform certain tasks with said body parts. While these would heal on their own in time, it posed a danger to Adrien should he over-exert himself while they healed. This was primarily down the left arm of his body, as that had taken the majority of the corruption. This arm was also, additionally, Adrien's weaker arm, meaning it had suffered even more than his right arm would have done under the same circumstances. It wasn't like it was broken, but it would make using it far more difficult. No strenuous activity with it was what the doctor ordered, but that order was unlikely to be followed. After all, Adrien was freaking Chat Noir. It wasn't until Marinette made him promise to her not to overwork his arm that he agreed not to do so.

There was still a genuine physical feeling of pain for the young hero, now that the painkilling effect his brain produced had worn off. He had been given a few painkillers to take there and then, as well as some for the next few days, but they weren't as effective as Adrien would have liked. "Argh..."

"Does it still hurt?" Marinette inquired. The two of them were now leaving the school building, walking through the corridors, and past their lockers. Neither of them particularly needed anything from them, so they didn't slow down.

"Yeah." Adrien said, moving his arm in a manner similar to that of lifting up a weight. "Still feels pretty stiff too." He sighed through his teeth. "What the hell is Hawkmoth doing?..."

"What were you doing more like?" Marinette asked, becoming serious with him, aspects of her Ladybug persona slipping through. "I thought you said you weren't going to transform in front of other people, especially at school! You know if anyone finds out how your miraculous works -"

"I know, I know, Mari." Adrien told her, holding his hands up in a mock surrender. He sighed, dropping his hands a moment later. "Sorry. I saw you hurt and... I pretty much went into automatic..."

"You... Used your Cataclysm, didn't you?"

"Yeah? And?"

"...What were you planning in doing with that?"

"I had every intention of disintegrating that thing." Adrien stated with blunt, brutal honesty, which managed to surprise Marinette. "If I'd been a second faster, I might have got it."

"That was dumb." Marinette sighed. "We don't know if that has any effect on Akuma... Or you."

Adrien allowed himself to sigh once again, resetting his emotional cognitive functions. He knew that objectively, it was a dumb plan, and he had been fuelled along with nothing but sheer adrenaline, converted into energy to boost his actions for only a few moments. It erased his logical thinking, and spurred him into action.