Always Find You

Chapter 11 - "Were You Two Close?"

  Possible trigger warning: more violence, abuse, and injury
~ ~ ~
After staying awake most of the night, Marinette's nerves are frazzled. She can't help thinking Hawk Moth is going to walk in while she's asleep and do who knows what. Also, possibly having a concussion or internal bleeding doesn't really help that.
Her stomach grumbles to signal the beginning of the first day without food.
"Yeah, yeah," she says to it out loud, "You're gonna have to get used to that."
She attempts to stand up, but her bruised core muscles won't let her, and she slumps back to the ground with a groan.
The blanket on the other side of the room seems nice right about now: her fingers and toes are freezing from lack of blood flow. Marinette crawls/scoots her way to the blanket and quickly wraps it around her torso. Sleep suddenly starts to take over her body, and her eyelids have a hard time staying open. She struggles to keep it under control, but finally lays on the cold floor, surrendering to sleep.

~ ~ ~

"Father, I didn't do it. I promise you!" Adrien pleads, his father having taken an entire day to finally get there.
"I know. But they're doing a really good job making you look guilty." Gabriel dials a number in his phone, "I'm calling my lawyer; he can meet us here."
As his father is talking to the attorney, Adrien tries to think of anything he can to convince the police he's innocent.
'Unless I tell them I'm Chat Noir, there's nothing I can do...' He thinks. He decides that, no matter what, he can't do that. Even if he's in jail for life. Although, maybe that would defeat the purpose of him even being a superhero in the first place. Plus, Ladybug wouldn't have a partner anym- Oh... right. Ladybug isn't going to be here until they find Marinette.
"You guys doing okay?" Adrien whispers to the kwamis in his shirt pockets.
"I want Camem-" Plagg starts until Tikki puts her hand over his mouth and says,
"We're fine. Worry about yourself right now."

After a few minutes, Mr. Agreste comes back over and says, "He's on his way. He wanted to know if anyone saw you walking home to use as an alibi."

"I have no idea. It was pretty quiet until the akuma attack."

"I'm sorry that it got so close to you. But, lucky you got away unscathed."

"Yeah..." Adrien says absentmindedly.

Gabriel hesitates before saying, "This girl, Marinette and you, were you two close?"

The boy's face twists, almost in pain, "What do you want me to say?"

"Whatever is the truth."

'As if you've ever been interested in the truth,' Adrien thinks.
"Yes. We were incredibly close. I probably even could've... helped her," he starts to tear up a little, "But I didn't. I didn't make sure she was okay, that her door was locked, that she was safe." He buries his head in his hands, trying to keep his father from seeing his emotion.
To his surprise, he feels two arms wrap around him.
"I'm sorry that it has to be like this," His father says. After letting Adrien cry for a bit longer, Gabriel announces that he has to be going, "The station will take care of you while I'm gone. Don't say anything until my lawyer, Pierre, gets here." With that, he walks out the door, heading back to the Agreste mansion.

~ ~ ~

Marinette's sleep is disturbed by the sound of the door creaking open. She sits up quickly, too quickly, and ends up holding her sides in pain.

"It's time to get up," Hawk Moth says, still standing in the doorway, "I've decided that if you tell me where your Miraculous is, I'll let you go." He says it like he's doing her some gracious favor.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she grumbles for the millionth time.

"Ladybug," He hesitates, "Marinette. Tell me where it is."

Shivers go down her spine when his stupid evil mouth says both her names in the same breath, "You have the wrong girl," She insists.

Hawk Moth only grunts, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him. She doesn't hear any lock or mechanism click.
With every bit of strength she has, she picks herself up off the floor and walks toward the door. It's unlocked! Marinette silently opens it and sees a set of stone stairs in front of her. She has to hurry before he comes back.
She takes the stairs quickly, supporting her weight on the hand rail. There's another door, similar to the one in her cell but much larger, at the top of the stairs. She pushes it and it cracks open just a little. She tries to make sense of her surroundings, peeking through the little space. It just looks very white, maybe marble? There are some marble stairs on her left, but she can't see what's on her right.
Marinette pushes the door open even more, putting most of her weight on it. Just then, it swings open, sending her tumbling three feet to the ground on the other side.
She looks up to find Hawk Moth, both surprised and angry, holding open the door.

"What are you doing?" He hisses, "Get back in there." He points to where the doorway is, and she observes that it's actually a framed painting  on the wall. She goes to climb back into the hole, but darts down the stairs instead.
'Adrenaline, don't fail me n- Holy crap,' she thinks, 'This is Adrien's house.'
Her surprise causes her to slow down slightly, and an arm wraps around her waist, picking her up off the floor. Marinette kicks and screams, but Hawk Moth already has her pinned over his shoulder. He gracefully climbs back into the portrait, the one of Gabriel and Adrien in the foyer, and shuts it behind him.

"YOU IDIOT!" He yells at her as he throws her back into the cell, "I was going to let you go if you just cooperated, and now look what you've done!!"

"What have you done with the Agrestes?!" Marinette demands.

He looks taken aback, "That's none of your business. I assure you they'll be fine if you give me what I want."

"I don't know what y-"

He cuts her off, "The boy, Adrien. You're rather fond of him, aren't you?" She tries to hide her surprised, blushing face.

Hawk Moth smiles at her reaction, "Ah, I thought so. I was just thinking it would be terrible if something were to happen to him."
Gabriel smiles underneath his mask, knowing this to be the perfect leverage.

"You're bluffing," She spits at him, crossing her arms.

"But how can you be so sure?" He chuckles darkly. He sees the gears in her head turning.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on him."

"If only you were Ladybug, you could actually do something about it."

"I told you I'm no-"

Hawk Moth suddenly closes in on her, shouting, "Let me make it perfectly clear! If you are Ladybug, you tell me now, or I will skin that boy alive, and you'll be left to hear his screams!"

Marinette backs away as far as she can. "Please." She whimpers.

"I see you've made your choice." He heads toward the door.

She feels hot tears running down her cheeks, "Please don't!"

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" He screams.

"Don't hurt him!!" She yells back, her voice cracking.

Hawk Moth draws a large knife from his belt loop, "It's too late."

"No please!" She sobs. "I'm... I'm Ladybug!"