Adrien was twenty years old when he first became Chat Noir and met Ladybug. Four years later, amidst the toughest time of his college career, he meets Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
A College/Reverse Crush AU exploring what would happen if Marinette was fo...
Adrien's phone dropped to the floor, the protective case keeping it from breaking into a million pieces. It did little to stop himself shattering.
There's a type of fear that only arises when your loved ones are in danger. It was that kind of ripping, tearing, violent anguish that dug its rotten fingernails into the core of Adrien, into his heart, into everything he was. It was hopelessness and guilt and crushing despair and action, action, action. I must ACT.
He stumbled backwards, gripping his desk chair for support, his knuckles turning ghostly white.
"Plagg," he choked, "Plagg, claws"-
-"Woah hold on there kiddo, what do you think you're doing?" Plagg flew out of his hiding place, slamming himself against Adrien's mouth to silence him, "You want some security guard to hear you? Or a camera to catch you leaving your room as Chat? Think!"
Adrien was trembling, unable to think, unable to process anything. Except for the fact that Marinette was in danger. In danger. Marinette was in danger and it was all his fault. His petty jealousy. His lies. And now she was under threat and he was stuck in here and he needed to get out, needed to make sure she was ok.
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"Marinette," he rasped, reaching down to his phone. He held up the message so Plagg could read it. "Plagg, I- I have to..." his words trailed off into nothing as another wave of panic seized his throat.
Now he was taking this seriously. It didn't matter to him if someone came for him. He had powers. He could defend himself.
Images flooded his mind of Marinette walking back to the bakery alone, suddenly set on by a darkened figure, hurt before she even had the chance to defend herself...
"Plagg," he choked out again and it was a plea, a desperate plea for help, to stop those horrible images from turning into reality. He ran frantic hands backwards through his hair, "What can I do? I've got to get out of here! Can't you destroy all the security stuff?"
"Sure, I could, but I'd need time to recharge," Plagg replied without his usual teasing. The fact that he was taking this seriously only served to make Adrien's fear grow. "I don't think we have much of that though."
Adrien growled, throwing his hands up in the air. "Well I'm going, one way or another."
With that, he stormed towards the door and was about to wrench it open when Plagg flew in front of him, paws up. "Come on, do you really think they'll let you wander out into the street like nothing?" he argued fairly. "There's a whole police investigation and you're the target, kid. Think about it for a sec."
Adrien wanted to disagree but, as loathe as he was to admit it, Plagg was probably right. "There has to be a way out."
Inexplicably, Plagg grinned. There was a twinkle in his eye that suggested nothing but mischief. "Well," he said, elongating the word, "I could cause a little mayhem. Enough for you to be able to sneak out!"
