Marinette
She kept glancing down at her yo-yo, disbelief coursing through her. She had been looking at Chat's location a few seconds ago, and had watched it disappear completely. He was at his house, but his location shouldn't have disappeared. He wouldn't have detransformed, not unless the acuma had been defeated. She swung from rooftop to rooftop, until she jumped into his bedroom window, hoping to see him smiling in victory. Sitting on his bed with an exhausted Plagg at his side. Even sitting by the piano. Anything but what she was greeted with. Nightowl stood motionless in the middle of the room, still acumatized. Gabriel was on the floor, sobbing, clutching Adrien to his chest. She had never heard anyone cry like that. It was gut wrenching, and when Gabriel glanced up at her, there was indescribable pain written on his face.
"My son..."
He whimpered, and her gaze finally strayed to Adrien. Blood coated his clothes, and he hadn't moved to look at her. His breathing was labored, and he stared blankly at the ceiling, his gaze fixated on the light above them. His lips were pale, and his body trembled with each breath. She couldn't move, her feet rooted to the spot. Adrien was dying. Tears stung her eyes, staring on in horror. A sob caught in her throat, her chest aching from lack of air. Adrien was dying. Her classmate, her friend. Her partner, her soulmate was bleeding out on the floor.
"Help him!"
Gabriel screamed, and she unwillingly tore her gaze away from him, looking at Nightowl. She couldn't see the acumatized object. She stumbled forward, her legs felt like lead, that same thought repeating over and over again in her mind. Adrien was dying.
"Do something!"
Gabriel screamed again, his sobs echoing in the room. She finally made it across the room, her fingers numb as she reached out, searching for something, anything that could have been acumatized. Tears blurred her vision, looking for a charm, a piece of paper, a piece of jewelry. Anything.
"Her pocket. There's... theres a paper."
She heard him, and she threw up her yo-yo, calling on her lucky charm. Could her lucky charm even fix something like this? A box of matches fell from the air, landing in her palm. She numbly pulled the slip of paper from Nightowl's pocket, her hand shaking as she struck a match. She set the paper on fire, not daring to rip it. She had to do everything right, if there was any hope of this working. The black butterfly emerged, and she immediately swung her weapon at it, trapping it in the yo-yo. She released it, not bothering with a goodbye as she tossed the matches into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
She shouted, her voice wavering. A blur of red and black filled the room, covering everything that had been damaged, including Adrien. She stumbled to him, looking down at him. His wounds were gone, but the blood wasn't. It was everywhere. Staining the carpet and his clothes, dripping from the bookshelf, smeared on the window that had been shattered before. So much blood. Adrien didn't move, but he was still breathing. She had to get him to a hospital. He had lost too much blood for her lucky charm to fix all of it. She pushed Gabriel aside, getting ready to carry Adrien.
"Why isn't he better?!"
He cried, as if it was her fault.
"Whe...where am I?"
She heard Nightowl ask, and ignored both questions. They didn't have alot of time. Adrien was still pale, and his breathing hadn't gotten any better. She started to lift him, when something caught her attention. Something glinted in his hand, and his fist opened. The butterfly pin fell from his fingers, clattering against the floor. How? How had he gotten that? Had he gotten it from hawkmoth, who just fled? Or...
"Hey, I recognize you."
Her gaze shot up to Nightowl, who had removed her mask. She was pointing at Gabriel, who was still a sobbing mess. Her gaze drifted to him, realization setting in. Adrien's father was hawkmoth. He had almost killed his own son. She lowered Adrien, picking up the butterfly Miraculous, as well as Adrien's ring.
"You were acumatized and brought to Paris. Please escort Mr. Agreste down to the police station, and let them know he's hawkmoth."
"What about my son?!"
He shouted, starting to stand as Nightowl placed a hand on his shoulder. Marinette picked up Adrien, trying to ignore the smell of blood coming off of him in waves. She walked to the window, using her yo-yo to swing from the window and to a rooftop across the street. The hospital was only a few blocks away.
"I didn't know."
He mumbled, and she glanced down at him, he looked dazed, staring past her at the sky that whizzed by. She focused on getting to the hospital, landing harder than she would have liked. Adrien didn't respond to it at all, looking exhausted and confused. She rushed inside, and one of the nurses rushed around the reception desk to her.
"Is that Adrien Agreste?"
"He-he got caught in an acuma fight, he lost a lot of blood."
She mumbled, placing him down on a stretcher that the nurse had gestured to. She watched them wheel him through a set of doors, trying to get him to respond to them. Her earring beeped, and she stepped outside, walking around to the back of the hospital. She released Tiki, who sank onto her shoulder. She felt numb. Gabriel Agreste had almost killed Adrien. He had constantly destroyed Paris. He had been hunting them for years, attacking anyone, and for what? What had been the point of all of that? She slid on Adrien's ring, Plagg appearing before her.
"Adrien? Is he...?"
Plagg asked, his voice thick with dread.
"He's in the hospital."
Tiki responded for her, and she looked up at Plagg, searching him for any injuries.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Hungry, but fine."
Anger was coursing through her blood, and she stared at Plagg, wanting to apologize for what she was about to do.
"Plagg, claws out."
He let out a shocked whine as he was pulled into the ring, and she turned, heading in the direction of the police station. The butterflies in her stomach were hardening as the anger she felt smothered them. It was like stone, spreading out from her stomach. Gabriel had to pay for what he did. And she was going to make sure of it.
* * * * *
"Marinette please. Don't do this."
Tiki whimpered in her ear, and Marinette shook her head, trying to dislodge her. Gabriel was a monster. She landed in front of the doors, pushing them open. Sabrina's father sat behind a desk, looking tired.
"LadyNoir?"
"I need to see Gabriel Agreste."
He stood, looking confused.
"Its against policy, I can't let you back there."
She had come too far to be deterred by a simple no.
"I wasn't asking. Step aside, or I'll get the mayor."
It was a bluff, if he didn't agree to that she would just march through. He couldn't stop her. But the threat of calling the mayor this late seemed to phase him, because he stepped to the side. She walked past him, her gaze searching the cells. Gabriel was in the back, his hands cuffed. He stood up when he saw her, looking worried.
"Adrien. How is he? Is he okay?"
He seemed scared of her answer, and he deserved to be. Adrien was in that hospital because of him.
"Now you suddenly care about him?"
It was hard to get her voice past the lump in her throat, the anger making it thicken.
"I've always cared about my son."
He snapped, and she could kill him right then. Because she knew that was a load of bullshit. He was never there for Adrien. Not for anything. He preferred video chatting over talking to him face to face.
"Don't lie to me. You don't care about him. You barely know him! You chose to attack Paris, over spending time with your own child! You're a horrible father and a horrible person."
Venom spewed from her lips, and he made his way over to the bars, seething.
"Everything I did, was for him."
She reached through the bars, grabbing his shirt and slamming him against them.
"All he wanted was for you to be there, and you couldn't even give him that."
"Let him go."
She heard lieutenant Roger snap, and out of the corner of her eye she could see he was pointing a gun in her direction. Probably a taser, but still.
"I was there. Where were you?"
Gabriel hissed, drawing her attention back to him. She could end him. All she would have to do is say the word, and he would turn to a pile of ash at her fingertips.
"Cata-"
"Adrien."
Tiki whispered, and Marinette faltered. Adrien would never forgive her. She let him go, her hands trembling. She had almost killed him.
"Adrien needs you."
Tiki whispered again, as if trying to calm Marinette. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes, guilt slicing through her chest. Gabriel was a monster. A manipulator, an abuser and one of the worst people she had ever met. But he was still Adrien's father. Gabriel stared at her, his glare unwavering.
"Pathetic."
He spat, and she closed her eyes. He wouldn't get out of prison. He would rot there. That was punishment enough, wasn't it? She forced herself to turn away, pushing her body down the hall.
"Everything I did was for my family!"
Gabriel shouted, and she ignored him, walking out of the police station. Adrien needed her. And here she was, trying to murder his father. She was as bad as Gabriel. She got back to the hospital, releasing Plagg. He looked at her warily, before collapsing on her shoulder with Tiki. Marinette's anger faded, and she sank to the ground, covering her face. She had almost murdered a man. A guilty one, but he was still a person. Tears welled in her eyes, realizing she was as much to blame for this night as Gabriel had been. She hadn't been there when Adrien had needed her the most. She had run away, like always. He had been alone, to defeat that acuma. She sobbed, wrapping her arms around her legs. She had let him go alone, and he could have died because of it.
"Marinette? It's okay."
Tiki touched her cheek, and she responded by burying her face into her knees. Her phone started ringing, and she slowly pulled it from her gown. She answered without looking, not bothering to hide her sobs.
"Honey what's wrong? Where are you?"
It was her mother. She closed her eyes, trying to push down the lump in her throat.
"Marinette? What's going on?"
"It's...Adrien."
She whimpered, fresh tears streaming down her face.
"I'm at the hospital. Can... can you bring me a spare change of clothes?"
"Of course. We'll be there as soon as we can."
Marinette hung up, setting her phone down on the concrete.
"Can we go check on him?"
Plagg asked, and Tiki hugged him, trying her best to comfort both of them. Marinette stood, grabbing her phone.
"Yeah. Let's go."
She wiped her face, trying to erase all traces that she had been crying. But she knew that was pointless. Nothing could wipe away swollen eyes. She made her way back into the hospital, trying to ignore those who gave her strange looks. It wasn't her fault all this happened on prom night. She stopped at the reception desk, swallowing her fear.
"Is Adrien okay?"
The receptionist looked like she was going to answer, when a man in scrubs stepped up next to her, handing the receptionist a clipboard.
"I'm guessing you were his date?"
He asked, glancing down at her gown. She nodded, and he motioned for her to walk with him.
"He lost a lot of blood, so we gave him a transfusion. He's on fluids, and we're going to keep him overnight to make sure no permanent damage was caused."
She nodded, her gaze darting through open doors as they passed.
"But he's okay?"
"So far so good. He needs a lot of rest. How was he injured exactly?"
She hadn't gotten there soon enough.
"An acuma attacked him. I didn't see all of it."
She mumbled, when he stopped at a closed door.
"I can not stress enough how much he needs his rest. You can go in and see him, but if he is asleep do not wake him up."
She nodded, and he quietly opened the door for her. She stepped in without hesitation, her gaze drawing to the hospital bed. His eyes were closed, and she was relieved to see that the color had returned to his face. Blood was still smeared there, but his suit was gone, replaced by a hospital gown. She moved next to the bed, watching his chest rise and fall. He was still alive. He was going to be fine. She sat down in the chair next to him, finally looking around the room. He was hooked up to an iv, and a nurse stood next to it, watching a monitor. The tv was on, the channel on the news. Nadja Chamack was on, a picture of Gabriel Agrest in the background. Marinette got up, reaching up and turning off the tv. Adrien didn't need to see that when he woke up. She couldn't imagine what he would feel. He had basically lost both of his parents.