Miraculous Ladybug - The White Room

Chapter 4

On the fourth day, Adrien woke up with a start, feeling confused and disoriented. Where was he? The cold white-tiled floor he was lying on instantly reminded him of the predicament he was stuck in and dread quickly filled the pit of his stomach. The lights were still switched off so it wasn't "morning" yet. He didn't even remember drifting off to sleep. Had he finally passed out in exhaustion? Did something happen when he was unconscious? Adrien got up quickly to look around him before inspecting his body but nothing seemed to have changed. He quickly checked his jeans' pocket and was relieved to find Marinette's lucky charm inside.

What had woken him up so abruptly then? He felt drowsy and thirsty but he didn't have any water to quench his thirst, and his body was sore from sleeping on the floor. The room was so dark that he couldn't even see Plagg. He tried to spot the camera, but the tiny red dot wasn't flashing anymore. What was going on??

His heart missed a beat when he suddenly heard a soft "click" close to him. Adrien held his breath, his heart pounding in his ears. Was someone coming in? He wasn't sure he was ready to face his father after the last few days in this solitary confinement. At least Plagg was with him if anything went wrong but he was too stressed and tired to think straight.

The tiled wall opened slowly and Adrien felt his whole body tense. A wobbly beam of light lit his room, blinding him momentarily. Was that a flashlight? Relief washed over him. This couldn't be his father. His father would just have turned on the neon lights and talked to him through the camera or something like that, not act like a burglar trying to rob a house. But who? His mind was racing, wondering if he should do something. He felt Plagg land on his shoulder and jump up and down with excitement before disappearing inside his overshirt. What could he be so happy about? He wished he could have Plagg's night vision right now.

Adrien was still uncertain of how to act but he was definitely not prepared for what happened next. Someone stepped into the room and Adrien felt his heart stop.

It was Marinette.

Marinette was here.

What was she doing here? She couldn't be here, she was supposed to be in Paris.

Was he hallucinating? Maybe he had gone crazy after all.

Marinette stepped into the room and the minute she saw him, she started running towards him as fast as she could and threw her arms around him.

"ADRIEN!" she cried as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Adrien froze into place, unsure of what was happening.

Marinette was there.

She was really there.

She was not in Paris.

Adrien slightly shook his head, still in shock. Worry started to fill his guts. She shouldn't have come here, this place wasn't safe for her. Was she in trouble? Did his father capture her and plan to lock her up with him? If that was the case, Adrien would not let this happen. He was done letting his father harm the people he loved the most.

But Marinette was still hugging him tightly and the door was still open behind them. The corridor seemed to be quiet.

"She hasn't been captured," Adrien realized. "She came looking for me."

Adrien was completely stunned.

Marinette came all the way from Paris to London to look for him. She came here to rescue him and she even found a way to open the room. How on earth did she manage to do that?

As the situation sunk in, Adrien felt a wave of relief wash over him and he hugged her in a bone-crushing embrace, tears freely falling down his cheeks.

She was truly here.

They were together again.

Nothing could stop them now.

After a while, Marinette straightened up and gently put a hand on his cheek. She was looking at him with such a loving and sweet expression that more tears fell from his eyes. She was crying too and his heart couldn't take it any longer. He bent over and delicately pressed his lips on hers, his heart bursting with joy. When Marinette kissed him back, everything he went through the past few days faded away and his heart felt complete again. Happy memories filled his soul and he swore to himself to never forget that feeling. He had never felt more alive.

When they broke the kiss, Adrien couldn't help but notice how red Marinette's cheeks were and he was almost positive that his own face was the same color.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned.

"I am now" he answered, smiling so wildly his cheeks hurt.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to love and be loved. The last few days had been so awful that he had no idea how to act anymore. Exhaustion was taking its toll on him and he felt a bit dizzy. Marinette took his hand and intertwined their fingers with a fierce look of determination painted on her face.

"Let's get you out of here."