The Heart's Silent Accord

Chapter Two

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

˚₊‧꒰ა Marinette໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Change was Marinette's constant companion, unwelcome and ever-present. Its relentless advance stirred a deep anxiety within her, a fear that clung to her like a shadow in the night. If you had spoken to her younger self, she might have confessed her fear of insects, but now, as she looked back on the past four years, her real terror lay not in the things she could see but in the things that had changed right before her eyes.

It's been four years since that moment, and things have changed dramatically. Marinette is now a fully grown adult, working as a detective at the GCPD. She is no longer the young girl who would cling to her parents' hands in times of trouble. Instead, she has taken on the immense responsibility of being the guardian of the Miraculous and the wielder of the Creation and Destruction Miraculous, all while juggling the pressures of adult life, including paying rent and balancing her job and heroic duties.

Marinette let out a groan as the persistent vibration of her phone yanked her out of sleep. Her eyes, still heavy with drowsiness, were forcefully pried open by the glaring sunlight streaming through the window. As she reached for her phone that was nestled beneath her pillow, her heart skipped a beat upon seeing her mother's caller ID shining brightly at her.

With a sinking feeling, she realized it was still the middle of the night in Paris; why was her mother calling at such a late hour?

Half-awake, Marinette hit the answer button without hesitation and brought the phone to her ear, her eyes still squinting against the bright light.

"Hey Maman..." she mumbled, her voice laced with grogginess.

On the other end, Sabine could hear the tiredness in her daughter's tone. "Good morning sweetie," she replied, her voice warm but also slightly concerned. "Did you sleep well last night?"

As Marinette lay on the floor, her back smarting from a night spent on the bare floorboards, her mind traveled back to the previous day. She had spent the whole day unpacking but, to her dismay, had been unable to complete the task.

The only room that bore any evidence of her efforts was the kitchen, but it was a sorry sight. Boxes were stacked in the corners, the cupboards were bare, and the space was devoid of any warmth or homeliness.

Marinette was completely exhausted. Too tired to even bother with the effort of setting up the blow-up mattress, she had laid out her bedsheets on the cold hardwood floor.

Marinette groaned as she slowly sat up, her back protesting vehemently. The ache emanated from the previous day's labor of moving and the uncomfortable night spent on the hardwood floor with only a pillow and sheets to offer meager support. She let out a weary sigh as she mumbled into her phone,

"Mhh... yeah, I slept alright," her weariness evident in her voice.

On the other end of the line, Sabine hummed softly, easily detecting her daughter's lie.

"Are you sure?" she asked gently. "You sound exhausted."

Marinette pursed her lips, fully aware that her mother had a sharp eye for spotting lies, making it difficult for her to hide anything. Despite her best efforts, deception was simply out of the question this time.

"Yeah...I'm fine," Marinette muttered, glancing down at the tangled sheets and covers scattered across the floor.

Sabine sighed softly on the other end of the line, her doubt evident but not pressed further to respect her daughter's privacy, but the worry was still there.