MariChat: Chat Out Of The Bag

What Comes Next

"Hey, Kitty?"

"Yeah, Mari?"

"What would you do if I disappeared?"

It had been a few days since Marinette's kidnapping, and Adrien had wanted to go after Hawkmoth. Since then, no Akuma attacks had occurred, and crime had been low, leaving Chat Noir and Ladybug rather task-less. They had begun their own small investigation, consulting what little information they had on the villain and tips and hints about who Hawkmoth was. Marinette's room was an utter mess most of the time thanks to this particular study. They were able to say it was for a school project, so Marinette's parents were never suspicious of what they were doing.

Adrien had been reading through some of their custom made profiles about Akumatized victims, with opponents such as Lady WiFi, Bubbler, and the rest they had fought. Each biography had the victims civilian name, their villain name, list of abilities, and what left them open to being Akumatized. Of course, the final bit of information only was added if they happened if they happened to know. Once he heard Marinette's question, he paused for a second, before putting the papers down and looking at her, not sure if she was trying to imply something. "In what context?"

Marinette smiled softly and looked out her window. Above the city was a beautiful blue sky. "I don't know... I just had the thought, you know? So, I just wanted to know..."

"I mean, like, what do you mean though? As in, you moving away?"

"Well, I mean, that's one way to look at it I guess. But that isn't what I was thinking."

"Well, in that situation, I'd probably run after you." Adrien replied with a smirk. He probably would. Almost certainly, actually. He wasn't too sure what he'd do if she moved.

Marinette smiled back at him. It was a reassuring answer to hear, though she doubted that her parents would suggest moving away, especially now they knew about Adrien. That was also reassuring.

There was a far darker, far more brutal, and terrifyingly real reason she was asking.

Hawkmoth was dangerous. A criminal. A villain. The villain responsible for everything that had happened to them. Ruthless and heartless, he was simply power hungry. Destruction across Paris. Abduction, assault, a long list of crimes. He was the reason the whole world knew Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir, and was close to telling the world Marinette-Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug. He had also become unpredictable, and now, Marinette wasn't sure what he wanted from them. Was he still after their miraculous? Or did he just straight up want to ruin their lives? Or had his distaste for them reach some sort of singularity, that he just wanted them gone for good?

There was a very real chance that if they found him, and engaged him in a fight, one of them would die. The chances of that were very, very real.

She was hesitant to even bring up the possibility with Adrien. the idea of discussing one of them dying was too painful to think about, never mind discuss with him. They had been together for a few weeks now. They were used to one another. they had done plenty, and fought alongside one another for even longer. There shouldn't be any hesitation between the two of them.

That was the mentality Marinette thought she had. Instead she realized that, all that aside, they were two teenagers who were hopelessly in love with each other. The mere concept of the other disappearing just did not register in the others brain at all. the mere idea now, of imagining her life without Adrien.. Her own brain simply didn't compute it. It just wasn't possible. Not even as some sort of overly dramatic scenario that Marinette's mind would often come up with when she was in a panic. The idea simply would not happen with her.

And she knew Adrien felt the same way.

"That's... Good to know, Adrien. Really. It is..."

"But?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend. He knew there was more she wanted to say."