Of Runways and Darkness

Chapter 10

Adrien was so bored!

He laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling even though the sun was shining and realistically speaking, he should have been at school by now. Plagg was somewhere nearby, sleeping peacefully, and fully enjoying the time off even if his chosen didn't appreciate it. He couldn't transform so there went his escape. He was playing sick so there went everything else. Litter-ally. No shoots, no fencing, no Chinese, no school. Nothing. Even Marinette was out of his reach right now, busy running around Paris searching for Miss Translate for his sake.

He sighed at the thought. His skin crawled. Emerald Shield and Lady Fox would do their very best to protect her, he knew, but it didn't help his nerves; he was Chat Noir. He was supposed to have her back. The thought of him not being there made him really sick with worry. He sighed again.

"Awww is the love sick boy missing his sweetheart," Plagg teased. Adrien merely turned his head to face him, unsure what expression to give. The cat kwami stopped in his tracks. Usually he would get a glare or a tease back but this time, all he got was an emotionless face. This was completely out of character.

Now he was worried too.

Plagg floated down to sit on Adrien's chest, crossing his arms and legs. His tail switched back and forth as he considered the situation. Finally, he started, "Listen kid, you've got two options: One, sit here all day and do nothing or two, find something to make yourself useful."

Adrien raised an eyebrow at him. He floated closer to the kids head.

"Sitting here moping isn't doing you any good. I know you can't speak right now but finding something to do would be better than doing this. I trust Ladybug and Tikki. Both of them are strong and they'll get this resolved soon but until then, worrying and panicking and doing nothing isn't helping either." He smirked mischievously. "Say, why don't we go check your father's safe again? Nobody's in the house today and it would be a good time to take a closer look at the contents. I know you've been wanting to for a while now. You even said so in your sleep not too long ago."

That did it. The boy's face turned red and he lunged for the cat who merely flew out of his reach. Adrien glared up at him. He giggled and took off, phasing through the door. He muttered a curse under his breath and took off after him, slowing down every now and then to ensure that no one was in fact there and watching him enter his father's office without permission. He shut the door quietly and leaned against it with a sigh. There was humming coming from the safe. He approached it and just before he was able to touch it, it swung open, Plagg reappearing and looking as smug as he pleased. He rubbed his claws on his chest. "Good thing one of my previous holders was a lock pick. This lock is far too simple for a man like your dad." Adrien glared again but approached slowly.

The items were still there since the last time. There was a picture of his mother, the broach, a travel brochure to Tibet, some other odds and ends, but what really caught his eyes, was the old brown book.

When he'd taken it over a year ago, he'd lost it and thought it lost to him and his father forever. He had waited days for his punishment. It never came. He'd asked Plagg to help him out then too, breaking back in, only to find the book replaced, right back where it belonged and no one being the wiser that it had been taken.

He'd shut the door and vowed to never open again.

He was a liar and he knew it. The book's images had burned in the back of his mind- especially the ones concerning what looked like an ancient version of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Hawkmoth. Clearly this book had something to do with the Miraculous but when he'd asked, Plagg only shrugged and said that Tikki would probably know more than him; asking her had only led to another "I'm not sure. It was written after we had returned to the miraculous until our next holder appeared." Now was his chance to really get a good look at them.