I really need to get better at not writing in the middle of the night. *Shrug* Oh well!
I.O.N.
Enjoy!
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Adrien woke up feeling like he'd just been run over by a mob of children. With a groan, he opened his eyes, to an unfamiliar roof. Sitting up proved to be a bad idea, as his head began protesting the movement. It was only on his second look through of the room, that he noticed a petite figure sitting in a corner working on something, and completely ignoring him.
With as much care as possible, Adrien quietly swung his feet over the edge of the bed and softly set them down on the floor. This, apparently, was some sort of signal to the figure in the corner, as they immediately spoke, "So you're finally awake. About time, too."
"Marinette? Where are we?"
"Right now? The spare bedroom in the apartment above the bakery."
"Why?"
"Adrien, I don't know how to tell you this without hurting your male pride, but you fainted." Marinette said as she tried not to laugh.
A blush rose up on the boy's cheeks as he tried to recall what happened before he...passed out. He remembered talking with Nino and his parents, and Ladybug walking in, but everything after that was a blur. "What happened? Is everyone okay? Where's the Captain?"
This time, the young seamstress gave him a small, yet amused smile, "After you caught on to the conversation and fainted, we brought you up here, so that none of the customers had to step over you. Everyone is fine. And as for the Captain, well you've been asking her questions for the past ten minutes."
"Wait, you're the captain? But I thought that was-?" Adrien was beginning to feel light-headed. It must have shown because Marinette crossed the room in three strides and grabbed his arm.
"Hey now. No more fainting. Why don't you sit down while I explain?"
Nodding silently, and sitting back on the bed, Adrien listened to what she had to say.
"It would probably be easiest if I started from the beginning. You see Adrien, I am not the first captain of Tikki. I believe since she's been made, Tikki's had five other Ladybugs beside myself. That's because Ladybug isn't the name of the captain, but more of the title. In fact, my mother Sabine, was the previous Ladybug before she retired and she and Dad opened the bakery. That is why some of the rumors surrounding the captain Ladybug and Tikki can be so skewed sometimes. In fact, I remember one time we went to a port and the rumor around there was that the Ladybug was a seven-foot-tall man who wielded a double-bladed axe, and then in the same breath the one telling the rumor also said, that Ladybug was a woman descended from Sirens who was more charming and deceitful than her ancestors. But anyway the captain of Tikki is always called Ladybug. It's kind of like being two different people sharing the same body."
Adrien stared at Marinette, who was also his captain, "Why didn't you tell me and Father sooner?"
Marinette sighed, "Adrien, I'm going, to be honest. We were never going to tell Gabriel. Not because we don't trust him, but because he wasn't going to stay on the ship and I wasn't willing to take any chances that he might let it slip one day and I'd suddenly have the royal navy after me, as Marinette. Not to mention what would happen to the crew."
Looking at how uncomfortable Marinette looked, Adrien suddenly had a brief glimpse into what it must be like to be the one in charge of protecting so many people, while also knowing that you might have to lead them into a slaughter. "I won't tell anyone, Mari."
"Thanks, it's always nice to have reassurance." Marinette gave him a smile and stood up, "Well, we've spent enough time gabbing up here! You need to go help your dad settle into the new shop, and I've got to help my parents prepare some welcoming treats for him." Then she made a shooing motion with her hand, "So shoo!"
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Well, that was... expositional... and slightly depressing
Comment what you thought!
See ya next time!
