Her Red Mask

Chapter 3

Dear Doc,

Part of me realises that doing this in a letter is pretty pathetic, but I can't think of another way of telling you without him knowing. You always told me to be a man and step up for what's right, but, could it be dismissed if your life is on the line?

Anyways, I'll get to the point. On Tuesday morning I arrived in Mr Agreste's room to do a cleanup and some tests. Before the surgery, he was able to but slipped into a coma. After I did a blood test, I went around cleaning. It was pretty neat since so one comes to visit him, not even his own son.

I was in the midst of this when suddenly the wiring of the machines had stopped. To a halt. I turned around not trying to panic and there he was- looking as healthy as he had ever been- awake from his coma without any discernible fatigue.

I can't tell you what happened next. Not because of some sick cliffhanger or anything, but for fear of my life. I'm already risking so much writing this to you, but if your to take something away from this, know that you must catch Mr Agreste at all costs. For the safety of you, Paris, and the world.

KML

_______

By the time Sunday had rolled in, Marinette weekend was disfigured. From embarrassing herself in front of Adrien to almost revealing her identity, she felt like she needed a break. From work. From superhero. From Ladybug. So, with a clumsy hand of a fatigued person, she called Alya, who promised to rush at full speed to her apartment.

Five minutes later, the sound of a doorbell chimed.

"Heyo!" waved Alya with one hand. In the other, she was holding a sleeping baby, wrapped in a blue blanket and dressed in striped PAJamas. Marinette was suddenly worried how they had gotten here so fast.

"Uh-why don't you sit down? You must have been tired from all that running.."

"Good idea." Marinette lead Alya and her baby to her nearby couch. Alya made no haste in making herself feel at home, snatching the remote from the coffee table and flicking the television on.

The loud sounds of the TV awoke the baby- still in Alya's arms. She gave the child a coddle, and with the power of whispering, pulled it back to sleep.

"Isn't he cute?"

"Blue sure knows more to sleeping than I do." Marinette giggled as she sat next to Alya. She poked a finger near Blue, who, with his small hands wrapped around it tightly. The friends did a silent 'aww..'.

"So." Alya turned to Marinette. She had cut her long hair to shoulder length, for convenience. Marinette thought she looked like an adult now, not that she wasn't before. "You haven't been able to sleep because...?"

A blurt came out of Marinette's mouth. "It's all because of him."

"No one's bullying you, are they?!"

Marinette softly shook her head. "No."

But Alya had started mumbling in her breath. "It's those historic designers I tell you.."

"It's- Adrien."

Alya's mouth hit the floor. She knew she was going to react like this. "AGRESTE!?"

Marinette put a finger over her mouth. "Blue's sleeping."

"Agreste?" She said, more quietly this time.

"Yeah. Him. He came back from America, apparently. I haven't seen him in so long i just, don't know.." Her voice drifted off, not knowing what to else to say. She felt so stupid having the same talks she did in high school, but Adrien made her feel the same. All weird and fluffy. Marinette was getting too old for this.

"You still have a thing for him?" Marinette could see Alya's eyebrows twisting in all sorts of ways.

"What? No..not really."

"'She said as she continued to pine over her high school crush.'"

"Stop using your writing gimmicks on me!" Her face began to heat up, as Alya continued her stifled laughter.

"It really isn't anything to be ashamed of. Although.." Her eyes shifted to a matte look. "I'm worried about you."

"Why so?"

"Well, you've heard the rumours right? Wait- who am I kidding, you've been totally obsessed with work that you didn't get the news." Alya shook her head, then continued.

"In New York, he- it was rumoured that he was a playboy. Nino blabbered on and on about for months!" She let a sigh escape her lips, before locking eyes with Marinette in a serious gaze.

"He'll always be our friend, of course, but..all I'm saying is, Adrien, isn't the same person he was in high school."

Marinette couldn't help but feel heartbroken. The boy, with the charming green eyes, who she had spent long afternoons and funny weekends with, laughs and tears. The boy she had introduced to her parents, and who she spent each hour of the day with at one point. The boy who... had leant her an umbrella on a rainy day..was gone.

_______

Ladybug. Ladybug. Ladybug. Who was she? This was the first in many years that Adrien had seen her. Her face was familiar..where had he seen it before? So many questions had spiralled into his mind that he had almost forgotten the visiting appointment to the hospital. If it wasn't for Nathalie, he might have spent the whole evening overthinking the whole thing.

"Adrien, we've got a car ready. Are you coming down or have you got other plans?" She squinted at him head-to-toe.

"No. Nathalie, let us go."

"Very well, sir."

Nathalie opened the doors for him, and they both clambered down the ancient stairs towards a black, shiny limo. They drove off without a hitch.

They arrived only 15 minutes later.
Adrien always disliked hospitals. The reek of alcohol,the whiteness of everything and the fake smiles nurses would give you always evoked an uncomfortable feeling in him. Nathalie went to the reception, and they went up the elevator, on level 5. The Terminal Ward.

It felt almost sinister walking down the pristine halls. Not many visited here, so whenever they'd see a nurse, it felt like a jumpscare. The worst part was when patients would walk down the halls. Some of them were old, but others were just children.

They just started to live, so why?

Adrien had finally arrived at his father's room. He hadn't visited for months, so he felt a little awkward barging in. He knocked softly twice. No answer. Nathalie gave him a nod, inferring to knock again, but once again, there was no answer.

"Should we just go in?"whispered Adrien. Why was he whispering?

"Absolutely not. Your father might be sleeping."

"Then we can wait until he wakes up." Adrien snarked, as he twisted the door knob open.

Everything was the same. The same brown furniture, windows, and ugly grey curtains. The same weird, hospital bed that lifted off the ground strangely, and the same bittersweet picture laid on a bedside table. The only thing missing was the patient.