Control // miraculous ladybug

Chapter Twelve

After the pair get a bite to eat, Adrien walks Marinette to her home, Plagg sitting comfortably in her purse. They stop at the bakery door, Adrien smiling down at her sadly. He didn't want to leave her alone. Not like this.

"Thank you." She looks up at him, her eyebrows pulled together. She notices his sad smile and she has to look away. Adrien pulls his hand up to her face, his fingers grazing her cheeks ever-so-lightly. She leans into his touch, her eyes closing momentarily. Her brain was going a million miles a second and within that one moment, where she's melting into his warm hand, she finds herself at ease. But that doesn't last.

"I should go..." Adrien whispers so softly, wishing he'd only imagined the words leaving his lips. But her response confirmed that he did in fact say it.

She looked down at her feet before looking back up and smiling softly, "I know."

He hesitated, but he turned away from her and walked home. He wished he hadn't... But he had.

Marinette made her way to her room, avoiding any questions her mother had for her. She placed her purse down on the desk, sliding her feet along the floor towards her bed. She sat down, stared at her hands, and cried. What else was there to do? She was now left alone with her emotions. She was left alone with the dark thought of something bad happening to Tikki. She didn't deserve that. Neither one of them deserved what was happening. Oh, how badly Marinette wanted to hear her companion's little voice right now...

"It's alright." And she did hear it. But not the same voice. "Everything will work itself out, OK?" It was Plagg.

She looked up at him, her face red and eyes full of tears. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologise." Plagg lands on her lap, a sad expression on his little face.

"Has this happened before?" Marinette asks, hoping he would say yes, and hoping that he would tell her that there is an easy fix to all of this.

"I'm afraid not." And those three words made it all so much worse for her. She doesn't even know how it happened, or what happened for that matter. And neither did Plagg, it would seem.

She wipes her tears, sighing. It takes her a moment to recompose herself. "What are you doing here?"

"Adrien asked me to stay with you. He doesn't want you to be alone." Plagg explains. "He wanted to stay with you, but his Dad..."

"I understand." She smiles, already planning a thank him gesture in her head. She realised she wasn't thinking about Tikki, and she also realised this would be the only way she'd be able to get through this. By thinking of other things, by distracting herself. And good thing, too, because there was a knock at her door. Plagg hides as the door opens to reveal Alya.

"Hey girl..." She smiles, walking in and sitting beside her. Alya wraps her arms around the sad ravenette and she doesn't ask a single question. Instead, she says something that makes her feel so much better. "I have an Akuma in a jar downstairs. It looks so cool."

Marinette jolts out of her grip, shocked. "What?!"

"Wow, you're never that excited! Come on, I'll show you." Alya stands up, grabbing ahold of her best friends hand and leading her down the stairs into the Dupain-Cheng kitchen. There, sitting atop the kitchen counter, resides a glass jar with a corrupt Akuma fluttering away inside it. The lid on top has small holes punctured through it to allow the creature to breathe.

"I need to call Adrien." Marinette's words come out breathy as she scampers back up to her room to retrieve her phone. She quickly dials his number. It rings and rings, until she hears his voicemail. He didn't answer. Marinette sighs, but doesn't give up. She sends him a quick message.

To: Adrien
Alya has the Akuma!

She locks her phone, placing it on her desk where Plagg peaks out of her purse. "Everything OK?"

"Alya captured the akuma in a jar, so yes." Marinette whispers, a genuine smile gracing her face. Plagg retracts back into the pink purse and the ravenette spins around, seeing Alya enter the room once again.

It was a miracle. Alya was a miracle. Her catching the akuma in a jar was a miracle. Marinette couldn't thank the miraculous God's enough.

// A short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless! Hope you enjoy and I'll see you again soon :)