Breaking the Mask (Book Three)

Chapter 8

Adrien's eyes shot open at the sound of his phone ringing on the table beside him. Marinette was still sleeping in his arms with her back against his chest. Adrien slowly unwrapped his arms around his wife, trying carefully not to wake her up. He swung his legs over the side of the mattress and picked up the phone to see Nino's name lighting up the screen. Adrien placed his earbuds in and accepted the call, where his best friend appeared onscreen beside Alya. The ombre-haired woman held a sleeping baby in her arms.

"Hey dude, can you and Marinette come over real quick?" Nino asked, "We have some important stuff to discuss"

Upon hearing his best friend's request, Adrien looked over his shoulder at his sleeping wife. Her gentle breathing took over the silence of the room, and he watched the blanket rise and fall with her breaths. He smiled softly at how peaceful she looked despite not being able to see her face.

"Earth to Adrien," Nino's voice blasted in his ears.

Adrien snapped out of his thoughts and quickly turned back to the camera, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Sorry guys," Adrien said quietly, "I can't help it, she's just so beautiful"

Nino sighed, "Anyways, can you two come over as soon as possible?"

"Yeah, sure"

Adrien ended the call and looked back at Marinette. The smile returned to his lips as he reached over to gently tap her shoulder a number of times. He heard Marinette groan softly, signaling that she has woken up. Adrien chuckled and climbed onto the bed to get closer to her.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Adrien said, "We have to visit Alya and Nino"

Marinette groaned again and pulled the blanket over her head. Adrien did the same thing and joined her under the blanket. He figured Marinette didn't want to get up, and he didn't blame her. After all, it was the weekend, meaning they didn't have to wake up early to drop the kids off at school.

"What time is it?" Marinette asked.

"Around seven in the morning, but Nino said they have something important to discuss with us," Adrien said, "It's best if we head over there as soon as possible"

Finally, his wife gave in. She threw the blanket off of her and climbed out of bed. Marinette let out a long yawn of exhaustion as she stretched her arms over her head, feeling her entire upper body tighten.

"I can't believe I'm waking up this early on a weekend," Marinette mumbled as she made her way to her closet.

Plagg, who had been resting on Adrien's shoulder, looked at his holder and whispered into his ear, hoping he was quiet enough for Marinette not to hear.

"Your wife seems grumpy today"

Adrien chuckled, "Well, she's never been a morning person after all. Plus it's still dark outside. She'll get over it later in the day"

The kids were still asleep by the time the heroes have gotten dressed for the day. All except Emma, though. The young girl peeked her head out of her room, where she saw her parents standing in front of the door.

Once the adults have stepped out of the house, Emma noiselessly tiptoed over to their room. She opened up their closet, where that strange box she found yesterday still sat. That strange yet powerful sensation she felt the first time she laid eyes on it instantly returned. Like there was an entire world full of magic within that box.

Without thinking, Emma snatched the box out of the closet. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with this box, but she needed to find a way to open it. She might as well take advantage of her parents being out of the house.

~

The doorbell rang over the sizzling sound of a frying pan over a hot stove burner. Nino, still dressed in his pajamas, flipped his pancake over before calling to his wife.

"Alya, can you get the door? It's probably Adrien and Marinette"

Alya burst down the hallway with her baby still sound asleep in her arms. She opened the front door, and the two people her and her husband were expecting to see stood there. Excitedly, Alya stepped to the side to let their guests in.

"Hey guys, come on in!"

Their guests slid their shoes off before entering the house. They followed Alya to the living room, where the sweet smell of freshly made pancakes mixed with chocolate lingered from the kitchen.

"I made chocolate chip pancakes if you guys haven't eaten breakfast yet," Nino said as he slid a steaming pancake onto a plate.

The second he mentioned that, a low growl sounded through the room. Marinette looked down in embarrassment, and Adrien let out a laugh. It wasn't long before his stomach started growling, too. Nino stacked pancakes on some plates and placed them on the dinner table.

"Why don't you two sit down?" Nino suggested, "We'll talk while you eat"

Adrien and Marinette didn't bother talking back and took their seats at the table. Nino poured a couple cups of coffee and set the steaming mugs in front of his guests before serving himself. At the strong combination of sweet scents filling the air, Plagg and Tikki flew out and landed on the table next to their owners.

"So, what did you guys want to talk about?" Adrien asked.

Marinette ripped off a small piece of her pancakes and gave it to Tikki, who happily took the soft and warm piece. Just then, Alya came in holding a tablet rather than her baby. She took her seat at the table and turned her tablet around, revealing a news channel from the United States.

The footage showed an unknown superhero fighting against a rock monster much like Stoneheart. Alya swiped to the next image, which took place in Tokyo. Adrien and Marinette didn't need context to know what all of this was about.

"Are these monsters popping up in other countries now?!" Marinette exclaimed.

She couldn't believe it. They have already been dealing with this villain for three years in a row, and now they decided to attack more than just their city.

Alya turned her tablet back around and nodded. She adjusted her glasses and kept her eyes on the screen.

"Yes, you're correct. Other countries are just starting to face this threat," Alya explained, "The most recent one outside of France was in Myanmar. Luckily, there are no casualties. Not yet at least. But it won't be long before it reaches the rest of mainland Southeast Asia"

Marinette stabbed her stack of pancakes with her fork in frustration. When they thought it couldn't get any worse, this villain targets other countries. Luckily, there were miraculous holders around the world, too.

"What should we do?" Adrien asked Marinette, "We have to stop this as soon as possible"

Marinette sighed, "Maybe it's best if we let some holders keep their miraculouses for now. It sounds like something big is going to happen soon"