Switch

14) Finished

Marinette's (older) POV
I have to admit, it's gotten much easier being around my classmates over the last week.

I was so used to spending time with their older selves that I had almost forgotten what they were like as teenagers.

Ivan, for instance, was so quiet during this time period. In about seven years, he and Mylene would have their first daughter and he would become the epitome of dad jokes. Second to only Adrien, of course.

Then there was Sabrina. She didn't know it yet, but she would end up with Max. She would become a teacher who was still in contact with a much kinder and gentler Chloe.

Even Kim settles down after proposing to Alix. The two of them still have their typical competitive dynamic, but they've finally let some of that die out as they've bought a home and started planning for the future.

But anyways, I've certainly had to adjust to blend in with their teenage selves. And today, I would have to do the same. Even if my husband was leading our tour group.

"Mari, you alright? You look a little pale." Nino whispered to me as we got started.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just, it's been a while since I've seen my h-uncle."

"Oh, I get that. Felix is pretty cool though. He reminds me of my dude Adrien."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! I mean, he's like a mix of Chat Noir and Adrien. He has their looks and their personalities all mashed up into one, if that makes any sense."

"Oh trust me, it does." I replied, rolling my eyes as "Felix" shot me a wink. "Yup, that's my uncle for you."

The tour went as normally as it could, of course with Adrien and I shooting each other the occasional glance or trying to start up a conversation among the group. That is, until the windows shattered.

The lights went out, the sky began to thunder, and everything went black.

"Everyone... find a place to hide or an exit. Get to safety now." Adrien ordered. "Mari, come with me. We need to try and find the others."

I could barely make out everyone's nods and reactions in the dim flashlight lit room, the others running without a second thought.

"Will they be okay?" I asked as they left our view.

"You know them m'lady, they'll be fine. But right now, we need to find our mini selves and figure out what's causing this. Tok can only control time."

"Yes..." I mused, "but what if he couldn't control it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that our time line is fragile. We knew that when we faced the switch. And remember how Tok tried to explain his plan to us? The way we found our loophole? What if he wanted us to save him? I think he and Hawkmoth tried to control the timeline and ended up cracking it. And when something that delicate begins to crack, ultimately..."

"It shatters." My husband filled in, finally understating my point.

"Exactly. They messed with time too much and now they can't fix it. Everything is crumbling. This isn't about our futures anymore, this is about everyone else's. The only way to stop time from collapsing in on itself is to get the akuma. And something tells me by the lack of light, he's here."

Adrien nodded as we took a quick look around. It was loud, panicked. Our only source of light was from the windows, but even they were filled with dark grey storm clouds. Everyone was relying on their cellphones as they looked for exits, none of them budging. Even the broken windows were no means of escape, something other than the sharp broken glass preventing anyone from exiting.