The Other Roommate - A Miraculous Fanfic

Waiting

News travelled fast throughout Paris, especially when that news entailed the defeat of the city's greatest terrorizer. 

By the time Chat got to the hospital, which took only a couple of minutes but felt like an eternity, the staff was already there, waiting to usher him in. They took Ladybug from his arms, and he watched as they wheeled her away. 

The blood had dried and crusted at Ladybug's lips. Her eyes were closed peacefully as her eyelashes cast long shadows along her pale and pasty face. Chat knew that no matter what happened, he would never get the image out of her head. The image of her looking so fragile, the image of what she looked like on the brink of death. 

Chat ducked into a bathroom to allow himself to detransform. Plagg hovered in front of him, already knowing what had happened. Neither of them spoke, even when Adrien tossed him a piece of camembert. 

Adrien bit his lip. What if Ladybug detransformed without meaning to? It would be perhaps the worst way for her identity to be revealed. 

A ring cut through the grave silence, and Adrien took out his phone. "Hello?" He asked, his voice coming out thicker than he realized it would. It sounded as if he had been crying. 

"Adrien?" Alya's voice rang through, crisp and clear as an autumn breeze. She sounded worried. Of course she would be. "Where are you? Are you and Marinette okay? I'm with Nino right now. Did you hear what happened? We can't find you guys and Marinette, and she won't pick up her phone." 

Adrien swallowed, the lump in his throat seemed to grow with each passing second. "Marinette's fine," he lied, his fist curling so tightly he could feel the pinch when his nails cut into his palms. The pain was refreshing. "Her phone died, that's why she's not picking up any calls." 

"Oh, alright," there was a faint note of relief in Alya's voice. "Can I talk to her?" 

"Oh uh, not right now," Adrien said, trying to find an excuse, any excuse, that would sell. "My phone's almost dead too, and we have to tell her parents that she's okay." 

"Oh, okay." There was a hint of disappointment, but at least Alya seemed convinced. "Did you..." her voice was tentative, and Adrien realized with a sinking heart what she was going to say before she even said it. "Did you hear about Hawkmoth?" 

"Yeah," a new surge of emotions rose in a wave in his chest. Tears pricked at Adrien's eyes, and one escaped, trailing down his cheek and splattering on the tile of the bathroom floor. 

"Are you alright?" Alya asked, her voice soft and full of concern. 

"Yes," Adrien took a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it. I've got to go. We have to call Marinette's parents before my phone dies." 

"Okay," Alya said. "Stay safe." 

Adrien stared at his phone. There was a roil of emotions in his chest, battling for dominance. I can't think about this now, he thought. Ladybug needs me. 

"Plagg," he whispered. "Claws out." 

There was already a crowd in the hospital when Chat emerged from the bathroom. He should've been touched at the sight, at all the cards and posters and flowers that the citizens had whipped up a matter of moments. But he wasn't. In fact, the sight sickened him.

Nevertheless, he played the part that they wanted to see. The grateful superhero who still smiled despite all that had happened. Chat found himself reassuring them, as if they were the ones who were waiting the news of whether the love of their life was going to live or die. 

So many bouquets, so many thank yous. It's like they think she's already dead, Chat thought as his gut tightened. 

It seemed an eternity before the last of the visitors trickled out of the hospital, and Chat collapsed into a nearby chair. If he had been exhausted before, he was absolutely drained now. 

"Chat Noir?" Chat looked up to see a young nurse standing in front of him. She gave him a tentative smile. "The doctor wants to see you," she said. "You're not the only one who was injured in the fight. The least we can do is patch you up." 

"I can't," Chat swallowed. "I have to stay here, in case—"

The nurse gave him a sympathetic look, her eyebrows crinkling in concern. "She'll still be here when you come back," she whispered. "But right now, you need to be taken care of. Our best doctors are working on her, you have nothing to worry about." 

Chat could hear the lie in her voice. She was just as uncertain as he was, but she was trying to be strong for him. "Alright," Chat said, getting up from the chair. "Okay." 

Obviously relieved, the nurse smiled and led him down the hall where a doctor was waiting. Chat was barely present as the doctor cleaned and bandaged his wounds, the physical pain of all the cuts and bruises didn't hold a candle to the bonfire of betrayal and agony in his chest. 

Thankfully, it wasn't before long that Chat stumbled back into the waiting room. He settled back into a chair but found that he couldn't keep still. Instead, he resorted to pacing around, despite the exhaustion weighing down. 

Another ring cut through his thoughts and Chat held up his phone to see a number he didn't recognize. He picked it up anyway. "Hello?" 

"Is this Adrien Agreste?" A familiar voice came through the other side and Chat's heart sank. "I'm Sabine, Marinette's mom. Have you heard from Marinette? We can't seem to get a hold of her." 

Chat steeled his nerves in preparation for another lie before responding, "yeah, this is Adrien. Marinette's fine, she's with me. We're not hurt. Her phone died, that's why she isn't picking up." 

"Oh, thank goodness," Sabine sighed in relief on the other end. "Can we talk to her?" 

"Actually," Adrien said, taking his phone from his ear. "My phone's about to di—" He ended the call. 

There was a tinge of guilt for hanging up on Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, but he had no other choice. At least she and Marinette's father weren't worrying about their daughter's safety anymore. 

The afternoon faded into dusk, and dusk melted into the deep hours of the night. Chat Noir sat down in the seat, stoic and unmoving, his head in his hands as he waited. He was surprised at how quickly dawn came, the first light of the morning seeping through the hopsital windows, trails of amber slithering down the tiled floor, chased by ribbons of cherry-blossom pink. 

Several people had rushed in and out of the surgery room, doctors and nurses bringing trays of new supplies disappeared behind the swinging blue door. Everytime someone slipped in or out, Chat could see the huddle of people around the operating table. 

By the time someone came to get him, Chat hadn't slept all night. He was sure that he looked worse than he felt, but he had refused to sleep in case Ladybug needed him. Now, a doctor stood over him, clipboard in hand. He looked as exhausted as Chat felt but all Chat felt as elation and crushing relief as the doctor gave him a weary smile. 

"You can go see her now."