(I might turn this into a thing? But I’m not sure. Every time I get an idea for an opening, my automatic desire is to turn it into a full-length fic with chapters and everything, but that doesn’t always happen. But I’ve been getting more inspired to write some MLB fics lately, so who knows?)
In the movies, it always rained for moments like this. Orchestral music would rise in the background as heavy sheets poured from above, a cold, unforgiving weight upon the protagonist, a reflection of the dark secret he’d run from.
But the night was silent and the sky was clear, the moon a bright, all-seeing eye as Adrien pounded across the rooftops, each footfall echoing with the drumming of his heart. The eerie quiet was a blessing in that he was sure he would hear if anyone had followed him, but he still couldn’t shake the way his skin crawled, like someone’s eyes were following his every move.
He hadn’t seen, had he? Adrien would know if he’d seen, right? There would probably be an akuma chasing after him right now, trying to stop him from revealing the truth. Would Hawkmoth be hunting down Cat Noir, or would Adrien’s father be trying to coax his son into returning home? After today, Adrien would never again be able to know for sure.
At last, Adrien’s eyes met with a forgiving warmth, buttery yellow and soft as a a baby’s blanket, spilling through Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s bedroom window. The knot in the center of Adrien’s chest unraveled just a little. He stepped towards the light, as though something were pulling him.
He saw Marinette’s tiny body jolt when he knocked on the window, her eyes blinking as she saw him, as though she were attempting to clear them. He waited, knowing the despair written on his own face as he watched the concern fall over her face, followed by determination as he pulled him inside.
“What’s wrong, Cat Noir? What happened?”
He’d called her their ‘everyday Ladybug’ once, and in moments like this one, he remembered why. It didn’t matter to her what she’d been doing before (a glance towards her desk showed a scattered assortment of thread spools, a box of colorful buttons, a length of fabric still laid out under the sewing machine), she stopped everything whenever someone needed her.
And Adrien needed her so, so badly.
“You’re the only one I could come to,” he told her. The truth of it left a lump of guilt in his throat that made it hard to swallow. “I couldn’t...I wanted to, but I couldn’t tell Ladybug.”
Marinette jolted again, her hand leaving his shoulder for a fraction of a second before she steadied herself, her expression suddenly somber. “Whatever it is, I’m sure you can trust her. She’s your partner.”
“I do trust her. With everything, with all of my heart, I trust her, Marinette. But I don’t trust myself. Not with this.”
“I don’t understand what you’re--”
Adrien braced himself. He breathed deep, and closed his eyes, and before Marinette could say another word, he said, “Plagg, claws in.”
He heard Marinette gasp. Felt her touch withdraw and when he looked up, saw that her hands had flown to her face. Her eyes were wide. She remained speechless as he took off his ring, cutting off any protests from Plagg in what felt like a harsh move.
“I know this is a lot to take in, but I need you to take this ring and give it back to Ladybug. Tell her...tell her I’m sorry, but I can’t be Cat Noir anymore. The ring isn’t safe with me. She needs to find someone else.”
Marinette looked like she was struggling to breathe, her hand on her heart, her eyes fluttering. As she tried to speak, the words came out in gasps. “A-Adrien, you...all this time you were...but I don’t understand, why are you doing this?”
At this, Adrien hung his head, still holding the ring out to her.
“Because my father is Hawkmoth.”
