27. Chapter 26

A/N: So for those of you who guessed Mr. Pigeon, that's what I was getting at with the bird references. (I liked the idea of the cat Tormenting the bird.) But I could see how some of you thought the Mime because the comment of the mention of his silence.

Breaking from her shocked stupor, Marinette ran to her husband, collapsing against his chest and bursting into sobs. His arms engulfed her, supporting her upright as she felt like her legs would give out from under her.

"What happened," he demanded.

She cringed at his voice but quickly realized it wasn't aimed at her. Which was good because she couldn't bring herself to speak at the moment.

"We were talking all together huddled on the bed," Alya answered. "We thought the scratching at the window was just the wind, so we ignored it. Until…" Alya paused, and Marinette knew why.

She gripped Adrien's shirt tighter.

"Next thing we know, a man has a knife at Marinette's neck. This one." Marinette could only assume that Alya indicated the guy she had just walloped over the head with her frying pan. "He said if we screamed, she'd die."

"Then a second one appeared," another voice, Tikki, chimed in. "He was more interested in Alix, commenting how she was the little princess he was hired to find. Then there was some comment about dragging her back by her heels—"

"Where's the second man?" Adrien interrupted.

"Here," Kim spoke up. "Dead."

Dead?

Marinette pulled her head out from Adrien's chest so that she could look over at Kim, who was staring at the floor behind the bed with a gruesome look. "Looks like he fell on his knife."

"He…he must have done it when I gave him the slip," Alix shakily answered, scooting towards the opposite side of the bed. "Maybe with a little push from Tikki."

"I wasn't trying to kill him!"

"We know, Tikki," Plagg said, appearing at Tikki's side to pull her in. "We know. Don't worry about it."

"Then this one," Adrien said, indicating the man Alya had felled, "what did he do to you, Marinette?"

With an unsteady breath, Marinette did her best to get words out when all she felt like releasing were sobs. "He…he pulled me off the bed…t-t-trying to get me…to the door." She took moment to catch her breath. "He w-wanted my earrings. Kept demanding…where I k-kept them. D-demanding…that I give them up."

"He never took the blade away from her neck," Alya said, carrying on where Marinette couldn't finish. "It was only when the other one struggled to get Alix was he distracted long enough for me to…well."

"Where did you even get that, anyway?" Nino asked.

Alya sent him a flat look. "I'm used to being prepared with things to defend myself. I took this from the kitchen and have been sleeping with it under the mattress ever since the house was put on lockdown. There's a knife under there, too. My own."

Nino shook his head in disbelief.

"When he wakes up, he'll be able to give us answers since the other one is…"Alya didn't need to finish the sentence.

"No, he won't," Nino said, kneeling by the corpse. "He's dead, too."

Alya's eyes widened as the frying pan slipped from her grasp and clanged against the floor. "What?"

Marinette felt like she was going to be sick.

Suddenly, she felt herself scooped up from the floor. "Men, get the girls out of here," he directed. "Plagg, the man in the hall?"

"Knocked him out. I'll take care of him," he assured before leaning over to whisper something in Tikki's ear.

"Good. We'll clear this in the morning." With that, Adrien carried Marinette from the room.

She resisted the urge to cry again.

"It's okay," he cooed. "It's okay. You're safe now. You're safe."

"Please, don't leave me," she sobbed out. She resituated her arms around his neck, pressing her face into the safety of his shoulder. "Please, don't leave me alone."

The way he tightened his hold, shifting her further into his chest and cradling her closer—if that was even possible—was a comfort. "I won't, love," he said reverently. "I promise, I won't."

After a while of tossing and turning, Marinette had gotten a few moments of rest. True to his word, Adrien hadn't left her side. He adapted to all her shifting with no complaint. Every once in a while, he would coo "you're safe" in her ear. It was usually accompanied by him rubbing circles on her back and tightening his hold on her.

By morning, she was anxious to get up, yet at the same time, hesitant to leave her room. But Adrien was there, coaxing her out of bed, convincing her that she needed to eat something. He said that stressful situations left one weak yet unwilling to eat. "Even just a little, maybe some tea," he said. "And if nothing else, just get out of the room."

She supposed he was right. She hadn't wanted to eat after the Theo incident either. "Okay," she relented.

With that, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before crawling out of bed. She repressed her urge to whine at his missing presence because they did need to get dressed for the day. Forcing herself from the comfort of her sheets, she pulled out some clothes she could put on herself. Some old ones from her days prior to a princess; things without laces in the back so she didn't have to ring Tikki. She hurried to pull on a skirt and a blouse but felt strangled by the top buttons. She reached up to yank the collar forward, only to feel the sting as her fingertips scratched at her neck. Gasping, she unbuttoned the last two buttons on her high-necked blouse, desperate for relief.

A knock sounded from her door.

"One more moment, Adrien," she called. Removing the blouse entirely, she tossed it back and pulled out a different one, one with a wider neckline. She pulled the loose blouse over her, certain she looked more like a peasant then she had in the past few months. Her husband probably wouldn't appreciate it, and Alix certainly wouldn't considering she had near scolded Marinette for believing she was anything but royalty. But she had to find something to wear, so it would have to do for now.

She tucked the end of her slightly baggy blouse into the waist of her skirt then opened the door to her husband's room. At the sight of her, he gave her a curious once over, but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

That suffocating feeling was back. "Is something wrong?" she asked, pulling at her collar as subtly as she could.

"No," he quickly assured. "I was just—" His eyes grew wide as he followed her movements. Marinette felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Did he mistake her actions for something else?

He suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing it upwards. His fingertips brushed her neck. The resulting gasp was more out of pain than anything else.

Adrien's growl was enough to scare her heart to double-speed. "He got you."

She silently begged her heart to stop beating so fast as much as she silently begged Adrien to let her go. Didn't he know how much it hurt?

As though he heard her mental wishes, he released her jaw. She reached up to touch the burning spot. When she pulled away, little drops of red dotted her fingertips.

Her eyes widened. Last night may be a blur, but apparently, the man had nicked her with the knife he pressed against her throat, after all. She vaguely remembered how it stung but hadn't given it any thought.

"He's lucky he's dead," Adrien grumbled beneath his breath. "Or I would kill him where he stands."

"Adrien, you don't mean that," she said. Surely, he was just angry.

The glare he turned on her made her shutter. He took a moment to close his eyes and recompose himself. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I…I don't mean it. I'm just…" When he opened his eyes, his gaze was far softer than it had been. "I wasn't there to protect you. Again. And again, you were hurt before I was able to reach you."

Marinette reach out to rest her hands on his arms. "You were there, though. And…it might have been for the best you weren't there any sooner."

He looked offended at that.

"No, really," she said. "If you had barged in, he might have killed me. He would have had the upper-hand because he would have had me to shoppingmode control you."

Adrien swallowed, and it looked like a hard task to do.

"So, maybe it was better the way things played out," she continued. "And in the end, you were still there when I needed you to be."

With a relenting sigh that seemed to cause his body to relax again, he reached for her to pull her close. She surrendered to his will, curling up against him and snuggling under his chin.

"As reasonable of a theory as that is," Adrien said, "know that in my mind, I still fall short because I wasn't able to protect you."

"Then I'll be there to assure you that I still put all my trust in you."

He squeezed her tight, pressing a firm kiss to the crown of her head. "I will do everything in my power to never let you down."

"I know you won't."

They stayed like that a while before Marinette grew worried for his silence. "Breakfast?" she said, quietly. "We still have to go eat."

He sighed then let out a humorless chuckle. "All right. I get it. Let's go eat."

Nervously, she grabbed the ends of her hair, only to realize she hadn't yet brushed it out. It must look like a mess. "Let me brush out my hair first."

His gaze softened. "Take all the time you need."

Blush on her cheeks, she sat at her vanity and picked up her brush. Pulling the bristles through her locks, she tried to ignore the fact that Adrien was watching her through the mirror. She was halfway through before she turned. "What is it?"

She loved the smile he gave her: soft, kind, loving. "You're beautiful; do you know that?"

Her blush deepening, she quickly turned back to the mirror as if that would hide her face from him. He chuckled, watching her as she finished brushing out her sleep-tangled hair. She set the hairbrush down then split her hair into two. Just as she was reaching for her ribbons, she saw that he had found them and was already holding them out for her. She looked up at him, taking in his smile as he extended the white ribbon out for her to take.

"You look so cute in your pigtails," he said. "I love them on you."

Could her face get any redder? She felt the heat flame up her neck and in her chest as she took the ribbon and tied one side of her hair. She took the second ribbon from him to tie the other side before she inspected her work in the mirror to ensure it was straight.

Adrien's hand came up to brush a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, one too short to tie back. Only, when he pulled away, he rubbed her earlobe. "Marinette," he said. "I know you don't want to wear them, but can I at least see these earrings that Theo seems to want so badly."

Biting her lip nervously, she glanced up at him, knowing all the while she wouldn't be able to resist such a request. With a sigh, she pulled open her drawer and retracted the little octagonal box.

"That looks just like the one my ring came in," Adrien commented.

"Really?"

"Yes. Exactly."

Unsure of what to make of it, she opened the box, revealing the earrings. Carefully, he took the box from her to inspect the earrings himself. His brow furrowed as he picked up one of the earrings to study it closely. Then, he put it against his ring, comparing the two of them. Curious herself, Marinette stood so that she could get a close view of the two items together. They really were made of the same black metal, each set with the clearest gem shards she'd ever seen.

"Interesting," he remarked before replacing the shoppingmode earring in the box.

"Do you think that Theo is after your ring?" she asked, "Just as he's after my earrings?"

"I think that's exactly what he's after," he agreed, looking down at the ring. "Why is the question."

Marinette stared at his ring then glanced at the box her earrings lay in. Reluctantly, she took the earrings and put them in.

Adrien watched silently as she did, never commenting though his question was written across his face.

"If we are going to tell the others," Marinette said, "then they need to know exactly what the objects Theo wants look like."

His smile widened as he gently ran his fingers over her ears. Slowly, he pulled her in to press a kiss to the shell of her ear, one that made her shutter.

"I…I think we should go," she said, desperate to leave before she died from the heat engulfing her face.

"But I love seeing you so red. It's adorable."

"Adrien."

Adrien chuckled but ignored her to press another kiss to her temple. Only when she whined did he relent, grinning all the while. "All right." With that, he entwined their fingers together and led her out the door.

As they marched to the dining hall, they passed a very somber Plagg. He looked at Adrien as though wishing to say something, but the way he glanced to Marinette told her that he wasn't going to say anything while she was around.

Marinette touched Adrien's shoulder and loosened her grip on his hand. "Plagg looks like he needs to speak to you."

With a sheepish grin, Adrien pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles before releasing her hand. He guided Plagg to the other side of the room, talking in low whispers while Marinette fiddled absently with the ribbons in her hair. After a moment, Adrien sent Plagg off with a firm pat to his shoulder. He returned to Marinette, grabbing both her hands to pull her along toward the dining hall.

She graced him with a smile before he turned to be side by side with her again.

When they made it to the dining hall, Marinette saw that there was already food out on the table. Who set it, she didn't know. All she did know was that none of it looked remotely appetizing.

"I know," Adrien assured her. "Really, I do. But please, try to eat something. It will do you better in the long run."

She looked between the platters of food and Adrien, her nose crinkling upwards as she tried to muster the will-power to agree to his terms.

"Tea?" he tried, concerned. "Just a little."

Her frown didn't lessen, though she logically thought it would be easier than trying to take a bite of something. "Okay."

With a smile, he guided her over to the chair to the right of his own before pulling it out for her to sit in. She took a seat, allowing him to push the chair back in. Instead of taking a seat, he took her plate, put a biscuit on it, then placed it back in front of her. He repeated the process with his own plate but took a small portion of eggs as well. Marinette frowned. Normally, he would have taken some meat, too.

"You aren't the only one who isn't hungry, sweetheart."

Surprised from her trance, she looked up at him while he poured a cup of tea for her then for him. Only once he replaced the teapot did he take a seat beside her.

She watched him as he poked at his eggs before taking a reluctant bite. Feeling guilty, she forced herself to rip off a small layer of the biscuit he put on her plate and dunk it in her tea before eating it. The smile he gave her made it easier to swallow.

Nino appeared half way through their silent meal. He easily plucked a biscuit from the tray, ripped it in half, then topped it with some of the ham. He earned some odd looks when he wrapped it in a napkin.

"Alya isn't feeling well," he explained, taking one of the teacups and filling it.

It surprised Marinette a little. Even if she was sick, Alya powered through, doing her job all the while. For her not to even come down to get her own breakfast told Marinette how sick Alya must be. "Tell her I hope she feels better, okay?"

Nino gave her a half-grin. "I'm sure she'll be glad to hear it. I think she's more concerned about you, though."

"Tell her I'm fine and that I'm more concerned about her."

"She said you would say that."

That warmed Marinette. "Alya and I have always cared for each other. Like sisters. She's always been the strong one between the two of us, though."

"I don't know," Nino commented. "It takes a lot of courage to continue on through everything you've been through."

"Alya would have handled it better," Marinette bitterly admitted.

"Alya would have handled it. I don't think better."

Unsure if she was willing to believe it, Marinette's brow furrowed. "Since when have you become an expert on my best friend?"

A strange red tint rose to Nino's cheeks. "Alya seems to have one fierce way to handle everything, where as you are able to navigate the unknown far more tactfully and practically."

"Since when have you become an expert on my wife?" Adrien spoke up, teasingly.

Nino tossed his hands in the air. "I do happen to live in the same house with you two. Excuse me if I pick up a few things."

Adrien sniggered. "I'll let that pass this once, but I got my eye on you, buddy."

With an amused shake of his head, Nino filled another napkin with the same meal before taking both meals and the tea.

"Alya hates having people wait on her," Marinette commented after Nino had left.

"She looked pretty terrified last night," Adrien replied. "Even the strongest people fall to stress."

"I suppose so."

Adrien reached over to place a comforting hand over her own. Meeting his gaze, she granted him a smile. Hand in hand, they finished their small breakfast just as Kim walked in.

"No one is joining us, but everyone wants something to take," Adrien joked.

Kim huffed a humorless laugh. "Alix isn't up to coming down, otherwise she would join us at the table."

"So, you are going to join her instead?" Adrien remarked, watching Kim fill two plates.

In all the time Marinette had known Kim, she never saw even a hint of a blush on his cheeks, except for now. It may have been subtle and disappeared in a second, but it was still there. "We still have a lot to catch up on," was all he said before taking the plates from the room.

Marinette felt herself smile. "How come I feel like there are three couples under this roof, not just us and our recently engaged friends?"

Adrien's lopsided smile was bright. "I dare say soon to be four."

"Four couples?" Marinette repeated. With a pause, she wondered about the fourth. "You don't think Alya and Nino…?"

"I've known Nino seemingly forever. Wherever Alya is concerned, his mannerisms change just enough to be noticeable."

"And I suppose Alya has surrendered more fights to Nino then I've seen with anyone else."

A thoughtful quiet settled over the duo as they eventually accepted the fact.

"I suppose that leaves Ms. Mendeleiev out, doesn't it?" Marinette joked.

Grinning, Adrien shook his head. "We just have to find an appropriate man to walk through the door, and according to history, the rest will be shoppingmode destiny."

In stark contrast to the heavy mood earlier that morning, Marinette laughed.