Chapter Text
Marinette was slowly waking up from sleep. She heard some movement over by her desk. She thought Tikki might have come in from her new favorite spot on the balcony. Now that they didn't have to worry about akumas in the night Tikki would sleep in the plants. Marinette had put a warming rock out there just in case it was too cool.
"Is that you, Tikki?" Marinette mumbled drowsily. The distinctly male voice that responded caused her to jump up fast enough to make her dizzy.
"Sorry Princess. Did I wake you?" Chat Noir's voice came from the stairs on her loft bed.
"Chat Noir? What's going on? Am I in danger?"
Marinette climbed down the ladder to turn on the lamp on her desk. She cringed at the brightness and turned back right into Chat Noir. She jumped and covered her mouth as she squeaked in surprise. She didn't want to wake her parents. She reached toward his costume that had brown patches that were accented by his signature green. Chat Noir walked around her room and grabbed a few things of hers. She looked around confused thinking she must be having a weird dream.
He stacked what looked like several of her sketchbooks in one hand then wrapped his other arm around her. She didn't know what he was planning until he called out "Voyage!" and pulled her through the portal that opened.
It was the sheer panic that finally pulled her out of her sleepy state. She was in a different residence but she didn't recognize it. She knew it wasn't Adrien's house or any of the friend's homes that she had visited. She was starting to get worried that his father had told Adrien that she was Ladybug but in that case he would probably know Adrien was Chat Noir. She couldn't ask that because Ladybug, not Marinette, was the one who knew Chat Noir's identity.
Marinette knew that it was sometime after midnight because her mother had come up then to wish her happy birthday like she had done every birthday since she turned 10. Maybe it was some elaborate birthday surprise since she was turning 15. She looked around to see if any of her friends were there waiting. A middle of the night surprise party would be epic. Then she turned when there was a bright green flash to see Chat Noir's suit fade into a grinning Adrien.
"Happy birthday!" He said. She just started at him his lashes hovered over his eyes seeming to cover more even as his eyes got bigger. She realized as his hand cupped her cheek that they were getting closer not bigger because he was trying to kiss her. She put her hand on his chest and backed away, her feet ran into a couch and she fell onto it.
"Where is everyone else?" Adrien tilted his head as if he didn't understand. He walked over and sat next to her on the couch. He actually didn't understand. He asked what she meant and she explained that she thought maybe this was a surprise for her birthday and that her friends would be there soon. He evaded the questions.
He sat next to her on the couch and held her hands in his. He seemed to be willing to talk about anything except what was going on but after a while Marinette started to relax a bit. He kept hugging her every few minutes. He said since his father's arrest he wasn't getting to see people and he missed hugs and hers were the best. It was while he was holding her close that he let slip that he was so happy to be away from Paris.
Marinette stiffened. If they weren't in Paris then what were they doing? Adrien wouldn't meet her eyes anymore. But he finally explained that this was his house and that he was going to live there with her. Marinette jumped up and demanded to go home. She said that her parents would worry and all her friends would miss her. He just laughed and said she would grow to love it eventually.
She desperately pushed him away and ran into a hallway that led to a large staircase that came from an elaborate 2 story, entryway. She didn't pay much attention to what it looked like, she just ran down the steps to the front door. When she pulled it open she discovered it had a double entry door and the other one locked with a keyed deadbolt. She dropped down to her knees as he came up behind her. He picked her back up from where she was crying by the door and took her back to the couch. Laying a blanket over her he held her and gently rubbed circles on her back. He used a remote to turn on some soft music and eventually she stopped crying as she fell asleep. Her body would still shudder with a sob every few minutes and it broke Adrien's heart to see.
---
Sabine didn't know how she missed seeing Marinette this morning but she must have rushed off to see friends. She found her phone and brought it down so she could hopefully meet up to bring her the brunch picnic surprise she planned with her friends. She called Alya to see if Marinette wanted her phone. She figured that was the most likely place for her to be so early.
Marlene Cesaire answered her phone after she couldn't get ahold of Alya. But she informed her that Alya was still asleep and the plan was to surprise Marinette at 10 because they know how much she doesn't like mornings and Alya was intending to keep her all night after the family celebration.
Sabine said that was fine and that she had expected as much. And they joked about how they had to take turns and only see them in pairs or groups now that they were teenagers. They spent a few minutes discussing how they felt now that their girls were heading into lycee in a couple months. Marlene told her how it was when Nora went to lycee and how much she needed her again now that she had graduated last spring and had moved out to discover she didn't know everything.
After a few minutes Alya appeared, her eyes barely open, she went for the coffee and told the moms that she had sent a message out in the group chat to see if anyone had seen her explaining that she had forgotten her phone. Sabine hung up to get back to the bakery but she was worried. She knew Marinette usually told her if she was going to be out and Alya was the most likely person to check with.
Alya had gotten a few responses in the chat that Marinette hadn't been seen but she kept seeing people who saw and didn't respond. She posted an angry message that she would kick the asses of all who left it on seen without responding.
Sabine had called back a couple hours later to see about an update, she had contacted all the people Marinette baby sat for or had commissions for, her grandparents and teachers and no one knew anything. Alya told her that she and Nino had called everyone in their phones and even sent Chloe to bother Penny Rollings to see if they had maybe asked to commission her. Currently they were getting together in groups to check her favorite inspiration spots.
Tom saw Sabine sit down after getting off the phone with the Cesaire's and start crying. He abandoned the line of customers to hold her whole she explained that no one has seen Marinette. That it was as if she had disappeared from her bed.
That is when they called to report her as missing.
---
Marinette awoke in a bed. She looked around. It had recently been painted pink and had a new looking dresser and desk. Packages sat nearby with a dress form and a sewing machine. Many smaller packages had sewing and drawing basics several with fabric choices and very nice coloring pencils. Everything she could ever want.
She opened a door in the room and it led to a closet. A bigger closet than she could have imagined. On one side were some hangers a few of which had clothing on them. The other side had divided shelves with more fabric and plenty of places for more. She put on one of the outfits so she wouldn't be in her pajamas anymore. No shoes though. She went over to the window anyway. They were high off the floor. Over her shoulder level. They had a latch on the bottom and they tilted open from the top. Marinette pushed it all the way open. It barely opened wider than the length of her hand. There was no way she could climb out of that.
Assessing the room and finding no other options, she walked through the door and she was in a hallway. She saw that there was an exterior door and she rushed over to it as quietly as she could. The handle turned but the door stuck. She noticed a small twisting latch that she turned and the door opened. She was outside.
It was a very large terraced area with a short stone wall with a wrought iron fence on one side. She could easily climb over but looking down she was three stories up so it would be a bad idea. Her feet were already cold from the early morning ground and as she looked around she knew she wasn't in Paris for sure. Nothing looked familiar.
She blinked back her tears as she heard the door open behind her. Adrien had a tray of breakfast and asked if she wanted to eat out there. He had heard her go out there and didn't even worry about her getting away because he knew it was impossible. She thought it must have come from a patisserie much like her parents' before he had laid it out on the tray. Croissants, coffee, and orange juice and a miniature double layered pavlova with a candle set up in the whipped cream.
She was unsurprised that he hadn't brought any phones or tablets for her to use. It was clear that he had planned this. For enough time for him to have the house decorated and have items specifically for her. That concerned her but what concerned her even more was how it would look for her to be gone. There would be no trace of her. Her bed was empty but the trap door was locked and her sketchbooks were the only thing really missing. How long would it be before anyone realized she hadn't just found a place to sketch and once they did, how would they ever know where to look for her.
Adrien was as oblivious as ever to how she was feeling. He was anxious to show her the house. It was massive. Everything was three times the size of her parents house. He told her that he knew she would love the balcony and it was a big part of the reason he had chosen this house. He waited on her to decide what to plant out there. He showed her all the rooms. It basically had every amenity you could think of, there was a private gym and a huge walk-in shower and also a large tub with jets.
She noticed a computer in his room that appeared to have an internet cable. Marinette tried not to seem overly interested as she looked around. The kitchen could pass for a professional kitchen. The appliances were new and shiny. She opened the cupboards and ran her hand along the smooth countertops. It was fully stocked but she froze when she noticed that the labels were all in English.
Where could he have taken her? She had just assumed that they were in another French city. She had taken English as her language choice but she was not very proficient at it. She wasn't sure if anyone would understand her even if she could get away. By the time they got to the ground floor Marinette just wanted to lay down. Her brain couldn't take anymore. She wasn't even sure what any of the rooms were for. It feels like a museum, how it was so big and shiny.
She took note of all the windows. All the ones on the ground floor were large and flat and didn't appear to open; they just provided a lot of natural light in the large parlor area. She thought maybe the room might open up to be used as a ballroom. It was clear that it was an old, grand house that has been carefully updated to have all the modern touches. The second floor windows all had bars over them so they could be opened but be over could get through them. Marinette knew there had to be another door somewhere. There was likely a way for household staff to get in without being seen in the front. She just needed to find it when Adrien was busy.