25: A trail of tears

"That kid...he actually misses me!" cried Plagg, rolling on Mari's desk.

"That's why I told you, you can go home. Wayzz is there with you so I believe you'll both be fine." replied Marinette, who seems to be busy scribbling something.

"What is that?" he floats circling around Mari's hands.

"I am writing lyrics for Luka's song. I can't believe I used that as an alibi. Now I'll have to really start writing so we could have something to work on tomorrow." she said, her hand pushing against her temples.

"I thought you were going to help Adrien look for his cat?" Plagg crossed his arms.

Marinette glances, frowning at the cat, "You are aware I'm too guilty to do that, right? I really thought he lost an actual cat."

"I am a cat!"

"You are a kwami, Plagg." she corrects, "I feel really bad for Chat, and that feeling is drowning me twice as much, knowing he's also Adrien."

"You don't have to sound so guilty about it. I took the initiative of staying away from him. You lost Tikki, how am I supposed to be at ease with that?"

"And he lost you Plagg." she replied with sad eyes, "We both know how sad Adrien's childhood been. He's never had many friends and had never had the chance to go out much. You're one of the reasons why Adrien can become himself throught Chat Noir. I just...hope you don't forget that."

Marinette and the little black ends up staring at each other.

"Nothing is going to get resolved by this." he whispered in a serious tone.

Plagg then decides to float away from Marinette, frustrated of himself. He flies to Tikki's bed at Marinette's headboard, pondering whether he did the right thing or maybe what he did made things more complicated than it already is.

* * * * * * * * *

"Don't forget to practice your piano today." reminded Natalie before she closed the door.

As soon as the secretary disappeared, the boy plunges himself to his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"The cheese disappeared when morning came. He must have dropped by while I was sleeping." he mumbles to himself, sighing, "Oh Plagg, where are you?"

"Do not worry about Plagg." said Wayzz levitating out of Adrien's bag. The boy was awfully surprised crawling away from his bag in fear before he realized it was just Master Fu's former kwami.

"Wayzz?" he said crawling back to him.

"Hello, Adrien." Wayzz courteously bowed.

"What were you doing in my bag? And what do you mean 'not to worry'? Do you know where Plagg is?"

Wayzz smiled, "Fear not, Plagg is out on a mission with the guardian. He should come back to your side soon."

"Plagg is with Ladybug?"

"Correct. In the meantime, the master sent me to keep you company." he proudly grinned. Wayzz remembered what Marinette told him. Tell Chat the truth but walk around the truth, and Wayzz did it wonderfully.

"And what it this mission you speak of?" Adrien cocks an eyebrow, crossing his legs on his bed.

"A very important mission." Wayzz said confidently. That didn't give him the answer he wanted.

"And why does Plagg have to do it without me when I'm his partner?" he pries.

"Uhh..well that is..." Wayzz stutters. The kwami realized the only answer to that was because Ladybug lost Tikki and Plagg deliberately decided to be by her side.

Adrien leans in pressuring Wayzz, "Well?"

Gulp. "I am sorry I cannot tell you. It's highly confidential for now." Wayzz exclaimed eyes closed. Adrien realizes how unfair it was for him to corner Wayzz when he was just doing his job.

Adrien chuckles, "Ease up, I'm not going to roast you more of this." he said smiling with lonely eyes, "It's just sad how I feel like I'm too useless to function."

Wayzz felt a pinch in his heart, "That is not true!" He floats up to his face, surprising the dear boy, "Master Fu chose you as Chat Noir because he knew despite your circumstances, you have a good heart. You know how it feels to be broken and you know how to deal with it. That's why you complete Ladybug who is continuously broken everyday unaware of what to do. You compliment each other. And yet..." Wayzz pauses, feeling down, "I wonder why she would rather shoulder all of it to herself when she knows she's about to fall apart."

Adrien looked stunned hearing all of those. He never knew he held that kind of responsibility apart from saving Paris.

* * * * * * * * * *

A mountain of scribbled paper is supposed to be a sign of a writer's creative dump, but for Marinette, it was just dump. None of her creative juices were working so she leans back to her chair, feeling drained and helpless.

"This isn't working." she mumbles to herself, "I got one four-lined stanza and I don't even think it makes any sense." she groans covering her face, "I'm a disaster."

She notices the room has become quiet and the black cat was nowhere near her.

"Plagg?" she decides to call for him. There was no response. "Where is that cat?" she stands up breezing around her room. She opens her trunks, flips her cushion, peeks under the lamp, no Plagg. She glances up to her loft hoping he'd be there.

"Pla....gg?" she said, her head peeking out from the end of the bed. There he was, sleeping on Tikki's bed. Marinette felt relieved he hadn't left. She worried he might have decided to go back and disappeared without saying a word.

"He's sleeping." she crawls over her sheets, getting close to the curled up cat. Marinette notices a trail of water that had rolled down on Plagg's cheek. "He must have cried himself to sleep." she swooped in her hand, lifting Plagg to her, "I know I'm not the only one sacrificing right now. You're in a lot more pain being away from Adrien. He's your best friend after all." she whispers sadly.

Plagg began to gain awareness of his surrounding. The little guy was shocked finding himself on Mari's palm as he sluggishly rubbed the sleep from his eye.

"Marinette?" he slowly got up.

"Did I wake you?" she replied.

Plagg shook his head, "I was feeling a bit tired so I took a nap."

"I know." she smiled, "But I want to apologize for saying all those things earlier. I know you're trying your best to stay away from Adrien to keep him safe and yet I selfishly told you to go home so he'd feel better. I didn't consider the sacrifice you had to make."

Plagg blinked, "No, don't say that. You were right. It's unfair how I just left Adrien without a word. I should have went home with Nooroo that night and explained to him in the morning how I'll need to be gone for a while."

The two fell silent.

"I still think you should at least see Adrien, but I don't like the idea of you being in the same house as Hawkmoth." Mari explained.

"Why don't you just go with me?" Plagg suggests.

Mari frowns, "But I can't transform into Ladybug without Tikki. He'll figure out my identity if I turn into something else."

"Then what about that?" Plagg gestures playing the flute.

Mari gasps realizing what he meant, "Of course! You're brilliant Plagg!" she exclaimed pulling the kwami into a cheek hug.

"You finally recognize my talent." he smugly replied.