Owner	Pose
Marinette DuPain	************************5 Hours Ago - 6:00 a.m. EST.************************ The night was quiet. Marinette was sleeping soundly with the kwami's curled against her side and tucked under the blanket. She had gotten the nurse to turn the heart monitor down as low as it would go without being fully off. She was hoping it would help Adrien sleep better. For as reluctant as she had been to put her mask back on, and ecen with where it has landed her, Mari's life seems much less complicated to her now so her sleep is a peaceful one. She had even fallen asleep holding Adrien's hand. Beep...Beep...Beep... Nice and steady, right? ...Beep...Beep...Beepbeep...Beepbeep.... Beep... Until it wasn't. In the bed, Mari's body cinvulsed, eyes shoiting open and even with oxygen, she couldn't catch her breath. Suddenly, the door burst open and a nurse is running in. "Get a crash cart in here! She's going into cardiac arrest!" The kwamis.... Adrien.... None acknowledged at the moment.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien hadn't complained about the beeping, even though it was annoying. He reasoned to himself that it was what the hospital needed, so he lived with it. Having the volume turned down was a blessing. Having Marinette's hand in his was the best blessing, and he lounged in teh sleeper chair next to her bed, a blanket over him, sleeping mostly peacefully. That sound wasn't right. Adrien's nose scrunched as his eyes opened, mind in a fog but trying to figure out what the source was. Was his phone going off? Marinette convulses and Adrien sits up quickly with a shot of adrenaline. The entrance of the nurse startles him and for a second he just stares. ...going into cardiac arrest! "Marinette?" Adrien shoves himself out of the chair, ignoring where the blanket ends up in favor of tightening his grip on her hand. His other hand comes up for her cheek, green eyes trying to peer into blue, not at all sure what's happening or what can be done, but reacting to the wide eyes and how she's gasping for air.
Marinette DuPain	"Sir, yiu need to step out of the room. Now." The nutse doesn't wait to see if he listens or not. Her eyes are on Marinette. "Come on...." Beepbeep... ... ..Beep... ..Beepbeep.... Anoyher nurse and a doctor rush in, a cart with electric paddles being pushed on with them. And then it all stops. The sttuggle to breathe. The way her body twitches at not getting enough air. Her eyes roll and flutter shut. .......Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep..... Adrien is shoved out of the way. "Get that cart over here!" Paddles are grabbed as her gown is pulled down and pads placed on her chest. With gel on the paddles, the machine whines as it's primed. "Clear!" The shock forces Matinette's body to twitch but there's no response.
Adrien Agreste	Plagg was the only one clear headed enough to act. Adrien may not have ever paid attention to Grey's Anatomy or SCRUBS or any of those shows that would play on his Netflix, but Plagg did. The words crash cart meant the possibility of zappy zappy. Electroshock was not a thing the cat kwami wanted to experience, and so, feeling his Chosen's weight and expecting Tikki to be too much in shock to be worth more than a very cute, red, bug-shaped paperweight, Plagg shoved Tikki along Marinette's arm, to the joined hands, and then up into the sleeve of Adrien's jacket. Because the room was cold and the blanket was light and he'd been wearing it when he'd fallen asleep. Plagg climbs along the lining, forcing Tikki up an inch at a time until they are at Adrien's forearm. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee- Plagg freezes, feeling a cold panic from more than just the way his Chosen's heart nearly stops at the sound. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. A Ladybug was supposed to live a long life. It was the cat that would almost always fall in battle. Plagg knew this. It'd happened far to many times. Plagg knew that his kittens would always throw themselves in the way, would always give their final breathes so the Bug could carry on. This? This seemed wrong, unfair in a way that didn't sit right with the tiny ball of bad luck and destruction. His kept his body wrapped about Tikki, claws sunk into the silk liner of Adrien's jacket as the world is jostled. Adrien gets shoved away, staring as the light fades from those perfect blue eyes and the curtain of her lids fall over them. He stumbles back over the chair, shoved roughly by the nurses. How many had come in? How many were there? He wasn't aware of Gorille's strong hands hauling him to his feet, or of the press of the man's arm against his ribs as the brute pulled him back, pulled him away. Adrien struggled, common sense and finesse fleeing from him. His feet kicked hard against this man who had always protected him, had been with him - a stalwart defender - for as long as Adrien could remember. There wasn't so much as a grunt from the body guard. Adrien elbowed, and clawed with his blunt fingers. He would have bitten if Gorille had given him the chance. And the whole time Adrien is deaf to the sound of his own voice growing more and more horse as he screams for Marinette. The only sound he can hear: -eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-
Marinette DuPain	"Again! Clear!" Another jolt... And no change. "Doctor... She's g--" A dark haired doctor, young and clearly new, shoots the nurse a sharp look. "Again." The nurse obeys but makes her thoughts know. "It's been took long...." It only takes moments. "Clear!" ... ... ...beep... ... ... ... beep... ... The paddles are quickly replaced. "Adrenaline shot and bag her before we lose it again!" He already starting chest compressions to helpnthe beat stabilize. Tikki clings to Plagg. shakibg and with tears streaming down her face. She never makes a sound though despite how hard she wants to sob.
Adrien Agreste	.... beep ... ... .... Adrien stops struggling when it finally gets through to him that the doctors are trying to save her life, seem to be sort of succeeding. 'It's been too long.' She's lost. She's gone. He just found her, just got to tell her, finally discovered... and she's... ... beep .... ..hanging by a thread. He sinks back against Gorille's chest, the man's arms around him, trapping him as the brute puts them into a corner as far from everything as possible. Against Tikki, crushed by her and the pull of fabric against Adrien's forearm, Plagg works to keep his paws strong, pushing the silk and leather away so Tikki isn't smothered. He felt her turn to face him. He felt her cling to him. He wishes he could wrap his paws about her, but he can't. Not and keep them from being forced to phase clear or be crushed between human and clothing. "She'll be fine. She's strong. She'll pull through," Plagg is whispering to Tikki, praying it's true.
Marinette DuPain	"No... she has to transform... I can do this for her..." And then Plagg is faced with a whole new problem of a squirming bug. Now... Have we been paying attention? Two minutes and six seconds before they got the first beep. The machine was shut off so it wouldn't distract. "I keep losing it, doctor," says the nurse with her fingers on Mari's neck. One... Two... Three... Four... Bag. The patter is repeated over and over. Three minutes amd twenty seven seconds... "Got it!" Three minutes and fifty two seconds. "Steady." Immediately, an oxygen mask is pulled down over Marinette's mouth and nose. The contacy pads for the paddle are pulled back up amd the heart monitor put back on. "Prep her anf room in ICU," The doctor orders before turning to face Adrien, his expression grave.
Adrien Agreste	"No! She can't! You'll reveal to a whole roomful of people. You don't want to. Feeling that tearing, no. Tikki, no," Plagg is saying, grunting with the effort it takes to try to keep her still and not phasing through the fabric. For Adrien, he doesn't acknowledge the squirming kwami in his coat. He's still deaf to what's gong on, that high pitched whine of the heart monitor flat lining out still ringing in his ears. The sound redoubles in time to the new sound of a heart monitor, the deafening steady tone overlaying everything he hears. His green eyes fight to slide to the doctor, his face pale, frame shaking. Adrien shakes his head, fear heavy in his gaze. He doesn't want to hear it. He knows he has to hear it. He doesn't want to face it. He know he has to face it. Gorgille's arm loosen just a bit but Adrien doesn't move from the restraining hold; it's almost an embrace.
Marinette DuPain	"Mister Agreste... You're fiancee is in very critical condition at the moment. We were able to get her heart beating again, but she was gone for over three minutes." The Doctor motions to the hallway. "We're going to be moving her to ICU for close monitoring. The next six hours are the most important. We'll do everything we can gor her, sir but you should prepare yourself. There's a cgance she may never wake up. And when she does, there may be irreversible brain damage..."
Adrien Agreste	'...she was gone...' The words make Adrien dizzy, and if Gorille hadn't been holding him up, he would have slumped to the floor right then and there. Motioned, Gorille makes the blonde move when he otherwise wouldn't, and Adrien ends up in the hallway wiht the doctor, Gorille holding him steady by a shoulder. '...she may never wake up... ...irreversible brain damage...' Dizzy again, Adrien sinks into the chair Gorille shoved him to. His hands came up to his face and his back hunched over, folding himself near in half. 'Mr. Agreste...' Adrien shakes again, takes a breath, and then shoves himself up straight, ignoring the tears and the soft but ever persistent flatline tone in the back of his mind. By sheer force of will, Adrien presses himself back to his feet, his face a mask again. Because this is the only way he can still think, still function, as he clings to a single thought: the next six hours. "Do whatever needs to be done, Doctor. Whatever the cost. Money is unimportant," Adrien says, voice gone flat and cold again, making Plagg shiver where he clings in Adrien's sleeve wrapped about his counterpart. "If she needs to be transferred or a specialist called in, do so." Just please. Save her. Adrien, with only the slightest tremble of his fingers, activates his phone and sets a timer: 06:00:00. 'The next six hours...'
Marinette DuPain	The Doctor studies the young man before reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll do everything we possibly can for her. I promise you. A nurse with you as soon as we get her settled to show you to her new room, alright?" As tge doctor pulls his hand away, Tikki slumps against Plagg, shaking and trying so hard not to sob and sniffle or give herself and Plagg away. Just as promised, a nirse shows up about twenty minutes later to show Adrien to the ICU room they moved Marinette to.
Adrien Agreste	"Alright." Adrien's voice came from him without him really knowing what he said. He just brought his arm across his stomch, covering it with the other in a motion that looking like he was hugging himself. Really, he was hugging the kwamis agaist his arm, hiding them with his hand. Twenty minutes later, Adrien walks into the ICU room and just stares at Marinette. ******** 05:38:23 **********
Marinette DuPain	Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... It's there and steady but fainter than before if one knows how to read the machine. The room is smaller. The oxygen machine has been switched out for a breathing tube. The IVs have been hooked back up. A chair was brought in for him amd the curtains have been closed. Despite everything that she happened, she looks like she's simply asleep.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien lets Gorille close the door behind him and for a long while he just stands there, silent, in shock. ***** 05:37:12 ***** Adrien creeps forward, afraid of the moment, of the silence and hte weight of it. He moves to Marinette's bedside, carefully setting his fingertips on the bed so Plagg and climb himself and Tikki down and out. The wail of flatline had faded, but the soft faint chime of the heart monitor makes the sound return, throb just behind his eyes, and he sinks into the chair, phone in hand ruthlessly counting down the seconds. And somewhere in New York, Hawkmoth grins.
Marinette DuPain	Tikki creeps her way forward and up yo Marinette's cheek where she gently starts to pet her Chosen, cooing soft and incoherent things at her. "We should keep talking to her, right?" The little bug sounds so much tinier than her actual size. Over time, her heart beat had gotten stronger bit there was no change in her conscious state in any of the tests run.
Adrien Agreste	"We definitely should. Right, kid?" Plagg says, crawling out and perching lightly upon Marinette's hand. Beep ... Beep ... Beep Plagg looked over to his Chosen, spotting Adrien sitting there, eyes glassy, unfocused in the manner of someone entirely too focused on one thing. ...Beep... "Kid?"
Marinette DuPain	Blinking rapidly, Tikki looks over at Adrien. With great reluctance, she pulls herself from Marinette and flits over to the young man. "Adrien? Please?" She tries to make sure she's directly in his line of sight. "She needs you."
Adrien Agreste	Adrien blinks as Tikki comes into his line of sight. It takes a full ten seconds before his gaze refocuses on Tikki. ...beep... Adrien's eyes fill with tears. Marinette is Ladybug. And now, because he wasn't careful enough, Ladybug was at risk. Her kwami was here, looking at him and he could feel judgement. His bad luck... It was always his bad luck!
Marinette DuPain	Seeing his eyes fill with tears, Tikki flits the rest of the way forward and to his cheek. reaching out to hug him as best she can. She rubs her head against his cheek. "Don't give up, Adrien. She's a fighter, remember? She'll fight to come back to you."
Adrien Agreste	Adrien nods, forcing back the tears again. The next six hours... ***** 05:20:03 ***** Plagg floats himself to curl up on Marinette's chest, purring, chin on his paws. He had no idea what to do. He knew Tikki could calm a Chosen that had lost her partner, mostly because Plagg's kittens sacrificed themselves and he got shunted back into stasis in the ring to wait for the next incarnation of the Black Cat. His green eyes stayed on Tikki and Adrien, purring for Marinette.
Marinette DuPain	************************Countdown: 0:03:23 To Go************************ Outside, a black butterfly alights on the windowsill of Marinette's room. Tikki's head snaps around, sensing the darkness and her eyes widen. "No." It's a tiny squeak of a sound as she turns tear filled eyes on Adrien. "Don't. Adrien, please..." Her eyes flit over to Plagg. Thry can't force a transformation.... They can't risk being seen when he akumatizes... She doesn't know what to do!
Adrien Agreste	************************Countdown: 0:03:22 To Go************************ Adrien looks over at the window, spying the dark akuma sitting, gently waiting, waiting upon the window sill. He glares at it, knowing, somehow, that it's for him. As he stares at it, fights to find hope again, to find joy in the moment. She's still breathing! She might not wake up. She'll smile up at you in no time. IF she wakes up, there may be brain damage. ...brain damage... She won't remember you. She won't remember Ladybug, Chat Noir, her designs. Tikki will be gone from her, from Plagg, from you. Ladybug is gone. I have to forget she's Ladybug. I have to... get the kwami away from me... Plagg heals me, a little. I'm always more rested after I release the transformation, even if I'm sleepy, I'm not as tired. And Vorpal knows about her. Knows about Ladybug. Which means Tikki can talk him through guarding her until... until... ************************Countdown: 0:02:43 To Go************************ "Have Vorpal guard her," Adrien says softly, reaching for Marinette's purse. "She needs a cat."
Marinette DuPain	***************************Countdown: 0:01:33 To Go*************************** Tikki shakes her head violently. "No!" Tiny kwami is loud and doesn't ccare who hears. "She needs -you-. The whole of you. Don't do this. She wouldn't want this! You know that, Adrien!!" Her head snaps around to Plagg, tears running down her cheeks. "-Do- something. Please! We can't lose them both..."
Adrien Agreste	************************Countdown: 0:01:32 To Go************************ "Kid? Let's not do anything hasty," Plagg says as he floats up off Marinette's chest to try to catch Adrien's gaze. ************************Countdown: 0:01:25 To Go************************ Adrien opens Marinette's purse and coldly, wordlessly grabs Plagg and shoves the cat in the bag. He reaches up for Tikki, eyes flat. Outside, the akuma flutters against a break in the seal of the window, wiggling its way in. "Say in the bag, dumb cat," Adrien grinds out, voice almost unrecognizable.
Marinette DuPain	But it's too late... He's all but gone already... "Adrien... Remember she loves you. She always has." She doesn't need grabbed. She joins her other half in the purse willingly, sinking down and wrapping her tiny arms around him.
Adrien Agreste	************************Countdown: 0:01:10 To Go************************ Purse full of kwami, Adrien sets it back on the bedside table, clasp shut. And the contents, the importance set firmly out of mind. The black and purple butterfly struggles, fluttering halfway through the crack in the window. ************************Countdown: 0:00:43 To Go************************ Adrien stands and takes the one step to Marinette's bed. He lifts her left hand, kissing her knuckles softly. ************************Countdown: 0:00:29 To Go************************ Silver ring is slipped off the middle ring of his right hand and transferred to the ring finger of her left hand. She did, after all, say she would have said yes. There's no diamond, but it's all he has. For all his wealth and riches, a plain silver band is all the ring Adrien has for Marinette. ************************Countdown: 0:00:10 To Go************************ Adrien sets her hand down gently, right hand feeling naked and vulnerable. He picks up his phone, eyes falling to the nearly drained battery and the timer. The butterfly flutters closer. ************************Countdown: 0:00:08 To Go************************ Adrien steps backwards. The akuma follows. Adrien looks at Marinette one last time. Beepbeep. Beepbeep. Beepbeep. ************************Countdown: -00:00:01 To Go************************ The akuma settles on Adrien's phone. Adrien turns away from Marinette. Flatline grabs the handle of the ICU Room door and pulls it open, surprising Gorille who was standing on the other side.