Flashback Cutscene: Slow Dance

9 years and 8 months ago...

"You want me to... what?"

"I know you heard me, Adrien, don't act like you didn't!"

Adrien smirked as he stepped towards her and if she wasn't in costume she would have met him mid stride and kissed that tantalising smirk right off his face. He was enjoying this far too much.

"Please, I really need your help. I'm attending this party with my boyfriend and every time I dance with him, I bruise his toes."

"Tell him I know exactly how he feels," Adrien laughed.

"Is your girlfriend as useless as me then?" she asked, causing Adrien to stop laughing and place a huge smile on his face.

"Neither of you are useless, you both just need some practice — for all the males in the world's sake."

Of course he was sweet about it. It didn't seem to matter that she'd nearly broken his toes numerous times in the past, all that he cared about was that she had tried. And she most certainly did — unfortunately though, that never helped.

Ladybug gave herself a little shake as she prepared. She just needed to relax, and follow Adrien's lead, and then when she went to the next party with him she wouldn't be such a disaster. The poor guy constantly had black and blue toes from dancing with her, adding to the rare bruises on his arms and face. She had no control over her arms. She'd even asked her mother to make a doctor's appointment to help her.

Though he had claimed he didn't care to dance at parties, that he never really liked to, Marinette knew full well it was because of her and her clumsiness. She'd practised a couple of times with Chat Noir recently, but she was fine with him; they moved naturally in sync, no effort needed. It was as soon as she was close to Adrien that everything went pear shaped.

"Just relax, okay? Deep breaths and follow my lead."

She closed her eyes and did exactly as he asked — she succumbed to his movements allowing him to dance with her around the room. She kept her eyes closed and imagined it was her partner, for some reason over the past few months, since Monarch's defeat, Chat Noir had wormed his way into her subconscious, joining Adrien in her mind on very merry outings. There were times where they'd merged into the same person, the thought both terrifying and comforting. Life would become more simple, yet more complicated at the same time.

"Good," Adrien whispered gently into her ear. "Now open your eyes and look at me."

She'd been so caught up in her Marinette mind that as she opened her eyes she was quite sure she was looking at Adrien as though he'd just gifted her the moon and the stars, his instant reaction to stop and step back a hint that maybe she was right. Damn!

As he reached up to rub the back of his neck, Ladybug jilted away from him, embarrassed by what she'd just allowed to happen. Although she knew she was playing with fire anyway, this was just the icing on the cake, luckily she hadn't done anything disastrous, like try to kiss him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Adrien shook his head in response. "Don't sweat it! It's okay." He smiled awkwardly at her and she knew she'd overstepped the line. This was getting far too dangerous, and far too complicated. Maybe she should hold back her visits as Ladybug? This was only going to end badly if he ever found out.

"I – um – I better go. If that's okay with you, of course?"

Adrien began to nod his head in response, the action making her want to laugh with the over pronounced movement.

"Sure, yeah, that's good – fine. That's fine." He smiled at her and she wished the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

"See you around?" She asked, desperate to make a break and get out of there.

"Yeah," he muttered back. "See you. Good luck for the party."

Without another word, she launched into the night sky and in the direction of her home. Her good idea of seeing Adrien as Ladybug had suddenly turned sour, and she needed to decide what she was going to do next. They couldn't remain like this forever.

*****

Level 8: Fall Damage

Present Day...

Adrien sat beside Marinette, one foot tapping impatiently against the tiled floor as his head hung low between his knees. He'd left the crime scene as quickly as he could, answering the police questions as precisely and as quickly as possible in a need to get away.

"Here." Marinette sat alongside him, holding out a small paper cup of vending machine coffee. "Drink up. It could be a long night." He took the drink with his right hand before slipping his left into her ice cold one, placing the drink beside him and positioning his now loose hand on top. Why was she so cold?

"This wasn't how I expected game night to go," Marinette stated, Adrien bringing their joined hands up to his forehead before settling them back down.

"I should have spoken to Nino about this. I could have checked the company, or... or... gone with him I suppose."

"You can't blame yourself, Adrien, these things happen." She pulled her hands from his grabbing her own cup and cradling it.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah, yeah! Just a little tired. I think the last few weeks are catching up on me."

He didn't believe a word she said, her face pale and almost grey. Not wanting to push the subject, due to his own guilt, he looked around the waiting area where they were sitting.

"How long have they been in there?" he asked, his eyes staring at the door before them.

"Alya said they'd already been there 20 minutes before I arrived."

He nodded, nothing else to say. His eyes fluctuated between the door and Alya. She was pacing the area like a predator ready to pounce and Adrien was controlling the urge inside him, so that he didn't rise and do the same. He was getting impatient and testy, they'd been here for over an hour now and Alya hadn't sat down once.

Adrien's mind was spiralling out of control. There was no doubt in his mind that this was personal. The umbrella and ladybug charms with Aurore could be seen as a coincidental and an isolated event, but now it was obvious they were going head to head with a serial killer. Someone who wanted to kill, and he and Ladybug were part of the killer's sick game.

Closing his eyes, Adrien could clearly picture the scene he'd just left as if he was still there. Ladybug collapsed on the floor talking to a Nino whose flesh was burning away from his face. Muscle and, in some places, bone already exposed to the naked eye. It was violent. It was personal. And the added pictures of him and of her scattered around the room just made it worse. But why Nino? Why Aurore? Nothing was adding up.

A quick sigh left his lips as he hung his head and thought about Ladybug. They weren't on the best of terms when they'd entered the abandoned building — having just had one of the worst arguments of their partnership.

They had both said things he was sure they would regret; his anger got the best of him and talking to her like he did was completely and utterly unacceptable. Yet, the thought of apologising made him feel just as sick. A slight part of him hoping he'd hurt her as much as she had him. His thoughts were all over the place, and it didn't seem he'd get anytime to sort them out. He was embarrassed by his outburst, and wished he'd had a chance to speak to Ladybug before he left, but she seemed to have been in the same hurry as him, disappearing before he could even make eye contact with her.

He'd shouted. She'd shouted. He'd insulted her and she'd thrown the insults back. Then to walk into that building and see his best friend dying in front of them was horrendous. His head was spiralling.

"Hey," Marinette whispered gently, settling a hand into his hair and raking her fingers through it. "It's going to be okay. Nino's strong."

He wanted to shout out to everyone in the area that his best friend was going to be far from okay. He'd seen the results of whatever the fuck had attacked him. Nino was on the verge of dying! If not already dead. The murderer seemed to want to see them suffer, along with causing Nino prolonged pain. He closed his eyes and allowed Marinette to pet him, to try and calm him and stop him from going on some psychopathic rampage.

A bang was suddenly heard, pulling all heads in the direction of the door as Nino's mother bolted down the corridor, her hands over her face and Nino's father hot on her tail. The sound of Alya whimpering had Marinette rushing from her seat to comfort her friend.

"He's dead," Alya shouted. "He's dead, he must be!" He watched as Marinette caught her friend in her arms. Cradling Alya's head the way she just had his.

Adrien stood to make his way over to the girls; however, a second opening of the door turned his attention to the gangly teen walking out — slouched shoulders, combined with a fist rubbing across his nose. Moving forward, Adrien offered out his arms to his best friend's brother, allowing Chris to collapse in his arms.

"What do we do?" Chris muttered in Adrien's ear. "What do we do?" he said again, words barely audible over the everyday chatter within the hospital. Something so normal and so predictable, yet every moment here was ripping him apart.

"He'd want us to be strong. For Alya, for your parent's and, most of all, for ourselves." Chris clutched Adrien closer, using all the strength he had to offer him, his fists clutching Adrien's shirt tightly.

Chris was first to pull back, leaving Adrien's shirt morphed from its usual crisp shape, into something ugly and unkept — much like tonight's events had disfigured their reality.

"Promise me you'll go in there with her. Don't let her go in alone. It's too much! She'll need your strength." Chris let go of Adrien, wiping his tears away on the back of his hoodie cuff. Adrien nodded. "Thank you," he whispered before turning and heading in the direction his parents had gone. Fear and dread running fast through Adrien's veins.

"Alya? Alya Césaire?" The door opened once more, a doctor in a pristine white coat but stained scrubs walking out and calling her name. As Alya immediately pulled out of Marinette's grasp to race over to the doctor, Adrien caught Marinette's eye, a message passing between them that Alya needed them with her.

Don't let her go in alone.

They watched as Alya was led through the door which held their fate, before joining hands and following through together.

"Is Nino going to be okay?" Alya asked, her entire demeanour pleading for some — any — good news.

After a few steps down the corridor, they were ushered into a room away from the monotone sound of the machine's beeping and people crying. Every step seemed more like a crossing over into the Twilight Zone, rather than remaining in this place where people could survive... All he could think about at the moment was how Nino could be dead.

"It's too early to tell," the doctor began, stepping in behind them and closing the door.

She guided the three of them to take a seat, but his legs were too restless. Adrien stood behind Alya, his hands poised on her shoulders as they took in the news.

Shock registered on Alya's face as she slouched down into the chair. Marinette sitting down next to her and taking one of her hands tightly in both of her own.

"Let's just hear what the doctor has to say?"

As always, Marinette was trying to keep spirits up, looking at the optimistic side rather than head straight to the pessimistic. He couldn't help but admire her for that.

"My name is Dr. Marie Guérison and I am Nino's surgeon, and this hospital's leading burns specialist. When he was brought in he had burns to nearly 80% of his body, with nearly half of it being quite severe. I was able to stabilise him and clean up the worst affected areas, but we've had to place him in an induced coma to minimise his pain"

"How severe are we talking?" Marinette asked; a question neither he, nor Alya, could speak.

"At least 30% are deep tissue," Dr. Guérison explained to Marinette. "Those are along his arms and the back of his neck. The rest vary from superficial to full thickness." Dr. Guérison turned her focus back to Alya.

"Wi-will h-he b-be okay?" Alya struggled to get out, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

"I have to be honest with you," Dr. Guérison stated, "I don't know." The sudden strike of bad news froze them all on the spot. As silence thickened the atmosphere in the room, the shock of what they had been told hit them hard and fast – each responding in their own individual ways.

"Nino was extremely fortunate that Ladybug and Chat Noir got to him when they did. If he had suffered any more injuries, I doubt he would have made it to the hospital. As of now, his chances are slim at best. These are some of the worst burns I have ever seen. Very few people with similar levels survive them, and those that do, rarely make a full recovery."

Adrien was numb.

What they had just been told just couldn't be right! There was no way that Nino, his best friend who had always been there, could possibly be dying. Just this morning, Nino had called him excited, full of life and energy. He was talking about how his future was set. How he was expecting a call any day now about his big break, to make a name for himself. He'd even spoken about the ring he was thinking of buying Alya with his first paycheck... that finally he'd be able to afford.

It was fake, it was all fake.

Nino had been asked to meet there. He'd been told it was a discussion for his future. The whole thing had been a set up.

As though submerged underwater, Adrien looked around the room, his ears struggling to keep in line with the conversation.

The burns looked like spots... like bubbles.

The outfit.

Their pictures.

Almost falling from the effect this feeling had on his balance, he looked down towards Marinette. He could tell she was responding in a similar fashion to him, yet she was fully focused on her best friend. Alya had seemed to lose all strength, collapsing fully and only being held up by Marinette gripping her shoulders and holding her close.

Dr. Guérison gently squeezed Alya's hand to get her attention, then continued. "Mlle Césaire, I need you to understand and be prepared. If Nino makes it-"

"When," Adrien interrupted, surprised he could still form coherent words especially when his brain had separated from his body.

Dr. Guérison shot him a look. "If Nino makes it, that will only be the beginning of his struggle. He will be looking at dozens of surgeries and skin grafts, loss of feeling in his arms, severe scarring, years of physical therapy, and that's only if things are normal."

Those last words seem to hit Alya like a slap to the face. She sat up straight, breaking from Marinette's grasp and leaning across the table. "What do you mean, 'if things are normal'?"

"From what I was told, Nino's injuries were caused by some sort of 'magic bubbles'. If that is true, and magic is involved, there is no telling what could happen," Dr. Guérison said.

Alya again slumped into her chair. "Oh my god, Nino," she whispered, her voice thick with sorrow.

"If you would like to, I can take you to see him. He is currently in the ICU, so unfortunately you friends will have to remain here," Dr. Guérison said, giving Adrien and Marinette an apologetic look.

"Yes, please." Alya glanced at them both with an unapologetic look, before slowly standing and, with Dr. Guérison guiding her, they made their way out of the room.

As soon as Adrien and Marinette made it back into the waiting area, he pulled her tightly into his body, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and taking a moment to come to terms with all that had happened. Which he promptly did. He fell apart completely, collapsing into a sobbing mess and nearly crushing her as he held on. He buried his head into her neck, allowing her floral smells to engulf and calm him.

"I've got you," her soft tones promised. "I've got you and we'll all get through this together."

"Marinette? Adrien?"

Letting go of each other, Adrien stretched to rub at the back of his neck. "Detective Raincomprix, hello."

"That's very official." Sabrina smiled sadly, moving closer to them with two other officers beside her. "How's Alya doing?"

"About as well as expected," Marinette responded. "She's just seeing him now."

Sabrina nodded, taking a notepad from her pocket and opening it up. "I have so many questions."

"Are we suspects?" Adrien suddenly said in an outburst, both Marinette and Sabrina glaring at him.

"Adrien, you couldn't even dissect the frog in biology, you cried through the whole lesson. Why would we think you were capable of attempted murder?"

A gasp sounded from beside him and he knew Marinette would have placed a hand over her mouth to try and restrict it.

"So you don't think it's just a freak accident?"

"Unofficially, no I don't. Officially, I can't discuss anything else with you until we know more. Ladybug and Chat Noir said they would meet me here to talk to the doctors and check on Nino. I just can't believe what is happening in Paris."

"In that case, I'll go and see if I can find us any decent coffee whilst we wait," Adrien smiled glumly at the women before heading to the doorway and out into the corridors, his aim on escaping the building.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Adrien searched for Luka's number. The guy had just spent years at the temple in Tibet, if anyone could help, it would be him. Sending off a quick text message, he ducked into an alley and transformed. Plagg quickly sent Adrien a reassuring smile as he was sucked into the ring.

Making his way back up to the hospital ward, he was surprised to find Ladybug already there — Marinette nowhere in sight.

"Hey," his partner greeted him with a sad smile on her face, one he guessed he was wearing himself.

"Hey." Turning his head away from her, he focused his attention on Sabrina and not the pale face of his partner beside him. "What have I missed?"

"Come with me." Sabrina led them through the doors they'd previously followed the doctor through. They headed down the corridor and turned left. It had suddenly changed into a vast array of tightly confined offices, Sabrina opening the second door on the right and ushering them in.

"This is where they usually break unpleasant news to families," Sabrina said, indicating for them both to take a seat. Still not willing to be near his partner, Chat Noir found a low standing bookcase to perch on.

"Is that an indication of what we're about to speak about?"

Sabrina shook her head. "No, but there are a couple of questions I need to ask you both. Do you know anything about the possibility of magic being a permanent damage?"

Chat Noir shook his head and looked at Ladybug. She was the guardian and would know a lot more than he did.

"Is that what you think attacked Nino? Magical bubbles?" she asked, her eyes widening with the idea.

"Initial tests of the residue we found in the building came back as simply water and soap, so yes. It's a possibility we're not willing to overlook just yet."

"Anything else?" Chat Noir asked. "Could this be linked to Aurore's murder?"

"We think there's a possibility. With the butterfly etched into her chest, and now the photographs of yourselves appearing at this one... well, there seems to be some kind of connection to you."

"But we haven't been around for years, why all of a sudden now?"

Sabrina sighed. "We have a couple of leads we want to check out, but nothing seems clear at the moment."

"Leads like... what? Gabriel Agreste being released?" Chat Noir spat the words out with venom.

"I can neither confirm, nor deny." Sabrina took a card out of her pocket and handed it over to Chat Noir. "In case you need me."

Chat Noir took the card from her hand and slipped it into one of his pockets, before pushing himself from the bookcase. "In that case then, I'm done."

"Unfortunately, you can't be. A lot of people are putting their trust in you two finding this villain, and a number that aren't. There has been a petition going around... people are starting to question whether you two are able to guide us anymore and they are calling for new holders. So get it together... and above all else pray that Nino wakes up — we believe he may have seen his attacker."