⚠⚠⚠ (!!Warning!! Suicide, abuse, self-harm, swearing and bullying are mentioned throughout this chapter and I advise sensitive readers to be cautious reading ahead.) ⚠⚠⚠

Lots of love Abs xx

Not being able to sleep has always been a problem for Marinette, the Parisians screams as they die, the deaths of her team, resurrecting them all and to see them celebrate the Akumas defeat unbeknownst to what just happened. The destruction, the blood, the violence, the shouting, to everything. It's the reason she isn't in bed sleeping like the rest of the country and is sketching on her hotel room sofa.

The room sits still, all that can be heard was the sound of pencils grazing against paper, the sound somewhat calming. With a few final grazes, slim fingers turn over a parchment like page in a black book, embroidered with her initials in white on the fabric cover.

The sound of tapping is heard next, a rubber top tapping against a females chin. The sound of several colour pencils that sat on the sofa in a clear pencil case. The sounds are interrupted by a ringtone, nearly echoing throughout the room. She accepted the call without checking the ID, She couldn't be bothered, she was done with life at this point despite a little voice sitting in her subconscious, trying to convince her otherwise.

"Hmm?" She couldn't be asked to go full on with a greeting like usual despite her full awareness

"Dupain-Cheng, why didn't you answer my call before? You made me so worried!"

Despite knowing that Dupain-Cheng wasn't Marinette's actual name, the surname was still used.

Her speaker on loud as the metal device was set on the sofa's arm rest. A light giggle escaped the bluenette's mouth hearing her best friend.

"I'm sorry Chloe but I was with my brothers and my phone was on silent." a sheepish smile painted on her lips even though the girl herself in the phone couldn't see her best friends face.

A light gasp was from the blonde "You met them! How was it after 6 years?! I need to know everything from the top, Go." her voice changed into a slightly authoritative one as the bluenette started the story of how the day started and ended.

"You should be sleeping now Chloe, I need to be up early tomorrow, got the whole day to myself."

Sliding the phone back into her hand, the bluenette rose from her comfy position with her book and pencils in hand, heading to the night stand besides her bed.

"Call me again and let me know how your day goes." Chloe's voice sounded with a tone of finality.

"You can call me too though." she pouted, flopping down on her bed, the mattress dipping slightly from the feather light body.

"Yeah, yeah, Good day to you my lady in spotted armour." Her blonde friends voice filled with amusement, she was definitely smirking.

"Good day to you too my lady in black and yellow strips."

They shared a moment of laughter before simultaneously bidding each other off.

The two best friends shared a thing for lack of sleep but for different reasons. One from being traumatised and the other simply from having too much energy, a match made in heaven.

*****

When Marinette woke up, the sun was fully 'shining', the sun shone but it wasn't the same brightness like the one in Paris. Walking to her suitcase, she picked up an outfit she prepared as she was listening to the kwami bickering.

Staring into the full body mirror that stood in her room, she studied her outfit, prepared for there to be something wrong with it. She wore a white turtleneck, long sleeved obviously with a simple black skirt accompanied with black leggings; covering her from neck to toe. Placing the magical glasses on the bridge of her nose, she slung the same white and red lace purse over her shoulder, watching the three Kwami fly in and get comfortable.

Moving her braid to the back of her, the ends reaching her lower back, she started growing it after fourteen, trimmed it at the beginning of the year but ever so slightly, you could barely tell there was a difference from before and after. Walking back to her bed, she picked up a plaid white, black and red briar scarf, light brown occasionally appearing besides the other strips. Wrapping it around her petite figure, letting it swallow her, she snuggled into it slightly enjoying the warmth it provided.

No matter what happened during this trip, she could not go into hibernation, she knew how cold it could get and winter was nearing even if it was mid October. If she did go into hibernation, it would take a lot of effort, blankets, heating, layers or whatever you use to get warm, to get her to wake; or else she could sleep for the whole of winter and no one would be there to save the city from Hawkmoth, protect the Parisians, defeat the akumitised.

She wasn't going to hibernate during their stay.

Once again checking for any faults in her outfit, she set out the room, the weight of three certain jewellery felt heavier than ever for a strange reason.

Waiting for the elevator to stop at her floor, she checked her phone and found a message from her brother, they were downstairs waiting. Slightly letting go of the scarf that engulfed her body, she thought of a response but was interrupted by the ding of the elevator. Pressing the ground floor button, the sound of typing filled the empty lift. Soon enough, another ding sounded indicating she arrived.

Switching her phone off and placing it into her purse the Kwami sat in, she re-adjusted her scarf, both hands permanently occupied as she held her scarf back to her figure. Stepping out, the cold wind hit her face working as a sort of wake up call, she shivered slightly and unconsciously pulled the scarf closer. Her gaze wondered around the lobby looking for her brother, or brothers, he didn't mention whether or not he'd be coming alone.

She was so focused on the task at hand that she didn't catch a certain blonde marching towards her until her back hit a cold wall abruptly. The pressure was nothing new, it brought the girl no pain yet she winced from the wind that gushed as she was pushed against it. Her fingers latched tighter onto the coloured scarf, her nude painted nails digging slightly into the fabric.

Facing the figure that had done the sudden action, her breath caught in her throat, bluebell met green, he hadn't been this harsh since the day school finished before summer, what did he want now?!

"Where were you yesterday?!"

His voice was harsh, it screamed authority, like he was controlling her. She was frozen in fear, she wasn't moving, no words came out, she was brought back to the situation in Paris.

"Come out, come out wherever you are"

"I love you too princess"

"Now your all mine, no one can and will take you from me"

"Shh, sshh, don't cry my love"

Her trip down memory lane ended when she felt a sharp pain in her foot, causing her to grunt from the sudden feeling. Her eyes followed the pain, she found his black shoe on top of her black boot.

The jerk stepped on her foot.

She started to lose feeling in her right foot, it became numb, like she no longer had a foot to stand on. The pressure increased as he stood taller and harder, her eyes were threatening to spill tears but she had felt much worse things than this, she wasn't about to cry of some stupid guy.

"It's none of your business where I was yesterday Agreste."

The words slipped out her mouth easily, his name being spat with utter disgust and venom.

"I'm afraid it is my business princess, now answer the question. Where. Were. You."

Both his arms slammed onto either side of her head, his shadow looming over her figure that shrunk by the minute.

"I was with family, simple." she shrugged her shoulders despite finding difficulty in the action.

Where were her brothers when she needed him?!

He seemed to be processing the newfound information, she took advantage of his silence as a time to inspect her surroundings; he managed to pin her in a secluded area away from the lobby and publics eye. She started to panic slightly, her breathing got faster, eyes darting from each inch of the room searching for an escape.

Was she seriously going to have a panic attack now of all times?!

Yes, yes she was.

"Why did you never tell me this, couples tell each other everything."

She scoffed a bit too loudly, his foot dug deeper into hers if it was even possible at this point, she was sure it was broken at this point, the pain is extremely familiar to the time she broke her wrist.

"It wasn't necessary and your my ex, we broke up remember?"

It was more of a rhetorical question than a real one, she made it clear on several occasions they were no longer in a relationship and neither did she love him despite his desperate remarks stating otherwise.

His gaze hardened, green eyes boring into hers, practically reaching her soul.

"Stop this nonsense, your fooling no one."

It was true, no one believed her. No matter how many times she told the class they were over, they insisted they were and she was being stubborn to 'protect her love from Lila'.

The sounds that surrounded the two drowned out, the wind no longer howled and made her shiver from the touch, there was no ground beneath her, no cold wall she was held against. Her breathing speeded up as her blue orbs frantically avoided his demeaning eyes.

She was seriously having a panic attack.

His voice too, soon was drowned out as her focus switched. She couldn't hear his rambling, his accusations, his love professions, his voice was not none existent to the girl he towered over.

She couldn't hear as a new voice was heard, she couldn't hear the new voice and Adrien arguing, she couldn't feel his shadow disappear, she couldn't sense the feeling of relief as Adrien was punched square in the face, leaving him with a bloody nose.

She didn't hear the threats, she didn't hear Adrien storm away from the desolate area he trapped her in, she didn't feel the wind as a door opened and closed with a bang, she didn't even feel the familiar touch of hands that held her shoulders as she lost feeling in her legs, falling to the ground.

The floor was cold, she remembered that, the wind appeared, she remembered that.

Adrien, Adrien pushed her into the room and did a score on her foot, she remembered that.

Her hyperventilating got worse remembering Adrien, beads of sweat formed gradually on her forehead despite the cold wind fanning her face. A calming voice came into view, quite familiar yet she couldn't put her finger on it, the voice started to form sentences.

"I need you to breathe for me Marinette."

Huh? Whose Marinette? She didn't know a Marinette, and she's breathing perfectly fine excuse you.

"Can you tell me five things you can see?"

Her eyes darting movements slowly stopped, listening to the voice.

"My-my fingers, the marble floor, a purse, a door a- and Jason."

Her voice was at peace, her breathing however kept going with no intention to stop.

"Great, now four things you can feel." her fingers slowly let go of her scarf, prepared to answer.

"My scarf, my face, glasses and hair." her hands stiffened at the touch of the rose gold spectacles.

"That's it, now three things you can hear." her breathing started to improve, her eyes no longer blurry

"It- the wind, you voice and a clock ticking." her eyes shifted to the three she listed.

"Now two things you can smell." she studied the man, these questions seemed irrelevant for her current predicament.

"Smell... um, my perfume and flowers?" her fragile voice faltered, was she answering them all correctly?

"Final one Pixie, one thing you can taste". hearing that nickname made her come at total peace, her breathing evened out, unshed tears allowing themselves to slip.

"Toothpaste" her tone showed finality, she did it. She answered the really weird questions.

After the word slipped out she stared forward, the mans face no longer unrecognisable, neither the voice,

"Jason." She squeaked as her small arms wrapped around his lean figure, more tears slipped.

"Thank you, thank you so much" she was breathless despite just evening out her breathing.

"Its my job as your brother to make sure your okay, let's get the hell outta here." from his crouched position he stood, arm sent out for his younger sister.

"Please." she wanted to go, the longer she sat in the isolated room, the more she'd think about, him.

Walking out the hotel, she was met with the cold breeze making her cower into her comforting scarf. The walk began, she loved walks and still does, one thing her family knows about her very well. It was around a twenty minute walk from what she could remember the hotel, unless it changed, a few more minutes of walking wouldn't hurt anyone.

After walking in a comfortable silence for five minutes, a voice spoke up.

"Soo, would you like to tell me who I punched in the face? I wish I finished him off though, he seemed to be a real jerk."

Looking to her left, she met his gaze before letting out a shaky breath while limping, holding onto his shoulder for support; he definitely did something to it.

"You just had the honour of meeting my ex, Adrien Agreste"