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A piercing scream rang through the halls of the manor, prompting everyone to wake up, dashing for their weapons and out their respective rooms, Damian quickly turning a corner.
If he recalled, that scream sounded like it came from Marinette’s room. He hopes it was just a nightmare… he hoped she was okay...
When he got to her room, the door was slightly ajar, Damian carefully creeped towards it, hearing someone sing.
“Little kitty on the rooftop
without his Lady.”
A shaky breath.
“Sitting here all alone
awaiting for her return.”
Damian set his weapon aside and pushed the door open, letting out a shuddering sigh. Marinette was fine… but he knew that was just a lie to trick himself into believing that she was indeed fine.
There was Marinette, sitting in the middle of her oversized bed, a blanket thrown tightly over her. Her comforters were on the floor, her plushies scattered across the room and her pillows knocked about where she had thrashed around the bed. Meanwhile Marinette stared at the floor, slightly rocking herself as she continued to sing to herself.
“ Everything seems to move
Slowly but steadily. ”
Damian heard a creak at the door, seeing Tim and Dick enter the room with caution, lowering their weapons- a lamp pole and gun respectively.
“ Yet here he remains
Sitting patiently for his Lady .”
Marinette continued to rock herself, comforting herself by rubbing her arms. Her eyes now shifted to the walls across from her, the rocking slowly came to a stop.
“What’s going on Damian?” Bruce asked as he stepped into the room, Alfred behind him with a rifle at hand and musket at his side. Whoever made his godchild scream like that was going to die tonight.
“ The wind peppers him with kisses
The sunlight hugging him.”
Everyone just stared at Marinette as she quietly sang, looking at Damian for answers. And he gave them one.
“I don’t know.” He looked back at Marinette, watching as tears slowly took turns to fall, plopping onto the sheets.
“Keeping him company
Until she arrives.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Jason asked, but Damian ignored the question. “You were the first one to get here, Demon Spawn.”
“He'd wait for eternity if he had to
Just to see her once again.”
“Are you sure Damian?” Bruce asked, and Damian avoided his father’s eyes. “You know, don’t you?”
“And he does see her.”
“You know don’t you?” Richard repeated, Damian having to dig his nails into his palm to keep himself from telling them. It wasn’t his story to tell. It was hers.
“Tell us so that we can help her!” Jason exclaimed. Damian realized he said that last part out loud.
“M’lady, you’re here. Welcome back.”
“Damian, say something.” Tim urged, noticing that everyone was getting on edge by Damian’s silence. Damian couldn’t tell them. He promised her he wouldn’t.
“Damian, please tell us,” Richard begged. Damian resisted the urge to cry as he saw tears build up in Richard’s eyes. Didn’t he know it hurt him too?
“ Smiling while he said it.”
He watched silently as Jason pushed everyone aside. “Tell us already Damian!” Jason yelled into his face, shaking Damian by his shoulders. “She’s suffering… how long do you want her to stay like this?” It was Jason’s trailing voice that finally made him break.
“Smiling as he slipped into her embrace.”
Averting his gaze to prevent the others from worrying, Damian finally spoke as tears trailed down his face.
“Her warmth- the only thing that kept him going.
“From slipping into the eternal darkness inside of him.”
“Ever since she left Paris, she has been having nightmares, almost once a night… sometimes multiple times.” He let out a dry laugh as more tears cascaded. “They’re not even nightmares,” he looked at his family and then at Mari, “They’re her memories from her former life... from her past.”
“For his Lady was his savior, his Love.
Whom he’d love until his dying days...”
“Memories from her battles in her old life.” Tim finally pieced, the family now in silence as they absorbed what they had learned. How long was she suffering in utter silence? Why didn’t they know this sooner? Didn’t she trust them? Weren’t they family?
The family pondered on what to do next, not noticing that Mari was looking at them now, her face drenched in tears, yet her eyes weren’t red nor puffy.
“Marinette.” Damian soft spoke, walking up to her, cupping her face into his hands, pressing his forehead against hers. But she didn’t respond nor budge. Her eyes were misty, the tears still falling.
“Do you mind if-” Richard asked, Damian realizing he took a seat at the edge of the bed. Damian parted from Mari, giving a nod to his brother.
With a gentle smile, Richard scooted closer to Mari.
“Mari, did you write that song?”
Everyone held their breath as they awaited an answer. None was given.
“It was a lovely song… did you write it?” Richard asked again, a faint hope blossoming in him when he saw Marinette’s eyes flutter.
“That… that was Chat’s lullaby.” Marinette spoke, looking out towards her balcony. “He’d always sing it when he’d wait for me during our night patrols.”
Everyone looked at each other except Damian. Night patrols?
“Chat must be pretty talented for composing something like that.” Dick praised, watching as Marinette nodded in agreement, a small smile on her face.
“He really was.” Her smile faltered, but was soon overtaken by a quivering frown, a sob escaping her lips. “He really was.” A wail escaped her lips, more tears quickly pouring.
“Mari…”
“He was the most caring person I had in my life, the kindness and most well-rounded boy I loved during my last year in lycee.” Marinette stated, wiping away her tears. “He was my best friend, the love of my life and I-”
“Marinette, breath.” Richard softly said, rubbing her back. But she didn’t listen.
“I-I-I let him down. I… I broke our promise… I never got to tell him that I was sorry. That I was sorry for never returning his feelings even though I wanted to. For lying to him for keeping our identities a secret even though I knew everyone’s identities, even his.” Marinette cried some more, Damian now approaching her and sat beside her.
“To tell him that I was willing to tarnish my reputation as a designer to keep him safe from his father, that I knew what was happening to him at home, that I was willing to rip him from that man’s hands and get my hands dirty just to keep him safe.” She felt someone rub circles onto her back, the urge to wail getting stronger. “That he was the one I was most grateful for, for being at my side when the whole world was against me, when my parents started to doubt me and…” Marinette wiped away her tears, looking up at her family, crying harder when she saw the sorrow in their eyes.
Alfred remained stoic, but she knew he was trying to be strong for everyone. Bruce was silently crying along with Tim and Jason… she’s never seen him cry and seeing that- that made her want to go over to him and tell her everything was fine… that she was fine, but she knew that was a lie she had been telling herself since the beginning.
“I wanted to tell him that I would never leave his side, no matter what happened.” Marinette looked at her hands, stained with red, black leather glitching in her sight. “But I never did… not even as he died in my arms.”
The fight was over. After years of fighting Hawk Moth, the war was over and done with.
Now free from their duties as heroes, Marinette has decided to finally tell Chat how she feels about him and to reveal herself to him.
Waiting for him at the top of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, Mari let the summer breeze kiss her skin, her long hair gently swaying behind her. Her white sundress made her stick out in the green rooftop garden, a tiny patch of sunflowers surrounding her.
The view from the garden was magnificent, even though she had been there plenty of times as Ladybug. But Ladybug never had the time to lean on the rails and soak in the wonders of Paris.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Mari turned with a smile, thinking it was her beloved Chaton, but that smile faltered when she saw it wasn’t him. She was too shocked to save herself as she fell over the railing, the unknown figure grinning at her before running away, and Chat now looking at her fall. His face was white a sheet, his pupils shrinking as her sunhat drifted in the wind.
“MARINETTE!”
Desperately, Chat jumped after her, holding her close to him as he attempted to find a way to save her, but he knew his time was running out.
Marinette watched as he detransformed in front of her, her eyes dilating as she saw the man behind the mask.
“A...drien?”
“Surprised, Princess?” Adrien said with a weak chuckle. That’s when her eyes landed on Plagg.
“Plagg?!”
“You can see- nevermind! Wish we met again under different circumstances, but I really need you to listen to me Mari.” Adrien states, slipping off his ring and placing it on Mari’s left ring finger.
“Adrien, what are-”
“There’s no time!” Adrien yelled, Mari catching the crack in his voice. He wasn’t-
“Adrien, don’t, don’t do it… don’t do it!” Marinette cried out, watching as the ground was getting closer to them.
“Plagg! As your master, I demand you to let Mari use the ring! Transform her into Chat Noir!”
“Adrien! NO!”
“As you wish.” Plagg quietly said, nuzzling Adrien before a light blinded everyone, the crowd at the base of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris screaming as a crater was formed in the ground.
Mari’s eyes fluttered as she woke, realizing that Plagg was crying somewhere in the distance. It only took a second to realize what had happened. Scampering to her feet, Mari looked for Adrien, the man a few feet away from her, Marinette’s breath stuck inside her as she clasped her hands to her mouth.
No… not him… why… WHY?!
“ADRIEN!” Marinette screamed, running the boy, scooping him up into her arms, her hands getting covered in the blood that seeped from his head and cuts around his body.
“Adrien wake up! Adrien. ADRIEN!” Marinette wailed into his body, jolting when she felt something on her cheek. Looking up, she realized he was smiling.
“Don’t… cry.” He whispered to her. “Keep living… for me…” Adrien closed his eyes. “Love… you…” His hand slipped from her face, Marinette rushing to grab it, to hold it for a bit longer.
He couldn’t leave her, he can’t leave her by herself! What was she going to do without him? What was she going to do without her beloved?!
The sounds of the ambulance drowned out her thoughts as he was quickly taken from her and to never again see until the day of his funeral, where only his aunt, his cousin and herself were present for.
“Mari.” Jason softly spoke, crouching down so that Marinette could see him. He caressed her cheek. “I’m pretty sure he already knew that.” She looked at her brother with glossed eyes, his own mirroring the same thing. “After all, he sacrificed himself for you. He told you to live on for him.” Mari sniffled. “If he didn’t know this, if you didn’t mean so much for him, he would’ve probably found a way to make sure the both of you got away with minimal damage.” Jason patted her head as she wiped the tears that incomed. “You meant so much to him that he rather let himself get hurt over losing you.” Jason raised her head up, lifting her chest. “So forgive yourself Mari, live for him with happiness so that he can also live happily through you.” Marinette hiccupped, throwing herself to Jason, causing the two to fall to the floor.
“You kept your promise Mari.” Richard added, smiling upon seeing Mari looking up towards everyone. “You were with him until the end. Now, complete the wish he left behind, okay?” Marinette nodded.”
“I will try.”
The night’s wind howled, the ringing of a bell jiggled with laughter.
Looking through the glass window, Chat looked at Marinette sleeping soundly in the arms of her new found family, smiling that she’s finally healing. They huddled against each other, one way or another, wrapped in blankets and hugging pillows, making sure that Mari knew they were there for her, although Damian was the one spooning her and kicked anyone who dared to get close.
He was glad she finally found somewhere to call home, something he feared she would not find. He was glad she was able to love again… even if it hurted him a bit.
Looking up towards the moon, Chat decided it was okay for him to sit on the balcony, longing to remember what the wind felt like across his face during a winter’s night.
It probably felt cold, not like it affected him, but he knew it affected his Lady a lot. Something about finally merging with the Ladybug’s nature.
Closing his eyes, Chat smiled and opened his mouth to sing one final time.
“Little kitty on the rooftop without his lady.
Sitting here all alone, waiting for her return.
Everything seems to move slowly, but steadily.
Yet here he remains, sitting patiently for his Lady.
The wind peppers him with kisses
The sunlight hugging him
Keeping him company
Until she arrives.
He'd wait for eternity if he had to.
Just to see her once again .
And he does see her,
“M’lady, you’re here. Welcome back.”
Smiling while he said it
Smiling as he slipped into her embrace.
Her warmth- the only thing that kept him going.
From slipping into the eternal darkness inside of him.
For his Lady was his savior, his Love.
Whom he’d love until his dying days...
He smiles as he kisses her, her giggles ringing in his ears.
He soaks it all in as he slips into darkness
Never to see his Lady again.