Chapter Text
Palais de Chaillot
Miracle Queen glared at the group of heroes, frustrated she was trapped outside of the fight by DragonPest’s water bubble. “Welcome to your Doomsday, Hawk Moth!” DragonPest called out with a stupidly confident smirk on her face.
“You fools! It's time to take action, my Queen!” Hawk Moth shouted at her from above.
Miracle Queen grinned as she raised her hands above her head, “En garde, my guards!”
“Mirage!”
“Uproar!”
“Voyage!”
“Second chance!”
One by one, her servants activated their powers but Viperion radiated a confidence the others lacked. He immediately turned and whispered rapidly into the Fake Fox’s ear.
Miracle Queen frowned, hating that she couldn’t hear her Guard’s plans like she could Dragon Pest from across the plaza, “Viperion is by far the most dangerous! You focus on him! Be careful, Cat!”
The stupid cat’s confident grin irked Miracle Queen, “Got it! Cataclysm!” She would have screamed in irritation as the idiots charged foolishly if she hadn’t been sure her own charging guards had a plan. Even if she didn’t know the details. Immediately, DragonPest started a game of hit and block with the monkey, horse and fox.
But Miracle Queen focused on Idiot Noir and his dangerous right hand. He leapt, feet first, at Viperion, issuing a ridiculous cry as he did so. The fight that ensued was like a well choreographed dance. Viperion cooly deflected the cat’s kick with both hands then caught his left wrist as he threw a punch. Miracle Queen was shocked when Idiot Noir reached out with his energy-charged right hand, seeming to not care where he touched, but Viperion caught that wrist as well. Miracle Queen wondered how Viperion was getting the timing so perfectly. The cute boy really had hidden skills.
When the fox walked behind Idiot Noir and used her flute to knock out Idiot Noir’s feet, Chloé knew what Viperion must have whispered to her before the fight had started. When Chat Noir and I are locked together, take out his legs.
Viperion took advantage of Idiot Noir’s brief loss of balance to press his useless musical weapon to the cat’s right hand.
“No!” The cat screamed when his power destroyed the lyre. Miracle Queen cackled as Viperion pinned Idiot Noir to the ground holding his hand for Fake Fox to take the ring at any moment.
Miracle Queen kneeled on her side of the bubble to be closer to the two struggling heroes. “You are more capable than I thought you’d be,” she complimented Viperion.
The hero bowed his head in her direction, “I live to serve my Queen.”
With the cat subdued, Miracle Queen turned her attention to her other guards and the clearly distressed Dragon Pest as she fended off Horsetail, Monkey Kong and, surprise surprise, another Fake Fox. “Take her down my guards so that we can deliver their miraculous!”
“Chat Noir!” Dragon Pest cried and threw her yoyo at the Fake Fox closer to her, only for the fox hero to dissolve into an orange cloud. Monkey Kong caught the yoyo and slammed the toy frog against it. The magical string stretched and constricted like a spring before wrapping itself tightly around Dragon Pest. The water bubble dropped around the heroes.
Miracle Queen laughed gleefully as she walked to the squirming bug, caught in her own yo-yo. “Chloé, please don’t do it! You’re better than this, there’s still a way to fix this.”
“Is that so, Ladybug?”
“Hawk Moth is our enemy, Chloé! He can't get a hold of the Miraculous! You’re still one of Paris’s heroes!” Of course she would say this when she’s trapped. Miracle Queen plucked the Dragon necklace from the girl’s neck.
“I'm not on your side anymore! How many times have I asked to fight alongside you? And how many times have you refused to give me back my Miraculous? Hawk Moth isn't my enemy, he's yours!” It was too little and much too late. Miracle Queen wanted to rip the earrings from the girl’s ears but she took her time and carefully extracted them.
“Dupain-Cheng?” The screech escaped from Chloé’s control when the transformation dropped to reveal the annoying bakers’ daughter. As soon as she was free, the girl threw herself at Miracle Queen only to drop to her knees as Fake Fox’s flute hit her on the stomach. Miracle Queen frowned and signaled to the Fake Fox to take care of guarding the girl as she fought for breath before she walked to the round-eyed cat-boy still struggling against Viperion.
“Your turn, Idiot Noir.” The boy squirmed and fought the hold the snake had on him. She signaled to Monkey Kong to help her get his hand where she would get the ring. She slipped the ring from his finger to see the slitted eyes turn into a familiar pair of green eyes. “Adrikins?” the hate in his eyes was unmistakable.
Of all the people in Paris, she never expected Adrien to be the annoying cat themed hero or her idol to actually be obnoxious Dupain-Cheng.
“My Queen, bring me their miraculous!” Hawk Moth called down to her.
“Chloé! Don’t do it.” Her childhood friend called from the ground where he still struggled against the heroes holding him down.
“Yes, Hawk Moth!” Miracle Queen pointed at Horsetail. “Get us up there!” Obediently the controlled hero summoned a portal to the roof for Miracle Queen. “Follow us, my Guard, bring Dupain-Cheng and Adrikins along.” She walked through following Horsetail, letting her guards pull along her distraught classmate and her childhood friend.
Once they all stood on the roof and the portal was closed, her heroes arranged themselves in a semicircle, holding Dupain-Cheng and her Adrikins between them. Miracle Queen walked the semicircle of heroes and captives, taking each miraculous and placing them back in the box. She had to avoid Adrikin’s reproachful glare and side step the kicking feet of the wheezing bakers' girl.
When she had all her miraculous, Chloé sauntered to her powerful new ally and victoriously held the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous. “Chloé, don’t do this.” Adrien’s voice implored from behind her.
“I told you I would beat them.” She proclaimed loudly to drown out her friend’s voice.
“You did.” Hawkmoth closed his right hand around the miraculous and shook his head at her. In astonishment because, of course he would be astounded by her handy work. “You got us our victory.” He opened the top of his cane and dropped the ring and earrings in besides the white butterfly. When the top of the cane was closed again he motioned for Miracle Queen to hand him the Miracle Box. She gave it to him eagerly. Hawk Moth snapped the fingers of his left hand once he had the box.
Before she could understand what was happening, a purified akuma emerged from her top and Miracle Queen found herself transformed back into Queen Bee. “No!” she screamed as her guards were released from her mind control.
“What’s going on?”
“Where am I?”
“Hawk Moth?”
“Ondine?”
She could hear teens murmuring in confusion. “Why did you take them?
“You don't need them now that our deal is complete.” The calmness of his voice was infuriating.
“But you promised me that I would reign over Paris and command an army of superheroes!” Queen Bee stomped her foot for emphasis.
“You’ve eliminated the threats to this city. Your job is done.” Hawk Moth’s fatherly chuckle as he took her Bee Miraculous made Chloé want to burst into tears. "I didn't say your reign would never end. It’s time to rest, My Queen. You ruled an army of superheroes just as I promised. I will hold on to your miraculous for you.”
“But…” Chloé felt exposed without her suit, without Pollen.
“Rest assured, Chloé Bourgeois, if Paris is ever in need of a hero again, I will come find you." Mayura’s victorious smirk chafed at Chloé’s bruised ego. How was she any better or more deserving than Chloé?
The conceited expression lasted only a few seconds before she stumbled into Hawk Moth and he was forced to catch her. The man’s leer transformed into a frown as he spoke to the woman hanging from his arm.
“We completed our objective, my Mayura. Let us leave with our prize before it drains you,” the voice he used was so soft and it made Chloé want to walk up to both of them and kick them on the shin. He took her Miraculous but let a weakling keep hers. She didn’t move, but she simmered in her anger, inferiority and impotence as she watched Hawk Moth give the frail woman Chloé’s miracle box and gather her in his arms as if cradling a child. The giant moth that had been attacking the little turtle man was suddenly behind them.
“STOP!” The feeble man in the cracked green bubble screeched. Did he not know when to give up? The shield flashed as the old fool moved as if to throw something big at the stupid couple. Chloé followed the movement and the faded green smudge, hoping, out of nothing else but spite, that it caught them. Could she take the miraculous from the old man if he got them?
The green petered out before it reached them and the smirk returned to the decrepit face of the woman in Hawk Moth’s arms. She flicked her wrist and the monstrous butterfly lunged at the guardian once more, whipping its stinger across the little man’s chest and sending him soaring over the edge of the rooftop.
“Master Fu!” She heard two voices scream. Chloé flinched, that had to have hurt.
The giant sentimonster returned to its master and Hawk Moth jumped onto its back. The man sneered as he projected his voice over the teens behind her. “I suppose I should thank you all. If you hadn’t betrayed Ladybug, how would I have ever possessed her miraculous?” The taunt and the laughter that followed seemed to stir the shocked teens. Chloé turned to look at the others as the sentimonster flew away from the Palais de Chaillot.
Adrikins and Dupain-Cheng ran to the roof's edge while the others murmured unintelligibly.
“Did we just help Hawk Moth win?” Max asked after a brief glance at the horrified faces around him.The nerd’s eyes landed on Kim. Against her better judgement she looked to simple Kim, too. As Chloé had suspected, his face was no more clueless than normal, probably confusing the usually smart Max into thinking that he knew more about what was going on than the rest of them.
When she glanced at the redhead, the wannabe reporter stalked towards Chloé, pointing accusingly, “What did he mean? Why was he leering at you? This is all your fault, isn’t it?!” The accusations rankled Chloé’s already damaged confidence.
“I didn’t knock Chat Noir’s feet from under him with my flute. Or make Ladybug’s yo-yo tie her up like a pig for slaughter. Or rewind time to organize the attack against Paris’ favorite heroes. Or portal us up here to hand over the miraculous. ” She looked pointedly from one loser to the next with each new sentence. It was so unfair of the wannabe paparazzi spaz to accuse her. As if Chloé should have known she was going to be double crossed. Or as if she wouldn’t have done the same thing, had they traded places. “That was all you.”
Chloé made the mistake of glancing at Dupain-Cheng and Adrikins on her last retort. Her Adrikins slumped to his knees. What did he think of her? Chloé stopped responding as Adrien dropped his head into his hands. She stared at her blond friend and the baker’s girl as she kneeled besides him.
Alya began to rant when Chloé stopped taunting, her voice becoming a high pitched drone in the background. A sudden tightening in her throat made Chloé look away from the edge of the roof with the defeated heroes and towards Max and the cute boy that used to be Viperion still standing at the same spot where she’d taken their miraculous.
Max stared at his feet while the cute boy turned away, seeming to look at everything but Chloé and the raging Alya. His head jerked when he noticed Dupain-Cheng chatting Adrikin’s ear off at the edge of the roof.
“Marinette!” he screeched and ran to them.
Chloé would have walked towards them too, had Adrien not lifted his head and glared in her direction just then. Alya had no such inhibitions, she stopped ranting and ran after ex-Viperion. The blue haired boy pulled Adrien to his feet and turned him towards the stairs while the know-it-all blogger did the same for Marinette. They spoke so quickly and quietly that, “We have to find Master Fu,” was all Chloé was able to understand.
Their group rushed down the stairs followed by an energetic, clueless Kim. After a few minutes, Max ambled after them, leaving Chloé alone on the roof. She wasn’t sure what to do anymore. She could follow them. She could go home. She walked to the spot where Adrien had sat and looked over the edge. None of her classmates were visible in the plaza below.
Chloé looked beyond the plaza feeling more alone than ever. She curled her trembling fingers into fists.
Tom & Sabine Boulangerie-Pâtisserie
"Just put him on the couch.” Marinette rushed to say as she removed her key from the door to her home. She didn’t worry about showing Adrien around, she knew he could find his way from previous visits. Instead she ran to the kitchen to prepare a cold compress. She laughed ironically at herself as she ran the hand towel under the water. Everything, her crush on Adrien, her confusion over Chat Noir, Chat Noir’s flirting with Ladybug and his rejection of Marinette were pushed to the back of her head as she worried about taking care of Master Fu.
They had sent their friends on their way after they found Master Fu. There wasn’t much another set of teens could do to help, and their parents were probably worried about their sudden disappearances. She was glad her parents were probably still busy catering the Bourgeois’s party, though she would have liked to have seen them for herself after Hearthunter. It would have to wait.
She wrapped the ice bag with quick, practiced motions and walked to her guests. Adrien had done as she asked and sat on the floor besides the sleeping guardian. She set the compress on the man’s forehead. From the quick examination she and Adrien had done when they’d found him, the guardian had no open wound, or major injuries. She still worried about internal bleeding but the stubborn man had refused to go to the hospital. Bad thing was, he had passed out before he’d specified where he did want to go.
That’s when she’d decided to take them home. She knew it was a risky move. It would be easy for Hawk Moth to find them since Chloé had screamed Marinette’s surnames loud enough for all of Paris to hear. But she was hoping he wasn’t looking for them, yet. Foreboding crept up her back as she swaddled Master Fu in a blanket.
She wasn’t sure, but she suspected Hawk Moth didn't want them all dead. She would still have to warn her parents and tell them the truth about being the local bug-themed hero.
“He would have killed us on the rooftop if he wanted us dead, right?” Adrien murmured, as if reading her mind. Of course he would be worried about the same things.
Marinette nodded woodenly. It was a dangerous thing to rely on, but what other option did they have?
“Can you feel the others?” She asked Wayzz to distract herself from picturing her parents massacred at the Grand Paris Hotel. The Kwami shook its tiny head and curled into itself on Master Fu’s chest. She had given him Tikki’s cookies when they’d found the guardian. She felt the tears pool in her eyes as she thought of Tikki and how she’d been ripped from Marinette.
She didn’t have time for this. She took three deep breaths before she signaled for Adrien to accompany her to the kitchen table. She poured two glasses of milk and set one in front of him.
The eyebrow he raised at her offering almost made her laugh. Almost. "Thanks.
Adrien downed the milk in a few quick gulps, as if he hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until then. “I envy his sleep right now.” He said and she knew how he would have ended that statement had he been in a better mood. Could do with a catnap meowself.
The corners of Marinette’s mouth lifted slightly but neither of them were really in the mood for jokes and puns. And the day wasn't over yet. Marinette refilled his glass but said nothing else as she sipped from hers.
She hadn’t stuttered or acted awkwardly since their miraculous had been taken. She’d been focused and composed and she knew that he, like her, was still acting like their superhero counterpart.
They’d hurried away from the battle to find where Master Fu landed but Marinette wondered how he felt at seeing his childhood friend betray them. She could only speculated how much it hurt to think that it’d be her fault that neither he nor Marinette would really be safe.
He must not have been thinking about the then because, just then, he was studying as if she was an alien and the fate of the human race depended on his observations. She did the same thing noticing all the little details she had missed or dismissed. The similarities between Adrien and Chat, hidden in sight. Stitching his two halves together. They had to talk…
"So you're Chat Noir?" Marinette murmured as the condensation ring his glass left on the table suddenly became the most interesting thing in the room.
“I mean, I am.” His voice was uncertain and she stole a glance towards his face in time to see the look of disgust that crossed it before he looked away.
He was probably piecing her two identities together, too. "And you're Ladybug." He didn't wait for her response before what seemed like sudden irrational laughter overtook him. "Wow, I'm such an idiot. But then again you've always been extremely clever."
Marinette blinked in confusion and mentally kicked herself. She’d seen his cringe in the brief second she’d glanced at him but how did not looking help her decipher anything? She was Ladybug, why did she have to hide or look away? She raised her chin and looked at the boy in front of her. "What do you mean?" Why did everything have to be so tangled?
"Kwamibuster," Adrien sighed. A good sigh or a bad one? He still wasn't looking at her.
She raised her eyebrow at him. Just because she didn’t have her mask on right then did not mean she would retract from a conversation with Chat Noir.
Adrien must have grown tired of the silence, because he looked up, saw her expression and chuckled once before explaining. "Earlier that day I had been so convinced that you were Ladybug. It made so much sense. Until I saw both of you together, side by side and knew you couldn’t have been." He frowned. "But you are! How did you pull that off?"
"Oh!” she smirked, who would have known that he’d so close to discovering her identity. “Well, everything that happened after the akuma became trapped under my lucky charm was an illusion." Adrien’s wide, awestruck eyes prompted her to continue. "I utilized Multitude. It allowed me to unify the mouse miraculous with multiple different miraculous as long as one of the clones had it.” A quick nod from Adrien and she continued. “When the kwamis were seen at our school, I knew I had to do everything to guide you, and anyone else watching, in the wrong direction from my secret identity. I already had all the Miraculous with me, so I unified Mullo and Trixx with one of my clones. I used Mirage to create an illusion once the akuma was trapped under the bowl. After you left with Ms. Mendeleiev, I dropped the illusion, captured the akuma and repaired the damage." Adrien was quiet as he processed what Marinette described.
After a few seconds of silence, Marinette sighed and added, "I'm sorry for the deception, but our identities were meant to be a secret."
Adrien nodded his head in what he hoped looked like understanding. How had he never known that Ladyb-Marinette was more clever and stronger than he’d given her credit.
“It’s okay, I lied that day too, after all.” He felt chagrin over the warning he’d given her when she’d donned the dragon miraculous earlier. Of course she knew too many powers were dangerous but she had handled it before.
He observed Marinette and saw Ladybug’s confidence. How could he have missed it?
You're our everyday Ladybug.
His own words echoed in his head.
He shook his head and laughed at his stupidity, “I had a giant crush on you all this time and didn’t even know you were beside me the whole time.”
Marinette blushed as she looked behind him, “Same.”
Adrien jerked in surprise when Marinette’s cheeks turned into a glowing tomato. Lucky for him the glass had only been on it’s way to his mouth and he hadn’t taken a drink or he would have choked. Was she avoiding his gaze or just checking on Master Fu? Or both?
“Really?” He analyzed his words and the implication of her response. “But you always turned me down…” As Chat Noir… She always turned him down as Chat Noir because she liked Adrien. The realization came unexpectedly. Except for the one time when she’d confessed. “But there’s Luka.”
Marinette nodded her head, blushing slightly as she responded but seeming calmer than him, “Luka is nice and kind and cute, but didn’t have my heart.” She took a deep breath, whispered the last sentence, “I have, had, a crush on you.”
Adrien felt his eyes widen to the size of saucers. Hawk Moth possessed almost all the miraculous and knew the identities of all the wielders and exposed the guardian of the Miraculous. But somehow Adrien wanted this conversation with more fervor than he did a solution to all their other problems. Adrien accepted that it probably made him a terrible hero, but he thirsted for this conversation.
“So you mean,” Adrien decided to repeat what he’d processed, to make sure he’d understood right. “I had a crush on Ladybug, who is actually you, and you had a crush on me.” A single nod. “And you rejected Chat Noir because you have a crush on Adrien.” He frowned and decided to exclude whatever her confession to Chat Noir had been, feeling that it would only complicate the situation, and prove how much of a fool he’d been.
“I’m the other guy?” His incredulity revealed itself through a break in his voice. The irony of the situation made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. Had their story been a book or TV show he would have rage quit it by now, multiple times over.
Marinette giggled, her cheeks were still red, “Yes, you silly cat.” She tapped his nose from across the table, a mannerism that had grown to be so natural when they were in-suit but provided a strange shock just then. “Only you could and would compete with yourself.”
Adrien gave her a Chat Noir grin, “Of course! After all, the only one who is more pawsome than me is my M’Lady!” Marinette’s giggles became guffaws, Adrien joined her.
It took a few minutes for either of them to regain control. It was a miracle they didn’t wake the sleeping man on the couch. It just felt good to be able to laugh as they waited for either the guardian to wake or Hawk Moth to come kill them.
“So now what?” He asked, trying not to ruin the mood but he could sense bad news on the horizon.
“What do you mean?” Marinette frowned. The nerves fluttering in her stomach were not letting her modulate her expressions. Just like any other day around Adrien.
“I mean us.” Adrien gestured between them. “What are we now? You know, since now we know each other's identities… and that we are in love with each other.”
We are in love with each other. The words caused a happy quiver to run up her arms. How long had she waited to hear those words?
Adrien began to rub the back of his neck as he continued, had he felt the electricity she had? “I mean, does this mean we are a couple?”
We are a couple. She was sure her heart got a new tempo that matched the cadence of the words.
A series of images ran through her thoughts. Kagami and Adrien about to kiss. The day out with both of them. Stepping back for them to be happy. Watching them almost achieving it. Luka… and the song he had for her.
“What about Kagami, Adrien?” Marinette’s voice trembled, she had to tell him what she’d seen, “I… you two were…” Resolving to tell him what she saw and doing it were two different things. She took a deep breath to fortify herself, even as she felt the tears fill her eyes. “Earlier, you were close with Kagami. There was a bond, I saw it, and it made me… I made a mistake.” Another deep breath. “That’s why I chose Kagami to help fight Hearthunter instead of Chloé.” The admission hurt more than she thought it would but she didn’t stop. She had to say the whole truth.
“I let the jealousy I felt when I saw you two, take control. I was in pain and I let my emotions guide me rather than rational thought. If I had been more cautious heading back to master fu. If I had transformed... If I’d chosen Chloé and let you two be together… But taking her from Adrien for the duration of the battle didn’t change a thing.” The tears overflowed, she felt them run down her face faster than she could dab at them. “I saw you kiss her after, Adrien.”
“Marinette, we didn’t…” Alarm widened Adrien’s eyes as he hurriedly spoke but Marinette interrupted. The explanations he could come up with could only hurt.
“and though that br-breaks my heart...”
“Marinette, I am so sorry. I didn’t... know,” Adrien pleaded, his hands raised in front of him as if he meant to reach across the table, but Marinette shook her head and he dropped his hands.
“And though it breaks my heart, I understand that you could have genuine feelings for her even if you loved me before.” She tried to emphasize the past tense as much as she could because there was no way that what she’d witnessed between them could be spurious.
“I tried countless times to confess my feelings or get you to notice me as Marinette, Adrien. But I failed every time. There has to be a reason for that. I didn’t know what it could have been until I saw you two together.” Marinette looked out the kitchen window, away from Adrien. “And.. Luka was there for me.” She took a deep breath before she looked at him again. The tears had stopped overflowing. She felt heart broken but calm. “We both just started something with other people, we can’t just ditch them because the person we thought was unattainable just became available.”
“That’s not fair to Luka and Kagami. They were there for us when we weren’t there for each other.” The hardest part in saying the speech wasn’t the hollow feeling it left. Or the uphill battle she saw coming. It was the tears that started to pool in Adrien’s green eyes.
Adrien said nothing as he stared back at her. She was certain they had identical tear tracks and red-nosed appearances, but she was sure neither of them thought less of the other person because, even if she and Adrien weren’t meant to be a couple, they were still soulmates. Or some platonic approximation of the mythical life partners.
Marinette stood and brought tissues for both of them. She didn’t sit across from him again but stood beside Adrien.
“I… You’re right, It wouldn’t be fair to any of us.” Adrien spoke when the only trace left of his tears was a red rim that should have made him look unattractive but just made him look slightly sleep deprived. “I guess... just friends then?”
A cackle burst from Marinette. He only raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain. “It used to hurt when you would say that.”
It still hurt, even if that’s what the conversation was about. She saw the remorse on his face and she almost regretted being honest. She suddenly became aware that she had called him ‘just a friend’, too. “I… did the same to you, I’m sorry.”
A tight smile appeared on his face, but it was a start to an honest friendship. “Friends it is.” She laughed more calmly once he voiced his agreement and messed up his hair.
“Hey! Stop messing with the money maker!” He laughed as he lightly batted her hand away.
“Pretty boy.” She mumbled and crossed her arms playfully. He simply winked and a second dose of awareness shot through her thoughts.
“Flirt! Adrien is such a ladies man! I never had a chance!” She yelled playfully.
“Am not! I only ever actively flirted with Ladybug.” A hint of pink shaded his cheeks and Marinette laughed.
“And Ryuko earlier today, and Marinette when you fought Evilustrator and Multimouse and…” She stopped talking and started laughing when he placed a hand over her mouth.
“Enough!” He removed the hand but he smiled as he spoke. “In my defense, Chat wanted Marinette to like him. Multimouse was pawesome and needed recognition and I was being courteous with Ryuko. And let’s not name the others, I may have a prob-”
From across the room they heard the sound of couch springs and a groan. “Master Fu!” Marinette cried in relief before both of them rushed to the guardian’s side. “Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?”
The old man groaned again and winced as he sat up, making Wayzz slide onto his lap. The Kwami opened his eyes once his holder wasn’t moving. “No, I am still okay. I can’t say the same for the Miracle Box. Did it all really happen? Did Hawk Moth really get your miraculous and my tablet with the decoded grimoire?”
Marinette looked away from the wise man that had guided and trained her the last few months.
“It all happened. Hawk Moth has all of the Miraculous except the Turtle.” Adrien answered the question, she was glad he seemed to know that she couldn’t muster a response.
The guardian sighed and dropped his head into his hands, “The worst has happened.”
“I’m sorry Master! It’s all my fault!” Marinette dropped to the floor beside the couch with renewed tears in her eyes. His only consolation was that he hadn’t directly caused these. And yet he had. She blamed herself for being distracted, and she’d been distracted because he’d been too blind to recognize her. Too oblivious to his own observations. He’d called her ‘our everyday Ladybug’ for goodness sake!
“No, Marinette, it’s Hawk Moth’s fault.” Adrien kneeled besides the girl he loved and placed his hand on her shoulder. He loved how strong she was, but he also loved that she needed him every once in a while to remind her of it. He pinched his leg with the hand not comforting Marinette. He needed to remember that he couldn’t love her anymore. Marinette was right, he owed it to her and Kagami to try. He'd promised her he wouldn't sabotage the relationship.
“He’s the terrorist, holding Paris’ emotions hostage. You’re the hero that will set it free. If there’s a way, we will find it to liberate the city— no, the world of his terror.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Master Fu raise his head with a twinkle in his eye.
“That’s it!” Marinette called loudly and the twinkle in the old man’s eye glowed brighter. It was so hard for Adrien not to take Marinette’s hand and interlace their fingers. For comfort, his brain told him but he knew he’d never get away with it. He squeezed her arm instead.
“Hawk Moth initially only wanted the wish Plagg and TIkki can grant,” she called, still excited.
Master Fu spoke up. “It was only after he found out about me that he wanted the rest of the miraculous. But his eye was always on the prize. We have to find a way to find the miraculous before he makes the wish.”
Marinette and Master Fu had the same calculating gleam about them. Marinette nodded excitedly.
Adrien thought about the word that had caught Master Fu’s attention before. World. “So… the temple In Tibet! They could have another copy of the book there! Or a way to track the miraculous or the box!”
The doorbell downstairs rang as they made the plans necessary for Master Fu to make the trip home. They would find a solution for everything.
“I’ll be right back, I need to get that in case…” Marinette hopped to her feet.
She returned a minute later carrying a large unmarked box. It didn’t look heavy but her brow was furrowed as if it was or as if she was worried.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, inspecting the box as she set it on the coffee table.
“It’s addressed to me, but it doesn’t have an address or a return address.”
Adrien glanced at her worried face and noted slim white label with her name on the lid. If it had been something she’d ordered it would have had some sort of address or provider somewhere. Puzzled, he asked, “Who dropped it off?”
“I don’t know, there was no one there when I opened the door and no one in sight.” She walked away and returned with a letter opener. “But I might as well open it, I doubt that it’s a bomb.” Marinette shrugged before she sliced the tape, moving the lid to the side so they could see the contents of the box. Packing peanuts obscured anything from sight.
“Well, if it blows up, then we’d know that it was a present from someone with an explosive personality,” Adrien joked only to get a signature Ladybug glare before she stubbornly tugged at her jacket sleeve and sank her hand to the elbow in the peanuts. How had he not seen the similarities before? “Or it could be empty.”
“No, there’s definitely something in here.” Marinette gasped in surprise when she pulled the dark stained hexagon prism from the box. She placed it in front of Master Fu who had been quiet through their bantering. “It’s the Miracle Box, but why is it here now?”
Master Fu stroked his facial hair as he eyed the box he’d protected for over a century.
“It doesn’t make sense… Hawk Moth took the box; he wouldn’t just give it up willingly,” Adrien shook his head as he processed the situation out loud. “He told Chloé so.”
“Unless-” The old man reached forward and opened the box. All the compartments opened at once, each of the side slots containing a miraculous but the top only held the bee and fox.
“He gave all of them back?” Marinette’s eyes were wide with awe as she got closer.
“All but four.” the man confirmed.
“But why would he return the rest of the miraculous?”
“Well, Master Fu said it earlier, he had only been interested in the Ladybug and Black Cat before he knew he was around…” Adrien mused.
Adrien eyed the peanuts in the large box, pulled back his sleeves and stuck both hands in. He searched for less than a minute before he pulled out a padded yellow envelope. He didn’t wait for a cue from the other two people in the room before he opened it and emptied the contents on the table. A white tablet and a card the size of half an A4 page fell onto the table.
“A message from Hawk Moth?” Marinette asked as he picked up and skimmed the note, printed in comic sans. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, well that proved it, Hawk Moth had no sense of style.
Adrien read the note aloud in a pinched voice that sounded nothing like Hawk Moth.
I know that in your books I am a villain, I am content to live with that, it matters not what the world thinks of me, but there are a few things that you and the guardian need to know.
The Peacock Miraculous is damaged. It damaged Mayura every time she used it.
With the acquisition of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous I will achieve my objective and make the Miraculous wish to heal My Mayura of the Peacock’s curse. Afterwards I shall lock the ladybug and black cat away so the wish cannot be undone.
We will keep both the Butterfly and Peacock because they were ours before the villains/superhero mess began.
I have no use for the rest of miraculous and wish that you can get them, and the tablet in this envelope, to their guardian.
As a protection for me, I will ask you not to search for me and remind you that I know who you are, and where your loved ones are found.
Adrien finished reading, flipped the card over and quietly read the single line printed on the back. “It’s not even signed.”
Marinette frowned, “Hawk Moth doesn’t seriously think we won’t go after him, does he?”
“I think he does,” Adrien flipped the card towards her and showed her the last lines of the message.
Be assured, should a need for Ladybug and Chat Noir ever arise, the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous will be delivered appropriately.
“He claims that he will return the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous...” Marinette trailed off as she scrutinized the print as if it would reveal Hawk Moth’s identity to her.
Master Fu motioned to see the card and Adrien handed it to him. He stared at it as hard as Marinette had before he rubbed at his eyes and sighed.
“We can not risk your families to find the miraculous. We must simply hope Hawk Moth is telling the truth in this letter.”
“But master, we can’t just do nothing ,” Marinette insisted.
“I am sorry, Marinette,” the wise man spoke apologetically. “But the risk is too great. You both are free from your duties as miraculous wielders. Make the most of this life and remember the lessons you have learned. Should this city need protecting once more, I will find you both.” Or Hawk Moth will, Adrien thought as the guardian gathered the Miracle Box, the card and the tablet.
Marinette sighed and offered to walk him out. What else could they do?
Adrien sat on the couch as he waited for Marinette to come back.
“Don’t look so down, at least Paris is safe now.” She said, when she noticed his gloomy expression.
“It is, but I’ll miss Plagg.” Adrien couldn’t keep the wistfulness from his voice. He could feel the tears that threatened him again.
She sat besides him, keeping a social distance that annoyed him as she tried to comfort him. “I’ll miss Tikki, too.”
“You know what the worst part is?” He picked at a thread that hung loose from one of his buttons. “It’s not just missing someone that has become a huge part of my life, though it's going to be tough being alone most of the time, but being Chat Noir was such a relief. I was free, not just in a physical sense, but I didn't have to act the way anyone wanted me to.”
“Maybe you should be more like Chat Noir?”
He gave her a sad smile, “I don’t think anyone will appreciate that. You found Chat Noir annoying but loved me. It’s proof that I’m better off curbing my personality.”
Adrien enjoyed the shocked outrage that crossed her face as she yelled out. “Excuse you!” Her hand raised in a sudden motion and he caught and held it, interlacing his fingers through hers. He wondered what she’d meant to do with the hand. Would she have tried to slap him if he hadn’t caught it? The thought was interesting to think about.
She spoke in a lower but still insulted voice as she continued. “I loved Chat Noir, and his sense of humor. He just had bad timing.”
He laughed and she joined him.
“Hear this, you can be Chat Noir around me anytime from now on.” She smiled sweetly, so characteristically of Marinette. “You can’t have worse timing than you used to since it will no longer be life threatening.”
He chortled with amusement. “Okay.”
“About being alone. you have my phone number, don't you?" When he nodded she pointed the fingers of her other hand towards his chest.
"Use it!" He grabbed that hand too, wondering how long it would be until she objected. "And the physical liberties? I’ll help spring you out once in a while.” She whispered and winked. “And I’m sure Kagami and the others will too.”
“I’m glad you’re Ladybug. Now I know that even without our miraculous, you will always be by my side.” With or without the suit, she’d always be a hero.
Marinette’s smile grew so sad that he almost regretted the comment, but she said, “It’s you and me against the world, always.” There was an awkward moment of silence before she took her hands from his and added, “You should go find Kagami. She’s probably confused about what happened and looking for you.” They hadn't seen her when they walked down the steps but he been sure she'd had to have been called when Chloé along with the rest of the heroes.
Adrien nodded, his smile fading. “You’re right. I guess I better get going.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
She stopped at her door as he walked out. He knew she was right, they had made their choices. It was the only fair thing for the four of them but he wished she would stop him. He wished she would tell him to come back, or that they’d both go looking for Kagami. He wished she would run out and tackle him to stop him from leaving.
When he looked over his shoulder at her, hoping it prompted her, he saw her leaning against the wall texting furiously, a slight smile on her lips.
Marinette gazed wistfully after Adrien as he walked away from her until her phone, vibrating crazily in her purse, caught her attention. It hurt her to see the bag, empty of her companion. She would have to get rid of it if the pain continued.
She took her phone and checked. Twenty-five messages. Ten from Luka. He was worried.
Marinette: Would now be a good time to hear your song? I’ll meet you at the park in 10.
A phone call stopped her from putting her phone in her purse. An unknown number.
“Good Afternoon, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I am Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste’s personal assistant. Mr. Agreste has an important offer for you...”
Agreste Manor
The car entered the mansion grounds as the sun set. He’d managed to find Kagami in an attempt to make the most of their afternoon. When the Gorilla found him and pulled him away to take him home, Adrien had barely been able to confirm that he and Kagami were indeed a couple. He wasn’t ready to go public yet, much to Kagami’s disappointment, but she agreed to keep their relationship private to avoid angering his fans.
At least telling his father should go well. His father had already shown his approval of Kagami in the past and often allowed Adrien to take her to business events with him. The hard part would be figuring out how to announce their relationship without the public thirsting for Kagami’s blood. Adrien almost laughed as he imagined Kagami as a lion tamer, fending them off. They really had to find a solution if they didn't want to face the PR mess that would result from an annoyed Kagami hurting a crazed fan.
He’d have to warn Wayhem to behave.
Adrien expected trouble when they entered the foyer but no one was there to greet or berate him. He decided to grab the bull by the horns. If there was trouble to face for skipping out on a social event, he preferred to get it over with as soon as possible. Adrien walked towards his father’s office. He didn’t get the opportunity to knock before the door opened and Nathalie exited.
She looked pale and exhausted but she smiled warmly. The woman had changed so much in the past year. “Adrien, excellent timing. There is someone here to see you. She and your father are upstairs waiting for you. I was told to take you up when you arrived.”
Adrien followed Nathalie upstairs. The closer they got to the door to his bedroom the more confused he grew, guests never entered his father’s room. Nathalie knocked once before opening the door and stepping aside. His father stood by the window, looking out but turned and grinned when Adrien entered. It was one of the happiest smiles he’d gotten from his from him in a long time.
Adrien didn’t get to analyze the smile before the door to the attached bathroom opened and the beautiful blonde angel walked out. Adrien stared at the woman in shock.
“Adrien?”
She looked and sounded like his mother, and he could smell a hint of the perfume she used to use. He felt an irresistible pull towards her but he’d had the same conflicting emotion almost every time he saw his aunt.
“Aren’t you going to greet your mother, Adrien?” His father’s playful tone and laughter were the last confirmation he needed before Adrien ran into his mother’s arms.