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I'm not going down on my knees
Begging you to adore me
Paul stood in the middle of the square with a bouquet of flowers in his right hand and stared at it silently, biting his lip. Estelle, the girl that he adored and worshiped for two years, the love of his life, just rejected him and his proposal. A box with an engagement ring was now lying uselessly on the ground.
He was crushed, slowly dying inside with each passing minute. Bystanders were looking at him sympathetically, but he paid zero attention to them. An explosive mix of despair and anger was growing in his chest. The sound of blood pumping in Paul's temples was deafening. The hand that was holding flowers clenched, roses’ thorns dug into his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut.
‘Who does she think she is?’ roared the voice in his head. ‘Does she think that I will crawl back to her and beg her to change her mind and accept me? To love me like I deserve to be loved? Does she think that I’m gonna woo her again? Not a chance!’
Can't you see it's misery
And torture for me
When I'm misunderstood
Suddenly, Paul heard a sharp zing. He was not alone inside his head.
“Poor boy got all his hopes for a happy future violently crushed,” an alluring voice came out of nowhere. “And no one can fully understand how you really feel. They’ll say that it was only a stupid teenage love, that you’ll find more of this kind before you settle on someone. Do you want to make them understand how hurt you are?”
“Who are you?” Paul mumbled, unable to shut down the unexpected connection.
“I am Hawkmoth,” the voice answered. “And I can help you to show those stupid people how it feels to be tormented by feelings that you cannot get rid of. In exchange, you will bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses. Do we have a deal, Lover Cough?”
Paul knew that all of it was wrong and he should've coped with his drama instead of rampaging across the city he loved dearly. But the dam that held all the mixed feelings back had cracked and broken.
“Yes, Hawkmoth.”
A purple bubbly mass engulfed him.
Try as hard as you can
I've tried as hard as I could
To make you see
How important it is for me
Ladybug swung rapidly between the buildings. On her way to the battlefield, she had noticed some victims with flowers similar to Dark Cupid’s arrows, attached to their chests or backs. Those people had been screaming, crying, and writhing in agony, coughing up different kinds of petals. She had heard some screams about loneliness and misery, and about the cold cruel attitude of those who did not notice and reciprocate other people's feelings.
She hated love-themed akumas. It meant that she would have to be twice as careful, keep an eye on Chat, and not let him take a hit. Well, to be fair, he wasn’t a lovesick kitten anymore. He had toned down his advances and probably moved on from her. However, it didn’t mean that he didn’t need protection.
She jumped from the building and hid in the shadows to observe the situation. Chat was already there, dodging hits and enraging the akuma more with his flower-related puns. She realized that the akuma was probably in the bouquet, where the flower-shaped arrows were flying from.
Ladybug crept closer and tried to catch Chat’s attention. That was a mistake. When Chat heard her and turned back to greet her and report on the situation, Lover Cough smirked and waved the bouquet towards the distracted superhero.
Fortunately for him, Ladybug had noticed just in time. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. She screamed, grabbed Chat’s shoulders, and turned him back, shielding him. A flower arrow hit her head and stuck to her hair between two pigtails. She let go of Chat, fell on her knees, and spat out several yellow rose petals after a coughing fit.
Lover Cough laughed maniacally and threw his bouquet in the air, whooping in a twisted joy. “Take that, you insect!”
Chat, gritting his teeth in rage, extended his baton, and launched himself up, calling for his Cataclysm. He caught the bouquet, and it dissolved to ashes in his hand. Ladybug managed to throw her yo-yo in the air to catch and purify an akuma.
Chat spoke a bit with devastated Paul and asked policemen to help him get home. Then, he rushed to Ladybug who was wincing and rubbing the back of her head. “Are-are you okay, My Lady?” He laid his hand on her shoulder, examining her with concern on his face. “Thank you, by the way, for saving me. You didn’t have to. It’s my job to protect you, not the other way around.”
“Don’t be silly!” She said firmly. “You are my partner and I must protect you too! Besides, you just haven’t seen all those suffering victims.” She cleared her throat. “I guess I should cast the cure. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t even need Tikki’s help. Lucky Charm!”
A love letter fell into her hands. “Spot on, Tikki,” she sighed and threw it in the air. A swirl of magical ladybugs rushed around the city. Her headache and dizzy feeling disappeared, but her chest still felt constricted. She took a deep breath and exhaled in relief. ‘Maybe it’s just post-battle anxiety.’
“See, I’m good, Chat Noir! Thank you for the quick reaction! Pound it?” She held up her hand for their signature fistbump. He eyed her suspiciously, but said nothing, just bumped his fist at hers.
Here is a plea
From my heart to you
Nobody knows me
As well as you do
She sat upright in her bed, gasping for air. Panic squeezed her lungs, her throat felt sore and dry. There was a taste of grass in her mouth. “Tikki,” she wheezed out. “Tikki, again. Lights, pl-”
She started coughing and quickly hid her face on the pillow so as not to wake up her parents. Tikki turned on the night light and hovered over her head, buzzing worriedly.
Two weeks had passed since the Lover Cough incident. Three days after, Marinette had found out that the Miraculous Cure hadn’t quite healed her. Tikki explained, hiding her eyes guiltily, that it was because the place where the arrow hit was not covered by the suit. A headshot from any kind of weapon had always been dangerous; magical arrows weren’t an exception.
Tikki also had said that Marinette had developed some kind of ancient disease that affects only those who suffered from unrequited love. Thankfully, Ladybug’s attire had been soothing her burning lungs and helping hold back the cough. But Marinette as a civilian didn’t have such luxury. Each night, she had woken up way before the dawn by the violent clawing in her chest.
At first, she had coughed out only a dozen or two yellow petals. Then one or two rosebuds. The disease progressed quickly, so now she was throwing out a full flower with stem, leaves, and thorns. Tikki had promised that they would find a solution, looking at her chosen with infinite sadness in her eyes. Marinette hardly believed that. What kind of solution could it be, if even Miraculous Cure had failed?
You know how hard it is for me
To shake the disease
That takes hold of my tongue
In situations like these
Unfortunately, the next day got her even worse development. Marinette had a severe attack when it was said in class that Adrien wouldn’t attend school over the next several days due to his busy schedule on Paris Fashion Week. Her breath hitched, her eyes prickled with tears. She felt petals coming up her throat, immediately got up, and ran out of the classroom.
She didn’t make it to the bathroom, collapsing in the nearest corner. She started coughing, clenching her fists to stop shaking violently. The rose was coming out, the bud was already in her mouth.
“Girl!” she heard Alya’s voice down the corridor and started coughing more to spit the flower out faster and hide it from her best friend and everyone else. Alya heard the noises and ran to that corner. There, she found her best friend lying on the floor and clutching to her chest a yellow rose with blood droplets on its petals and leaves.
“Marinette,” Alya whispered, horrified, kneeling in front of the girl. “Is-is it Hanahaki? H-how long? Is it A-”
“Hana what?” Marinette stared at her friend wide-eyed.
Alya closed her eyes and sighed, trying to calm down and sound reasonable. “The disease that affects people with unrequited feelings. Girl…” Alya shook her head. “How long has it been going on? It seems like you have it very bad. You should tell him! Otherwise-” She grimaced.
“Since Lover Cough. Apparently, magical ladybugs haven’t cured me.” Marinette tugged at her pigtails in frustration. “Tell him? As if you haven’t seen all my earlier failed attempts! Wait,” she eyed her friend suspiciously. “If I don’t tell him then what?”
Alya looked at her with a pained smile. “You know that you might die if you don’t do anything soon, right?”
“WHAT?!” Marinette shrieked and immediately started gasping for air. Alya hugged her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
“Shh, girl, shh. We’ll save you, I’ll find a solution,” Alya promised, trying to quietly wipe away tears. Marinette didn’t say anything, chasing away the thought about practically inevitable death.
Understand me
After a sleepless night of research, Alya knew that there were only two ways to cure Hanahaki disease - to get a confession or to get surgery to remove those poisonous feelings. She wasn’t ready to suggest the latter yet, so she decided to try a different approach.
Over the next three days, she managed to rope all the boys that had been somehow connected to Marinette into the operation “Remove The Flower”. Each of them (classmates, a couple of student council members, one neighbor, and, of course, Luka) confessed their past love, current raging crush, or feelings that they had for her for a long time.
Marinette appreciated Alya’s intent, but she was getting more sick and frustrated after each conversation. Finally, she broke down in Luka’s arms, miserable and guilty that she couldn’t accept all those feelings and that no one could cure her.
Some people have to be
Permanently together
Ironically, that one boy who could save her missed all the ordeal. After an exhausting week on the runway, Adrien just laid on his bed, scrolling mindlessly through his notifications and missed messages. He opened the chat with Nino, read through some reports from his friend, and shot up.
“What?! Marinette has Hanahaki disease and might die soon?!” He looked at Plagg with horror. The kwami was just chewing another piece of Camembert. “Did you hear it, Plagg?! Apparently, several boys confessed to her, but nothing helped. Was it Lover Cough who endangered her?” He growled, clenching his fists. “And why didn’t Ladybug’s cure work?”
Plagg swallowed and looked at his chosen, unimpressed. “I wonder who might be the cause of it?” he replied, staring pointedly at Adrien. “And the cure too, huh?”
Adrien looked at him, puzzled. Then his face brightened from the realization. “She told Chat Noir once that she loved him! Maybe his confession could save her?”
Plagg dropped his cheese on the table, then cleared his throat after several seconds of confusing silence. “Adrien. What can you say to her? Do you love her or what?”
“I-” Adrien rubbed the back of her neck. “She’s a good fr-”
“You better not play with her feelings!” Plagg flew to his face, glaring daggers at him.
“What? No!” Adrien sputtered, blushing. “She’s really important to me. So I’ll find something to say. Everyone tried to save her, how can I stay aside?! I must try something too!”
Plagg shook his head, exasperated. “Whatever. Transform already and let’s get it over with.”
“Plagg, claws out!” Chat Noir opened the window and jumped out of his bedroom, heading to Marinette’s balcony.
Lovers devoted
To each other forever
Marinette sat in the chair on the balcony, fiddling thoughtfully with petals of a yellow rose that she spat out during the latest coughing fit. Chat was watching her from a distance, hidden in the shadows. She looked exhausted, almost asleep on her feet. His heart squeezed painfully. ‘Whoever was that boy that she was hopelessly in love with, he didn’t deserve her sincere affection. And she didn’t deserve such suffering!’ he thought.
Chat noticed that the flower in her hands was actually the yellow rose. It reminded him of his attempt to give Ladybug a similar rose as a sign of his friendship. It hadn’t meant the disappearance of his feelings, it was rather a distraction for both of them.
He jumped forward and landed on her balcony. “Hey, Marinette!” he greeted, feigning ignorance. “How are you doing this fine evening?”
She looked at him, frowning, her eyes dull. “I’m sick, Chat Noir. And no one can help me. Well, except for the surgery.”
“What’s happening?” he asked. “Can I help you somehow?”
“You can try to confess,” she laughed awkwardly, wincing at the pain. “As did everyone, well, almost every one of my guy friends. "Isn’t it why did you come here? Didn’t Alya ask you about it?” she sighed, lowering her head. “I’m so tired of it, to be honest.”
Chat kneeled on the floor in front of her and carefully took her hands in his, leaving the rose on her knees.
‘ What would I tell Ladybug if I had a chance?’ the thought struck him. It was so easy to imagine that it was she, sitting in front of him, waiting for some healing words. He took a deep breath...
“I love you,” he said. Her head jerked up, her widened eyes were staring at him in shock. “Yes, I love you, one of the most incredible girls in the world.” And it wasn’t a total lie; he really admired Marinette. “You’re so enchanting with your kindness, fragile and pure beauty.” His thumbs were rubbing soothing circles on her palms. “You’re so strong and fierce, but at the same time you can be tender and shy.” He smiled at her. So far so good. “I treasure you as a g-” a jolt of pain in his spine was apparently Plagg’s doing, “as a great talent! Yes! Your creations are mesmerizing, and you have a great future, for sure.”
She was staring at him, mouth agape. He was rambling, he knew it. ‘ Better to get back on the track.’ “You’re one of dearest people whom this stray ever had in his life. And you give me a feeling of home.” He dared to look into her eyes. “Please, just know that you’ll always have your knight in shining leather by your side no matter what.”
Now I've got things to do
And I've said before
That I know you have too
When I'm not there
In spirit I'll be there
Marinette gasped. The sudden and intense rush of air down her throat caused another coughing fit. She spat out two more petals, shaped in a heart form. Chat’s fake cat ears dropped in dejection. ‘Does it mean that I failed?’ He looked down, trying to fight back the tears of frustration that threatened to spill from his eyes.
Then he felt Marinette’s hands squeezing his gently. He lifted his head and found a tentative smile on her face. He saw something unfamiliar, but intense in her eyes; it made his heart fluttering.
“Thank you, Chat,” she whispered. “It means a lot to me that you’re willing to try and save me. Can I thank you with some pastries?”
“There’s nothing to be thankful for.” The superhero smiled. “But how can I refuse such sweet gratitude?”
Marinette patted his shoulder, got up from the chair, and went down to the bakery. Five minutes later, she was back with a big paper bag filled with croissants.
“Thank you again, Chat,” she said, handing it to him. “I’m sorry that I can’t be here with you a little longer tonight. My condition is wearing me down. And you probably have a lot of superhero things to do all over Paris.”
Chat hugged her close with his free hand and kissed the top of her head. “Sweet dreams, my Princess. Get well soon.” He let her go to take his baton from the small of his back and extend it. “And leave a green ribbon on your balcony if you need me. I’ll be there for you as soon as I can.”
He winked at her and vaulted away.
Here is a plea
From my heart to you
Nobody knows me
As well as you do
Watching him disappearing in the distance, Marinette took a deep breath and realized that her lungs could extend at full capacity again. She looked down at the yellow rose, lying forgotten on the floor. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped when she realized what just happened.
“Chat Noir? Did he just cure me?” She mumbled under her breath, taking the rose in her hand and bringing it to her chest. “But it means that…”
Yellow roses made perfect sense. There was no point in denying her feelings to her partner and closest friend anymore.
Meanwhile, Chat Noir sat on the roof a few blocks away from the bakery. All his thoughts were occupied by Marinette. He replayed the words of his confession that his mind had hastily provided at the spur of the moment. He realized that every single one of them was pure truth, even though he imagined Ladybug listening to them.
An unexpected conclusion hit him like a sucker punch. His eyes widened; his breath hitched; his heart started beating wildly in his ribcage. All bizarre feelings and the pull that he felt, being around her, made perfect sense. There was no point of denying his feelings for his good friend anymore.
The question was what were each of them going to do with those revelations? Neither was sure of anything at that moment, so they just went to sleep, hoping that the new day would bring solutions.