Chapter Text
"I'm sorry. But I'm sure, I didn't mean to hurt you."
oOoOo
.
Forget me not (because I will)
.
oOo
Akuma battles were always loud. Deafening. The akuma's shrill or booming - and sometimes whispering yet those whispers were perhaps the loudest of them all - demands and threats were thrown indiscriminately at anyone still on the battlefieldacross the battlefield, and the terrified screams of civilians were a bone-trembling accompaniment to that melody. There were Chat's and her very own shouted warnings, a confusing counterpoint to it all - hardly was it ever silent. Never was it ever silent.
The more jarring it was when all of that sound just-
stopped.
It was the first thought crossing Ladybug’s mind as she was flung through the air. The sounds of the ongoing battle were familiar, comforting almost, and when it was suddenly all substituted by nothing but the howling wind…
(...and the shouting inside her own head and the panicked scream from Chat and the warnings and the laughter and the booming voice, but she couldn’t hear it, she couldn’t really hear it!)
...Ladybug found herself frightened, for a first time in a very long time. Akuma battles were a familiar routine. And routine wasn't scary - but now she was bone-deep terrified. Then she slammed into the concrete and suddenly, there was only white noise. Sticky fog clung to every corner of the city of light, dampening the faraway shouting and disorientating her. She could feel the air getting knocked from her lungs and for a short second she thought she could hear a ringing in her ears, before that too was gone.
All that was left was white noise.
Ladybug knew she was panting, taking in shallow breaths that felt as suffocating as the fog, but she couldn’t hear it. Every single bone in her body groaned from pain and she was unable to move, paralyzed by the impact. She was about to detransform. Already her suit was slowly failing her. It took her a moment to remember that the pain and potential injuries should be the least of her concern.
She was about to transform back. She had to run.
But she couldn't get up. The air was knocked from her lungs still and her hands gave away from underneath her whenever she struggled to at least sit and the tiredness of the last few days was settled deep into her still and the fog's clamminess weighted her down like a thick blanket that would have almost been comforting if it weren't for the strange feeling of disconnect. As if she wasn’t part of her own body anymore, Body-Ladybug down here and Soul-Ladybug floating on top, unable to move her limbs, unable to feel her surroundings, but worst of all unable to hear because she was nothing.
Swallowing her own spit felt too scary and she muffled her own breath, a feeling of dread stalking her. Figjt or flight wasn't an option, so she froze and it only got worse when the white noise from the impact finally faded, leaving nothing but dampened silence.
(and the dampened sound of a battle fought without her, but she couldn’t hear it, she couldn’t hear it! ).
She should have been grateful for the silence. The heavy steps of the Akuma were growing closer – the booming shaking the very earth to its core and sending shivers across her body. She felt herself float in in a strange in-between of battle sounds and the silence of a pained body and-
It was almost peaceful. The air was filled with anticipation and for a second, all the heroine did was stare at the looming shadow from behind the wall of fog, ever so slowly growing closer. The world seemed to stand still. But into that silence, that undisturbed peacefulness, there came a single, shattering sound.
Beep.
High-pitched and familiar and urgent. Ladybug's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in a silent plea for help, her body having caught up to the sound faster than her thoughts had.
I have to get up.
Another beep broke through the silence. Ladybug struggled to sit upright, her head lolling around in a sickly way.
I need to hide.
Another beep. Her arms collapsed beneath her and once more, Ladybug slammed into the concrete, the pain driving tears into her eyes.
No one can see me!
The beeping became a constant now. A few loose stones started jumping at the sound of the giant Akuma, it’s shadow a stark contrast to the thick fog surrounding her. It loomed over Ladybug like a castle made from bones. A shiver ran down her spine and she managed to push herself up on her arms, starring at the titan in something akin to awe, casting her motionless.
Her thoughts were screaming.
She had to move (could the Akuma even see her? The fog was so thick...). She had to move now! But her muscles were groaning still and she barely managed to stand, leaning heavily on her left leg and waiting in horror for her transformation to fade away. There was fog everywhere. No one could see her. This was alright, she simply had to move a bit, make it seem like she was a civilian, lost on the street, not finding home due to the fog. This was al-
"...unbe...a..le, right?...sorry can't see anything….fog...Yes, I think…to battle."
No.
"...anything for the Ladyblog!"
No!
"I'm pretty sure I can hear the footsteps of the Akuma now...From what I have heard, it's supposed to be huge and – Ladybug?!"
Panic coursed through Ladybug's blood. She struggled to stand upright, ignoring the pain as her eyes widened and she stared at her best friend in horror.
"Alya…" Her voice was hoarse and hardly even a whisper. Beep, beep, beep. "Alya, are you livestreaming?!" Beep, beep, beep. "Guys, Ladybug just…" Beep, beep beep.
The steps got louder. The Akuma grew closer. Ladybug stumbled forward, holding her hands out in front, a mockery of the grace she was so well-known for.
“Alya, turn off the live stream!” “What? W-Why?” “Turn off the live-stream!!!”
Another step forward. They were steadier now and she had almost reached Alya, ready to rip the phone from her hands, to stop it herself, if only Alya knew it’d be ok and-
Beep.
Ladybug froze.
“M-M-Marinette?”
And with that, her entire world shattered.