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"I just wanted you to know, I was only trying to take the chewing gum off your seat. I swear," he said, pausing for a moment. "Ive never been to school before. I've never had friends. It's all sort of...new to me."
Marinette could only stare at him, words refusing to come out of her mouth. He turned to face her, a soft expression decorating his face. He moved his arm, holding out the black umbrella he had just opened only seconds before.
There was a moment of silence between them, before she tentatively took the object from his hand. She acted before she even had time to stop and think, and in the spur of the moment accidentally clipped the button at the handle, closing the umbrella abruptly in her face.
He let out a laugh. A genuine laugh, maybe intentionally, maybe not, but she couldn't help but join in. She forgot she was supposed to be mad at him. How could she be? Instead of giving him a chance, she'd automatically assumed he was trying to humiliate her.
"See you tomorrow," he said, giving her a smile, before walking away.
It was just a minute. Just a for a moment she pulled her eyes away from Hawkmoth and her partner. Just for a moment so she could catch and purify the akuma, like she always did since she took up of the mantle of "Ladybug". It was only a second she let her guard down.
"Amateur move, Ladybug."
His voice sent shivers down her spine. She spun around to face him. He stood triumphantly at the Eiffel Tower's edge, a familiar silver baton opened under his foot. The far end of the staff dangled off the side of the tower, and she caught a glimpse of his black ring.
"You're a seasoned superhero," he said, smiling with malice leaking through his expression and dripping from his words. "You should know that you never turn your back on your enemy."
It hadn't fully hit her until then. He was quite literally hanging her partner–her chat–off the side Eiffel Tower.
"Let him up," she said, clenching her fist around her yo-yo. "Now."
Hawkmoth just laughed, though it was stiff and rather humorless. "And why would I do that? I've got both of you right where I want you."
"You're more than a partner, Chat Noir. You're my friend, and I'd never want to lie to a friend."
"But why do you think it'd be lying?"
"Because," she said, looking away. "There's this boy I–"
"There's a boy? Who is..."
She clenched her fist, regret filling her body. "It's...I can't tell you who it is. We can't know anything about it each other. Our identities must remain a secret. We're both superheroes, Chat Noir. We don't have a choice."
His face fell slightly, but not enough to be noticeable. He took a step towards her, the red rose tightly gripped in his hands, recovering from his disappointment, and smiled.
"I get it, Ladybug. You're friendship means everything to me." He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "You can keep the rose, it goes with your costume."
Marinette felt her cheeks go red as he lept off the roof. She turned, watching as he faded into the night. She hated making him upset. Maybe deep down she knew she'd see him differently if Adrien didn't exist, and that scared her.
"Let him go, Hawkmoth," she said again, this time with more confidence. "Fight me instead. I'm the one you really want. Chat will listen to whatever I need him to do. I promise if you get my miraculous, he'll hand his over. We can settle this without any more casualties, just let him go."
The man seemed to ponder this option, narrowing his eyes as he watched her every move. Marinette looked down where Chat was beginning to struggle keeping his grip. He looked at her with an expression that could only read as 'are you crazy?'
Trust me, she mouthed back.
A look of confusion crossed his face. She knew it was risky. Maybe she was acting a little impulsively. Maybe she was a little crazy, but it was her last card to deal. She didn't have any moves left.
"You strike a very intriguing compromise," Hawkmoth finally spoke again. He smiled, but his expression was devoid of happiness. "Very intriguing. In fact I would very well consider taking you up on the offer, but you should know–"
Before she could even move to react, he slid the baton towards him, reaching for the ring that was on Chat's finger. "–I don't take orders from children."
The ring slipped from the blond's hand, baton retracting into nothing and the black kwami spun out of the miraculous. In a flash of green light, Adrien’s disguise fell away, and suddenly he was falling.
"That's why everyone jumped at the chance to help you with the picnic. So, today it was our turn to help you," Adrien said, getting to his feet. "You're our everyday Ladybug. Have a good evening, Super Marinette."
"No!" she cried out, reaching out her hand over the railing in a desperate attempt to catch him. He looked up at her, his expression eerily relaxed, his eyes almost begging for her to stay where she was. This wasn't supposed to happen.
She reached for her yo-yo, flinging it out to catch him before he hit the pavement.
"I got accepted into The Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons," she said, tapping her fingers nervously against her leg.
"Marinette, that's amazing! I knew you could do it." His eyebrows creased together in confusion. "I don't get it. Isn't that a good thing? Why aren't you more excited?"
She bit her lip anxiously. "That means I'd have to move to New York City, Adrien. I'd have to leave Ladybug, Paris, my family. I'd have to leave you."
"This isn't about me, or Paris right now, Marinette. This is about you and what you want. Do you want to go?"
"They're two of the top rated fashion schools in the world, of course I want to go." She sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "I just...I couldn't leave you to protect Paris yourself. Not when Hawkmoth is still around. And being so far away is just..."
He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "We can do the long distance thing. I know it's not ideal, but we'll make it work. I'll make it work because I love you, and I don't want to be the obstacle keeping you from pursuing your dream."
"But what about Hawkmoth? Only I can purify the akumas and fix the damage."
"I can hold my own, m'lady. And if I need you, I'll call you. You're the guardian, Marinette. You can use one of the miraculous to get back to Paris as soon as you can."
She pursed her lips. "You're right, I suppose. That doesn't sound entirely awful."
"Or I could always move to New York with you," he said, flashing a smile. "If it's us Hawkmoth is after, he won't attack Paris if we're not there."
"You know that's out of the question, minou. Besides, you're dad would probably obliterate me if hs found out you followed me across the Atlantic."
He let out a laugh, and grinned. "Yeah, you're probably right. It was worth a shot."
"Thank you," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"For what?"
"For understanding."
The line of the yo-yo had just reached him, wrapping around his waist, before everything stopped. The sickening crack of his head making contact with the ground would haunt her forever. She dropped down, his body lying limply next to her.
"No..." She whispered, gathering him in her arms, frantically searching for any sign of life. His chest was still, a pulse nowhere to be found. "Nonononono, Adrien! Adrien you have to stay with me please. Please, stay with me. I can't do this without you."
She was met only with silence. A small trickle of blood leaked out of his nose, mixing with the tears that had fallen onto his face. Her luck had run out.
"You can come to New York with me," she said, feeling a lump forming in her throat. "I take back everything I said before. I don't care what your dad says. I don't care if he follows us. I don't care because I love you, and I need you. You hear me? I love..."
She choked up, unable to finish her sentence. He couldn't hear her anyway. She'd been too late.
"Please..."
Another tear slipped down her face, staining her cheeks. She heard a soft thud behind her, like someone was approaching her.
"...A-Adrien...?"
Marinette looked up. Hawkmoth's disguise disappeared in a flash or purple, revealing none other than Gabriel Agreste in his place. The black cat miraculous dropped from his fingertips, his eyes wide with disbelief, and regret.
"Stay away from him," she growled, hugging the blond closer to her.
"I'm sorry..." he said, dropping to his knees in defeat. "I–"
"You killed him," she spat. "He is dead because of you. His father. Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it."
“Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news. Today is a grim day for all of Paris, as we mourn the one year anniversary of the death of beloved superhero and teen model–Adrien Agreste–who gave his life protecting the citizens of the very city. A candle light vigil will be held in his honor tonight, at 8 p.m., at the Place des Vosges, organized by his fellow Collège Françoise Dupont classmates. Today Parisians also mourn the disappearance of Ladybug. She, as well as the villain known as Hawkmoth, have not made an appearance since the final battle at the Eiffel Tower. All we can hope is that she is safe and well during these hard times, and we send our condolences out to the Agreste Family.”