Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Paris had its fair share of akumatizations over the summer, but as the school year got underway they were increasing in numbers and frequency. And with the companionship of new sentimonsters, Ladybug and Chat Noir were finding it hard to keep up at times. They were no closer to figuring out who Hawk Moth and Mayura were, and they were closing in on the heros with each akumatization. Gabriel wouldn't let an opportunity pass them by, becoming Hawk Moth and Mayura every chance they could get. The ladybug and black cat miraculouses were almost within their grasp and the anticipation was growing to an all time high. They had begun to appear in battle more frequently, taking every chance to get the miraculouses by adding to their odds. 

Cinder-ella, Hawk Moth's newest akuma, was a young girl who seemed to have a tendency for pyrotechnics. So it seemed fitting that Mayura would provide her with a sentimonster that was a large fire breathing dragon. Cinder-ella was turning civilians into ashes and her dragon was leaving the streets of paris covered in burn marks and flames. Rena Rouge and Carapace were sent to clear the streets of civilians and then take on the akuma and sentimonster while Ladybug and Chat Noir took on Hawk Moth and Mayura. An unfortunate setback for the villain duo, but nothing they couldn't handle.

Hawk Moth and Mayura managed to separate Ladybug and Chat Noir from each other, making it easier to take them on. 

Mayura and Ladybug were evenly matched even with Ladybug's yo-yo giving her extra range to her attacks. Hawk Moth and Chat Noir were also fairly evenly matched, however it was obvious that Chat Noir's quips were starting to get on Hawk Moth's nerves.

If Mayura knew that this battle wouldn't end the way they wanted, she would have retreated a lot earlier.

Mayura dodged a kick from Ladybug, taking the opportunity presented to attack her defenceless back. Ladybug fell into a roll and quickly pulled herself to her feet, falling into a ready stance as Mayura advanced on her. A flurry of punches and kicks flew towards Ladybug, but she was quick and blocked all of them other than the last kick, knocking her back across the road. 

A loud roar brought Mayura's attention to her right and she watched as the red dragon started shooting balls of fire around the area. A honk directly to her left caught her attention as she turned to see a car driving down the road headed directly for her. 

Mayura jumped back in an instant before the car could hit her and as she landed she looked up to see a large ball of fire come flying through the air which hit the car as it drove between her and Ladybug, who was standing on the other side of the street. Upon impact the car exploded, creating a large blast that sent Mayura flying backwards with a loud gasp. 

Mayura's eyes fluttered open after what felt like a moment, but what could have been a few minutes for all she knew. Her vision was fuzzy for a moment as her disoriented state slowly dissipated. She never could have predicted that happening mid battle. Mayura stumbled to her feet, the explosion leaving her feeling battered and bruised, but thankfully her miraculous shielded her from most of it. Once on her feet she turned back to where she had been fighting Ladybug, hoping to see the red heroine also making her way to her feet to keep fighting. Instead Mayura's gaze landed on Ladybug's figure about fifty yards away on the other side of the street from where the explosion happened. Ladybug's back was to her as she lay on her side and it looked like she wasn't immediately trying to get back to her feet. 

A moment had presented itself. Months of fighting all for this moment, their victory would finally be achieved. All Mayura had to do was take Ladybug's earrings from her, seemed easy enough with the heroine subdued by the explosion. All Hawk Moth would need to do was get Chat Noir's ring and they'd have everything they wanted. 

Mayura wasted no time as she sprinted towards Ladybug, crossing the distance a lot faster than she would as her civilian self. As she approached, Ladybug's figure moved and slowly rolled over onto her back and then onto her other side to face her causing Mayura to falter at the panicked look on her face. This was not a normal panicked look, there was true fear in her eyes. Mayura stopped about ten yards away, not quite sure what to make of the situation. 

Mayura watched as Ladybug's hand reached for something on her chest and that's when Mayura saw it. She felt like she'd been plunged into the cold water of the Seine, unable to move, frozen in place, frozen in horror at the sight. A piece of metal was sticking out of Ladybug's chest, obviously from the car explosion created by her sentimonster. Deep red blood was flowing from the wound in large amounts, a darker red than her bright red suit. Within seconds there was a pool of blood on the ground beneath Ladybug. 

"Chat..." Ladybug gasped out, looking behind Mayura for a glimpse of her partner. She reached towards Mayura with the hand not on her chest before coughing, blood appearing on her lips and spraying the ground. Mayura was horrified, never before had she seen something so traumatizing in real life. Movies were one thing, when you know it's all fake you become desensitized to it, but when it really happens right in front of you, nothing can prepare you for that. 

It wasn't supposed to happen like this, this wasn't part of the plan. No one was supposed to get hurt. No one was supposed to die.

Their eyes locked and in that moment Ladybug could see the horror on Mayura's face and fear in her pink eyes. And vice versa with Mayura staring deep into Ladybug's panicked blue eyes that were filled with tears. A moment later Ladybug let her head rest on the ground, her gaze focused on something behind Mayura. 

Before Mayura could do anything, Ladybug's eyes closed and her body went limp as a pale pink light washed over her, signaling her transformation back into her civilian self. When the light disappeared a familiar face stared back at her.

"Marinette...?"

*******

Nathalie was out and about running errands for Gabriel and Emilie. Collecting fabric orders for Gabriel and buying new clothes and toys from the list Emilie made for Adrien. Adrien was starting to become a handful, so much so that Gabriel had started to pass him off to Emilie or herself when he couldn't handle it anymore. Emilie also began forming a habit of passing Adrien off to her when she was upset with Gabriel or was focusing on her acting career. Due to that, Nathalie found herself spending a lot of time with Adrien. So much so that she practically viewed Adrien as her own son. Of course she would never say so to anyone, let alone Gabriel or Emilie. Adrien had started to call her Natty which she thought was the cutest thing next to him saying mommy and daddy. 

After finishing all her errands, Nathalie found herself walking back to the meeting point where Gorilla, a large man who got the nickname from Gabriel for being so large and strong, was waiting for her with the car to take her back to the manor. On her way a delightful scent wafted through the air, causing her to stop and deeply inhale the lovely aroma of what she could only assume to be fresh pastries. A sudden rumbling in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't had any lunch and with a glance at her watch she realized that she still had a bit of time before she needed to be back with the items she was sent out to get. 

Nathalie followed her nose as she walked back to the corner she passed and noticed a little shop across the street on the corner with large windows covered in gold lettering and designs. She couldn't remember if she had ever seen it before today. On the top of the shop was three large black signs with the same gold lettering on them reading "CONFISERIE * BOULANGERIE * PATISSERIE". She made her way across the street and stopped for a moment outside to admire the large gold T and S surrounded by gold leaves on the door before pushing it open, the smell of freshly baked pastries overwhelming her senses as she stepped inside. The smell alone was enough to make her mouth water. 

Inside was a few glass display cases filled with different pastries and breads as well as a large oven behind the counter where a large man was pulling out a tray of fresh croissants, the smell that had attracted her to the shop in the first place. A soft voice caught her attention as she glanced from the man to a short woman standing in front of the counter.

"Hello! What can I get for you today?" Her smile lit up her face and Nathalie immediately felt at home in the small shop. 

"I can't say I've ever been here before. I was attracted by the smell. What would you recommend?" Nathalie asked as she looked around at the different displays. Eager to try anything at this point as it all smelled delicious and her stomach growled again in anticipation. 

"I'd recommend one of our famous croissants. They're baked fresh every day and consider it on the house as this is your first visit." She explained before ducking behind the counter to grab a croissant from the man.

Nathalie set her bags down next to a small table that was near the door when the woman retreated behind the counter. When she returned s he handed the fresh croissant to Nathalie on a napkin and Nathalie immediately took a small bite out of the warm pastry. It was honestly one of the best croissants Nathalie had ever had. 

"Once you've had one you just can't stop!" The man behind the counter laughed and placed a hand on the smaller woman's shoulder with a smile as he came around the front of it. 

"This is delicious. Thank you." Nathalie complimented as she finished the croissant and made small talk with the man and woman, introducing herself to them as Gabriel Agreste's assistant and the shop owners introduced themselves as Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng. 

A sudden laugh brought Nathalie's attention down to the floor as she saw a small toddler run out from behind the counter and grabbed her leg. A head of deep blue matching her own was put up in pigtails, standing just taller than her knee. Nathalie went down on one knee and smiled at the small child once she was down to her level. She had light blue eyes similar to her own with a cute little nose and rosy cheeks.

"That's our daughter, Marinette. Sorry, she's at the stage where she just wants to grab everything." Sabine commented as she moved forward to take Marinette, but Nathalie held up her hand to gently stop her. 

"Hi Marinette. I'm Nathalie." She said softly as she held out her hand and Marinette grabbed one of her fingers which Nathalie shook gently in a small handshake causing Marinette to laugh. 

"Natty!" Marinette spoke loudly making Nathalie's heart melt the same way it did when Adrien called her that. A small smile found its way to her face. When Marinette let go of her hand she moved back over to her mother who picked her up and set her against her hip. Nathalie stood up from her position and straightened out her blazer as she looked around at the different pastries again, realizing that Gabriel and Emilie would love this place as they both had a sweet tooth when it came to pastries. 

"Do you have a business card?" Nathalie asked and Tom nodded before he grabbed a small card from behind the counter and handed it to her. 

"I'd like eight of the croissants, and four of the chocolate croissants and the chocolate eclairs. I'd also like an assorted box of macarons with four of each flavor. To go." Nathalie listed which shocked Tom and Sabine for a moment before Tom lit up like a Christmas tree as he ran around collecting everything for her. As Tom collected everything, Sabine rang up all the items, and Nathalie handed her own credit card to her to pay for everything instead of the one Gabriel gave her, wanting this to be a gift and a surprise. 

Once it was paid and the treats were bagged, Nathalie called Gorilla and had him bring the car around to the front of the shop. When Gorilla pulled around, Nathalie thanked Tom and Sabine again for their hospitality and placed a large tip in their tip jar before waving at Marinette who waved back with a laugh. She held the bag of pastries in one hand and grabbed her bags in the other before she left the shop.

******* 

The Agrestes and Gorilla loved the pastries from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. So much so that they made it a habit of getting sweets from them once a week meaning that Nathalie got to go to the bakery every week at least once, not counting the personal trips she would take in the morning on her way to the manor when she was in a particular mood for a fresh croissant. Which was usually once a week as well. Gabriel and Emilie did their best to hide the pastries from Adrien as they didn't want him eating sweets, but Nathalie always made sure to get a chocolate croissant bagged separately for him once in a while, especially if he had been really good. The smile on his face was more than enough to tell her that it meant a lot to him. It was their little secret.

Getting to go to the bakery at least once a week had its perks. Not only did she get to enjoy the wonderful pastries they made, but she also got to see Tom and Sabine as well as little Marinette. Marinette was almost always in the bakery with her parents, helping her father make the dough or helping her mother clean. She always had a smile on her face that warmed Nathalie's heart. If it wasn't for Gabriel and Emilie insisting that Adrien stay inside where it was safe she would suggest a play date between Adrien and Marinette. God knows that Adrien would love to have some friends his age.

Nathalie continued to go to the bakery every week for years, becoming one of the bakery's most loyal customers. This also gave Nathalie the opportunity to watch Marinette grow up over the years. From a toddler to a child and maturing into a teenager. She also got to watch as Marinette's personality developed. Marinette was always nice and kind to everyone. Sweet and friendly in a way that could bring a smile to your face even on your worst days. She was a very determined young lady. Ready to take on any challenge and help anyone who asked. She would have made a much better friend to Adrien than Chloe, but that wasn't something Nathalie had control over. Nathalie did mention it to Emilie at one point, but it didn't change anything as Gabriel and Emilie were keeping Adrien pretty much locked away. 

Nathalie also noticed how Marinette's interests changed over the years. Marinette originally was interested in dolls and ballet before she became interested in drawing which eventually led to her interest in fashion design. Some mornings Nathalie would find Marinette drawing in the bakery and Marinette was always eager to know what Nathalie thought about her designs. Obviously they weren't Gabriel brand quality yet, but she was doing great for someone her age. She would offer suggestions when needed, compliments when due, and expressed an interest in what she would come up with next, hoping that with her encouragement Marinette would continue to develop this talent and possibly become a great fashion designer one day. Her experience working for the Gabriel brand definitely helped her provide Marinette with specific feedback in regards to color choices and style choices instead of general compliments.

At that point Marinette was always happy to see Nathalie in the shop and Nathalie was always hopeful that she would see Marinette when picking up the Agreste's order or if she would stop in before going to work. Nathalie felt protective over Marinette in a way that she had only ever felt for Adrien. Nathalie never planned on having kids or settling down, but between Adrien and Marinette she felt more than content. She cared for Marinette and wanted to see her succeed, same as Adrien. And Marinette would never say it, but Nathalie meant a great deal to her as well. She was another strong female figure in her life that she could be open with. Someone who wanted nothing more than for her to succeed in life. And as her love of fashion grew she realized that Nathalie was a part of the Gabriel brand, a brand that she had been following ever since she fell in love with fashion. She hoped that at some point her connection to Nathalie would eventually help her in her career. 

*******

After Emilie's disappearance everything changed. Gabriel couldn't stand the Dupain-Cheng bakery as it only reminded him of his time with Emilie. This meant that Nathalie stopped going to the bakery once a week during the day to pick up pastries and her personal visits had dwindled to maybe once a week, or at least once every two weeks as she was spending even more time at the manor in order to take care of Gabriel and Adrien. She barely had time to stay and chat on the mornings she stopped at the bakery and it hurt that she wasn't able to see Marinette as often. She hoped that Marinette wasn't upset with how little she was able to come around. Nathalie was always so happy to go to the bakery, but now she was always nervous about going. Would she actually see Marinette this time? Or would she be disappointed that she wasn't there? When she did get to see Marinette she tried to have a conversation with her and give advice on her new designs, but with the little amount of time she usually had, it was hard to do anything but give suggestions that almost seemed more like critiques than advice. Marinette understood that life had changed for Nathalie and that her time was needed elsewhere, but for lack of a better word, it sucked.

When Adrien disobeyed his father and ran off to College Francoise Dupont, Nathalie was excited. She was glad that Adrien was finally standing up for himself against Gabriel, even if it meant bad things for her as she was meant to be controlling him. Thankfully Gabriel allowed Adrien to go to the school and have somewhat of a normal life where he could make friends and improve his people skills as long as he kept his grades up and didn't let school get in the way of his modeling schedule. 

Nathalie realized that College Francoise Dupont was also the school that Marinette was going to and she was happy to see that they would be in the same class. This also meant that upon dropping Adrien off and picking him up from the school, Nathalie could possibly fix her relationship with Marinette and talk to her just like before. When she went with Gorilla to pick Adrien up from his first day, she noticed Adrien and Marinette talking in front of the school. It was raining and he offered Marinette his umbrella, a gesture that made Nathalie's heart melt. She was thankful that Emilie's disappearance and Gabriel's neglect hadn't negatively affected Adrien's kindhearted spirit. She would do everything in her power to make sure that Adrien knew he was loved and help him through the tough spot he was in at home. She hoped that the two of them would become good friends, Marinette complimented him in a way that Chloe never could. Nathalie could tell as soon as Adrien entered the car that he was genuinely happy for the first time in a while and that made her happy. 

Nathalie got to see the development of Adrien and Marinette's friendship over the year as she took Adrien to school and brought him home every day. Marinette was excited to show Nathalie her new designs and Nathalie was surprised to learn that she had begun to bring her designs to life by becoming a seamstress. Marinette was excited to show the pictures of the clothes she made to Nathalie and her feedback always brought a smile to her face.

Although Marinette seemed to be nervous around Adrien a lot, she could see that Marinette made Adrien better. And Adrien absolutely adored her. He couldn't stop talking about her when they drove home. It was obvious to her that Marinette had a crush on Adrien, and it was obvious to her that Adrien was completely oblivious to the fact. Something that both Agreste men seemed to have in common. She could also tell as time went on that his ramblings about Marinette seemed to carry a dazed look, one that she would recognize immediately as one she often caught herself doing when she thought about Gabriel for too long. But of course, Adrien would never admit he had feelings for Marinette. Most likely cause he didn't even realize that he had them. Nathalie did everything in her power to allow Adrien to have time with his friends after school, especially if it involved Marinette, but sometimes that took a lot of persuading to get Gabriel on board. Thankfully the look of happiness on Adrien's face whenever Gabriel agreed to the plans made all the arguing worthwhile. 

Becoming Hawk moth and Mayura after Emilie's disappearance took a lot of time out of their already busy schedules, but whenever Nathalie could spend time with Adrien or Marinette without the need to rush off somewhere, she took advantage of it. She felt horrible for what Gabriel and her were doing in order to bring Emilie back, but it was all for Adrien's sake. She wanted them to be a family again. Although she promised to take care of Adrien like her own son, she could never replace Emilie and she didn't want too. She did everything she could to keep the two of them safe when Gabriel would release an akuma, but there was only so much she could do when they were at school and one day she was worried that they would be caught in the crossfire or worse, they might become recruited by Ladybug and Chat Noir the join their side as a secondary miraculous holder.

*******

"Marinette...?" Mayura gasped out, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. 

There lay Marinette, taking the place where Ladybug was mere moments ago. Mayura was frozen as memories of Marinette flooded her mind, tears creeping into her eyes. The blue hair, the pigtails, the bright blue eyes, the drive to do what was right no matter what. How had she not realized sooner? How could she have let it come to this? This whole time they had been fighting Marinette, one of the people she was trying her best to keep out of this. 

This was all her fault.

Marinette's body lay limp on the ground, the blood pooling around her, her white shirt turning bright red as it became soaked in her blood. There was so much blood, cementing the severity of the situation in Mayura's mind. 

Once the shock began to wear off, Mayura felt nothing but agony. Pure grief and despair stronger than she ever had before. 

"Marinette, no!" Mayura called out as she crossed the remaining space between them and threw herself down onto the ground in front of Marinette's body. This couldn't be happening. She had to be alive still. There had to be something she could do to save Marinette. Mayura slowly reached for Marinette, pushing her onto her back before pulling her into her lap. She searched for a pulse on her neck, but it was too late. 

Marinette was gone.

Mayura didn't care that her royal blue dress was becoming stained with Marinette's blood. As Mayura looked down at Marinette's face, resting gently against Mayura's chest, the tears finally broke through. A child. She was just an innocent child. 

Before Mayura could help it she lifted her head and let out a deep guttural scream, alerting Hawk Moth and Chat Noir to her grief. She held Marinette's body close to her with her left arm under her shoulders and gently wiped away the blood from her face with her right. Poor sweet Marinette. Fighting for what was right, just like always, except this time it cost her life. She had so much to live for. So much to do in life. And what about Adrien? How would Adrien react if he found out it was her fault Marinette was dead? That only made her pain worse, seeing Adrien's heartbroken face in her head.

"Marinette, I'm so sorry." Mayura sobbed, her body trembling as she held Marinette tighter to her chest. She wished there was something she could do as she kept apologizing to Marinette in hushed whispers. She thought she heard someone calling for her behind her, but she was too engulfed by her grief and despair to acknowledge it. 

Was bringing back Emilie worth it if it meant losing Marinette? No one was supposed to die. They were just supposed to get the miraculouses and be on their way.

Mayura felt like a piece of her shattered when she found out Ladybug was Marinette. Marinette was someone who trusted her and looked up to. And this whole time she had been fighting Marinette in order to steal her miraculous. They'd put Marinette in so much danger and that guilt was enough to eat her alive. She felt empty. She didn't even feel this bad when her own parents died. But Marinette was like a daughter to her, she had watched Marinette grow up from a cute little toddler into a beautiful young lady. And here she lay in Mayura's arms, unmoving and lifeless. 

Mayura had her doubts for a while, but this moment sealed the deal. She was done. She couldn't handle anyone else getting hurt because of her. With a wave of her fan she recalled the amok, hearing a scream of anger in the distance from their lovely akuma. She let her fan fall from her hand as she returned her hand to craddle Marinette's head.

Mayura felt empty as she leaned down and rested her forehead against Marinette's head, her tears falling from her eyes and landing on Marinette's face. Nothing would ever be the same. She wanted to be angry at Gabriel for including her in his scheme to bring Emilie back, but she could only be angry with herself for letting herself go along with it for so long. She couldn't care less if Chat Noir took her miraculous from her. She didn't want it anymore. She was ready to give it up for good. 

If given the chance she would give her life to let Marinette live. It was bad enough she lost Emilie due to her greed for the power of the miraculous and now she was losing Marinette because of how she was using the miraculous for evil, but unlike Emilie who was just in a deep coma like sleep, Marinette was gone. 

She was never coming back and it was all her fault.