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"Hey LB? I'm sorry for this being so sudden but... I'm thinking of stepping down as Chat Noir..." Chat said quietly one day during patrol, while Ladybug had been tired trying to figure out the grimoire.
Yet the Ladybug hero's eyes were so wide that it could pop out of her eye sockets. "Oh... I..." She didn't have any words, but she knew she had hurt him, that was something they quickly talked about last night. Yet she didn't think it was that deep. "Can I ask you one last thing, though?"
Chat Noir didn't wish to but he ended up nodding. At least he would hear her wishes.
"Stay with Plagg. I... I... I don't want to have your ring back. You can step out. You can, I promise! It's... I will never replace you so it's sad to put Plagg back in the box. Also, from what Plagg says to me when he visits, he wouldn't want me to have the ring even if you gave it to me... So, yeah... You don't need to comply but..." She was rambling as she was playing with her fingers nervously.
Chat Noir thought about it, Plagg definitely didn't want to leave and that morning the God of Destruction was really upset with his decisions. "Fine. But when Hawkmoth is brought down, I will return it since there won’t be a reason for any heroes to hang around."
She nodded at that, as she closed her eyes briefly and then hugged him. "Thanks, Chat... Just know, I'm really sorry for hurting you. I hope that your life will be better now." Now that I won't be hurting you... She finished in her mind as she broke the hug.
Chat didn't have a big reaction, he had decided to keep his identity a secret. He had been planning to return home and send Plagg away. Yet it seemed that it wasn't going to happen. "Goodbye, Ladybug."
"Goodbye, Chat Noir." She gave him a last smile as she watched him go. After that she looked at the sky, returning to her home. She was tired enough, she didn't wish to talk to Alya, and she didn't have the energy to freak out. If she could, she would go back in time to try and fix whatever was happening, but she couldn't.
She laid down on her bed, called her transformation and lay there, no thoughts or sleep, she just stared at the ceiling. The kwamis were talking to her, yet oddly enough she didn't hear anything, only when her alarm rang and her mother called, she got up to get ready for class.
It was easy to spot how different Marinette had become overnight and eventually the rest of the week. She didn't smile, she wasn't trying to be cheerful and wasn’t at all full of energy. Scarily enough, it was almost like she turned in a doll. She would accomplish her studies, she would take care of the kwamis, she would finish her work as class president. Losing Chat Noir was like turning all of her emotions off.
Since she didn't have him to check in or even try to cheer her up, it was only now that she got to understand how important Chat was to her. Even Adrien had tried to make her smile, yet all that he received was a small turn of her lips that faded within seconds. Everyone eventually got worried, yet Marinette just dismissed it with stress, teenager stuff, or, eventually, just a broken heart with Luka.
It was one night, after nearly a month, that Tikki got tired of entering the earrings and started to fly over Marinette. "Marinette! I'm sorry... You need a break!" She says. "Also you need Chat Noir! You need to reach out to him!"
"Chat Noir asked to leave, Tikki. I will respect his wishes... Can you return the earrings please?" Marinette asked in a monotone, dark circles under her eyes, her hair down as she got tired of tying it up into her signature pigtails.
"No! I'm putting an end to this! You need Chat Noir! And I will go get him! Because you will only end up mentally dead if you keep going like this!" Tikki was very worried, and she was also considering if her advice about identities was wrong, as it would have been much easier if Chat knew who Marinette was or even if Marinette knew who Chat was, she would see that he was at his side and was trying to help her!
"Tikki... Just stop it... I'm fine. It's just..."
"NO!" Tikki flew away from Marinette. "No! I'm not letting you keep going like this!" As she flew towards Chat Noir, it was time for Tikki to fix her errors. In the past month, she saw how little Marinette has been reacting to anything. Lila couldn't drive Marinette to anger or any other emotion, Marinette's heart didn't fill with love when she saw Adrien, Marinette didn't laugh anymore at any of her friend's jokes or even when Kim did something stupid. She didn't even have the energy to argue with Chloe anymore.
As Tikki passed through the giant window panels of Adrien's room she was already crying. "Plagg! Plagg! P-Please..." The kwami was wailing as she landed on the coffee table, with no strength to keep flying as her hold on the earrings tightened.
"Suga..." Plagg flew from the bathroom as he was keeping Adrien company. "Tikki!" As he watched Tikki and what she was holding, he flew urgently towards her and hugged her. "Tikki, hey! What happened?!"
"She... She is des-destroying her-herself! I can't... I can't keep watching... She..." Tikki was sobbing as she shivered and large tears fell from her ocean blue eyes.
"Wait, breathe Tikki, I..." Plagg rubbed the little back of the polka-dotted Kwami, thinking about what he should do.
"Plagg? What happened?" Adrien was called drying his hair with a towel, eyes closed. Although he could hear some different sounds he didn’t think anything of it. Then, he glanced at the table. First, his eyes widened in horror, thinking that his lady had gotten akumatized, yet the lack of destruction and alarm calmed him down. Secondly, he tried to take in what was happening, as the kwami of creation was sobbing, clearly showing her level of distress. Finally, he noted the earrings she was clutching in her small arms. "Did... Ladybug...?"
The question went unsaid but with his face now pale and limbs limp, he was now scared. Just because she hurt him, didn't mean he didn't care about her, he wholeheartedly did! He still loved her even after almost a month apart. Even though his heart was worried about another bluenette- He decided to think about that later.
"NO!" Tikki nearly yelled as she shook her head violently. "I... I... She...She is destroying... And then I couldn't... The Kwamis are worried... And we don't know what to do! Or help or... How to stop! She is dying! Mentally... Emotionally!" Tikki was sobbing and half of her words didn't sound right or didn’t even make any sense.
"Tikki, Tikki! Sugarcube! Take deep breaths!" Plagg tried to calm her down as Adrien put on his pajamas and sat near the two Kwamis.
Eventually, after an hour of crying, sobbing and no understandable words, Tikki finally let everything out that was piling up on her and was able to talk.
"She... I took her earrings, she didn't renounce me... I took them. Adrien... You saw her! You saw how dead she has been acting, you saw how she has been... She is dying, her emotions are already so numb, her mind is really decaying as well, she has only been saved because of Viperion. And when anyone suggests bringing you back or trying to find you, she just says that... It was your decision, and she wants to respect it... She won't let anyone do it... She... Adrien... No one can talk any sense into her, no one can break the walls. She... Built a wall so tall and so strong that it is almost indestructible! She..." Tikki was sobbing again as she looked at Adrien.
Adrien on the other hand was confused, absorbing all the information that Tikki was dropping on him. "Wait, wait... I saw how dead she is acting?" The polka-dotted Kwami just nodded, his circle of friends was small and only one of them had started to act dead, and no matter what he did, he wasn't able to bring her to smile or bring her back. "Marinette..." He whispered as he looked at Plagg who nodded.
"Kid, remember that your feelings matter, I won't tell you to change your mind or to go help her, I also don't want you to do it because of Tikki. I want you to think about yourself, about your feelings. I want you to do what you want to do. I know Tikki, she will survive, and the other kwamis will too. And it's normal for humans to die in one way or another. So, sit and think about it." Plagg words were cruel, yet he knew they were true.
Adrien's life was dominated by his father, by a schedule of how to follow his day, a code of morals and action imprinted in his mind so deep that he wasn't sure what was wrong. Or what was right or wrong for normal people. Whenever he was Chat Noir, he had choices and even got to make decisions. Eventually, he started to learn rights and wrongs, having friends and with Ladybug’s help.
Marinette is Ladybug... Marinette seemed dead the day after he stepped down. He saw during fights how little his lady was paying attention, at night Adrien would rewatch what was recorded to understand Ladybug. He could tell that she kept looking around in the first couple of fights and after that she seemed dead. Her expressions were so neutral, her voice almost gone.
In reality that was something that Marinette did too, she kept quiet, she did her best to comply with everything that everyone asked her. No matter how much stress it was. She was dragging herself ragged and to a breakdown.
But where was Adrien? He could never leave, he could never let go, no matter what. It was easier for him to act as Adrien, after all, he had been doing it since his mother disappeared. He couldn't deny that he missed being Chat Noir, he missed the freedom, he missed the fun, true he got hurt when Ladybug kept him in the dark for so long. Yet that pain slowly disappeared, as he understood how important he was to her.
He wondered if she hadn't kept him in the dark would anything have changed?
"No, it wouldn't have." A strange voice came, breaking his thoughts as a white portal opened and a tall, blond black cat came strolling out. He was older, yet his Black Cat costume didn't change too much. His bell was gone, and there was a ring on his ring finger. "Hey, mini-me." Future Chat said as he sat down on the bed.
"I... What?!"
"Relax, this is supposed to happen." Chat Noir said as he looked at the kwamis fondly. "I have wise words to give you." Adrien just nodded as he wasn't sure if he was supposed to say anything.
"Humans make mistakes, humans grow with those mistakes. You two have flaws but, the thing is, Adrien. If she hadn't kept you in the dark until now... You would’ve never learned how to deal with your emotions and how to accept that you aren’t less than you are worth. So, even if she did hurt you, even if it was worse than you losing Mom. You ended up learning something that some humans don't know how to deal with. People who get manipulated, people who get controlled, suffer from dealing with their feelings and stopping something when they think it isn't worth it." Chat Noir looked at the sky.
"I will put three of the main options here. One: you will stay here and do nothing. Two: you will go and talk to her, heal this relationship. Third and last... You talk with her but you end up giving her the ring." Chat Noir took a deep breath. "I can't say the outcome of the options." He got up as he saw the kwamis smiling. "Well, this is my cue to leave." A portal opens up again as he enters halfway. "Oh, do know, that as long as you come home before it’s time to wake up, you can leave freely. No one checks on you after you say you are going to your room after dinner." He winked as he left.
Adrien blinks a few times before he lays on his bed looking at the ceiling. "Three options huh...?" He thought about it deeply. After a while, he saw that Tikki was sleeping while Plagg was holding her closer. "Kid?"
"Time is good to calm down the feelings and not do anything stupid, but also to learn. Chat is right... I dealt with my emotions, with my pain, and learned that I do deserve better, now it's time to learn how to confront people and to heal." Adrien smiled at that as he looked at the windows. He called his transformation, cradling Tikki in his hand, and put the earrings inside his pocket before he left for a familiar balcony.
During his way to Marinette's, Chat used the time to think a bit more about what to say and what to do. He couldn't help her as Adrien, and he doubted that he could help her as Chat now. Yet he couldn't deny that... He would do anything and everything to help her. As he landed on the balcony he could see the lights off and her lying on her bed staring at nothing. Kwamis flew around her talking and trying to trigger a reaction but got nothing.
As he slowly made himself inside he looked around the room, at the mess and how inorganized everything was. He could hear Marinette sitting on her bed looking at him, although she wasn’t saying anything. The black cat miraculous holder pulled the Kwami and the earrings out as he handed them to her.
"Thanks..." Was all she could say while putting the earrings on. Chat needed the extra enhanced hearing otherwise he wasn't sure if he would be able to hear her talking. "What are you doing here?"
It was kinda surprising how her question didn't hurt him because it sounded like he wasn't needed, instead, it hurt him because of how emotionless she was acting. He tried to sound soft when talking. "I came to bring my Lady back. I want her back."
He could hear the sharp intake of breath as Marinette shook her head. "You... Are losing your time. She is dead. Everything you knew as I was dead..."
Biting the interior of his cheeks, Adrien knew that was true, he knew how Marinette changed, yet he didn't want to believe it. "I'm not. I don't believe she is dead. I'm watching her in front of me right now." Her answer was just a shrug, yet she did approach him slowly and took her hand on hers. Holding it closer to her heart and looking into his eyes.
He could see that it was still numb, pale, unliving, yet the small warmth on her hand and the fact she was holding him, was enough to start. The small sound of her voice came with a drop of happiness. "I'm glad you are here."
All that Chat could do was smile sadly at her as he kissed her knuckles gently. "I promise M'lady, I will come to visit you every night and we can talk things off slowly and in our time. Nothing and I mean nothing, is unfixable, we can and we will get our friendship back again. If you want."
Marinette's smile was a bit more like the ones she gave to Adrien, a small turn of lips yet it was clear the happiness that came from it. A small nod agreeing with that. "Movie?"
The blond smiled and nodded, maybe it wasn't perfect, maybe he should leave to let her rest, maybe he should help her clean and organize, but for now and that night it seems like... It was wiser to just relax.
In all due time, the first thing Chat promised was to keep not showing up on any other occasion. He would figure out other ways to come without being spotted by media or civilians as he didn't want Hawkmoth to think he was back. The lack of Akumas was good enough for them since it wasn't messing up their normal life that much. So it was good for them to have that much time to figure out their relationship first.
One thing that Chat did and did everything get easier, was to tell Marinette's parents who she was and who he was. Although he asked them not to tell her. It was agreed to keep his identity a secret from her till her mental health was good enough to take it.
So every night, Adrien would come by the back door, smile at them, get inside, and transform inside their home so he could spend some time with Marinette. When he left normally he would go out the same way he came, although it would be early in the morning. As long as he got home before breakfast it was everything alright.
During the night, they would work on homework - be it on him helping her, since he already did in his house - and then talk. Be it about their connection, be it about mental health, it was important and deep. But they were Ladybug and Chat Noir.
With her room being cleaner, with him there during the night to talk and they both open their heart about what hurts and what they felt, also him teaching her about limits and how to self-care, it didn't take too much time for Marinette to be back to what she was.
Her parents definitely were happy about this change as they missed their daughter so much.
Only when Marinette was back to herself, did Chat reveal himself and that alone was another whole of full emotions to process. To put Chat on Adrien's place was something Marinette wasn't ready to put herself to. She felt guilty, she felt ashamed for not noticing how miserable he was, she noticed how unsatisfied he was with his model career, couldn't figure out how sad he was in his personal life?
Even Nino didn't notice what she did. Yet they did what they were doing better, talking through it. Slowly and on her time to fully accept it.
"You know... I had a huge and embarrassing crush on you? Well civil you." She said one night while they were stargazing on her balcony. Now that he could be on his civil form he was happy with their progress.
"Oh? Tell me more." They had one rule in their talks. If it's a subject that they are not ready to fully process they would use a safe-word and store it for another day. So he was okay in just asking for her to explain.
"Well..." She smiled brightly as she remembers how stupid she was at 14 and then started to talk about it. The embarrassing things she did for him to notice her. Whereas he was laughing at some, but more about the irony of them creating a love square with only two people.
The ladybug holder smiles as she looks at Adrien, after all, the embarrassment and finally being able to organize her feelings and their relationship she finally asked. "Will you... Date me?"
It didn't take too much for Adrien as he smiled and gently cupped her right cheek. "Of course my lady. Although I hope you are ready for the puns, been spoiled and obviously, with me. After all, I'm a huge... romancist and dork." He laughed softly as he could see her smile bright and hear her giggles.
"Oh, Kitty, I will always be okay with that, as long as you are ready for the banters, be also spoiled and with me. Since I can always stay fixated on some things and well, you know..." She was embarrassed as she spoke yet they both smiled dazzlingly at that.
Marinete's parents were happier than all of Paris could be, their daughter finally was back to herself, they had an amazing future son-in-law that Marinette dreamed about since she was 14. Everything was going amazing.
With Adrien and Marinette finally dating, they decided to keep their appearances, mostly because of Marinette's fear of Chat Blanc. So when they were outside her room they would act like best friends. Eventually, be it either time or be it the fact they caught Hawkmoth, they would tell everyone about their secret dating.
It was like any other day, they would go out for a date, although masked as a friend's hangout. So they would avoid cliches like movies or anything that sounded romantic. Their plan was simple, finish classes, Marinette was going to ask Adrien to make her company while buying some fabrics, since she wanted his opinions for something she was doing, and later as thanks, they would get ice cream.
Truth is, she wasn't expecting to get ambushed by the class for help.
"Mari, can you do the clothes for the next theater piece?"
"Mari, hey! Can you order some pastries for my mom's birthday?"
"Can you organi---."
"Stop!" Adrien yelled as he tried to push them a bit away. "First, personal space people! Second, stop talking to everyone at the same time, she won't understand what you are asking. And finally, what the actual hell?"
They all got surprised with Adrien's outburst as he sighs looking at Marinette, they were still working on her reactions to getting ambushed by people were so suddenly, asking questions. It was something he noticed with reporters, she couldn't understand everyone talking, and easily got overwhelmed by them. So he, like a good partner, always found an easy way to break through it.
"Are you okay, Mari?" He asked gently as he extended his hand. An act to ground her and to know how overwhelmed she is, as he smiles when she holds his hand. Showing that at least she wasn't totally overwhelmed, yet.
"I'm, thanks, Adrien. Also people? First... I haven't been class president since a few months ago." She couldn't say that, but she did drop it after she started to learn about mental health and how to take care of it with Chat. She didn't need that type of pressure on her. "Second, all commissions, and I mean all of them, are to be talked privately and to be paid, I won't do anything for free anymore, since it consumes my time, materials, I'm still a student and have obligations with the school. I also think that I do deserve to win something." She said calmly as she held Adrien's hand a bit tighter.
"Also please, can you all not do this? Ambush me as soon as I get in class? While I love you all, and you all are my friend. I'm asking please do not do this. I get anxious and it isn't really good." She said as she bit her lower lips a bit.
The class had the decency to ask ashamed at their remarks, slowly they all stepped back and started to think. They were in their last year of school, before following their career school choice, they really needed that wake-up call from them as Marinette and Adrien sat down planning their next trip to Tibet to talk with the guardians.
Things weren't all fixed, honestly, they had a lot to learn about limits, self-care, and even how to say no. But at least now they had each other and finally, they were together.
"You know..." She said while licking her ice cream. "Despite everything that happened till here? I'm happy with how things happened."
He smiled at that as he was holding her bag of fabrics, licking his own ice cream. "Yeah... Although it was long... What? Seven, Eight months? I'm happy with it."
As the sky was orange, yellow, red, they looked as if the sun was going away. Gentle smiles and a calming breeze moves their hair. They were smiling as they held hands.