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Ladybug swung across Paris’ rooftops, wind whipping her bangs into her face. The constant zipping of her yo-yo, once a peaceful moment before the crazed fight, now sent waves of fear through her body with each thwip .
She hadn’t always been afraid of Shadowmoth’s Akumas. At first they’d been an annoyance; something to get out of the way so she could move on to the rest of her life. Her plans worked, her Lucky Charms were always on point, and she was home in time for dinner. Shadowmoth’s repeated demands for her Miraculous had inspired laughter, not dread.
But when Chat Noir, her ‘destined partner’, had joined the fight against her, dread shot through her each time her phone chimed with an Akuma alert. He held the power of destruction at his fingertips. Anything she did, he could match - and sometimes even beat. He was almost always carefree, puns slipping easily out of his mouth; she’d even seen him pause in the middle of a fight to congratulate himself.
Worse than the puns was the flirting. Ladybug assumed it was supposed to distract her and the first time, it had. She had almost lost her Miraculous because of that stupid cat. Him and his stupid puns, and his distracting flirting, and his golden hair and chiseled jaw that made her heart flutter when she saw him, and his cunning wit that was able to match her own, and the way he’d invade her dreams at night, with thoughts of what could’ve been, if he’d used his Miraculous for good instead of evil.
She knew it was stupid to fall for your enemy. He tried to take her Miraculous and destroy Paris every time she saw him.
But that was just it. Chat Noir had never once tried to harm her. Although she never forgot the destruction in his ring, somehow it seemed like he did. He’d had her pinned more times than she could count, but he’d never Cataclysmed her for it. He’d just smirked, making some comment about how she was losing her touch, and reached for her earrings. Was it just her, or was there a quick flash of pride in his eyes every time she was able to slip away?
Maybe it was stupid, but stupid had never really been able to stop Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
She shook her head, steeling herself as a bright beam of light shot toward the sky. This Akuma was covered in glaring red and black, her eyes wide and dripping with white tears. An inhuman smile crossed her face, a manic laugh escaping her lips as she shot a beam of light towards a fleeing couple. As the light washed over them, the two turned to each other, shouting in rage. She had to stifle a gasp as the woman pushed her boyfriend into the Seine, cackling gleefully as he fell.
Ladybug’s eyes narrowed as she leaned farther off the edge of her rooftop, peering at the Akuma’s hand. On her fourth finger was a heart, glowing the same bright white as her tears. As she waved her hand, a beam of light shot from the ring. Bingo!
“Watcha doin, M’Lady?” Chat’s voice drawled in her ear.
Ladybug whirled around, heart thumping wildly. He was leaning casually on his stick, smirking as she gripped her yo-yo tighter. “Chat,” she muttered frustratedly, ignoring the way her breath hitched in her throat as her eyes met his. “I don’t have time for this today. Can we just get this over with?”
Chat leaned back, mock gasping. “You want to cut our time short? Here I thought you were invested in our relationship!”
Ladybug shook her head. “Look around you, Chat!” she cried. “How are you okay with any of this destruction? That woman just pushed the love of her life into the Seine!”
Chat looked away, although not before Ladybug saw the flash of guilt in his eyes. “This would all be over if you just gave us your Miraculous,” he said quietly. “If you just hand over the earrings, Shadowmoth promises to stop terrorizing Paris.”
“Like I believe that,” Ladybug snorted. She took a step closer to him, clutching her yo-yo. “Do you know what’ll happen if he makes the wish? The universe has to be in balance, Chat!”
“What if it’s for a good reason?” He retorted, raising his staff. “Can’t there be exceptions? Don’t we deserve…” Here he cut off, eyes darkening. “There’s more at stake for us than you know,” Chat muttered through a clenched jaw.
Ladybug shook her head. “I don’t care what you’re fighting for. It could be the best thing in the world, but the universe would still have to correct itself. You’d have to lose something. ”
Chat closed his eyes. “I guess we’re back to where we started,” he said softly.
Ladybug swallowed. “I guess we are.”
She spun her yo-yo, dropping into a defensive position as Chat opened his eyes and clutched his baton. The worried lines smoothed out of his forehead as he forced a smirk on his face. “Well,” he said, sighing as he fell into a fighting stance. “Ladies first.”
Ladybug hurled her yo-yo over his shoulder, latching onto a chimney behind him. As she swung past, she caught a glimpse of the surprise in his eyes. Good, she thought smugly. He wasn’t expecting that.
She raced towards the Akuma, wind whistling in her ears as she bounded across the rooftops. The woman was a few blocks away, evidence of her rampage covering the streets. Ladybug winced as she flew over a couple rolling around on the ground, trading hits and screaming insults. Where once had been love, now was only hate and anger. Interestingly enough, the people who were affected didn’t hate anyone else, only each other. That could be useful, she mulled, leaving the fighting couple behind.
As she dropped on the concrete street, the Akuma turned around with a sneer. “Ladybug,” she hissed. “I thought you were busy with Chat Noir.”
“Haven’t you heard?” Ladybug snarked. “I left him. He’s a bit of a deadweight, to be honest. Kind of has a dark side.” She grinned, ducking as the Akuma launched a beam of light at her with a scream.
She only had the brief warning of his baton retracting before the cat himself landed in front of her. “Why, M’lady, I’m hurt!” he gasped, clutching at his heart. “You do know it’s rude to keep a gentleman waiting, right?” he added with a grin.
“Oh, so you’re a gentleman now?” Ladybug asked, raising her eyebrows. She crouched, eyes narrowing as she attempted to keep both Chat Noir and the Akuma in her sights. “Funny, I would’ve used a different word.”
Chat smirked, leaning on his stick. “Good thing you’re a lady, then. One of us has to be the polite one in the relationship.”
A flash of light to her left sent Ladybug jumping through the air, flipping gracefully over the blast. “Are you… flirting? ” the Akuma shrieked. “ Seriously?”
Ladybug clenched her jaw as she jumped and twirled over the Akuma’s enraged attacks. To her surprise, Chat just leaned on his baton, watching her fight her way towards the woman with an almost amused look.
When she was only a few yards away from the Akuma, Shadowmoth’s signature mask slipped over the woman’s face. Her brow furrowed as she leaned back, dodging Ladybug’s flying yo-yo. “But- Oh, alright,” she said with a sigh.
“What, he wants my Miraculous?” Ladybug taunted, flinging her yo-yo at the Akuma again.
“Surprisingly, no,” the Akuma said with a smug grin. She raised a hand, a bubble of white light building on her ring. Ladybug ducked with a yelp as the blast shot towards her.
And went right over her shoulder. She only had a moment to gasp before the white light slammed into Chat Noir, knocking him to his knees. “Chat!” she screeched, halfway across the street before she realized she’d taken a step.
He looked up at her, eyes wide with panic. “Run.”
Ladybug froze. “The Akuma only makes you attack people you l-love,” she said shakily. “I’ll be fine.”
Chat growled, bringing his hands to his temples as his whole face tightened in an attempt to fight off the Akuma’s influence. “ I love you! Now RUN!”
Ladybug’s knees went weak, his words echoing through her head. I love you. I love you. I love you. “You…”
“Aargh!” Chat screamed as he fell to his knees. His whole body shuddered as he panted, his palms hitting the ground.
“Ch-”
Ladybug froze as Chat Noir looked up, his cold eyes chilling her to the bone. “Ladybug,” he hissed, slowly rising to his feet. Then- “Cataclysm.”
Ladybug fell back, turning and sprinting towards the Akuma. I love you. Cataclysm. I love you. Cataclysm. Her heart thudded in her throat with each leaping step she took.
“Well, that was… interesting,” the Akuma said, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what you wanted?” she added as Shadowmoth’s mask slipped over her face. She nodded as his response. “Right. Well, now can I hunt him down?” After a moment, a pleased smile spread over her face. “Miraculous, then Nate. Got it.”
“I don’t think so,” Ladybug hissed, hurling her yo-yo at the Akuma. “Lucky Charm!” she shrieked as the woman jumped back with a yelp. To her surprise, a single photo fluttered down into her outstretched hands. “What am I supposed to do with this?” she wondered aloud.
The Akuma smirked. “Better figure it out quick,” she said with a snicker, her eyes flicking to something behind Ladybug.
Ladybug tightened her hold on the photo and whirled around, barely managing to dodge Chat’s stick. He stared down at her with those hard, cold, eyes, one hand bubbling with black destruction raised above his head. “Chat! Stop!” she pleaded. “This isn’t you!”
“Of course it is!” The Akuma called. “Love expires. It rots.” Bitterness seeped into her voice. “It turns on you when you need it most.”
“If it turns, it wasn’t really love!” Ladybug yelled back, jumping out of the way as Chat lunged for her. “Love is good! It fills you with warm butterflies and makes you feel like you’re special!”
The Akuam let out an enraged scream. “No one is special!”
“That’s not true!” Ladybug slid under Chat’s legs, bolting towards the frozen Akuma. “Everyone is special, and everyone deserves someone who makes them feel special!” She skidded to a stop in front of the gaping woman. “Even you,” she added softly.
Before the woman could respond, Ladybug grabbed her hand, whirling around and shoving it towards Chat’s Cataclysm.
He froze, jaw dropping as the Akuma’s ring disintegrated. Ladybug threw her yo-yo, catching the Akuma mid-flight. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”
With a quick flick of her wrist, Chat was wrapped in her yo-yo’s string. Ladybug took a deep breath as he stared at her with narrowed eyes, straining futilely against his bonds. He wouldn’t be returned to normal until she used her Miraculous Ladybug. As tempting as it was to hurl her Lucky Charm into the air now, there was a reason her Miraculous had given her this photo in particular and instinct told her to figure it out first.
Beside her, the woman dropped to her feet, Hawkmoth’s dark magic melting away. Ladybug dropped to her knees, forcibly shoving thoughts of Chat Noir aside. “Hey. Are you alright?” she asked softly.
The woman blinked, looking up at Ladybug. Her brown eyes welled with tears. “I got Akumatized, didn’t I,” she whispered, looking back down at the ground. “I’m sorry.”
“It happens to the best of us,” Ladybug said consolingly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”
The woman sniffed. “My boyfriend broke up with me. He said I w-wasn’t right anymore and t-that he needed someone m-more like h-him.”
Ladybug looked down at the picture in her hand, the pieces clicking together. “Is this you?” she asked gently, showing the photo to the woman.
“Y-yeah!” The woman’s eyes brightened as she looked at the photo, a small but genuine smile crossing her face. “I took that photo with Luke - my best friend,” she added quickly, “the day I left for college.”
Ladybug looked between the sparkly-eyed boy in the photo and the bright light in the woman’s eyes. “I think,” she said carefully, “that maybe Nate wasn’t the one for you. Maybe it didn’t work out because there’s someone better waiting.”
Ladybug could see the exact moment it clicked for the woman. “You think that Luke… Really?”
“I think that when you’re ready, and not any sooner, you should call him.” Ladybug smiled at the woman. “What’s your name?”
“Gina,” she said softly.
“Well, Gina, I hope you think about it.” Ladybug stood, pulling Gina to her feet. “Will you?”
She nodded, wiping a tear streak off her face. “Maybe you’re right,” she said with a sigh.
Ladybug turned, meeting Chat’s eyes. I love you , her traitorous mind said yet again. I love you I love you I love you.
Shut up! She took a deep breath, flinging the photo into the sky. “Miraculous Ladybug!”
The magic ladybugs washed over Paris yet again, undoing everything Shadowmoth’s Akuma had caused. Ladybug was only vaguely aware of the rest of the people on the street, her eyes fixed on Chat’s. As the magic swept over him, he blinked, stumbling forward. “L-ladybug?” Dread dawned on his face, his eyes widening in fear. “Oh, no. What did I do?”
With a sharp tug, Ladybug’s yo-yo fell away from his body. “I- we need to talk,” she managed to say through the lump in her throat.
Chat stood frozen, his Adam’s Apple bobbing as he swallowed. “I don’t- uh-” he stuttered, taking a step back. The cool, collected Chat she was used to seeing was gone, replaced by a nervous mess. “Shadowmoth-”
“Won’t be very happy with you,” Ladybug interrupted softly.
Chat sighed, closing his eyes. “I know,” he whispered. “Where do you want to talk?”
Ladybug stepped forward, carefully taking his hand. He jumped, eyes shooting open as she wrapped her fingers around his. “Come on.”
Honestly, she wasn’t sure where she was going. Logic screamed at her that she should find somewhere safe, somewhere far, far away from anywhere important to her. Unfortunately, logic had never stopped Marinette Dupain-Cheng either. She found her swings taking her closer and closer to her house, struggling to ignore the frantic racing of her heart as they approached. Chat tensed against her side as she completed her final swing, dropping down on her balcony.
Ladybug turned, slowly looking up at Chat. He was staring around as if it was the first time he’d ever seen a balcony, eyes roaming over her patio chairs, her potted plants, her railing, before finally landing on her. “M- Marinette?” he whispered in shock.
Ladybug bit her lip, fighting the impulse to look away from his wide eyes. “Yeah.”
To her surprise, Chat fell back against the railing, face paler than she’d ever seen. “Chat?” she said, alarmed. “Are you alright?”
“Marinette,” he breathed, staring across her patio in shock as he sank to the floor. “Marinette. Oh, Marinette. What… what have I been doing?”
Ladybug dropped to her knees, ignoring the high-pitched beeping of her earrings. “Chat, are you okay?” she asked more urgently.
He slowly looked up at her. To her shock, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“Chat,” Ladybug said again, this time gently. She didn’t really know what else to say, so she just hugged him, wrapping her small arms around him and pulling him close.
Chat was unsteady, his heart thumping erratically against her chest. She felt him take a shuddering breath, then another, before wrapping his arms around her. After a moment he pulled back. “Can I see?” he asked quietly.
Ladybug’s breath hitched in her throat. “Sp-spots off,” she whispered shakily.
A pink flash of light washed over her, leaving her with a strange vulnerable feeling as her suit disappeared. Tikki met her eyes with an unreadable look, giving her a quick nod before disappearing into her room. Thanks for nothing.
When she looked back at Chat, he was staring at her, mouth parted. Marinette gave him a shy half-smile, rubbing her arms self-conciously. “Chat, did you… did you mean what you said? Earlier, during the Akuma?”
Chat nervously broke eye contact with her, looking down to the side at one of her potted plants. “... Yeah.”
Marinette couldn’t ignore the way her heart fluttered at his confession. “Really?” she asked breathily.
Chat nodded. “Fa- Shadowmoth started to guess,” he said with a deep breath. “It’s why he sent the Akuma.”
“It wasn’t just the normal attempt at my Miraculous,” Marinette realized aloud.
“He wanted to see for himself.” Chat finally looked back at her, his eyes filled with something Marinette couldn’t explain. It was warm, but distant, nervous and hesitant, but hopeful. She felt warmth start to spread through her cheeks.
Their eye contact was broken as his ring beeped, making her jump. He was down to two pads, just a couple minutes away from revealing his identity. “Chat,” she said hesitantly. “W-why do you work with Shadowmoth?”
Marinette caught a glimpse of regret in his eyes before Chat looked down at his hands. “He’s my dad,” he whispered.
Marinette’s jaw dropped. “Your- your dad ?”
Chat just nodded.
Ooh. “And he knows? Your identity, I mean,” she added when his brow wrinkled in confusion.
Chat nodded again. “When I first found the Miraculous, I brought it to him. I thought I might finally have the chance to make him proud of me,” he said bitterly. His ring beeped again, down to just one pad. “But he just wanted to use me to get yours. Just like he uses me for everything else.” Chat pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “He’s trying to bring back my mom,” he added in a choked whisper.
Marinette’s heart dropped to her stomach. Chat’s words from earlier suddenly made much more sense. Can’t there be exceptions? Don’t we deserve… “What happened to your mom?” she whispered.
“She used a damaged Miraculous.”
Marinette looked up. “Wait, it’s a Miraculous-related injury?”
Chat nodded, meeting her eyes with a curious frown. “She’s in a coma. Father’s trying to heal her with the wish.”
“Chat, the Guardian might be able to heal her,” Marinette said quickly. She scooched closer, so close their legs almost touched. “He’s in charge of the Miracle Box and knows all about the Miraculous. I’m sure he knows a way.”
Chat gasped, a sharp intake of breath. “ Really ? He’d do that, even after… everything?”
“Of course, silly Kitty,” Marinette said with a gentle smile. Chat twitched at the nickname. “We- I want to help.”
Chat looked down at his beeping ring, only a moment away from transforming back. “Promise?”
Marinette didn’t know what made her do it. Maybe it was the remaining adrenaline from the fight, or the intensity of Chat’s gaze. Maybe it was the broken plea in his voice for someone to finally take care of him, pay attention to him. Maybe it was the words still ringing in her mind - I love you . All she knew was that suddenly her lips were on his.
Chat gasped against her mouth and for a second she wondered if this was a terrible idea - bad instincts! Bad! But he slowly responded to the kiss, slipping his arms around her and pulling her close.
Marinette wasn’t sure when, but sometime during the kiss Chat’s transformation fell away. The only reason she knew was because when she finally pulled away, breath coming in short gasps, it was Adrien sitting across from her, looking down at her with wide eyes. Any other day she would’ve jumped away in shock, but now the pieces clicked together. Of course it was Adrien. Of course his father was Hawkmoth. Of course he was doing everything for the people he loved. Of course .
Marinette reached up, brushing a lock of hair out of his tear-filled eyes with a gentle smile.
“Promise.”