Chapter Text
The most important objects in your life.
Would you even know what they were?
Which specific objects had the biggest impact on the direction your life took?
Even if you could name them, would you have any idea what the world might be like if those objects were erased from history?
These were the thoughts flashing through Chat Noir's mind while he dodged blow after blow from the akuma of the week.
Apparently, someone didn't like minimalism. And they were taking it personally .
"Chat," Ladybug called out over their earpieces. "I think my Lucky Charm is telling me you need to let the akuma hit you."
"Aye aye, bug."
Adrien had a decent idea what one of his objects would be.
The miraculous of destruction itself, removed from history.
The concept of destruction, never bound to any artifact.
What would the world look like with Destruction unleashed?
Chat dove for the next opportunity to get hit, closing his eyes to brave against…
Everything went quiet.
Adrien opened his eyes.
Paris certainly didn't look much different- other than the lack of akuma.
Scanning his vicinity, Adrien didn't see any sign of the fight he'd been in the middle of.
No danger, no wreckage. No Ladybug.
Adrien checked himself over.
No injuries.
No wallet.
No miraculous.
…now what?
Ladybug was probably out there, beyond the dream, fighting the akuma.
She'd figure it out soon.
All Adrien needed to do was wait.
Waiting was boring.
Might as well explore this strangely un-strange world.
So, Adrien started to walk.
Nothing seemed off, at first.
Nothing seemed off at second, either.
But by the time his feet brought him to the school, Adrien had a growing sense of unease.
Paris was different, he just couldn't put his finger on what was missing.
Looking up at the school, Adrien wondered what his life was like in this world.
He'd be enrolled in the school's system, of course. Chloé had done that for him as a favour before he ever got his miraculous.
He might've even managed to go to school, if only the once. After all, the only reason Nathalie had been able to stop him the morning before he met Plagg, was because Adrien had-
…had stopped to help an old man, one Adrien was realising he'd later met.
That must've been when Master Fu slipped the ring into his bag.
So, without a miraculous of destruction, Master Fu wouldn't have been there to distract Adrien from getting to the school.
Adrien might still have his friends.
=======
It wasn't long before the bell rang, and school let out.
Adrien had figured none of this was real anyway, so why waste his time going to class?
He was stood opposite the school, watching everyone filter out.
Some of his friends and classmates shot him friendly smiles or waves, and Adrien felt his confidence go up.
When Nino finally walked out of the school, Adrien jogged over to catch up with him.
"Hey," Adrien called, as nonthreateningly as he could. "Nino. Um, this is gonna sound weird no matter what the answer is, but I need to know if you and I are friends."
"...I have literally never seen you before in my life," Nino said, confusion dripping from his expression. "I mean, if you're looking for a friend…"
"Nah. Ladybug'll get me out of here pretty soon."
Nino shrugged, putting his headphones on and walking away.
Adrien stood there for a while, idly wondering what had gone wrong on the first day of school.
"Out of my way, dweeb."
"Chloé?"
Chloé rolled her eyes. "And you are?"
Adrien blinked. "...Adrien? Agreste? We've been friends forever! My- my miraculous shouldn't change that."
"You're clearly deluded by my beauty," Chloé decided. "The Agrestes don't have any children. Too bad for you- if you were an Agreste, you might be worth my time."
"Chloé?"
Without further response, she pushed past Adrien and strode towards the waiting car.
"Um," Adrien stammered.
Adrien looked around, glancing up and down the buildings around him.
He usually looked right past the billboards of his face, not paying them any mind.
No wonder it took him so long to notice they were gone.
For some reason, in this world, Adrien Agreste didn't exist.
Had he only been born to wield the ring?
This nightmare was getting too existential.
Adrien started walking, not caring where he went, praying Ladybug would wake him up soon.
=======
Ladybug was at her wit’s end.
Her Lucky Charm was telling her she needed Chat Noir, but he was unconscious. Ladybug could only guess as to what nightmare he was having as a result of the akuma’s power.
Ladybug had timed out 3 times already, losing 3 different Charms that all told her she needed Chat. She’d lost several other teammates to the akuma’s power in the process- Carapace, Viperion, and Vesperia among them.
If she gave Alix the pocket watch, let her become Bunnyx, then she could have another Chat Noir fighting beside her as easily as opening a Burrow.
But Ladybug knew Bunnyx had to be the hero of the last chance, not the fourth. There were still other miraculous that could be put into play before resorting to time travel.
“I don’t know, Ladybug,” Rena said suddenly.
The pair were in Marinette’s bedroom, regrouping. Technically, Ladybug was currently Pegabug- having merged Tikki with Kaalki in order to use Voyage, and get each of their sleeping superhero teammates to safety.
Rena continued. “If the Lucky Charms keep telling you that you need Cataclysm, why not lend the ring to someone?”
Pegabug shook her head. “I can’t do that to Chat. If I take the ring, he detransforms and I find out who he is.” She looked over to where he lay dormant on her chaise longue. “Besides, I don’t need Cataclysm. I need him .”
“It’s been hours, Mari. The longest akuma fight to date. People are starting to panic.”
“I know, but- the Charm keeps asking for Chat. I don’t know what to do without him.”
Rena sighed. "Try it again. Maybe it'll tell us how to wake him up."
"Lucky Charm," Pegabug muttered, half-heartedly tossing her yoyo to barely head height.
The magic coalesced into a small bottle.
"Radiant, carefree, dreamy," Rena read aloud. "...Adrien?"
Pegabug shook her head. "After Viperion went down, I tried to find Adrien to see if he could be Aspik again," she explained. "I couldn't find him anywhere."
"So… what else could the perfume be?"
"We need Chat Noir," Pegabug insisted, looking down at her partner's sleeping form. "Maybe we splash it on his face to wake him up?"
Rena shrugged, uncorking the bottle and pouring it over Chat Noir's face.
"You got him wet," Pegabug noted. "He won't be happy about that when he wakes up."
"He'll live."