a/n: 60% angst, 40% hurt/comfort. no, at least 90% angst, i dunno. i'm not going to college to become a mathematician. this was originally for a request on google plus, but i took too long. this story is worth almost two years of procrastination, i promise (i'm a liar though so don't believe me, hahaha).

you may ask me,

"kas, why are you finishing this right now? it's not exactly relevant," and i'd say,

"it's been haunting me since 2016 and i have two more miraculous ladybug one shots i want finished, so there. enjoy it anyway!"

"Ladybug?!" Chat Noir panted, his voice hoarse from frequently yelling for his partner. Soaked to the bone, he sneezed loudly, hiding behind a mailbox for a sense of protection. Errant bolts of lightning struck the ground in a discordant pattern, some brighter than others in their variety of colors. His heartbeat skyrocketed in his chest and pulsed in his ears. He held his side and grit his teeth at the pain lacing a previous injury. Grating cackling came from the main square, the deserted streets amplifying the annoying laugh of their latest akuma.

'The akuma...she's not like anything we've seen before.' Turning his focus away from his wound, he tried to use his night vision to locate his Lady, afraid to look down at his surely bloody hands. It was fruitless however, for colorful spots danced in his vision from the blinding light. A few stray bolts ignited a fire a few paces away from him and slowly engulfed everything in its path, alive in its quest for destruction. Clenching his eyes shut, he dodged and weaved around each burst, opening his eyes a crack to dive into bushes not too far from his previous hiding place.

Shivering horrendously, the blond feline assumed a fetal position, listening to the horrible screeching and booms of thunder, lightning, and explosions. The inner cat settled deep within him loathed the situation, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

This akuma—STATIC, she declared her newly christened name—aimed to destroy, even to kill. That terrified him to the core. His Lady remained somewhere in the eye of the storm, fighting this deadly foe, surviving by the skin of her teeth. They had concluded on a whim that her disposition must've been similar to that of Climatika's, what with the powers and all. But after going toe-to-toe with her, he found out quickly that they were wrong. Dead wrong.

'That look in her eye…' a tremor traveled up his spine out of fear, 'it's unnatural. Like she isn't all there.' His eyes shrunk to pinpricks in alarm as static electricity coalesced his form, announcing her presence.

"Found you, kitty cat!" she cooed sweetly before landing a kick to his abdomen, causing an expulsion of spittle and blood from his mouth. Taking in his disheveled appearance, she stood there, raindrops shining like crystals around them. It hurt to look up. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to exist. Yet he struggled to do something, anything, as the agitation of his cut pinned him to the pavement.

"Now, now, we can't have that!" She extended her battery cables, digging them into his skin and hit bone, relishing in his screams of agony.

Sending ten thousand volts into his system, Chat Noir jerked uncontrollably, mouth wide open with voiceless screams. She smiled wider as if she had heard a great joke, her teeth the most prominent feature on her face besides the glowing butterfly outline. "Hand me your ring and I promise I'll make your death as painful as possible!" The blond was determined to stay awake, on the fringes of passing out and bleeding heavily from the newly created orifices. "Your spotted friend abandoned you when you needed help. This is the only way!"

'Milady, no…' "What...did you...do to her?" he coughed out, the quiet plea tinged with the taste of copper.

"To Ladybug?" She spat out scathingly. "That pest? She's nothing, an insignificant bug under my foot." He spasmed wildly, feeling the cold metal of her cables slightly give way. He couldn't stay still, he had to find Ladybug.

"Ladybu-" his mouth overflows with blood once more, dripping down his chin in twin rivulets. She hoisted him up by his neck, snorted at his attempts to claw at her, and threw him back into the bushes with a sneer. Her cables forcefully ripped themselves out of his body. Tears escaped his eyes, cascading into the muddy puddles underneath him.

With one snap, the rain continued. She elbowed him in the throat, his hands too slow to respond in turn. She raised her arm again, but felt string pulling her back. A yo-yo. She growled angrily as she turned her attention onto the spotted superheroine, who stood triumphantly, though slightly battered and bruised.

"No one lays a finger on Chat while I'm around to stop it!"

"Oh, ho, ho!" STATIC chortled, sounding like a demented Santa Claus. Her cloak billowed behind her as she gathered electricity at the base of her palms. "Came back for Round 2, eh? Your body will give out on you eventually. So why not be a good little girl and DIE?!"

She lunged at Ladybug, hands outstretched and her lit palms illuminating her devilish grin. Ladybug crouched, intercepting her attack and flung her away, a grimace etched onto her features.

Inching himself by his chin across the rocky cement, he grunted as Ladybug did her best to parry STATIC 's advances. There were times where her guard lowered unknowingly and STATIC would twist her arms behind her back awkwardly or axe-kick his Lady.

He admired her will, her strength. He wanted to be like her. That's why he loved her with every fiber of his being. He wanted to protect her. But in his condition, he could hardly move. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks, hiccupping sobs accompanying his gasps for air. Weak, pathetic. STATIC was right, he was useless, only a burden. Lowering his eyes in defeat, he succumbed to his self-deprecation and lost consciousness in a flash of green light.

Breathing heavily, she studied STATIC's attack patterns for an opening to use her Lucky Charm. Distancing herself, she made sure to keep an eye out, throwing her yo-yo upwards without uttering a sound. A cluster of ladybugs bestowed unto her the item, and then dispersed into thin air. "Rubber?" she muttered. "Makes sense. Guess this is for me, then." She wrapped her arms and legs in the material and braced herself when the weather increased in intensity, knowing that STATIC's encroaching power paraded wherever she went.

Swinging her weapon with renewed ferocity, she grabbed STATIC's leg and yanked as hard as physically possible, reuniting the lightning mistress with the asphalt. The villain tugged at the string and tried to channel electricity, but faltered at her failure. Delivering an earth-shattering punch to the older woman,STATICflew backwards into a heap, developing a severe road burn from skidding to a stop.

Ladybug beamed down at her as she tapped her suit. "Rubber. Pretty cool, huh? Now I've got all I need to beat you." The bluenette motioned to her in a "come hither" gesture and the blonde glared in frustration, the hair spiraling around her charged with static.

"Grrahh!" she snarled, re-engaging in combat. STATIC recklessly attacked, hurling currents of electricity hoping to get lucky while Ladybug strategically tripped her up at every angle, smirk ever present. Leaping and twirling to evade her lightning, she cockily teased STATIC, blowing raspberries and wiggling her fingers obnoxiously. In her merriment, her foe's change of expression went unnoticed until a gravelly giggle took her by surprise. Quirking her brow in confusion, Ladybug stood there awkwardly rubbing her neck. STATIC's hair lowered, hanging in front of her face as she resumed her laughter, eyes concealed from Ladybug's view.

"Do you know what's hilarious? You. Everything about you. A plain, ordinary girl who does nothing but shy away from her friends and isolate herself to 'keep them safe from danger if they knew your alter ego'." STATIC quoted, making the hero flinch abruptly. "Jeez!" She clutched her stomach to contain her giddiness. "You're an open book, kid, y'know that, right?"

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" She swept her leg around, sending Ladybug crashing to the floor. Oddly, her hair never left her face as she stalked towards the fallen teenager, monologuing all the while. "You've been fighting me this whole time and you've never stopped to think how I feel!"

"Don't patronize me," the famed idol spat, wiping blood off her lip.

"Yes, you're not as high and mighty as everyone says you are. 'The Lucky Duo' is nothing but a group of spineless teenagers who assume battling akuma and cleansing the world of Le Papillon is their only duty to society." A luminescent butterfly outline appeared, but she waved away his whiny complaints, stepping on the bluenette's back hastily to prevent her from getting up. Lowering her head down to Ladybug's level, STATIC guffawed, stretching her twin pigtails out of their crimson ribbons.

"That, ma amie, is completely and utterly INCORRECT! Your job is to provide each and every citizen of Paris with hope and help, not to bask in the limelight like the attention whore you are! You've failed, Ladybug. At your job, hell, even at living your own life. But worry not. I'm here to make sure this ends now." Hair drifting out of her face, Ladybug laid petrified at the pure malicious glint in her glowing sky-blue eyes and the gleam of the stainless-steel knife at her throat.

"08124, time for dinner, let's go."

'08124' sniffed at the door in disdain, waiting for the telltale slam of the iron door. She had forgotten how long she'd been here, how long lies had claimed ownership of her life, how long she'd been labeled as a freak, someone who lacked the capability to interact with the outside world. 'Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,' they had diagnosed, the psychiatrists' pitiful expressions mocking her. She despised them. So, what, the military wasn't the best choice after lycée. She knew that, she regretted it, she hated herself for it, so why couldn't she go home?

Shortly after her admittance into "the madhouse" as she dubbed it, the nightmares fed on her weakness, primitive insecurities fueling their longevity. The frigid atmosphere of her cage fastened itself to her being, the murkiness fueling her discordant flashbacks. The memories plagued her when she rebelled against them, the sunlight translucent to their thick skins. She withdrew herself, feigning sleep, afraid to dream. She repressed the simplest aspects of recollection, discarding her name and identity to cope with the never-ending reduction of her sanity. 08124 refused to accept help, her pride overbearing and prominent. She doubted the false relief of self-harm, denied the soothing lullabies of a promising solitude. Instead, she valued the connection of what belonged to her once upon a time.

Barely participating in any of the activities she had "applied" to, the petite prisoner soon discovered her favorite pastime of rifling through the private quarters of the administrator's office. While the staff was preoccupied, smells of hard liquor and tobacco wafting down the hallways, her hands busied themselves in his drawers, stricken by the number of foreign items littered the cabinets. Scissors, dented pocket knives, batteries, loose change, paper clips bent at the edges, stretched rubber bands, even a few prescription drugs. Stuffing the pills and batteries into her bra, she imagined herself as a snake slithering back into its den. With knives, she thought. 'Too bad snakes don't have arms, that would've made them so much cooler…'

Surveying her stolen treasures, the contraband was stealthily hidden. The AA batteries instantly became the apple of her eye.

Somewhat rusty, yet in good condition. 'Like me.' The corners of her mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile before they stilled, the lithium batteries enclosed firmly in her fists.

Weeks melded into months, then into years. Birthdays came and went, coordinators annually barging in with a poorly frosted cupcake, which never ceased to amuse her. Their actions were not from the kindness of their hearts, but from the warrants of a fat paycheck. A dancing flame flickered on top of the lone cerulean candle dripping wax steadily onto the pale frosting. She eyeballed the confectionary intently until her idle glower scared them away. It soon became a tradition to visit her chamber the day after to find a half-bitten, half-squashed dessert, the candle mysteriously missing, and one bittersweet detainee spread out near the windowsill lifelessly, twisted away from the door.

Word of new "superheroes" circulated throughout the hospital moments after their debut. During lunch, broadcasts of these heroes—Ladybug and Chat Noir, she learned thanks to an oblivious neighbor—played nonstop, elders failing to keep toothless smiles at bay and children chattering animatedly about "killer kung-fu moves".

08124 sneered at these self-proclaimed "heroes", seeing red. Selfish children playing pretend, foolishly ignorant to their true purpose, laughing in the face of danger all the while. If they were real as they claim to be, then where was their salvation? Why weren't they coming to their rescue? Why couldn't they save her from this hell, this despair, the throes of insanity? She clutched the batteries tighter against her chest, walking along the suspiciously empty corridors. Eyes glued shut, she sensed faint flutters graze her fingertips and a peculiar entity invade her thoughts.

"STATIC, I am Le Papillon. Seems like those heroes are more trouble than they're worth. I'll give you the power to fulfill your desire, and in turn, you must do something for me." The commanding voice silenced the gaping void in her noggin. The brunette's heart hardened, wholeheartedly giving her consent without hesitation. His dark intent washed over her, an adrenaline rush unparalleled to any other flowing through her person. "This is my opportunity to knock them off of their pedestals and show them that their idols aren't as infallible as they'd like to believe…!" STATIC roared, cumulonimbus clouds forming as a manifestation of her fury.

Incapacitating everyone inside carelessly, STATIC sprinted towards the Louvre, scattering bystanders with the oncoming storm. Planting cables into the ground, the street lights and telephone pole wiring began to short-circuit, plunging the streets in darkness. Panicked shrieking led the way as she persisted in her tirade, the now blonde setting a trap for her 'playmates'.

"Well done, STATIC!" Papillon crooned haughtily. "It won't be long before Ladybug and Chat Noir meet their maker."

"Yes, indeed," she replied absentmindedly, not entirely satisfied by the small scale of destruction. Her being itched, filled with overflowing anticipation.

"I'll cherish the moment this ridiculous charade comes to an end." Electricity raced through her veins as she rushed to meet the dual twirling figures heading to their deaths.

"I am STATIC. Ladybug...Chat Noir...hand over your miraculous...or die!"

08124 ruled over Ladybug with her quick reflexes, broadened peripheral vision, and belligerent psychological warfare. "You and your sidekick boyfriend should beat it!" She kicked her in the face repeatedly, teeth rattling around the impact of her stilettos.

"Scram!" Another kick.

"Get out!" Yet another.

"Heroes aren't just a title, kid. I should know, I used to be in your shoes once upon a time. Bright eyed, bushy tailed, naïve and innocent." Her tone grew bitter.

"The military was tough, backbreaking. Akuma cannot compare! If you can't get up and face me, you're a belligerent fool. Nothing but a clueless child who dresses up for the hell of it. Neither of you have killed before—to watch your comrades fall before you, unmoving, unable to keep on fighting, unable to keep living!" Baring her teeth in anger, moisture ran down her cheeks. She blamed the rain. Voice cracking, she shrugged tiredly.

"I was hardly built for the big leagues. I know that now, I knew that even before I picked up that pen. After two years in service, I quit. I was a newbie, a reject. I could never look my colleagues in the eye again. The pressure was too much for me. Death, torture, I feared it all. Yet, I believed that if I had the gumption, it would drive me forward. I-I didn't have the power t-to s-save a-a-anyone—I just w-wanted to be useful..." STATIC bawled, miserably sinking to her knees.

Ladybug's face softened in sympathy, remaining stationary, deciding to listen.

Glaring down at her through the crevices between her fingers, STATIC adopted a dazed look, her resentment and sorrow dizzying her. She swayed back and forth like a puppet with no strings, the wretched butterfly outline reappearing as to remind her of her task. Her hair drooped, eyes hidden, and she howled in distress. Ladybug took this chance to get up, but a silver knife soared through the air beside her, shearing off a good chunk of her midnight hair.

"NOW I HAVE THE POWER TO SAVE THE HELPLESS AND STRIP THE MIGHTY OF THEIR TITLES! AND YOU WILL NOT STOP ME. NO ONE CAN!" Electric blue eyes disappeared as her aura grew brighter, whipping her hair into a messy ponytail. Veins emerging around her forehead, her cloak swirled up her arms, clinging to her suit. Ladybug looked on in astonishment as the villain summoned forth all her power, welcoming her further descent into madness like a second skin.

'She's too bright to look at directly!' She shielded her sensitive eyes. STATIC continued to cackle, looking down mercilessly at the vulnerable Ladybug. Le Papillon's outline had faded into her skin long ago, he body lifting off the ground and into the clouds.

A flick of her wrist sent Ladybug flying before she could completely submerge herself into the mist. Nothing but white noise greeted her senses, mouth slightly agape as she seemingly moved in slow motion. Everything ached. Bile and blood burned her throat in attempt to catch her breath, fresh vomit puddling on the sidewalk. Tears shone on her face, hacking covering the tinny beeping, time slowly dwindling on her transformation.

Panic kicked her into high gear, oceanic eyes helplessly glancing through the mist.

'My Lucky Charm...wasn't enough. And time is running out. I have to find Chat. Together we might have a chance.'

Marinette hoisted herself up, gingerly testing her ankle as she made to take a step. Paranoia, the true fear of walking through the enemy's territory accompanied her at every turn. Her adrenaline high tapered off harshly, allowing her to wince at the bruises that now made themselves known. The fog gradually grew heavier, the lightning only adding to the tense atmosphere.

Roving around, aimless in the thick ozone, the bluenette tripped and landed on her thigh. What was the point? She was going to de-transform any minute now, as if she wasn't already vulnerable enough. She didn't want to think Chat had—no, her muddled brain supplied.

At least she could try to believe that was true.

It wasn't until her eyelids flickered shut did she see a speck of black dance in her peripherals. Ladybug's nose twitched in protest of the action. Eyes widening a fraction, she stared deeply into large feline eyes belonging to a certain cat kwami.

"Chat Noir's kwami," she rasped in disbelief. 'If he's here, that must mean—'

"Princess," the kwami responded in kind, his normally scratchy voice betraying his unbridled worry. "Man, am I glad to see you. Adri—I-I mean, my boy, he's hurt real bad."

'Oh, Chat…' "I'm about to transform back. I don't know what I could possibly do to help," Marinette admitted. "I'm basically a sitting duck out here. STATIC is still out here in the mist and if she takes one good look at me, then it's game over." She violently shuddered in horror of the prospect of Le Papillon learning her true identity.

The kwami flew over to her cheek, quietly purring against it as a means of comforting her. "Don't fret, Princess! This cat's got excellent vision. I can see just fine through this fog." His face split into a mischievous grin. "And I know Sugar Cube could use a break, so I'll lead you out. As a favor." The kwami's playful attitude faltered as he assessed Marinette's current state.

"Can you even stand?" Mini-Chaton inquired, concern seeping back into his whimsy.

"Of course I can't!" Marinette griped callously. Her poisonous bite surprised the kwami. "I'm sorry...I'm also in tremendous pain, one of my ankles is twisted and the other is sprained; there's a 80% chance I'm bleeding internally—"—a wheezing cough— "—oops, make it 95%, my wrist is slightly swollen, ribs aren't supposed to hurt this badly, and I'm two dots—"—beep beep— "—one dot away from de-transforming in the middle of the street. I'm the exact opposite of peachy-keen, wouldn't you think so?"

Her face twisted in desperation, lip trembling. Mini-Chaton sighed haughtily with a murmured "I don't get paid enough for this" before hoisting her upwards with surprising strength. Marinette shrieked in terror, being lifted by a creature who barely weighed two pounds soaking wet. Huffing with effort, the kwami dragged her into an adjacent arrondissement, devoid of any life except for creaky storefronts weakened by the winds.

"This is our stop," Mini-Chat yelled out. "You better de-transform and refuel. My boy isn't too far from here, and I need my camembert—you're going to need all the help you can get." And as that last declaration was uttered, the kwami zipped away to find his master, not waiting for Marinette's confirmation.

A pink flash of light emanated from her in that moment. Tikki appeared in her palms, exhausted and frail. If she wanted the feline to come back with Chat Noir, she'd have to find some sugar, and fast. "Hold on, Tikki," she cooed softly, hobbling towards an abandoned patisserie.

The bluenette perched herself gently onto a display case, strangely lulled by her kwami's ravenous chewing. It hadn't taken Tikki very long to get up and running once she caught a whiff of the delectable desserts, although they were a bit stale. One blue eye peeked out at the chaos outside, STATIC's unnerving laughter missing from the howling of the storm.

Imagining Chat out there all alone in those conditions with nothing but the clothes on his back and his kwami for company sent her reeling. Tikki blinked owlishly, startled bulbous eyes shrunken down to pinpricks.

"Ready to go, Tikki? Chat Noir needs our help—" Spontaneous aches prodded at her, warning her to take it easy. She had to ignore it this time. STATIC was still wreaking havoc.

"When you transform this time, I'll try to block out the pain the best I can. It'll be a temporary fix until the Miraculous Cure, and even then, your injuries will warrant a hospital visit. I'm sorry, Marinette." Tikki acquiesced. Marinette hummed knowingly. She had never thought about using a Miraculous Cure on something this serious. Then again, they hadn't been pushed to the brink before, either.

"I understand. Tikki, transforme-moi!"

In an unknown realm of consciousness, Adrien stewed, alone in his own thoughts. He pondered briefly on his situation, a strange kind of urgency buried under blatant casualty. Numb to any feeling, the blond drifted through memory after memory, warmed by the sight of sparkling bluebell eyes, the chime of tinkling laughter against a background of scarlet and black. Clouded with hurt and panic, the sapphires grew cold, afraid of something he could not comprehend. He frowned, befuddled. The figure clothed in red and black sprinted away gracefully, threads of navy flouncing in fear.

She had no reason to run. She was fearless, brave, strength incarnate. If she, a benevolent pillar of power, had fled, then what could he do?

Arms outstretched and sharp claws begging for the wondrous waif, he gave chase. Murky green eyes darkened with the fading light, the distance between them steadily increasing. Why could he not reach her? To wrap her in his arms and stand before her as her champion, to watch those beautiful eyes marvel upon his own power—the strength he dedicates to her, leaving none for himself? Can't she see his everlasting love laid before her, guillotined only by the rejection of an identity he refuses to claim?

Lights almost completely dim, he continues to run unfettered. Wisps of her clothing slip through his fingers; the pressing rush of vertigo overtakes him—

"Ad-en!"

He's not fast enough. He's never fast enough—

"-drien!"

Breath is scarce yet his legs are still pumping, where is she going why is she leaving me please come back—

"ADRIEN!"

Jade eyes flew open in fright, a brusque inhale clearing his airways with several rough hacks. Regaining his breath, Adrien sat up, eyes focused on his kwami's relieved stare as he gathered his bearings.

"Plagg!" he exclaimed happily, but stopped as he looked far beyond him at the amount of devastation wrought by STATIC. Buildings crumbled and teetered precariously, foundations weak from the flooding streets. Random fires burned brightly in every street corner, illuminating patches of the muggy sky. Thunder grumbled eerily, stopping every now and then to provide a chilling titter. La Tour Eiffel bent at a peculiar angle, twisted and mangled by the humid air and the relentless heat of lightning. Several monuments were rendered unrecognizable, and his heart sank down to his stomach.

"Plagg…how long was I out?" the blond breathed, taken aback.

"Kid," Plagg fumbled for words, whitened fangs moving but not grasping any form of speech, "it's been an hour, at least. Despite all the chaos, I did manage to find Ladybug—"

"Ladybug!" Adrien screeched, immediately rising to his feet, eyes wild. "Is she alright? Where is she now?" A contemplative pause. "Did she come with you?"

The small feline wearily shook his head. "No, she didn't. As for your questions, she wasn't looking too hot either. Even said so herself." The superhero frowned at the admission, but Plagg continued, "She was on the brink of de-transformation, so I left her to her own devices." At this, Adrien growled defiantly. Plagg left her? In this mess?

"Hey, don't get mad at me! Sugar Cube needed her sweets and by that point I was clearly overstaying my welcome. What else was there for me to do? I know you have all my camembert on your person, so the only thing left for me to do was to wait for you to come to."

Rubbing his head absentmindedly, his other hand traveled down to his throbbing sides. He wasn't in the best shape to keep fighting. A migraine brought about waves of nausea and he lowered his head between his knees to quash the urge to puke. He could sense Plagg's apprehensive eye, and so he shrugged him off. The first thing he had to do was find Ladybug and end STATIC's reign, once and for all.

"Ready, buddy? Plagg, transforme-moi!"

Elsewhere, STATIC floated in a stationary lotus formation above the cumulonimbus clouds, eyes closed, roaming feverishly underneath her eyelids. The blonde was aware of Papillon struggling to reopen their connection, frustrated at the lack of control he possessed over her. She was no longer his puppet. A deal hastily accepted in spite of her old life, a temporary sate for a marionette of the military, a sheltered disaster in the face of society; she welcomed the foolishness of a man who owned nothing, a man who also had everything.

If her master appeared now before her, she'd spit in his face.

He too did not understand. He did not have the ability to understand her, just like everyone else. He too desired a life above his own, coveted and out of his grasp. A broken butterfly that soldiers on, deep within the throes of intentioned villainy to attain what he had lost. Teeth and nails scraped away to retrieve artifacts of untold power, laws of the universe begging to be rewritten by his hand. For what can the powers of God Himself not do?

A Miraculous, her cheek muscles twitch in time with resonant thrums of the storm. Supernatural abilities handed down to mere mortals, unsightly and selfish creatures they are, in the guise of simple trinkets. Unworthiness conditioned by unnecessary means.

It's not like she would desire its unholy taste of indulgence, oh no.

She snorted rudely, tempest licking at her menacing leer. Sparks of lighting kissed her shoulder blades and dripped steadily down her arms, honing on the whereabouts of her prey. They may hide for now, but not forever.

The eye of the storm recognizes her as its queen. Here, she knows all. Her judgement is law short of God's divine rule.

She could care less about mystic jewelry.

All she cared about was the answer—to why she was nothing.

To why they were everything.

To why the butterfly flapped uselessly with every beat, only to suffer in anticipation of lifeless breath from golden wheat and concealed hazel orbs.

For an answer, she would gladly die.

Gladly die in her endeavor to tear the world asunder.

"Chat Noir!" Marinette—no, Ladybug—hollered, sprinting through the streets. It was true that her kwami was preventing most of the pain, but she could still feel pinpricks whenever she turned swiftly around each corner. She was sure this was their last tryst with STATIC, because if they couldn't defeat her this time...

"CHAT NOIR!" Her hope rekindled at a figure clad in black not too far away from her. A blond head swerved in reaction, and she picked up her pace. Before he could react, she slammed into him, head tucked into his chest and shaky arms encircling his gaunt frame.

It barely took a second before he reciprocated, golden tresses tickling her forehead. Elated purrs blossomed from him, making her giggle. é

"Chat, thank goodness you're okay," she murmured, eyes never leaving the bell around his neck. At that, the content purring cut itself off harshly, replaced with uncontrollable trembling.

It wasn't until she felt warm droplets on the back of her neck that she noticed why.

"Ladybug..." he whispered, as if saying her name out loud was equivalent to a Herculean task. His arms clenched around her tighter as if she'd disappear. "I-I should be saying the same thing. I didn't know if you were gonna be alright—I mean, I left you to fend for yourself, when all I could do is be unhelpful and useless...I'm so sorry—"

"No, Chat Noir, don't ever say that! You're not useless." Marinette took the time to peel away from the embrace to look into his watery depths. "You did all you could. So did I. Look!" She played with her fringe, one side uneven and sloppy from her impromptu haircut. "We're fighting in uncharted territory, it's okay. We were down for the count, but now? I think we're ready to face her again, one last time. Are you with me?"

Chat wiped his face with his latex sleeve, nodding before giving her a toothy grin, but stopped as he took her words in fully. "Do you really think we have what it takes?"

"Of course. As long as we're together, we can't lose. Plus, I thought of a plan while Tikki and I were recuperating. Have you noticed her wild attack patterns? Her unpredictability keeps her one step ahead of us, so we're just going to have to level the playing field."

"Now that I think about it, you have a point, M'Lady. This kitty's listening loud and clear."

"Okay, so here's the plan..."

After a long moment of contemplation, STATIC cascaded down to earth slowly, tendrils of fluffy clouds attached at her hips. Surveying the area, she found no sight of her targets. She called the lightning to her fingertips. Surely, she could lure them out. After all, they would never abandon helpless people.

Or so they claimed.

Before she could unleash her frustration, the end of a yo-yo smacked her temple. STATIC hissed at the disturbance, electric blue narrowing at determined bluebell. "You again! I knew you couldn't stay away for too long. Your complex won't allow it!" The heroine bristled at the obvious jab, but steeled herself. Rising to her bait wasn't part of the plan. Her feline friend hid in the bushes a good distance away from the two, awaiting his cue.

"Y'know, Ladybug, I realized something. With these powers at my disposal, there's no need for farces like you roaming around our beloved city! I'll be the one to bring about a new age for every Parisian under my rule! I will agree with you on one thing, though; Le Papillon is a menace. He offers you salvation, the opportunity to right your wrongs, for what? In order to retrieve some measly pieces of jewelry? How frivolous! The clouds shall guide my way and keep me strong; I've no need for such a feckless puppeteer.

That's why as soon as I eradicate you and all you stand for, I'll smite the butterfly where he stands. Once I assume his power for my own, villains and heroes will stand together by no other name. Believe in the good of my cause, and lay down your life."

The superpowered teen stood in frightened awe of the villain's ludicrous statements. Killing Papillon? Ushering in a new era? How brainwashed was this lady?

"Well, STATIC, I have only one thing to say to that, and the answer is no!" She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, did you really think I'd say "oh, yes, clearly, you've been right all along after you've beaten me bloody, so obviously I'd let you kill me. Okie-dokie, if you say so!"" She snickered haughtily, a clear mockery of STATIC's earlier actions. "Geez, who died and made you queen?" Her shoulders shook as she struggled to withhold the punchline.

"Oh, that's right! Nobody did!" Ladybug keeled over in bursts of laughter, belly up. STATIC's eyelid flickered at the taunt, lips pursed and exhaling deeply from her nose. Her form phased in and out of sight in an effort to keep her composure.

She failed.

"GRRAHH! LADYBUG, YOU'RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME? DEAD!" Seeing red, she charged at the heroine, figuratively and literally, in an arc of light. Ladybug braced herself for impact, ducking low to lessen the blow. It seemed her plan worked a little too well. This was the first step of her plan; dangling herself in front of STATIC as bait. Of course, her chaton vehemently disagreed at first—being the distraction was his designation, after all—but he knew that even though STATIC detested both of them, she held more of the akuma's ire.

The insults clearly worked, as STATIC was thrown off her game. Her kicks weren't as sharp as before, nor were her lightning attacks accurate. Marinette had the urge to mentally pat herself on the back for her genius, mind working a mile a minute to pinpoint the akuma-possessed object. It couldn't be the cables; no one carries electrical cables around with them, at least casually, and STATIC didn't seem to be the type who worked on transformers all day.

The rest of her ensemble looked to be skintight, almost grafted onto her body like most of the other akuma Papillon had already sent out. Moving and gliding through muscle memory, she considered summoning another Lucky Charm. Who knew if the next Charm would be something as equally contrived as the rubber strip from last time? She couldn't trust it. It was all up to both her wit and Chat Noir to figure this one out.

All the cables hung from STATIC's waist like a belt, trailing down into two heavy-duty battery packs. Unplugging a startling amount, she coiled them through her fingers and around her wrists, sparking them up like deadly brass knuckles—or wire knuckles, in this case. She dodged an elbow from the teen as she slipped through her guard, giving her a vicious left hook in retaliation. Uncovered wire endings dug into the skin of her chin, causing her to cringe as she staggered backwards. The storm thundered as a soundtrack to their bout, as if it was cheering her on from the stands outside a boxing ring.

She had to focus. The akuma must be in one of the batteries. But which one? STATIC wore both of them as if they were gun holsters, occasionally replacing frayed cables with new ones as she gained her second wind. Marinette sighed. She'd just have to take a chance on either one.

"Chat, the akuma is in one of her batteries! Go get 'em, tiger!"

Chat leapt out of the foliage at her call, cartwheeling over to her side. Like a tag-out, she maneuvered herself out of the fray, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with the akuma.

From observation, he deciphered that he had to avoid her mean left hook. That, and all body contact in general. Putting on his generic Chat Noir Toothy GrinTM, he weaved and bobbed like a French Muhammad Ali. "Do y'know what we say in the boxing world?

You gotta float like a butterfly," he jumped to the side, parrying a punch with his silver baton.

"And sting like a bee! Cataclysm!"

The blond superhero swung his staff like a baseball bat, nailing her in the ribs. His right hand bubbled in a concentration of dark energy. Instead of disintegrating one of the battery packs, he swiped at the cables connected them to her person, watching them crumble away into nothingness.

Like her batteries, STATIC fell to the ground with a resounding thunk. He crouched down next to her, felt ears listening for the slightest of movements.

"Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix! And STATIC is down for the count! The winners are the undefeated Alley Chat and his coach Bugaboo! The crowd roars with deafening applause!" He simulated the cheers of a crowd with his mouth, laughing with every dramatic exhale.

Ladybug giggled back to her partner's side, nudging him in acknowledgement of his "job well done". She could've done without him calling her Bugaboo, but she'd let it slide due to their respective adrenaline highs. The blackened batteries gave way easily under her foot, and the aforementioned akuma fluttered out from its lithium prison. She swung her yo-yo masterfully, activating the magic within it. "Time to de-evilize!"

Capturing the akuma, she drew it back, releasing it once she was sure it was purified. "Goodbye, little akuma." Beautiful white wings made their ascent into the clearing sky, rays of sunshine aiding them on their journey back to their grieving master.

She froze at the prospect of her next step. 'No Lucky Charm means no Miraculous Cure, right?' It hadn't been tried before, so she wasn't too sure on what would happen. Chat took notice of her conundrum, placing his hand on a spotted shoulder.

"Go ahead, LB. If you say it and nothing happens, then we'll know that we need the Lucky Charm. La Tour Eiffel isn't looking too hot, and I wouldn't be either if I became a Chat-pancake!"

"What about the other important monuments in Paris? Y'know, La Louvre, la Cathédrale Notre-Dame, just to name a few?"

"They're not as romantic, or as lovely as you, M'Lady. Anyway, give a shot! Nothing beats a trial but a failure."

She gulped in response to his encouraging double thumbs-up. "Well, here goes nothing."

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

A warm, tingling sensation took over her senses. Suddenly, millions of tiny ladybugs burst from her yo-yo, not unlike a Lucky Charm, and spread across the city. Windows, storefronts, buildings and foundations were rebuilt, statues and monuments were recompleted, the sky fully cleared to reveal a warm evening, and La Tour Eiffel untwisted itself in a spectacular shower of light. Both heroes stood in awe of the sight.

"What happened? How did I get out of my room?"

They turned around to address the victim. The brunette was draped in hospital-like attire, dressed in a drab seafoam-green shirt and baggy ankle-length pants. Tags lined her wrists, and the double AAs were returned to her open palm. She sat barefoot on the pavement, confused and shaken up at the appearance of Paris' young heroes, and instantly groveled at their feet in remorse.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, I'm so, so, so sorry for whatever I said or did when I was akumatized! I didn't know what I was talking about." She lowered her head in shame. "I'm just…in a bad place, I guess. I've been alone in the madhouse for so long, never talking to anyone, and I guess I let my bad thoughts fester until…y-you know the rest. I felt pretty vindictive. I mean, you guys are fighting the bad guys and saving the city, and all I could do was cower in fear when I was in service. I placed all the blame on you and I'm very sorry for that. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course we can!" She tilted her head up in shock. "Papillon was the one who manipulated your completely valid feelings. As heroes, it's our duty to keep the citizens of Paris safe, no matter what happens. And as a citizen of Paris, you definitely qualify. I'm sorry for what happened to you. Sometimes we sign up for things we aren't ready for, and that's okay. I should know." The raven-haired hero shared a laugh with the brunette, helping her off the ground.

"It takes time and dedication to improve ourselves and be better people. Chat Noir and I aren't perfect; we're not deities or anyone special. We're just normal people who go out of our way to help others. We give advice, but we also take it, too." The blonde winked at her after the fact, and the patient took it in stride.

"Thank you, Ladybug, for saving me from myself. You too, Chat Noir. I'll try my best to open up and do better, just like you guys."

"You're welcome, miss." Adrien gave her an extravagant bow, the beeping of his Miraculous breaking him out of the scene. "But this cat's gotta run! Catch meow later, LB!" Extending his baton, he shot forward, sailing across the horizon. Ladybug turned back to the patient who wore a confused grimace upon her face.

"Don't worry about a thing, miss. I'll take you home, bug's honor." Hoisting her up into a fireman's carry, Ladybug flicked her yo-yo around a nearby chimney. "Hold on tight!"

And together, they headed towards a brighter future.

and when i say "towards a brighter future", i actually mean "after dropping her off, both ladybug and chat noir go to a hospital because as soon as their transformations fell away they were in a world of hurt! because that's how we STAY SAFE, KIDDOS! don't fight akuma at home. anyways, thanks for reading. 19 pages on word, oh boy. leave a review if you really liked it! you can find me on tumblr as shades-to blades for fanart, fandom happenings, and personal opinions. feel free to leave me a message!

and with that, i bid you adieu!