[This happens a couple years later, Marinette and Adrien are now 20]
"I should have never agreed to split, this is all my fault" Were the only thoughts Chat had as tears slid down his masked face.
[A couple minutes ago.]
The new Akuma, Gemini, was stronger than the one they had fought before, way stronger. First of all, they were two, making the job quite harder, because our heroes had two objects to destroy.
Gemini, looked like two harlequins, each wore a theater masks, one had a happy face, the other a sad face. Their colours were of white, red and blue, both had a bracelet to their wrist (their akumatized object), pointy shoes with jingle bells attached to the pointy end and harlequin hats. The colour scheme were switches to make them different. Their weapon were colourful bombs with theater mask for design.
Second, Gemini were smart enough to switch their akumatized object. Which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. They were not fighting to keep themselves safe, but keeping their twin safe; they were protecting each others. And everyone knows people fight better and are more desperate when they are protecting someone dear to them.
Other smart idea from the twins, was to lead the heroes on two different directions. Which caused the beginning of the painful situation Ladybug currently is in.
In her haste, Ladybug got hit and blown away by a bomb from Gemini, landing a couple buildings away, another bomb exploded the wall next to her, effectively burying her under tons of bricks. Luckily, or unluckily, the bricks fell in a way that only the lower part of her body was under the heavy stones. Luck wasn't on her side tonight, and her earings started to beep just to prove it more. Ladybug panicked, trying to get out of the debris desperately, her magic suit was protecting her, but when she would de-transform, her legs were going to get crushed. She wriggled all she could, tears of fear in her eyes when the last beeps rang. A single cry of agony echoed through the night before all that pain made her lose consciousness.
Tikki tried her best to pull her out, tears were streaming down the poor kwami's small face, she whispered shakily "No… She can't die.. I need to find Chat Noir…" Looking around, she soon realized something missing. Where was the akuma? It should be here trying to take her earings… where was it?!
Tikki regretfully left the bluenette to fly weakly above the buildings, she saw the Akuma immobilized, his akumatized object must have been destroyed. She flew over the unmoving akuma and took off the bracelet, she then used all her tiny body's strength left to throw it on the ground, breaking it and releasing the butterfly. The red kwami didn't have time to think about the butterfly though.
She was weak, but had to find him, so Tikki flew above Paris, searching for the cat hero, when she spotted him, Chat was holding a injured arm, laying his back to an alley wall. She zipped to him the faster she could, pain and shock were all over the men's face.
"You are.. Where is Ladybug!?" He asked, more panicked than ever now that Chat saw the spotted kwami without her owner.
"Follow me! Quick! She got hurt badly and is unconscious!" Were the only words the kwami gave him as she flew over the location of her miraculous owner was, but having used up all her energy to keep the costume on, it was the most exhausting thing Tikki had ever done in her long life. Consciousness was hard to keep and she was starting to see black spots in her vision. "No… I can't fall unconscious… Marinette need me… I need to…" She was about to hit the ground when Chat caught her.
"Hey! Are you okay? Oh god you're exhausted, please tell me where Ladybug is! I'll go to her!"
The red kwami faintly answered: "Near the mayor's office… The wall exploded… Mari…" She lost it and fell asleep in the clawed hands of Chat Noir before she could finish her sentence.
His heart dropped down his stomach and hurried to the location as fast as his bruised legs allowed the hero, his injured arm wasn't making it easy either. But when he made his way to the crumbled wall, his heart died.
There was blood trickling down Marinette's face. half her body was buried and oh god the bottom of her white shirt was a disgusting dark red.
"I should have never agreed to split, this is all my fault" Were the only thoughts Chat had as tears slid down his masked face.
Adrien's strength left him and he fell to the ground next to her. He cupped her face, whispering "Marinette… My princess… My… Lady…." Tears of pain, sadness and anger rolled down his face and he desperately threw the bricks away, one by one; he would take her out of this and save her, or die trying. After painful minutes that felt like hours, Chat finally pulled the girl out, Tikki woke up for a short moment and clumsily got into Marinette's purse when Chat lifted her in his arms. A small spark of hope ignited his heart when he saw her chest moving up and down, reassuring him that she was still alive. But with so much blood loss, Marinette wouldn't have very long. Chat needed to take her to an hospital, quick. He looked away from the bloody mess her legs were and ran, as fast as he could. Despair, love and adrenaline fueling his race against time, life and death. Running through the streets, though alleys, every shortcuts were good to gain time. He had to save her to every costs.
But now it was his own miraculous's time to beep. "No no no no no no no! I need to take her to the hospital! You can keep up a little more Plagg! Please!" He begged.
But the kwami was already drained to the last drop of energy, and just before turning the corner of the street next to the hospital the transformation wore off. The exhausted Plagg slipped in Marinette's purse with Tikki and joined her in the land of sleep.
Adrien bit his lips and ran to the hospital, bleeding, hurt, crying, scared and exhausted. But he finally made it, bursting the doors open with his back, since he was carrying the young woman in his arms.
"Please! I need help! She got caught into an Akuma attack! Please save her!" He plead to the secretary behind the desk of the reception when his knees failed him and hit the ground, girl still in his arms.
The secretary quickly called the emergency team and a minute later, nurses were around Adrien, prying him off the girl to bring her to the emergency room. He wanted to follow but a nurse told him they had to take care of him too. He shrugged it off as just a scratch, but when the nurse touched the bruise, Adrien felt the pain and clutched his arm.
"It's.. It's nothing.. Just go and help her, she needs it more than I do.. She lost so much blood… Please…"
The nurse shook her head at the stubbornness of the man in front of her. "They are already enough in that room. If I go I will only get in the way, please trust our staff and let me take care of that arm of yours."
Adrien growled but resigned himself to let the nurse do her job.
Long painful hours later, the doctor came out of the emergency room, his face was impossible to read, and Adrien's heart sank when he saw the grimace on his face, fearing the words that were about to come out of the man's mouth.
"We did the best we could, she had lost a lot of blood.. She is currently in a coma. Her state is between life and death. The only sure thing is that if she wakes up, she will never walk again."
That was all Adrien could take, he stumbled through the door leading to Marinette's room, tears in his burning eyes. There she was, her body so still and peaceful, she seemed only asleep, but Adrien knew better, or worse.. He fell to the floor next to the girl he loved, taking her hand in his.
"No no no no no no no… You can't leave me! I need you, Paris need you… Please my lady, my princess, wake up… I beg of you…" He kept begging and crying until sleep and exhaustion got the better of him. Adrien's head fell on her bed, still holding her hand tightly in his, but no sweet dreams awaited him, only nightmares and regrets.
Days were passing by and people started to wonder where Ladybug and Chat Noir were, neither of them made any appearance since that dreadful day. Surprisingly, Hawkmoth didn't send any akuma since Gemini, which is a good thing for Chat Noir. Without Ladybug he wouldn't be able to do much against him. Rumors were going around that Ladybug got fatally wounded and that it was the reason Paris wasn't repaired after the attack, leaving bursted walls and damaged buildings all around Paris.
Days became weeks. Adrien came to visit her everydays, he often met the distraught parents of his friend. They were taking it as bad as him, looking equally awful on a everyday basis.
Adrien made his best to smile and cheer up when he was meeting her, because Adrien thought this might help to get her back. He was making puns and jokes all the time, telling her about classes and how much everyone missed her. Even Chloé was worried about the bluenette.
Two months have passed, and Adrien had kept on the daily visits. Today the photoshoot seemed to never end, and he had to rush to the hospital since the visit hours were almost over. Adrien entered the room with a flower bouquet he took from the photoshoot and placed it next to her bed. The model talked to her about his day and eventually fell asleep. When the nurse walked in and saw Adrien sleeping holding her hand, she decided to ignore the protocols and let him stay for the night.
It was around midnight, the full moon was high in the sky and it's light was filtering through the window onto the young teenagers. The two owner's kwami were sleeping in a small basket next to Marinette's bed, the moonlight falling on the small kwamis.
That's when it happened.
Tikki and Plagg started to glow, and the light emitting from their body went from a low glow to a bright white aura, filling the room.
Suddenly, Marinette stirred up for the first time in two months and opened her eyes. "Where.. Am I?..." She looked around dazed, the glowing of her magical friends had died away and now the room was only lighted by the moon. She looked around confusedly, until her eyes fell upon the boy holding her hand.
"A-adrien?!"
Said model fluttered his eyes open and looked up, only to be met by the most beautiful blue he ever saw in his life. It took him a moment to understand what was happening and he got up in a jump to hug Marinette tightly, tears rolling down his face.
"Marinette, my princess, my lady, you're safe, you're awake!" His words were muffled by the tears and emotions.
"A-Adrien?! W-what are you-" Her cheeks were burning from the sudden proximity with her crush, confusion written all over her face.
"I'm so glad, I thought I lost you for good.."
"W-What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fi-" She stopped talking when she realized where she was. She was in a hospital. Marinette noticed for the first time the tubes attached to her wrist and the monitors next to her reading her increasing heart rate. That's when it all came back to her, the akuma, the attack, being stuck under the wall, falling unconscious.
She took a serious tone as she asked the boy sobbing on her shoulder: "How much time have I been here.."
He pulled away and wiped away the tears his eyes couldn't stop producing. "Two months.."
The reality sank in Marinette's mind. It's been two months that she was out.
Shock led to panic. "Wait! And hawkmoth, and oh God what happened to Chat! Is he okay, what happened after I fell unconscious?! Did he get hurt as well?!" The heart monitor looked like it was about to burst next to her as she looked around scared and panicked. Adrien put his hands over her arms, in attempt to calm her down.
"I'm fine my Lady. There were no akuma attacks since you fell into a coma. If I didn't know better I would have thought that my purr-incess was Hawkmoth himself." He attempted a Chat's signature grin.
Marinette froze, and if she wasn't hearing the heart monitor still going she would have swore her heart had stopped. Adrien was… "Chat?..."
He made a small bow and took her hand gently up to his lips to kiss it. "Chat Noir to your service my Lady."
She was dumbfounded. Not only her crush was Chat Noir, which had been flirting with her THE WHOLE TIME. But he also knew that she was Ladybug.
Adrien scratched the back of his head shyly, "When Tikki came to me, and told me you were in danger… I thought my heart had died... But when I found you… I was so scared, there was so much blood... I pulled you out from under the brick wall that fell on you and dragged you to the hospital, even after Plagg had no more energy to keep the suit on… You worried me sick Marinette.. I thought my life was over, I was losing both my Lady and my friend… When they told me that you were in a coma between life and death, I made a promise to come and see you everyday. And I kept it until today. Marinette… You have no idea how happy I am right now to know you're awake, alive and well." He hugged her again. "Please don't leave me like that again…"
Her expression soften and she hugged him back. "I won't kitty… I have a question though…"
He looked up, "Anything."
She looked down at her legs. "What is the verdict for my legs? I can't feel them…"
He looked down, like he wanted to cry again. "You... Will never walk again…"
Marinette smiled bitterly, before whispering: "I see… Then… How am I supposed to be Ladybug… I am useless if I can't use my legs…" Tears fell down her face. "I cannot fight in this condition… Oh Chat I'm so sorry…"
Adrien pulled her into a tight hug once again and whispered back to her: "You will never be useless to me. And you will always be my Lady, no matter what happens. Maybe it just means we have to leave our place to the next generation."
That's the moment Tikki decided to intervene. "Adrien is right, I wanted to wait for you to wake up. You are now 20 years old, it's time you two retreat from being heroes and leave it to the next generation. We'll try to visit sometimes, and we'll stay with you until we find our new owners too. Marinette, Adrien, you two have fulfilled your job wonderfully as Ladybug and Chat Noir. Plagg and I are really grateful of you and also very glad we got to meet you. Marinette, never let anything bring you down, you have such a bright future ahead of you! Don't give up." Tikki smiled at her owner and friend.
A groggy voice came out of the basket: "She is right… And Adrien, you should relax a little more and talk up to your father. You deserve living a life as yourself, and not as the perfect fake son to a father that doesn't act like one. Be yourself boy, that's all that matters. Oh and I hope you're going to throw a goodbye party with a lot of cheese for me."
Adrien couldn't help but chuckles at the mention of his black kwami. "You really think with your stomach, don't you?"
Plagg scoffed: "Hey I tried to be nice for once. Now kiss her, you've been talking about wanting to since so long, after all you- mmph-" Adrien had put his hand over the kwami's mouth in a hurry, cheeks burning red.
"You… didn't hear anything, did you?" He looked at Marinette who was trying very hard to hold her laughter in.
She smiled at Adrien, "You silly kitty." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, the small blush he wore minutes ago was nothing compared to the red that overwhelmed his face now.
"H-Hey that's not fair! I-I wasn't pr-prepared!" He turned around in a pouty position, making Marinette burst out laughing. He turned around, saw her delighted face and Adrien couldn't help the grin working it's way on his face. He used all his Chat's charm to sneak over the girl, turning the tables.
"A-A-Adrien? W-W-What are y-y-you doing?..."
He flashed her a Chat smirk, "Only taking what is mine, purr-incess~."
Marinette's face concurred with the red of her Ladybug's suit, and only watched him lean closer and closer. She cursed the heart monitor next to her, as her heart fluttered, beating faster every seconds Adrien was getting closer. She could feel the warm breath against her flushed cheeks.
His lips were a mere centimeter away from hers, why was he so teasing!?
She sighted happily when their lips finally brushed and fused together. This was nothing like her kiss with Chat while her fight against Dislocoeur. This kiss was electric, liquid fire against her skin, she never felt more alive. But it ended all too quick, Adrien pulled back and looked at the door. A couple seconds later the nurse walked in hurriedly. She must have seen the heart monitor accelerating and wanted to know what was up. She dropped her pad and walked over Marinette, the young woman had sobered up from her kiss and smiled at the nurse.
Adrien was dismissed for the checkup but promised to come back later.
A few days later, Marinette was dismissed from the hospital, to the relief of her parents and now boyfriend. Alya ran into the hospital as soon as Adrien gave her the new that her best friend was awake. She cried for hours over Marinette's shoulder while Marinette tried to comfort her.
Adrien was pushing the wheeled chair of marinette outside, the sun was warm against her skin. Paris have been restored rumors were still going, but Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't needed for another couple years, until next generation at least.
"The sun feels good. So kitty, what do we have planned today?"
Adrien smiled, "Whatever my Lady wants, I shall follow her and be her loyal knight in a shining armor." His comment earned him a snort from his girlfriend. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Well, my knight, how about you take me home and we have some real food, I'm starving for some freshly baked croissants."
Adrien chuckled as he pushed her wheeled chair on the pavements heading her place. "Of course purr-incess. I'll accompany you to the end of the world if you asked me." He bent down and stole a kiss from his lady. "I will never leave you alone anymore. You are stuck with this paw-ful kitty of yours for all eternity."
Marinette would'nt have it any other way.
[Ok this was totally shitty. I was in a huge angst mood and couldn't write the fifth chapter of The wingman in that kind of mood, because I didn't want to hurt anyone w... So yeaaaaah… At least I made it end well ^w^]