It's been 18 hours since it happened. No one dared to say a word in class. Nino had moved to sit next to Alya and comfort her, leaving Adrien alone in the front.

'She was her and her was she,' Adrien thought to himself.

Class was let out early, but no one left, not even Chloe.

"I just can't believe that she's gone," Alya finally said.

"Not yet, Alya. Be positive. She's in a coma, not dead," Nino says, trying to comfort his girlfriend.

The blogger just instead begins crying again and the class comforts her while Adrien slips out.

"The hospital please," the model tells his personal driver.

When he arrives, he goes up the elevator and to the 6th door on the left. He passes a nurse on the way into the room and he sets his backpack down on a chair.

"Hey Marinette."

Her only response is the steady beat of the heart monitor. Adrien sits down next to her bed and takes her hand in both of his. The room is silent for a few moments with Adrien stuck trying to think of what to say.

"I'm so sorry, Bugaboo. I wasn't there when you needed me most. I couldn't protect you, Marinette!" the boy says, tears beginning to flow down his face.


It had just been your typical magical attack on the city of Paris that was being battled between two teens and a monster. No biggie. At least, that's what Chat Noir thought. A hotel bellhop had been akumatized because (surprise, surprise) Chloe was being a brat and had undeservingly fired him. Hawkmoth had wasted no time in turning him into Mortel, a hooded figure with a black scythe and amazing swordsmanship. Chat had used his cataclysm too early and was off getting Plagg some cheese, leaving Ladybug alone to deal with Mortel. She had to get close to him to grab the akumatized object but was just a millisecond to slow. Chat got back just in time to see the end.

"No!" he yelled as he leaped towards his partner and love of his life.

But it was already too late. Ladybug let out a short gasp as the scythe rips through her midsection. She fell to the ground and the world comes to a standstill. Even the akuma and Hawkmoth are stunned into silence. Without warning, Ladybug's miraculous gives out to reveal Tikki and and a bleeding-out Marinette.

"Marinette?" Chat finally says before he shakes his head and comes to his senses.


"Anything new?" Adrien asks the nurse that came in to check on Marinette's vitals.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Agreste. Until she is in a more stable condition, we simply cannot risk taking her back into surgery or even the MRI scanner."

"Oh."


Chat Noir ran to Marinette's side and scooped her up immediately. He glares at Mortel and bares his teeth.

"If you so much as blink before I get back, then may God have mercy on you. Because I sure won't!" he yells, venom dripping from his voice.

The superhero runs towards the nearest emergency room.

"Someone! Help! Please!" he exclaims.

Several nurses and doctors rush to their aid and take her into an operation room. Chat then runs off to detransform. Adrien runs back in through the entrance.

"Marinette!"


"Marinette, please, wake up," Adrien begs.

It's been 18 days since it happened. The teen has gone back to homeschool so that he can stay by her side as long as possible. Nathalie and Gabriel have begged and pleaded for him to come home and not spend so much time at the hospital, but he refuses each time and just snaps at them. The only time he leaves her side is if he has to use the restroom or if Paris needs Chat Noir.

Hawkmoth was ever so kind as to let him have two days to grieve for his partner before he made his next move. And he was relentless. While he mostly had akumas come after him, sometimes the target would be Marinette since no one took away her miraculous. Of course, Chat Noir has been more aggressive too. During akumas, he perfectly balances fighting with figuring out Hawkmoth's location. And, obviously, he destroys the released akumas with his cataclysm that had failed him before. Anybody who stands or has stood in his path: they're going to pay.

"Where are you!" he would yell to the skies.

But there was never a response. Instead, the akumas would just fight harder. And that was exactly what he needed. He struck blow after blow with every ounce of energy he could muster and then some.


Adrien sat impatiently in the waiting room, waiting both for friends and family to arrive and to hear how Marinette is doing in surgery.

"Adrien! What's going on? Where's Marinette?" Tom asks as he runs into the room followed by Sabine.

Briefing them on everything that happened was unbearable for Adrien. Explaining again to Alya and Nino when they arrived was downright impossible for him and he instead excused himself. He snuck off and opened his shirt to talk to Plagg before transforming.

"I can't help Marinette and staying in that hospital will just drive me insane. Besides, there's still that Mortel that I have to deal with. Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir then swung back out into Paris to finish what he had started. Mortar had disobeyed and was dealt with with no mercy. A side of Chat surfaced that day that he later hoped would never see the light of day again.


Finally, he was able to use an akuma to his advantage and have it lead him to Hawkmoth's lair. He crashes through the window into the dark room with the butterflies and the main villain himself.

"What the-?!"

But he was on the ground before he could finish his exclamation and Chat Noir was on his chest, preventing him from escaping.

"End of the line, Hawkmoth! Time to reveal who you are so that you can be brought to justice!"

"My, my! Don't you know that curiosity killed the cat?" Hawkmoth taunts before launching him off and jumping up.

He unsheathes his sword from his staff and points it at the superhero. Instead of hesitating, Chat grins as his eyes narrow.

"You picked a fight with the wrong alley cat!"

The two spar off with everything they got. But in the end, Chat Noir has more to fight for, more to die for. He disarms Hawkmoth within minutes and stops his staff just before it goes through the villain like the scythe had gone through her. Instead of making some sort of snide comment, he just stares at Chat with such an intense anger.

"What? Chat got your tongue?" the hero taunts.

"I will destroy you when you least expect it."

"I don't think you'll get very far without this," Chat says with a coy smile as he removes Hawkmoth's miraculous.

He stands back as the villain's transformation drops to reveal Gabriel Agreste. Chat's eyes grow wide and his pupils shrink to the size of a needle.

"No...it can't be!"

Overcome by anger, he tackles the fashion designer with enough force to almost knock him out. But luck was not on his side with a black cat against him. Chat delivers blow after blow to Gabriel's face.

"How could you?! How could you?!" he screams in his father's face as tears stream down his own.

He only stops when he sees that his father is finally unconscious, his face bruised and bleeding by his hands. He stands up and looms over the man before he drags him over to the window. He pockets the miraculous before scooping up his father and jumping out into Paris, the hospital being his destination.

"Chat Noir!"

"Is that…?"

"Gabriel Agreste?"

The superhero ignores the civilians' and staff's questions.

"Set Mr. Agreste up in the best room you have and alert the police. I'm sure they'll be relieved to hear my statements," he says with an authoritarian voice that was so much like his father's.

"What do you mean?" a nurse asks.

"It's over. It's finally over."


Adrien lay at Marinette's bedside once again, wearing both the cat and butterfly miraculouses. As soon as Gabriel Agreste recovered, he would be transported to a high-security prison until his trial was held. After Chat had given the police his statements, he announced that Ladybug and Chat Noir were officially retired. Now all his focus could be on his Marinette.

"Why isn't there some sort of update? It's been weeks!" Adrien exclaims to Marinette's doctor.

"Mr. Agreste: please calm down! We're doing everything we can to make sure that she's okay!"

"But she's not okay! I don't care if she's stable! Just take her into surgery!"

"We cannot do that, Adrien. The risk is too high!" the doctor tries to explain.

Adrien slams his fists down on the side table, making the glass of water shake.

"I don't care! Do it anyway! Bring her back!" he yells, tears threatening to blind him if he doesn't let them fall.

"You are in no position to make that call and if you don't calm down, then I will have you permanently removed from the premises!" the doctor yells back, tired of Adrien's outbursts.

The teen glares at the doctor before there's a knock at the door. The two turn as Sabine and Tom enter the room with miserable expressions, a dark cloud looming over them.

"We've made a decision, Doctor," Tom says, choking back a sob.

"What?" Adrien whispers to himself, eyes darting between the three adults.

"We want you to…" Sabine continues before she pauses, tears painting her cheeks.

"Go ahead with...it," Tom finishes before his wife buries her face in his shirt.

The doctor sighs before he takes off his glasses and rubs his eyelids.

"What's going on?" Adrien asks.

"I'll need you to fill out all of the paperwork before we may proceed," the doctor says calmly, reassuringly.

"What's going on?" Adrien repeats, louder this time, afraid that he may regret asking.

The adults ignore him and all leave the room to fill out the paperwork and discuss the details in the hallway. Adrien rushes over the door and puts his ear to it and closes his eyes, trying as hard as he can to listen.

"...before we...please acknowledge...Marinette...is best...end her life support…"

Adrien stumbles back away from the door and falls onto the floor.

"They're going to…"

He springs up onto his feet and whips the door open.

"No! You can't give up on her! She's your daughter! There's still a chance if they just take her into surgery!" he bellows, enraged that anyone dared to try to take Marinette away.

"Adrien, please!" Sabine begs.

"Go home, son," Tom says solemnly.

"No! I'm not leaving her!" Adrien yells before darting back into the room and locking the door behind him.

"Adrien! Adrien!" he hears them all yell from behind the door but he does not let them in.

He rushes back to Marinette's side with desperation in his eyes.

"You can't die, Princess! I need you! I love you!" he says, praying to any god that would answer his pleas to let Marinette hear his words.

"Please!" he yells to the teen in a coma.

He brushes her bangs out of her face and cups her cheek in his hand. Tears stream down his face now with no chance of stopping soon.

"Wake up, dammit! Wake up!" he pleads.

He leans closer and kisses her as if her lips were his life support.

"Wake up! Please, Marinette!"

He kisses her again. And again. And again. He pulls back each time and looks at her, hoping that her eyes will finally flutter open. The banging on the door persists and Adrien wishes that he could will the rest of the universe away.

"Please…" he says, his voice shaky as he chokes.

He buries his face in the bed sheets and holds her hand. It's always so cold no matter how long he holds it.

"Adrien, please, let us in!" Sabine begs from the hallway.

"No! You're going to kill her!" he hollers back.

Security finally arrives and unlocks the door. The doctor, Tom and Sabine, and two security guards enter the room. Adrien wraps his arms around Marinette and pulls her closer to him.

"No! Get away!" he screams.

The guards pull him off of her and begin dragging him out of the room. Adrien kicks and screams and tries to elbow his way out of their hold.

"No! Let me go! Marinette! Marinette!" he screams desperately.

"Adrien?" Marinette's weak voice calls out.

"Marinette!" Adrien exclaims before breaking free of the guards' hold and rushing to her bedside.

The teen's eyes flutter open and she gives the smallest smile. He leans down and takes her head in both of his arms and presses his forehead to hers.

"Thank god you're ok! I thought I was going to lose you!" Adrien whispers to her as he tries to control his tears, "I love you, Marinette! And I'm never letting you go again!"

The model pulls back for a second to look into her beautiful bluebell eyes before he kisses her softly, relief flooding over him. Tom and Sabine move to their daughter's side, pushing Adrien away.

"I...better go call Alya!" Adrien says after a moment of hesitation, not really wanting to not be able to see Marinette.

The guards stand to the side and Adrien opens the door. He takes one step out into the hallway when something makes him stop abruptly. Everyone turns and stares at the heart monitor, which has become a continuous straight, red line as a monotone sound rings throughout the room.

"Marinette?" Adrien whispers, unable to breathe right.

He slowly approaches the hospital bed again as Tom and Sabine begin to sob loudly.

"Marinette?" Adrien repeats, even quieter than before.

He falls to his knees and buries his face in his hands. His chest heaves as he sobs for the loss of his friend, his partner, the love of his life. The doctor quietly moves across the room and turns the monitor off before he pulls the bed sheets up to cover her face. Adrien begins shaking from head-to-toe, wracked with grief.

"DAMMIT!" he screams at the top of his lungs as he slams his fists against the ground.


All of Paris attended Marinette Dupain-Cheng's funeral, yet not a single word was uttered by anyone. Adrien stood beside Nino, who was holding Alya in an embrace as she cried out for her best friend. Adrien doesn't look anyone in the eye and doesn't move until they start lowering the casket into Paris's savior's final resting place. Before the servicemen pick up their shovels, Adrien stepped over and got down on his knees. He places the rose that he had been holding through the service on the casket. In small groups, Paris leaves the graveyard quietly as it begins to rain. After an hour, only Tom, Sabine, and Adrien remain.

"Take care, son," Tom says as he pats Adrien's shoulder before he and Sabine leave.

Adrien sits down next to her grave and moves to umbrella over her tombstone.

"Life's funny, isn't it, Bugaboo? It takes and it takes and it takes without giving anything in return."

Master Fu approaches from behind the tree that he had been watching the funeral from.

"Hello, Chat Noir."

"Chat Noir is dead. So is Ladybug," Adrien says, barely keeping himself from snapping at the old man.

"So I've heard."

Adrien looks up at Fu before rubbing his eyes.

"You're here for these, aren't you?" he says, holding out his and Marinette's miraculouses.

"Yes," Fu says hesitantly, "With Hawkmoth defeated, there is no reason for the two most powerful miraculouses to out and about. I will also be leaving Paris to return to China."

"Heh. Who would've thought that we'd end up like this?"

"I'm sorry, Adrien."

"Unless it can bring her back: keep your sorries to yourself."

"I hope you can find happiness again," Fu says before walking away with the ring and earrings that had made Adrien and Marinette superheroes.

"I know where my happiness is. It's six feet under."

Adrien stayed in the cemetery all night and into the morning. Nathalie and Gorilla picked him up and carried him home while not waking the boy.


When Adrien woke up around noon, he was surprised to see that he was in his bed again. He hadn't been home in weeks. He feels something in his pocket and pulls the object out to look at the butterfly miraculous. He had forgotten to give it to Master Fu the previous day. He holds on to it as he leaves his bedroom. He goes down the stairs silently, looking at his feet. He enters his father's office and walks up to the painting of his mother. Gabriel had already confessed how to get into Hawkmoth's lair but Adrien said that he wanted to go in there before anyone else. He walks around the dark, empty room; the butterflies having flown out of the broken window long before. Adrien walks over to a small table with a few papers on it.

There were four papers in total. One about the butterfly miraculous, one about the ladybug miraculous, one about the cat miraculous, and one that got his attention. The paper explained what would happen if someone was the holder of both the ladybug and cat miraculous. Adrien hesitantly puts the brooch on, making Nooroo appear before him.

"Is this what my father was trying to achieve?"

"Yes. He pursued the miraculouses in the hope of bringing back his wife, your mother."

"Well," Adrien says, walking towards the window that was now repaired, "let's see if I can succeed where Gabriel failed."

"Adrien, please don-"

"My name is Papillon now. Nooroo, dark wings rise!"