Ladybug wasn't sure when she realized she had fallen for chat. It must have been recently, she mused as she swung towards their usual perch. After all, as hawkmoths akumas became few and far between during their senior year, the superhero duo saw each other less and less.
She could see the black clad hero standing on the edge of the Eiffel viewing platform, and with elation in her chest she landed next to him. He turned to her with a smile.

"What's up mlady?" he asked. She ducked her head nervously and gripped the railing.
"I-ihave to tell you something." She said. When he moved to speak she averted her eyes and held a finger up for him to stay quiet. "Please" she whispered. "Just let me talk." He nodded.
"Chat" she said. "I think I'm in love with you." she raised her eyes to his and for a moment he grinned, and she could imagine that everything would be ok and fine, and the perfect happy ending. she had started to smile herself when a shadow flickered behind his eyes and realization swamped his brain. His face fell. "I'm sorry." He said. She faltered, stepping back. he looked truly heartbroken as he said, "I'm sorry ladybug. You're too late. there's someone else."

"It's ok." She heard herself say as if in a dream, Stepping farther away from him.
"Ladybug..." chat murmured, reaching out to her, green eyes distraught. she wasn't ok and he knew it.
"No really," she said, forceing a sad smile. "Really it's fine."
"Ladybug" he called after her as she turned away and began to leave.
"She's a lucky girl" she whispered over her shoulder, just before she was out of earshot.
Ladybug collapsed onto her balcony and stopped the transformation mutely. Tikki spiraled out of the miraculous and looked at her holder concerned.
"Marinette," she asked worriedly.
Ladybug pushed her away harshly, arms tucked into her side and knees pulled up underneath her, forehead on the wooden planks.
"Go away tikki." She warned. The Kwami persisted and she raised her face up. "GO AWAY!" She screamed. The sprite fled, frightened.
Silent, heartbroken sobs racked the girls body, and she was unaware of the butterfly who flitted towards her on purple wings. Her shoulders heaved and the butterfly was absorbed into her dark earrings.
The lilac mask outline appeared over her face and an eveul voice whispered in her mind and she listened willingly, too far gone to object
"Miss fortune." the voice hissed. "I am hawkmoth. I give you the power to curse those who have done you wrong with bad luck, and bless those you favor. All-"
He was cut off by her snarl. "Only one has done me wrong hawkmoth. He is all I care about."
The villain was silent for a moment. "Very well. I can give you justice, miss fortune. To seek at your leisure. All I ask in return is a simple favor."
She twisted her lips in a grimace of a smile. "With pleasure hawkmoth."
A purple bubbly mass spread over her body as tikki watched, terrified, from behind a plant leaf. When it receded marinette was clothed in a white, loose silk version of the ladybug costume, freckles with black spots. No mask covered her face, and her hair was loose, falling to her shoulders. Her earrings glowed golden white blinding. An equally blinding white yoyo hung around her waste, and as she opened her eyes, now golden, she grabbed it and leapt away. Tikki sadly saw her holder leave, knowing the distraught girl would be heading for the Eiffel Tower.
After all, it was the last place she had seen chat.

The girl stood at the pinnacle of the tallest structure in Paris for a long time. 24 hours to be exact. She never moved, never drank, never ate, never slept; oblivious to the fact that her loved ones might be worried about her, simply stood, rigid, waiting.
When chat landed in the metal grating that evening, he was immediately on the offensive. The white figure looker somehow familiar to him, though he could only see the back of them.
And he couldn't see ladybug
She was never late
"Who are you?" He called, holding his staff in front of him. "Have you seen ladybug?"
The figure turned gracefully, silk fluttering. Chat saw the spots. He saw the girls face.
"Marinette?" He asked, puzzled. "How did you-" realization dawned. "You've been akumatized. That's why you weren't at school today." He said, almost to himself.

The girl sneered.
"I don't care. You can't even see the truth when it's right in front of you."
Chat backed away. "W-why haven't you attacked anyone?" This wasn't normal akuma behavior.
She spread her arms and advanced. "Would you like me to? I have no need. I only hold anger against one person." She cocked her head and gave a sweet smile. "You."
Chat tripped but held his footing. "M-me? Marinette, why are you mad at me?"
The girl stopped and crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed in anger.
"All these clues and you still can't see the truth. You are blind chat. Blind." She flung out a hand and a searing pain blacked his vision. He could only see white, Then blackness as he was sent crashing, clanging to the ground. His staff fell from his finger as they flew to his face. Panic gripped him as he realized he couldn't see.
He was blind.
Quickly his mind worked up an image of where she had been when he fell, trying to defend himself for the inevitable blows.
Then his mind clicked
The spots clicked.
The truth clicked.
"Ladybug." He breathed, cautiously standing up, joy filling his weary bones. "LAdybug."
There was a shriek of rage from beside him and he felt himself get slammed into the wall, sliding down it.
Then he knew no more.

Marinette saw his crumpled body fall lifeless to the floor, and the white hot rage that had struck her melted, withering away, and she gave a dry sob.
Tears welled in her eyes as she realized what she had done.
Staggering over to his form she reached up, pulling the earrings out of her earlobes and throwing them as far away as she could, silencing hawkmoths protests. Her silk robes faded away.
She fell to her knees, pulling him into her lap. Crying, she traced his face with her finger tips, wondering what she had done.
Cautiously, she bent over and pressed her lips to his and kissed him. His miraculous beeped but she didn't care.
He was dead, and she had killed him.

He woke slowly, only aware of a slight, soft pressure on his lips.
His eyes opened a fraction and took in the tears tracking down marinettes cheeks.
Ladybug.
Marinette.
There was a welling euphoric sensation in his chest.
Unconsciously his hand cane up to cradle her head, returning her kiss. He heard her stifle a gasp. And hold him close, pulling her lips from his.
"Chat." She said carefully, quietly, slowly. "Chat. You said there was someone else."
Her voice sounded fragile, frail. He opened his eyes fully and met hers.
"No one." He whispered. "There was no one but you."