that's the worst part about endings
Collège is almost over. It's an unavoidable fact and it makes Marinette's heart race. Her portfolios were completed and sent on their ways to her dream schools and to internships she was applying for, so now it was just a waiting game.
School exams were ramping up and her spare time was completely swamped. She spends most afternoons locked in her bedroom surrounded by mounds of textbooks. Sometimes she studies and other times she just talks to her friends over their group chat.
Nino had the brilliant idea of creating a group chat between Alya, Marinette, Adrien and himself so they could help each other study. Marinette honestly can't remember the last time the conversation actually stayed on school.
Marinette is over Adrien. They're friends now and she likes it that way. Some days she still catches herself looking at him with a wistful feeling in her stomach, but she cares for him too much as a friend to ever confront those feelings. Besides, Adrien is pushing Nathalie and his father to accept her as an intern. That's more than she could have ever hoped for.
Alya's off to London next year to work on journalism. She never gave up on the Ladyblog and it eventually gained international attention. Several different companies contacted her regarding her writing, but Alya instead chose to go to school to develop her skills more. Marinette is proud of her.
Nino isn't going to school, but everyone saw that coming. He has always hated it and with the success his music has been garnering online, it is no surprise that he'll be able to mix and record music for a living. Adrien confesses to Marinette that he thinks Nino will follow Alya to London.
Adrien quit modeling and he's going to the University of Sorbonne for Applied Math and Physics. He's never been happier and Marinette is relieved to see that his father is no longer breathing down his neck about modeling and fashion. It was never the younger Agreste's passion.
These days though, waiting for responses from the places she's applied, Marinette feels like her future might not work out. Her parents have been incredibly supportive and she's eternally grateful for it. Maybe it is just the nerves talking, but she wants to know so badly if she got it.
She's with Adrien studying for their physics final when she hears back from ESMOD. They want her and Marinette practically breaks Adrien's eardrums. They don't really get a lot of studying done after that since they call Alya and Marinette's friend gushes over the phone for long enough that no one wants to work anyways.
That night, she can barely keep her feet still on the rooftops. Her partner gives her a funny look and for once she can't contain her laughter. He cracks a smile at her and for once Chat Noir doesn't push her. In their years as partners together, they've established boundaries. They never revealed their identities despite numerous close calls and Marinette is satisfied with that.
The akuma are still around and Hawk Moth is still causing trouble. The dynamic superhero duo has discussed multiple times what they'll do about graduation since apparently, Chat Noir is graduating from collège too. Eventually, they both reveal they've decided to stay in Paris.
Despite ESMOD being a complete dream for Marinette, she couldn't help but dream about New York and London too. But, she promises Chat Noir as Ladybug that she won't leave Paris yet. She's not leaving until Hawk Moth is defeated. So she says yes to ESMOD and her friends and family throw a party in her honour. To top it off, Adrien tells her that she got the internship with Gabriel Agreste and that he's going to give her a scholarship.
Everything is looking up.
Graduation is a huge blur. The ceremony drags on for a while, but most of it slides together and Marinette really can't remember the order things happened in. When she walks across the stage and Principal Damocles hands her a diploma and she shakes his hand, the realization finally starts to set in: the real world starts now.
After the ceremony, she and the others toss their caps into the air and laugh. People are crying and laughing and there's a lot of hugging. Marinette poses for so many pictures and her face hurts from smiling. Even Chloé is civil enough for a group photo as long as she stands next to Adrien.
Alya gushes about the dress that Marinette made her and the praise makes her warm to the toes. Everyone else seems to have the same opinion. Even Gabriel Agreste who Adrien drags over to formally reintroduce. Marinette barely manages to reign in her starstruckness.
Adrien teases her about it, but she ignores him. Kim throws a party in the evening and the whole grade manages to turn up. It's cramped and sweaty and not exactly Marinette's favourite place in the whole world, but Nino is her saviour. He drags Alya, Marinette and Adrien away from the party and they end up in the park under the Eiffel Tower.
The lights are on and the whole scenario is extremely romantic. Adrien and Marinette instantly understand. They sneak away and hide somewhere with a good view. Nino asks Alya and Marinette thinks that her friend is actually glowing. It turns out that Adrien was correct in assuming Nino would also be going to London.
In the early hours of the next morning, Marinette is alone on the tower, transformed, and just thinking. As usual, her partner turns up sooner or later and they just sit together.
"Nothing changes right?" He asks her suddenly.
Marinette looks at him. His black suit is hard to see in the dark, but his glowing green eyes and bright hair are enough. "Why would anything change kitty cat?" she asks him in return.
She sees the smile is forced but doesn't comment. "It just seems like everyone is going in different directions. I don't want you to be weighed down here," he explains.
"Chat Noir, I chose this path when I decided to become Ladybug, just as you did when you became Chat Noir. Paris needs us and right now, there is nowhere I'd rather be." Marinette tells him and because she's feeling a little bold, she rests her head on his shoulder.
He tenses, but soon relaxes and rests his own head on top of her own. It feels natural and Marinette can almost see a tangible connection between them. He really is one of two people she'd trust with anything. Not for the first time she wants to drop her transformation and lose the last boundaries between them. But, she doesn't and just savours the quiet.
University is stressful. Alya is stressed, Adrien is stressed, Marinette is stressed and Nino is stressed because all his friends are stressed. Marinette tries to keep in contact with her friends as much as possible, but her workload is overwhelming.
She and Chat Noir barely have time to patrol anymore and she misses him. Akuma attacks have turned into a race to purify the butterflies as quickly as possible so that Marinette can go back to work.
She still lives with her parents because even with numerous scholarships and a paid internship, university is expensive and ESMOD is especially so. However, Adrien has his own place and whenever she truly needs peace and quiet, she crashes at his place. Soon enough it almost turns into less of Adrien's apartment and more of Adrien and Marinette's apartment.
She feels bad, but Adrien refuses to let her apologise or pay for part of the rent at all. He claims that he has his father's money and she has student loans too heavy for anyone to bear alone. Marinette is so grateful that she almost cries right then and there.
Spending so much time with Adrien again, even if it's just the two of them sitting at a table, saying nothing, and studying for completely different things, is a bit like déja-vu. Marinette starts to fall for him again, but forces herself not to so that she doesn't ruin everything. The feelings fade a little, but never fully and Marinette comes to terms with that. Adrien will probably always be a huge part of her life.
The other university guy taking up the rest of her time is Chat Noir. Despite brief attacks and patrols, he seeks her out, not as Ladybug but as Marinette. She's oddly touched and the cat seems genuine enough. He's just looking for a friend and Marinette is more than happy to give him one, especially since his fashion advice isn't half bad.
Akuma attacks are draining though and there are days where Marinette fails to get projects done on time simply because she's too exhausted to function. It's times like these that she's really, really grateful for Adrien. He brings her coffee and stays up all night with her, critiquing and even modeling some of her designs. It makes everything so much easier.
Chat Noir still takes his job as Ladybug's protector very seriously and sometimes, most of the time, Marinette wishes he wouldn't. He takes more hits for her than she's proud to admit and she hates the way her voice breaks whenever she has to scream for him. And she does it far too often.
Her life runs in parallels sometimes. Chat Noir saves Ladybug from oncoming traffic during an akuma attack and breaks his arm. Adrien then somehow broke his own arm falling down stairs he claims. Marinette starts making connections, but she tries not to. They kept their identities secret for a reason.
University passes. It's slow and hard and there are a lot of failures and tears involved. But now she's almost done and she can practically taste graduation. Her first full collection has just walked and at the after party, she received a formal invitation to work for Monsieur Agreste and Marinette knows that everything is falling into place.
Student loans are heavy, but Marinette and her parents work hard to pay them off. They'll get there eventually, especially with the fame that should come from being Gabriel Agreste's protégé.
Adrien and her still spend a lot of time together, but they've both been busy. He graduated early and is even working on a second degree in business management at his father's insistence. Gabriel is young so Marinette doesn't quite understand his urgency to pass off the business.
Four weeks before graduation she finally understands. She is Ladybug and her partner is at her side. It is the end of it all and they stand across from their greatest enemy. Hawk Moth has pushed into the final stretch and the heroes finally tracked him down. The elder miraculous holder is arrogant and they manage to briefly disarm him.
Chat Noir reels. Ladybug reels. Hawk Moth, Gabriel Agreste, flees.
They regroup at Notre Dame. Chat Noir hasn't said anything to her since Hawk Moth's mask was less than gloriously ripped away. They sit on the edge of the building, feet dangling side by side, and say nothing. The silence is both comforting and confusing. As much as Marinette longs to fill it, she lets it stand.
Chat eventually breaks it. "We should wait. We know who he is now so we have an advantage. You're graduating soon aren't you? We should wait until after that at least."
"Chat, we're so close! Why would you say wait now?" She asks him, genuinely curious.
He looks at her and his green eyes burn. "Because you're important and I have no idea how this whole thing is going to end and I want you to at least finish what you invested so much of your life into before this goes down. Because I'm not sure we'll get through this thing as the same people we were when we started."
"Minou," she chides softly, touching his clenched fists, "we're already changed people. From the day I became Ladybug until today, I've been changing. Almost nothing about me is the same as it was when we started. That was almost 8 years ago now. We've been fighting this battle for eight years. Aren't you ready for it to be over?"
"I don't want to lose this," he admits after a moment of silence.
Marinette blinks. "What are you talking about? We'll still be Ladybug and Chat Noir."
He looks at her and sucks in a sharp breath. "This isn't something that I should be explaining." He pauses heavily. "After graduation, Bugaboo. Monsieur Agreste isn't going anywhere."
He leaves and Marinette's head is swimming. She descends the church herself and finds somewhere to detransform. She catches her exhausted kwami and the look that Tikki gives her is enough to bring tears to her eyes.
"I'm sorry Mari," the kwami murmurs. "I was never sure how to bring it up and I never have been with any of my past buglets either."
"So after Hawk Moth you just leave?" Marinette asks, her voice catching a little. Tikki is and has been a constant in her life for a long time.
The kwami twists her tiny hands. "Kind of. Plagg and I will return, dormant, to our stones and it will be up to you to return the Miraculous to the Grand Master. We'll get to say goodbye first though. I promise."
Marinette brings the little creature up to eye level and presses a tiny kiss to her forehead. "Oh Tikki, I wish you didn't have to go."
"It's always what has happened after the defeat of the butterfly Miraculous. It's been that way for thousands of years Marinette." Tikki presses a small hand to Marinette's cheek in a lame attempt to comfort her, but the young Ladybug is still heavy-hearted.
Graduation passes. Marinette is ecstatic, although her job with Gabriel Agreste looks far less promising that it did before. She ignores that fact and just focuses on the present. Alya and Nino are getting married.
Alya is writing for National Geographic now and Nino's become a music icon. They moved back to Paris and Marinette is so glad that they finally live in the same city. Marinette is to be maid of honour and Adrien is to be best man.
On the night before the wedding, Alya sits down with Marinette to reflect over collège. They talk a lot about Marinette and her crush on Adrien and also a lot about the Ladyblog. Alya remarks that she still wishes that she could find out who Ladybug is, even just for the sake of knowing.
Marinette's heart breaks a little. Her friend is so blind and she won't be Ladybug for much longer. Chat Noir and Ladybug have planned for their final confrontation soon enough and then it will be over.
When Alya is getting fitted in her dress the next morning, it happens. She gets the wedding jitters that only a best friend and a mom can calm down. Even Alya's mom recognizes though, that this is something for Marinette and her daughter and she leaves the two of them alone.
"Mari, I don't think I'm ready for this! What if we're too young?" Alya's hands twist in her beautiful dress and Marinette smacks them away. She spent too many hours making that gown.
"Alya, you and Nino love each other. You've been together for so long and you're ready for this, I promise." Marinette assures her.
Alya purses her lips. "What if I trip and fall? What if my dress falls down? It would be a disaster!"
Marinette breathes in deeply. "Al, I made your dress. It is not going to fall down, I swear on my life, and god, you won't trip and fall." Alya still looks very doubtful and Marinette lets out a frustrated breath. "Fine! I'll tell you something so distracting you won't even be able to think about tripping!" Alya's eyebrow rises. "I, your clumsy and innocent best friend, am Ladybug, super heroine of Paris."
Alya's jaw drops. She's surprised. Marinette isn't.
Needless to say, Alya was too distracted and excited after that to worry about tripping down the aisle. The whole thing was extremely lovely. Marinette knows that it's what she wants someday, but not someday yet.
The day finally comes.
They take the battle to him and Hawk Moth goes on the defensive. His attacks are relatively useless, but Chat Noir and Ladybug are hesitant to hit him. He's just Gabriel Agreste, father of Adrien Agreste and fashion designer mogul.
There is a terrifyingly heartbreaking moment when he sends akuma after akuma at Chat Noir. The things that Hawk Moth calls out to her partner to try and break him almost break her. Her loyal friend is called useless, powerless, weak, clingy and desperate. He is told that she doesn't love him and never will. She wants to scream out and say it's not true, but the words lodge in her throat.
The akumas finally overtake him, and Marinette's heart shatters.
Then the insects disappear and Chat Noir looks more pissed off that she has ever seen him. His ring beeps. He used Cataclysm to escape, but he doesn't need his power to do the rest of the job. Ladybug is truly the useless one as her partner throws himself at the villain.
"I am not useless!" Chat yells. He claws at Gabriel. "I am not weak! I am not stupid and I am not blind and I am not helpless!" With each statement, he gets closer and closer to grabbing the brooch, which would end it all. "She may not love me the way I love her, but we are friends and we are partners. There is nothing you can do that will ever change that. Ever!" He spits the last word like acid.
Marinette watches as he rips away the pin and throws it across the room to her. She fumbles to catch it and Gabriel Agreste stumbles away from the livid Chat Noir. Tears prick in the corners of her eyes, but she does her job and soon it's all over.
The kwami have given them time. They sit together in silence at the top of the Eiffel Tour in the same place where they sat when they had just graduated collège. They don't say much, but they don't need to. Their adventures as the Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir are over and they won.
But, to Marinette, it doesn't feel like a victory. It feels hollow. Adrien's father is behind bars and Adrien will be taking over the company. Her job is saved, but she's not taking it. Instead, she's following another dream and going to New York for a while. But she's never going to transform again.
She'll never hear Tikki's cheery voice in the morning. She'll never feel the wind sting her face as she zips across the rooftops of her city. She'll never get to feel the rush she gets from fighting. She'll never get to use her Lucky Charm. She'll lose one of her sweetest and most constant companions when her kwami leaves.
And she's losing him.
She has to lose arguably her best friend. She has to lose the boy with whom she's been through so much. They'll never patrol together again and never battle together. It means safety but it means losing so much of what has meant safety to her for almost eight years.
Her head rests on his shoulder and his on hers.
"Do you want to know?" She asks, her voice nearly a whisper.
She expects him to say yes. She knows that he wants to say yes. "Milady," he says softly, "it's been an absolute pleasure to work with you."
"Oh minou," she sighs, "of course you're being noble now."
"I think it's already a little too confusing," he murmurs after a moment.
They don't say anything for another little while. When they know it's time, their Miraculous stones beep in unison. They descend the tower and stand below it, silhouetted by the shimmering lights above them.
"It's been nice to know you Bugaboo," he says lightly, but his eyes are sad.
"Until next time kitty," she replies easily. Her eyes sting a little, but she musters a smile and curls her hand. She puts it up and gives him a weak attempt at a happy face. "For old time's sake?"
He reaches out, but instead of bumping their knuckles together, he takes her hand and uncurls her fingers. He bends to a knee and lifts her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to it. "Bien joué My Lady," he whispers hoarsely.
Marinette bites her lip hard to keep in tears as he rises back to his feet. She throws her arms around him and feels his wind tightly around her waist. "Merci, merci, merci," she murmurs into his shoulder.
They break apart eventually and he leaves first, walking away from the illumination of the Eiffel Tower. He's barely out of view when Marinette's transformation drops. Tikki lands on her shoulder and touches her cheek. Marinette wipes at her eyes, but they refuse to dry.
"That boy will always love you Marinette," Tikki says softly.
"I know," she replies. "That's almost the worst part."
She stares into the night after where her partner had disappeared and remains quiet. Her earrings beep once more, softer than usual, and Marinette is reminded that she's running on borrowed time.
"Mari," Tikki whispers. "It's time for me to go now."
Marinette scoops the kwami into her hands. "Tikki, thank you for everything. I loved it, every moment of it."
The kwami smiles and her blue eyes shine. "Oh Marinette you made me so proud. I knew you could do it from the moment we met. I love you so, so much my little buglet. There will always be others after you, but I swear I'll never forget you."
Marinette feels a hot tear roll down her cheek. "I love you too Tikki. I'll never forget you either."
Another beep from her earrings.
"Goodbye Marinette, may luck be in your favour." Tikki says softly. The kwami reaches out to touch her wielder's cheek, but a burst of white light from the earrings swallows her before she can.
Marinette gulps back a sob. "Goodbye Tikki," she whispers to the night.
they're always the saddest parts
Author's Note: So I had this idea about the story unfolding and the reveal never actually happening and thus, this fic was born. I like where it went and I'm very happy with it.
I'm getting better at writing in the ML fandom. It's like a hole, a very deep hole that you can never leave, but it's full of warm and friendly people.
Hope you enjoyed.
- Nicole