Hey everyone! Hope you like this!
...
Marinette wove through the hordes of panicked Parisians running in the opposite direction and ducked into an abandoned alley. She quickly called on her transformation and pulled up the Ladyblog on her commutator.
She tracked the progress of the Akuma, finding it to be scarcely a block away from her current position.
She quickly slid the yoyo shut and swung her way closer to the Akuma.
The street was eerily quiet when she arrived. A serious expression crossed her face as she surveyed Hawkmoth's latest creation. The Akuma stood right in the middle of the empty street, an anguished expression on her face. Her face snapped up at the sound of Ladybug landing in front of her.
Silently, the Akuma opened her mouth. Even though no words came out of her mouth, a flood of voices reached Ladybug's ears. She slapped her hands to her ears, trying vainly to stop the voices from reaching her ears. It was useless. There was no external sound; the voices were in her head. Amidst unidentifiable screams, she heard familiar words.
It's not good enough.
You're all alone.
Maybe you should just stop trying so hard.
Alone. All alone.
An anguished scream tore through her lips, not unlike the ones echoing in her head. She slowly sank to her knees, clutching her head in her hands. She was totally lost among the voices, and the silent Akuma stood forgotten.
A different voice stood out among the rest.
You should have tried harder. You could have saved him.
It was what she told herself every day. Drowning in her own nightmares.
Marinette. MARINETTE.
Ladybug furrowed her brows at the familiar voice. She couldn't quite place it.
MARINETTE USE THE LUCKY CHARM!
This time she recognized the high lilting voice of her kwami. Still clutching her head with one hand, she weakly raised her other arm and threw her yoyo in the air, calling for her charm. When an object didn't instantly fall into her hands, she raised her head.
There, kneeling in front of her, covered in the familiar red and black pattern of her charm, was Chat Noir.
He grinned at her. "Hey Bugaboo. Miss me?"
Ladybug stared at him.
A smirk tugged at his lips. "Cat got your tongue?"
The pun snapped her out of her trance. She took the hand he was offering her and let him help her to her feet.
"So what do you say we take this creepy lady out?"
Ladybug silently nodded, her throat too closed up to speak.
They worked quickly, as much parts of a deadly machine as they ever were. Ladybug couldn't stop glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes, afraid that he would vanish any second.
She broke the Akuma's locket and watched as the purple butterfly flew out of it. Quickly opening her yoyo, she captured it inside, purifying it.
She didn't call out her cure yet, knowing he would disappear as soon as she did.
She turned to her red and black partner who was watching her silently. She reached up a trembling hand to cup his cheek. He smiled sadly as he drew her close, touching his forehead to hers.
"Chat…"
He brushed away the tears that had fallen unnoticed down her cheeks with his thumbs.
"We don't have much time, my Lady." He said, glancing towards her beeping earrings. "Marinette…"
He looked into her blue eyes, searching. "It was not your fault. I know you've been beating yourself up over it, and I want you to stop.
"Live, Mari. Live your life. Don't let me be the one to stop you from living."
He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead and hugged her close to his chest. Ladybug closed her eyes and memorised him. The way his voice soothed her ears, the way he smelled, his warm, comforting embrace. She had never thought she'd be able to see him again, hug him again, even if it was only for a few, too brief moments.
All too soon, he pulled away from her and took a step back. As much as Ladybug never wanted to let him go, she knew they were running out of time. Never had she ever been so reluctant to call out her cure, but it had to be done, before she transformed back.
So she threw her yoyo up in the air and called out, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Her eyes never left his face.
The last thing she saw before he vanished was his smile.
Instantly her shoulders dropped. She ducked behind a nearby pillar as her transformation fell.
She felt Tikki press a kiss to her forehead right where chat had pressed his own lips just a few moments ago. Then Tikki hid inside her handbag, probably to replenish her strength with cookies.
Marinette scarcely knew where she was going as her feet carried her through a very familiar path. She stopped just once on her way get a couple of flowers from a shop on her way.
At last she reached her destination, a place she had frequented innumerable times over the past 2 years. She walked through the graves mindlessly, until she found the one she was looking for. She placed the flowers over the headstone and then slid down to sit beside it. Running a hand over the carved words on the stone, she read them over silently.
Adrien Agreste
8th September, 2002 – 5th July, 2020
A bright ray of sunshine for everyone that knew him.
Marinette felt Tikki nuzzle into her cheek, wiping away the tears that had slid down her cheeks, his last words echoing in her ears.
I'm proud of you, Marinette.
...
Sorry this is unedited. The title is in my language Hindi. It basically means 'I need you' :)
