Frozen in Time

by Skarmoree

Alix has to deal with the memories of being Timebreaker. Heartrate.

Alix groaned, lifting her head.

'Huh?' she looked around, only to find most of her classmates and several other Parisians were doing the same. 'W-what?'

Ladybug turned to face her, giving a small smile as she knelt down to the girl.

'Here;' she said, holding out Alix's pocket watch, now fully intact. 'I think this is yours?'

'Sweet!' Alix exclaimed, grabbing it. 'How'd'you fix it?'

'Nothing a little magic can't do.' the hero replied with a wink.

'Well, thank you!' she grinned, clutching it close to her chest. 'I should never have given it to someone else to look after. I was my responsibility.'

Ladybug smiled, helping Alix to her feet. 'Responsibility isn't something to be taken lightly. Believe me, I should know.' she looked slightly guilty, giving a tiny shrug.

Alix nodded. 'You're right, Ladybug. I'll be more careful from now on. Thanks.'

'Alright then, Bug out!' Ladybug gave a two-fingered salute, a trait strangely similar to her partner. She gave one last smile to Alix, before running back over to her partner.

Alix rolled her eyes as she watched Chat Noir lean in, saying something. They were just out of earshot, so she shrugged, casually rolling away.

Something was nagging in the back of her mind.

She turned again, her classmates still scattered about in various states of confusion.

Oh no.

Alix dragged herself to a halt in front of Ivan. The boy caught sight of her skates, and didn't look up. 'Hey... Alix.' he muttered, picking himself up and walking off.

She bit her lip, turning away. A small way off, Juleka was being helped up by Rose, the smaller of the pair glancing worriedly her way.

If Rose was nervous, that meant...

The ridge of her pocket watch dug into her hand, no indication it had ever been broken.

Chloé was complaining to Sabrina about her ruined hair, although the scathing glares she sent over to Alix told an entirely different story.

'Al...?' Kim groaned.

'K-Kim?' The words tasted foul, like she wasn't meant to say them. 'Did... did I...?'

He stood up, rubbing a graze on his elbow and walking over. 'I think so?' he sounded unsure, shifting his weight to one side. 'I dunno, you kind of aimed for me first.'

'W-what?' Alix gasped, staring up at her rival.

'It'd probably be better to go ask someone else.'

'Kim, nobody wants to talk to me.'

'Understandable.' He nodded.

She scowled "Don't joke about this! I turned into an Akuma, didn't I?'

'Well, yeah, you did.'

'And?'

'And what?' he snorted 'I'm not bothered by it- I mean; you're not one anymore, are you?'

'But-'

'No buts, Al.' Kim sighed, poking her helmet. 'You got turned into a villain, I'm guessing Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day, you're back to normal. I don't see why people should be mad at you.'

'Doesn't stop them from being afraid.' she muttered, folding her arms.

'Mmmh, they do seem more scared than usual from this.'

Alix glared at Kim. 'Sorry.' he cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting to the opposite foot. 'But what exactly did you do?'

'I- I- I dunno.' She cringed.

Akuma victims didn't recover their memories of what they had done for a short while afterwards. It was generally a black gap within their mind between Hawk Moth's deal and turning back to normal. It was slow, but the memories were seeping back to Alix.

Alix crying over her watch made her the worthy victim of Hawk Moth. She tightened her grip on it in her hand, not caring for the pain it gave her as it dug into her palm.

'Uhhhh, Alix?'

'Huh?' she snapped back into reality, staring up at Kim.

'I said I can't exactly work out what you did. No collateral because of Ladybug's magic, and you sort of went after me first?' he rubbed the back of his neck. 'Look, all I can tell you, is that you were fast on those skates.'

'Were they the... the...'

'More than likely.'

Alix looked down to her rollerblades, a sudden distaste for them.

'All I know is, you touched me and that's it. Nothing past that.'

Her eyes widened. 'Nothing?'

'At all.' he confirmed. 'So well, it's not that bad? It's like when-'

Alix had stopped listening, staring down at her hands in horror. 'Did I say what I was?' she whispered.

'If you did, it was after you froze me.'

'I-' her voice quavered, but she continued. 'I don't think I just froze you.'

'Hm?'

'T-Timebreaker.'

''S that your Akuma name?' he looked lazily down at her, as if not even bothered by her revelation.

'Yeah... I went back in time by-' she broke off.

'By?' he prompted.

Alix didn't respond, kicking off the ground and skating away as fast as she could.

'Alix, wait up!' Kim yelled, giving chase.

Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes as she skidded around the corner.

She'd touched people and they faded out of existence.

They disappeared from time.

She had killed them.

Alix hadn't realised that she had slowed down until Kim grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. 'Alix, come on. What's up?'

'Don't touch me!' she cried out, tearing her arm from his grip. She held it close to her chest; watch gripped firmly in her other hand. 'I- I-'

A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek.

'Oh, Al.' Kim sighed, reaching out to her. She drew back. 'You aren't an Akuma anymore, okay? You weren't in control.'

'But I agreed.'

'What do you mean?' He raised an eyebrow at her.

'You haven't been Akumatised,' Alix whispered, tears running freely now. 'You don't know what its like-'

'Yes, I do.' Kim sighed. 'Don't you remember Valentine's Day?'

Alix sniffed. 'Should I?'

'That photo Chloé sent to everyone?'

'My phone's been out of charge in my bag for months now.'

'...Oh. Well, she rejected me and I kind of went on a rampage.' He gave a wayward grin.

'And?'

'And what? Did you not notice anything that day?'

'I spend February avoiding the streets like the plague.' she deadpanned. 'Honestly, can't go one step in this city without a couple being all mushy.'

'Paris is known as the "City of Love."' he pointed out.

'Urgh, I know.'

Kim gave a chuckle. 'But yeah, I've been there. I've had an evil butterfly man possess me.'

That made Alix laugh, although she was only half into it. She sobered up after a moment, frowning again. 'That means you know how Hawk Moth gets inside your head. How he... makes a deal with you.'

'You're forced to.' Kim replied.

She winced in response to his words. 'That's the thing. He gives you a choice.'

'Al, he manipulates you into saying yes!'

'That doesn't make it any better!' Alix shouted, ducking her head down so she didn't meet his eye. She unclenched her hand slowly, looking at the pocket watch.

An old heirloom has caused her to be Akumatised on her birthday. A day that was meant to be happy.

She wanted more than anything to throw it at the ground, crush it under her skate.

But that was what led to this mess in the first place.

An old watch made her kill people with a single touch.

'You okay there, Alix?' Kim asked, waving a hand in front of her face. 'You're looking kinda pale.'

'My skates... my- my hands. I-' she could feel tears again, glaring at her own hands. 'I killed people.'

Kim was silent.

'I wasn't strong enough! People were frozen in time because of me!'

Alix wasn't sure if Kim's silence was due to him not knowing this, or out of fear for her, but it didn't matter.

She wasn't saying this to him. It was an affirmation to herself for what she had done.

'I k-killed Chat Noir.' She choked out, covering her mouth with a hand. She was on the verge of breaking down completely, quivering all over. 'What if- what if I had gotten L-ladybug?'

'Alix, listen to me;' Kim said sternly, grabbing her wrists. He ducked down to her height, locking eyes with her as she tried to pull away.

'Those skates? Whooped my butt a couple months ago. Hell, you managed it today as well! Twice!' He pulled Alix's hand from her mouth gently, not breaking his gaze.

'And your hands?' He moved his grip from her wrists to grasp at them, careful not to make her drop the watch.

She flinched, trying to pull her hands from his grip.

'I haven't been frozen.' He said. 'Its fine, you're safe.'

Alix let out a small sob, turning her eyes to the ground.

'Look at me, Al.'

Slowly, she brought her gaze back up again, giving a sniffle. 'See? Better.'

''S not.'

'Don't argue with me Alix. Anyway, your hands- which aren't causing me to fade from existence, by the way? They've always got my back.'

'I don't-'

'What did I say about arguing with me?'

'T'not to.' Alix mumbled.

Kim looked smug for a moment. 'Exactly. And you said you weren't strong enough?'

'I-I couldn't protect-'

'I'd say you putting up with me since Day One shows your true strength;' He grinned 'Nobody else takes up my challenges like you do, and I think that has to count for something, right?

'So yeah, I may've been frozen in time, but honestly?' He paused, squeezing Alix's hands. She gave a weak smile, before wiping her nose on her sleeve.

'You barely reach my elbow. It's an achievement you caught me. And you got Chat Noir! I mean, that's not good... but it's pretty impressive. A one up from me.'

'What'd'you mean?' Alix asked.

'I shot the Cat with an arrow and turned him evil for a bit back when I was possessed.' Kim said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if the whole ordeal didn't bother him in the slightest.

Knowing Kim though, it didn't. It had been three months since he was turned into an Akuma. He had plenty of time to brush it off.

'But I was aiming for Ladybug.' She said flatly.

'So was I;' Kim shrugged 'Look, that's not the point. The real point is that yeah, you end up doing some bad things as an Akuma, but it's not what you're truly like.'

'I killed people, Kim!'

'Not on purpose.' He reminded her gently, rolling his eyes. She just wasn't getting the message.

'W-well, I won't- won't go to school.'

'That's ridiculous.' Kim scoffed. 'How is that meant to help?'

'It means the people I killed won't have to see me ever again.'

'Alix, avoiding the problem won't do anything.'

'Yes it will!' she cried, finally managing to tear her hands from his. The watch clattered to the ground and she gave a gasp, ducking to scoop it up. A quick feel over it showed no cracks, and she breathed a sigh of relief. 'Kim, you nearly made me break it again!'

'Al-'

'Don't you 'Al' me!' she snapped, rolling away. Kim sighed, tugging her back by her shirt. 'Let go of me!'

'No.'

Alix growled, whirling to face him to the best of her abilities, his hand still firmly clutching at the back of her collar. 'Why are you so infuriating?!'

'Because nearly a quarter of Paris has been turned into an Akuma, and that doesn't make you an outcast.'

'It does if I killed people.' she muttered; wiping her nose on her sleeve.

'Alix, just listen to me for once in your stubborn life!' Kim said, slowly letting go of her shirt. When he was satisfied she wouldn't try to run again, he folded his arms, looking down at her. 'I'm not afraid.'

'Kim, you're never afraid of anything.' Alix snorted in response. 'Thick skull keeps out the rational thoughts.'

He shrugged. 'Ehh, maybe, but I'm not going to ditch you. We all have our bad days.'

Alix rolled her eyes, a small smile threatening to form on her lips. 'Some worse than others?'

'Much worse;' Kim chuckled. 'Oh, and Al?'

'Yeah?'

'Happy Birthday.'

This time she did smile. 'Didn't think you'd be the type to remember.'

'I make it my business;' Kim said casually, resting his hands behind his head. 'You gotta have something good from today. I might get you a present later.'

'Well, thanks. But you already got me something.'

He gave her a confused look, causing the girl to laugh. 'You're not allowed to make any dares for the rest of the year.'

'Wha- no? Since when!?'

'Since I beat you in our race~' she teased him in a sing-song voice, skating a quick circle around him.

'That doesn't count!' Kim protested 'You turned into an Akuma!'

'First off, don't mention that for another month.' Alix shuddered. 'Don't want a reminder of what I've done. And second- it totally counts. That was after the race!'

'Still!'

'Nuh-uh-uh, birthday girl's rules! What I say goes!'

Kim sighed. 'Fine, I'll let you off just this once. But I demand a rematch eventually!'

'Sure, sure;' Alix brushed the demand off. 'But seeing as the day is still under my rules, I want you to get me an ice cream.'

'Race you there?' He asked, already lowering into a starting position.

Alix grinned, doing the same. 'Bring it on.'