Opening Remarks
So as you may have noticed, I decided to bump the anticipated number of chapters from 5 to 6. After making the outline for the rest of the story, I realized it was going to be longer than anticipated and felt that a third chapter was necessary to maintain a manageable chapter length. Because the rest of the story ended up being longer than anticipated, I spent longer writing it and cutting a few things, so this chapter is a week later than I had originally hoped and for that I'm sorry. The rest of the chapters should air on schedule: Act IV being posted next weekend and Act V being posted the weekend after. If for whatever reason the schedule changes, check my author page. I try to keep it up to date with my ongoing story statuses.
Feedback requested! Inbetween the posting of the last chapter and this one, I changed the summary of the story, and was hoping to get feedback on which you all like better, or if you think I need to re-think it entirely. By this point in the story, you should know everything that's talked about in the summary, so if something's confusing or you don't think has been answered yet, let me know!
The reason I changed the summary for this fic was because I felt the first was too juvenile in style and a touch misleading... I opened it with a blurb about Alya's plan to setup Adrien and Marinette for the school dance, and I realize now that this would lead people to believe that it was a major plot point and that the primary pairing for the fic is AdriNette, and neither is the case. So I changed it and wanted the readers' opinion on it.
Old Summary:
Alya has devised a plan to get Adrien and Marinette together, but things get complicated when Adrien realizes his interest in Ladybug compromises his ability to protect Paris and Marinette begins to see that Adrien and Cat Noir have a lot in common. The truth may be bittersweet. Occurs after season 1. Rated T because there's slightly more angst and violence than the typical episode
New Summary:
There is comfort in lies. Truth can be bittersweet. You can lie to yourself and not even realize it. Is Marinette ready to accept the truth? A new akumatized villain, an ultimatum, the loss of a friend... a rude awakening is in store for Paris' scarlet heroine. One day, she was looking forward to the school dance, and the next, her world began to crumble... T for violence; LadyNoir
Announcement: I have begun posting this fic on Archive of our Own as well, as I recently got an account there. So be sure to check it out there if that's your site of preference. my username there is Zepuka.
Review Responses: I prefer to respond to reviews by PM, but I don't have that option for guest reviews, so if you reviewed while logged in, any response I may have for your review should be in your PM inbox. :) Otherwise, my response to guest reviews will be in the following chapter in the opening comments.
Izzy - Thank you for your continued support! Did your heart really break that early in the chapter? I was actually aiming for the heartbreak to be near the very end of the chapter... But in any case, I'm glad I was able to convey such feels. :D I actually toyed with the idea of categorizing this fic under angst... I'm actually seriously considering replacing the 'adventure' category with 'friendship' perhaps... as there are a lot of Adrino and Alyanette friendship moments in the story, and the action and adventure scenes with Bitter Truth ended up being smaller by comparison. What do you think?
Bitter Truth
Part 4 of 6: Act III
Alya staggered through the vacant streets of Paris in a daze. It was just as well that the citizens of the city had long since sought refuge in their homes due to the akuma on the loose, for Alya processed her thoughts much better when she spoke out loud. "All this time, Cat FREAKING Noir sat right in front of me at school!?" With an exasperated toss of her arms over her disappointment in her apparent lack of observational skills, the aspiring reporter growled, "and I can't even DO anything about it! The biggest scoop of my life falls right into my lap and I have to keep my mouth shut!?"
Now she understood why reporters seemed to be solitary, bitter people. They probably had come to a crossroad like she had, torn between the desire to discover and share the truth with the world, and betraying the trust of a friend… Glancing at the phone in her hand, she hovered her finger over the 'delete' button for the incriminating video stored on it for the umpteenth time.
"Gah! I can't do it!" she cried, yet again unable to bring herself to completely erase the footage. It seemed like the right thing to do, yet something held her back. "Wait! I can just edit that part out! No need to let so much other great footage go to waste!" She cheered herself as she was struck with the idea, "Besides, Cat Noir had better thank me simply for the fact that I wasn't live streaming! Not that mom would ever let me again after the astronomical data bill she got the first time… …yeah…" It was a sad place to be in, having to encourage yourself with forced justifications. Not knowing what to do with herself as the inner battle raged on, she clenched her teeth over her finger, hoping the mild pain would keep her grounded in reality.
"Come on, Alya, Adrien is your friend! You can do this!" she pep-talked herself, pace quickening to match the pounding of her nervous heart. She knew what she must do… Cat Noir – that is, Adrien – was her friend, and she had to do everything she could to make sure his secret did not get out… But oh how she wished she could at least tell SOMEONE, preferably her best and most trustworthy friend, Marinette. Goodness knows she just needed to get this doozy of a scoop off her chest. But Marinette was Adrien's friend too, as was Nino, which meant it was not her place to tell his friends his secret… So she was doomed to a fate of keeping it solely to herself, hoping she would not burst under the pressure and make a mistake, accidentally revealing his identity in a moment of duress. The less evidence there was, the easier it would be to mitigate that pressure and be the friend she knew she should be. Taking a breath to steel herself, she once again poised her finger over the garbage can icon, inching closer, closer…
"Oh, there you are, Alya!"
With a startled "Gah!" and some nervously awkward footwork that could rival Marinette's, Alya whirled around, whipping the phone behind her back to hide it from inquiring eyes. "Oh, mom! You uh, scared me!" She hadn't realized she'd made it home already, and her mom was just stepping out, apron in hand, no doubt heading out for her lunch shift.
With a puzzled look, the chef asked, "Everything okay, honey?"
"Oh yeah, sure, mom! Everything's super!" Alya reassured, and without thinking, gave a double thumbs up – with phone in hand. Realizing her blunder and rushing to shove the electronic into her bag as nonchalantly as she could, she managed to do so with about as much finesse as Marinette would have had. Panic building, Alya searched for an escape route, wanting nothing more than to get to the safety of her room, away from anyone who might discover the secret she was now protecting.
Her mom popped an eyebrow questioningly, but decided she was running late enough for work as it was. "I've got to head to work now, but I just wanted to let you know that the school called and classes have been delayed due to the akuma attack. Classes will resume in the afternoon, after lunch break."
"Uh, no thanks! Not hungry! Lots of homework to do! Love you! Bye!"
Marlena stared after her daughter's retreating form, blinking cluelessly and wondering what had gotten her so distracted. "Hm… maybe Marinette's just rubbing off on her.." she mused with a shrug, continuing on her way so that she would not be late for work.
It was all a blur, like it had just been a bad dream and if she could just pinch herself hard enough, she'd be able to wake up and leave this scary place. Forearms red and bothered already, she barely felt the tweeze of her fingers against her numbing flesh. 'Still asleep? Maybe just once more…'
She was vaguely aware that her kwami hovered nearby, clearly concerned as she flew this way and that, wondering how best to get Marinette out of her state of shock. It'd been a miracle that she'd even managed to get Marinette back home and to her room without the girl's parents noticing the ladybug kwami steering the dazed girl by the hand. Finally speaking, the bug pleaded, "I know you're upset Marinette; I can't blame you… a lot of upsetting things have happened in the past day… but you've got to pull yourself together!"
"Tikki…" Marinette breathed as she forced herself out of her stupor, though doing so only brought on a new wave of emotions: fear, panic, loss, anger, confusion. "Why? Cat Noir, he… he's…" Marinette stammered.
"He was very brave, and you need to focus so that his sacrifice was not in vain – "
"It makes no sense! Why would he just give himself up like that!?" Marinette suddenly cried, anger taking its turn as the winning emotion from among the conglomerate that fought for dominance of her emotional state.
Sighing in defeat, Tikki resigned herself to the fact that she'd have to deal with Marinette's post-traumatic stress before they could draw up a game plan for taking down Bitter Truth. "I would've thought that was obvious for awhile now, Marinette… Cat Noir is in love with you – with Ladybug."
"No, that's not – it can't be true! He only ever acts like a Casanova… All that flirting was never anything special; he treats all girls that way!" Marinette insisted, repeating the words she often told herself whenever Cat Noir's flirting had threatened to get under her skin. There'd been more than one occasion where she'd felt something as a result of his advances, but she refused to acknowledge it, routinely repeating the mantra she just recited to Tikki. Cat Noir had nothing if not proved that theory by flirting with both her Ladybug side and her Marinette side, not knowing they were the same girl. Thus she concluded that his advances were nothing special and so she wouldn't let him gain any ground – her heart could only be swayed by a more honorable and exclusive man.
"You have no proof of that, Marinette." Tikki chided, "You yourself can be a flirt when you're in the mask, but you're anything but when you're out of it."
Wincing at the harsh but truthful retort, Marinette muttered a defensive, "I only flirt back so he won't know he gets to me sometimes…" before arguing, "But for that matter, you have no proof that he did what he did because he loves me."
"Actually I do. There is an ancient proverb that goes something like this, 'You will not find a man more full of love than the man who sacrifices himself for the one he loves'. Cat Noir has sacrificed himself for you three times now, though the last two times didn't involve the loss of his miraculous."
Unsure what instances Tikki was referring to, Marinette prompted, "What do you mean? When?" Though as she spoke, one horrible memory she'd buried deep began to surface, about that one time she was about to be erased and her time stolen, but when she had opened her eyes, it was not Timebreaker who was touching her, but Cat Noir. He'd stepped between her and the villain and embraced her as he faded into oblivion. She had been rattled by that incident, but with a little time travel, the situation had resolved itself and Cat Noir had been none the wiser, his future self that sacrificed himself never having existed in the resolved timeline.
"Judging by the look on your face, I see you recall at least one of those times." The cheery kwami smiled, glad that Marinette was finally starting to see what she'd always been so blind to. "Twice before now he's stepped into the line of fire for you, knowing it could very well cost him his life. If that's not love, I don't know what you could possibly think it is."
Marinette sat on her chaise lounge, the strength leaving her legs as it all came together and the realization left her reeling. 'Yet you aren't completely surprised… a part of you has known it all along and just didn't want to acknowledge it… not when it could mean you'd have to acknowledge your own unknown reactions to him that you've always found so confusing… Like that first time, when he took an arrow for you which put him under an evil spell, and you kissed him to break that spell… That had you confused for days.'
"I guess… I really don't understand him… or really know him after all…" Marinette finally reasoned, hanging her head in shame. If she'd understood her partner better, would she have been able to prevent this nightmare?
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Marinette… If you didn't know him at least decently well, you wouldn't be able to partner with him at all! Come on, you can tell me a thing or two you know about Cat Noir, can't you?"
"Well sure, but it's not anything that everyone else doesn't already know… He's loyal, caring, cool, a gentleman…" Marinette listed, then froze. Why did that list sound so familiar? 'It sounds a lot like what I told Alya earlier… they're almost the exact same, although I still believe that Adrien has unique eyes… Although… now that I think about it, Cat Noir's eyes are also stunningly green… But if that's all I can say about either of them, maybe I never knew either of them all that well…'
"Marinette, I know this is a lot for you to process, but I really think we need to come up with a plan of action before you need to go to school. Bitter Truth could strike at any moment!" Tikki pleaded, pulling Marinette out of her thoughts.
"What do you mean? We just face her like we face all villains, though I admit it'll be a challenge without Cat Noir…"
"Marinette, this villain is a bigger challenge than before, and not just because we're down a person. You had the chance to take her out, but she managed to disarm you, taking control of you and removing Cat Noir from the picture." Tikki delivered, direct and solemn. She didn't want to get Marinette down, but right now, she needed her to focus and be better prepared so she wouldn't make the same mistake twice – there'd be no Cat Noir around to save her this time.
The revelation hit Marinette right between the eyes. Up to that point, she had sort of, well, implicitly pinned the blame for her now-solo status on Cat Noir. But thinking back, she could've just taken Bitter Truth out immediately, instead of letting her taunts get to her. If she'd only done that, Cat Noir wouldn't have sacrificed himself and she wouldn't be in this situation at all… "I really messed up, huh, Tikki…" she confessed, drawing her knees up to her chest. It was her fault the akuma got away. It was her fault that Hawk Moth now had a miraculous in his possession. It was her fault that Cat Noir was gone… and if he hadn't been there to clean up after her mistake, it'd be her fault that Hawk Moth had won… Now she had to try and fix things herself, without him… But how was she supposed to do that alone? He was the one who always encouraged her when she didn't feel up to the task; he was always the one who had her back so she'd be sure to win.
"Cheer up, Marinette! We can still beat her! We just need to figure out how her powers work and how to get the advantage!" her affectionate kwami chirped cheerily. "First thing's first, how did she gain control of you? We need to make sure that doesn't happen again or we're done for!"
"Well, she said something about being unable to lie and wanting to hold everyone in Paris to their word…" Marinette mused, rising to pace her floor as she recalled the details of the battle.
"So her control happens when she learns a truth about you?"
"No, I don't think that's it… If she wants everyone to be truthful, I don't think she'd reward honesty like that… Cat Noir said that before a new victim would appear, he'd hear Bitter Truth's voice… Somehow she's able to ensnare people she converses with. I think that's why she doesn't attack physically, she tries to keep you talking until she can control you."
"But what's the trigger? If it's not truth, is there maybe a keyword or something?"
"I… I think it's the opposite of truth. Right after I felt myself fall under her spell, she said, 'You're mine now, you little liar'. But I don't know what I lied about."
"Think, Marinette! What were you talking about?"
"Well… she was teasing me about Cat noir…"
"What did you say?"
Marinette nibbled nervously on her thumbnail as she brought to mind the exact words she said and the implications they brought with them. A part of her didn't want to voice them, nor to test their theory… But the fate of Paris and Cat Noir depended on her honesty, so she admitted in a timid and quiet voice, "I said that I didn't have any romantic interest in Cat Noir…"
Tikki gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, which suspiciously looked like it was smiling – wait, was that a GIGGLE she was suppressing?! What was going through her kwami's mind!? Feeling her face warm, Marinette instinctively sank into her desk chair in an attempt to hide her face and hurried to add, "But I don't understand how that was a lie! My heart belongs – er, belonged to Adrien! And I only just decided I should move on last night; I wouldn't have developed new feelings that quickly!"
Unable to hold it in anymore, Tikki chortled and admonished, "You're just a little naïve, Marinette, but it's possible to be attracted to two people at once, there's nothing wrong with that… You just need to be devoted to one if you love them… Tikki nodded sagely, making Marinette sink further into her chair in embarrassment.
A part of her wanted to completely deny all possibility, but the proof was in the akuma – she'd been caught red-handed. Nevertheless confused, Marinette decided to get some clarification. "But, you saw how devoted I was to Adrien… Surely there wasn't any room for attraction to anyone else!" Marinette protested, indicating the collage of Adrien photos around her room.
With a sigh, Tikki rebutted, "I didn't want to say this because it's something normal for many girls your age and typically passes with time, but one can take 'devotion' too far until it becomes an obsession. Obsession can make you blind to many things… the feelings of others, even your own feelings. It can also blind you to a person's true colors. To me, it seemed like you were so obsessed with Adrien at times, you became blind to who he truly was, and to what you truly wanted."
Marinette's head spun. It was like Tikki was only reaffirming details that she'd shoved into the nooks and crannies of her mind, not wanting to let them share the large space she'd set aside for thoughts of Adrien. The largeness of that space, and how empty it felt when she decided to clean it out, stood in conviction of Tikki's accusation that she'd let her 'love' become an obsession. 'Add that to the list of failures I've accumulated recently…'
Noticing her chosen's depressed posture, Tikki was quick to add, "Don't worry, Marinette, you're young still, and you already made the decision to change; that's a great sign of maturity and I'm proud of you. What's important is that we now know how Bitter Truth managed to get control of you and how to avoid it."
Smiling and raising her head a few inches from behind the back of her chair, Marinette agreed, "You know what? You're right! We now have a game plan! I just need to avoid talking with Bitter Truth and take her down quickly! Then we'll be able to take back Cat Noir's miraculous and reunite the team!" 'Although now I'm a little worried about seeing Cat Noir again… now that I've come to realize a couple things…'
"That's the spirit!"
It was quite possibly the most awkward moment the friends had ever experienced as they all sat in their regular seats waiting for their first class of the afternoon to start. Each was nervously fidgeting with something, trying to look busy so the others wouldn't bother them, as each had gone through something traumatic that morning and weren't ready to deal with normal life.
Alya kept nervously turning her phone over and over, silently praying that Marinette wouldn't start a conversation, as she wasn't sure she'd be able to talk normally without bursting out into a confession about knowing who Cat Noir was because Marinette was her best friend and she needed to vent, but no, there was no way in heck she could let that happen because Adrien-flipping-Noir was sitting RIGHT THERE and now she really needed to support her friend in moving on from Adrien because he loved Ladybug as CAT FLUFFING NOIR.
Little did she know that Marinette was similarly imploring whatever deities who would listen as she nervously tapped her pencil on her sketchpad, pretending to be engrossed in brainstorming some clothing designs. 'Please don't let Alya ask me how I'm doing with the whole moving-on-from-Adrien thing, I'm too worried sick for Cat Noir and freaking out over how I'm gonna defeat Bitter Truth to worry about matters of the heart… and even if I did have time for girl talk, how am I gonna explain that I might have feelings for two different guys, and one of them is a guy I work with secretly and can't even tell you about?'
Adrien had returned to his pen-chewing habit, feigning interest in doing a final edit on the homework sitting in front of him when in reality his thoughts were with Ladybug, worrying if she was still hurt from her near-strangulation, if she was somewhere safe and regaining her strength, if she was scared to face Bitter Truth again, if she could ever forgive him for handing his miraculous over to their enemy…
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" Nino greeted with a smile, ignorant to his companions' individual turmoils. When none of them seemed to notice him, he slid into his usual seat and inquired, "Okay, who died? What happened? What's wrong?"
"NOTHING!" the three answered adamantly in unison, surprising each other in the process and glancing appraisingly at the others wondering what their deal was and if it could rival their own.
Misinterpreting their glances as unified communication, Nino raised his hands in mock surrender and placated, "Alright, alright, take a chill pill dudes. I trust you'll let me into your club when the time is right, geesh… you all just better not be joining forces to prank me or something…"
They were saved from having to explain themselves when Chloe sauntered over exclaiming, "Adrikins! Where's your ring!? I just had a matching one made for myself and I wanted to see them together today!"
"CHLOE!" Alya exclaimed loudly, abruptly, and apparently without reason, for she then stumbled for the words to follow up. Practically the whole class turned to look at her in confusion, for the outbreak was rather abnormal for the usually 'chill' girl. Little did they know that at Chloe's comment, she'd had a mild panic attack, imagining the worst and that Adrien's secret identity of being Cat Noir would be discovered if Chloe focused too much on the fact his ring was missing. In hindsight, she figured she'd over-reacted, but it was too late now. Good thing she was a quick thinker. "Er, that is… I was just wondering if you were going to the school dance in a couple weeks?" she finished feebly, taking a page out of Adrien's book and rubbing the back of her head nervously.
Her three closest friends gaped at her in bewilderment, for Alya was probably the person least likely to want to make small talk with the obnoxious blond. Chloe, however, was unfazed, and quickly maneuvered the conversation back in a direction of her choosing – which of course meant towards Adrien. "Uh, DUH. Anyone who's ANYONE is going to the dance, right Adrien? I've actually been meaning to ask you, would you be free this Thursday after school for tux fittings? I want to make sure your tux will match my dress."
"Er… why would they need to match?" Adrien asked innocently, bless his heart, eyes wide in naivety.
"Well it's not strictly required, but if we're going to be the King and Queen of the dance, we should at least make sure we don't clash. You know, it'd be super convenient if we just went to the dance together…" Chloe drawled slyly, "Then people could see right away that not only do we look great individually, we look superb together. They'd practically be begging us to accept the title!"
"I thought you'd be going with Sabrina, you know, as friends." Adrien replied evasively. He actually had no idea if it was taboo to go to a school dance with a friend… After all, Nino had as good as told him that you had to couple up to go to one of their school dances, anyway, but Adrien had watched a lot of TV in his lifetime – for one has a lot of free time when you spend your childhood under house arrest – and at least in those shows, teens – girls especially – would go to dances as friends.
"Oh yes! We already got complimenting dresses!" Sabrina exclaimed helpfully, to which Adrien let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Ugh, I -told- you that was before, when I thought Adrien couldn't go!" Chloe fumed, turning on her best friend in frustration.
Pouncing on the opportunity, Adrien piped in, "You girls have fun then, I couldn't POSSIBLY impose on your prior arrangement; I'd feel simply AWFUL." Usually Adrien prided himself on being an excellent actor, but he found he couldn't resist the urge to let his sarcastic side show itself ever so slightly – and man, did it feel good. Perhaps he was shedding masks in more ways than one? 'Well if I can't be Cat Noir anymore, it would be nice to have another outlet… but I can't show too much or everyone will realize how lame I am and I'll lose what little friends I do have…' He suddenly felt guilty for his slight harshness at Chloe, for obnoxious or not, she was still in his top five friends… 'Cause, well, he honestly didn't have any more friends than that. 'And I suppose I can't count Ladybug as one of my friends anymore… so I only have four.' Stuck in his downward spiral of depressing thoughts, Adrien didn't notice that the teacher had arrived and had effectively forced Chloe to give up her pursuit of him so she could return to her desk for the lesson.
He was lost in his thoughts for the entirety of the lesson, his thoughts remaining on Ladybug, like they had been all morning, with the exception of Chloe's short interruption of course. It was due to this that he didn't respond until Nino shook him by the shoulder with a, "Hey, man, you okay?"
"Hm?"
"Dude, class ended like two whole minutes ago… and I guess you didn't hear that awesome story I was just telling you a moment ago…"
"Oh, sorry Nino, guess I'm just a little tired…" Adrien didn't particularly like lying to his friends – it only added to his paranoia that he'd someday lose them – but it sort of came with the territory of being a superhero. Besides, what was he supposed to say? "Well actually, dude, I've been gallivanting around Paris as Cat Noir, but I majorly messed up this morning… failed Paris, let Ladybug down, and thanks to my screw up, we could all be under Hawk Moth's reign before the school dance arrives, so yeah… there's that." Nonetheless, he'd been smiling for the camera since he could crawl, so plastering on a fake smile that always passed for polite, he packed his school bag and prepared to walk with Nino to the library for their study period.
Maybe he'd started to lose his touch, or maybe Nino had just gotten to know him too well, but either way, Nino brought up the issue again en route. "You sure you're just tired? You seem kinda upset…"
'I am… and I really wish I could tell you… I feel like I'm falling apart…' Adrien silently lamented, and now that he knew his actor's façade was failing, he cast about for any sort of excuse, but it was hard to think of one when the only thing that's been occupying your thoughts it the one thing you're trying to avoid talking about. 'Oh right! The one time I wasn't thinking about Ladybug was when Chloe was talking about the dance…. Such a shallow reason, but it's all I've got…'
Donning what he hoped was a convincing tone, Adrien responded, "Alright, you caught me… I guess I am just a touch worried about the dance. I've never gone to one, and now that I have permission to go, I don't know what to do… except the obvious, of course, which is to avoid getting roped into going with Chloe."
"I already presented a solution for that, but you turned it down." Nino shrugged, subtly baiting his friend – Alya would be so proud.
"…You did?" A genuine look of confusion clouded Adrien's face as he tried to recall.
"Yeah. If you escorted Marinette, you'd have a water-tight excuse to avoid going with Chloe."
"...Wouldn't that be using Marinette? What kind of friend would that make me?"
"It's not using her if she wants to go, dude."
"It is if I don't ask for the right reasons."
"Still hung up on Ladybug?"
The mention of his lady sent a dagger of guilt through his heart. Adrien stopped walking, causing Nino to halt, face his friend, and cast him a confused and inquiring look. Trying not to panic, Adrien put whatever faculties he could employ into burying his worry for Ladybug and guilt over his failures to save them for later when he was alone and could process them better. Focusing the remainder of his energy on the conversation at hand, he answered, "It's just that Marinette always seems so afraid of me. I think she may be intimidated by the fact that her favorite designer is my father or something. If I asked, she'd probably feel obligated to go because she's a good friend, but then she'd have an awful time. She'd have more fun going with someone else."
"You sure about that, bro? Just between you and me… I kinda think the reason she seems scared is because she likes you." Nino said with a wink, throwing a conspiratorial arm across his buddy's shoulders, like he was letting him in on the deal of the century.
"I find that highly unlikely." Adrien refuted with a polite smile. After all, when a person likes someone, they do all they can to impress that person, which usually involves a lot of talk, flirtation, and in his case, jest. That's how he acted when he liked someone, anyway, but perhaps he was being a tad narrow-minded? But still, he was pretty sure Chloe liked him, and she didn't act scared of him at all, and then there was Nino and Alya, neither of which had acted afraid of each other.
Giving Adrien a friendly jab to the ribs, Nino trilled, "Well I guess there's only one way to find out…"
Now Adrien was starting to get annoyed. After all, there were more important things to worry about right now… and he knew that Nino meant well, but he couldn't understand why Nino was trying to push the matter so far when it went against his principles. 'I guess that's it… he doesn't understand my convictions. How to explain them without giving away that I'm devoted in my love for Ladybug as Cat Noir?' "It's like this, Nino… Even if, against all odds, Marinette DOES like me… It would be wrong of me to take advantage of that when I'm still 'hung up' on Ladybug."
Not deterred, Nino argued, "But, if you don't even give her a chance… I kinda thought you two had hit it off when you were practicing for that game tournament a few months back…"
With an exasperated sigh, Adrien replied, "That's just the thing… I admit that I have thought – Fleetingly! don't give me that smug look, Nino – that she was attractive in various ways… but then I realized it was because, in those moments, she reminded me of Ladybug."
"Well there you have it; Marinette can help you get over Ladybug!"
"Dude, why are you trying so hard? Would it really be fair to Marinette to treat her as... as a replacement? I don't want to lose a good friend by doing something so selfish."
Perhaps he'd taken it too far? Nino didn't have any retort and was just regarding Adrien with an expression he couldn't place. 'Great… in my attempt to explain how I don't want to lose another friend, will I now lose my best friend? Ugh, I really have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to friends…'
But instead of being angry or upset at Adrien's rant, Nino finally smiled and shocked Adrien by pulling him into a one-armed 'man-hug'. "You know what, Adrien? You're a real gentleman, and I got mad respect for you sticking to your guns. Sorry I didn't understand and pushed you so much. I won't bring it up again."
He would never complain about Plagg again. As annoying as the creature could be, he was at least another presence in his cold and empty room. Adrien flopped onto the couch face down and grumbled in frustration if for no other reason than to make a noise. He finally felt like he understood the phrase 'silence is deafening' now that the cat kwami was no longer present. "Ever the drama queen!" Adrien imagined Plagg would have said in response to his actions just now, and Adrien would've welcomed it, sass and all, if only to have some company again. 'Guess I never realized how much I cared about the little guy. I also now understand that other phrase about not knowing what you have until it's gone…'
Finding the continued silence unbearable, Adrien turned the TV on, flipping through channels to see if there was anything interesting. A news headline caught his eye, announcing the return of Bitter Truth, who was now terrorizing people at the Pont Des Arts bridge. "Oh come on, that's barely honoring our agreement! I had in mind at least one night or something!" he shouted angrily at the TV as if Bitter Truth could hear him. He glanced out the window, noting that the sun was beginning to set. If Bitter Truth utilized his miraculous, Ladybug would be at a disadvantage in the dark. This villain sure knew how to play dirty.
Before he'd really thought it through, Adrien found himself hoisting himself up to his usual escape window, feeling a touch dizzy as he truly noticed for the first time just how high up he was. This was going to be interesting without his Cat Noir powers. But his determination knew no bounds, as there was nothing that was going to stop him from trying to help his lady any way he could – even if it meant going as his civilian self… scaling down the side of the building without claws… and possibly mis-stepping and plummeting to his death from the fourth floor… yeah... An idea suddenly occurring to him, he turned back and retrieved a red charm bracelet – the one that Marinette gave him - from the coffee table. "A little extra luck wouldn't hurt." He remarked with a small smile, pocketing the trinket and returning to the window, confidence renewed.
"Didn't wait long, did you, Bitter Truth?" Ladybug greeted as she landed to confront the villain, retracting her yo-yo.
"Ah, Ladybug. So happy you could join. How's your precious little kitty faring? Oh wait, that's right, he's not the kitty anymore, is he?" Bitter Truth taunted, but Ladybug had already resolved that she wasn't going to have any of it.
"Nice try, Bitter Truth, but I'm not gonna fall for your attempts to get under my skin this time. I plan to end this VERY quickly."
"Splendid idea!" her opponent grinned suavely, taking something out of her pocket. As she slipped it onto her finger and it reflected a drop of setting sun, Ladybug gasped as she realized just what it was. "I do hope to end this quickly as well, for cats are creatures of the night and I plan to start it off productively so I can enjoy the rest of it at my leisure."
"Give that back! It belongs to Cat Noir!" Ladybug demanded, twirling her yo-yo and charging.
With a sinister chuckle, Bitter Truth easily dodged and before Ladybug could correct and charge again she cried, "Claws out!"
Ladybug cursed under her breath, her confidence ebbing away at the thought of having to face Bitter Truth with the addition of Cat Noir's powers. 'Okay, no big, just end this quickly! No holds barred!' Assuming the position, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo into the air and shouted "Lucky Charm!"
It seemed like time stood still as Ladybug assessed the situation – Bitter Truth was mid-transformation, her butterfly pin about to be covered by the black cat transformation so she had to think fast. Her ladybug vision highlighted her lucky charm in hand – a powerful magnet – the pin threaded through the button hole of Bitter Truth's vest, and a nearby skateboard an innocent bystander had abandoned when they fled the scene at Bitter Truth's arrival.
Launching herself onto the skateboard, Ladybug propelled herself towards Bitter Truth, extending the magnet out in front of her as far as she could reach. There was no way she'd reach Bitter Truth in time; her transformation had already finished the mask, the ears, and the suit was quickly covering her body. 'Come on, magnet! Do your thing since I'm not gonna get there in time!'
At the last second, Ladybug saw a blur and felt a 'click' as something made contact with the magnet. With a cry of victory, Ladybug momentarily forgot that she was still on a skateboard – careening towards Bitter Truth, who was now fully clad in black. It just felt so wrong seeing someone as Cat Noir who was very clearly not her partner. Sure, she'd seen another person wear the suit before, but he'd been a complete copycat, looking exactly like Cat Noir. But Bitter Truth looked nothing like Ladybug's counterpart, and beholding her left a bad taste in her mouth – or maybe that was just that metallic taste one gets in their mouth when they collide with another object – hard.
Ladybug and Bitter Truth went flying in a tangle of black and red – again reminding Ladybug how wrong this all felt. She'd had her tumbling mishaps with Cat Noir before, and sure, they hadn't been a picnic or anything, but when compared to somersaulting with the enemy who'd taken your comrade in arms from you, it certainly did seem like a picnic in hindsight. When they finally came to a stop, Ladybug leapt up and away with all the swiftness of a coursing river, then held up her magnet in triumph as she noted that the butterfly pin was still there – along with some weird glass marble-like teardrop thing on a keychain. 'Huh, must've been in a pocket or something.'
With a giddy cry of victory, she removed the butterfly pin from the super-magnet – which actually took a bit of effort, standing on the magnet while she pulled at the pin with her hands – and smashed it underfoot. This was it! Soon she'd capture the akuma, get Cat Noir's miraculous back, and everything would go back to normal! Easy Peasy! What had she been so worried about again?
But the akuma never came. Ladybug had been standing at the ready, finger poised over her yo-yo to activate its akuma-capture mode, but as the milliseconds turned into seconds, the dark butterfly never appeared. 'Huh…?'
The akumatized impawster – 'Oo Cat Noir will love that one, I'll have to tell him later!' the scarlet hero mused with a self-satisfied smile – started cackling as she regained her ground, brushing the dust off her – nay, Cat Noir's – suit.
"I'm simply Chatgrined to tell you this – but you just wasted your Lucky Charm." the feline villain sneered.
Oh it was ON now. Lucky Charm or no Lucky Charm, Ladybug internally vowed to take Bitter Truth down hard – NO one else was allowed to make cat puns, especially while they donned his suit. It was a mockery to everything he stood for: heroism, altruism, and goofy witticism.
"I'll be taking that" Bitter Truth announced as she snatched up the magnet and keychain Ladybug had left on the ground using Cat Noir's baton. Ladybug lunged for her, figuring the keychain must be where the akuma really was if the villain was bothering with it. The leather-clad lady easily leaped in a very cat-like fashion out of Ladybug's reach.
Undeterred, Ladybug proclaimed, "You know it's only a matter of time before I defeat you, Bitter Truth. I know all Cat Noir's moves and I've never lost to him."
Vaulting herself up onto a lamp post and perching there like a cat – like Cat Noir always had a habit of doing - Bitter Truth swung the keychain mockingly, discarding the magnet in Ladybug's direction. Ladybug dodged of course, but that didn't seem to discourage the fiend from her attacks nor her taunts. "Ohh? Perhaps he was just being Mr. Nice Kitten, taking it easy on you~ I think I'll be a bugger challenge. I quite like these cat powers so far; I think I need a suitable name to go with it. What do you think of 'Bitter Noir'? Kinda sounds like dark chocolate, doesn't it?"
Ladybug's earrings beeped. 'Has it really been a minute already? No time to waste!' "Quit stalling; don't think I don't know what you're up to!" Ladybug redirected, pursuing the villainess who now wished to be known as 'Bitter Noir'. 'Ugh, she makes Cat Noir's nicknames and puns sound like sheer genius in contrast…' the speckled hero reasoned, not wanting to admit to herself that it mattered more to her who was joking as opposed to the actual contents of the joke.
With sarcastic turn of her lip, 'Bitter Noir' purred, "Oo, impressive. The bug knows I'm trying to run down the clock on her transformation. Doesn't change the fact that you won't be able to catch me!"
The two continued in a cat-and-mouse chase up and down the bridge, Bitter Noir's stalling tactics unfortunately proving to be rather effective. That is, until some projectiles of – 'Was that an empty cup? A half-eaten cheeseburger? A wadded up piece of paper?' – refuse of some sort disrupted their chase.
Alya was getting some of the BEST shots for the Ladyblog; the bridge was such a cinematographic backdrop for the fight, and the natural boundaries made it impossible for bystanders to crowd around without getting in the line of fire, so Alya was able to get plenty of wide and sweeping shots without them getting cluttered by any 'extras'. She was therefore rather surprised when a familiar golden mop of hair entered the shot as she turned her phone to follow Ladybug and Bitter Truth's movements.
Slightly torn between being upset that he'd ruined a great shot and being ecstatic that he had still shown up for the battle sans-suit, Alya exclaimed, "Ca-Adrien!" 'Crap, I nearly let slip that I know his secret… Quick, wipe that smile off your face, Alya! Rather than being happy that Cat Noir still showed up, you should be surprised that Adrien is here!' "Er, what brings you here? Thinking of joining the blogging business?"
'Oh snap, of course it's weird that I'm here as Adrien – what reason could Adrien have for being here?' Adrien panicked slightly, but it didn't show. 'Having to act practically my entire life has its benefits sometimes.' "I was just, you know, out for a jog. When I heard strange noises, I decided to check it out."
He was saved from having to explain further as Ladybug and Bitter Truth came dangerously close to the pair's hiding spot behind a trash can at the foot of the bridge. Ducking for better cover, Adrien got right to the point, asking Alya what the situation was so he could figure out how best to assist his lady.
"Unfortunately, Ladybug used her lucky charm about a minute ago securing the wrong item – the pin wasn't where the akuma was hiding. I think it's the keychain Bitter Truth has in her hand, but now she's using the Cat Noir miraculous and playing cat-and-mouse with Ladybug until Ladybug's transformation wears off." Alya summarized without hesitation. If it had been anyone else, she would've shushed them for polluting her recording with unnecessary audio, but seeing as how this was really Cat Noir in disguise…
"Heh heh, 'cat-and-mouse', good one, Alya!" Adrien remarked before he could think better of it. 'Keep it together; you're Adrien right now, even if it feels like you're Cat Noir when you're this close to Ladybug…' It seemed Alya was equally surprised at his un-Adrien-like behavior, as she just stared at him blankly. 'Right, moving on…' "Erm, uh, is there any way we could possibly help Ladybug? Without Cat Noir around, she could probably use the backup." He suggested, but as he and Alya looked about for ideas from their hiding place behind the garbage can, he had a stroke of brilliance. "Of course! The answer's right in front of us!" he exclaimed, excitedly removing the lid from the refuse receptacle.
Then his nostrils caught a whiff of its contents… and he nearly met his lunch again. Maybe it was because he'd grown up pampered in a sterile environment, maybe it was the model in him, or heck, maybe it was even the cat in him, but whatever the cause, he was instantly repulsed by the odor that made Plagg's camembert smell like a fresh bouquet of roses. 'It's for Ladybug; it's for Ladybug; it's all for Ladybug!"
"Great idea, Adrien!" Alya exclaimed, putting Adrien's heroism to shame as she didn't even hesitate to plunge a hand into the repulsive mess and start chucking who-knows-whats at Bitter Truth. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Adrien followed suit, resisting the urge to cringe as his hand wrapped around something squishy. Then aiming well – he'd feel simply awful if he hit Ladybug with the foul substance – he let it fly. 'On the off chance I get that suit back… I'm gonna have to make sure I take five showers as Cat Noir before taking it back out on the field now that I know where's it been…. Sorry, Plagg!'
"Alya! Adrien!" Ladybug exclaimed, both happy to see them and grateful for their help, but also anxious that they were dangerously close to the battle. Another beep sounded from her earrings. 'Not to mention if I run out of time before this battle is over, they're gonna find out who I am!' "Thanks for the assist, but you need to leave! Bitter Truth is dangerous!"
"I told you my name is Bitter Noir!" the faux Cat Noir screeched, wiping a bit of slime off her arm and lunging at Ladybug.
"Really? 'Bitter Noir'? That's the best you could come up with?" Adrien scoffed, then ran his hand nervously over the back of his neck like he wasn't sure where that outburst had come from.
"Seriously, guys! Run!" Ladybug commanded, more determined than ever to end the battle now, before her friends got dragged into it. Though at that moment, Alya landed a well-aimed toss of an old mustard-smeared wrapper on Bitter Truth's face.
"Score!" Alya yelled victoriously, and out of the corner of Ladybug's eye, she saw Adrien fist-bump Alya in reward.
Taking the opportunity afforded her by Alya's tennis arm, Ladybug swung out her yo-yo, aiming for the keychain and successfully knocking it out of her grasp. As Bitter Truth blindly fumbled to catch the keychain again, she instead managed to grab the string of Ladybug's yo-yo, and smirking, she yanked it, pulling it off Ladybug's fingertip and to herself.
'Ah well, it won't do you any good…' Ladybug thought with a smirk as she instead rushed to intercept the path of the falling pin, and catching it, she dashed it to the ground like she was making a touchdown. But the sound she heard wasn't the shattering of the keychain, but the tone of her earrings giving the two-minute warning.
"Huh? It just… bounced?" That was a first. Usually her enhanced strength made sure she could easily destroy whatever object the akuma had possessed.
"Did you really think my life's work; the legacy of my father, would be that fragile?" Bitter Truth cooed, a self-satisfied sneer forming at the corners of her mouth as she reeled in the last of the string to Ladybug's toy-napped yo-yo.
Dumbfounded, Ladybug could only blurt the first words that came to mind, "What is it?"
"A Prince Rupert's drop – perfected!"
"…who?"
Closing Remarks
Sorry for the trashy (pun intended) chapter, guys… Tune in next week for the conclusion of the battle with Bitter Truth, more angst, and more fluff!
The saying "You will not find a man more full of love than the man who sacrifices himself for the one he loves" was derived from John 15:13, and as far as I know, my particular wording is unique. I deviated from the original wording, as my intent was to adapt the old fashioned wording from John and modernize it, and give it a bit more of a romanticized feel.
The sacrificial instances Marinette remembers are from the episodes Timebreaker and Dark Cupid.
Did you notice the hats off to Disney's Mulan I snuck into the chapter?
I know I said I'd be using the English names instead of the French names for this fic, but I couldn't resist the urge to use the French version for a pun… So just in case you didn't know, Cat Noir's French name is Chat Noir, so when Bitter Truth says she's "Chatgrined", she's making a pun of 'chagrined' and 'Chat'.