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Nino ran towards the Agreste's home, panting into his phone. All he could hear on the other side of the line was the tonality, and barely, at that: the sound of his footsteps and his hoarse breathing covered everything else. He had no idea when he had lost Marinette - it couldn't be that long ago - but she sure was fast. And possibly dead.

Alya finally picked up.

"Nino?"

"AlyaisAurorestillwithyou?"

"What? Uh? No, no, she went home. Is something wrong?"

Nino shook his head, then realized his friend couldn't hear gestures.

"No, no", he said between pants. "I just remembered I gave her my MP3 player earlier, I wanted it back. Nevermind."

"Are you lying to me? What's wrong?"

"MUST CATCH MY BUS BYE!"

There was no point in alarming her. She was out of powers. She was out of energy. And he was in sight of Adrien's home, anyway. He ran through the gates.

There was a crater where the stairs had been, and the place was filled with black butterflies: dozens flying around, and just as many on the walls and ground. The pavement was covered with dried ink.

That woman was probably still there, but Nino couldn't see nor hear a fight. He looked around. Some butterflies landed on him, and he jumped away, trying to brush them off.

Not again!

He tried to stay calm, not to get angry, because that was how the Akumas got in to begin with: through the rage, the frustration, the pain. No matter what Aurore said about "good kinds of anger", Nino really didn't think it was a good idea to go down that path. How long before you stopped using it, and it started using you?

Not that he was calm. Not that he was peaceful. He was so worried about Marinette and Adrien. He was… Furious. She had not trusted him to help them, she…

A butterfly sank into his arm.

He squealed and tried to pull it out, but the blackness that covered the insect spread over his fingers, and hand.

The right kind of anger, he told himself.

Which wasn't anger at all, though it felt like it.

Determination.

He had to help his friends.

The front door of the mansion opened, and a hooded man in a purple suit walked out, holding Marinette up by the throat. She was trying to kick him and to scratch his hands away, but was growing weak.

Will.

The man threw Marinette to the ground.

"Once again, child. Where. Did. He. Go?"

She coughed. Her lower lip started quivering.

"I-I-I-I don't k-knoooooooooowww", she wailed. "He j-j-just r-ran away, ov-over the walls a-and he left m-me here all a-a-alooooone."

It was so unlike Marinette that Nino wondered how her assailant could fall for it.

The man did not. He crouched, snorting. Black butterflies swarmed around her.

"Once again", he said. "But without the lies. Where did Chat Noir g-"

Marinette kicked him in the face with both feet and rolled away. The butterflies covered her.

Purpose.

Nino focused on saving her and a pink glow swept over him, peeling the black magic away, and pushing the butterfly out of his arm.

The man turned to him. Nino looked down at himself. He had not transformed. He felt normal. The only thing that had changed was that his bubble wand had somehow made its way from his bedroom to his hand.

The stranger pointed his cane at Nino, sending the butterflies after him in a swarm. The teenager took a few steps back, until he hit a wall. Cornered, he blew a soap bubble - what else could he do? - then watched it grow and grow in front of him. It didn't trap the butterflies, it didn't fly up, it did… Nothing. Except block the insects' way, which was not bad, but still not as useful as the boy had hoped.

Oh.

Nino walked through the soap and into the bubble. It was like entering a hamster ball: it rolled as he walked. The butterflies landed on it, or dove into it and bounced back. They could not get through the soap. Now, if Nino could give one to Marinette…

He tried to walk to her, rolling forward amid the cloud of Akumas. He wasn't that far from his friend. As long as he walked in a straight line, he could get to her, and hopefully grab her. The creatures were trying to push him back, however: the more he advanced, the more they pressed against his bubble, and threw themselves by dozens against it. Then, they scattered, and a gloved hand tore through the soap film of Nino's bubble, grabbing him by the collar.

"Another magic thief?" the man said. "Let me remind you how you came by those powers to begin with, boy."

His hand glowed black, and a pink butterfly outline appeared over his face. Nino felt like a slimy claw was twisting through his mind, digging up every fear and frustration, trying to take what little darkness he had to make it grow. The teenager tried to free himself, and focused. Purpose. Marinette. Adrien.

Pink light mingled with the man's black magic, which seemed to surprise him as much as it did Nino. His hand clenched the boy's throat tighter.

Marinette - the shape of her, all wrapped in shimmering black and violet - jumped on their assailant and pulled him to the ground. Nino fell back down the stairs, holding onto his bubble wand for dear life. He got to his feet, watching Marinette roll over the villain and try to hold him down.

"How are you not under my control?" the man exclaimed, trying to free himself.

Marinette's blue eyes were the only thing you could still see of her. She joined both hands and hit him in the face.

"I'm not. About. To give up. And. WALLOW", she replied, hitting him over and over again.

It didn't do much damage: she was still a teenager, and he was still a grown man. He threw her aside easily enough.

Nino blew another bubble around himself, and grabbed Marinette to pull her inside it. The black magic around her washed away when she went through the soap.

She immediately got to her feet. Her friend breathed in, squeezing her hand.

"JUMP!" he yelled.

They jumped.

The bubble flew up.

###

Picture Perfect fell out of Marinette's bedroom wall, straight onto her desk. He crashed to the floor with a pile of drawings, a box of pencils, and her headphones. He pushed the mess away, getting back to his feet, fists clenched. He was vaguely aware of Plagg slipping away to land on the mezzanine, but he did not care.

She tried to take my Miraculous.

He kicked the box of pencils away.

She had tried to take his Miraculous. He had nearly believed her - he had absolutely believed her - when she had said she was taking a chance on him. She had come to help him. She had saved him. She had risked everything. But the only thing she had wanted from him was the ring. It had all been a lie. Yet another lie. People were only ever interested in having him follow their own agenda. They did not care about him unless he did what they wanted.

"She tried to take my Miraculous", he said aloud, because he could not get the words out of his mind.

Maybe she was an Akuma. Maybe she was an illusion.

Or maybe things had been exactly as they seemed: she had tried to trick him, because she did not trust him.

Why else would she have gone after the ring?

"Why would she?" He asked, looking up at Plagg.

The Kwami looked down at him, eyes wide and glowing green in the dark.

A moment passed.

"I told her to", the black cat announced.

That hit Adrien like a blow to the gut.

"What?" he murmured. Rage took over. "WHAT?"

He jumped on the stairs and climbed up to the mezzanine. Plagg, as exhausted as he was, hissed and flew down to Marinette's desk.

"You traitor", Picture Perfect snapped, holding on to the anger, instead of acknowledging how much the words had hurt him.

"I didn't pick you so you could become the very thing you are meant to fight", the Kwami retorted, sounding much older and meaner than his usual self.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe you fancy yourself the next Argus", Plagg growled, "thinking you are better off as a monster. But if you go down that path, it won't be with me."

Picture Perfect made sure his ring was still right there on his finger, and pushed it closer to his palm.

"Watch me."

Plagg didn't move. His eyes shone greener.

"I should have expected this", he murmured. "The apple couldn't-"

Footsteps on the other side of Marinette's bedroom door interrupted him. Someone knocked on the door. Adrien hid himself.

The door opened on Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.

"Are you home, sweetie?" she called, turning the lights on.

Then, she sighed.

"It must have been a noise outside, dear", she called to someone else.

She took a look around, shook her head, and left, closing the door behind her.

Her parents are worried about her.

Of course they would be. Normal parents would be. Gabriel, on the other hand, had called his being possessed by an evil spirit "a tantrum" and had blamed him for everything. Obviously, having his son turn into a villain would not agree with his company's reputation, nor his own.

Marinette's parents loved her.

And she would not be coming back.

"We need to go back", he whispered.

Plagg growled.

"We need to help Marinette!" Adrien snapped. "Now!"

"She will be fine", the Kwami said.

"Are you insane?" the blond hissed. "She's just a girl."

Plagg flew to the window and pushed it open.

"Be that as it may", he replied, "I am not handing myself over to Hawk Moth."

He jumped out.

Adrien ran to the window and stared outside, horrified, then turned to the picture of him he had arrived through. One of the six pictures of him. Marinette, who was a fan of a boy who did not exist. Marinette, who couldn't get two words out straight in his presence. Marinette, who had dragged him away from a supervillain and had saved his life.

He dove into the largest picture.

###