Okay so this is uhm-... The second one.
I'm putting warnings before this one as well and in case SOMEONE doesn't see them I'll make them EXTRA clear.
TRIGGER WARNINGS (ATTENTION, SPOILER FOR THE CHAPTER):
- Mentions of self harm and suicide
- Mentions of blood
- Injuries
- Possible Character death
I'm very sorry for the people that have been spoilered through this but SOME people need to see this.
So, without further ado!
Enjoy :)
Note: I CAN FINALLY UPLOAD! It's a day late now and I am so, so sorry. I've uploaded the full length chapter with picture on Tumblr and Ao3 but FFnet didn't want to let me upload... So I am really, really sorry for the delay, I hope the website won't pull any more of stunts like this one and the uploading schedule of three days will, of course, still be intact. Ergo, on the 29th will be the next chapter (as long as FFnet complies)
Again, I'm so sorry :(
Her best friend shook her head, worried.
"No, Marinette. It's too dangerous. Let Chat do it, you gotta-"
"He'll keep Hawkmoth busy. I have to try."
Alya pressed her lips together and stepped back, giving her room. She bumped against Nino's chest and looked up to him but he didn't say anything as Marinette's gaze shot back to her enemy, narrowing as she continued to analyze him. He was fast but he never seemed to consider a defensive pose. He responded to all of Chat's attacks with a similar counter attack as a protection.
She would probably have a chance if Chat kept hitting from one side so she could try from behind. He didn't protect his back by occasionally throwing a glance back because he was too sure he would catch all attacks. If she was fast and quiet enough she could try.
Marinette snuck around her enemy and Chat nodded inconspicuously, keeping Hawkmoth focused on him. She could see in his eyes that he hated what she was about to try but she couldn't figure out another plan that would keep her safe. She had to take that risk.
Two steps away from him she suddenly leaped and tried to pound on him, surprising him in the process. But he had sensed her.
A striking pain shot up her leg as she tried to avoid the sword but failed. Marinette merely managed a roll not to slam onto the ground with all her weight and came to her feet again, only to be yanked back by Nino who had seen Hawkmoth's sword coming.
"Thanks, Nino-…"
She clenched her teeth at the pain that still pulsed through her body, but she couldn't focus on that now. Instead, she watched Chat fencing with the supervillain, while holding on to Nino as he pulled her back a little more. Chat glanced over to her, his glance jumping down. Suddenly, he growled and forced Hawkmoth back, putting more fire in his movements.
"Girl, your leg!"
"It's only a scratch…", she played it down before her head snapped up at the incoming danger, "Alya, back off!"
She pushed her friend out of the way as Chat jumped in front of them, only to be hit with Hawkmoth's sword. He yelped in pain, clutching his other arm. Marinette stopped and stared as the crimson colored liquid dropped out of yet another wound.
"B-But-… our suits are indestructible! Chat shouldn't be hit and hurt."
"Maybe there's something special about the sword? Do you guys know anything that does harm against your suits?", Alya questioned, ripping her blouse to create a pressure bandage on Marinette's leg while Nino still held her up.
"Something that has to do with the magic of our Miraculous? I don't know!"
She watched as Chat swung his baton at Hawkmoth's head, trying to keep him occupied. The man brought his weapons between them, blocking off the hit with his sword and cane crossed, then he pushed Chat back and made him hiss in pain as the cane hit one of his wounds.
"He won't last long. I need to get my Miraculous!", Marinette gasped, coming to her feet again as Alya was finished wrapping the bandage.
The brunette frowned, glancing over to Hawkmoth.
"Where are they?"
"I believe he keeps them in an inside pocket on his chest. He wants to have them with him at every moment.", she reasoned, "And I don't know how to get them."
Alya grinned, flexing her fingers as she got up from her knees and rolling her shoulders.
"I think I can get them. If you and Chat are distracting him, that is."
Marinette scrunched her eyebrows together, shooting a questioning look over to her best friend who stood beside her, studying his movements.
"You can?"
"You just stay out of the line and try to annoy him or something, girl. I'll take care of the rest. I'm wearing the vest after all, so I'm relatively safe. Are you able to do that?"
She nodded, closing her eyes as she moved her leg carefully. It just had been a streak, so why did it hurt so much? And why was she way more affected than Chat? He'd had several small cuts by now and he wasn't struggling too hard.
Keep it together, Marinette.
"No, Alya, wait-"
"Nino, I know what I'm doing. Please just stay here.", she heard her best friend say, then she turned to see Nino's worried expression, "Please."
He finally, slowly nodded, grumbling.
"Stay safe. Both of you."
A determined expression dominated Marinette's face as she rushed past her two friends and swung her fake yo-yo. It was no magical weapon but she was used to attacking with this kind of object and it wouldn't stop her from taking on him.
A sudden hatred burned inside of her and she snarled, as she hit Hawkmoth in the neck. Of course, it was no critical hit, it wasn't even enough to make him flinch. But she just needed it as a distraction. Her kick to his sword-arm-shoulder followed and she used his body to push herself back and come to her feet again, using one foot to steady herself by shifting it behind her. She looked up at her enemy, the tall man that she had chased for years by now, and glared at him, readying her fake yoyo again.
Suddenly, Hawkmoth grinned, his mask shifting in his face.
"You're not transformed.", he smugly noted and she gulped, "Marinette, isn't it?"
Her glare vanished and she stumbled back. He still knew her name.
"I've got your Miraculous and you're just wearing what, a costume? Did you really think I would be fooled by that?"
She bared her teeth and tried to hit him again, but he parried her strike with an even wider grin.
"You're nothing against me. Not like this. You're a civilian, you're powerless. You're weak."
His voice boomed in her head, throwing her back into these awful months in which she had told herself thee exact things over and over again. She could almost feel the bitter taste or the alcohol in her mouth again, could smell the metallic scent of blood.
"I'm still Ladybug, with or without my mask. Even with a fake one.", she quickly retorted, frowning at Hawkmoth as he straightened up again, bringing his hands behind his back. It terrified her how unfazed he looked by the fight.
Chat smiled and extended his baton to hit Hawkmoth in the back.
Her arch enemy was forced to take a step forward but didn't stumble. He looked rather annoyed than in pain. Why was that?
Why weren't Chat's blows as powerful as the ones he did with his sword?
Was it because it was sharp? Or an actual weapon?
But Chat's baton was a weapon too, so why didn't it harm him?
Her head started aching so she focused on fighting him. Chat and her moved in sync again and even if her body wasn't as trained as it was in the suit with Tikki's help, she landed quite a few blows. All the while she tried to stay away from his sword. Her leg was throbbing in pain and she was unsure of how much she could still take.
"Cataclysm!", Chat cried out and his fist began to glow in dark sparkles. He leaped and aimed at Hawkmoth's sword but the man moved aside and instead, a big thunder went through the entire observatory as the blonde's hand connected with the floor. Somehow, his Cataclysm was way stronger than she had ever seen before, so the whole building shook. She held out her hands to catch herself because the floor trembled and she was afraid she would be too distracted if she fell. A huge crack went through the floor but soon, it stopped. The building cracked and groaned but it still held together.
She straightened up again and was just about to run in once more to attack as a scream sounded behind her. She whipped around, only to find Alya kneeling, clutching her arm. Nino was beside her, watching with a terrified expression as Alya's arm began glowing out of the multiple tiny cuts she had received when using cataclysm.
Marinette could barely move out of the way as her best friend's hand touched the floor, causing the building to croak one more time and a piece of debris hitting the floor where she had just stood.
It must've been the use of cataclysm that had re-activated the remaining magic inside of Alya, as Plagg had told them. A pulse of magic and Alya would feel it.
The girl looked up with a contorted expression, her arm beginning to bleed. She gave Marinette a small nod, indicating she would be okay.
Marinette returned the gesture, then she spun around to watch Chat again.
He extended his baton just in time to hit Hawkmoth's sword and it flew out of his hand. Her partner managed to swing his baton for the sword to fly away in a corner of the room, into the semi darkness. Hawkmoth tried to parry the baton with his cane as Chat managed to strike another one, but he failed and it hit him right in the stomach. Growling, he doubled over and suddenly, Alya lunged past her, running to Hawkmoth.
"Alya, stop!"
"What're you doing?!"
Marinette watched, horrified, as her best friend favored her injured arm but managed to slide her hand into the suit on his chest and snatch a box before the man could react in any way. Still in pain, her best friend ran back to them, just barely escaping Hawkmoths cane. It still hit her on her waist but luckily, she wore the vest so she didn't even flinch. Alya jumped over the crack in the floor and a pained smile was plastered on her face as she fell to her knees next to Marinette.
"Got them! I got them!"
She handed over the box to Marinette before clutching her arm again.
"Go on, open. I'm-… I'm okay.", she choked out as Nino came up beside them, placing his hands on her shoulders. They both looked up to Marinette who nodded and let out a relieved sigh as she opened it, seeing her Miraculous in there. Alya allowed herself to lean against Nino and the girl heard her whispering a quiet thank you into his ear. She grinned and was about to put them on as Chat let out an angry cry, surging at Hawkmoth again who had tried to follow Alya to retrieve the Miraculous.
"No!", her boyfriend yelled, forcing the taller man back, away from his friends. She smiled in relief but gulped as she noticed that Hawkmoth had somehow regained his sword and was more than willing to kill them now.
Chat parried every hit that Hawkmoth tried with a new ferocity, a fire burning in his eyes. His lady had the Miraculous back and she needed at least a few seconds to reunite with her Kwami. He had to buy her this time, he knew how important that was. If he had been in her position, if he had been the one to go through all this pain, he would cherish every little second that he could get with Plagg.
"Girl, snap out of it! Put on your Miraculous, c'mon!"
Her confused gaze met Alya's and she nodded.
"Yeah, yeah right-…"
She shook her head, trying to push back her worries for her boyfriend. For now, she needed to concentrate on transforming and finally helping him. She handed the empty box over to Alya and put on her earrings. They glowed and Tikki shot out of them, a little dazed.
"Marinette! Marinette, no, don't!", the Kwami cried, a wild expression in her eyes, "Please, you gotta reconsider and-"
She looked around, confused to not be in her wielders room anymore. Her eyes met Marinette's and she tilted her head.
"Where's the Akuma? And why are you not akumatized, but instead transformed? And what am I doing here when you're transformed? Wait, is that a costume?!"
The questions fell from the Kwami's lips faster than Marinette could follow. But she didn't care. Instead, she cupped her hands around Tikki's tiny body and pulled her to her cheek, hugging her gently. Her Kwami reached out her paws and embraced her the best she could as sobs began shaking the frail girl.
Months of being abandoned by friends and family, months of missing her friend, and Marinette felt it all breaking down above her. She felt how her heart got stitched together and broke all over again at how weak she had been, at how terribly she had failed. She had given her Miraculous to Hawkmoth, she herself, because she had been too slow. She had forced Tikki back into her Miraculous because she had been too upset and too stupid, she had given her friend into a prison that she hadn't been able to escape from.
She had failed so miserably but she finally had her back and she felt the relief washing over her like a forceful wave, leaving her body violently trembling and shaking in sobs.
Everything in her broke and healed at the same time as she held her Kwami tighter, as she sobbed and nuzzled Tikki's head. She would give her all the cookies she had, she would never let her out of her eyes again. She would never, ever, let anyone take Tikki away from her. She wouldn't ever allow herself to lose her friend again. To disappoint her so massively.
"What happened, Marinette? And why do you look like you're suddenly thinner – even more so than before?"
Wet, hot tears dropped down her face as she felt her little Kwami moving against her cheek, after months of missing her and only imagining how it felt.
"Tikki, I am so glad, I-… I really missed you…"
Her Kwami looked up, confusion obvious in her expression.
"Marinette, what's going on? And-… where are we? Why is-… Why are Alya and Nino there and-… Why is Chat Noir fighting against Hawkmoth?!"
Marinette sighed, softly kissing her Kwami's little head, her heart suddenly feeling so light as she listened to her friend's voice again.
"I-… I was akumatized and-… I was forced to give you up to Hawkmoth. That's-… It's months back. Everyone thought I had killed Ladybug and-… I-I was alone and started stupid things and-…"
"Wh-What?!", her Kwami parted from her and her eyes jumped down Marinette's body in horror, "Are these bandages on your arms?! And-… You're so thin, Marinette! A-Also, why're you so pale and-… Sick looking?! What did I miss?!"
"A lot, Tikki.", she sighed, biting her lip, "I-… I was depressive and-… I started drinking and cutting myself and-… I t-tried…"
"No…", her Kwami quickly reconnected with her cheek and Marinette felt her sobbing now as well so she once again held her tightly, "… No… No… Oh, Marinette, I'm so sorry… I'm so, so sorry, I-"
"No, I'm so sorry, Tikki. But, I'm afraid I'll have to explain that to you after we-"
Alya beside her as well as Chat in front of Hawkmoth suddenly screamed. Her gaze shot up and she saw Chat pressing his baton against Hawkmoth's cane above his head while the man's other hand with the sword was snapping forward, aimed at his heart. She was about to warn him because he looked away, towards them, but within the next moment she understood why Alya and Chat were yelling in the first place.
"NINO, DON'T!"
Also, my friend and little tumblr-sister orangebunnit did a collab drawing for this chapter! If you wanna see it (because I can't embed it in FFnet stories) please check out Ao3 or tumblr, I've posted it on the end of the chapter both times ;)
