: We hope our crew is to your satisfaction with this instalment! We are her to serve, so don't hesitate to ask us for anything!Enjoy!
When Marinette came upon the rose garden she frequently visited, she did not expect Aspik to be there. He stood with his back turned, admiring one of the roses as he held its petals between his fingers and though Aspik -- Adrien -- looked so very peaceful, she noticed a certain melancholy in his eyes.
Clearing her throat, she walked towards him, "Hello," she supplied to a startled Aspik, "Would you happen to be one of the new heroes that keep appearing every now and then?" Her heart sped up as he smiled towards her, his hand gripping the rose as he brought it up to her for her to take, "Yes, I am. Aspik, at your service."
Taking hold of the rose, she noted how the petals felt odd. Almost as if their growth had been stilted.
Setting the rose aside, she introduced herself, "Nice to meet you, Aspik. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Both of them taking a seat, Aspik brought another rose close to his lips, letting the petals brush by them. "Aren't they beautiful? So delicate-looking, yet able to defend themselves with their thorns without any need for any defender. How wonderful would it be to be able to provide assistance to such a queen of flowers?"
Marinette noted the wistful smile on Aspik' s face and asked the question she longed to know, "Is there a reason you seem so… wistful?" He stared at her for a bit, taking in her azure eyes and raven hair, and felt himself still as he provided the answer, "Today is the day that I received and failed both the Snake miraculous and Ladybug, Marinette."
Taking a strand of stray hair, Adrien tucked it behind her ear, "Today, one year ago, I received the Snake miraculous to only fail Ladybug 25, 913 times in keeping her safe. 25, 913 times." He choked out, his gaze once again clouding with regret, "25, 913 times I watched her become caught, or fail to use her Lucky Charm or fail because she was trying to protect me!" He let his hand drop as Marinette pulled him over to a nearby rose bush.
"You must remember Aspik, though we have not met before, the only reason Ladybug would choose you would be if she thought you were worthy." Her eyes dimmed as she recollected all the reasons she fell in love with Adrien in the first place. "Be it your kindness, or your trust in others. Maybe in your compassion or your wish to make the world a better place, she chose you. A hero is someone…" -- She searched for the words that a master hero would stand by-- "Someone who will do anything for the betterment of others. Someone who will charge ahead with bravery despite the dangers he will face and despite the obstacles that obstruct his way. A hero…" -- she let rest a hand over where his heart was. -- "A hero will try 25, 913 times and more because despite the odds… a hero will still find the will to fight for his beloved." She whispered, the determination in her eyes blowing Aspik away.
Taking hold of a near ready to bloom white rose, she spoke whilst staring at it, "But even a hero cannot rush growth, no matter how much he tries. A hero will… will fight for what is right, what is true, and wait for the time it is his time to shine." -- the flower petals slowly opened in the sun's setting light -- "A hero will know that when it is time -- he will know how it feels to soar when the time is right because… despite the odds, only a true hero will fight for what is already lost, Aspik." Her eyes dimmed, softened, as she lifted the flower up to his cheek, "When the time is right, you will know. And then you will shine brighter than the heavens, my love."
Kissing his cheek, the tainted butterfly that had taken hold of him was set free, now no longer a tainted purple but pure white. The tears slid down his cheek, one by one.
"Thank you." He sobbed, glad to be free of the butterflies hold. The ghost of the girl he had loved nodded and disappeared in a wisp of smoke, leaving him to sob his heart out as he confronted the last reality he wanted to.
The 25, 914 time he hadn't even got a chance to keep her safe as she had already given up hope in winning.
She had remembered the other 25,913 times and only wished him well before crushing her miracle jewel as he submitted to the will of the akuma.
After that, the world drowned in time and all that was left was sorrow, despair and his beloved rose garden he had planned to take his beloved to many realities ago.
