Bunnyx led Ladybug to a burrow and gestured a burrow. Ladybug was about to step through, when she paused.
"Is everything going to work out? You know, with getting the Peacock miraculous?"
"I can't say, Minibug, you know that."
Ladybug glanced at Bunnyx's face, looking for any cracks in the armour, but Bunnyx had a good poker face.
"But, we could maybe stop something bad from happening, like when you took me to the future to Chat Blanc." Ladybug said.
"Time is fragile, we can't risk it. And about Chat Blanc... he was akumatised due to... circumstances sort of similar-ish to the circumstances he is facing now. I suggest you tell him about Chat Blanc, but... look after him."
"Of course, Bunnyx. I will."
Ladybug stepped through the burrow, shivering as the cold air touched her exposed skin. She looked over the edge of the roof she was standing on, and saw the officer pointing to the car, gesturing for Lila to get in. Lila looked up and met Ladybug's eyes.
Ladybug snickered slightly, waving sweetly at Lila. She was finally getting what she deserved. Ladybug nodded to the officer and swung away on her yoyo. She landed on the roof of the balcony, and looked down, to see Adrien looking up at her, the pain clear on his face.
...
"Marinette!"
Chat Noir sat up on the chaise, wiping the tears out of his eyes so he could see clearly. He looked beside him, desperately hoping to see her beside him, but the spot was empty.
She wouldn't have left him, would she have?
When I realised you were Adrien, I quickly lied to you and said that I loved you, so that I could sneak away.
No, that couldn't be true, that was just a nightmare. She wouldn't have left him, she loved him!
Chat Noir stood up and climbed the ladder, hoping to see her sleeping in her bed, but it was empty.
"Marinette?"
He called again, jumping when he heard the trapdoor above him creaking. Once again, he hoped to see her, but only Mayura looked back at him.
"Hello, kitten!" Mayura said pleasantly.
She lunged at him and tackled him to the ground, pressing her knee into his stab wound. He writhed, attempting to escape. Mayura grabbed is right arm and began pulling the ring off his finger. Chat Noir balled his fist, and whimpered as she pressed harder on his stomach.
"Come on, kitten. I don't want to do this. Don't you want to pain to stop? We can make it stop, you know. Just give us the ring, and your life with be perfect again. Isn't that what you want?"
Chat Noir shook his head, pulling his arm out of her grip.
"If that's how you want to play it fine. I gave you the easy option, now your going to have to deal with the hard option." Mayura sighed.
Mayura pressed harder on his stomach, slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle his cries of anguish. He wouldn't be able to get out of this without Ladybug, and she wasn't with him.
Chat Noir looked at his ring through new tears that were forming. He slipping off his finger, seeing his suit disappear.
"Plagg, take it and go!"
Adrien threw the ring to the other side of the room, seeing Plagg catch it. Mayura jumped off him and tried to grab Plagg, but the kwami was too quick.
"Adrien?"
He looked back up to the trapdoor, and saw Ladybug. He pointed to Mayura and Ladybug nodded, jumping into action. She and Mayura rolled over each other, before Mayura grabbed the ring from Plagg before he could fly away.
She slipped the ring on her finger, only to have Ladybug swat it off. Ladybug caught it and grinned at Mayura.
Mayura clenched her jaw and ran up the ladder and pulled Adrien against her body. She pressed her nails to his throat, letting a tiny drop of blood show so Ladybug knew she was serious.
"Give me the ring."
Ladybug looked at the ring in her hand.
"Let me talk to my kwami-"
"I'm not stupid, Ladybug. Unless you give me the ring, he falls off the roof in ten seconds."
Mayura jumped out of the trapdoor and started counting down.
"Ten!"
Ladybug checked Mayura couldn't see inside the room.
"Nine!"
Ladybug ran to her desk, looking around. She didn't find what she was looking for.
"Eight!"
Ladybug ran to the vanity dresser.
"Seven!"
She opened the top draw and looked in it.
"Six!"
She opened the next drawer, glancing at the contents briefly.
"Five!"
Ladybug yanked on the final drawer handle sharply, causing it the contents to come spilling out.
"Four!"
Ladybug looked through them, but didn't see what she was looking for.
"Three!"
Ladybug looked around the room, tears pricking at her eyes.
"Two!"
Ladybug spotted the little box beside her sewing machine. She grabbed it and opened it, pulling out the fake ring.
"One!"
"Fine!"
"No, Ladybu-" Adrien's broken voice called to her.
Ladybug climbed onto the roof, seeing Mayura dangling Adrien off the roof, pressing her nails into his neck.
"Here, take it." Ladybug held the fake ring out to Mayura.
Mayura was about to take it when she hesitated.
"Hold on, that's too easy. What is the kwami's name, Adrien?"
"P-Plagg-"
"Plagg. Get Plagg to give it to me." Mayura said.
Ladybug frowned. Plagg didn't have anything to do with it, but Ladybug wasn't going to argue. She was, however, going to put on a show.
She sniffed, holding the fake ring in the palm of her hand.
"Plagg, give it to her."
Plagg appeared from behind her, and picked up the fake ring, and passed it to Mayura.
"Good. Go now, and take the boy."
Mayura dropped Adrien, and Ladybug quickly swooped down and caught him. She squeezed his hand, her heart breaking when she saw his tear stained face.
"Leave, Mayura you have what you came for." Ladybug said, dramatically wiping a few tears away.
She saw Mayura look uneasily at the chimney before running away. When Ladybug was sure Mayura was gone, she turned to Adrien.
"I'm sorry, I'm really, really, rea-"
"Shh, Adrien, everything's fine. I have the ring, I gave her a fake one. Don't worry. Look, here's your ring." Ladybug slipped his ring onto his finger. "Look, Plagg's here too. None of this is your fault."
Ladybug whispered encouraging words to him while hugging his tightly, allowing him to bury his face in her shoulder. Plagg hugged him, too, hating seeing Adrien so broken.
...
Gabriel hid behind the chimney as he heard Mayura jump away. She was probably circling around to get him, so all he had to do was wait.
Wait.
That would be easy.
He had waited years to bring back his wife.
He could wait a few minutes easily.
But, waiting a few minutes with them on the other side was a completely different story.
Gabriel glanced around the chimney, seeing Ladybug's back turned his way.
Her earrings drew him closer.
He took a silent step.
The earrings were just an arm's length away, now.
He stepped forward, and saw a green eye flicker open.
"N-no! Go away!" Adrien cried, pushing Gabriel backwards.
Gabriel stumbled, and a roof was not a good place to stumble.
He fell off the roof.
"No!" Ladybug cried.
She threw her yoyo over the edge, and watched as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Her yoyo was about to wrap around Gabriel's foot, when he suddenly got scooped up by Mayura. The yoyo still came down, but smashed into her face. Mayura dropped Gabriel, and since they had been in mid air, he flew forward and landed in the middle of the road with several pained grunts.
"Father!"
"He is not your father!" Mayura screamed at Adrien.
He fell onto his knees, the weight of what he had just done too much for him to handle. Ladybug thought fast.
"Plagg, take Adrien inside. I'll deal with this."
Plagg nodded and led Adrien into Marinette's bedroom. Adrien's eyes were pouring of tears he didn't seem to register.
Ladybug jumped onto the road and pulled Gabriel off the road. Mayura landed beside her, and there was a silent agreement between them not to do anything they'll regret. Ladybug pulled out her bug phone and stepped back, allowing Mayura to check on Gabriel.
"I, uh, yes, hi. I need the ambulance. Urgently."
...
"This is all my fault."
"No, it's not. You simply acted on instinct, and he got injured."
"He might die, because of me."
"He's not going to die. I promise you. I saw his fall. Maybe a sprained ankle and a few broken ribs, but he'll survive. Just like how you survived."
Adrien looked up.
"But I had a miraculous. Maybe if I give him one, just for a day, he'll get better?"
Adrien climbed up the ladder and slid beneath Marinette's bed, sliding the Miracle Box towards him.
"No! Adrien, don't do this!"
"I have to, Plagg! He needs to get better. It's not fair that I got to heal quickly while he's going to be stuck in the hospital for heck-knows-how-long."
"It's you accidentally push him, and you feel all this guilt, when he tortured you and feels probably no guilt at all!"
Adrien winced, both as Plagg's words and tone.
"Sorry, kid. There's got to be anoth-"
"There isn't. Plagg-"
"Don't you say it-"
"Claws Out!"
Chat Noir pressed each of the little spots until he spotted the Butterfly miraculous. Why the Butterfly miraculous? He didn't know. Maybe Nooroo could keep Gabriel company or something.
He jumped out onto the balcony, leaving the Miracle Box on the bed. He leapt onto the road, guilty tears forming. He forced himself to walk forward. Gabriel looked up at him.
"No! Go away, you sick monster! Take him away, Mayura! Kill him for what he's done to me!" Gabriel screamed, causing people to look out of their windows to find the source of the shrieking.
Chat Noir took a step back, and Mayura spotted the Butterfly miraculous in his hand.
"Chat Noir, did you take that from the Miracle Box?" Ladybug asked, not even trying to conceal the anger in her voice.
Mayura tried to grab the Butterfly miraculous, but it fell into the road. Both Ladybug and Mayura jumped at it, and started to roll over each other, so they didn't see the car driving up the road.
They did hear it, though. Both Ladybug and Marura rolled out of it's way, and the car drove forward, the driver oblivious to what was happening.
They had almost gotten run over, and it was all Chat Noir's fault. Because he couldn't handle the fact that he was the cause of all his father's injuries. His father didn't even want to be related to him, because of all the things he had done.
Chat Noir fell to his knees and looked at himself. He was ashamed to be himself. He really was. Ladybug was probably ashamed of him, too.
Apologising wouldn't get him out of the mess he had created. He should just leave.
Chat Noir took his baton off his back and extended it, pushing him through the air.
...
Ladybug rolled out of the way of the car, seeing Mayura do the same. When the car had passed, Ladybug reached forward and grabbed the Butterfly miraculous from the road.
Mayura looked at her, defeat written all across her face. Ladybug looked at Chat Noir, who had stood up, and was vaulting away on his baton.
"Have you got this, Mayura?" Ladybug asked, gesturing to Gabriel.
Mayura nodded, crouching down beside Gabriel.
"The ambulance should be here in a few minutes. He needs the medical attention. Don't take him, let him get help."
"Get help. You make it sound like he's gone mad." Mayura said.
"He may ha-"
"Give me one reason that shows he may have gone mad." Mayura said, crossing her arms.
"He tortured his own son."
"We didn't know he was his son at the time."
"Well, you still tortured him."
"Yes, I did, and I'm still perfectly sane!"
"Are you?" Ladybug asked.
Mayura clenched her jaw.
"What do you want? Are you just going to try and grab the Peacock miraculous from when I'm not looking?" Mayura said sarcastically.
Ladybug sighed, freeing one of her hands.
"Yes."
She grabbed it an plucked it off Mayura's chest. Blue light flashed, and Nathalie stood in Mayura's place.
"That's low, Ladybug."
"Says you."
Nathalie looked around her, her eyes lingering on the bakery.
"Don't you need to look after your kitten?"
"Yes, I do. But unlike you, I will actually look after him."
Ladybug zipped away on her yoyo, towards where she had seen Chat Noir take off. She looked at her yoyo, and spotted the paw print at the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug swung to the tower, seeing Chat Noir sitting right on the edge.
Ladybug landed quietly, careful not to startle him. She approached slowly, seeing his cat ears perk up.
"Kitten?"
Chat Noir didn't respond.
Ladybug sat down next to him and looked at his face.
"Are you okay?"
Chat Noir shook his head.
"Please go, please leave me alone."
"Why?"
"Because I'm bad luck!" Chat Noir cried, accidentally pushing Ladybug into the middle of the platform. "See! I just keep hurting everyone! Just leave me alone, please! Then I won't be able to hurt you anymore."
"You're hurting yourself by doing this-"
"It's better than hurting you." Chat Noir muttered.
"No." Ladybug walked up to him again, putting the Peacock and Butterfly miraculous into her yoyo, then putting her yoyo around her waist. "It's not better."
Chat Noir looked at her, clearly fighting against himself to stay.
Ladybug stepped closer and took his hand. She spoke in a soft whisper.
"You hurting yourself hurts me. You mean so, so much to me, and I don't want to lose you. Your father... he will get better. Did you bring him the miraculous so he would heal faster, like you did?"
Chat Noir nodded, not meeting her eyes.
"That was nice of you, you know. But, it wasn't the best idea to give a miraculous to someone who had already proven they wouldn't use it properly, was it?"
Chat Noir shook his head.
Ladybug took his other hand and gave both is hands a gentle squeeze. She looked carefully at his expression, trying to guess at what he may be thinking or feeling.
He suddenly took her in a hug.
"I'm sorry, so, so sorry!"
"You don't need to be. You've done nothing wrong."
Ladybug rubbed her hand over his back, the sounds of Chat Noir sobbing the only thing she heard.
...
Nathalie watched as Ladybug zipped away on her yoyo. Nathalie looked back to the bakery. If Marinette was Ladybug, which she probably was, the Miracle Box would most likely be hidden in her bedroom. If Nathalie could get it, she and Gabriel would have almost all of the miraculouses' powers at their fingertips.
Nathalie looked at the building. She tried the door, but it was locked. She would probably have to climb. Nathalie sucked in a breath and grabbed onto the nearest pipe. She used it to climb onto the roof. She jumped and almost fell at the sudden sound of a nearby siren.
Nathalie looked onto the balcony and slid onto it, then glanced into the open trapdoor. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the open Miracle Box dumped on the bed. Nathalie landed on the bed and hesitantly reached to the spotted box.
So much power, was held in this thing. So much power would now belong to her...
And Gabriel, of course.
Nathalie thought about what Ladybug had said, about leaving Gabriel to get help. That would probably be beneficial, and allow him to think as he healed.
Nathalie's mind returned towards the Miracle Box again. Her hands grasped around it, shaking. She climbed onto the balcony again, squinting as saw something approaching. She balled her fists around the Miracle Box when she saw Ladybug, closely followed by Chat Noir.
"Mayu- Nathalie!" Ladybug landed on the balcony.
She threw her yoyo around her, tying Nathalie's arms around her body, causing her to drop the Miracle Box.
Chat Noir cautiously approached and picked up it up, clutching it close to his chest.
Ladybug picked up Nathalie's restrained body and brought her back down to the road.
"That was low, you know."
"Say you."
Ladybug made Nathalie sit down, still tied up in the yoyo. Ladybug then turned to the ambulance which had arrived a few moments earlier.
She called over one of the ambulance people over.
"This person here is injured too-" Ladybug started
"I'm no-"
"If she isn't injured, she can go straight to prison. She was Mayura." Ladybug told the worker.
The worker nodded and called over a few others.
Ladybug could see she was no longer needed. She waved and leapt onto the roof, seeing Chat Noir in the exact same position. Ladybug landed in front of him and took the Miracle Box from him, then led him into her bedroom by his hand.
"You're safe now, kitten, no one's going to hurt you."
Chat Noir opened him mouth but Ladybug interrupted him.
"And you are not hurting anyone by being here, okay? I want you here, and I need you here."
Chat Noir hesitantly nodded.
Ladybug's eyes wandered down his body, to his shaking knees. She led him to the chaise and sat him down.
"What happened today was not your fault. You did... the right thing. He will recover, and you will too."
Ladybug placed her hand on his lower stomach, frowning as he shuddered slightly. She looked back up to his face, and wiped away the single tear that had slid down his face.
Ladybug embraced him in a hug, feeling his heartbeat through his suit.
"Don't worry, it's over now."
She felt him nod into her shoulder.
"You still haven't slept properly, have you?"
She heard him whine as she pulled away.
"Being tired isn't going to help you, in any way. Your stomach should have healed a lot by the morning."
"I-if I do go to sleep, are you- are you going to leave me again?"
Ladybug looked at his dejected face.
"No. I'm never going to leave you again. I'm really sorry I did before, I just really wanted to catch them and get the miraculouses. Speaking of miraculouses, I should put these away."
She opened the Miracle Box and put the Peacock and Butterfly miraculous inside.
"Now, we just need to put the Ladybug and Cat miraculouses in, and it'll be full."
Chat Noir nodded, lying down on his back to ease the strain on his stomach. He watched Ladybug switch off the light and walk over him.
"Don't worry, kitten. Everything will be okay. I promise."
Ladybug lay down beside him and let him roll over slightly onto her, burying his face in her neck.
...
Hawkmoth brushed his hand over the objects on the table. He picked up a small dagger and let the blade scratch on the table, creating a sick metallic sound that echoed around.
Chat Noir shivered. He tried to squirm away as Hawkmoth stalked closer, but the chair he was bound to didn't allow much movement.
Hawkmoth tilted the blade, reflecting a small beam of light around the room, before resting it just above Chat Noir's eyes.
"Scared, are we?"
Chat Noir looked at him, his face betraying him as he tried to hide his fear. Hawkmoth cocked his head to the side as the corners of his lips perked up.
"I was scared, when you pushed me off that roof. Did you care? No, you don't care about anyone other than yourself."
"I-I didn't mean to pu-"
"And yet, you still did." Hawkmoth snarled at the quivering kitten before him.
Hawkmoth aimed the dagger and threw it, and it embedded itself in the muscle of Chat Noir's arm.
Chat Noir gasped in pain.
Hawkmoth crouched down so that they were both at the same eye level.
"Did you enjoy that?"
But Chat Noir didn't hear him, as he was too busy trying to control the stabbing pain from his arm.
"You didn't?" Hawkmoth put on a dramatic pout. "You partner did."
"M-m-my p-partner? L-Ladybug?" Chat Noir stuttered, looking around desperately.
Hawkmoth nodded. "Yes. She was very eager to allow you to be tortured first."
"She- she was?"
Hawkmoth ignored him and walked into the darkness, then returned with a chair in his arms. He put the chair on the ground, and let Chat Noir look at the person bound to it.
"L-Ladybug? What- what has he done to you?"
"He hasn't done anything to me. I told him to torture you." Ladybug said, her tone annoyed and bored.
"B-but, why? I didn't do anything!"
Ladybug's calm blue eyes became a storm.
"Exactly! That's the problem! You never do anything! You just stand there making these puns and stupid jokes! I do all the work and yet you still get some of the credit! And whenever you do do something, other people get hurt! Sometimes, I really wish you would just die."
Chat Noir felt his heart drop and shatter on the cold emptiness of his stomach.
Hawkmoth smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"You said 'sometimes'. What about those other times, Ladybug?"
"In those other times, I had wanted him to be in a situation just like this. Completely vulnerable and defenceless, with the truth like a thorn in his heart." Ladybug grinned at them.
Hawkmoth looked back to Chat Noir.
"How do you feel now, kitten? Ladybug doesn't want you. Your mother didn't want you. Not even I want you."
Chat Noir sniffed and looked at the floor. Hawkmoth clenched his jaw and punched Chat Noir on his jaw, the force of the punch knocking the chair backwards.
Chat Noir fell onto his back, his arms trapped at an awkward angle beneath his body and the chair.
"Well, isn't this fun…" Hawkmoth said, walking out of Chat Noir's view.
He can back a few moments later with Ladybug held tightly in his arms. Hawkmoth slowly reached for her earrings.
"Quick, Chat Noir, stop him!" Ladybug cried.
Chat Noir wriggled against the ropes holding him to the chair, but wasn't strong enough.
Hawkmoth pulled the earrings out of Ladybug's ears, and a red light flashed, revealing Marinette in her place. Hawkmoth released her and looked gleefully at the earrings in his hands.
Marinette walked up to Chat Noir, who was still lying on the floor. He squirmed away as she raised her foot.
She smashed her foot into his right eye, grinning darkly as he screamed. He looked at her with his left eye, trying to ignore the fact that his right eye was now mangled and bloody.
She kicked his left eye, hearing him yell in agony again. He tried looking around, but both most of his vision had gone. He looked up at the blurry figure of Marinette walking back to Hawkmoth.
He mustered up all of his strength and broke the ropes binding his wrists together. He stood up, pressing through the wave of dizziness that passed over him. He stumbled over to Marinette, frowning when she stepped away from him in disgust.
She spotted the blood spilling out of his arm and lunged at him, sticking one of her fingers into the spot the dagger had been.
Chat Noir instinctively swatted at her hand, and crumbled at the look of horror that appeared on Marinette's face.
"How dare you touch me, you filthy stray!" Marinette kicked him in the knees, anger still evident on her face as she watched him fall to the ground.
Chat Noir felt another wave of dizziness, and reached a hand out to Marinette, silently begging her to let him apologize.
Marinette kicked his hand away and stomped on it, a grimace appearing on her face when he whimpered.
"Shut up!" Marinette yelled, kicking him again in the face. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!"
Chat Noir coughed, feeling blood flow into his nose and mouth, choking him again.
Again?
He didn't remember this happening before. Him choking just felt… familiar.
Marinette stepped back, grinning at his destroyed face. She looked at Hawkmoth, and screamed as he plunged a long knife into her chest. Marinette fell onto her back and looked at Chat Noir, muttering one final sentence before her eyes became glassy.
"This is your fault."
Chat Noir crawled over to her, as if he would be able to revive her.
Hawkmoth kicked him away from her body.
"She doesn't want you, leave her alone!"
"B-b-but, she-"
"Wanted you to shut up, so shut up!" Hawkmoth whacked Chat Noir's shoulder with his cane. "She wanted to die, so she wouldn't have to think about you! Your mother wanted to die, so she wouldn't have to think about you!"
Chat Noir curled up, wanting to deny the facts, but he was sure that deep down he knew what Hawkmoth was saying was true.
"Look at me."
Chat Noir did so.
"You are the cause of all this. You. Not even I can stand living with the thought of you. Which is why, I am going to…"
"N-no! Father, please!" Chat Noir cried.
Hawkmoth kicked him away, then plunged the bloody blade in his own chest. He collapsed onto the floor.
"Who's fault is this?" Hawkmoth asked.
Chat Noir sobbed into the floor.
"Mine."
...
Ladybug opened her yoyo in the dark, seeing a reporter reporting outside the hospital. Ladybug turned the volume down and put on subtitles so she didn't wake Chat Noir up.
"-where Gabriel Agreste, formerly known as Hawkmoth according to Ladybug, is being taken out of an ambulance. It appears that he has several injuries, such as multiple broken ribs, broken ankle and broken arm. Nathalie Sancoeur is also being taken into the hospital for minor injuries. The police would like to talk to Ladybug and Chat Noir about the happenings that caused the injuries, as well as other queries that have been put forward. Ladybug and Chat Noir have not appeared yet."
Ladybug leaned back and rested her head on the pillows behind her, her hand lowering, causing the light from the yoyo to dimly illuminate the area.
This was probably going to become a big mess, especially if Gabriel and Nathalie told people about she and Chat Noir's identities.
But, did keeping their identity a secret really matter anymore? There was no more Hawkmoth, no more Mayura, no more miraculous problems.
Nothing stopping she and Chat Noir from being together.
And yet, there was.
Gabriel was in hospital, and he would probably be causing problems with Adrien, as well as their identities.
Or, maybe he wouldn't.
Maybe he was decent enough to allow his son to live in peace.
Ladybug seriously doubted that. Gabriel had tried to kill his own son, and he had succeeded in torturing him, both emotionally and physically.
Her arms moved by their own will and brought Chat Noir's face closer to her's, allowing her to hear the soft whimper that escaped his partially opened lips.
She had really wished she had noticed his heavy breathing and sweat covered forehead a few moments earlier. She shook his gently, but that didn't seem to do anything.
She shook his more violently, but he only whined in response. Her eyes moved down to his lower stomach. Giving him a little prod there would definitely wake him up...
"I'm sorry, kitten..."
She poked his stomach, watching him uneasily as he shrivelled in on himself. Just a bit more pressure, and he would wake up.
She bit her lip and gave him the softest punch possible on his stab wound. A wave of relief came over her as he shuddered and opened his eyes.
"L-Ladybug? You- you're alive? You're alive!"
He flung his arms around her and hugged her as tight as he could, knocking the air out of her.
"Yes, I'm fine. You're fine. Just breath. Yes, just like that - in and out."
Ladybug rubbed his back as he struggled to regain a normal breathing pattern.
"Did he- is he okay?" Chat Noir asked, his words slightly muffled due to his face being pressed into her neck.
"He's going at get better. But, it's not- no, look at me, kitten. It is not your fault. Do you hear me? It is not your fault."
Chat Noir pulled away, frowning when he saw Ladybug's neck and shoulder shining with his tears. He met her eyes, blurred slightly with her own tears.
"Don't cry, M'lady."
Ladybug smiled at him. "But, you're crying too."
He dropped his head, cringing as a few tears fell onto the soft fabric of the chaise.
"Sorry..."
"Don't be sorry, you've got nothing to be sorry for."
He sniffed and looked up, the yoyo catching his eye. He reached for it, not seeing Ladybug look at him worriedly. She pulled him away and sat him beside her, holding the yoyo so they could both see.
"Try to stay calm, okay?"
Chat Noir nodded, playing with Ladybug's hand as he watched the video continue. The screen flashed to a picture of Emilie, before cutting back to the reporter.
"This is Emilie Agreste, the wife of Gabriel Agreste, who had formerly been believed to have been either missing or dead. This is confirmed to be her. Close family members, such as Amelie Graham de Vanily and Félix Graham de Vanily have been asked to come to Paris, and they have confirmed that they will arrive in Paris soon, however, their date of arrival is currently unknown."
"Félix is my cousin. Amelie is my mother's sister. I think you've met Félix before."
"I have? When?"
"When we fought Lady Wifi, Reflekta and Princess Fragrance at the same time, remember?"
"Oh, yeah... he tried to kiss me." Ladybug said, annoyance filling her as she relived the memory in her mind.
"Did you- did you let him?" Chat Noir asked quietly.
"Of course not, I could tell he wasn't really you."
"You could? How?"
"You, kitten, are selfless and always put others before yourself. You would never force me to kiss you, I know that." Ladybug squeezed his hand, smiling at the faint blush that covered Chat Noir's cheeks.
"-cation of Adrien Agreste is considered classified information for his own privacy, but his location is known to the police. He will be called in the morning to check his status. Anything he says will also be considered as classified information for his own privacy, as well as his acquaintances."
"Do you think Nathalie told them you were here?"
"Maybe. I don't know."
"Would she have revealed your identity?"
"Probably not. She said she didn't want to hurt me when I was-" Chat Noir gestured to the area around the bed, "over there."
Ladybug nodded, sensing the topic was making him anxious.
"-ody will be checked for any signs of life. It is most likely she will be found unresponsive, but we are currently unsure of what will happen to the body."
"Who are they talking about?"
"I think they're talking about your mother..."
Chat Noir looked down, fiddling with Ladybug's hand again, because he didn't want to feel the emotions he knew would hurt him.
"You can't just bury the emotions or bottle them up. It'll be easier in the end to just... feel them."
He nodded, resting his head on her shoulder as he sobbed.
He had accepted that she was gone and wasn't coming back.
Then, he had accepted the possibility that she may actually be alive.
And now, he was going to have to accept the fact that she probably was dead again, and never coming back.
"That's right, kitten, just let it out." Ladybug whispered, turning so that she could hug him as he cried.
She turned her back to the darkness, letting her arms wrap protectively around the broken kitten.
...
Félix looked out of the window, seeing the rain splatter on the window, distorting the image of the rising sun in the distance.
He ran a hand through his hair, picking out some clothes from the wardrobe. He changed, slipping his phone into his back pocket. He went into the kitchen, seeing Amelie already ready to leave.
"Good morning, Félix."
"Good morning. You seem stressed, is everything okay?"
Amelie sighed, drinking some water.
"You know about what happened with your uncle. I feel like we are going to be suspects, as if we knew about him and his secretary being holders of the miraculouses. Why else would they seem so eager for us to go to Paris as soon as possible?"
"They didn't seem that eager on the phone." Félix started, then realised his mistake too late.
"Were you listening when I was on the phone? I thought you were asleep! Why were you up so late at night?"
"I just... wanted to make sure everything was okay..."
Amelie sighed again.
"Well, I suppose it's best you knew anyway. They really were eager though. That's why they offered to let us stay at Le Grand Paris for free."
"That's... wow... they really are eager..."
Amelie nodded, breaking eye contact.
"I trust that you've already packed a bag?" Amelie asked.
"Yes, I put it in the corridor by the door next to your bag."
"Good." Amelie glanced at the clock behind Félix. "We have almost 2 hours until the train leaves for Paris. I'll get breakfast ready."
Félix nodded, his blond hair barely moving.
He looked back outside the window, seeing his cousin look back in the reflection.
...
Ladybug brushed Chat Noir's hair out of his eyes. His eyes were closed, but she could tell he was still awake by the way he was clutching her hand.
"You've got to sleep, you know."
"Why? It's not like we have school tomorrow..."
"Well, no... but you're still going to have to deal with the public now knowing about your father-"
"He's not my father."
"What? Who said that?"
"He did."
"When?"
"When he- when he-" Chat Noir's voice cracked. His hand hovered above his stomach. He whispered, but his voice still cracked. "Do you think I'm going to be like him?"
Ladybug raised her eyebrows at the question, despite having seen it coming.
"You're going to be whoever you choose to be. He chose his path, and you're going to chose your path too. I seriously doubt you'll go down the same road he did."
"But, there's still a chance-"
"No, there's not. I know you, kitten. You put others before yourself, there's no way you would do what he did to you to someone else."
"But I'm always hurting you and everyone else!"
"No, you're not. What happened on the roof was not your fault at all."
Chat Noir looked away, getting lost in his thoughts.
"What are you thinking?"
"Sometimes, I just want to erase the past, you know... to make it as if none of this ever happened." Chat Noir said, his eyes looking back up at her.
She felt her body stiffen.
Erase the past.
Chat Blanc had wanted to do that.
"Ladybug, are you okay? Marinette?" Chat Noir frowned when she didn't respond. "Marinette?"
"Oh, sorry, yeah, hi-"
"What were you thinking? You looked a bit scared."
"I am scared..."
"Why? Was it something- was it something I said, or did?"
"It's... complicated..."
"You've helped me, let me help you."
Ladybug shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes.
"I suggest you tell him about Chat Blanc, but... look after him."
If Bunnyx thought it would be best...
"Listen, Chat Noir, there's something I need to tell you about. I'm going to need you to not interrupt and not freak out. The stuff is... pretty messed up..."
"More messed up than what's happened recently?"
Ladybug nodded.
"I'm going to tell you the whole thing, right from the beginning. Do you remember when I delivered that beurrexx to your room, and said that it was from a fan club in Brazil?"
Chat Noir nodded.
"That wasn't from a fan club. It was from me. But, somehow you had worked out my identity from it. I had originally thought you had told someone, which led to Chat Noir knowing my identity, but now," Ladybug brought him into a hug, affectionately ruffling his hair as he nuzzled her. "But now, I know that my two favourite people was just the most awesome guy ever."
"I'm your two favourite people?" Chat Noir asked, his eyes sparkling. "Oh, wait, no sorry, never mind, I interrupte-"
"It's fine. And yes, you are. Anyway, something caused you to be- to be akumatised, into Chat Blanc."
Ladybug gently squeezed Chat Noir's hand as he tensed.
"That wasn't your fault either. But, you did get akumatised, and everyone... everyone was... gone..."
"I-I'm sorr-"
"Don't even think about apologising for that. Chat Blanc wasn't your fault, and this isn't either."
Chat Noir rolled away from her. It had to be his fault. He was akumatised! He had failed Ladybug, he had failed Paris, and everyone else. He had even failed himself.
Chat Noir crouched onto the floor and darted to the trapdoor above the bed. He heard Ladybug telling him to come back, but he couldn't.
She deserved better than him. Everyone deserved better than him.
Chat Noir scrambled onto the railing of the balcony, suppressing a whine as his stomach tensed and pulsed.
He glanced back for a moment, seeing Ladybug throw her yoyo around his ankle. He struggled to get free, then brought his right hand onto the string. He slipped his nail between his ankle and the string, giving him just enough space to get his foot loose.
He kicked it away and ran, desperate for Ladybug to stop following him.
Why was she following him, anyway?
He was nothing, just a mere distraction. She didn't need him.
No one did.
What people needed was for him to go away!
Chat Noir turned back once again, seeing Ladybug throw her yoyo in his direction.
He fell face down towards the road.
He shut his eyes tight, waiting for the inpact that would surely hurt a lot.
And the impact that never came.
He opened his eyes slowly, shaking slightly from fear.
Chat Noir noticed his ankle was tied around a lamppost, the black string of Ladybug's yoyo wrapping then tightly together.
"Shh, calm down, breathe, remember."
Ladybug said to the upside-down cat. She untied him and let him stand on his own feet.
She kept the yoyo tied around his ankle and gripped his wrist tightly so that he wouldn't try to run again.
"You know, I might have to put a collar and leash on you, if you keep running of like this..." Ladybug said, trying to make a joke that didn't carry too much weight.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a good thing to say to him.
Chat Noir started shaking. He couldn't have a collar on him, or it would be just like when he had been taken. He looked around, frantically trying to find an escape.
His legs moved without him meaning to move them, and he tripped on the yoyo string, causing his head to hit the lamp post.
He felt the pain, but only for the briefest moment, before he blacked out.
...
"Why do you do this you yourself, kitten?"
Ladybug crouched down and checked on him, quickly realising that he had just knocked himself out. She picked him up and untangle her yoyo, throwing it to the bakery.
She lay him on the chaise and wondered how he could get him to let go of the guilt he feels.
The only think she came up with was showing him that it wasn't his fault.
Maybe Bunnyx would let him see how he got akumatised?
Ladybug herself was curious, too.
"Bunnyx? Can you come?" Ladybug called out to seemingly no one.