Chapter 25
"Put this on your faces!" Adrien screamed, throwing the tea towels that he'd just dunked in Rolland's dish water in the direction of Marinette's family. Sabine and Rolland were hobbling toward the door with Marinette in between them. She was strong enough to put some weight on her feet, but she was still incoherent. Eerie purple flames had already engulfed the upper floor of Rolland's house and two of the buildings next door.
Adrien desperately looked around. What would Ladybug do? How would she fix this? Adrien placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder, "May I?" he asked softly. She looked up at him in relieved understanding and nodded. Adrien scooped Marinette up in his arms and Tom opened the door for all five of them. The air outside was marginally better than inside, but seeing so many buildings on fire still kicked Adrien's anxiety into high gear. Besides, here on this street, surrounded by purple flames, they were still trapped.
"Rolland," Adrien called, "Do you have a vehicle? Does anyone?"
"I've got an old motorcycle with a sidecar," Marinette's grandfather wheezed, "but it's not in great shape."
"It's better than staying here and burning to death!" Rolland nodded in agreement and hobbled off.
Tom and Sabine exchanged worried looks. "What do you think?" Sabine asked Adrien, "Where should we go?"
Adrien looked at the purple flames engulfing the rows of houses flanking the street, "We've got to end this, one way or the other."
"But I thought you said Marinette had written this reality," Tom noted fervently, "and she's not exactly in a fit state to be rewriting it just yet!"
Adrien looked at the beautiful girl in his arms. She blinked up at him. He thought he saw a stir of recognition in her faded blue eyes, but then her eyelids clamped shut once more. "The earrings are working. Tikki's last magic is healing her," Adrien stated, sounding much more confident than he felt. "We just need to give her time."
Rolland's motorcycle engine roared to life and the old man pulled the rickety bike to the street in front of them. Adrien settled Marinette into the sidecar, as everyone silently spoke the same concerns. Adrien looked up at the small vehicle, then looked to Tom and Sabine, "Take her somewhere safe!"
Tom and Sabine looked at each other. The roof of Rolland's home collapsed, sending purple sparks and debris showering over them. "No, son," Tom pushed Adrien's shoulder, "It's you. Go. Save her. Save us!"
Adrien's stomach flipped in knots as a wave of heat caught him from the crumpling buildings around him. Biting back the lump in his throat, Adrien straddled the bike and popped the clutch. It lurched forward.
"Come on!" he tried one last time, scooting forward on the seat to try to make room for the others.
"GO!" Sabine and Tom yelled in tandem. Adrien kept his eyes straight forward, refusing to even peek in the rearview mirror as he flew down the blazing corridor. They would be ok. They would figure out how to get out of here. Marinette would save them, just like she had saved Adrien by sending Kagami in the car. It was going to work out. They were all going to be ok.
Right?
No, he couldn't let himself doubt, not now. The motorcycle lurched beneath him. He had so little experience driving in general and had only ridden a motorcycle a couple times as part of a photoshoot, but now wasn't the time to be cursing his inexperience. So what if the motorcycle lurched? He urged the old machine forward, hot, putrid air whizzing past his face. He barely heard Marinette's soft moan over the roar of the engine and the blazing fire around him, but he stole a glance at her. She had her hands over the makeshift mask on her face. Adrien felt a surge of relief to see her cognizant enough to do even that much. "Hang on, Marinette," he yelled, "I won't give up on you! Hang on!"
He darted between flaming buildings and over the Seine. The water was angrily roiling in white, foamy rapids. He knew where he had to go—Hawkmoth had shown him… was still showing him, as Adrien noticed grimly. If he thought about the other reality at all, it was still there, still visible. He was there just as much as he was here, split evenly. Chat Noir and Adrien, the same person, fighting for life in both realities.
The Eiffel Tower loomed above him. He killed the engine and looked up. There he was—Hawkmoth, on a platform about halfway up; Adrien could just make out his purple suit.
"Adrien," Marinette murmured beside him.
He whipped around to look at her, "Marinette, can you hear me?"
"Don't give up on me!" she whispered earnestly.
"I won't!" he promised. Helping her to her feet. She took a few feeble steps, then collapsed in his arms. "Hang on, Marinette!" he chanted again, and carried her to the quiet glass elevator that would take them to Hawkmoth.
Inside the elevator, away from the smoke and the fire, a sudden calm washed over them. Adrien cradled Marinette's head against his shoulder. She was so tiny, so fragile—he marveled at how such a person could also be the fierce and powerful Ladybug. She'd carried so much on those petite shoulders. "Marinette," he whispered, kissing her forehead tenderly, "I'm so sorry that I let you carry your burdens alone. I'm so sorry I never saw you for all the amazing things you are. I love you. I love you for being you. I love how protective you are of your friends and family. I love how you get flustered when you talk to me. I love how you're creative. I love your strength and your passion. I don't just love Ladybug, I love you—all of you."
"Don't give up—" she whispered.
"No, please don't give up on me," he emphasized. "Please, please forgive me. Please give me another chance. I only ever wanted to be the best partner I could be. I tried; I really did! I know I failed more times than is fair, but, Marinette, I want to be your equal. I want to be there for you every waking moment. Please don't give up on me; I love you!"
The elevator bounced to a halt and the doors slid open. Marinette's slender arms squeezed him so subtly that if he hadn't been attuned to every tiny motion, he might have missed it. He set her down softly, pulled the wet rag back over her nose and mouth, then marched forward toward the man in purple.
"Hawkmoth." Adrien growled, "This ends now. Stop what you're doing and surrender. You know as well as I do that none of us are making it out of this alive."
Hawkmoth spun on a toe, "Nice try, Chat Noir. Just give me back the Miraculous and you will get your wish!" Adrien shook his head, not wanting to hear any more of his father's malevolent monologue, and raced forward, swinging a punch. Hawkmoth ducked and returned a blow of his own, catching Adrien in the stomach. "You want to play rough, then? Fine. Paris is falling, reality is almost fully disintegrated. You're out of time."
Adrien punched and kicked; Hawkmoth returned the blows.
Chat Noir sunk his claws into the support rail of the tower and screeched to a halt. He extended his baton to full battle-staff, spinning and connecting with Hawkmoth's cane. The two sword fought across the platform, parrying and slicing at each other. The staff connected with Hawkmoth's shoulder.
Hawkmoth screamed in pain as his shoulder split open. He jumped, spun, and planted a roundhouse kick on Adrien's chest. Adrien flew backward, hitting the ground hard a meter away from Marinette.
Chat Noir growled, arched his back and sprung to his feet. Ladybug looked at him helplessly, "Chat, you can do this!" she whispered, before her head lolled backwards once again. Chat raced forward, teeth bared, claws ready.
Adrien connected a right cross with Hawkmoth's jaw, then spun and swept his feet out from under him.
Chat Noir pressed his staff against Hawkmoth's throat, pinning him down. "It's over! You've lost!"
Hawkmoth growled, "You're pathetic. You think that by knocking me to the ground you've somehow won? Look around you, Adrien! You really are a disappointment to the Agreste name, you know that?"
Ladybug stirred behind him, "No, no he's not. He's the best partner and my best friend. We're never going to stop fighting you, Hawkmoth."
Marinette stumbled to her feet, "You… you need to stop hurting him. He's only trying to save lives."
"Ladybug!"
"Marinette!"
Hawkmoth kicked upward, trying to free himself from Chat Noir's grasp. Chat pressed down harder. "If I die right now, I will die in peace knowing you will never hurt another person ever again."
Marinette's tiny hand touched Adrien's shoulder. "Adrien," she whispered—
"Chat Noir—"
He turned, "My Lady?"
Marinette bit her lip, wiping a tear from his cheek, "Partners?"
Adrien gasped, "Partners." He released Hawkmoth's throat and reached for her with his right hand.
"NO!" Hawkmoth screamed, wrapping an arm around Adrien's neck in a chokehold. Adrien's fingers grasped at air. He fell to his knees, overwhelmed by Hawkmoth's weight. White stars popped across his vision. He was losing consciousness, he was falling—
Electricity jolted him back to life as Marinette's warm fingers took his. She interlaced their hands, and Hawkmoth was blown off Adrien's back by an eruption of light.
Chat Noir and Ladybug were surrounded by a shield of raw energy. Echoes of realities past danced around them. The two looked at each other. Her earrings glowed; his ring glowed.
Tikki and Plagg suddenly appeared before Adrien and Marinette, smiling, before zooming forward to connect with their Miraculous. Adrien and Marinette were lifted off their feet by the power of it all. Memories started flashing before Adrien's eyes—memories of his mother, memories of school, memories of Chat Noir tangled up in Ladybug's yo-yo string, memories of Marinette stuttering.
He loved Marinette stuttering. As soon as he acknowledged that, the memory passed by him and he saw, in the distance, that memory becoming reality once more. He focused on each memory, willing each to cement. He heard Marinette's memories as well—they were so connected, there were no hidden moments between them. He saw a smiling version of himself, like a reflection, holding out an umbrella to her, and he felt her reaction. He saw her memories of Chat Noir throwing himself in the line of fire again and again to save her. He saw the back of his head through her eyes, he felt her ache and yearned for himself to just turn around and see her. He felt the weight of Guardianship on her shoulders.
"Marinette," he cried, "you don't have to keep it! You can let the pain go!"
She looked at him through the glowing vortex of memory, "There would be a price."
"Let someone else pay that price, for once!" he cried, regretting it the instant it left his lips. "Let me pay the price!"
She squeezed his hand, "You would do that?"
He nodded. The memories swirled around them even more intensely. The bond was getting hotter, harder to hold on to.
She smiled softly at him, "No, Adrien, we'll pay the price together."
He bit his lip, gripped her hand even tighter, and nodded, "Together."