Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait! I had a ton of other projects in the works (you may have noticed all the one shots I've been posting lol) but now I can finally get back to my love!
Thank you all for the reviews, favs, and follows! I am absolutely amazed that you guys are enjoying the story so far! And a big thank you to my beta's who are MIRACULOUS!
Recap: Bridgette and Felix had a bit of a fight at the cafe in front of Adrien and Marinette. Ava is still struggling to feel the emotions around her, as Emperor struggles to comes to terms with his own feelings. Confronted by Ladybug, we finally learned the truth of Emperors feelings, and Ava walks in on them.
You know the drill, I don't own the characters, just the plot! Enjoy!^-^
Progress
He instantly dropped his arms from around Ladybug and took a step back, his eyes tense as he stared towards the shocked voice. Ladybug turned too, wiping the lingering tears from her cheeks, "Oh, Ava. Sorry, I was supposed to be coming right back huh?"
"We aren't doing anything." He said tersely at the same time, asking Ava in exchange as she stood unmoving in the training room doorway, "What are you doing here?"
Ava flinched, blinking a few times before shaking her head, "Uh, I was, it's none of my business I'm so sorry. I,"
"It's okay Ava." Ladybug told her quickly, walking up to her, "Emperor agreed to help you."
"Excuse me?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow. She turned to glare at him, though the look was sullied by the sadness lingering in her ocean-blue eyes.
He caved, not wanting to get into another back and forth with her while she was upset. Adrien would be sure to overreact if he found her that way, "Yeah, whatever."
"I don't want to bother you…" Ava pulled her long braid forward, running her thumbs quickly over the pleats over and over again as her nervousness flitted out of her.
"Ladybug already bothered me so I might as well. It's not like I was making progress anyways." He told her, only catching her eyes for a second before turning to glare at the black box. Ava walked towards him, the dark blue mixed with the black of her skirt standing out more as the light hit it just the right way.
"That's the dark spark box right? The one Master Fu infected for you?" Ava asked, stepping hesitantly towards it.
"Yes." He said, not offering anything more than he had to.
Ava looked at Ladybug when she sniffled slightly, "He's struggling with it still, but it's only been a few days. Maybe you can help each other."
He scoffed, but Ladybug told him, "You never know. Great things tend to happen when people work together."
He fought back the urge to roll his eyes and told her as he felt the bright anticipation flare on the floor above them, "He's looking for you Bug."
Ladybug nodded instantly, smiling at him softer, "I'll go find him." She kissed his cheek and told him hushed, "Stop shutting her out. Just try and see what happens."
He huffed out as she quickly left the room, Ava staring at him in concern. "What?"
"N-Nothing. It's none of my business, really." She said flustered, waving her hands in front of her nervously.
He warned her instantly, "Being overly curious is not going to help your concentration. Just ask whatever you want to ask so badly so we can get this over with."
Ava bit the left side of her bottom lip, and he instantly recognized the habit. "You aren't going to offend me, just ask your stupid question."
He saw the turmoil in her eyes, but he knew her curiosity would get the better of her. It was only silent for a moment more before it spilled out of her, "Are you in love with Ladybug? Do you know her outside of the mask? Isn't she dating Chat Noir? Did she love you first? Or did you love her first? Did you guys date in the past?"
She got closer with every question, causing him to back up until he hit the altar where the cube rested. Hearing the pillar shake stopped her advance and he quickly processed her questions, telling her firmly, "No we never dated. She has only ever been in love with one person, and that person is Chat Noir who yes, she is dating. I was in love with her at one point, but I always knew she'd never love me back. We are friends, period." His tone turned harsher, "And don't ask a holder if they know the real identity of another. THAT, is none of your business."
She blushed at his last statement, taking a few steps back and saying it shakily, "S-Sorry."
He sighed, needlessly straightening his jacket before deciding to just take the offending thing off. School uniforms were not on his list of fashionable wear.
He threw the jacket on the nearest bench and rolled up his lilac sleeves, hoping that skin exposure would help to increase his sensitivity. It had worked when he first started reading the empath cubes. Maybe it would help now.
He felt her emotions flutter, making him turn to her, "What now?"
The small blush on her cheeks deepened, the blue of her eyes locked on his arms, "You, uh, I mean, are… very fit." She smacked her face suddenly, shaking her head in denial of some sort before asking, "Why did you take off your jacket?"
"Exposure." He explained simply, feeling her instant confusion. He ran his hand down his lower arm, "Direct skin contact with the emotion can help get a grasp on it."
She blinked, her head falling to the side, "How can you come into direct contact with an emotion?"
He frowned, "Seriously? You haven't even picked up the energy of the emotions yet? What have you been doing for the past three weeks?"
Her blush returned and he put two fingers to the bridge of his nose absentmindedly. This girl, she was going to test the limits of his patience. And his patience was limited as it was.
"Can you," she cleared her throat slightly, speaking clearer, "can you… help… me?"
His eyes snapped open as he looked over at her, feeling the heaviness of her frustration nearly double as her desperation began to overshadow it.
He walked over to the far wall, sliding open one of the panels and pulling out four smaller cubes of differing colors. He placed them evenly spaced on the floor in a large square, leaving enough room for two people to sit in the middle of them. He grabbed the black cube from the altar before moving towards the center of the square and telling her, "Sit."
She smiled brightly, causing his heart to stir and his mind to bring back that moment on his couch.
Ava quickly took off her blazer and set it with his, rushing to sit facing opposite of him in the center of the square. The moment she was settled he told her, "Tell me what four emotions you feel."
He watched her turn to look at each of the cubes, "Happiness, sadness, anger, and… uhh…"
"Stop looking with your eyes and look with your senses." He said bluntly, hearing her groan, "Then you'd know which one is actually happiness, which one is sadness, and what the other two are really holding."
Ava focused harder on the cubes, but he could tell that she was still struggling. He sighed and told her, "Close your eyes idiot. Staring at them isn't going to get you anywhere."
"Closing my eyes isn't going to help." She snapped.
"You need to cut off your other senses." He explained slowly, "Otherwise you are never going to learn to tune into the one that matters."
"Which is?"
"The one that only people like us have." He said, feeling her fill with surprise. He grabbed her hand, holding it palm up before laying his hand in hers. He told her softer, "Close your eyes."
She hesitated but finally closed her eyes to his relief. He asked her again, "Tell me what you feel."
"I don't feel anything, that's the problem Emperor." She told him frustrated.
"Physically." He said, placing his other hand under hers so that he could pat her hand lightly, "This, what do you feel?"
"You hitting my hand."
"And?" He pressed. "Everything, describe everything you can."
She hummed in thought, starting slowly, "Your hands are covering mine. They are a little cold, but not in an uncomfortable way, and," she hesitated slightly, "they are soft."
"Now, what do you feel." He rubbed her hand between his gently, creating the smallest of warmth with the friction.
"You are rubbing my hand between yours."
"What changed?" He asked seriously, seeing her frowning.
"Now it's warm." She whispered.
He pushed the smallest of pulses of neutral magic towards her, magic that would simply draw her attention if she felt it. He kept rubbing her hand, letting the magic sit there until he saw her start to frown a few minutes later, "Wait, something feels different."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Describe it."
"It tingles, almost like it's electric." She said carefully, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. He let out a stronger pulse, something laced with the emotion he had now. He stopped rubbing her hand, and lifted it slightly, placing his palm against hers. She started without needing to be prodded this time.
"This one is different. It tingles still but it's... smoother? I guess. It's not as sharp. I don't know how else to describe it."
"Take a deep breath. Separate the emotions you have now versus what you feel against your hand, and give it a name." He let the same pulse travel down his arm and into the palm of his hand, knowing the second she felt it when her hand twitched against his. It didn't take her long this time before she smiled.
"Happy. You're happy." Her eyes opened and met his, brightening when she saw his small smile.
"Very good."
She pulled her hand away, dancing in place excitedly, "I did it!"
"You did." He said, giving her a second to enjoy her progress before telling her, "Now, that was close contact reading, which should be second nature after a while. The more you tune into that extra sense, the farther out you will be able to reach."
She nodded, listening intently to every word.
"In order to do no contact reading, you have to start picking up on that 'tingle' you said you felt. You have to feel it against your skin the way you felt the way your hand warmed up. After that it will just be a matter of reading the energy of the emotion and putting a name to it the way you did with happiness."
She raised her hand and he rolled his eyes, "Just ask."
"Do they all feel different to you?"
He thought about her question seriously, and answered honestly, "Not really. The energy is all the same to me, just a hum against my skin. It's the way it fluctuates that makes a difference to me."
"How it... fluctuates?"
"I guess it would be like saying, how loud it is. Usually the more intense the emotion is, the easier it is to feel. Whether it is bright and positive, or dark and negative, it's all about intensity." He crossed his arms over his chest, "The more subtle it is, the harder it is to pick up the fluctuation of the emotion. You have to actually dig into the energy with your own power to really understand what it is."
He stared down at the black cube in front of him, "This asshole for example. No matter how deeply I dig into it, I can't get past the barrier. The only thing I feel is the negative energy, but nothing else is coming through."
"What emotion is supposed to be inside?" She asked curiously.
"I don't know. Master Fu didn't want to taint my answer by telling me ahead of time. If I can really get past the barrier, I would be able to tell him what's inside without fail."
"Can I…" she held out her hand and he raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't back down and he placed the cube in her hand. She closed her eyes again and held the cube close to her face, letting out a deep breath before letting out a soft hum.
"This feels, heavy. Does that make sense? Almost like something is actually pressing down against my skin."
He nodded when she opened her eyes to look at him, "Negative energy is usually heavier, the way negative emotions weigh heavily on a person. Same concept."
"Oh, that makes sense." She stared at the cube for a few seconds longer before admitting it, "I can't even tell what negative emotion is being used."
He took it back from her and said it annoyed, "Despair. It was one of Hawkmoth's favorite emotions to prey on."
"Was that the emotion he used to turn you?"
His eyes shot up to hers, seeing her already staring at her fidgeting hands in her lap. He asked quietly, "Does it matter?"
"No." She said quickly, sounding a bit embarrassed, "Not at all. I was just…"
"Curious." He let slip knowingly.
She nodded and he sighed heavily, "He didn't use a negative emotion to turn me. He used my desire. The negativity that was in my akuma came from my underlying frustration of having to do as he said in order to get what I wanted."
"What did you want so badly? Surely there couldn't have been anything worth giving up a part of yourself." She told him with a frown.
"You wouldn't understand." He said, getting to his feet and getting her back on track, "The yellow cube, now that you know what you are looking for, what do you feel?"
Her eyes instantly closed, but her frustration was starting to come back the longer she sat silent. He picked up the yellow cube and brought it over to her, putting in her hand. She opened her eyes to tell him, "I was trying."
"I could tell, but if you need the contact, you need it. There is nothing wrong with that. Not all empath holders can read emotions without physical contact. I'm one of the exceptions but you very well may not be." He didn't have to feel her sadness to see it spreading on her face, "It could explain why you are having trouble picking up emotions in the first place."
She stared down at the cube, closing her eyes again. This time, it only took a minute for her to say it, "Sadness, this one is holding sadness."
He nodded, "Emotions aren't based in color, people associate certain colors with certain emotions, but for us, emotions are just another form of magical energy to deal with."
"I guess that makes sense." She said, frowning slightly.
He gave her an example, "Take Chat Noir's powers for example. His magical energy gives off a black tone correct?"
She nodded and he asked simply, "Are you afraid of him? Does his power make you feel like he's going to hurt you or that he's a villain?"
"No, of course not! Chat Noir would never hurt another holder!"
He kept going, "And Ladybug. Her power is red in tone. Does she seem angry to you when she is using her power to heal people?"
Ava stared at him, finally seeming to understand what he was saying, "No, she is always happy when she can use her power to heal someone."
Emperor waited in silence, and Ava folded, "I get it. The color of someone's magic doesn't necessarily mean they are good or bad, and the color of the emotions of the empath boxes doesn't have anything to do with the emotion itself."
"And we have a winner." He teased, grabbing another box and tossing it to her, this one blue in color, "Tell me."
This time it didn't take her long at all, "Anger."
He clapped twice, "Good. Practice with these," he tossed her the other two and moved to grab the black empath box again, "until you can read them without having to close your eyes."
"What are you going to do?"
He glared at the box in his hand, "Try again to get through the energy of the dark spark. This is something I can't afford to not be able to do."
She kept the empath boxes in her arms, frowning down at them for a second before telling him softly, "But no one would blame you if you couldn't."
He huffed, "That's where you are wrong. I've manipulated the dark sparks before, if I can't do more, they'll think it's because I'm not trying."
"But you are." She pressed, "Just because you were an Akuma doesn't mean,"
"That's exactly what it means." He said cutting her off, "Most of them are always going to see me as an Akuma, nothing more. It doesn't matter what I do to prove them wrong, even if it happens right in front of them and I do something the same way they would have. They are more than happy to continue having someone to pin the blame on and direct their anger towards." His grip tightened on the black box in his hand, "I've done enough that I can't blame them for feeling that way."
He glanced over, seeing the sad look in her eyes, "That's wrong."
He shrugged, "It doesn't bother me, but if I can force my way through the energy of the dark spark to avoid any more holders from turning, and in turn that at least gets them to be accepting of my presence here, I'll find a way to do it… one way or another."
Her eyes glossed over briefly as she fought back the urge to cry for him, and his choice of words made her realize something.
"Wait, you said you were trying to force your way through the dark spark?"
"Yes. I have to get past the dark energy to the emotion at its core." He clarified.
She scrunched her face, her nose wrinkling as she pursed her lips slightly, "But why try to get past it? That's not how you dealt with the dark sparks before right?"
"No, but those instances were different. I was actually pulling the dark energy out of someone, I'm not trying to do that here." He explained.
She cocked her head to the side in thought, "But you can manipulate the dark spark energy, so why not just manipulate the energy to get past it?"
"That's not going to work. To even have a chance to manipulate it I'd have to," he stopped, staring at her in complete, and utter shock. Could it really be that simple?
"Emperor?" She called out worriedly.
He held up the box, startling her as he let his own natural magic flow around him. The lilac and deep purple strands of his power increased, spiraling around and down his arm towards the box. The second his overflowing magic reached his fingertips, he blended it into the energy of the dark spark.
A small groan escaped him as the dark energy tried to fight against his, and he pushed more power out around him. Ava took a step back as the force of his magic increased, but he didn't let up. He could feel the negative energy of the dark spark, trying to overpower his magic. It was a seductive whisper, promising anything he desired in exchange for his obedience. He refused to let it win.
His will to fight back cracked through the dark energy, and in seconds it began to lose its hold against the force of his magic.
"You're doing it!" Ava exclaimed happily, her eyes bright in wonder as she watched his energy crackling through the onyx abyss in his hand.
His heart thundered against his chest as he held her eyes, her confidence and positivity in him was flowing out of her in such forceful waves that he started to smile. Seeing her instantly smile back, his magic doubled and the energy that was black seconds ago began to burn and turn brilliantly white. The sparks energy was finally listening to him, and not a trace of its once negative energy was left as its power fully merged with his own.
The empath box now glowed with the light of a shining star and the emotion that had been locked inside became clear as crystal.
Love.
"I, did it." He whispered shocked at himself before looking up at her and catching her glittering eyes.
Ava dropped the boxes in her hands and moved instantly, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly, "I knew it! I knew you could do it! That was amazing, Emperor! You got rid of the dark spark completely!"
He reveled for just an instance in the way her body perfectly around his, and found himself hugging her back.
"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you questioning it," he pulled back, staring down at her as he brushed a loose strand of her long dark hair out of her face, "so thank you. Truly."
There was a light blush on her cheek as she stared up at him, and he noticed the flecks of soft green in the ocean blue of her eyes. "You have, really pretty eyes." He said softly, watching her blush deepen.
It was like that night all over again. All he could feel was the overwhelming waves of her emotions, threatening to drag him into their depths until he was completely consumed. It was so inherently different from the growing love he'd found he had for Marinette. With Bridgette, every time he saw her, it was an instant overwhelming sensation that began to stir in the center of his chest. The pressure there would build to the point right before bursting, in a matter of seconds. And it scared him to the point of hesitation.
One person shouldn't be able to affect him this way. She shouldn't be able to simply, be, and make the world around him seem brighter. He shouldn't waste his energy on remembering how to make her tea, or that red tulips made her happy when she was sad. He shouldn't miss the way she could speak almost endlessly, about everything and nothing. He shouldn't enjoy the way her arms began to tighten around his middle, pulling him closer. He shouldn't be getting lost in her eyes, somewhere in the back of his mind noticing how they were beginning to close. He shouldn't be leaning down to meet her, selfishly wanting to close the distance between them that he'd tried so desperately to keep.
He shouldn't let her breach his walls.
But he couldn't stop her. He was tired of trying to hold her back. No… that wasn't entirely the truth. He was tired of holding himself back. He wanted to know, even just once, what it would feel like to forget everything, and let his selfishness take what it wanted. Their nose brushed, and a blaring siren startled them into pulling back.
Her face instantly turned red as she realized what had almost happened, but he cupped her cheek, his words coming out breathy as he tried to catch the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, "Forgive me."
He didn't wait for her response before rushing out of the room, his heart threatening to choke him as he rushed towards the strongest panic he could feel. He couldn't think about what had almost happened just now.
Emperor rushed down the halls, making it to the entrance where multiple strong pulses of panic were focused. He heard the yelling before he saw anything.
"Get clear and someone find Emperor NOW!" Chat Noir was screaming, trying to contain a thrashing Queen Bee. Holders moved out of his way when they saw him, letting him pass to get to the group of captains.
Ladybug and Chat Noir were trying to hold Bee still where she lay on the ground, her face contorted in pain. Tigerlilly was standing just over them, her eyes blazing purple with a similar expression of pain on her face.
He announced himself as he got closer, "Noir, I'm here, what happened?"
Noir was still struggling to hold Bee down, groaning it out, "She was hit, ugh, with a dark spark, but she's fighting it."
He was already kneeling next to her, grabbing Bee's wrists firmly in his as he tested what he'd just done moments before. Instead of pulling the energy out and into himself, he pushed his magic into her in a merciless wave of raw power. The pain was still there for him, but it was more manageable, and nowhere near as debilitating as what he'd gone through on the roof with Manticore.
Bee's back instantly arched as she screamed bloody murder from the intrustion of his magic, but he could feel the dark sparks power failing to push him back. He let his magic merge with the negative energy, and felt Bee's internal pleas as she begged for the pain to stop.
Excess magic flowed around him as Bee fell back against the floor, breathing heavily as the negative energy finally changed into something lighter. He pulled all the magic back into himself and sighed in relief when there were no more traces of the dark spark. He moved to stand, feeling a little shaky. Ladybug caught him as he swayed, frowning as she asked, "Do I need to heal your arm?"
He gave her a sheepish smile, "I'm alright this time." He opened his clenched fist and showed the cracked silvery cocoon.
"It's, silver." She noted, sounding shocked, "What did you do?"
Her face blurred out of focus, and he told her quickly, "Something's… wrong." He felt himself losing consciousness as Ladybug screamed out his name.
Thanks for reading! More is coming soon so don't fret!
As always leave a comment or review if you want!
Au Revoir for now!