A/N: Hmm, *checks the time* Ooh! It is now 'make your readers suffer o'clock!' Brilliant! :D

"If I were able to do it, then I'm not myself
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you
I spell out with trembling lips"

スノウドライヴ (Snow Drive) - Omoi - Covered By あらき (Araki)

Pairing - Ladynoir + Ladyblanc

Prompt - 'Sandboy 2.0'

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~(x)~

Chat Noir blinked back in absolute surprise, heart hammering to a halt before instinctively whipping out his baton in defence, keeping one protective arm in front of Ladybug. The unease that flooded his entire being was evident in the way his faux ears and tail were poised with an alert, his brows beneath his mask tense.

"I never knew me taking bleaching a step too far is now your worst nightmare, My Lady," Noir attempted to joke but even he himself couldn't help but wince when he heard how his voice wavered, belt tail starting to curl around the girl's torso behind him.

The heroine didn't answer, still frozen with that heartbreaking look of terror smacked upon her face.

His blood ran ice cold.

Without sparing another second, Ladybug grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip and immediately swung them both away faster than a blink of an eye.

But clearly not far enough when they heard the white cat roar:

"YOU CAN'T KEEP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME PRINCESSE!"

Neither of the heroes was able to process his words as a super-cataclysme barely missed them by a millimetre, wiping away the Eiffel Tower and an ungodly area of the buildings surrounding it, leaving behind a symmetrical crater made of dirt and debris. An outstanding amount of weight and pressure clawed down the duo's spine as a horrible realisation settled in.

Thousands of innocent lives were just killed in an instant.

Ladybug chanced a look back to him but only for tears to spring down her eyes involuntarily and a wet gasp to leave her throat. The maniacal smile was wiped off Blanc and replaced with a look that was best described as raw sombre and utter loneliness.

"Don't...don't leave me again…" He breathed out, lips barely moving, two fingers pointed at her and Chat Noir with an orb of pure destruction as if he was handling a gun.

"Oh no...no, no, no...mon pauvre Chaton…" Ladybug whispered and started to make her way to the boy, as if in a trance. She could purify him again...right?

She could help him again...

Right?

.

She didn't even make it as far as two steps as she found herself gathered in her rightful partner's arms, vaulting them both away faster than his namesake and leaping from building to building with incredible strength.

"Your Chaton is right here, snap out of it Marinette!" When Chat Noir blurt out her name, Ladybug inhaled sharply and whipped her face towards his, tightening her hold on him. His expression remained determined, his herculean strength cradling her body to his never faltering.

This wasn't meant to happen...

He was never supposed to know!

'Shit! He must have figured it out the minute Chat Blanc called me Princesse! How do I fix this!? I'm not ready...not ready for any of this at all!'

"I'm not sure what's going on or what psycho cat has to do with everything..." Noir interrupted her spiral of thoughts, voice low enough for her ears to hear only. "But I promise...I promise I'll always protect you and that I'll always stand by your side...no matter what!" He leapt higher and higher, bringing more confidence and security to her as she watched him with unadulterated awe.

When they finally spotted Sandboy up ahead, Chat landed them in a safe place, placing Ladybug down on her feet gently as if she was made of porcelain but kept his hands on her shoulders firmly.

"I'm sorry...I failed you before..." Ladybug blurted out suddenly, hiding her face with her hands so that Chat couldn't see the tears that cascaded down her face and the look of vulnerability that was plastered on.

"Hey, Bug, it's okay...I'm still here," He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly, placing his forehead on hers and wore a smile so warm, it reminded her of another golden-haired boy.

"I know...but seeing you in so much pain...so much suffering...I-"

"That's not me though. I'm right here. Look, Marinette," His voice was so soft, so gentle and husky as he placed her hand on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart pounding against his chest soothed the girl and she couldn't help but sigh in relief, couldn't help her heart beating in tandem.

"Chat Noir..."

"Say my name," This caught her off guard, evident in the way she tilted her head in surprise and parted her lips. Her partner merely gathered her face with his hands, cupping her delicate cheeks, his forehead never leaving hers. "Look carefully, the real me, please. Say my name Marinette..."

His solemn, pleading eyes suddenly struck a sense of déjà vu. His soft, parted lips screamed with absolute familiarity.

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His hair...

His skin...

His voice...

His consistent, subtle touches...

Ladybug's eyes widened as the fog was lifted; automatically, her fingers slipped through his blonde locks, thumbs caressing his cheekbones and then rested on his broad shoulders. Her heart beating a million miles per hour.

Everything made sense...

Chat Blanc made sense!

"...Adrien...?"

Ladybug was awarded a brilliant, bright smile and the boy in her grasps eyes shone with indescribable happiness, radiating with a joy that would put even the sun to shame.

"Yes, I'm A-

-LOOK OUT!"

The heroine found herself tightly encased in his arms and her world spun around until...

...The warmth of his body against hers disappeared.

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His arms were gone…

His body was gone…

All traces of Chat Noir…

Of Adrien…

Gone.

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"Found you, Marinette,"

Said girl found herself looking into eyes that were bluer than the most solid of ice. Chat Blanc relaxed his hand from its former gun formation, settling it down to his side as he sauntered towards her with an aura that petrified her very being.

Her blood glaciated as the realisation settled in.

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He just killed her Chat Noir.

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"And this time, you're never getting away…"

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~(x)~

A/N: :)))))))