Summary:
Anyone can get akumatized, if they're pushed too far…
When Marinette came into class and saw Lila staring at her with that same stupid smirk on her face that she had looked at Marinette the last time she said a big lie, Marinette knew that today was going to be bad day.
She could tell by Lila's laugh, the way that she pressed her body up against Adrian's before class began. The pouty teasing manner at which she spoke as she rose her fingers to ruffle his hair…
Marinette wasn't even thinking as she heard a pencil snap in half, and she looked down to see the broken halves of it in her hand, and Tiki floating nearby with a concerned expression on her face.
"Marinette…" She started, and Marinette knew right away that she wouldn't like what Tiki was going to say. "You know there's no point in getting jealous. Adrien is with Kagami."
Marinette knew that Tiki was right of course.
While no one had straight said it, and Adrien and Kagami had never really kissed in front of everyone it was pretty clear that the two were dating. If Marinette hadn't seen it herself in the way Kagami now came with Adrien to everything they were all doing, or how they held hands when they were together, or the little secrets they whispered amongst one another when they were close, she would have noticed it in the ways her friends were acting around her.
It was like she was standing on a sheet of glass thousands and thousands of feet from the ground that could shatter at any moment. Every one near her was afraid to take the wrong step, to say the wrong thing.
But it didn't matter, nothing did.
Marinette knew, and honestly, she was crushed.
She was trying her best to play it off like it didn't hurt. Like there wasn't a dull ache in her chest every day that she woke up. Like there wasn't a fear in her that she missed her opportunity and now Adrien would be lost forever.
Marinette looked away from Tiki, not wanting to get into it today, and instead, let the broken pencil fall into her bag. She looked over at Alya, and smiled, hoping the curve of her lips could fool her friend into thinking it was just your average Monday.
"Alya, do you have a pencil I can borrow?" She asked. Alya seemed a little taken aback by the question, by rolled her eyes affectionately anyhow.
"Girl you are so clumsy. It's our first year back and you aren't ready?"
Marinette just laughed uncomfortably as Alya dug through her bag for another pencil, and then upon not finding one got a devious glint in her eye.
"Oh Adrien."
Marienette didn't even flinch. It didn't matter anymore- after all. Seeing as that he was with Kagami anyways. Marinette was immune to the light teasing from Alya that still sometimes occurred, when an opportunity to talk Adrien popped up.
He turned around and Marinette didn't look as he talked to Alya about lending clumsy Marinette a pencil. But the stare on Marinette was undeniable. She glanced up and made eye contact with Lila, who was none too happy about the conversation switch. But when Chloe almost caught the glare, the expression changed into a sickly smile.
The kind that only Adrien and Marinette knew was fake.
Oh it truly sickened Marinette to have to sit there and pretend like every word out of Lila's mouth wasn't a lie. The trips to New York, her father knowing movie producers, her trip to italy, her relationship with Prince Ali. All lies. All lies a simple google search could clear up.
But Marinette remembered what Adrien had told her- about taking the high road. And as much as she hated it, this was now the only thing that brought the two together.
If Lila lied about Marinette, she knew that Adrien would be by her side.
In one way, he was still kind of in her life.
Even if it was just as friends.
The school bell rang, and the day of pure torture began.
Oh what it had been this time.
Whispers during breaks about how Adrien didn't care about her. Loud exclamations at lunch about what great thing she was going to do for a classmate that would never really happen, projects about trips to places Marienette knew that she hadn't been, talks of escapades with people that Marinette was actually friends with and Lila had probably never even met before.
All day Marinette's blood boiled, but what really topped it was when everyone was messing around during science. Talking about certain homeworks, and maybe getting a steady group together, when Lila opened her stupid little mouth.
Already your friends weren't really talking to you, certain little lies that Lila had let float around all day, about Marinette hitting her and purposely uninviting Lila to things had most of her friends against her once again, but the real cherry on top was when she looked at Marinette and with an innocent expression said:
"But we can't pair Mari with Adrien because she's in love with him and now he's dating Kagami. Who knows if she would try to kiss him… Like last time."
Marinette knew she was full of it, and she knew somewhere in her heart that Adrien probably thought the whole situation was a lie, but Marinette couldn't handle it anymore. Without a word, she got up, collected her things and walked out of class.
"Marinette," Tiki warned, peeing out of her bag. "If you don't calm down something bad could happen."
Marinette knew that Tiki was right, and that was precisely why she left.
If she got Akumatized…. All of France would be in danger. She needed to calm down. She needed to be-
"Marinette!"
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut in exasperation.
She couldn't do this right now. Handle a one on one conversation with Adrien? It just reminded her of everything she had lost, everything she would never gain. Everything she had never deserved in the first place. She was fake, a fraud, and she just needed to get out so she could calm down.
"Marinette! Please, you know it was all a lie."
Marinette turned back towards Adrien, but she couldn't afford to look at him. She kept her eyes on her feet and swallowed hard.
"I know," you replied. "I just-"
There was a lot she wanted to say, and everything that she couldn't say. So just as Marinette had settled with reassuring him she was fine, she said: "I"m just dizzy. I should go home early."
She figured with most people that would be a valid excuse. But for some reason it made Adrien take a step forward. His hand brushed her shoulder. Marinette still couldn't look at him.
"A-Are you sure you're okay?"
The feelings were only building. The questions of why she wasn't good enough for him. Why he had chosen Kagami when Marinette had been right there. She always did what was right, she was always so careful with him. She remembered things about him that no one else seemed to remember or care about. She was always there for him. Always. No matter what happened, and yet he still chose Kagami over her?
A tear fell down Marinette's cheek, and she knew that he saw it based on the gasp that wracked his body after it fell to the ground.
"Marinette please-"
"I can't Adrien. You're only making it worse."
"What? You're not making sense…" He trailed off and Marinette just fought for control over her emotions. "Marinette. Look at me."
"I can't," she replied pointedly.
"No, you have to look at me. I need to see your eyes."
His grip tightened a little, but Marinette knew it was just because he was scared. The tears started falling harder.
"I-I can't be your friend anymore Adrien."
"Marinette!" His voice rose to a frantic level. "Look in my eyes!"
Marinette raised her eyes to Adrien's, and the minute that her eyes met his she knew it was over. The last ounce of fight in her left her body.
"I'm s-so sorry," she said between a sob. "But I can't fight it anymore."
Marinette had always wondered what it would be like to be akumatized. She wondered if it hurt, or if you felt anything at all. And honestly, it actually felt quite peaceful. The wave of relief that spread over her when she realized she no longer had to lie, or fight for anyone's approval or worry about some silly boy was immense.
And if she closed her eyes, she couldn't see the look that Adrien was giving her.
And even if she saw it, a good part of her couldn't bring herself to care.
"For so long Marinette you have done everything you could for everyone around you. When was the last time you felt peace? Did something for yourself? I bring you no violence, just the power to make everyone say their truth. You're a good girl, aren't you Marinette? Bring me Cat Noir and Ladybug's Miraculous, and finally be free from the expectations that everyone expects of you."
Marinette could hear Adrien screaming at her, from somewhere outside her bubble. She could feel his hand on her wrist, and she could feel that of the many students in her class gathering around to see what was happening.
The realization in everyone's eyes when they realized that the reason that Marinette had gotten Akumatized- the one they all treasured and cared for so much, was because of them was too much to handle.
"Yes Hawk Moth. I will."
She looked at Adrien.
One last time, didn't seem like it would be too much.
"I am Princess Justice now. This will be quick and peaceful. Tell Cat Noir to find me in the only place his love could be. Just, don't tell him it's me okay?"
And with that Marinette walked away from Adrien, forever.
She went of course, to the one place that she could think of going. The rooftop that her and Cat Noir liked the most. It was in a quiet part of town where few akumatizations happened. There was a nice view of the eiffel tower. A prettier one of the sunset.
Princess Justice didn't really get to enjoy it for very long.
"Where's Lady Bug?"
"Can we enjoy the peace for a moment? I was really enjoying it."
A hand gripped her shoulder. Tighter than Cat Noir had ever grabbed her before. He was angry.
"Where is Lady Bug?"
He really did love her. Well, Ladybug that was. Princess Justice figured she had never really been cut out for the job in the first place, so she couldn't call herself Ladybug now.
"We had really good times together here. While you sang your silly little song, and I pretended like I belonged. Those days were you loved me, and I loved someone else and I thought I had a chance because in the end we always win don't we?"
Cat Noir looked confused, and Princess Justice understood why. He probably thought she was just akumatized Marinette. He was waiting for Ladybug to show up, and he was waiting to save the day.
"If I had known that last battle would be the last maybe I would've dragged it out a little longer you know? Laughed at your jokes more. Gone to see that movie with you."
"Marinette, you aren't making any sense."
But she knew he knew now. The betrayal and the hurt in his eyes told Princess Justice all she needed to know.
"I need your Miraculous Cat Noir," she said. "We can't do it anymore. I can't do it anymore. Then finally we'll be at peace."
"You don't know what you are talking about. You know there won't be peace, you know there will be consequences-"
"I know that I am akumatized, and I'm seeing more clearly then I have ever seen before," Princess Justice replied. She looked down and was pleased to find Lila had tracked the two down.
"One touch is all it takes."
She slid out of Lila's sight, and looked down into her purse.
"Tiki?" She asked.
"Tiki?" Cat Noir repeated, still trying not to believe it.
"Spot's on."
"One touch."
She landed next to Lila, and tapped her shoulder once and didn't even wait to see her power in action. She touched another person, and another. One after the other. Again and again.
"No one will ever lie to anyone again Kitty. Then you'll give me your Miraculous, and I can finally be at peace."
"Milady-"
Princess Justice ignored him as she began racing down the streets of Paris, touching everyone she could. Spreading the truth.
"Milady, I don't want to fight you."
Princess Justice skidded to a stop, and slowly turned over her shoulder. But she wasn't happy. She could never be happy about giving up. It was just, the only solution now. There was no other way. It was only this.
"Hand over your Miraculous. Please, I can't do this anymore."
"What if he hurts you?" Cat Noir insisted. "What would your friends think?"
"The ones who didn't even care when I was hurting right in front of them. The ones who chose the new girl over me."
"What about that boy you love?" Cat Noir demanded. "What would he say?"
"Adrien is in love with Kagami!" Princess Justice blurted before she could stop herself. "We will never be together and I get reminded again and again and again and I just- Can't hold it in any longer-"
Marinette felt the explosion that rippled through her body, but it felt less painful and more relieving, like every negative thought and every negative action was simply leaving her body. There was only a hum of joy. The thought of being alone. And the thought of finally being at peace.
In the back of her head she knew that all around her Paris was suffering. Maybe the world, but she had spent too long caring about that. She just… Didn't anymore.
And that's when her eyes met Cat Noir's. He was trying to say something, as he fought against the explosion of energy but he couldn't manage a word out. He took one step, two steps, and then he untransformed and Adrien touched your hand.
His touch felt cold, and wrong. You were already at peace, you didn't need him anymore, you didn't want him anymore. He placed his ring in your hand, and leaned in close to you.
"Milady, I love you and I trust you with my life and all of the rest of France's."
And then his lips pressed against Princess Justice's.
Marinette hadn't really lived that long of a life.
She was just in high school, and she had a lot left to experience, and it was all so scary. Top that with being a superhero and… Well, things got a lot harder.
But Cat Noir had always been right by her side. A source of comfort, and friend in hard times. Someone that she knew she could always count on and would always count on her.
And she knew right then and there that if he still trusted her, Akumatized, then she couldn't do this. She couldn't just give up. Adrien was Cat Noir. There was still one person in her life who had never let her down.
And she couldn't let him down now.
Fighting against Hawk Moth did hurt. The pain of trying to consolidate all of the energy that she was currently radiating mixed with the effort that went into getting Hawk Moth's true identity was immaculately difficult.
She had never seen anyone fight off an Akuma with her own eyes, but when she feel to her knees and watched a black butterfly flutter into the air, she knew what had happened. She staggered to her feet.
"No more evil doing for you little Akuma. Time to de-evilize!"
It was easy, as always to catch the little bugger.
"Bye bye little butterfly."
Once the little butterfly had flown away she grabbed her bag and tossed it into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
And then she collapsed to the ground.
What mattered next wasn't the news that day about what had happened. Ladybug getting akumatized and then fighting her own akumatization all on her own. The footage played again and again of Ladybug's apology afterwards, and the praise she received for being able to fight back in the end.
No one was mad, no one knew she was Ladybug. Her friends all thought it was a coincidence they had both been akumatized at the same time. They apologized for not believing her. They had been worried. They had missed Marinette.
But Adrien… There was no question. He knew now. And… He was Cat Noir?
Marinette and Adrien didn't act any different at school, but that night, on the roof.
"The view up here really is nice."
Marinette didn't say anything, she looked away from where he sat.
"So… That guy who you liked?" Adrien pushed. Marinette looked at him, and it was weird to think that he was the same guy that she had known from before.
"You," she mumbled. He laughed.
"Ironic, huh? That you liked me and I liked you we just…. Didn't know," he mumbled.
"Your dad is Hawk Moth."
It was weird, honestly, that he wasn't surprised by that. He just sighed and kicked his feet a little.
"Does he know?"
Marinette shook her head.
"I was able to hide it from him."
"That's my girl," Adrien replied, with a goofy smile on his lips. It made Marinette's heart pump out of beat.
"Thank you," she mumbled. "And… Sorry."
"Sorry?"
"I messed up. I let my emotions get the better of me. I shouldn't have overacted, I shouldn't have lost control-"
Adrien cut you off with a laugh. His cat noir laugh. The one that he did when Marinette knew that he really, truly was completely in love with her.
"None of that matters right now," Adrien assured. His fingers gingerly rested over her hand, and this time the touch was warm. "We're closer than ever now. No more secrets, we know who Hawk Moth is, we can do this Marinette. We can take him down."
"As long as we're together," Marinette echoed.
"We're Ladybug and Cat Noir," Adrien reminded her. "And we will always win."
And for the first time in a really long time, you thought maybe he was right.