Miraculous:
Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir
Chapter Five: The Fall of the Butterfly Miraculous
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone who's read up until this point. It's a shorter chapter but only because I wanted the entire next section together in the next chapter. This chapter sums up my original purpose for this story but as I was writing the ending, I started seeing a kind of extended epilogue which turned into a sort of sequel story/series. I was inspired by "Rewrite the Stars" Miraculous Ladybug music videos I've been watching on Youtube. So stay tunes because there's more LadyNoir fluff to follow!
Also, if you enjoy my writing, I self publish fantasy novels on and would love to have help spreading the word. They're all under Alexandra Livingston. Thank you!
Ladybug entered the warehouse and hot on her heels was Death Moth. She spun her yoyo, dodged and twisted as best as she could, but he landed a strike and backhanded her into a side wall.
"What do you know of love!? I have been striving to achieve the very thing I've finally been granted and now my love has abandoned me! Turned away! This world holds nothing but sorrow for me and it can all disappear!"
"What about your son!? Have you thought about the devastation your son's been going through with all this!?" she countered. Death Moth came in and punched the ground where Ladybug once stood. She jumped to the side and deflected the subsequent attacks. "Locked in his room, deprived of most interactions except the ones you allow. All he wanted was his father!"
"A boy needs his mother! I was trying to bring her back to him!"
"A boy needs his father, too! You could have been there for him, but you turned your back! Left him alone, isolated him from almost everyone else!" Ladybug kicked out with both legs, landed a blow on his chest, and tumbled backwards to recover. "You can change that now! Be the father he needs you to be. Emily can't stay here but you still have your life. Make the most of it! Don't continue to be blinded by the past!"
Death Moth roared and flapped his wings. From the dust his poisonous moths took flight and came zooming towards Ladybug. "You'd never understand!"
"Cat Noir, now!" she shouted.
Unseen in the shadows, Cat Noir pulled the fire alarm and sprinklers high above activated and rained water down on everyone in the warehouse. The moths fell to the ground, the water destroying their ability to fly. The black cat himself appeared on a balcony, spinning his belt at his side. "When Milady orders, I deliver. Normally, us cats hate the rain, but for today I'll make an exception."
The rain seemed to weigh down Death Moth's wings and he lowered to the ground.
"Please, see reason and lift this wish! It won't end the way you want it! In less than 12 hours Emily will part from this world and so will Nathalie! That has to matter to you!" Ladybug said.
When Death Moth came in anew, Cat Noir joined Ladybug and together they fought him in hand-to-hand combat. Regardless of knowing each other's identities, each knew where the other would be and their combined motions were flawless. Whether it was Cat Noir giving Ladybug an opening or Ladybug setting up a finishing blow for Cat Noir, the two were in perfect sync.
"I think we could use a little luck to get the upper hand, don't you think Bugaboo?"
"I was thinking the same thing!" Ladybug spun her yoyo high in the air and called out, "Lucky Charm!" Her power condensed into the form of a dart board, much to her bewilderment. She quickly looked around to see how to use it, but Death Moth wasn't going to give her the chance.
"Ladybug, look out!" Cat Noir spun his staff to defend against the coming strike but wasn't fast enough and was knocked aside instead.
"Cat Noir!" Distracted by her love slamming into a wall, Ladybug didn't see Death Moth reach over in both arms.
He lifted her off the air and glared at her with his huge bug eyes. Instead of saying anything, Death Moth opened his mouth and a green noxious gas blew into her face, the water from above being blocked by his wings temporarily.
Not expecting the move, Ladybug breathed in the poisonous gas and immediately her head began to swoon.
"Ladybug, I'm here!" Having recovered enough to re-enter the fight, Cat Noir pulled his hand back, "Cataclysm!" he wrapped his arm around Ladybug with his left hand, spun around to pull her from the enemy's clutches and when he turned back around to face his akumatized father, he reached out and touched his right hand to the butterfly broach still pinned at Gabriel's throat. The jewelry piece crumbled and Gabriel's form shed into the wind as he fell to his knees, completely out of strength and breath.
"Milady, now!" Cat Noir urged, but Marinette couldn't even stand on her feet to seal the akuma as it took flight. "Ladybug?"
"Cat Noir…" she spoke barely above a whisper, but he heard it clearly. "Help me."
He stood behind her and while supporting her weight, he ran her finger over the yoyo unlocking it then spun it and aimed for the akuma. It returned to her and opening it revealed a single white butterfly that flew away happily. "We did it, Milady." When she didn't respond, he looked into her face and gasped when she appeared peaked and refused to answer. "Milady?" He lowered her to the floor and pulled her close. "Marinette, answer me…" he whined as he nuzzled her neck. "Please…"
"M-miraculous Ladybug…" her voice trailed off but it was enough to get her lucky charm to float into the air and her ladybugs to take flight all over Paris. Those who were sick would now be healed. Even Cat Noir, Ladybug, and Gabriel disappeared and reappeared back at the Agreste Mansion foyer.
"Everything I've done…everything I sacrificed. It was all for naught," Gabriel distressed.
"Marinette! Marinette!" Cat Noir shook Ladybug but she remained unresponsive. Suddenly her powers disappeared and Tikki reappeared before she fell to the floor. "Claws in!" Plagg, freed from the ring, flew over to his Tikki while Adrien checked Marinette over. "Why won't she wake up Plagg!? Why did her transformation revert her form all of a sudden!?
Plagg gave some of his cheese to little Tikki who did nothing but cry on his miniscule shoulders. "The only reason Ladybug's transformation would reverse is if she…"
"No!" Adrien shouted. "She did the miraculous ladybugs! I heard her! The damage should be undone!" He looked down at Marinette. "Wake up! Come on, wake up!"
"The powers of the miraculous can't bring back the dead, Adrien…" Plagg tried to explain.
"She's not dead! She's not!" He cried and squeezed her closer. "How am I supposed to handle losing my mother and now the love of my life?"
"There's still time," Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, holding the grimoire. "Gabriel…"
Gabriel stood to his feet and looked at his wife in distress. "Emily, I…I understand. I know what I must do." He took the book and spun to face his son whose face was streaked with tears. "By reading the spell to undo my wish, everyone's state that is related to the miraculous will be returned to the way they were before I made my wish."
Adrien's eyes went wide. "Marinette would be saved?" Then he looked at his mother who gave him a sad smile.
"And I would fade from this world, thus saving Nathalie in the process," she confirmed. Turning to her husband, she cupped his cheek fondly. "You may have wondered astray, but there has never been a better time to set things right." She kissed him and rested her forehead against his in a very Adrien-Marinette move. "Be the man I love with every fiber of my being. Be the man I married and the father of our child."
He looked at her sorrowfully and cupped her cheek before he leaned in and kissed her. "Your existence was my only light. I don't know how to exist without you."
"You have a new light, Garbiel. Let her in and your frozen heart will begin to thaw. Remember, I'll always be watching over you and I wish for nothing but your happiness. I have faith in you, in our family, whoever that may be in the coming future." Emily nodded and stepped back, walking down the steps towards Adrien. Kneeling down next to him, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead before she hugged him gently.
"Mom, I'm so sorry we couldn't find a way to save you," Adrien cried, losing Marinette and now losing his mother threatened to destroy the poor boy.
"You did save me, Adrien. You allowed me to return to where I'm supposed to be." Emily looked down at Marinette and caressed her hair fondly. "You've grown into a fine young man and a wonderful superhero who thinks only of others and saves those he can. Marinette and you are very special. Take good care of her and she will take care of you."
"I promise, mother. Marinette's my soulmate, I believe that now. I do everything I can to make her happy for the rest of her life." Adrien swore.
Gabriel began to chant from the book and Adrien saw Emily's form begin to face from in front of him. "Mom, I love you!"
"I love you, too…my son…" then she was gone.
Back up on the stairs, Gabriel finished the spell and dropped the book, mourning the second loss of the love of his life. He fell to his knees and just stared at the floor.
Adrien looked down at Marinette and at first she didn't move. He cradled her closer and nearly crushed her with his arms as his body shook with sobs again. "Please, return to me, my bugaboo."
Marinette moaned and winced as she slowly opened her eyes. "I told you…not to call me bugaboo…"
"Marinette!" Adrien kissed her then and buried his head in hair. "Don't ever leave me again."
"Marinette!" Tikki cried from out of nowhere and dug into Marinette's neck as she openly wept.
"W-what's going on?" the young girl wondered.
Higher on the stairs, Nathalie came out of the room she was in and looked around in confusion. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't remember but what happened? Did we succeed?"
Gabriel slowly got to his feet and regarded his son holding his love and when father's eyes met son's, Adrien nodded with an encouraging smile. Clearing his throat, Gabriel turned to face Nathalie. "Nathalie, while I will always love Emily, I believe my recent direction may have been…misplaced and…selfish." He pushed his glasses higher up on his nose. "And while your continued support has always been appreciated, and your efforts flawless, I'm afraid I'm going to have to terminate your employment with me."
Everyone in the room gasped.
"Father!"
"Sir—" Nathalie began but Gabriel cut her off with a raised hand.
"Instead, I think dinner reservations at Paris' top restaurant is called for."
His assistant, well former assistant, stood there stunned. She was unable to process just what had happened in the last 12 hours that could cause Gabriel to change so.
Suddenly embarrassed, Gabriel spun on a heel and made his way back to his room. "I expect you to be ready at the front of the mansion at 6pm sharp. I'll handle the reservations." Adrien withheld a laugh when he saw his father's ears colored a deep red. Who knew his father had such an emotion?
"Uh…Adrien…" Marinette squeaked, still held in his arms. "You can let me go now. I'm all better."
"No." Adrien shook his head.
Now she blinked in confusion. "What?"
"I'm not letting you go now that I can call you mine." Adrien stood up, carrying her bridal style, and turned to start walking up the stairs. Nathalie moved aside, her confusion still evident on her face.
Adrien went up to his room and allowed Plagg to close his bedroom door behind them.
"A-Adrien, my parents will be worried, don't you think!?" Marinette immediately became aware of Adrien's scent that completely filled the room and while she had been in it a couple times, never before had she been so close to the object of her affections.
"I don't care." He dropped her into his bed and collapsed next to her, not even releasing her for a second. He held her with her back in his chest and dug his face into her hair. "All of this seems too good to be true. I'm afraid if I let you go, you'll disappear in a puff of smoke."
Marinette froze, unable to move as her nerves went completely haywire. "A-Adrien?" she voiced. When he didn't say anything she turned and even her slight motion made him tighten his hold on instinct. His face, now inches from hers, made her cheeks heat up beyond maximum. However, his eyes were closed and his breathing was steady so she realized he must be fast asleep.
Her body relaxed and she smiled, moving a stray strand of hair out of his face. The fight had been a hard one but, they'd had worse. Truth be told he was probably exhausted mentally. Forced to fight his father, then saying goodbye to his mother. While she didn't remember much after releasing her miraculous ladybugs, with Nathalie awake, she assumed Gabriel Agreste had reversed his wish. Somewhere nearby, Tikki and Plagg were asleep on a pillow placed next to the bed.
Proper etiquette demanded that she get up and excuse herself but when she tried once again to move, Adrien tightened his hold and whimpered in his sleep. Considering they were completely clothed and assuring herself several times that nothing would happen, Marinette gave in and raised an arm to drape over his side, closing her eyes to quickly falling asleep. She would worry about the consequences later.
"You're where!?" Alya screeched over the phone.
"I'm at Adrien's. Some stuff happened and I had to stay the night," she left out the parts about sleeping in Adrien's bed. "Mr. Agreste called my folks I guess cause when I called them, they weren't frightened or upset or anything. It was kind of weird."
"Are you going to come to school today?"
When Marinette looked over at Tikki floating with Plagg by Adrien, the little kwami shook her head. "I've still got some things I have to take are of. I'll fill you in later."
"You better, girl. At least I know you're well taken care of over there. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
When Marinette's face lit up, she coughed and fanned her instantly bright face. "A-Alya, stop it! It's not like that!" She groaned as Alya laughed at her expense and hung up the phone. "So, that went well."
Tikki floated over and looked seriously at her owner. "It had to be done. We have to discuss things that can't wait until after school."
"It's because we know our secret identities, isn't it?" Adrien said.
Tikki nodded. "Even with Hawkmoth defeated and the miraculous returned to the miracle box, along with the peacock miraculous, the fact still remains both of you know who the other one is. The rules are very specific about this. If you know then it's possible others will find out and that's information your enemies can use against you. Your families and friends won't be safe anymore."
Another concern troubled Marinette. "As the guardian, does that mean…I have to give up the title of guardian, too?"
Tikki didn't say anything, but her face said it all.
Adrien's eyes went wide. "Wait…doesn't that mean you'll forget about everything?" Marinette's form shrank and her tears welled in her eyes. "No, that's not fair! We didn't break the rules, our identities were discovered by the enemy. Why should she have to pay that price?"
Plagg, eating camembert off in the corner, swallowed another chunk. "It's not like there isn't another option."
"Plagg!" Tikki chided. "You can't just say something like that at a time like this!"
"Why not?" said the little black bringing of destruction. "It would fix everything, wouldn't it?"
"Tikki, what is he talking about?" Marinette asked.
Tikki groaned. "One way around the rule would be if Adrien agrees to become a guardian, too. You remember Master Fu and Marianne?" They nodded. "She knew about the kwami and the miraculous and even Master Fu's real identity, right? While she was never officially made a guardian, there were talks of making her one to allow the two of them to be together. Master Fu was the one who decided he didn't want to put Marianne in that kind of danger."
"That's an easy choice, then. I'll do it." Adrien answered.
"Adrien, you can't simply make a decision like that!" Marinette stood to her feet. "To be a guardian is a lifelong commitment. You would be held to the same standards as I would. Should anything happen to you, your mind and heart would be wiped and…" she looked away.
Adrien came up to her and took hold of her hand though she refused to look at him even while her tears had begun to spill over her cheeks. "So, you think I'm going to just let you forget about everything? Forget about me?"
"It's not like I want to!" she spun to face him now. "How can I selfishly decide that you could be a guardian just because right now, at this point in your life, you're doing it to be with me? We don't even know if we're compatible. It's taken us so long to get here and you might be disappointed that…"
Adrien cut her off by covering her lips with his own. Marinette jolted at first but soon relaxed into his gentle advance. When he pulled away, he wiped the side of her face clean with his thumb and looked warmly into her eyes. "How could you think that I don't know my feelings well enough to know that I want to be with you today and forever, for the rest of our lives? Do you think I pined after Ladybug, or felt so strongly connected to Marinette, for so long that I would be okay with you just forgetting about us?"
Marinette continued to cry, completely embarrassed to hear such words from her perfect embodiment of love. "You're only seeing short term. What if there's someone else? Chloe or Lila? What if your father doesn't approve of us? What if you get a modeling gig across the ocean in America?"
Now Adrien laughed and rubbed Marinette's hair fondly like he would a little sister. "Do you really think any of that matters when everything I want, my entire universe, is centered and completely revolves around you and only you? My heart has been filled with nothing but love for you since the day we met and that's never going to change. Besides," he kissed her forehead. "I made my mother a promise that I would strive to make you happy every day for the rest of your life. You're not going to make me go back on my word now, are you?"
Marinette whimpered and wiped the rest of her tears away. Looking at her beloved friend and kwami, she asked, "Has this been done before?"
"Oh sure, there's been plenty of guardian couples," Tikki confirmed, "Though you're not also supposed to be miraculous wielders, that line has kind of been muddled this generation."
"But who better to protect the box than humans with super powers?" Plagg pointed out. "It's not like they have the guardian temple to receive lifelong training like the guardians before them. Besides that, Hawkmoth's been defeated. The nights should be nice and quiet from here on out."
"It's not supervillains I'm afraid of," Tikki muttered with a pout.
"The decision is mine, isn't it?" Adrien spoke up. "And I say yes."
Tikki nodded and with Plagg taking position on the opposite side, they announced. "It is by our right as the kwami of creation and destruction, to name Adrien Agreste co-guardian of the mother miracle box." Magical energy swirled around the room, centered around Adrien, until it eventually dissipated in all directions.
Adrien looked around and finally back at Marinette. "I don't feel any different."
She shrugged. "I didn't either, to tell you the truth."
"So, what now? No school. We have the day to ourselves." He snapped his fingers. "I believe I promised Milady to the first date of all dates."
Laughing nervously, Marinette wasn't exactly ready for that yet. "Heh heh…um, I think you need to speak to your father first." When Adrien's face dropped, she came up and put a hand on his shoulder. "A lot has happened, for both of you. I think you need to clear the air before either of you can really move forward."
Her blond idol sighed heavily. "You're right, I guess. It won't be easy, but it's the right thing to do."
"Now that sounds like my kitty cat." She scratched him under the chin, getting him to laugh.
Gabriel stood before the painting that for so long was his entrance into his hidden lair. A lair he didn't need anymore. A double life that would no longer exist. He didn't even know what that life would look like and the thought frightened him. It was the same as when his wife came down ill and the doctors told him to "prepare for the worst". His mind didn't function without his Emily. That was when he'd decided to dive into legends and myths to try and find a cure, preserving her on the very brink of death, until he was successful.
Somehow his efforts enabled her to exist out of body, to see everything he'd done…the person he'd become without her. She could have renounced him completely, but she only refused to condone his actions. The love that always exists was still there burning in her eyes when she'd said her goodbyes. His muse, the reason his heart beat, forgave him and told him to learn to live life with another. The thought had been preposterous…until now.
He had always denied that part of him, holding on to the slim threat of hope that his Emily would return. Nathalie was important to him too. She'd stuck by his side throughout everything, risked her life against his orders, to see their plans through. He owed it to her now, owed it to Emily, to see if anything could blossom between them if given the chance.
A knock at the door grabbed his attention and he knew before looking that his son stood there awaiting permission to enter. "Come in…son."
Adrien kept his eyes on the floor, seemingly ashamed to be before his father. "Father, I know we need to talk…but I don't even know how to begin."
"Let us sit down." Gabriel came over and joined his son on the sofa in his office. "I think I should start. I'm sure you have questions." He folded his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. "When your mother fell ill, I was…unwilling to give up on her. The doctors told me there was no way to save her but I didn't listen. We discovered the butterfly and peacock miraculous while on one of our oversees trips, along with the grimoire. The grimoire told me that if I combined the black cat and ladybug miraculous, that I would have any wish I wanted granted. Since I didn't know where they were, I became Hawk Moth. I played the villain in order to draw out the heroes…and the guardian did exactly that."
"As Hawk Moth you once said 'how do you even know my wish wouldn't benefit everyone?' At the time, I dismissed it but had I known, I might have been drawn to your side. I don't know…" Adrien admitted.
"No, when I sullied my hands, I was willing to become a devil, but I never wished that for you." He put a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "You look so much like your mother. I saw her all the time in you. Your presence was the only thing that got me out of bed some mornings." He sighed and closed his eyes in clear regret. "I never could have imagined that fate would grant you the black cat miraculous. All those times I…had anything happened to you…"
"Father, if Mother forgave you then so can I. I don't want to hold anything against you. I don't want to keep living behind these four walls, hidden from the world. You're a brilliant designer. You belong in the sun," Adrien encouraged. Casting his luck, he added, "And like I've already said, Nathalie's a member of the family. If anything happens between you two, I'll be happy for both of you."
The comment made his father laugh shortly and Adrien admitted he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen or heard his father laugh. "Speaking of love…" He raised an eyebrow at his son. "You fell for Ladybug, huh?"
Adrien immediately began stammering and scratching his head nervously. "Oh yeah that, well, yeah at first she was amazing, and then I got to know Marinette, and she was amazing too but in a different way, and both of them have really been there for me and now I know they're the same person, things are great, but also a little awkward and…"
Gabriel patted his son's knee, getting the boy to cease his rants and look up at him. "Marinette is a fine fashion designer in the making. A little…gentle guiding and she could make an excellent match for you…even if she is the daughter of a baker."
Adrien practically beamed and gave his father a long overdue hug. Gabriel returned the hug and could almost sense Emily's radiant acceptance over the two of them. Yes, a new chapter had started for the Agreste family.
Ladybug sat on the top of the Eiffel Tower, looking down at her city. Everything was calm, the sun was shining, and a cool breeze was flowing. She should have been perfectly at ease, but for some reason, the realist in her couldn't accept that it all just fit perfectly in a little box and was presented to her without a catch.
Hawk Moth was defeated. She and Cat Noir had made it through alive and the kicker was Cat Noir was in love with her. Adrien was in love with her (Technically Cat Noir had always been in love with her and wouldn't shut up about it) and she with him. Peace reigned over Paris and she got to be with the one she loved. So where was the catch? Life didn't just give you things, you had to work for them. She was used to being at the bottom of the totem pole. Now she was supposed to accept that all that had just changed?
"Hey, is this seat taken?" Cat Noir approached cautiously from the side; aware his presence may not be wanted.
"How did you know where to find me?" she wondered as he sat down.
"Call it a hunch. Once Plagg spilled the beans that you'd taken off with Tikki, I figured you wouldn't want to go back home just yet and you love high places so..."
She sighed and pulled up her knees into her chest. "I'm sorry. I'm really happy things worked out. I am. It's just…"
"Too good to be true?"
She smiled at him. "Yeah…you said that last night, didn't you?"
Cat Noir blushed and looked away nervously. "Oh yeah, that. I still can't believe I did that."
She shrugged. "It was cute. All we did was sleep, after all." She leaned her head on his shoulder, his warmth permeating even his thick armor.
Her Adrien, covered in leather.
Ladybug shook her head. Keep your head out of the gutter, girl! She glanced sideways at him and swallowed hard. Oh boy, this dynamic duo just got a whole lot harder.
Cat Noir noticed her looks and wiggled his eyebrows. "Do you like what you see or cat got your tongue?"
My tongue, my hand, my heart, he can have any part he wants. Her mind immediately receding into the gutter again and Ladybug's eyes bulged so she hurriedly looked away.
Cat Noir frowned. "What? No witty retort?"
"Um yeah, about that. You see, it's kind of hard to breath knowing there's a super-hot model under all that leather." She panted a little. "Is it me or is it hot up here?"
Cat Noir chuckled deep in his throat and put his hand over Ladybug's getting her to turn to him. He placed his forehead against hers. "Everything that I am, every piece and pleasure is yours to command, My Lady, and always has been." Ladybug's face matched the color of her outfit when he pulled away again and tapped her nose. "Which reminds me. Are you ready for our date?"
She blinked, having forgotten. "Did your dad say it was alright?"
"Surprisingly, yeah. He was okay with it. But it's not my dad I'm worried about. The last time you and I were together, your dad kind of tried to kill me."
Ladybug laughed, the sound music to his cat ears. "That's right. And I'm going to have to shower and change, I mean I haven't done anything to myself since yesterday morning!"
Cat Noir stood up and pulled his lady up with him. "That's okay. The same goes for me. How about I pick you up around 5:30pm?"
"Where are we going?" She wondered with innocent eyes.
"It's a surprise." He gave her a peck on the cheek and leapt off the tower. "See you then!"
She laughed and shook her head, putting a hand on her hip. "Show off." Then she spun her yoyo and took off back towards home. She had some explaining to do.