A/N: This was the original drabble I wrote based on the Ghost Blanc AU so I edited it a bit, added details and decided to upload here :) Enjoy! (P.S This is basically a spinoff of the AU so do not expect this to happen in the story. It's like a taster!)


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"You're...you're him, aren't you?" Marinette addressed the stark figure with as much courage and bravery as she could possibly muster, clutching her purse with a white-knuckled grip. She was pure Ladybug right now, panic thrown out of the window and kneecaps straining to keep her legs sturdy with herculean strength. "I've had my suspicions for a while...but now...now I know...it's you." Her voice wavered towards the last word, mouth dry,

She didn't dare to move a muscle.

The haunted darkness and spine-chilling quiet of the hallway in the school created an eerie atmosphere. In the beginning, it would have frightened the living daylights out of the French-Chinese girl without a doubt.

Now?

Now she understood the presence better.

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The cold, tense seconds that ticked by felt like decades. As soon as the figure opened his mouth, it took everything for Marinette to not flinch in surprise.

"...and who am I, Marinette?" His voice was soft and full of melancholy despite the smile that was plastered on his face, pale feline ears drooping and tail limp against the dirt crusted floor.

"You're Chat Noir...my Chaton...from that timeline, right?" Marinette took a small step forward, brows furrowed and sapphire eyes full of worry. "All this time...you've helped me in the shadows," She took another step forward. "...saving me from that car accident," And another. "...pushing me off that building so that I didn't get shot," And another. "...always there for me..."

Chat Blanc didn't say anything, merely watching the girl as his body solidified more yet maintaining the ethereal, untouchable look that made him seem inhuman.

"I thought I saved you..." Tears were starting to pool in her eyes and her hands tenderly reached up to cup his cheeks, hesitating to make physical contact and hovering a breath away from his skin. The boy's eyes began to shine for the first time, lips subtly parted in awe.

"My love for you is very strong, My Lady. Not even time would stop me from aiding you," Blanc attempted to grasp her wrists so that her hands could rest on his cheeks only for his flesh to pass through hers like thin air.

The momentary glimmer of hope that shone in his sad blue eyes vanished in an instance.

It was then that the excruciating sadness in his heart mourned once more, weeping with regret and longing for the warmth of the girl he loves.

Marinette couldn't stop the wet gasp that escaped her, swiftly bringing her hands back to herself and eyeing the calloused, slender digits in horror. One would think that she murdered an innocent soul with said hands from the look on her face.

'But indirectly...I did this to him...I killed him!' Large, fat tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Maybe...this is my punishment for what I did to the world...everyone...and you." Chat Blanc laughed brokenly, stepping away from the girl and clasped his forearms as if he was hugging himself. His razor sharp claws dug through the impenetrable suit and into the soft flesh. "I'm a monster."

"No! No you're not! That's not fair on you at all! You were akumatised! If anything, it was Le Papillon's fault...it was my fault! I couldn't help you-"

"Don't be stupid." His sharp tone halted her from spiralling, a dangerous glint in his eyes sharper than the sharpest of blades, took her breath away. "All you ever did was make me happy...and love me! You loved me so much, Marinette! The memories that we made together was what helped me fight back the cold, lonely insanity that tried to corrupt me during my solitude in the empty world." He clenched his fists tight as if to emphasise his reasoning.

"Chat Noir..."

"It's Chat Blanc, Marinette." Even though his body would simply phase through hers, Blanc attempted to wipe away her tears with a shaky finger. A gesture he always did back when she was his.

Back when he was able to kiss her sweet tears and trail his lips down her cheeks till he stole her breath away...

"How do I save you?" Marinette's words were no more than a breath, begging for him to be free.

"You can't."

"I have to...I must!"

"This is beyond your power, My Lady, Ma Princesse..." With a warm smile, an expression that mirrored her partner in black and...another boy with green eyes, Blanc brought his face towards her and brushed his lips against hers in a gentleness that would rival a mother's touch upon their newborn.

For a split second, she felt it...

She felt his lips!

A human warmth.

A sweet softness.

Only for his body to fade away for now and appear when she least expected him to.

Was...was this what their love was like in his timeline?

The designer immediately sank to her knees, pressing her fingers against her lips to brand the feeling of his warmth as tears rolled down her cheeks with much more vigour.

Before she knew it, she broke down.

'I failed him...I failed my Chaton again!' Was what ricocheted in her mind like a mantra despite her little kwami's pleas and support. 'I failed the boy who loved me so selflessly and unconditionally!'

So deep into her misery, she was deaf to a familiar boy's cries of her name and it was only when he brought her into his arms did she finally come back to the world.

"Marinette! Oh God...Marinette..." Before she knew it, Adrien brought her into an embrace that took her breath away and squeezed her heart. With a hold like iron and his tan fingers knotting themselves into her hair, he breathed out how relieved he was to see her again. It was as if he found her after years of searching.

"A...Adrien?" Marinette rasped, still limp in his arms, too numb to move or even treasure his warmth.

"I thought he took you away...like he threatened to do so." The blonde teen whispered with anguish, tightening his grip on her. "No matter what I did, no matter how hard I try to keep you close, he comes closer to you!" He pulled back a little so that he could see her confused face, brushing away her fringe with a look of desperation.

A sight far too dangerously similar to her feline partner.

"Who?" Marinette suddenly dreaded his answer, an uncomfortable void in her stomach starting to grow.

"Listen to me Marinette," He shook her. "Please, please, stay away from that Chat Blanc! If you see him again, come to me or Chat Noir. We have to...we WILL protect you!" The shivers on her spine started to send cold sweat down her forehead.

"What's going on Adrien...? I thought he was just a lost spirit...finding his way?" And what did the white cat want to do with Adrien of all people?

"Is that what he told you?"

It was then that Marinette realised she's never asked him nor did Blanc tell her why he was here. She merely just assumed.

She didn't want to doubt him...he was her Minou for crying out loud!

"Marinette. Once upon a time, he was m- Chat Noir! But now? Now he's not. He's an echo of destruction...something that should NOT exist. And he wants you. I don't know why but he won't stop until he has you! Do you understand? You need to stay away from him!"

Adrien's eyes showed emotions beyond despair. His teeth clenched with determination...determination to keep her safe. His relentless hold on her never budging- as if he feared that letting her go would mean she'd leave him forever.

He painfully reminded her of Chat Noir and at the same time, the one who called himself Chat Blanc...

Without missing a beat, her Ladybug instinct kicked back in.

"Adrien, do you trust me?" Her question shook him off guard. Adrien pursed his lips in confusion, furrowing his brows. The expression smoothed away when he spotted the fire in her eyes.

"With my life and everything."

"Then help me help him. Please."

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed the drabble! Please, comment down your thoughts, leave kudos and have a nice day!