Omg I feel like such a dweeb, it's been so long since I updated this story and chapter five has been sitting here on my laptop totally completed...I just forgot to upload it. Luckily when I was uploading my DBS story I saw Akumatised and was like wait, lemme put up the new chapter, geez wow. Well anyways here's the next chapter. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Miraculous doesn't belong to me.
Chapter 5: Aftermath
He rushed over to her immediately. It was properly raining as he crouched down beside her. There was a look in his eyes she noticed as he was looking at the blue balls stuck to her. He struck the first one with such a force that it cracked in half and fell off her and did the same to the other two. She'd never seen him so angry. To avoid straining her arm to help her up he instead picked her up and gently put her on her feet.
"I thought you said..." she started, trying to regain her balance
"I know what I said but we'll have to talk after. Are you going to be alright?" he looked in her eyes
"I'll be fine and you're right" she got some of her resolve back
"I'm sorry I didn't get here earlier"
"What matters is that you're here now" she said holding on to her left arm "We've got work to do, Lucky Charm!" she called on her special power. She winced in pain when she reached up to catch it "A candle, what am I supposed to do with this in the rain?" she sighed in disbelief. Well no point in complaining about it. She looked around her to see where on earth this candle would be put to use. Heavy Hitter was getting back up and recalling the red balls back into his blasters. She took a closer look at the candle then at the blasters. Seems the rain was on their side after all, it looked like steam or smoke was rising from the blasters. They're giving off heat.
"Cat Noir, I've got a plan. I need you to clear me a path"
"Lay it on me, Milady. What's the plan?"
She explained everything to him, her plan and how Heavy Hitter's powers worked and he got it perfectly. He readied his staff and watched Heavy Hitter take aim at him. He smirked before running straight for him.
Heavy Hitter fired in a straight line right for him but Cat Noir expertly dodged all of them and got closer and closer to him. Cat ducked and one just missed his cat ears, another narrowly missed his foot and he slid under a third one and slid right past Heavy Hitter but, he wasn't about to let Cat Noir slide right past him without taking a shot. He aimed right at his chest-
Just as Cat planned.
"Now Ladybug!" he yelled and kicked Heavy Hitter's arm up so it was pointing at Ladybug who was right in front of him. She was running behind Cat Noir who was the distraction and needed him to fire so that the blaster would heat up. Before Heavy Hitter could react Ladybug shoved the candle into his blaster. The candle fit the shaft perfectly and due to the heat trying to escape it slightly started melting the wax of the candle, enough to make it too difficult to remove.
Heavy Hitter looked beyond furious.
"I'll make you both pay for that. I can still beat you with one blaster. Starting with the mangy cat!" he turned to face Cat Noir who was still standing behind him and he fired. Cat Noir dodged but two of them hit both ends of his staff. The impact almost knocked Cat Noir off balance. They bounced off then flew right back and stuck themselves on to his staff. One stuck to one end and the other on the other.
"It's over now, Cat Noir"
"Not exactly" he stated confidently
"Your turn, Ladybug" he knew he only had few seconds. He leapt in the air right over Heavy Hitter.
Ladybug used her yo-yo to bind his hands together and Cat let go of his staff as he was right over him and just as the balls turned blue—their extra weight falling on Heavy Hitter's blasters and pinning him to the ground. A bolt of lightning flashed as his staff hit the ground. He grunted and tried to lift his arms but it was no use. He knew he'd been beaten.
"Cataclysm!" he called on his special power and ran it over the blasters and watched them crumble away as the black butterfly escaped. Ladybug undid her yo-yo and captured the butterfly and released it after cleansing it.
Her body was aching from all the movement but she was glad it all worked out. Just as she was about to set everything back to normal she felt light-headed and fell forward. Cat Noir caught her before she hit the ground.
"Maybe we should do this one together" he helped her up and held her hand with the candle in it. She smiled at him
"I think you're right—
"Miraculous Ladybug!" they both said together and threw the candle in the air and watched it explode into the ladybug's that repaired all the damage their battle caused. Ladybug sighed happily when the cure worked on her wounds as well. She felt better than ever.
"That's much better" she stretched and moved around glad that her body was no longer in so much pain.
Heavy Hitter tuned back to normal as well. He was a young man in his early twenties. He looked confused and asked what had happened. They explained it all to him and advised him to get help against the people bullying him. They helped him down from the building where the police and an ambulance were waiting.
After settling everything they met back on the rooftop. They could have had their conversation as Marinette and Adrien but it was Ladybug and Cat Noir who needed the reunion. They looked at each other for the longest time before embracing in a hug. They held each other as close as they could, both fighting back tears, the rain not bothering them in the slightest. For Ladybug the realisation of how close she was to losing her Miraculous was frightening, she'd had many close calls before but she'd never faced them completely on her own. She was beyond glad he'd shown up when he did. As for Cat Noir, the weight of what he'd given up really hit him now that he had it back. It wasn't just his freedom as Cat Noir he'd lost when he gave up the ring but also all opportunity to see and be with Ladybug, side-by-side, and helping people who needed it, and it was a sacrifice he wasn't sure he was ready to make.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so angry" she spoke with her arms still around him
"Before I arrived, before he tried taking your Miraculous, I could hear your screams. How badly he was hurting you, I couldn't stand it. Are you sure you're okay?" he looked down at her
"I'm fine really" she smiled up at him
Just as she was about to speak, the dreaded beeping beat her to it.
"I guess we're out of time" her hand instinctively went to her earring
"Ladybug and Cat Noir are but not, Adrien and Marinette"
"Maybe but, we have families who could notice we're not at home right now. We've always got time to talk—
"Tonight, let's meet again later tonight when we don't have to worry about getting caught. There's something I need to tell you and it's better face-to-face."
"Alright then, later tonight. I'll see you then." she gave his hand a squeeze before leaving and he did the same
Adrien's father was busy-as usual- so Adrien had had dinner on his own but for the first time he actually preferred it this way. After everything that had happened, he felt a lot better being on his own. He left the dining table and walked up the stairs. After clearing the first flight he looked at the large portrait of him and his father that hung above the stairs. How things have changed. He carried on walking and entered his room and took out his phone after sitting in his chair.
"You sure about this, Adrien?" his Kwami asked concerned
"It's now or never, Plagg. I have to tell her."
The rain continued to fall and showed no signs of letting up as Marinette helped her mother with the dishes. Once dried and packed she joined her parents in the living room for a few matches of Ultimate Mecha Strike III. She'd gotten carried away and hadn't noticed the time. It was almost ten p.m. and she took out her phone to check if Adrien had texted, he had. She excused herself after winning her final match against her father and told her parents that she was going to bed.
Once in her room she sat in her chair and opened Adrien's message.
"Meet up in 10?" his text read
"No problem. Top of the Eiffel Tower. See you there" she put her phone down and thought for a minute. What was it that he wanted to tell her? He seemed pretty serious and even insisted on face-to-face when they could have easily talked all night over the phone. She shook off her worries, turned off her lights then climbed up to her bed. From there she transformed into Ladybug and climbed to her balcony, it was still raining but that didn't discourage her at all or make the Eiffel Tower any less beautiful. In fact it just made it look better. She took in its beauty before leaping off her balcony and headed right for it. She took her time swinging up, enjoying the climb. Once she reached the railing, climbed over and put her yo-yo back on her hip.
"Any specific reason why you usually choose for us to meet here?" he'd just landed and walked over to her
"I like it up here, it feels more private." she smiled and looked at him
"I'm pretty sure the rooftop of any building late at night can be private"
"Yeah but up here we're so far from everything so it's really just the two of us" she put her hand over his and he returned her smile
The rain started to lessen. There was a moment of silence.
"Was today just a onetime thing or are you back for good?"
"I hesitated at first, just a few hours ago I didn't know either, but now after fighting together again I realised that I couldn't just walk away from all this or walk away from you. It's a part of me, Cat Noir will always be a part of me even when I'm Adrien and when I'm not wearing my ring. And nothing could change that, not even being Akumatised."
"You know what the hardest part was for me?" she started "Trying to figure out how to stop you without hurting you. You're the last person I'd ever want to fight and even after I got hit, I still didn't want to. I hated every minute of our fight. Honestly I think today's battle hurt just as bad as fighting you did especially because I knew how much it would hurt you afterwards."
"I'm not surprised by that at all. I literally hurt you so badly but you were concerned for how it would affect me" he smiled sadly
"I did learn something though..." he looked at her waiting for her to continue "That you're a lot stronger than I thought. That Cataclysm punch was dizzying to say the least, very powerful and very painful but the fact that you were able to keep fighting for as long as you did when Miraculer got you just made me remember what an amazing partner I have" she was facing him and looking into his eyes
"What good is a shield that breaks easily? I rush in and make sure you can do what needs to be done and I'll take as many hits as I need to if it means you're safe" he turned to face her as well
"Cat Noir, you're not just a shield to me. You're not expendable, you're my best friend, my partner. I can't always handle things on my own and today was proof of that. Ladybug is at her best when Cat Noir is by her side..." she took a step closer to him "Or in this case, right in front of her" she leaned in and kissed him. His eyes were wide in surprise but he quickly recovered and put his arms around her, closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss as she moved her arms around his neck.
He never thought this day would come. Warm bodies pressed together in the light rain, arms around each other and her fragrance washed over him while their lips connected passionately. He was tingling on the inside and his heart was racing.
Ladybug didn't know what she was thinking diving into the kiss like that but she knew she didn't regret it. His arms around her made her feel lighter than air and just wanted to be held tighter, to be even closer than they already were. And as for his lips against hers, his soft pillowy lips making her heart flutter, a feeling she never wanted to stop and a feeling they'd both definitely wanted for a very long time.
She slowly pulled away from his lips, almost unwillingly, like being taken out of a dream or the end of a spell enchanting them, they both opened their eyes slowly. They looked at each other before embracing.
"Sorry I…shouldn't have caught you off guard like that" her voice breathless and almost a whisper. Her head resting on his shoulder by the groove of her neck. He pressed his lips to the side of her neck before looking at her and brushing her wet hair away from her eyes.
"Don't apologise." he cupped her face in his hands
He held on to her once more, arms circling her waist, her back against the railing with him leaning into her. This time he kissed her. Ladybug sighed and kissed right back and it was just as delightful and passionate as the first. The exchange just as electric and heart-pumping. Why can't I kiss you forever? Words on both their minds.
Their breathing was in sync and their arms still around each other, Ladybug facing forward and Cat Noir's arms around her stomach and her hers over his. Their magical first kiss had ended and they were taking it in. They were looking at the city below glowing and shining in the remnants of the rain and city lights. Both silent and completely comfortable in each other's arms.
After a peaceful silence she felt him sigh heavily and his arms loosened around her. She looked up at him.
"You okay, Cat Noir?" she looked concerned
"Not really" he removed his arms from her and leaned against the railing
"Is it about the 'something' you said you were going to tell me about?"
Cat deeply sighed again.
"Remember, The Collector?" he started
"Of course I do."
"Do you remember our conversation on the roof of the school? You called me saying you had a lead on Hawk Moth's identity." he felt a weight on his chest the closer he got to the reveal
"Yeah, I thought it was Gabriel Agreste because of the pieces I'd put together with Master Fu and my own research but, I was wrong." she was confused as to how the two incidents were related
"No, you weren't wrong. You were spot on in fact. Everything you said was true, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, he is my father. Plagg found out by accident" he said with defeat in his voice
"But how's that possible if he was Akumatised?" she felt chills down her spine and it wasn't because of the cold
"He's probably able to Akumatise himself somehow, I don't know. If that hadn't happened he'd still be our top suspect, think about it. The only reason we dropped it is because of The Collector but everything else still fits. The brand logo being a butterfly, the butterfly patterns on the tiles of my house..." he was breathing heavily, almost panting, his heart racing. It was one thing going through all this in his head when he first found out, in that moment he could deny and try to rationalise everything but now, with Ladybug with him and saying it out loud made it more real.
"And the book. The one used to make potions to upgrade our Kwami's. Remember what you said about him and the book being related? I got the book from my father's secret safe"
Ladybug was speechless. Her heart sank into her stomach at all this information she was trying to digest.
"Becoming The Collector was absolutely genius, he threw us off completely and erased all suspicion, but how did he even know he needed to do that?"
"My guess is since, I, well Adrien 'lost' the book, he had no idea where it went. The fact that it wasn't in his possession anymore automatically meant he had to take action. As far as he knew it went straight to Master Fu. My father is very cautious." he was gripping the railing tightly
"I don't know what to say..." she was genuinely at a loss for words, at the discovery absolutely but more pressing is what this meant for Adrien "Are you okay?" she asked again and he knew what she meant
"All this time we've been saving the city from villain's trying to get our Miraculous, all those fights meant to defeat us, defeat me, all by him. I was Akumatised by my own father…" his voice was low and almost defeated
"He doesn't know it's you and we still don't know what he wants the Miraculous for yet" she tried to comfort him
"It doesn't matter what he wants them for! The fact that he's willing to do anything, use anyone to get them says enough." he was furious and walked a bit away from her and could feel tears forming. There were so many emotions surging through him and he didn't know what to do about it.
"Not everyone. Adrien has never been Akumatised. You've had days where you've been overwhelmed haven't you? Yet it's never happened to you and it still hasn't which means at least in his eyes Adrien is off limits."
"But it still can. That's the whole reason I left in the first place. I'm a liability now, you can't trust me anymore."
"I trust you with my life and that's not going to change because of this. You're not a—
"He's already had Cat Noir once and he can do it again. One slip up as Adrien and I can get Akumatised as Cat Noir. That's how he got me the first time. I was so confused and hurt when I found out it was him that, I transformed and left just so I could get out of the house but my mind was still spinning and next thing I knew the Akuma was chasing me. If that ever happens again he could use me to get to you and who knows what else…why does it have to be like this? What is he doing?" he fell to his knees and let his tears fall.
Ladybug sat next to him and put her arms around him. Her heart was breaking hearing her partner cry like this. She comforted him and let her own tears fall. He's already been through so much, why does more tragedy keep following him? A question she wished she could ask the universe or life itself. She didn't know what their next move was and how they were going to get through this but she knew that they would and all that mattered at that moment was being there for him, no matter how long and how many Akuma's she had to fight, she was going to be there for him and she wasn't going to let him be Akumatised ever again.
And that concludes chapter five, I hope you enjoyed it and things are going to get more serious as the story goes on. I can't wait to get there. Just rereading this chapter and rewatching Cat Blanc a few days ago just got me back in the mood for writing this fic.
Well that's it from me-
Until the next chapter:
Ketsui Tasogare :-)
