Chapter 21: Consequences

Ladybug leaped over the rooftops, swinging from building to building. Not concentrating on where she was going, she relied on instinct and experience to direct her movements.

She thought she had things under control. Fighting akumas, protecting the citizens, getting the job done. Even though Chat was getting under her skin, she promised herself she would never hit him again. Even when he overstepped the line, she controlled herself. Being violent with him will put a strain on their relationship, distracting him from the fight. As it is, he wasn't focused.

Then that poor excuse for a human being ruined everything. That pathetic man abused those women and made her lose it. Why did he have such a profound effect on her? She didn't care about the akumas or what they did. Her cure fixed everything anyway. This akuma was different. When she saw those women worshiping him, she felt a pain in her chest, hating him and all men. What was happening to her?

Looping her yo-yo on a chimney, Ladybug swung around the building and landed softly on the balcony. The smell of fresh bread still lingered in the late evening.

She stood by the railing watching Paris's nightlife. How was she supposed to protect the citizens if she became all emotional when encountering these bothersome akumas? Hawkmoth was the goal. She must focus on finding him to take him down. Then, with her job done, she could rest.

These emotions were not part of the plan and she knew whose fault that was.

Ladybug opened the trapdoor, jumped onto the bed below, climbed down the steps and looked around. Marinette stood in the middle of the room - she was not impressed.

"So you're back," Marinette sneered. "Did you come to insult me again?"

"Yes. This is your fault. You and your dumb relationships are getting in the way, causing me to lose focus and mess up the fight."

"Mess up the fight? Did you lose to the akuma? Is Chat all right?" Concern replaced Marinette's sneer.

"Of course not! Do I look like an amateur to you? I destroyed that akuma just as he deserved." Ladybug hesitated before continuing. "I might have been slightly overzealous."

"Huh?"

"I overreacted. I didn't mean to. My point is, it happened because of you and this Adrien boy."

"I never asked you to get involved," Marinette shot back. "I was content feeling sorry for myself before you came here and confused the hell out of me."

"You need more backbone. I can't stand by while you let him walk all over you."

"Thank you very much," the sarcasm dripping from her lips. "I've invested years in the love of my life and you tell me it was all a mistake. You want to break me worse than he did."

"Why do I bother?" Ladybug asked in exasperation. "I try to help you, show you reality, give you some semblance of a backbone, and all I get for it are complaints and your emotional rollercoaster invading my work, causing me problems."

"How? How exactly am I doing this to you? Who even invited you to my place. Is there like a sign on my balcony: 'Superheroes welcome. Come in and mess with my mind. Make sure to wipe your feet before jumping on my bed'."

They glared at each other.

Someone knocked on the trapdoor from downstairs. They turned their heads as one, looking at the door in panic.

"I have to get out of here," Ladybug whispered.

Sabine closed the curtains in the living room, ready to go down to bed. Tom was fast asleep already. For all his size, he had a low constitution, needing his beauty sleep. These all-nighters were hard on him. The life of a baker is difficult but fulfilling.

Marinette was comfortable in the bakery, but she did not inherit the passion for it. She would be a famous designer. Judging how often she found Marinette staying up with her designs until the wee hours of the morning, design was as bad as baking.

Something happened today which Marinette refused to share. Sabine had a strong suspicion it had to do with Adrien. Marinette was walking on air this morning, riding the winds of love. Sabine worried things would move too quickly and get out of control. It seems it happened quicker than she thought possible.

She heard noises up in Marinette's room. Sabine was convinced Marinette has gone to sleep an hour ago. She better check up on her.

Sabine climbed up the stairs, hearing voices. They did not sound friendly. She knocked on the door, waited a few seconds, then opened it. Marinette stood in her pajamas in the middle of the room, rubbing her hands on her thighs.

"I thought I heard you talking to someone. Where you on the phone?"

Marinette looked away, up to the skylight, then at her empty hands.

"Em, no. I was... em, talking to myself. I got a lot on my mind. It helps me think."

"Would you like a friendly ear to talk to? I could even answer back, it makes for a much more interesting conversation."

A small smile graced Marinette's lips. She did not hold it for long. That confirmed it, it was about Adrien.

"Thanks mom, not tonight. I will take you on for that offer, soon."

"Then how about a hug? I give it out for free, you don't need to share anything until you are ready."

Marinette's smile came back, bigger than before. This time, it did not go away.

"I would really like that."

Sabine stepped into the room, holding out her open arms. Marinette swiftly folded herself into her mother's embrace, wrapping her own arms around her. They stood together for almost ten minutes before Marinette pulled away, wiped the tears from her face and went to bed.

Marinette walked into class with the bell, taking her seat next to Alya, who beamed at her. Marinette wanted to smile and avoid any concerning questions, but it was beyond her. She has not shared Adrien's behavior with Alya. Her best friend would chew Adrien alive, which he deserved, but would create a scene Marinette wanted to avoid.

She spent most of Sunday in bed sorting through her feelings until she got clarity. She was over him, determined to carry on, putting what happened in the past. Ironically, she should thank him for helping her get over her stupid childish crush.

"Hey? I pictured you skipping into class, bouncing off the walls. How's boyfriend doing?"

"Well, yes, ok. He isn't my boyfriend. We, em, we slowed things down." Now was not the time to deal with this. "We'll talk later. Okay?"

Marinette rebuffed Alya the whole morning. Not quite ready to test her resolution, she skipped physics altogether, spending it in the library. She lost track of the time and walked in late to lunch. Spotting Alya, she joined her, not noticing whom she was talking to. Marinette ground to a halt upon reaching Alya. Sitting at the table were Nino, Cheriss and Adrien. The latter gave her a look of utter dismay, which she pointedly ignored.

"...They don't know when or if he will come out of it." Alya had her phone open, updating the group on some news.

"That's terrible," Cheriss said. "I cannot believe she did that."

"There must have been some confusion. I mean, dude! She can kick ass, but she knows which ass to kick."

"What are you talking about?" Marinette looked from one to the other. "Who did what to whom?"

"Don't you know, girl? You really need to keep up with the news. I'm insulted you haven't been reading my blog."

"Is this something about Ladybug?"

"Yea." Alya snorted. "Ladybug went all psycho on the latest akuma. She beat him up so much she did not notice when he reverted to human, causing him real damage. The guy's in hospital, in a coma."

"What? When was that?" The news shocked Marinette. Was that the fight Ladybug messed up?

"Saturday night. Where have you been? It's been all over the news? All the speculation about why she did it. Was it an accident or did she want to punish that horrible, abusive man?"

"Alya. What happened to journalistic objectivity?" Nino challenged her.

"I'm not being a reporter. I'm talking to my friends. To my friends, I can say I agree with everything Ladybug said to him. He is an abuser of women."

"You think she was right to put him in a coma?" Marinette asked incredulously.

"No. She should have stopped when he transformed. But I understand why he made her so angry. You should see how degrading it was for those women. I only saw the end, and it was enough to boil my blood."

"You were there?" Adrien spoke for the first time. Marinette shifted her attention to him, felt sick to her stomach, and looked away. So much for moving on.

"I take reporting seriously. As soon as the Ladyblog was alerted, I took a taxi to the scene. It's much slower than traveling by yo-yo, so Ladybug was there before me. When I arrived, Ladybug was pushing her way to the akuma - singing a song of all things. I couldn't understand what was going on. She looked like she was hugging the akuma, and then she beat him up. From what I gathered from eyewitnesses and rewatching my video, Ladybug faked getting affected by the akuma so she could get close to him."

"You got it on video?" Adrien sounded alarmed. "The whole fight."

Alya went silent, looking nervously at everyone.

"Please tell no one. I didn't post it on the blog."

"You did not report it?" Marinette was beyond surprised. That was the most out of character action Alya ever did.

"I couldn't do that to her. She looked so out of character attacking that guy, I was hesitant to post the video, and it was the right decision. It's terrible what people are saying. They are so horrible to her. How quickly they forgot all the good she's done."

"What do you mean?" Nino asked.

"They're calling her 'violent', 'out of control', 'a danger to society'. There are calls to investigate her actions throughout the years. Some are demanding she should be unmasked to reveal who is the perpetrator. Suddenly, people are coming out with stories, claiming she abused them. It's unbelievable how people lash out when things go wrong. They thrive on bringing good people down. Worse still, the police have officially sent out a call for Ladybug to come in for questioning."

"She put that guy in a coma. She should be held responsible," Cheriss said.

All heads turned to her.

"What? She cannot go around beating people up and then just walk away."

Nino put his hand up to Alya, stopping her before she could say anything. She closed her mouth but remained poised to attack.

"Honey. It's more complicated than that."

"What's complicated about it? You hurt someone you are responsible. They should unmask her so she could be tried for her actions." Cheriss was uncharacteristically vehement in her opinion.

"What..." Alya got out before Nino put his hand up again. Her face turned red with effort, but she kept silent.

"It isn't like that," Nino explained. "She doesn't go around beating people up. Put things in perspective. She fights these akumas all the time, saving everyone in Paris on a daily basis. This guy, he was an akuma and needed to be put down to save all of us. Things got out of hand, and he got hurt. That isn't good. But that isn't a reason to crucify a hero, especially when we still need her to save us."

"So she just gets away with it?" Cheriss was not convinced.

"She made a mistake," Adrien sounded very sad. "It's a very stressful situation, having to fight this endless battle for years, not making any headway against Hawkmoth. These akumas are getting worse and things can get emotional. People admire Ladybug but they don't understand the pressure she's under, to be perfect all the time. If she slips up, everyone will suffer. She cannot lose. She has to beat Hawkmoth every single time. He wins once and everything is over. That responsibility rests on her shoulders all the time and it's heavy. Now, for the first time, she makes a genuine mistake and everyone is rushing to take her down."

In another life, Marinette's heart would burst at how much empathy and insight he showed for Ladybug. Now, she tried not to resent the fact she thought he was right.

"Dude! That was deep. Do you, like, know her or something."

"I can relate to her," Adrien gave a huff. "I know what it's like to live with unreasonable expectation placed upon you. You can never succeed and are always a disappointment." Adrien chose that moment to look at Marinette.

That insight into Adrien's life took Marinette by surprise. She wouldn't feel bad for him, he did not deserve her compassion. She must stamp out those feelings bubbling up in her. She's over him. He was, after all, a disappointment for her too. She tore her gaze away from him, watching some kids on the other side of the room.

"She should go to the police, explain the situation." Cheriss was running out of steam.

"That's the problem with superheroes," Alya, having calmed herself, explained. "We need them to save us from these supervillains. The police cannot deal with the villains by themselves. By the same token, you cannot tell the heroes to come in for questioning when things don't go as planned. They cannot fight if they have to worry about the police questioning their every action. This isn't normal life; it's a different playing field. We need to trust our superheroes to do their best and not abuse their power. Ladybug has been the kindest person ever, and everyone knows that. I don't know what happened to her that night. Marinette, you've been very quiet. What do you think?"

Marinette did not think it wise to tell them she knew what happened to Ladybug that night. Not that she understood why her issues with Adrien made Ladybug so upset.

"You know I'm not her biggest fan." Marinette was not sure what she should say. "I think she has many faults which you miss. She's not perfect, as you can now see. But we don't need perfection. We need her to do her best in order to save us from Hawkmoth. People forget, he's the real villain here. Not that poor man and not Ladybug. We have seen how she does her best to protect the innocents - to protect us. She irritates and sticks her nose into other people's business, but she means well. I know she didn't mean to hurt that man and was upset by it."

"You know?" Alya tilted her head in wonder.

"Figure of speech."

A/N Next Chapter "The final straw"