Chapter 22: The final straw

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as the air pushed against her face, pigtails flapping behind her. The tiny box-shaped cars took on more distinctive shapes, and the individual dots became pedestrians. With thirty floors of the Tour Montparnasse above her, she flew past the windows at over a hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. She reveled in the thrill of free falling that contrasted with the stress induced by the rapidly approaching ground.

The speed and adrenaline from falling through the air helped clear her mind, literally blowing things out of her head. She has jumped from this building many times over the years, although she remembered none of her previous predicaments. She could not think clearly about her past. The fight with Hawkmoth, destroying his akumas, taking him down to protect her city, that was always clear at the forefront of her thoughts. Nothing else played a part, nothing else was important. She realized this put a strain on her partnership with Chat. It was a price she was willing to pay.

Then Marinette threw her life into turmoil. That scared little girl had absolutely no confidence in herself. She let that boy tear her heart out and stomp on it. Instead of fighting back, putting him in his place and kicking him while he's down, she gave him excuses. Marinette blamed herself and then had the audacity to blame Ladybug. Ladybug did not want any man in her life. No good came out of them.

She had three seconds to wonder if her suit could save her from the impact with the ground. She would probably survive it and have to live with the incredible pain of her broken body. It would still be less painful than the hurt of being betrayed by the city she's protected for a third of her life.

Less than a second from impact, she hooked her yoyo on a nearby building, swinging above the cars and people. The surprised cries from the Parisians below did not help her mood. They were scared of her, afraid she would come down and hurt them. They must have called the police, told them the scarlet villain had been spotted.

Hopefully, the police were too busy with the akuma roaming the 15th arrondissement to bother her. Hawkmoth was losing his touch. The Mailman was such a lame name for an akuma, he couldn't cause much trouble. He was probably reading everyone's mail and embarrassing them to death.

Ladybug had been randomly swinging between the buildings, lost in thought. She landed on a rooftop when she heard shouts from up ahead. Her random meandering had let her to the akuma attack.

I can't avoid them even when I try.

She could see black smoke billowing from one building while another seems to be missing half its top floor. Perhaps this MailMan was burning the letters. Either way, it wasn't her problem. They can handle this by themselves.

She heard a loud shout and saw a black figure thrown over the buildings. A long pole extended in both directions, each side landing on a different roof, leaving the figure to dangle in the middle. He climbed onto the pole, ran along it to one building. The pole rapidly contracted and both pole and the figure disappeared from sight.

The yoyo rang. She let it go to message. The screen showed five missed calls and three messages. He was persistent. She'd give him that.

"What are you doing? You need to go and get that akuma!"

Ladybug spun at the familiar voice.

"Marinette? What are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

"I-I," Marinette stuttered, looking around in confusion. "That doesn't matter right now. Why are you here? Why aren't you fighting?"

"Why should I?" Ladybug thought it ironic this spineless girl was telling her to fight.

"Paris is under attack. Innocent people are being injured." Marinette stared at her incredulously.

"They betrayed me. I dedicate my life to them, and they're all out for my blood. They don't deserve for me to fight for them."

"You're right, there are people out there who are fools. They take you for granted and then attack you in the media. They are pests. They hide behind their computer, calling you names and throwing accusations. There are only a few of them. What about the rest of the people in the city? They need your protection."

"They aren't just a few. It is all of them. You should have seen how they look at me on the street. See how they point and stare, holding their children behind them to protect them from me. They have all turned against me."

"I don't believe that," Marinette eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Believe what you want. The citizens don't deserve my help."

"Okay. Let's say they don't deserve your help. You are a superhero. You should help even if they don't deserve it."

Ladybug turned away towards the fighting.

"I don't care about them anymore. They've betrayed me."

They watched the fighting in silence, hearing Chat Noir calling insults at the akuma. He sounded tired.

"What about Chat?" Marinette asked. "He needs your help."

"He might," Ladybug glanced down at her yoyo.

"That was him calling before. You didn't even answer his call. Did you listen to his messages?"

Ladybug held up her yoyo and presses play on the messages.

"Ladybug." Chat's voice came from the yoyo. "This akuma has a really lame name. The Mailman, can you believe it? But he is very destructive and difficult to fight. I need your help."

"My Lady. Where are you? I need help. This akuma is tough. Why aren't you here?"

"My Lady, don't listen to those who hate. Don't let them bring down the most wonderful woman this world has to offer. They don't know you. I know you and I am with you. Always."

The yoyo went silent, holding both women in place.

"You're abandoning him. He's your partner," whispered Marinette.

"He's a man. You should know better than anyone. Men are horrible and shouldn't be trusted."

"He might be a man, but he's still your partner. Go help him."

Ladybug reflected on their partnership. She has been taking more of the load while he has become more of a distraction than any help. But he always stood by her side, doing what he could to help her fight the villains. He was dependable. He has done nothing to hurt her, while she was letting him get hurt. Marinette was right, she was abandoning him. She couldn't do that.

Ladybug launched herself from the roof and joined the fight. Within a few minutes, she was back on the same roof with Chat Noir in her arms. She laid him down, tossed her Lucky Charm in the air, and called "Miraculous Ladybug." Marinette was nowhere to be found.

Chat remained on the ground, his ring sounding a beep.

"How are you doing?" Ladybug said, concerned. "The magic should have cured your injuries."

"I'm healed alright," Chat groaned. "I just need a few minutes to catch my breath. It takes time for the pain to go away. I took quite the beating. Where have you been?"

Ladybug looked away from his enquiring eyes. Marinette's accusation still ringing in her ears.

"I called you a few times. I know you were transformed since it rang a few times before going to the message. Why didn't you answer? Did you even listen to my messages?"

"I did." Ladybug turned back to Chat. "That's why I came for you. For you and not for them."

"Don't listen to them. They are just a small, very loud group. These are the same people who blamed the akuma victims instead of Hawkmoth. They are looking for something to go against. You made a mistake and now they found something to go against you."

"A mistake? What mistake?"

Chat hesitated.

"The man. He got hurt. I know you did not mean to hurt him."

"You are wrong. I meant to hurt him. I wanted him to hurt and hurt a lot. I wish the magic would have cured his injuries, but I think he deserved the beating he got. They all forgot about how this man behaved. They only care about bashing me. You have men in Paris mistreating women, using them, and then abandoning them. Instead of dealing with them, Paris sends the police against me."

Chat flinched at her words; they hit him worse than she expected.

"I'm sorry," he said, as if it was his fault. His ring sounded another beep.

"I'll help you. You are the only one left I trust. I'll do it for you, not for them."

She left Chat on the roof to recover and make his way home. Thinking back, he looked more out of it than usual, his irritating joyful attitude missing. Was he hurt more than she thought? It wasn't like that man a few days ago, her magic has repaired him. Why was he so down? If he's still injured, she will need to help him, maybe take him to hospital. After all, he was her partner; she cared about him.

She backtracked to the neighboring building to check he was doing okay. She saw he was still sitting with his back against the wall as she left him. She recalled hearing his ring beep during their conversation so it was not much of a surprise that it was no longer Chat sitting on the roof.

Though, it was a surprise to find the woman-abusing Adrien Agreste.

A/N Next Chapter "Animosity and revelations"