Chapter 27: The end of Ladybug
Adrien was in pain. More pain than any other akuma attack, possibly all of them put together. On occasions when he got hurt, Miraculous Ladybug would heal his wounds and within an hour, the pain would disappear. These were the worst injuries he's ever had. The pain wasn't going away; It was getting worse.
With Plagg's help, he bandaged the cuts on his shoulder and back, wrapping the bandage around his chest to hold his rib in place. He prayed it only bruised. He barely made it home the previous evening, wincing with every step.
Going to the hospital was out of the question. They'd mistake him for an innocent bystander. There were plenty of them. But two things stood in the way.
The first, his ego. He's Chat Noir and Chat Noir did not go to the hospital. Then again, that wasn't an issue since he wasn't a very good Chat Noir. In fact, he planned to return the ring to Master Fu. Master Fu would find someone more capable to be Chat Noir, and maybe that Chat could get Ladybug to come back. So, no. His ego was not stopping him.
It was fear. Fear that his father would find out. At eighteen, he did not need any parental consent at the hospital. They would call his insurance. The insurance will alert Natalie, and Natalie will tell his father. He will then spend the rest of his days locked up in a room with padded walls. For his own safety, for sure.
No, he must not let his father find out.
He used to dream about telling his father he's Chat Noir, to have his father proud of him for being one of Paris's superheroes. His father would come out of his office, leave his meetings, and come to Adrien to praise him for his good work. They would spend all day talking about his adventures and experiences.
He lost this last means of getting praise, to prove to his father he was capable. Adrien was no longer proud of being Chat Noir. It was one more thing he failed at.
Adrien slept restlessly, woke up early, showered and changed the bandages. Concealing them proved difficult, with him finally wearing a blue turtleneck to cover them and a grey jacket to hide the bulge they created. His father would have a nasty comment if he saw his outfit. Chances of encountering his father were negligible, though.
On the theoretical chance they meet, Adrien would stand his ground, be his own man making his own decisions. Marinette said not to make his father's plans his, she encouraged him to live his own life. Marinette, who's been crushing on him for years. How was he so blind? He's been such an idiot. She wanted him, and he messed it all up with his stupidity.
Just when he was getting her back, Ladybug stole her away from him. His own partner turned away from him and took away his love. Will she let Marinette go? Will Marinette be at school today so they can work things out? When Ladybug hears he quit being Chat, she'll let him be with Marinette. Won't she?
He had breakfast alone as usual, with a quick update from Natalie, grabbed his bag and headed down the stairs. Before he reached the bottom, a cold voice sounded from behind.
"Adrien. You are not going anywhere today."
Adrien stopped, closed his eyes, and took a long breath before turning around.
"Why is that, father?" he asked as calmly as he could manage.
"I expected you to figure that out yourself. There's a destructive akuma running around Paris and it isn't safe for you to be out of the house."
"I heard he stopped attacking last night. It should be safe to go to school."
"Nowhere is safe with the akuma about," his father shot back.
"Then I should go to Nowhere. It sounds like a wonderful place to be. It could be a great tourist attraction for Parisians to go on a break from this disaster city," the words came out before Adrien could hold them back. He's never been this flippant with his father.
Adrien melted under Gabriel's glare, his eyeballs melting into puddles in their holes. His legs wavering under his weight, he grabbed the railing to keep steady.
Without altering his gaze or his tone, his father responded: "The way you're dressed, you've already been to no wear."
Was that a pun? Did his father make a pun while giving him a death stare? How to reconcile those contradictory messages driven into him? Could there be some warmth under there?
"I expected more of you, Adrien," his father's icy voice continued. "I mistakenly believed you're maturing and I could give you more control of your schedule. But you don't know how to judge a dangerous situation and take appropriate action. You would put yourself in danger because you cannot see past the end of your nose. Stay in your room, Adrien, and don't come out until I tell you."
No. No warmth at all. He's ice all the way through.
Adrien steeled himself to argue. Tell his father he was mature and able to make his own decisions, take control of his life, and take care of himself. Tell him he wanted to become a teacher.
He looked up and met the furnace burning in his father's face. The heat penetrated his body, smelting the steel in his spine, leaving behind the rubber band holding his rag-doll body.
"Yes, father," Adrien's gaze dropped to the floor. "I will stay in my room."
He could feel his father's eyes on him as he trotted up the stairs.
"Adrien, change that ridiculous outfit you've put on. I will send Natalie to choose your clothes for you with orders to make sure you put them on."
Adrien stopped in place. Now his clothes are being chosen for him. Is there no end to his humiliation? He shouldn't let his father treat him this way. He stood straighter, clenched his fists, and prepared to turn on his father.
"Is there a problem?" an ice javelin tore into Adrien's back, slicing his spine clear through. The tension in his arms subsided, leaving them dangling at his side.
"No father. I will wait in my room."
Ladybug spent the night in Marinette's bed.
Finding out Marinette shared her body explained much. The strange affinity she had with Marinette. How she knew things about her or why she cared about Marinette's feelings. Now, when she concentrated, she could differentiate Marinette's memories from her own.
At first, she assumed an akuma had merged them together, making her half the hero she was. Later, shifting through her memories, she came to believe Marinette had always been a part of her. She remembered going to school, doing homework, and having meals with Tom and Sabine. When she thought about life before becoming a hero, it was always Marinette's.
By morning, Ladybug solved the puzzle. Marinette was the holder of the Miraculous. Ladybug was the Miraculous. Marinette lent her body to Ladybug when Ladybug was needed. She had to admire Marinette. Despite not being brave, she was willing to do this for the safety of Paris.
Maybe not willingly. Marinette didn't believe Chat when he told her she was Ladybug. Was she putting Marinette in danger against her will? Ladybug protects people, not puts them in danger. It is a good thing she isn't fighting anymore.
She didn't know what to do with herself. She never had idle time before, always an akuma to fight or a city to patrol. Twice she hid on the balcony when Sabine came looking for Marinette. The rest of the time she spent in bed, on the couch, or on the floor. She was looking through drawers to find something to keep herself occupied, when an unexpected find at the back of a drawer gave her pause.
The Miraculous box.
The box felt heavier than it looked, intricately made with delicate designs. Ladybug examined the box. Was this where she lived before Marinette released her and gave her a body?
Startled by voices from downstairs, she dropped the box in the drawer and rushed to the balcony once more.
"I don't know, Sabine. I'm hoping I'll find something. She must have had a reason." Alya's head emerged through the trapdoor. The redhead walked around the room, Sabine close behind. "You might have missed her while you were out looking for her?"
"Tom would have seen her. She always uses the bakery and not the house door. Do you think she came back here? I haven't seen her since yesterday, and with the akuma about…" Sabine clutched her chest.
"I'm sure she's fine. But I'd like to know where she is." Alya searched the room for clues. Her searching led to a partially open drawer. Reached inside and took out a box. She studied it for a few seconds, then cried out: "No way!"
Ladybug moved away from the window and left the balcony. Staying at Marinette's was no longer an option.
She roamed the roofs of her city.
What used to be her city. Before.
The citizens betrayed her, Chat failed her, there was nothing left for her.
Ladybug swung from roof to roof, deep in thought, not paying attention to where she was going. A cloud of dust billowed around her when she landed on a roof. Tears flowed down her cheek as her body attempted to clear the dust blowing into her eyes. She blew through her nose to clear the passages from the smoky smell. Coughing, she waited for the dust to settle, then looked around. She stood on a building surrounded by destruction, littered with debris: trash, crushed cars, broken traffic lights, and small crumbled structures. A large neon sign blinked, missing most of its letters.
The chaos clearly marked the path the akuma took. Ladybug felt compelled to follow the path, passing smashed shops, toppled trees and torn up pavements. The streets eerily deserted like a ghost town. Then she heard the sounds of people. There were police, ambulance and fire trucks lined up on the street, with a multitude of uniformed personnel swarming between the crushed police cars and piles of concrete. Two paramedics lifted a police officer onto a stretcher and carried her into an ambulance. More ambulance sirens blared off in the distance. The buildings on both sides suffered substantial damage from the akuma's confrontation with the Police. Both were missing their front wall, baring the rooms behind, like little boxes filled with tables, chairs, bathrooms, kitchens. It reminded her of her childhood dollhouse.
That was not her memory. It was Marinette's! What was going on here? Why did she come to this place? She wanted nothing to do with this akuma.
"Marinette! You brought us here," Ladybug called out.
Look at all this pain. The people are suffering and getting hurt. You must help them. She heard the reply.
"I'm in control here, not you. I'm leaving."
Ladybug scrambled to get as far away as she could, swinging in random directions to foil any attempt by Marinette to control their direction. She suppressed the intense desire she felt to return to the scene and help the people. That was Marinette's desire, not hers. She forced herself to ignore it. She sat down on a chair to calm and regain control of herself and her situation. It was a few minutes before she recognized her location. Marinette brought them back to her balcony. Ladybug leaped out of the chair.
"Let me be. What do you want from me?" she cried in desperation.
You must go help Chat and take down the akuma. Paris is suffering.
"No I don't. I owe them nothing."
You're supposed to protect them. It's your duty.
"I told you I'm not doing any of that any longer. You know what? I'm leaving. I'm done with this place. Put me back in the box. You can have your life back. I quit!"
With a flash of light, Marinette stood on her balcony.
Ladybug? She said in her head.
"Ladybug?" She said out loud.
Nothing. She's gone.
A/N Next chapter: Decisive actions