Chapter 33: Being human
They decorated the Church in red, black and green. Marinette thought it was appropriate, so Chloe made sure it was so.
The walls and ceiling retained the original cream, broken by long white arches spanning from the walls to meet larger arches coming down from the ceiling. The larger arches met in the middle of the church in a dome. Stained glass windows between the arches brought in colorful light, creating patterns on the floor, chairs, and the visiting congregation.
The people packed the long lines of benches to capacity. Women came with their fanciest dresses, showing styles of the world's top designers. Their patterns, colors, and styles competed to outdo the others. A few of the men attending also boasted new, interesting, and brave styles, although none as daring as the women. Alya thought this inappropriate, but understood that the Agreste name was strong in the fashion industry. The women closest to the family toned down their attire. Even Chloe.
Nino sat across the aisle from Alya, looking handsome with his short cut hair, nicely filling his navy suit and white shirt. Nino and Cheriss fought for hours about Ladybug. The argument brought up other underlying issues, bringing an end to their relationship. Alya did not enjoy seeing him in pain, even when she's glad of what caused it. She wished he was next to her, holding her hand. She needed him. It was too soon; she knew that. Soon, she hoped.
Chloe was a great surprise to Alya. She sat next to her, craning her neck, anxiously watching the back door. Marinette should walk in any minute now. She grabbed Chloe's hand and gave it a light squeeze, reassuring her. They were not friends, not really. There was too much history between them to overcome. They might never be friends. Neither were they adversaries. They were comrades, supporting each other as much as they could, bound by a secret. The secret they shared and devoted their lives to protect. They did so willingly, lovingly.
Chloe was Marinette's friend even less. During the times Alya and Chloe worked together, Marinette was never with them. Alya gave her the space she needed, spending only a few emotional evenings together with her best friend. Chloe had difficulty being around Marinette. Any time Marinette showed up, Chloe would find an excuse to disappear. Marinette attempted to talk to her, make some connection, to no avail. Chloe reminded Alya of fourteen-year-old Marinette, trying to form sentences around Adrien. It wasn't love, as far as Alya knew. She was in awe of Marinette. In awe, and embarrassed of the way she treated her all those years.
Instead, Chloe threw herself into organizing the event. She took it as her personal responsibility to make sure everything was perfect. It was for Adrien after all, and everything must be perfect for Adrien. Marinette and Chloe were always on the same page about that. Alya suspected Chloe did it more for Marinette, to prove herself worthy. She worked with Alya, using Alya as a go-between with Marinette. It was slightly annoying, having to deal with a frantic Chloe. She was still bitchy, as always, although she directed her ire at suppliers and their workers. Alya received a few snide remarks, but brushed them off, knowing it was Chloe reaching boiling point as the day drew closer.
The day arrived. The day they awaited, anticipated, and dreaded. Marinette, as always, was late.
Adrien was in the front, dressed to a tee in the best of Gabriel Agreste collection. There was a debate about if he should wear anything of Gabriel's, now that the truth had come out. Marinette insisted that Gabriel the designer was his father, and they had good years in the past, before his mother's disappearance. Before Gabriel the villain.
The sound of the doors opening brought Alya back to the present. That and the crushing pain of Chloe's grip on her hand.
Ladybug was coming.
Before
Alya leaned her back against the wall, released the tension in her legs, and slid down to the ground. Chloe sat beside her, eyes closed, head tilted back against the wall. The cut on her forehead still bled, a red line dripping down the left side of her face. She wore the Ladybug costume, missing only the eye mask left on the ground when they escaped.
She knew Chloe was not Ladybug. Besides the blond hair, it was just impossible for Chloe to be Ladybug. Although, after seeing Chloe take on Hawkmoth by herself, she had to give her credit for bravery and stupidity. Perhaps she had some Ladybug potential.
Another clue was when the real Ladybug flew past as they descended the stairs. A scream a second later sent an icy shiver down her spine. She planned on checking it out once she made sure Chloe was alright.
"That was an incredibly brave thing you did," she told the blond. "You saved Chat Noir, I mean Adrien, who is Chat. Unbelievable as that may seem."
"He is, isn't he? My Adrikins is that mangy cat." Chloe's eyes narrowed, her lips pulled down. "It's ridiculous what a dork he is," Slowly her face relaxed, lips moving up to a shadow of a smile. "He'll be fine now that Ladybug has arrived. I knew she'd come."
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. My head still hurts, but not so bad. I think I can stand." Chloe touched her forehead, then looked at her hand, studying the blood. "She will fix this. Nothing is going to mar my perfect face." She looked at Alya. "Shall we check what's going on?"
It seems Chloe was full of surprises. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! Ladybug is there. Let's go." Chloe stood, wobbled, and grabbed Alya's shoulder. "You better not walk too quickly and drop me."
The two walked up the stairs, looked up at the tower and witnessed a red and black parachute opening up and streaking up to the sky, pulling a screaming Ladybug with it.
"Oh, no! Ladybug!" Alya and Chloe cried and unison.
The two watched, dumbfounded, as the parachute went higher and higher above the tower. They stood unmoving, looking in disbelieve as their hero disappeared from view. Or was she?
"Isn't she getting bigger?" Chloe asked.
"I think she's coming back," Alya said.
They kept their eyes on the sky, watching the red and black parachute glide lower towards the tower.
"Yes!" Chloe cheered. "She's unstoppable."
Ladybug was still far above the tower when she fell faster, creating a gap between herself and the parachute.
"No!" Alya's hand reflexively covered her mouth. "What happened?"
"She fell out of the parachute," Chloe said. "How is that possible?"
Ladybug plummeted legs together, pointing to the ground. Her arms, held out to the sides, moved in a controlled manner.
"Not falling," Alya said in awe. "She's diving. She came back, and she's attacking."
Ladybug landed on the second floor, out of sight.
"Quick, we must go there now." Alya pulled Chloe towards the elevator.
While waiting for the elevator, a swarm of ladybugs passed overhead into the city. It returned, meandered all around the tower, descended upon them, then continued on its way up the tower.
"She won! She won!" The pair jumped together, holding hands and dancing in circles. They abruptly stopped, pulled their hands away, and turned their backs to each other.
"Ridiculous," Chloe muttered.
Avoiding Chloe, Alya looked at the restored city. Something was off. The cars were back in their place, no longer scattered around the park. But they were not whole. There were dents and bent roofs, some with cracked windscreens, others with no windscreen at all. She turned, grabbed Chloe and spun her.
"What do you think you're doing?" Chloe complained.
Alya studied her forehead. The cut has healed, but it left a scratch in its place.
"What? What is it? Why are you staring at me like that with that awful look in your eyes?"
"Ladybug's magic didn't fix everything. Some damage has remained. Look at those cars. They all look like they've all been through a car crash - which they have. Her magic should have returned things as they were before, but it didn't."
Chloe screeched.
"My face! What happened to my face! Give me a mirror now!"
"Calm down," Alya rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine, it's just a scratch."
"Give me a mirror, now!"
The elevator arrived.
"Ok, ok. On the way up."
They ascended to the second floor. Chloe spent the entire trip inspecting the scratch on her face, muttering curses under her breath. Alya caught only scraps of what she was saying, such as "what were you thinking?" and "that's what you get for helping". She only stopped for a few seconds to watch a man they did not recognize running down the stairs.
"He must be the akuma," Alya said. "I can't wait to interview Ladybug and Chat Noir. I hope they got Hawkmoth too. Do you think I can call him Adrien or should I call him Chat? I can't believe I know Chat Noir as a civilian. And Marinette? Does she know? She must know? How does that work? Ladybug and Chat have been together for a while."
"Maritrash! She's never had a chance with Adrien at any point. He's mine. Although, I can understand if I lost him to Ladybug. For her, I'm willing to give him up. I can't compete with her, anyway. I never understood what she saw in Chat Noir. Now I do."
Alya looked over at Chloe. Chloe claimed to be Ladybug's number one fan. Alya put that down as one of Chloe's over the top, I'm better than anyone else, type of things. She never knew how Chloe truly held Ladybug in such high regard. She really was her hero. It fits, considering she's dressed as her. If her suspicion's right, Chloe is in for a big surprise.
The pair hoped their heroes were still there, perhaps securing Hawkmoth. Now that they knew Chat's identity, maybe Ladybug will stay and reveal herself. Especially if Hawkmoth was no longer an issue. They did not expect to hear crying even before the doors opened.
They looked at each other with worried glances. The joyous mood disappeared. Unsure of themselves, they tread lightly onto the landing. Below was a man lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Alya assumed that was the infamous Hawkmoth. He lay on his side with his arm covering his face. He wore a cream jacket and red pants, which looked vaguely familiar. She wondered where had she seen those clothes before, but focused on her heroine sitting a few meters away. The sobs were coming from her as she cried over a man cradled in her arms, blond hair sticking out between her fingers.
Adrien! God no!
Chloe gasped. She made the same realization.
Adrien coughed.
"Adrien," Ladybug said, bent over and kissed his forehead. "You're going to be alright."
Chloe turned towards the stairs. Alya put her hand on her shoulder so she'll look at her.
"Give them a moment," Alya whispered.
"Marinette?" Adrien asked.
Chloe's eyes grew wide. Marinette she mouthed, her face twisted in confusion.
"Ladybug! You came! You really came," Adrien said.
Alya watched Chloe's features relax.
"I did. I'm sorry I was late. But I am here now. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."
"No, it's my fault," Adrien sounded sad. "I failed you. I failed Marinette. I failed everyone,"
"What are they on about?" Alya whispered to Chloe.
Chloe shrugged her shoulders.
"You didn't fail me," Ladybug was saying. "You're my hero. My partner. My love."
"I, I'm happy you came. I needed you. I need you. I.." Adrien paused. "Where's Marinette?"
"Marinette again?" Chloe struggled to keep her voice at a whisper.
"I'm here," Ladybug assured him. "I've been here all along. I'm sorry I caused you so much pain. I haven't been myself lately."
Chloe spun on the spot, staring at the pair on the floor below. Alya grabbed her and covered her mouth.
"Don't ruin it for them. They're having a moment. This is Ladybug we're talking about, don't forget that. Whatever you find out now, don't for a second forget that this is the real Ladybug down there."
It took a few seconds for Chloe to stop struggling. She looked at Alya and nodded, so Alya uncovered her mouth. She missed part of the conversation while dealing with Chloe.
"Of course, my love" Ladybug was talking. "Tikki, spots off."
Alya and Chloe turned as one to look at the light passing over Ladybug. The angle was not the best, watching from above and to the side. It was still clear that sitting below them was none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Chloe lifted her hand and covered her mouth.
"You are the most beautiful woman in the world. How did it take me so long to see that?" Adrien's voice was growing faint. They could hardly hear him.
Chloe's legs buckled. She collapsed to the floor and Alya followed her down to support her. She must be taking strain keeping herself together. Her nemesis and her greatest hero are one and the same. She's going to have to reconcile this breakthrough in her mind and decide which is stronger, her hatred for Marinette or her love of Ladybug? Alya was torn between feeling pity or cruel delight.
Adrien cried out, pulling Alya's attention back to the pair below.
"Don't move," Ladybug commanded. "My magic did not heal you properly. Don't worry about Plagg, he'll be alright. He's practically a god."
Adrien was gasping for breath. He sounded terrible.
"Marinette," Adrien said, his voice weak. "I don't feel well."
"Shhh," Marinette soothed. "You'll be fine. You're strong."
"Ladybug, I love you. Marinette, I love you. I didn't understand how I could love two women so much. Now I understand how I love you more than life itself, and I don't want to spend any minute of my life without you."
Marinette lowered her head. The two kissed. They kissed for so long Alya felt uncomfortable and decided it was time to let them know of their presence. She stood and gave Chloe a hand up. They were halfway down the steps when Marinette's voice cracked.
"Adrien?"
The desperate plea in her question was heart wrenching. Adrien was not alright, not at all. Alya ran down the stairs.
"Adrien!" Marinette's cry was bone-chilling.
Alya rushed to her best friend, grinding to a stop in front of her. Marinette looked up at the newcomer, eyes bloodshot, tears streaming down around her sobbing mouth, dripping onto Adrien. She was clasping him, pulling him against her body as if trying to give him strength by osmosis. Adrien's eyes were closed, his body limp, blood running from his mouth down his face, dripping between Marinette's fingers.
"I need to get him to hospital, Tikki, Spots on."
"I'm really sorry, Marinette," a small creature rose from next to Marinette and hovered in front of her. "I don't have the strength. I need food. You left your bag at the house." Her voice soaked with sorrow.
"This can't be happening. I'm losing both of them!" Marinette cried. "My Chat. My Adrien. I'm losing both the loves of my life. I can't do this. I can't live without him. He's my life."
Alya bent down and wrapped her arms around her best friend and her hero. She held her tight, attempting to give her strength, praying for better success than Marinette gave to Adrien. She tasted salt, knowing her own eyes were shedding tears. Tears for Adrien. Tears for her friend. Tears from the overwhelming emotion of it all.
"You cannot stay here," Chloe's voice broke them from their trance.
Chloe walked around to stand before Marinette. There were too many emotions wrapped up on her face, it was impossible to know what she was thinking.
"Chloe?" Marinette said in surprise.
"I'm sorry to do this to you. The guy you've sent down will get help and they will be here soon. You should not be here when they arrive."
"What? Why?" Marinette cried, bitterness entering her voice.
"Gabriel is dead."
Gabriel? Alya looked around at the man lying behind them. Gabriel is Hawkmoth?
"I didn't mean for that. I didn't mean for any of this." Marinette looked down at Adrien and sobbed some more.
"Ladybug could get away with killing him. Everyone will be overjoyed at Hawkmoth's demise and the police will not try too hard to do anything about it. But Marinette could get in a lot of trouble." Chloe paused, took a deep breath, looked Marinette in her eyes. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."
"She's right, Marinette," Tikki's voice piped up. "Things could get complicated. If they know who you are, they will feel obligated to deal with the legal ramifications. As Ladybug, they can let things slide."
Marinette looked down.
"I don't care about myself. I can't leave him. I won't leave him."
"I'll hold him for you, if you'd let me. I love him too. Or you can let Alya hold him if you feel it isn't my place. I," Chloe swallowed, looked away, "I'll understand if you feel that way."
"Go," Alya whispered. "He wouldn't want something bad to happen to you."
"How can I leave? I can't transform. If I could transform, I wouldn't need to leave."
Marinette looked between Alya and Chloe, her eyes pleading.
"I'll get food," promised Alya.
Even with her eyes overflowing with tears, Marinette took on a look of determination. She looked around, at Alya, Chloe and the rest of the platform.
"Tikki, you go with Alya to get food and come back as soon as you can. I'll hide up on the top floor and hope no-one will go there before you come back. And Chloe," she looked at the blond who still faced away, only her eyes swiveled to look at Marinette. "You will take care of Adrien until help arrives. He is the most important person in my life."
"I will not fail you. I will not fail Ladybug."
Present day
Marinette stood in front of the closed doors. An artist, many years in the past, worked weeks, maybe months, carving into the wood, decorating it with images from the bible. Most of the time, these doors were open and people would just walk past them. Even when the doors were closed, people would walk up to the door, open it and walk through. None of them noticed the painstaking details of those stories embedded in the wood.
The artist understood the needs of those who entered. Those who walked past without paying attention to the door itself, they marched into the hall without a worry of what lay beyond. The few, like herself, who stood trembling by the door, needed every stitch of help to give them the strength to face what was coming. They stood by the door, looking at anything to keep themselves from taking the next step. They would notice the images, the stories, the inspiration in those carvings and grow strong in heart and spirit, gathering the strength to open the doors.
They were all waiting for her. Her parents, her friends, Alya and Chloe - an unlikely pair. The Mayor, some important people, even Jagged Stone made it. Many people from all over Paris and beyond.
Adrien.
Adrien will be there. Her Chat. She needed to do this.
Marinette pushed open the doors and took a step in. The people by the door stopped their chatter and turned towards her. The silence spread away from her like a Mexican wave until everyone in the room looked at her in complete silence. She saw Chloe clinging to Alya's arm, terrified. She couldn't help but smile at the blond. It was hard to conceive she was the same girl who was the bane of Marinette's school life. Life throws many curveballs, some not so bad.
She walked to the front, looking around, randomly nodding at people, acknowledging their presence. She walked past Adrien keeping her eyes forward so she won't break down. At the front, she climbed the few steps to the podium and turned to face the assembled crowd. She wrote what she would say, crumpled the paper and tried again. Multiple times. Eventually, she gave up and just gave herself some main points to follow. The details, she will simply speak from the heart. She stood for a full minute without saying a word, just looking at the people assembled in the church. Many more wanted to come, so the police were outside to control the crowds. There were a few cameramen in the room, streaming everything to the internet and the large screen outside with the crowd. They were all waiting to hear from her, from Ladybug.
She looked over at Adrien. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was there, beyond that thin layer of wood.
"Adrien, my love. You told me you did not want to spend even a minute of your life without me. I feel the same way about you. I'm jealous. You got your wish, I did not.
"Before you were my love, you were my partner, a hero, my hero. Chat Noir, I couldn't have had a better partner during all these years. You were my shield. A shield for my body, protecting me by putting yourself in harm's way. You let yourself get hurt on so many occasions it was bordering on insanity. You were also a shield for my mind, protecting me from despondency and dejection. Spending hours on the rooftops of Paris, patrolling our beloved city together, chatting and joking and having fun. You helped me cope with the strain of protecting this city for so many years. You were my strength, my rock."
The tears pooled in Ladybug's eyes, a rivulet ran down her cheek. She took so much of him for granted, always knowing he would be there to support her. She's loved Chat more than she realized. A love even deeper than her love for Adrien. She should have accepted Chat's love on the rooftop. She should have let go of Adrien and loved Chat with all her heart. Even if he was not Adrien, she would have been happy with Chat. Instead, she tore herself apart and destroyed him in the process.
"I failed you. I was weak, tired, and confused. I made a terrible mistake. I made the wrong choice, which had a disastrous effect. This caused me to hurt you and reject you because of a bizarre misunderstanding. That, in turn, led to your fighting Hawkmoth all by yourself. By the time I came to my senses, both literally and figuratively, it was too late. It is my fault and I do not know how I will live with myself knowing I brought about your demise."
She paused, looked around at the faces watching her, expecting anger, disappointment, hostility. She was ready for the shouts, the insults, and protests. Instead, there was silence. Silent tears on almost every face.
"I failed you, but I did not cause your death. That blame lies at the hand of Hawkmoth. He is to blame for everything these past years. He terrorized our city, abused our people, and used them against us all.
"It pains me that you faced him on your own. It pains me even more that you had to contend with him being none other than your own father. I cannot imagine the turmoil you went through at the time and I'm ashamed I was not there to help you."
Ladybug watched Alya and Chloe embracing each other in support. They were spending much time together, supporting Ladybug in public and behind the scenes. Chloe used her charms with the media to praise Ladybug on her success and Chat Noir for his heroism, painting them both as heroes. Alya's Ladyblog helped educate the public on what happened. Publishing the interview to confirm that Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir while Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth. The former a moot point since the clip of Chat Noir transforming into Adrien has already received a few hundred million views. The Ladyblog published the official explanation for the Miraculous Ladybug cure not fixing everything as it usually does. The cause being the huge amount of damage together with the long time span between the akuma's creation and the cure. The magic fixed the damage in a chronological order, weakening towards the end, not fixing everything to the fullest.
Alya, of course, knew the whole truth of the past six months. Marinette wondered if Alya told Chloe, and realized she would not have minded at all if she did.
"Lucky for us, you had help from the bravest woman I know. She took on Hawkmoth with nothing more than her courage and spirit." She paused, drew her gaze around the room until she met Chloe's eyes, shining with tears. "Chloe, I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you were there for Adrien when I was not. I speak for myself, for Adrien and the whole of Paris - thank you. Without you I do not know where we would be today. You did not fail me. I repeat - you did not fail me. I hold you in the highest regard and I'm proud to call you my friend."
Chloe blushed. She blushed because she called her a friend. Strange how life twists and turns. Right behind her friends were her parents, her mother crying and her father towering over everyone. Even his eyes were glossy. But the look he gave her was of pride. They knew it was their daughter standing in front of everyone. They gave her nothing but love and support since she revealed to them the truth the day Adrien died. She spent the night in their bed with her mother. Crying, sleeping, waking up and crying some more. Her father would sometimes be there, a towering sentinel watching over them. He told her he understood the reasons to keep it a secret and confessed that it was better that he didn't know that his little girl was in danger so often. He wouldn't have been able to sleep at night. But stressed that he was proud of his daughter.
He shouldn't be. She was ashamed of herself. Four people died. One was only fourteen. The magic fixed most of the damage in the city, but not perfectly. Cracked and dented walls did not die from the damage. Humans were fragile.
"It is I who failed," Ladybug continued. "I failed my partner, I failed my friends, I failed the people of Paris, I failed you," she looked at Mr Ramier, "and you," she nodded at the Mayor, "and you, you and you. It is Hawkmoth's fault. It is. But I should have been better. I should have known better, trusted my instincts and not tried to take the easy way. I'm human, I'm not perfect. None of us are. We're all human and guided by our brains and by our emotions. That is not a weakness, that is the essence of being human. Hawkmoth abused our humanity. He took our emotions and turned them against us. Hawkmoth is gone. We can now live again without worry. We can feel again and be free.
"Chat. My Love. I miss you already. My life will never be complete without you in it. I know you would want me to carry on, and I will. I will continue being Ladybug, fighting for the good people of Paris against whatever wrong is being done to them, magical or not. It is my duty and my privilege. I will not fail you again. I will not fail any of you."
A/N
I'm really sorry for this sad ending. I like happy endings but this story didn't go there. I did not plan for this story to end like this. You would think it's under my control, but it's like the story has a mind of its own. But please do not despair. I'm going to post an epilogue which will take away some of the pain.