A flood of students come rushing down the hallway and Marinette's eyes dart around, searching for some kind of exit. Suddenly, Chloe grabs her hand and takes off running through the mass of people. After a few seconds of weaving, they burst through the bathroom doors and are relieved to find that it's empty.
"Tikki, spots on!" In a flash of pink, Marinette is gone and Ladybug has taken her place. She rushes past Chloe to search for the akuma but unbeknownst to her, the blonde follows close behind. Ladybug listens for more crashes in an attempt to locate it. She hears some unintelligible yelling and runs towards the sound. As the heroine gets closer, she realizes it's coming from the art room. She flings the door open and somehow manages to avoid attracting attention.
"Please, Marc, you don't have to do this! It wasn't me!" Nathaniel yells desperately at the akuma victim. Ladybug can't decide if the black markings that adorn his skin remind her more of ripped paper or of her partner's cataclysm. She doesn't dwell on the thought long because his eyes are far more unsettling. She finds herself staring, uncomfortably, at the gray and red button that rests where his right iris should be. The villain scribbles in a black and white notebook as Nathaniel tries to talk sense into him.
"I'm not Marc anymore, I'm Reviser!" He shouts back. Suddenly, tape appears over Nathaniel's mouth. He frantically tries to remove it, but the tape doesn't budge. He looks at the akuma with wide eyes and furrowed brows. "You deserve this, and so much more for what you did!" He starts writing in his notebook yet again.
*To see an image of Reviser, check out this fic on AO3!
Ladybug wraps her yo-yo around his forearm and pulls, stopping him. "Leave him alone. Nathaniel, run!" He listens and charges through the door, running face first into Chloe. He steps back, rubbing his forehead before looking up. He flinches when he realizes who he had just collided with, readying himself for whatever nasty words he's about to hear.
"Let's get you somewhere he can't find you." She starts running and looks back to ensure he's following, but he's just standing there blinking in confusion. "Come on, Reviser is after you!" This shakes him out of his dazed state and he nods before sprinting down the hallway to catch up with her. They stop in front of a utility closet, but when Chloe turns the handle, it doesn't open. She pulls a bobby pin out of her hair and jiggles it in the door for a moment before trying the handle again. It opens and they throw themselves into the dark room on the other side.
She breathes a sigh of relief before turning to him, "Can you tell me what happened?" She asks. He raises his eyebrows and begins making hand gestures that are unfamiliar to the blonde. "Is that LSF? I only know French. Can you use the notes app on your phone or something?" He nods and begins typing with his thumbs. After a moment, he turns the screen to Chloe.
Reviser tugs his arm back, causing Ladybug to lose grip on her yo-yo. She inhales sharply when It flies out of her hands. She rolls to the ground after it, but as her hand reaches down, Reviser scribbles in his notebook. She picks it up but, despite the protection her suit provides, it burns her hand and she drops it immediately.
Reviser's exposed eye gleams when he sees her frown. "I'll be back for you later." He growls before charging past her and out the door.
Her eyes scan the room until they land on the kiln across the way. She runs over to it and slips on an oven mitt to pick up her yo-yo. Ladybug is about to call her lucky charm when she remembers that her yo-yo is still too hot to use.
Something in her chest tightens and she tears up, suddenly overwhelmed. I can't do this without help, but I have no way to get another miraculous... As much as I hate it, I'm going to need Chat to defeat him. She wipes her eyes and straightens, determined to make it out of the school without being spotted by the akuma.
She peeks her head out the door and sees Reviser stalking down the hallway. He turns a corner and she speedwalks to the exit in an attempt to keep her feet quiet. Thankfully, she manages to make it out of the building without attracting Reviser's attention back to her. She sprints towards her house, grateful that it's so close to the school since she isn't able to swing from the rooftops.
Ladybug stops outside of the patisserie and frowns. She can't sneak in through her bathroom window as she's used to, so she either has to walk through the bakery or through the lobby of the apartment complex to get to Adrien. If you had told him your identity, you could just text him and figure something out. She sighs and walks through the apartment entrance, deciding that is her best chance at getting in without being seen.
Luck appears to be on her side as the lobby is completely empty. The receptionist is gone on lunch break. She makes it to her door with ease and opens and shuts it tenderly, trying to avoid any unnecessary noise. She lets out a deep sigh in relief, but realizes it was premature when a voice calls out to her, "Ladybug?" She stiffens before turning around slowly to find her mother staring at her with concern. "There's an akuma attack at the school across the street, what are you doing here?"
"H-hello Mam- Ma'am! You're right, there is an akuma at the school and he's… starving! Yeah, he got akumatized because he forgot to eat and the teacher wouldn't let him grab food. He's diabetic, actually, so it's a really big deal. I'm here because I was hoping you and pa- Tom could help me out! Do you have any rejects you could spare?" She rushes out almost too fast for Sabine to understand.
After a moment of silence, she finally processes everything and nods. "I can give you some misshapen macarons and a baguette, but why did you come in the back way? This isn't the bakery entrance."
"Oh, silly me, I used the wrong door. I just didn't realize it because I've never been here as a customer before!"
"Uh huh… Come with me and I'll explain everything to Tom." Sabine leads her into the bakery and asks her husband to grab the rejects. He turns and starts placing them in a bag when another customer walks in and Sabine walks behind the counter to help him. While the two are distracted, Ladybug tells them that she needs to use the restroom and rushes out of the bakery and up to her bedroom.
She looks behind her to check that she wasn't followed before opening the door. When she walks in, Adrien is sitting on the ground staring at her chaise. She presses her lips together as she watches him.
He whips his head around and they make eye contact. "Ladybug?"
"What… are you doing?" She tilts her head at him.
"Marinette told me this is how you study a thing." He says matter-of-factly, as if this explains everything.
"And why are you studying the chaise? Actually, don't tell me; I don't wanna know. We have more important matters to worry about." She sighs, glancing at the ground.
He frowns. "What's wrong?"
She bites her lip, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Chat, I really hate to do this, but I don't think I have another choice…"
"What is it?"
"I need your Miraculous." She lifts her head to look directly at him.
He puts his hand on his chest, "Jeez, Bug, you scared me. Why didn't you just say that? Plagg, cla-"
She grabs his wrist, gently, to stop him. "That's not what I meant, Kitty. You're in no condition to fight right now. I don't want to risk your safety, but this akuma is really powerful and my yo-yo's out of commission… I need the cat miraculous."
"You want me to give you the ring?" He looks at his hand for a moment before pulling it out of her grasp and back into his chest. He looks back at her with a wary expression.
"I'll bring it right back to you, I swear. I don't want to do this either, but I don't know what else to do."
He opens and closes his mouth a few times, deep in thought. Finally, he starts tentatively, "...How do I know you're Ladybug and not another sentimonster trying to trick me?"
Her eyes soften and she feels a dull ache in her chest. She can tell he's not quite convinced, but he's still afraid. "It's me, Kitty. I can prove it… Hawkmoth doesn't know you like I do. He doesn't know how you purr when you're excited. Or comfortable. Or stressed. He doesn't know how you say that the moon looks like a giant tortilla and Plagg always argues that the moon should only ever be compared to cheese. He doesn't know that you spent hours researching the meaning behind different kinds of flowers just to give me one that I would accept or that you like to sing, but you only do it when you think you're alone and when we're on patrol together. You're also surprisingly good at freestyle dancing and walking in heels, which I personally find very strange."
He tilts his head and gives her a goofy grin, "You missed one."
She blinks a few times, willing herself not to get lost in his eyes while he's making that adorable kitten face. "What?"
He leans his face towards hers until they're only inches apart. "That I love you. Duh."
With a pointer finger to the nose, she gently pushes him away. Surprisingly, the words don't make her heart dance in her chest and instead fill her with sharp guilt. You won't when you find out. "Hawkmoth knows that, silly."
"I know, I just really wanted to say it." He hands her the Miraculous. "Ladybug…. I have a request."
"Anything." She breathes.
"Could you give it to Marinette?" He asks, rubbing the finger where his ring usually sits.
Her breathing stalls and she nods slowly. "...Sure!" They stare at each other for a moment. She wants to say more, but doesn't know what. Eventually, she pulls him into a hug. "I know this sucks, but it'll be me and you out there again soon."
"Of course. Us against the world, M'lady." His eyebrows droop and the corners of his mouth turn up as he looks at her fondly.
She smiles and walks towards the closet.
"Wrong door, Bug." Adrien calls out.
"I beg to differ." She opens the closet and catches the spotted rack as it tries to fall.
"Wait, how did you know where that was?" He raises an eyebrow at her.
"Uhhh, Marinette told me. Obviously." She throws it towards the ceiling and calls out the cure. She watches the miraculous Ladybugs dance around her room and wonders if they'll actually fix anything. Her satisfied smile quickly falls when, to her horror, they sweep over Adrien and he collapses. Her face pales and her heart feels like it's about to tear through her chest. She runs over to him. "Chat!"
Suddenly, she's on her knees with his head in her lap. She doesn't remember getting into this position. She brings two fingers to his neck while forcing each breath in and out, to keep from hyperventilating. Her hand is shaking and when she doesn't feel a pulse, tears cloud her vision. Her breath quickens and her bottom lip trembles. I can't lose you. You were supposed to be okay.
Her tears fall onto his face and sobs begin to wrack her body. She tries to quiet herself, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. It's my fault. He would have been okay if I had just let the lucky charm be. I thought he was getting better. I'm so stupid! I didn't even tell him who I was. The last thing I did was lie to him, again.
"No, no, no! You were fine, you were healing! You can't leave me now… Please." She checks for a pulse again and calms her breathing when she finally feels his heartbeat. "Okay…. Okay. You're alive. It's okay." She doesn't stop crying, but her tears slow. She runs her hands through his hair, deciding to stay with him until he wakes up.
Thankfully, it only takes a few moments for his eyes to flutter open. He doesn't seem to realize she's crying because he smiles and closes his eyes again. He rolls onto his side, burying his face in her lap and resting his arm on her leg. "Ladybug..." He mutters. She continues playing with his hair.
"Hey, Kitty. You really scared me. How are you feeling?"
"...head feels funny." He mumbles.
"I'm gonna get you some water and something to eat real quick and then I have to go fight the akuma, okay?'
He reaches his arms around her waist. "Stay." His hold is weak and she pries his hands off with little effort.
"I have to de-evilize Reviser. I can't stay." She gently sets his head on the floor and stands.
"'kuma? Claws out." He lifts his arm and lets it hang in the air for a moment before it drops limply beside him.
She grabs a piece of cheese bread and a water bottle from the table where she left his snacks and sits down beside him. "I need you to sit up, Chat."
He lifts his head, but then immediately lays back down. "...heeelp."
She stifles a giggle and reaches her hand under his back, gently helping him sit. Then she hands him the cheese bread. "Do you think you can hold the water without spilling it?"
He stares at her and doesn't answer. She sighs and takes the cap off before bringing it to his lips and helping him drink. Somehow, he still manages to spill a few droplets.
"Alright, now eat some of the bread."
He looks from the bread to her and then picks it up and holds it out to her. "Feed meee." He whines.
"If you can hold it up to hand it to me, you can feed yourself. Go on, take a bite." She laughs.
He pouts his lower lip but after a moment he finally complies. She ruffles his hair. "There you go. I knew you could do it. Listen, Chat Noir, I really have to go now. Will you be okay?"
He holds up a peace sign as he winks and sticks out his tongue. She laughs. "I'll take that as a yes. Try to keep eating and drinking while I'm gone, okay?"
He gives her a thumbs up and she opens the door to leave. She casts one last worried glance his way before exiting and sneaking past her parents to run back to school.
Chloe and Nathaniel stand in an awkward silence, unable to hold a conversation due to the tape over his mouth and unmotivated to text due to Chloe's history of being a terrible person. There isn't much to do in the pitch back closet, but neither intend to take their chances with Reviser. However, their silence doesn't stop him from discovering their hiding spot and making the door fly off its hinges.
The two swerve around him and sprint down the hall, away from the villain. Reviser just glares at them while he furiously scribbles on another note and a banana peel appears under Nathaniel's foot. When he inevitably falls to the ground with a loud thud, Chloe doesn't look back.
Nathaniel attempts to get up and continue running, but before he can, thick black vines wrap around his leg, jerking him into the air so that he's upside down and staring directly into Reviser's eyes. "Did you really think I'd let you get away that easily?"
The akuma uses the vines in his arms to bind Nathaniel to the wall before writing again. This time a television appears on a rolling cart. "I thought I knew you, Nath." He clicks a button and the tv starts playing through their memories together. It plays clips of the two working on their comics together, eating Andre's ice cream, watching Kitty Section perform together, "I thought you felt the same. You were everything to me." The video skips to Nathaniel reading the book and ripping it to shreds in anger. "I trusted you and you went and did this!"
The redhead shakes his head furiously and tries to explain but the tape prevents him from making any sound other than muffled yelling.
"You broke my heart so I thought I'd return the favor." The Reviser opens his book and writes another note as he walks towards the boy. A knife appears in his hand and he smiles, "You deserve it after all."
Ladybug races through the entrance and barrels directly into Chloe. They both fall to the ground and she helps the blonde to her feet, "What are you doing here? It's not safe for-"
"I know." Chloe holds up her hand to stop her, "I was hiding with Nathaniel but Reviser found us."
The hero scans her body for injuries. "Are you okay?"
She shakes her head, "I'm fine. I know why Marc got akumatized. Nathaniel told me everything."
"What happened?"
"Nathaniel wrote a story on his own for the first time and he gave it to Marc to revise. Marc told him it was good and gave it back. He went to the bathroom so Nathaniel could look over it, but someone from Marc's class came and ripped it up. Marc started crying when he came back to find him standing there with the pages all over the floor. The akuma is in his notebook, he started gathering the pieces right as it came."
"Okay that's definitely helpful. I'm actually glad you're here. Chloe Bourgeois, this is the Miraculous of the cat, it will grant you the powers of destruction and bad luck. You will use it for the greater good. Once this mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me."
Chloe looks at her with wide eyes, "You're giving me Chat Noir's miraculous? Where is he? Is he actually okay with this?"
Ladybug grimaces, "He's… dealing with something in his private life."
She nods, taking the ring from her hand.
Plagg appears before her and immediately turns to glare at Ladybug. "You're actually trusting her with the cat miraculous?!"
She ignores the kwami and makes eye contact with the blonde. "Say, 'Plagg, claws out'."
"Are you really sure you want to- Hey!"
"Plagg, claws out!" The kwami is sucked into the ring against his will and Ladybug presses her lips together to suppress her laugh. A green light envelopes Chloe. After the light fades, she's left in a leather suit with electric green lines running along the contours of her body and the spotted heroine is left gaping as her face grows to match the color of her own suit. "I- uh, you…" she shakes her head and clears her throat. "What should I call you?"
Chloe smirks, "Minette Noire."
*To see an image of Minette Noire, check out this fic on AO3!
"M-m-minette Noire. It good- Got it! S-So, listen, I…" She sucks in a breath before continuing, "I just need to get you close enough to cataclysm the notebook."
She nods, "Understood." They go to leave, but she trails behind for a moment to look at her suit. With a satisfied nod, she picks up the pace to match her counterpart.
"I'll distract him."
She frowns. "Isn't Chat usually the person doing the distracting?"
"It's a special case." Ladybug continues walking, not bothering to look back at her. That's when they hear the sound of several objects hitting the floor and turn in their direction.
Minette climbs out a nearby window and jumps onto the roof to get to the other side of Reviser unseen.
Ladybug walks in and sees Nathaniel standing with his back to her. She calls out to him and he turns around but his eyes are glazed over and he has a gaping hole in his chest with only shredded flesh and broken bone where his heart should be.
Ladybug gags, "Oh my god." Nathaniel screams desperately through the tape binding his mouth shut. Tears are rolling down his cheeks. She squeezes her hands in an attempt to still their shaking. Okay, I can do this. I just need to get past him.
She steadies her breathing and trudges forward, willing her eyes to look at the door behind him. He notices the shift in her gaze and moves to block her path. They dance back and forth for a while, her angling to the left or right and him following. She refuses to give up and allows him to get closer and closer. She picks up speed and tries to dart past him, but he catches her shoulders in a vice grip. She tries to shake him off, retching when some of his blood splatters onto her suit.
Finally, she looks into his eyes. They are frantic and pleading. Her gaze softens and the panic in her gut starts to quell. She nods, hoping she understands what his mouth cannot communicate. She places one hand on his chin and the other behind his head. She searches his face one last time before twisting harshly. With a chilling snap, he falls to the ground and the hall is silent again.
She closes her eyes, trying to convince herself that she did what she was asked. She's been forced to kill akuma victims before, but usually they're strangers. She knows the cure will bring him back, but it doesn't stop the guilt from eating away at her. "I'm sorry, Nathaniel."
Her breathing is shaky, but she's let Reviser terrorize the school for too long. She can't waste any more time. She walks forward and opens the door with a trembling hand. She misses the days when Hawkmoth would never actually harm his victims. Whether he was simply less powerful then or still held some shred of morality, she doesn't know.
As if this day could get any worse, the horrors that lay on the other side of that door make her stomach drop. She flinches when an ear splitting scream fills the room. She wants to run but instead, she bites into her trembling lip as tears spill rapidly from her eyes. She tries to suppress all of her intense feelings so she can defeat him.
Rose's lifeless body is chained to a guillotine and her head is on the other side of the room. There's blood everywhere. Juleka is covered in it, suspended in air by Reviser's vines. They're slowly piercing her skin, one by one.
The Reviser turns with a wide grin when he hears the door close, "I was wondering when you would show up. Where's your sidekick?"
Were she in better spirits, she probably would've spit back some fiery reply about how Chat isn't anyone's sidekick, but at this point most of her concentration is being channeled into keeping her head clear. It's usually almost too easy to desensitize herself to the needless gore during battle, but now everything reminds her of what almost happened to Adrien and she just can't shut her emotions off. The cure. The cure. The cure. She tries to remind herself that none of this is permanent, but she can't seem to convince herself.
"What a shame, I just know your loverboy's pain would rival my own if I squashed his precious bug in front of him." When she doesn't reply he continues, "Oh, come on, if I wanted you to be mute, I would've taped your mouth shut, too."
The mention of her dead classmate ignites an intense fury inside of her and she charges at him, full speed. She doesn't think. She isn't aware of her hand moving to grab her scorching yo-yo with the oven mit, but suddenly, she's chucking it at him. It hits him in his button eye. When her thoughts catch up, she lets out a thankful sigh. The dull and unblinking eye makes her skin crawl and burning it feels right. She isn't sure if it will even do any damage, but Reviser cries out. He drops to his knees clutching his eye, his notebook flies across the floor, pages bloodied, only skidding to a halt when it hits Rose's head.
Part of her enjoys hurting him after what he did and the thought makes her feel sick when she realizes. Besides Lila, she's never let herself get this angry at an akuma before. She knows it's not his fault, yet she couldn't stop herself from falling into a blind rage. Hawkmoth is the one who deserves her wrath. What's wrong with me? Frozen in place by these thoughts, she fails to realize that this is her chance to grab the notebook until Reviser has recovered and is already making a beeline for it. She sees a flash of black and green dropping into the room from the edge of her vision. Her eyes dart from Minette to Reviser.
Julika violently yanks her arm free from the vines, her skin tearing off in the process, and grabs Reviser. He falls and his head smacks into the ground with a loud thwack that's muffled by the sound of her screams. Ladybug charges forward, sliding onto her knees to retrieve it. Dark red soaks her suit. Reviser reaches a hand out to grab the notebook from her, but she winds it back, before throwing it like a frisbee as blood is flung across the room and onto the heroine's face when she catches it.
"No!" He shouts.
"Cataclysm." Minette Noire sounds almost bored as she calls out her power. The notebook turns to dust and falls to the ground as the akuma flies out. Ladybug runs over to Chloe, jumping in the air to retrieve the akuma with her hands. For the second time that week, she destroys an akuma instead of de-evilizing it. When she turns to face her temporary partner, she winces. There are red droplets all over her face and hair. She realizes she's trembling and hugs herself as if that will still her.
The catgirl reaches a hand out to touch her shoulder, but returns it to her side. She realizes that if she acknowledges Ladybug's mental state, it will likely open up the floodgates and it's not quite time for that yet. "I think it's time for the miraculous ladybugs." She says, quietly.
Ladybug shakes her head in horror. "I didn't use my lucky charm! I can't call them! I-"
This time Minette does place a hand on her shoulder. "Woah, woah. Calm down, LB. It'll be okay. Just call your lucky charm now."
That pulls her from her spiraling thoughts. She looks up to meet her gaze and nods. After a moment, she follows her instructions. Now that the akuma is gone, she can actually touch her yo-yo. Worry shoots through her when the charm falls into her hand. It's a red and black spotted replica of the lucky charm Adrien made for her. That's when she remembers the state she left him in. She really needs to get back home.
"Miraculous Ladybug." The words are almost a whisper when she throws the imitation bracelet into the air. As the ladybugs fly over the damage, they put everything back to how it was before Reviser. Ladybug feels like she might cry out of relief. She tries to hold back the tears, but realizes how exhausted she is from attempting to do just that. Her legs shake and she collapses into Minette.
She reaches her arms under her legs and scoops her up before casting a glance at Rose and Juleka, who now have their arms wrapped around each other, and Marc who's standing awkwardly to the side, rubbing his arm. "You guys are okay, here, right?"
Marc looks up and nods. Rose and Juleka mutter in agreement. That's all the response Chloe needs and she jumps away, hoping to find some privacy for her and the girl in her arms.
Marc walks off, still holding his arm. He figures it's best to leave Rose and Juleka alone, but he's not prepared when he sees the redhead waiting for him on the other side of the door. He's confused when Nathaniel smiles and runs at him, wrapping his arms around his neck in a warm embrace.
"I'm so sorry, Nath." He says before returning the hug. "I-I can't believe I did all those terrible things, I-"
Nathaniel lifts a hand off of his neck and onto his head, pressing Marc's face into the crook of his neck. "It's okay, Marc. That wasn't you; it's not your fault."
Marc pulls away and Nathaniel reluctantly lets him go. Once again, his right arm hugs his left and his eyes find themselves fixed on the ground. "I just… I wish I hadn't gotten so upset. I mean, it's my own fault for assuming you felt the same- and it's totally fine that you don't! But I… I can't believe you tore it apart. Seeing that really hurt me."
"I didn't." He smiles tentatively, "Tear it apart, I mean. I promise! I really appreciated your help and I was going to thank you when I finished reading it, but I never got the chance."
The raven haired boy finally lifts his gaze. "You didn't read it?" His eyes glimmer with hope.
"I read most of it. Just not-"
He's too excited to let him finish. "Look at the last page."
Nathaniel gives Marc a little smile and raises his eyebrow as he flips open the book. He looks down and flips to the very last page where he finds a drawing of Marc holding up flowers, underneath a banner that reads: You're a very talented artist but I was wondering if you would like to add 'boyfriend' to your resume, what do you think?
He breaks into a huge smile and pulls Marc into a kiss. It takes a moment, but Marc's eyes close as he responds to the soft lips pressed against his own. He feels a rush of shock that is quickly replaced by a fluttering in his stomach. The kiss is short, and it leaves him completely stunned.
Marc stands with his arms wrapped around Nathaniel's neck, blinking for a moment, unable to fight the smile on his face, "Is that a yes?"
He gently grabs his chin with his thumb and pointer finger, guiding his lips back onto his own. This kiss is a bit longer, but still gentle and sweet. After a moment, he leans back. Their eyes meet and he gives Marc a lopsided grin, "What do you think?"
Minette Noire stops on a roof where they won't be seen and Ladybug continues to cry softly as the blonde holds her. After a moment, she sets her down and they both detransform. Before the light even fades, Marinette surges forward and wraps her arms around Chloe as tightly as she can muster.
She returns the hug and lowers them both to the ground, pulling Marinette into her lap. Chloe whispers comforting words into her ear and rubs circles into the distraught girls back in an attempt to calm her. It seems to be working but after a few moments, Marinette's grip tightens and she starts to hyperventilate.
"You're okay, Bug." Chloe kisses the top of her head, "I'm here."
After what feels like much too long, Marinette finally calms down. Her arms loosen around Chloe's neck, but she doesn't let go completely.
The blonde leans her head against hers, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Marinette shakes her head, "So many people that I love died right in front of me but I couldn't even focus on that because all I saw was Adrien laying there, bleeding out all over again." She sniffs, "Chloe if he hadn't come to me, there wouldn't have been a cure to bring him back."
Chloe rubs Marinette's arm, "But he did come to you. You saved him Mari. Everyone that got hurt today is still here because of you."
"Us. We saved them." She leans back to look into the other girl's eyes and raises her fist. "Pound it?"
Chloe smiles and bumps her fist into Marinette's.