Hey y'all, I'm not sure how ready this chapter is, but I'm drained and exhausted and I can't think of any way I can make it better. My betas have all said it's perfectly fine as it is, so I'm postin' it. Also yeah, I meant for this all to be a two-shot, but then my mind ran away with the plot and out popped this pre-epilogue chapter.
That means there will probably be another short wait for Chapter 3, where things finally get resolved and all that. I hope you enjoy!
The day after Marinette's discussion with Shadow Moth, Ladybug called up her partner. She had to, at least, tell him that they were going to meet Shadow Moth later that day to discuss the terms that would end their conflict with him. Chat showed up, quick as ever, and she then went about explaining the situation. Upon hearing of the meeting, he naturally grew wary and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
She couldn't blame him. She would have been too, if she hadn't already heard his motives before. It helped that she'd also been able to sense his emotions at that time through the akuma he'd tried to corrupt her with: she knew he was being genuine.
" Chaton , I know this is dangerous, but do you know who set up this meeting in the first place? Marinette did. She assured me that he wasn't planning to do anything to us. He just wanted to talk."
Chat frowned, his brow furrowing with conflict.
"Marinette…?"
Ladybug nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"That's right. And do you know how she knows that?"
He shook his head.
"Last night, she was almost akumatized."
Chat immediately tensed at that and his conflicted expression immediately changed into one of concern. He pulled out his baton, ready to rush his way over the bakery to check up on his Princess, but Ladybug stopped him.
"I promise I'll explain more in just a bit, Kitty, but for now, let me finish." Chat whined but nodded reluctantly, slowly clipping his baton back in its place.
"Marinette's been dealing with a lot lately, Chat. Most of her friends have abandoned her for a liar in her class. Even her best friend has stopped talking to her until she "works up the courage to apologize" to said liar. That same liar is now bullying her. Sending her horrible messages, cornering her at school, threatening her. Dealing with all that made her an easy target for an akuma, so I've been keeping an eye on her to make sure that doesn't happen."
Chat's worried expression grew both sadder and angrier as she explained the situation, his hands twitching to grab his baton again.
"But, why didn't she tell me? I've been visiting her too, and I never knew—"
Ladybug smiled sadly.
"I know. When I asked her that, she told me that being around you always made her feel better. She didn't want to dwell on her problems when you were around, she just wanted to let loose and have fun with the only friend she had left."
At that, he flinched in surprise, his eyes widening. She never told him because she wanted to enjoy her time with him?
"So it's not because she doesn't trust me?"
Ladybug's eyes widened at that, almost scandalized by the very idea.
"Of course not, Chaton! I—Marinette really cares about you, and you were a great friend to have around when she was feeling upset."
Chat felt his eyes well up with tears and smiled a watery smile, the slight tinge of betrayal he felt over not being trusted with her problems fading away. Of course Marinette trusted him. She let him into her room almost every night just to hang out. You don't let people you don't trust into your room, especially a strange boy in a skin tight leather cat suit at night. His partner seemed to smile a little wider at seeing him accept her reassurance and she nudged his shoulder gently.
"Do you want to know how she handled almost being akumatized? It's pretty funny."
Chat nodded eagerly.
"She said she told him 'I really can't deal with your shit right now' and told him to either butt out or give her a useful power so she could finish her projects."
He couldn't help but laugh at that, nodding softly as if he entirely expected that. "Yeah. That's my Princess. Strong, even when she was probably incredibly upset. What happened after? She obviously didn't get akumatized since we didn't have to fight, so?"
Ladybug nodded and continued explaining.
"She told me they got to talking. She lied and told him that she'd help him if he told her why he was doing this. Of course, Shadow Moth initially didn't want to tell her anything, being a random civilian and all that. So, she took a risk and told him about being Multimouse, hoping to convince him that she understood a little more about magic than most normal people did."
Chat's eyes widened and he groaned, pulling out his baton and sliding the communicator up to properly scold her. "That was more than just a risk, Princess, why did you do that?! What if he had tried to use you as bait for the heroes? What if he came after your family?!" he whisper-shouted, fumbling through his contacts to find her name.
Ladybug grinned at that and nodded in agreement, placing a hand over his screen.
"Trust me, she knows. I already scolded her for that. She really wasn't in her right mind at the time. It was one in the morning, she was spiraling, and she was desperate to find a solution to at least one of her problems. She really didn't expect it to work… but it did. Shadow Moth told Marinette everything, except for his identity. She found out the reason why he's after our Miraculous."
Immediately, Chat's expression lit up with surprise and, after a momentary pause to process that, he smiled wide with pride, unable to suppress a laugh at the incredulity of the situation.
"She did?! Of course she did, way to go, Princess! God, even when she's being akumatized, she still finds a way to help people. She's really amazing, isn't she, my Lady?"
His partner blushed for no apparent reason he could see, but she nodded softly in agreement.
"That she is. I'll tell you what she found out a little bit, but before that, I have something to ask you."
"Sure, what's up, Bug?" he cheered, his smile still wide and full of satisfaction.
Ladybug couldn't help but smile at just how happy that seemed to make him.
"Firstly, you should know that if things go the way I expect them to, both me and Shadow Moth will have our identities revealed to each other during the meeting."
Chat froze, his joy dimming to fear and worry once again.
"W-what do you mean?"
Ladybug sighed.
"Shadow Moth will be forced to reveal himself, no matter what. Marinette found out that his goal has always been to take our Miraculous to make a Wish and bring back his comatose wife. She managed to open his eyes to the risk that wishing for her back may instead sacrifice someone else important to him. Balance, and all that. However, because I'm obviously getting better at using my Miraculous and the magic that comes with it, she instead was able to convince him to ask Ladybug for help."
Chat nodded along, a bit surprised that he would even consider asking his enemies for help.
God, Marinette's really, really amazing, isn't she?
"The reason my identity will be revealed is because I'm probably going to tell him as a gesture of good faith."
Chat froze, his expression once again morphing into one of surprise, before a look of anger settled on his features.
"Why would we need to show any good faith to him?! He's terrorized us and all of Paris for two years now! He doesn't deserve to know who you are! What if this is a trap?! What if once he finds out your identity, he goes after your family?! We can't trust him!" Chat shouted.
"Chat, let me explain!" she cried, her head instinctively whipping up to scan the sky for akumas, before she remembered the temporary truce she had managed to negotiate last night.
The cat hero stopped himself from continuing on the rant he wanted to go on at seeing her look around, and crossed his arms, staring down at his partner with a look that told her she'd better have a good explanation.
Ladybug nodded and took a breath.
"I can't tell you more without telling you who I am, so before I explain, can I reveal my identity to you, Chaton? " she asked, despite knowing what his answer was going to be.
Chat froze again where he stood, the question completely taking him aback. A swarm of emotions filtered across his face and Ladybug clocked every single one. It was obvious he was still heavily conflicted, but he had always wanted to know who she was under the mask. Chat bit his lip nervously, trying his best not to let his selfish desires cloud his rationale, but he really wanted to know.
"Yeah. At least if I know who you are, I'll be able to protect you if things go wrong," he agreed, trying to explain the logic of, what he felt, was a selfish decision.
Ladybug smiled and nodded, taking one last deep breath before she called off her transformation. Her body was immediately covered with bright pink light and Chat had to close his eyes against it. When he opened his eyes again, they immediately widened in surprise. There, where his superhero partner had been standing just a few moments before now stood a very familiar girl waving shyly at him.
"Hey, Kitty," she mumbled, her voice quieter than her usual confident tone.
Chat's face underwent another storm of emotions as everything clicked into place. So many thoughts raced through his head as he looked back on his memories with her with the added context of her secret identity. It was Marinette who had been fighting alongside him all this time, Ladybug who had let him into her room almost every night despite how much time they already spent together transformed. She was always more than happy to spend even more time with him as Marinette.
It was Marinette that he'd been in love with this whole time, Ladybug who he'd danced with at Chloé's party, Ladybug who had started returning his advances whenever he came over. It was this one incredible girl who had become such a central part of his life this whole time, and now, he knew all of her.
Chat's face stretched into a wide smile and tears sprung to his eyes at just how much he found himself falling for her even more . Knowing that she had been his partner really drove home the point she had always tried to make: he was incredibly important to her, too.
"Marinette… My Princess…" he whispered, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek.
His expression was so full of unbridled affection that Marinette couldn't help but blush furiously, lowering her gaze out of sheer embarrassment. She had wondered whether he would still look at her like that if he ever found out who she was, but she shouldn't have doubted him. If anything, it looked like his feelings for her had only intensified now that he knew who she was. Marinette smiled shyly and forced her gaze up to look at him.
"Hi, Chaton. It's me."
Chat nodded happily, opening his mouth to greet her back before something she said came back to him. His smile immediately dropped and his face paled.
"You were almost akumatized last night… I—the thought of fighting Marinette was terrifying enough, but Ladybug…"
Marinette quickly placed her hand over the one on her cheek and shook her head gently, grabbing his attention.
"It's okay, Kitty, I'm okay. I wouldn't have let him akumatize me regardless. I'm the Guardian. I know exactly how his Miraculous works. All I'd have to do is refuse his offer."
Chat frowned and lifted his other hand to cup her other cheek, stepping a little closer to her.
"I'm so glad nothing bad happened, Princess. I don't think I'd ever be able to fight you if it came down to it. I could never hurt you."
Marinette's cheeks flushed once again, but she smiled up at him, actively fighting her nerves.
"I know, Chaton. I'd never let that happen. Now, we should go meet up with Shadow Moth before he gets impatient. This may be our chance to put an end to all these akumas once and for all."
Chat nodded resolutely.
"Right. I'll protect you no matter what happens, my Lady. After we deal with this, I want to reveal myself to you, too."
Marinette smiled and nodded back.
"Of course, Kitty. Now, let's go."
With that, Marinette called upon her transformation again and they both leaped off the rooftop they'd been standing on to make their way to the meeting point.
Upon finally arriving and waiting a few short minutes, Shadow Moth arrived. They exchanged tentative greetings before he got right down to it and decided to begin with why he was after the Miraculous in the first place. Both heroes listened quietly and nodded along as he went on to describe how his wife ended up in the state she was in. When he finished, Ladybug lowered her head and immediately started to work over the facts in her head.
"Hmm. I'd need to see her in person to get a better idea about her situation. That means you'd have to reveal your identity as well, since I assume you can't just move your wife around so freely."
Shadow Moth frowned and hummed in displeasure, crossing his arms as he considered the ramifications of telling his enemies something so important. He would've normally outright refused that ridiculous request, but remembering his conversation with Mlle Dupain-Cheng, he really had no other options. If he wanted the best possible outcome, one where he could live together with a complete family, he would need to reveal himself. They were fairly famous figures, after all, so there would be no way Emilie wouldn't be recognized, anyway.
"Very well. Dark wings, fall."
With that phrase, Hawk Moth's transformation fell away in a flash of purple light and left one Gabriel Agreste standing in his place. Nooroo shot out of the brooch violently and Gabriel raised a hand to stop him from being flung too far away. It would've been a kinder gesture if he didn't immediately force the tired kwami to float on his own afterwards, only absentmindedly handing him a couple pieces of popcorn. Chat Noir stiffened as he saw the man under the mask and his eyes grew wide, taking an instinctive step back. Neither Ladybug nor Gabriel noticed his reaction yet.
Ladybug's eyes widened as well as the implications hit her. They were going to be bringing back Adrien's mother. She frowned at learning that it had been Gabriel Agreste that had been their enemy for so long, but she pushed it aside to focus on what was important for now. She could take time to process this later.
"M. Agreste, before we go any further, I have something to say."
The villain raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, clearly expecting a lecture on morals and whatnot.
"And what would that be?"
"Firstly, I would like to request that you show your good faith by handing us one of the Miraculous. In exchange for fulfilling what I'm sure is a steep demand, I would like to reveal myself to you, as well. That way, you know just how committed I am to helping you and your wife. You may not know this, but finding out who you are, I now also have a vested interest in making sure she is brought back to perfect health."
Gabriel's expectant, unwilling expression was immediately replaced by one of slight interest. He crossed his arms in contemplation before he couldn't help but ask.
"…Why?"
"Like I said—"
"No, why are you willing to go that far? You know that I'm desperate, and that I have no other options. You could've just let me reveal myself and continued on under the safety of your anonymity. I know very well that you wouldn't be so naive as to give up your greatest advantage. You say you have a vested interest in helping my Emilie now, but what does that mean?"
Ladybug smiled and shrugged.
"I'm sure you'd understand once I tell you who I am."
Gabriel frowned, his gaze falling to the floor and wrestled with the pros and cons.
"Very well. I don't trust you, but as I said before, I am out of options." With that, Gabriel picked off the Peacock Miraculous from his lapel and handed it over to Ladybug. Naturally, she immediately stored it inside her yo-yo before she went ahead with her side of the deal.
"Spots off."
Ladybug's transformation disappeared in a flash of pink light, and Marinette reached out to catch Tikki in her cupped hands as she flew out of her Miraculous. When Tikki landed in her palms, she reached into her purse and handed her kwami a macaron before turning to address Gabriel.
"Hello, M. Agreste."
Gabriel's eyes widened, confusion once again twisting his expression.
"Mlle Dupain-Cheng? You're Ladybug?"
Marinette only smiled and nodded.
"I told you that Ladybug would be more than happy to help you. Knowing who you are now, I only want to help that much more because Adrien is a very important friend to me. If I can help bring his mom back for him, then I want to try. I know how much he misses her and it saddens me to see how her absence has affected him."
Gabriel paused at that before smiling a little, a foreign expression on his usually stoic face. He folded his arms behind his back and took a few steps towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Almost all traces of wariness and suspicion faded with the revelation.
"Thank you, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. I am glad that Adrien has found a friend like you. Come. Let us return to the mansion. I imagine you'll want to examine Emilie first."
"That would be best. Chat, are you rea—" Marinette turned around only to find neither hide nor hair of her partner.
She furrowed her brow in confusion and called on her transformation again, immediately pulling out her yo-yo to check Chat's location. He seemed to be heading for the Eiffel Tower. Why did he disappear? Where was he going? What could have happened? She needed to make sure he was okay.
"M. Agreste, I'm sorry, but I need to go find Chat. Something must be wrong. I will stop by before the end of the day, if that's okay?"
Gabriel nodded.
"Of course. I trust you to keep your word. I will see you then, Mlle Dupain-Cheng." With that, Gabriel called on his own transformation and leaped off the rooftop to make his way back home.
Once he was gone, Ladybug immediately tossed out her yo-yo and swung towards the Eiffel Tower where she saw her partner heading. It didn't take her long to get there and swing up to the top. There, sitting on the edge of one of the platforms with his legs through the bars of the railing, was her partner. She noticed his eyes were glazed over and he seemed to be deep in thought.
When she landed next to him, the only indication he gave of her arrival was the slight twitch of his ears towards her. Ladybug frowned and walked over to him slowly, sliding down next to him.
"Chat? What's the matter? Why did you leave?"
Chat didn't answer, instead he simply swung his legs and stared down at the ground over the edge of the platform. Ladybug moved in closer and dropped her head onto his shoulder, letting him know that she was there whenever he was ready. She would let him sit in silence for as long as he needed to, content with simply giving him her company and warmth.
Eventually, Chat sighed and a frown spread across his face.
"In order for me to tell you what's wrong, I need to reveal my identity to you. Is that okay?"
At this point, there was no need to hide their identities any longer. She nodded softly in response.
"Claws in."
With a flash of bright green light, Chat's suit fell away. Ladybug's eyes widened in recognition and she immediately knew why he had escaped. He had just found out his father was Hawk Moth. Hell, she might've escaped too if she had been in his situation. She also felt the sudden urge to combust into a mess of flustered teenage girl, but she suppressed her reaction and chose to stow it away for a more appropriate time.
Ladybug wrapped an arm around her detransformed partner and pulled him to lean on her, rubbing his back comfortingly.
"What's on your mind?" She asked gently.
Adrien shrugged a little and let his head fall on top of hers.
"I don't know. I'm angry, I think. I feel betrayed. For the past couple years, we've been fighting my father… He's the big bad villain that's given us so much trouble. I mean, I've died to his creations before." Ladybug tensed at that revelation, having not made that particular connection until just now.
"Do you not want to help him, then?" she asked gently, trying her damndest not to start crying at the reminder of his many deaths.
Adrien shot up and grabbed fistfuls of his hair, rubbing his head in aggravation.
"Aghh, I don't know! I don't want to help the man who's not only neglected me since mom disappeared, but also—" He paused, his hands sliding down his face and wiping away the tears that were beginning to gather.
"If we can actually bring my maman back, I want to do everything I can to help… I just don't think I could go back to seeing him as my father anymore."
Ladybug's frown deepened and she pulled Adrien in again to wrap him in the tightest hug she could. Adrien didn't hesitate to return the embrace, burying his face in her neck. Ladybug gently ran her fingers through his hair and mumbled softly against his shoulder.
"Tell me what you need, Kitty. Do you want to be there and help me fix your mom? Do you not want to help him? Tell me what you need me to do, and I'll do it. Whatever you need, I'm here."
Adrien smiled against her neck and she felt her skin crawl with goosebumps at the feeling, silently cursing her turtleneck Ladybug suit for being the only thing between his lips and her bare skin.
No, focus! Not the time, Marinette.
"…I don't think I'm going to reveal myself to my father. I'll help you as best as I can, for my maman's sake, but I'm not ready to deal with him yet. I think I'm also going to call Chloé to book me a room to stay for a few days. I don't want to sleep in the same house as him."
Ladybug hummed and took a few moments as she tossed around the idea she wanted to offer. More than anything, she wanted to ask him to stay at her place, but her parents might not appreciate letting a boy live with her in her room, not even considering one she had had a massive crush on for the past two years. That was just asking for trouble. The argument she imagined them using against her turned her face bright red and she was suddenly very grateful that Adrien couldn't see it.
…Plus, it might be handy to have a room away from everything all to themselves.
At that thought, Ladybug buried her face deeper into Adrien's shoulder and squeaked out a shaky reply.
"S-sounds good, Kitty. If you ever need me, my balcony is always open to you."
Adrien smiled a little more and slowly pulled away, looking a little better than how she found him.
"Thank you, Princess. I'm really glad you're my partner."
Ladybug shrugged and turned away in embarrassment, taking deep breaths to calm down the heat in her face.
"And I'm glad you're mine. Now, do you want to go handle your housing situation right now while I go and check on your mom, or do you want to come with me?"
Adrien shook his head.
"I want to see her."
Ladybug nodded and stood up, holding out a hand towards him. He took it and let her pull him up.
"Then, let's go. We need to get to work."