Treasure Trove of Miracles Summary: A collection of unrelated Miraculous Ladybug stories centered on Marinette or Adrien. Prolly lots of akumanette ideas. Most are unfinished story ideas. Some may be quick notes for potential AUs. What may be found in this treasure trove? Who knows.
ch. 2 Summary: Her classmates believe she is the enemy. She's not. But maybe she should be.
Warnings: Minor violence
Chapter 2 – The Enemy Part 2
A pair of boots thudded behind her as a small voice cracked. "Ladybug?"
It was strange, she mused. How she tried so hard to be the hero only to end up vilified instead. But what else could she do? Since they had so easily turned on her then, logically, they wanted her to be the villain. Perhaps being an 'everyday ladybug' meant nothing to them. She was a means to an end. Not an ally. Never a friend.
"Ladybug," Chat Noir croaked, "what happened to you?"
Anger bubbled. If she were truly their ally, they wouldn't have betrayed her. They chose an easy fantasy over her hard-earned reality. Never again.
"If a hero can't win," she kept her glare steady on the main threat. "Then maybe a villain can. Chat Noir, don't get in my way."
"Lady–"
She swung her yo-yo. Hawkmoth knocked it aside with his cane. In a flurry of steel wire and metal rod, they lunged at one another and dodged each other's attacks. The battle began with Chat Noir stumbling out of the way. Metal clanged loudly, ringing in their ears.
"M'lady!" Chat Noir shouted over the noise. "The police are on their way."
Marinette saw Hawkmoth's mouth move, a swear presumably. A shadow moved beneath the windows. He started to retreat and her eyes burned. Mayura. His ally. She needed to end this. Now. Throwing her weapon up at the window, she shattered the glass to allow her yo-yo to wrap around the frame. As Hawkmoth shielded himself with a spinning can, she flung herself through the falling shards and barrelled into the man.
"Your miraculous!" She snarled, scrambling for the brooch. "Give it to me."
The woman rushed forward and shoved her off. Marinette rolled into a stand just as Mayura crumbled to the floor. Blood oozed from the fresh cuts littering her skin. Hawkmoth hurried to his feet and gathered the woman into his arms. Blind pain flared like the shards buried in her cheeks. How could the real villain have allies? Marinette sneered. Her yo-yo, still coiled around the window frame, screamed as she yanked downwards. The window frame cracked.
Hawkmoth craned his neck up just as the wood split and the full weight of a massive structure came crashing down. The debris rumbled and something or someone shrieked. The roar deafened her ears. Wood dust and butterflies billowed like smoke, obscuring the surroundings.
It was silent.
She squinted, idly twirling her weapon. Behind her, a murmur of voices became clear. Ignoring them, she prowled towards the heap of wood and stone.
"…Ladybug…?" Someone, presumably Chat Noir breathed. "…did you just…?"
"They're alive." She explained flatly. "The miraculous prevents death of the holder while activated. It's powerful magic."
Her mind flickered with memories not her own. Gabriel Agreste snarling at her, 'I command you to stay by my side, Nooroo.'
And further back. She had warned them, 'the Peakcock miraculous is cursed! Natalie won't–'
Even further, to a an unfamiliar time and place. 'The Butterfly Affect, huh?' A black being with green sclera shoved cheese into his mouth. 'I'd say it's an okay idea. Not as good as sugarcube's Lucky Charm.'
She puffed her chest, floating higher. 'She may be creative, but I am too! But that's not the point. Do you think Duusu will like it?'
'Ask Tikki, she knows more about creation than I do, Nooroo.'
"…ancient magic." She trailed, focus distant. Strange. Those aren't my memories. Is this the akumatization? Am I Nooroo? Who's…? No. She shook herself. She was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She may be akumatized. She may be the enemy. But she had one goal and that was to retrieve the butterfly and peacock miraculous.
She would save Paris, enemy to the world or not.
It was then she realized a clawed hand had alighted upon her shoulder. "-bug?"
She brushed Chat Noir aside. Still had to check the debris. But in her brief lapse, she had a feeling…
"He's gone." Her shoulders hunched. She had failed.
"Ladybug," Chat Noir gripped her shoulder once more. "Talk to me."
"What's there to talk about?" Her gaze swept over the gathered police, led by Sabrina's father. "Officer Raincomprix, scout the manor. Spread this warning; Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth–"
A collective gasp arose from the crowd, the loudest from the miraculous holder beside her. The grip tightened on her shoulder.
"–and he has a partner, Mayura. Or as I suspect it may be Nathalie Sancoeur."
The grip snapped away as if burnt. She scanned the area once more. Other than the occasional white wings smudging the floor, poor things, no sign of Hawkmoth remained. She straightened.
"They couldn't have gone far." She muttered and twirled her yo-yo to build momentum. She studied the skyline. What was the closest perch her weapon could reach?"
"Wait," Chat Noir bodily blocked her path. "You can't–"
"Try and stop me." She snapped and shoved forwards. "Quit wasting my time. I've got a criminal to catch."
His eyes hardened. "Maybe he has his reasons, just like you do."
She halted. Slowly, her lips curled into a smile. Of course. Her voice pitched low. She had no allies, remember? "Are you comparing me to a criminal, Chat Noir?"
Behind them, fabric rustled as tension rose. An officer coughed, audibly nervous.
Chat Noir bristled. "I'm saying that if Hawkmoth really is my–Gabriel Agreste then he must have a reason for doing all this."
She hummed. What was that slip? "Does the reason even matter? He has chosen to hurt others." Her former partner muttered something unintelligible. "If you want to be heard, speak up."
"…if his reason doesn't matter then neither do yours."
The words took a moment to register. But when they did? Boiling rage froze into icy calmness.
"…I am choosing to save Paris." Cold swept through her veins. She felt numb. Like the only purpose she had, the only reason she existed, had been snipped. "If that doesn't matter, then you're right. Maybe you all were right." She quieted, gaze drifting back to the blue sky.
"…LB?"
"If Paris doesn't need a villain," she trailed, suddenly lost in the blue void. "And if it doesn't need a hero either. Then…" Black spotted her vision. "Then it doesn't need me." She laughed, bitter and empty. "Spots off."
Darkness rolled over her form. As she plucked the earrings from her ears, a bout of dizziness sent her stumbling. Her chest ached as she coughed.
"Find another Ladybug, Chat Noir." Marinette met stunned green with dull blue. "I've retired."
She held the earrings, now a purplish-black she noticed, and waited. Chat Noir continued to stare at her. Like seeing her for the first time.
"Marinette?" He spoke like she had punched him in the gut. "Marinette?"
"I am not Marinette." Her mouth moved on auto-pilot as her hand fell. Damn Akuma. "I am not anything, really. Not anymore."
When Chat continued to stare and the police shifted uncomfortably behind them, she cast them a blank glance. Officer Roger cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable with a tense line in his stance.
"Well, officers, let's get to work! Ladybug gave us this chance so let's not waste it. Now, go! Search the manor."
With the order, the police scattered. Marinette watched as the only officer who lingered was Roger himself. He approached the current and former hero.
"Uh, Miss Dupain-Cheng." The man rubbed the back of his neck and spoke to the floor. "I just wanted to say…" The man straightened, clear and open. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gotten my job and my daughter back. So thank you, Marinette. For being the kind of hero I admire."
"I'm not a hero." She murmured. "Not anymore. Take the earrings, Chat Noir."
This time, it was Chat who spoke. "…I'm sorry, Marinette." She looked up to see her former partner, usually tall with confidence, now curled into himself with ears flat and shoulders up to his ears. "I didn't realize how everything could have affected you. I thought it would all just…fix itself. If I had known, I'd never have…"
"Chat." Absently, she watched as a pigeon flew through the gaping hole in the walls and perched atop the wreckage. "You're not making sense."
He shuffled in place. After a beat, he said a hesitant, "Claws in."
Green swirled in the corner of her vision. The officer Roger gasped and when she looked, she understood. Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir. Interesting. While she knew she should have felt surprise or even shock, all she could manage was a muted. "Ah, I see."
It made sense, she supposed. That Chat Noir would be apologetic because he had encouraged her to stay quiet instead of speak up to Lila and her lies. But he didn't know the extent to which Lila was willing to lie. The intentional antagonism. And he didn't understand that those lies had hurt her. Bad enough to cause akumatization.
Her head tilted. Akumatization. Right. "Regardless, you need to find another Ladybug."
His jaw dropped. As if he thought this revelation would have…what? Surprised her? Upended her worldview? Understandable. But not possible. Not now. Not when she felt so…colorless.
"You have a job to do, Agreste." She presented the earrings once more. "Take these and find someone new." Fabric rustled and she turned her head to the officer. "Why are you still here?"
Officer Roger met her frown with one of his own. "Although I don't like the idea of children endangering themselves…you both have proven yourselves plenty capable. Marinette, you are an inspiration to Paris. No one can replace you."
Chat Noir nodded and pressed her fingers closed around the earrings. "Please, m'lady. We can still sort this out. Stay with me. Please?"
She dragged her gaze from the black glove atop her fist up to pleading eyes. Silence dragged for a moment and she exhaled, drooping. "You said it yourself. My reason's don't matter. So choose someone who's reasons do. Choose someone who people won't easily betray. Choose someone… Just choose."
"I choose you." Adrien insisted, voice soft.
"You didn't." She corrected. "You chose Lila. You chose our classmates."
"But I didn't! I said that the truth would reveal itself."
"You chose to stand aside and let Lila brainwash our 'friends.' You thought it was okay how the other's treated me. You chose her."
"…I didn't know." Weakly, he pulled away. "I'm sorry. Honest, I am. I didn't think her lies would actually hurt anyone. I don't even know how she hurt you. Just…talk to me, Marinette. Please."
Silence fell over them. Somewhere along the line, Officer Roger had left the two of them alone. Wings flapped as the bird left. Bluebell eyes skidded from crushed butterflies to broken wood. Idly, she remembered she was still bleeding. A finger touched her cheek but no blood came off. Then she wasn't. Not anymore, at least. Did the Akuma's power allow her to heal?
"There are greater concerns than my feelings right now."
"Not to me, there aren't."
"…then you're not a good hero."
"…Sounds like I wasn't a good friend either."
Despite herself, she felt herself softening. Her mouth opened and it was like her filter had been removed. She spoke. And it was like breathing after being underwater. She explained the instance in the cafeteria, when she was determined to prove Lila's falsehoods with a napkin only to be painted as the bad guy. How she had retreated to the bathroom to calm herself only to be cornered by Lila and threatened. How an Akuma came after her time and time again. How Lila was so smug as she steadily won her friends over and turned them against her.
How she was tired of being everyone's hero but had no hero of her own.
She didn't know how it happened. Blackness must've cloaked her vision. They were standing one moment and somehow they made it to the floor. Somehow she found herself curled into Adrien's arms, talking on auto-pilot while he listened. Finally someone listened. She had been alone for so long.
"But that's not true." She continued, thinking further. "I wasn't alone. Tikki was always with me. She believed in me. But it was a burden sometimes. She told me to be strong, that I couldn't afford to be akumatized, but." She laughed a quiet, broken sound. "But look at me now."
Adrien quieted. "But look at you now. You did what you thought you had to. You did what you could. You stayed strong until you couldn't because you're human. And even humans aren't perfect."
"No," she agreed. "They aren't."
She exhaled. Her eyes drifted closed as silence fell. It seemed Adrien didn't know what else to say. But one tiny deity did.
"Chin up, kiddo." Plagg swerved into sight. Where had it been hiding? "So your friends betrayed you? Okay. Get new friends. Problem solved."
"Plagg!" Adrien hissed. "You're not helping."
"Sure I am," the creature rolled little shoulders back into a shrug. "They chose a loud-mouthed stranger over the girl they've known forever. Why stick with those losers when she can be with cool guys like us."
"They didn't know!" He defended. "I mean, I didn't either so that makes me just as bad."
Plagg crossed his arms. "If you're a loser then I want Marinette to be my new holder."
"Wha–"
He sniffed. "I bet she'd give me all the camembert I'd ever ask for."
"I give you so much camembert!" Adrien spluttered. "I already reek because–"
"She could bake cookie's for Tikki and cheese for me."
"You can't bake cheese!" Adrien's face flushed. "I've tried, okay!"
"Clearly you don't know how to work an oven."
A laugh bubbled within her. And once she started she couldn't stop. Watching the two of them interact reminded her of her own little deity. Oh Tikki, she thought as water crept across her eyes. I miss you. Tikki wasn't the only one she missed.
She missed herself.
The dreams she had: the raw emotions. The feeling of choosing just the right fabric for a freshly found design. The colorful inspiration as she scribbled in her sketchbook. The way her heart pounded when she looked into Adrien's apologetic eyes and realized she could show the world to him if he'd let her. The vibrations in her chest as she sang along to Jagged Stone's latest song: dedicated to her. Marinette. The thrill shooting down her spine as she swung through the skies with her partner at her side.
The sensation of tripping down the stairs and falling into the waiting arms of her mother and father. They loved her. They cared for her. They would want her to be happy and what made her happy… was to be herself.
She was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
And she was her own hero.
Light erupted around her. A flurry of ladybug's swirled around her form. Up and up the red and pink went as they flew over Paris. Over the destruction wreaked in the Agreste manor. Over the broken windows and broken hearts. Over everywhere they needed to be to heal and restore what had been hurt.
And still sitting, curled up together in one villain's hidden lair, were Adrien and herself. She blinked away the white spots to reveal–
"Tikki!" She cried, launching herself upwards. "I missed you!"
"Marinette!" Tikki cuddled against her cheek, a welcome warmth after the cold. The deep, bone-searing cold. "I missed you too."
The tiny deity swirled around her, offering hugs and exclamations of love. Warmth flooded her senses as she soaked in the affection. Until the raw coldness form before crept close.
"Tikki," she dipped her head. "I'm sorry. I couldn't fight it anymore."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Tikki returned. "I'm sorry. I pushed you too hard."
"No, I–"
Arms wrapped around her shoulders as a soft, familiar voice soothed. "You both did what you could. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when I should have been, Marinette."
She squeaked, emotions crashing all at once. "You're Adrien? Sorry? Don't be Adrien! Sorry! Don't be sorry!" Tikki giggled as she groaned, burrowing her face into her palms. And then it clicked.
Marinette's eyes blew wide. "You're Chat Noir."
Timidly, Adrien pulled away. "…yes?"
"I've been rejecting you this whole time…" Realization was like the dawning sun. Slow and steady and painfully bright. "…for you!"
"Wait, what?"
Plagg cackled. "Nice holder, Sugarcube. Now how 'bout we get me some cheese?"
Notes: Whoops, forgot to post this sooner. Otherwise, I was tempted to leave it on an angsty cliffhanger...but I didn't! Lucky you. Heh heh.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!