To Writer Rider Dirty Thirties: Thanks so much for all the ongoing comments!:D They made me very happy.
. o O o .
Chapter 20: The Calm After The Storm
The moment Ladybug broke Copycat's staff and the Akuma appeared, Viperion ran. He didn't look left or right, only dashed through the dim room to where Chat Noir was chained up. Everything around him was just a blur. Using more strength than he knew he had to tear apart the chains. Catching him as he slumped to the floor. Ladybug dealing with the Akuma and its victim somewhere in the background. Only one thing mattered.
"Chat!" he gasped, carefully resting Chat's head against his shoulder. "Chat, can you hear me? Oh, please…"
He nearly sobbed with relief when Chat stirred, groaning but alive.
"L-Luka?"
His voice was nothing but a weak whisper, his entire body trembling.
"Yes, it's me. Viperion," he nodded, holding Chat tighter. "You're safe now."
Chat didn't reply and only groaned again, but there was the hint of a smile playing around his lips as he leaned more comfortably against Viperion's chest.
For a minute or three, they sat in silence, Viperion gently rocking them both back and forth. He couldn't form even one coherent thought, just got lost in a whirlwind of sorrow, relief, joy, and too many other emotions to make sense of them.
With every passing second, Chat Noir became more relaxed, his breath more even. Eventually, he lifted a shaky hand and placed it over Viperion's arm, squeezing him lightly. "I knew you'd come," he mumbled. "That you wouldn't give up on me."
When Viperion looked up, Chat's eyes were open. He looked tired—exhausted—but his eyes were full of love, of hope, of trust. A lump formed in Viperion's throat and he had to swallow before he spoke. "Of course, we would never give up on you."
He lifted his hand to cup Chat's face, his heart flowing over when he leaned into the touch. "I… I'm just so glad it's over now."
Thirty-seven tries. Not that many, compared to other missions.
Fourteen times he'd had to listen to Chat's pained scream.
And hopefully, he would never have to hear it again.
Involuntarily, his arms tightened around Chat, pulling him closer against him. Waiting for every part of his body and mind to catch up with reality. The fight was over. Ladybug had freed Copycat. And Chat was safe.
That was all that mattered.
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"Buy, buy, little butterfly."
Feeling more exhausted than usual, Ladybug followed the white butterfly with her eyes until it disappeared into the darkness. A quick glance showed her that Viperion was already taking care of Chat Noir. Good. She wanted nothing more than to join them, to make sure that her… her partner—the word didn't do her emotion justice, but it was the only right one—was all right. But before she could do that, she had another task to tend to.
Turning her gaze away from them, it instead landed on a figure slumped on the ground. Slowly, almost against her will, she made a few steps toward him.
"What you did today, Theo," she said in a low voice. "I don't know that I can ever forgive you."
Biting his lips, Theo averted his gaze. "I… don't know what to say."
"There's nothing to say," she said calmly. "I understand you did what you did because you thought you had to. But even though I appreciate you wanted to help me in some way—what you did was inexcusable."
Their eyes met. There was grief in Theo's eyes, pain. But she didn't feel even the slightest compassion.
"You caused so much pain, so much destruction. And all just because you didn't trust I could handle myself. You could have come to me, could have talked to me. But you didn't and instead decided over my head. That's not love, Theo. That's possessiveness."
She reached into her Yo-Yo and produced a magical charm.
"Take this," she said, handing over the charm. "It will keep you safe from HawkMoth's influence, and if you value me in any way, you'll keep it. But either way, I don't want to see or hear from you ever again." With her hands in trembling fists at her side, she turned her back on him. "Now leave."
She heard his grunt as she stood up, then footsteps as he ran away. With closed eyes, she slowly counted to ten. A small part of her felt bad for being so harsh. But her words had only scratched at the surface of how she felt.
She could never forgive him for what he'd done to Chat Noir.
Taking a deep breath to shake off all thoughts about Theo, her gaze drifted to where Viperion was taking care of Chat. The sight made something deep within her twist.
Chat looked horrible.
His suit was torn, his hair dishevelled, dirt and dust all over him, and with how all but boneless he lay there, he seemed weak and vulnerable in a way she'd never seen on him before. It scared her, a lump forming in her throat—and apparently, she wasn't the only one feeling that way.
Viperion's eyes were glistening with unshed tears, even in the near-darkness, and his shoulders were trembling from tension too long contained. She didn't know how many times he'd used his powers. But just watching Copycat hurt Chat once had been almost too much for her to bear. For Viperion, it must have been so much worse…
And yet… Seeing them together, entangled in a tight embrace—the sight was oddly… soothing. It felt so right to her. How it was supposed to be. No matter how bad she felt now, for them it had been worse. With what they'd both endured and their feelings for each other, them comforting each other made absolute sense.
But it also made her realise something else. They were perfect together. The way Viperion cradled Chat. How they leaned their head together, exchanging quiet words. Chat's hand resting on Viperion's shoulder as he bent down for a soft kiss. The gaze they exchanged, the soft smiles. Perfect, indeed.
And she could only be an intruder on their harmony.
The truth of this realisation stung. It led her mind down a sad and dark road—
—one she refused to follow.
Not now.
With her eyes and lips pressed shut, she took another couple of deep breaths and forced that thought to the back of her mind. She wouldn't be able to escape it forever, but she had more important things to deal with right now.
A few quick steps, then she crouched down next to Chat. "Hey," she said softly as he lifted his tired eyes toward her. Viperion was still supporting him, his expression unreadable.
"Hey," he replied. His voice was so hoarse that it made her flinch.
"I'm so sorry for what happened," she eventually went on after pondering about what to say.
Chat blinked. "Why? 's wasn't your fault, last I checked."
Almost against her will, Ladybug's lips twitched. "Still, it was about me. If Theo wasn't so obsessed with me, then none of this—"
She broke off when he placed a hand on her upper arm.
"Let it go, bugaboo. What happened wasn't your fault, and you know what? I can't even blame him, either. If I'd thought someone was cheating on you like that, I'd have gone berserker, too." He chuckled, a little strained.
Ladybug pressed her lips together, throwing a glance at Viperion. It was obvious he wasn't feeling quite as forgiving as Chat, either. However, he gave her a light shrug, showing that he wouldn't contradict his boyfriend. There wasn't anything to be done now, anyway.
"Still," Ladybug said. "I'm sorry you had to suffer on my behalf. How… how are you feeling?"
Chat scowled. "Not gonna lie, I've had better days. But even though his treatment wasn't exactly pleasant… I don't think he caused any lasting damage. Nothing that a few hours of rest won't heal. I just feel tired." He twisted into another position, then grimaced. "And sore. Ouch!" Then he peeked up at her again. "Maybe it helps if you kiss it better?"
At first, Ladybug was perplexed at this sudden shift. However, when Viperion chuckled quietly, she couldn't suppress a grin either. So he was already cracking jokes again? That had to be a good sign, right?
"I think I know someone else who's far better suited for that, kitty-cat."
Humming contentedly, Chat leaned his head back against Viperion's shoulder. "True. A joined effort might work, too, though," he mumbled, his eyes fluttering close.
His words struck a chord deep within her, but she muffled it in an instant. Because if she allowed her heart to linger on it, to hope for only a second…
Besides, Chat really didn't look good. He was drifting out of consciousness as it seemed, his body slumping further in on himself. He needed to rest.
"Viperion?" she asked slowly, pondering.
"Yeah?"
"Can you bring him home? I… I don't know where—" She broke off, biting her lip. It wasn't as if Viperion was supposed to know either, but…
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this," Viperion murmured, a little absentmindedly. His eyes never left Chat's face, his arms wrapped tightly around Chat's limp body.
"Good." Ladybug was dead set on not letting her twisted emotions dampen the relief she felt. She'd always known—or at least suspected—that Luka and Viperion knew who Chat was. Them being the same person changed nothing about that. It only meant Luka taking care of Chat now made even more sense.
They both flinched when her earrings beeped demandingly.
"You better get going," she said and took a step back as Viperion got up, supporting Chat's near-dead weight. "Get some rest and we can catch up another time."
"Sounds like a good plan," Viperion sighed. He nodded her goodbye, then carried Chat away. The effort he put into not jostling him too much simultaneously made her heart throb with affection and twist in pain.
Tearing her eyes away from where they'd disappeared into the darkness, she went to pick up her lucky charm—the ring—and pressed it to her chest. For a short time, for the sake of the act, she'd let herself believe she was actually betrothed to Chat. Now admitting the truth about how this would likely never happen hurt more than she'd ever expected.
"So, I keep being right," she murmured to herself. "Nothing in my life is ever easy."
With her lips pressed shut, she glanced at the ring for one last time, then threw it high into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybugs!"
And as the magical ladybugs flew across the city, repairing all the damage Copycat had caused, she wished they would erase her memories, too. The ones about the fight just as much as the truth she'd learned.
. o O o .
Some comfort, some angst, some reactions to the fight.
I had a rough plan for this chapter, but when I sat down to write it out, it all just didn't work. It took me a while to figure things out... and now events that were planned for this chapter will only happen three chapters over. xD And this is why I can't write short stories...
