-Chat Noir's POV-
As the world literally falls apart around us, the world in my head falls apart too. All I could hear was the dizzying buzzing sounds. What I just did finally registered.
I turned Faon Rogue to dust.
"Chat…" A soothing voice sounds from a distance, or is it nearer? I can't find it in myself to care anymore.
In an effort to stop Faon from killing Ladybug, I… I killed Faon instead.
"L-Ladybug…" I choke out, giving her a pleading tear filled look. "You can bring him back, right? Your Miraculous-"
"Chat."
"Your Miraculous can fix the things I destroyed, right? Please do something! I-I know Faon tried to kill you, but- but you can't-"
"CHAT NOIR!"
Ladybug shakes me violently, snapping me out of whatever daze I was in, the entire fake city of Paris is almost gone now, only the ground remains.
"That wasn't the real Faon."
I give Ladybug a surprised look. "...What?"
The ground gives way.
I hear more screams, screams that don't belong to Ladybug and me.
Looking around wildly, I see many others falling from the sky too. Alix, Nathaniel, Mylene and Ivan among the ones I recognize, all of them screaming their lungs out as they plummet towards the ground.
"CHAT! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM!" I hear Ladybug scream.
"HOW DO WE DO THAT !?" I shout back, watching as Ladybug throws out her yo-yo, grabbing a few people and pulling them closer. Following her lead, I hooked in a couple with my staff too.
We have a sizable group between us now.
"What now!?" I shout over them, Ladybug panicking as she tries her best to come up with an idea. No Lucky Charm, and with the speed at which we're falling and the number of people falling alongside us, there's no way we can helicopter down anymore.
Directly underneath us, something grows out of the ground.
We crash into something soft, sinking deep into what looks like a large tower of cardboard boxes, the more layers we push through, the slower our descent, until we land onto the floor with a harsh thump, hard enough for it to be sore afterwards, but at least we're not dead.
"OH MY GOD!" I hear Alix screams as she lifts her head up to breath, debris of cardboard everywhere. "I THOUGHT WE WERE DONE FOR!" She screams again before letting out a gasp. "Nathaniel!"
The skater quickly starts wading through the cardboard. "NATHANIEL! WHERE ARE YOU!?"
I sit up too, looking around, it looks like everyone had something to break their fall, there doesn't seem to be anything to show that anyone… didn't make it (I rather not dwell on that thought.)
"Is this the fawn you're looking for?"
I gasp, looking straight ahead. Faon Rogue is holding Nathaniel by the scruff in front of Alix, who sighs in relief.
"Nathaniel! Thank God !" She pulls the redhead out of Faon's grasps. "Thank you so much Faon, you're a lifesaver, I- '' She stops suddenly, noticing Faon's new apparel before taking a step back. "Faon? What's up with the palette swap?"
"Alix, get away from him." I hear Ladybug order, quickly maneuvering to be in between the Akuma and civilians, I do the same.
Faon Rogue glares at her. "If I wasn't so caught off guard, I would've killed you for insinuating that I would hurt them." He says drily before sighing, giving me a tired look, but I can tell from his tone of voice and posture, that he is furious . "What you did just now was… unbelievable . I knew you were strong, but not that strong." He mutters before giving me a sardonic smirk. "Would you like to get Akumatized? You might be able to destroy the whole earth with that power. Think of all the places I could make with that much free space. Gods just imagining it gives me goosebumps! "
I feel tears welling up in my eyes again. I didn't kill Faon! He didn't die! He's still alive!
Wait.
"H-How are you still alive!?" I can't help but ask, even if I'm ecstatic that he's not dead, I literally saw him turn into ash right in front of me.
Faon Rogue frowns, but before he could say anything, Ladybug answers.
"It's because you're not actually here, are you?" She starts. "Your imagination lets you create beings like fake Chat Noir. During our fight, you don't seem to get tired or injured at all, and when Chat used his Cataclysm, everything related to Faon's imagination was destroyed, including you!" She points at Akuma. "You're nothing but another figment of Faon Rogue's imagination!"
Faon Rogue was eerily silent, before letting out a huff.
"Damn, way to kill the plot twist." He mutters before shrugging, materializing three kunai in each of his hands from out of nowhere. "Whatever, if it'll give you some closure before you die, then good for you I suppose."
Quick as lightning, Ladybug grabs Alix and Nathaniel, holding them closely behind her.
"Ladybug-" I was interrupted by a harsh glare, what is she doing right now?
Faon Rogue twitches, gripping his weapons tighter. "You're playing a dangerous game, Ladybug ." He snarls.
Ladybug looks as confident as ever. "You don't want to hurt your fawns, do you? It became obvious when you saved me from falling just now. You could've let me hit the ground, but you didn't because I was too close to your fawns to chance it, right? You'll never put any of your fawns in danger, no matter the risk!"
I stare at the two of them in anticipation, Faon glaring daggers at the superheroine. Knowing Faon Rogue's power, he could easily think of a way to separate Ladybug from his fawns, but the risk of them getting hurt…
Ladybug will never hurt a civilian, she would rather sacrifice herself to protect them, Faon and I both know that. She's even protecting Alix and Nathaniel right now by shielding them behind her instead of in front like the human shields she's claiming them to be. Yet, does Faon Rogue, who hates Ladybug with all of his being, really trust that info?
The Akuma growls, throwing all his kunai but one to the side in defeat.
"Forget it, I have more pressing matters to attend to anyways." He grumbles, twirling the last kunai in his hand before throwing it up into the air. The weapon lands on the tip of the Eiffel Tower before turning into a bright red beam of metal, slowly reaching closer into the sky.
"You're rebuilding Fake Paris!?" I gasp, the tip of the Fake Eiffel Tower already visible.
"Yeah well someone had an ace up their sleeves and used it to destroy hours of hard work." Faon grumbles again.
"Why are you rebuilding it so quickly? How are you so sure that Chat won't just use his Cataclysm again?" Ladybug questions.
The Akuma smirks. "I have experience with the resilience of Kwamis." He says before turning to me. "Lemme guess, Plagg will be exhausted after you detransform right? It'll take a week to recover? Maybe two?"
I try not to give away the fact that he nailed it right on the money, but his smirk only widens.
"You won't get away with this Faon. Chat and I are going to find where your real self is hiding! And take the Akuma, we'll save you!" Ladybug declares, earning a scoff from the deer villain.
"Always so heroic, making declarations you can't keep." He glares at her. "You better watch yourself, you've really pissed me off now. The moment you let your guard down, I'll kill you." He threatens with a growl. "And good luck ever finding my real self, it's practically in a place that doesn't exist." He adds before dissolving into red dust, leaving us and his fawns alone.
Ladybug and I let out simultaneous sighs of relief. Finally, a chance to take a breather, even if Fake Paris grows ever larger the longer time passes.
"Ladybug, what should we do?" I ask kind of desperately, we've never faced an Akuma as strong as this before, the only reason we're still alive right now is the fact that Akuma or not, Faon will never hurt the people he cares about.
"I don't want to endanger civilians again, it's too risky." I add, looking at Alix and Nathaniel. "You two and everyone else better find a safe place to hide until it's safe."
"Woah woah woah, wait up!" Alix holds her hands up. "We don't want to just be sidelined, we wanna help get Faon back!"
"Yeah!" Nathaniel says besides her. "Faon was there when we were Akumatized, so we should be there for him too!"
"Me too!"
"Yeah! We can help!"
"Everyone..." Ladybug says, looking at everyone joining in, determination abundant.
But it was still too dangerous.
"I appreciate the assistance, really." I start, looking at Ladybug for some backup, but she just seems to be lost in her own head right now. "But Faon is not himself right now. You're not like us, you can't protect yourselves when there's danger." I put a hand on Alix's shoulders. "Most importantly, right now, you all are the only reason that's stopping him from going berserk. We don't know how he'll react if any of you gets hurt. So please, stay safe, and don't do anything rash."
" No ! We can still help! Right everyone?" Alix argues, looking at the other fawns, aside from her, they all look hesitant.
"Alix, we probably shouldn't make it more difficult for them…" Nathaniel says.
"But-" Alix bites her lip, frustration etching her features as she turns to Ladybug and I with a glare. "You better bring him back safe and sound for us, you hear!?"
I give all his fawns a smile. "Of course I will, you have my word."
That was enough for them as most of them begin running off, Alix and Nathaniel glaring at us one last time before booking it too. I sigh, turning back at Ladybug, who had a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I never knew…" She begins, voice quiet. "I didn't know he had so many people who cared about him."
I huff. "Faon visits the Akumatized victims at least once a month, he's our bridge to the people of Paris, if you think about it."
Which makes it all the more strange as to what on earth happened that made him out to be like this?
"Lady-" I try to ask again, but was interrupted by a hand. Ladybug gives me a panicked look before pulling out her yo-yo and turning on the messaging app. Shortly after I felt a ping in my own staff.
-1 NEW MESSAGE-
FROM: Ladybug
"We shouldn't speak out loud, Faon Rogue might be able to listen in on us."
I gasp in surprise, I didn't think about that! Faon's abilities got amplified by the Akuma, who's to say that his hearing isn't stronger too?
"What do we do then?"
-1 NEW MESSAGE-
FROM: Ladybug
"I don't have much time before I detransform, I need to make sure that I'm in a safe place where Faon can't find me."
I bite my lip in worry, Ladybug is really in a tight spot, it's a wonder how she hasn't collapsed from the immense pressure.
"I'll help."
-1 NEW MESSAGE-
FROM: Ladybug
"No, you don't have much time either, and the week long cooldown is the last thing we need."
"Was I not subtle about hiding that fact at all?"
"You're a bad liar. Anyways, it's dangerous, but do you think you might be able to locate Faon Rogue's whereabouts without me?"
I stare at her with wide eyes. Ladybug wants me to find Faon Rogue?
"I can't do that! You're the brains of the group, I'm just the muscle!"
Ladybug frowns, typing furiously into her phone.
"Chat, if I ever implied for a second that you're not smart, I'm really sorry."
"Faon made me realize…" I jump at Ladybug suddenly speaking, she stares downcast at the floor. "Faon made me realize that I'm letting the whole leader thing get to my head. Chat, you and Faon are as important to the team as me, no, you guys probably are even more important." She stares at me with conviction before taking a softer edge. "I-I should've trusted Faon more instead of telling him what to do all the time. You were right, I should just provide my thoughts instead of forcing them. A good leader would still support their teammates no matter what, even if they don't take the advice."
"Most of what you said was true, but you got one thing wrong, we're not just teammates." I correct her with a smile. "We're friends, no matter what, we will always have each other's backs, right?"
Ladybug sniffs. "R-Right, and from now on, I'll do my best to be a better leader for you and Faon. Thank you for being so understanding Chat."
"Anytime milady." I smirk before getting a little serious. "You should probably tell Faon all that when we purify the Akuma." I sigh. "Knowing him, he'll probably feel really guilty about this afterwards…"
"I will." Ladybug nods to herself as her earring rings. "I have to bug out, good luck Chat." Ladybug smirks at me before quietly running away, looking for a safe spot to recharge.
I take a deep breath.
"Okay Chat, if I were a hermit Akuma, where would I hide…" I think to myself. Obviously it has to be someplace safe and hidden from everyone. When Fake Paris was destroyed, I didn't notice anyone strange falling alongside us, so that probably means that Faon is hiding in the real world instead of the fake one.
Something did strike me as odd I suppose, what Faon Rogue said just now when he wished us luck about finding his spot, he also said that it is in a place that doesn't exist.
What is that supposed to mean? And why does it sound so familiar? I rack my brain trying to think of an answer. Faon Rogue's imagination only managed to recreate the city of Paris before it was destroyed, was he implying that his hiding spot was in a place outside of Paris? Since it technically doesn't exist in the Fake World. Yet that won't make much sense, why would he need to be so far away in the first place? If there's an emergency, he wouldn't be able to make it back here in time, assuming that the real Faon Rogue cannot actually teleport.
"In this world, he doesn't exist."
I gasp, looking in the direction with wide eyes.
Julian! According to Fake Chat, he doesn't exist in Fake Paris! His parents decided to stay in Los Angeles instead, so the fake estate was nothing but a wasteland! That has to be it!
Heart beating rapidly in my chest, I start running all the way towards Julian's house, but not before sending Ladybug another text explaining my answer and thought processes. Hopefully I can end this before she arrives. Maybe I can reason with Faon before Ladybug gets there, as long as it's a way that won't hurt anyone, that'll be the perfect ending.
Landing in front of the real Le Beau estate, I walk towards the front door, feeling my hair standing on end. For some reason, the entire mansion seems to give off a strange ominous feeling, or maybe that's just my imagination.
Arriving at the door, I give three sharp knocks, and wait, there's always a chance that I'm wrong, I don't want to cause any worry to anyone by breaking in.
The door unlocks with a click after a moment, and slides open.
"Chat Noir…?" Julian asks, peeking out of the door in confusion. "Wh-What are you doing… Using the door?"
"Can a cat not try to enter the normal way every once in a while?" I do my best to smile, Julian's here, he's safe. "Mind if I come in for a bit?"
"I-I don't think that's a good idea… Goodbye." The boy says, looking away nervously, moving to shut the door.
I frown, holding the door open with my hand. "Julian, is everything alright? You're looking kind of pale-"
"I'm fine!" He interrupts, sounding angry before clearing his throat. "I-I mean, I just don't want guests today, bye." He says before forcing the door shut.
I stare at the closed door worriedly, that's not a good sign. Is Faon Rogue forcing Julian to keep away intruders or something? He's never been that rude to me before.
Oh well, when someone closes a door, use the window.
Climbing up onto the roof, I quickly found my way to Julian's balcony, landing on it and opening the balcony door.
Holy crud.
The entire room is a mess, almost like a hurricane blast past it. I stare at the destruction with wide eyes, carefully maneuvering my way through before reaching the door. A huge cabinet is barricading the way past, did Julian do this? Why would he lock himself in his room? And how did he show up at the front door just now?
Pushing the cabinet to the side, I open the door. I've only been in Julian's house a few times, and for the most of it I've been led through by either the staff or Julian himself. Walking through the halls alone now, I only realize how barren this place looks. There are no pictures of Julian or his family anywhere, only expensive looking artwork or movie props, the furniture along the way are cleaned to perfection, not a single speck of dust in sight, giving the house an almost clinical look.
At least my father hangs pictures of us around the house. I think to myself, walking towards the foyer. The only things here resembling some form of life are the music and entertainment rooms, and Julian's bedroom, the brunet's favorite places to go to in his house.
"It's rude to snoop."
Pulling out my staff, I swing it backwards.
Faon Rogue deflects it with a baseball bat, sneering at me. "I can't believe you managed to find me with just a throwaway comment, gods this is so cliché, I hate myself."
"So you are hiding here!" I glare at the fake, eyes darting around the rest of the foyer. "Does that mean that the Julian who answered the door is a fake too? Where's the real one?"
Faon smirks. "Don't worry, I sent him to a nice farm upstate where he has plenty of room to run around and-"
I swing again, watching the Akuma dodge out of the way with a "tch".
"C'mon Kitten, do we not like jokes anymore?" He asks, dodging swipe after swipe.
"Where's. Julian." I growl.
He sighs. "Don't worry, I didn't hurt him." He plants the bat on the floor, leaning on it with his elbows. "He doesn't even know that I'm here, I figured that since he didn't want to be in the perfect world, I might as well stay here too, to keep him company."
I falter slightly. "What do you mean? Why don't you want to be in your world?"
Faon frowns, giving me a sad look. "You know that saying, 'Daydreams are a world to all but the dreamer'? It's a sad reality people like me must face. We can keep our heads in the clouds, spend our days thinking and making a perfect world, but in the end, only other people who experience it without going through all the pain that's required to make it… can truly appreciate it."
"That's just because you're trying to do this all on your own!" I argue. " We can make the world a better place, all of us! You, me, Ladybug, we can-"
My danger sense tingles and I duck. Faon Rogue had teleported behind me, swinging his bat so strongly that it cut through the air right above me.
"D-don't…" Faon pants, sounding pained. "Don't mention Ladybug …"
Nimbly flipping away, I go into a defensive stance again, gulping, that was too close. Faon twitches in place, clearly trying to fight something as he gives me a pained look, almost like-
"You don't want to hurt me..." I conclude with wide eyes. "You went out of your way to make sure that I was safe, you've been fighting me with a baseball bat when you could've been using knives instead!" I say again, eyes widening in alarm at the lack of retort. Faon only looks away, shoulders slumped.
" Why ?" I ask, desperate. "It doesn't make sense! I'm just as much at fault that you're Akumatized! I-If I didn't spend so long panicking about what to do and just intervened, none of this would've happened!" I finally shout, tears welling up. "You should hate me too!"
"I-I could never hate you…" Faon mutters. "You're… you're my fawn…"
The cold dread returns into my stomach as I finally put the pieces together.
"Do… Do you know who I am?" I ask.
He winces. "Ch-Chat Noir, I-"
"Do you know who I am?" I ask again.
The tense atmosphere grows heavier, and Faon Rogue lets out a sigh.
"Yes, I do, Adrien…"
It was like someone dumped a bucket of ice cold water over my head. I stare at him in horrified shock.
"Wh- How did you…" I can't even formulate a question, my brain too busy processing everything. "How long!?"
Faon Rogue winces. "O-Only a while, not long after I was Akumatized. Your- Hawk Moth still doesn't know, don't worry."
"How!?"
The Akuma looks hesitant, bat disappears from his hands as he turns to walk away. "Maybe it's best if you see for yourself…"
He walks to a bright red door right under the staircase, hidden in the corner of my eye as I stare in bewilderment. It was hidden in plain sight all along?
Faon places a hand on the handle, but hesitates.
"If you want to turn back, just say the word..." He mutters, turning to me with a hopeful smile. "You can tell me what you want directly now, and I can make it happen instead of guessing everything. Doesn't that sound like a perfect world to you?"
Not when you're suffering for it. I glare at him. "I want to see the real Faon."
Faon Rogue chuckles at that, before opening the door, revealing a set of staircases going down. He gives me a sad look, before disappearing in red dust.
The corridor leads down, and down, and down…
A small part of me wonders if this area already existed in Julian's home before Faon Rogue took over, I remember him talking about underground torture chambers a really long time ago.
The way down is in an eerie red color, almost giving me a horror movie feel to it. In the distant, soft quiet thumping can be heard, consistent and dull, almost like a heartbeat.
That's not really a good thought. I think to myself nervously as I arrive at another door. Similar to the one above, it's bright red, maybe this is a horror movie reference after all.
I grab the knob and twist, swinging the door open with no hesitation.
The first thing I noticed was the cables.
A very large room in a red hue, large wires pouring out from all sides of the wall, all of them weirdly beating alongside the thumping sounds, like veins or arteries, all of them connecting to the… thing at the center of the room.
It's human. I think to myself as I walk closer, night vision aiding me in telling it clearer. The wires from around the room connect right to the figure's head, almost creating a grand display of deer antlers but with wires instead of bone.
"Faon…" I say quietly, taking a step closer. The Akuma is sitting upright in the fetal position, unmoving.
"Hello?" I say louder, and a loud thump can be heard all around me. The Akuma shifts, slowly lifting his head to my direction, the sight of him almost burns into my brain.
Instead of a pair of beautiful bright blue eyes, a red stained cloth wrapped around the top of his head, empty eye sockets visible through the tightly wrapped bandage.
"Faon!" I gasp, taking a step forward, but an arm grabs me from behind.
"I wouldn't get close if I were you." I hear Fake Faon Rogue warn from behind me.
"But- You're hurt!" I scream, trying to wrestle out of his grip.
Fake Faon Rogue holds on tighter. "I'm not, it's just part of the Akumatization."
I freeze in place. "Wh- What are you talking about!?"
The brunet gives me a sad smile, turning to his real self with dead, soulless eyes. "When you lose one of your senses, your other senses get stronger. Remember?" He says, fist clenching tighter. "I can hear everything happening in Paris, almost everything happening in France. Every footstep, every heartbeat, every exhale…" His gaze turns angry. "Tell me Adrien, how many senses do you think I had to trade for that power?"
I look at him in shock. "What?"
"I can't see…" He starts, staring at me lifelessly, his dull eyes, the eyes of everyone he makes, it's just for show. "I can't smell, nor taste…" His voice turns distorted, as if many different versions of Faon are speaking at once. "I can't feel pain, or emotions that aren't pure anger ." I turn back to the real Faon with wide eyes. Aside from the missing eyes, one of his feet looks incredibly hurt too, bent at a completely different angle than it's supposed to.
He can only hear…
"I heard Plagg…" I listen to Faon explain, my mind foggy. "It was supposed to hurt… Fighting against the magical defenses our Kwamis set up to stop me from putting two and two together, but I felt nothing…" A finger lands on my chin, turning me away from the real Faon to the fake one. "I heard you talking to Plagg… Connecting you to Chat Noir wasn't hard after that…"
"I-I…"
I don't know what to say, I don't even want to look at Faon's real self anymore, watching it… it's so painful to just watch it.
"The real Faon Rogue can't move." The Fake Akuma continues. "His entire brain is being used to process his imagination, all motor activities of his real body are irrelevant. That's why I can't let you get closer."
I think I'm crying, feeling Faon Rogue wipe a tear away from my face. I take a deep breath. "P-Please, Faon. Just let me help you, I can get you back to normal."
The Akuma releases my face, shaking his head. "No, I still have to make my perfect world for everyone. I-" He gasps, as another butterfly mask appears on his face. "I… I need to get… your Miraculous . " He growls to himself, backing straight into a wall.
Suddenly the doors to the room burst open, Ladybug leaps into the room. "Chat Noir!"
"Ladybug!" I shout, pointing at Faon Rouge in the center. "That's the real Faon!"
Ladybug nods, taking a look at the real Akuma, there was a tense movement where she falters, looking at the scene with wide eyes, which was much too long.
" NO!" Fake Faon screams, immediately, a large wall of bright red energy shoots up around Faon Rogue's real body. " No! You can't defeat me! Give me your Miraculous!" He screams again before the butterfly mask shatters, the image of Faon Rogue flickers, but glancing at the real Faon, he looks significantly weaker right now.
"Faon, you can't fight Hawk Moth's influence forever." Ladybug concludes, spinning her yo-yo. "You may not want to hurt anyone but me, but Hawk Moth does! And as long as you're Akumatized, he'll always have control of you!"
The fake Akuma laughs, flickering violently in between breaths. "You think Hawk Moth can control ME!?" He asks hysterically. "Hawk Moth hasn't been a player in this game for fucking ages!"
"What do you mean?" I ask hesitantly.
The Akuma sends us a devious smirk before snapping a finger. The ground next to the real Faon Rogue opens up, and a large chunk of white slowly rises from the ground.
Wait-
"Is that Hawk Moth!?" Ladybug asks, horrified. I look at the scene, speechless.
Hawk Moth is frozen in a large block of ice, by the look on his face and posture, he was furious at the time of the freezing. Anger prominently displayed in his glare.
"I heard Hawk Moth, I found out where he hid…" Faon said, somewhat sad at the admission. "I imagined a place so cold, it freezes any human in the vicinity, but leaves them alive after they thaw out." He glares at us. " I stopped Hawk Moth, I'm the one useful this time. I mean, I could've just killed him, but-" He stops himself, sparing me a glance. "But I figured it would be more fun to have a dramatic reveal." He says with a shrug.
"Faon…" Ladybug turns to him, horrified. "Faon, we don't want this. We only wanted to confiscate his Miraculous and hand him over to the authorities. Taking matters into your own hands like this… You would've never done that!"
"You think you know me!?" Faon screams. "I'm the one that caught Hawk Moth! I'm the one that's useful this time! You're not going to ruin all my hard work! I-I WILL NOT BE MADE THE VILLAIN HERE!"
He's in so much pain…
Watching his form flicker as it displays various states of despair like some messed up horror scene, the room flickers too, Ladybug watches all this with rapid attention, as for me…
I feel something deep in my heart clench until it breaks, as I choke out a sob.
The entire room stops. Faon looks at me, and in an instant he's by my side.
"Sorry! I got a little caught off guard!" He apologizes frantically, awkwardly patting my back. "Fuck, I didn't mean to say all that, my thoughts got a little too ahead of me." He smiles, and for a moment, it almost feels normal, like Faon Rogue is Faon Vert instead, and his awkward adorable self is busy bumbling over every minor thing he does even if he didn't need to.
"I can let you kill me again if you want to, I have spare versions of myself so it's fine if you do."
I laugh, voice hoarse. Nevermind, this Faon is batshit insane.
"Forget it." I say, grabbing my staffs and throwing them onto the floor.
"I… I can't fight you Faon…" I admit quietly. "I can't fight the person that I love…"
The room flickers as the hand on my back stills.
"Love?" I hear Faon ask, voice strained.
I slowly place a hand on his. "Yeah, Faon, e-even if you're Akumatized, even if you know who I am..." I shudder out a breath. "I still love you too much, to fight you…"
The room is quiet, Faon Rogue gives me a surprised look, before letting out a scoff, smirking at me. "I love you too. Geez, if only we could get it out before we came here huh?"
It's useless. I think in despair. Faon can't feel anything but anger, he's taking it for granted.
"Please, do you actually think that's true?"
My blood freezes, and Faon does too. The two of us slowly turn to Ladybug, who's sneering in our direction.
"What." Faon says, voice carefully blank.
Ladybug scoffs. "Oh come on Faon. Do you really think that you even deserve love in the first place?" She takes a step forward. "Look at what's happening! Does this look like what someone would do if they are loved?"
Faon steps away from me, form flickering. "I-I'm doing this because I'm loved!"
She takes a step forward. "We must have different definitions of love then. Because I'm loved by most of Paris, but you don't see me kidnapping people in their sleep."
Ladybug takes another step forward.
"Chat Noir used to love me, but you don't see me purposefully bringing him to tears!"
The entire room flickers in and out, Faon sends me a panicked look. "I-I didn't do it on purpose!"
Ladybug takes a step forward.
"My parents love me." Ladybug takes a step forward. "You don't see me trying to project my issues onto others."
"Ladybug…" I whisper in horror. The bluenette turns to face me and that's when I see.
She's crying too.
The forcefield around Faon cracks and falls apart.
"Th-That's…" Faon Rogue starts, flickering in place.
"Let me tell you Faon, you don't deserve forgiveness, you nearly killed me, nearly killed Chat . If you hadn't tried to 'save' all your fawns. They wouldn't have been falling several thousand feet from the sky in the first place. You think they can just get over something like that?"
Is that your plan Ladybug? I think to myself as Ladybug quietly walks to the real Faon Rogue in the center. To use the only thing that can beat an active imagination, your anxieties… your doubts and insecurities…? Plague Faon's mind with so much negativity that he spirals into depression, unable to imagine anything useful to stop you from purifying his Akuma?
Faon will forget, but Ladybug, can you forget saying these awful things to your friend?
"You're hurting the people you love Faon…" Ladybug takes a step forward. "You think you love, but you can't feel love right now. You must turn back to normal and repent, stop ignoring your problems all the time."
Ladybug is right in front of the real Faon now, the Akuma's blindfold is wet from the tears too, face staring blankly ahead. Ladybug must've seen where the Akuma's hiding real quick, because she starts reaching down.
"N-No."
A vine shoots up from under, wrapping itself around Ladybug's hand and she visibly pales.
" No." The Fake Faon Rogue is back to normal, glaring at Ladybug, who's trying her best to break out of the vine's grasp.
" NO!" He screams, immediately, vines start pouring out from everywhere, wrapping all around Ladybug as she screams.
Faon Rogues laughed, it wasn't human, it wasn't Akuma, it was the voice of pure unadulterated hatred . "YOU DON'T GET TO SAY THAT TO ME LADYBUG!" He creates a serrated sword out of nowhere. "I was planning to kill you quick after amusing me for so long, but the likes of you don't deserve that." He walks forward as Ladybug struggles harder, throwing a desperate look at me.
Wait!
I turn to the real Faon, he's left alone!
"I'm going to make sure that you feel every single bit of pain that you dealt me." Faon declares, voice losing all sense of humanity. "I'll start by removing your tongue since you like to talk so much shit."
I quietly get up on my feet, stealthily making my way towards Faon Rogue.
"Maybe I'll remove your senses too so that you can feel as much as I can hear. I wonder how much more pain you can feel once you lose the other four."
I grit my teeth, deftly sliding past the many vines and other plantlike obstacles, leaping over a particularly bad patch of weeds, I land on all fours without a sound.
"You have really light footsteps, perks of the stealthy Kitten I suppose." A familiar voice chimes in my head, solidifying my determination. I'll get you back Faon Vert!
"I'll tear off your limbs, bit by bit. Chop them up while you're still connected to them, if you behave well enough I might even use the sharp tools instead of mashing them up with a BAT."
Rolling right under a few more plants, I look at Faon Rogue directly in front of me. The real Faon remains unmoving, tears streaming past his blindfold. I look at his coat.
A little Faon Vert doll tucked into his coat pocket, a piece of paper tied to its hand with a bright green bow.
Reaching out, I grab the doll with my entire hand.
The Real Faon Rogue gasps, and a vine bursts from under me, wrapping all around me and pulling me back. I hold onto the doll with a vice grip, yanking it away from the Akuma's person.
The sounds of fighting stop, the thumping through the walls stop. Ladybug isn't screaming, the vines aren't moving, turning to look at Fake Faon, he doesn't move at all, before disappearing in red dust.
"I…" I turn to the real Faon, his real voice sounds pinched with pain and exhaustion. "I've lost… Haven't I…" He asks quietly.
I hold the doll close to my chest. "I'm not letting this go. You'll have to cut my whole arm off to get it back, and even then I won't let go!" I threaten.
Faon Rogue lets out a dry laugh. "I guess I did lose…" He turns to face me. "The present made its way to the right person, I'm glad, look after it… for me."
I clutch the doll tightly, afraid of what's going to happen next.
Faon Rogue lets out a breathy sigh, and the vines slowly lower Ladybug and me to the ground before disappearing in red dust too.
"Can… Can I do one last thing…?" Faon says, voice quiet. "With this power… There's someone else that needs a glimpse of a perfect ending."
Ladybug looks like she's about to object, but I stop her in time, giving her a look, silently asking her to trust me before turning back to Faon. "As long as you don't hurt anyone."
Faon Rogue smirks. "It depends on your meaning of hurt, but okay."
The entire room fades to black as violent winds pour from all directions as Ladybug and I let out panicked shouts. What's going on!? Where are we going!?
Just as soon as it came, it left. Opening my eyes, I look around my surroundings. I'm back in a familiar looking kitchen, Ladybug looks around too, confused.
"Uh… Who are you people?"
Ladybug and I jump out of our skins, turning to look at the source of the voice. It's-
"Julian?" I look at him in confusion, it certainly sounds like him, but for some reason there's something off about the Julian that I know. He looks older, healthier, happier…
Strange Julian widens his eyes in surprise before smirking. "The mysterious people wearing spandex know my name too? Are you going to tell me that I have some big prophecy to fulfill, and that I must begin my journey to save the world?"
"Uh…" Ladybug shares a panicked look with me, all I can do is shrug helplessly.
"Well! That's gonna hafta wait!" Julian kicks off the kitchen counter. "I've stalled long enough, the cops should be here any minute now."
"Wait, you called the cops on us?" I ask incredulously.
"Yeah, there's a panic button under the table." Julian waves as he walks away. "You don't look like you're armed, so I'm just gonna go now, try not to-"
"Julian!"
Ladybug and I duck, peeking over the counter as two people, one I recognize as Julian's dad, and another woman run towards the brunet in a hurry.
"We heard the panic button, are you okay?"
"Yeah, there was some people here who-"
Ladybug and I duck, hoping that Julian wouldn't search behind the counter.
"What? What people?"
"I… I thought I saw someone over there for a second… They must have ran off when I told them the police were coming."
A collective sigh of relief can be heard, Ladybug and I share a look before peeking over the top again.
Julian's dad laughs. "You're a little twerp you know that? You probably annoyed the kidnappers away."
The woman gasps. " Andray! Don't joke about our only son being kidnapped." She kneels down and pulls Julian into a hug. "You called the police and remained calm, just like I taught you. I'm so proud of you Julian."
"H-Hey! Don't just start a group hug without me!" Julian's dad says indignantly before wrapping his arms around his wife and kid. "I'm proud too, like, three thousand times prouder than your mom."
Julian's mom scoffs. "We don't compare our love for our child, Andray. Lucky for you, because I would've won already."
"H-Hey!"
Julian snorts. "Why must you guys be such dorks?" He complains, but wraps his arms around his parents regardless. "Thanks… for worrying… Mom… Dad… I- I love you."
"We love you too, son."
Ladybug nudges me from the side, gesturing to the open window as I nod, the two of us stealthily jumping out of it and into the gardens.
"That was tough…" Ladybug says quietly, feeling for any injuries, the Ladybug suit blocks out a lot of visible bruises.
I sigh, feeling hollow all of a sudden. "Yeah."
"Do you have the Akuma?"
Nodding, I take out the doll in my hand, examining it closer. It's a very nicely sewn Faon Vert doll, probably by hand too. Did Faon make this?
The chibi Faon Vert has a note tied to his right hand, a note that I didn't have a chance to read just now. Grabbing it, I flick the card open.
"Heya! I'm writing this in case I chicken out and leave it at your bedside table or something, but the past few Akuma attacks put you in danger way more than I would've liked. So I made ya this! Whenever you have bad dreams, or feel scared that you might be targeted again, just give mini Faon a squeeze, he'll protect you! I hope you don't find it creepy or anything, I had to suffer through a lot of pricked fingers to make this, but it's worth it, I think, because ⬛⬛⬛⬛- gods this is too corny to say out loud so I'm glad I'm writing this.
Because I'm Quite Fawn'd of You, My Deer Adrien."
"Chat…" I hear Ladybug say, the words are getting blurry to read by the second. I rub the tears out of my eyes.
"S-Sorry, got a little emotional there." I say, ripping off the piece of paper and handing the doll to Ladybug.
She gives me a sad look, gripping the doll and gently ripping it apart. Watching the Akuma fly out of it.
"Time to de-evilize." She spins her yo-yo around and captures the Akuma in one swing. Pressing a button, she releases the purified butterfly into the sky.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" She throws the bell into the sky as Ladybugs swarm all around us, fixing all the injuries we sustained and flying off to fix everything that Faon Rogue did to harm Paris.
"Hawk Moth's going to recover too…" I note quietly, Ladybug nodding beside me.
"He will… But." She gives me a teary eyed smile. "Faon Vert's back, and that's all that matters."
Matching her smile, I can't help but nod. "Yeah, you're right."
My ring beeps, along with Ladybug's earrings.
"You don't have much time left." Ladybug comments.
"You don't either, I thought you recharged."
The superheroine wince. "I had to deal with another Faon Rogue before I went to the Le Beau Estate, the Lucky Charm was useless too, it wasn't fun."
I frown. Looking at my staff and clicking it on. Faon Vert location is listed, but it's too far for me to reach right now without transforming back.
"We can recharge first, and then look for him." Ladybug suggests gently. I shake my head.
"I… I can't wait a week, Ladybug." I admit, looking at her teary eyed. Ladybug widens her eyes, remembering the week-long cooldown I'm stuck with.
She purses her lips. "Maybe you can try calling him on your way home. I'll look for him after I recharge."
I nod, immediately dialing Faon's number.
Please pick up Faon, please.
-?'s POV-
"GARGHHH! Such… Such power! You insolent child! Mark my words, you and I are not over yet. Next time, you WILL obey me! And then, all of your Miraculouses, all the Miraculouses in the WORLD ! Will be MINE!"
-Faon Vert/Julian Le Beau's POV-
Everything... hurts.
I wake up with a gasp, sitting up quickly and wincing at the immense pain in my ankle.
"Fuck." I wince, grabbing at the leg. It's definitely broken or dislocated, I've sprained it before but it was nowhere near this painful.
The sky is bright, even if it's a little cloudy, did I fall asleep here the whole night? It looks like it might start raining too.
My blowgun rings, startling me out of my thoughts.
Clicking it open, I see Chat Noir's face on it.
"H-Hello." I answer.
"Faon!" Chat's voice all but shouts through the phone. "Are you okay? You're not still hurt are you!?"
I wince, he knows about the ankle already? "I'm fine, I think I just need some ice, that's all."
I probably need medical attention, but if Chat doesn't know I probably shouldn't worry him too much.
"Do you need help getting home?"
I shake my head, before realizing that he can't see me and letting out a quiet laugh. "I think I'm good." I check my other leg, it doesn't hurt as much, I can probably make it home with one good leg for now. "Why do you sound so worried?"
"Faon, do you… not remember what happened?"
I frown. "I remember going to Ad- a person's house yesterday night, and then…"
I fought with Ladybug.
She broke my ankle.
I gasp, looking around with wide eyes. I fought Ladybug, she broke my ankle, I…
"Chat… Please tell me that I just fell asleep crying." I beg, breathing picking up.
"I-" The voice at the other end was tense. "Faon, you were Akumatized."
No.
"I-Is everyone safe!?" I stand up. "I gotta check on- fuck!" I yelp, taking a step on my bad leg and tripping over again.
"Faon!?"
"I-I'm fine!" I yell, biting down a scream. "I-It's just a flesh wound!"
"A flesh- I'm coming over."
"No!" I shout wide eyed, Chat can't see me injured! "Y-You're about to transform back soon right?" I guess.
"I don't care! Faon, you're hurt!"
"Chat." I sigh. "I'm- I'm tired… I don't want us to know our identities right after I got Akumatized, I want it to be in a- a more normal time. When I'm more emotionally ready." And not in freaking pain about it.
"That doesn't even matter anymore! You already know-"
Silence.
"I already know...?" I ask, confused. I already know what?
Something drops on my face and I jump, looking up in the sky, the clouds have completely covered the sun, light rain begins to pour.
"Nothing. I'll talk to you about it when you're better. Make sure that you see a doctor okay? If I catch you still hurt next time, I'll kick your ass so hard you'll taste it." Chat says instead.
I swallow, feeling a little intimidated. "O-Okay."
"For now, I just want to say-" Chat sniffles on his end, crap, is he crying? "I just want to say that I'm happy you're back Faon Vert. So… so happy."
My heart skips a beat at the sincerity. "I-I see…" I mumble, looking away awkwardly. "W-Well, I uh… I don't really remember much but, I'm- I'm sorry if I gave you and Ladybug a hard time." I stutter out.
Chat lets out a breathy laugh. "I miss hearing you talk like that."
I blink. "H-Huh?"
"Nevermind, I'll tell you when I see you. I won't be able to meet you for a week, Ladybug will explain everything once you're better." Another deep breath. "And Faon?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"I… I just want to say. Faon Vert, I... I lo- No! Wait! Plagg!"
The line disconnects, I blink again, staring at the blowgun in my hands before chuckling, did Chat run out of transformation time or something? Such a rookie mistake.
I must've really worried him, him and Ladybug…
I should apologize to them, for everything.
Righting myself up again, I wince. I should apologize to them, after I get my stupid ankle checked out.
The rain gets heavier and heavier as I hobble my way back home, pulling myself up the balcony with my arm instead, climbing over the fence with a grunt.
The balcony door opens as I turn the handle to enter my room with a sigh.
The room's still messed up, I guess my temper tantrum didn't get fixed by Ladybug, even after my Akumatization.
My boot squishes against the floor, making me cringe, wet boots are the worst.
"Horns Away."
The bright green light slowly removes Faon Vert's costume, replacing it with my old, dry apparel and I let out a sigh, leaning against a table for support.
"Such a messed up day…" I groan, sitting on my bed and checking my ankle for real this time.
The entire damn thing is swollen now, and it shouldn't be that red either,
"I was hoping that Ladybug's Miraculous would at least fix it back to the way it was before, but I guess that's just my luck." I grumble, poking at it and wincing. "Whatever, if the universe wants me to pay with a broken leg, I'll just have to live with it, right Os?" I smirk, looking up and-
"Ossi?" I ask in confusion. The room's way too silent, usually Ossi would be complaining about the exhaustion too.
…
"Ossi, whatever you're doing, it's not funny. Okay?" I say shakily, glaring around me. "I'm too tired for this bullshit."
…
…
…
I reach for my Miraculous with shaky, terrified hands.
"O-Ossi…?" I whisper. Pulling out the pen.
The bright green engravings have been drained away, leaving nothing but black, not a single spot of green left to be seen.
In the distance, thunder strikes.
No.
"O-Ossi !" I shout, falling out of bed with a grunt and quickly hobbling to the door. Running to the entertainment room, I shove the door open.
"Ossi!?"
The room is just as normal, television not on, Ossi not watching his favorite serial crime dramas, or eating away at the mountain of popcorn.
No.
"OSSI!" Slamming the door shut, I run to the stairs. The kitchen, he must be eating in the kitchen, he's always too hungry after transforming, he probably just went ahead to eat!
" OSSI! WHERE ARE YOU!" I grab the railing to the stairs, running down. "OSSI IT'S NOT FUNNY, I- FUCK "
A stab of pain up by my foot as it bends at an odd angle, and I fall.
NO!
My nose hits the floor with another crack as I yelp, but… the kitchen…
Ossi has to be in… in the kitchen…
"What the-" A voice that's not Ossi says from behind me.
"Oh my God. Julian!" A bunch of footsteps that Ossi can't make.
"Son are you hurt!? Fuck, your nose is- Shit, your leg- ELLE, CALL AN AMBULANCE!"
"O-Ossi…" I mumble, before screaming at the hand keeping me still. "NO, LET GO OF ME! I HAVE TO FIND OSSI!"
"Julian! I don't know what you're talking about! Please! Take deep breaths."
"Ossi…" I whisper, vision blurring, breathing quicker, and quicker, and quicker, brain slowly melting into nothing but my Kwami's name on repeat over and over again.
And then it just stops, and I black out.
How am I supposed to live without you? Ossi…?
