I offer no excuses.
—
The day went on, the sun hiding behind November clouds. Lady Lacrima and Grimalkin slept the day away, nestled in their bed. The third floor kept nice and warm despite the nip in the air. As if the world knew they were resting, things seemed quiet. No construction, no endless honking, just peace.
Just before sunset, Grimalkin roused with a rumbling stomach. Exhaustion fogged his brain, and all he registered around him were the cloud-like bed and the angel upon it. He pressed himself further against her, his purr rolling in his chest.
And then the rumble of his stomach got in the way.
He sat up, noting the time on the clock above her bed. 4:30 pm.
Lady Lacrima groaned softly, disturbed by his movement.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and urged her back to sleep.
Then he weaseled his way out of the blankets and snuck downstairs, his stomach being his guide. The air was stale and the blinds were all shut, making the house dark. Despite sitting empty for so long, the house still retained the sweet smells of the bakery, of sugars and spices. Surely, the Dupain-Cheng's kept their kitchen well stocked.
Right?
Disappointment took him as he found a barren fridge. There were sauces and dressings and jams. But nothing to make a meal. No fruits or veggies, no milk, and no meat.
He riffled through the pantry, finding spices, and mixes for various dishes.
The only thing he found that was edible by itself, was a can of baked beans.
He plopped it on the table and sat at the high chair, head resting in his hand.
He supposed he could eat that. Or...
There was a corner store about a block down the way. He and Ladybug would often stop there for sodas and snacks during long patrols.
The owner was a kind old man, who was always happy to see them. Surely, he wouldn't turn him away.
But just in case, it was probably smart to take a disguise. Grimalkin rifled through the apartment, eventually finding a coat closet. Tom's rain coat was huge on him, but did the job of covering his suit. He struggled to tie the waist band, but eventually got it to stay closed. Then he found a hat and a pair of sunglasses. Of course people would notice the mask, but it would be better if they couldn't see his blood red eyes.
His stomach growled again, and he hissed right back at it. He was working on it!
Now all he needed was money. The state of the apartment made him wonder if thieves had pilfered through their belongings already, but some things were still in place. Like the TV. There was probably some spare change around here somewhere, right? His first guess was that they forgot to clear the register before they left.
And what luck he had. He felt a little guilty for destroying the register drawer to get it open, but he was far too hungry to pay too much thought to it. He stuffed some bills into his pocket, and then returned upstairs.
Back in Marinette's room, Lady Lacrima was still sleeping peacefully. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and climbed up the ladder to the balcony.
Her cable with grappling hook that got them up to the balcony was still hooked to the railing, and he used it to ease himself down to the street.
Once his feet touched the sidewalk, dread fell on him like a blanket. What if something happened to his lady while he was gone? What if Hawkmoth and Carapace and Queen Bee attacked him and she lost him? He looked back up to the balcony with a whimper, but his stomach growled back.
He was beginning to feel more nauseous than hungry, but figured food would help with that. The sooner he went, the sooner he could return.
So, with great reluctance, he headed down the street.
As he walked, he felt the stares of people watching him walk. Surely they all knew what he was guilty of. He was a murderer, not a hero.
A failure.
He shouldn't be walking the streets. He should be locked up. He wasn't safe.
But before he could beat himself up anymore, he arrived at the grocer. Down a stairwell plastered with flyers, he pulled the coat a little tighter and popped his collar.
The door chimed with his entrance, prompting a voice to call from the other side of the store, "Guten Abend!" which startled him.
He didn't reply, not that he could.
His senses were so heightened in this state, despite being an akuma. He was able to map out the room in just a glance. The owner of the store, the name that escaped him now, was in the aisle with the alcohol, stocking shelves. There was another customer by the bread. Other than that, the store was empty. Perfect.
He just tried to quietly and inconspicuously walk to the refrigerator to get a bottle of milk. Should he have grabbed a basket? How much was he getting? How much did he have money for? Probably not much, since he only had one arm to carry it all back with.
The door chimed again, a group of college aged boys coming in. Grimalkin paid them little mind, only noticing that they had separated, one staying by the door.
As he closed the fridge door with his hip, something pressed into his back.
"Don't move." A young man's voice warned.
Did they find out where he was? Were they with the police? He didn't really want to fight anymore. He just wanted food!
"Hands in the air! Where I can see them!" Came a shout from a few rows down.
Grimalkin relaxed slightly. They weren't here for him. But he'd be damned if he'd let them leave.
Chat Noir was alive deep down inside…somewhere.
He quickly turned and nailed the guy behind him in the head with the glass bottle, shattering it on impact.
"—the hell!?"
Grimalkin slunk behind some shelves, making his way over to where the leader was holding up the owner of the store.
"Please please, I give you money in register, ja? No need for knife, ja?"
Indeed the leader had a knife in his hand, and the collar of the owner in the other. "Shut up, old man!" He shouted. He looked frantic. "Sound off!"
"Door's blocked!"
"I've got a weird looking dude over here."
Then where there should have been a third voice, there was silence.
"Hey Jean! What's going on over there?!"
Still no response.
"I swear to God you better not be goofing around over there!"
Grimalkin snuck closer, keeping his steps light. The owner noticed him and held back a gasp.
Then he pounced, knocking the leader to the ground, and subsequently the owner of the store. Grimalkin yanked the robber away from him, allowing the owner to run behind the counter and call the police.
"Who the hell are you!?"
Grimalkin took off the sunglasses, and bared his fangs.
The robber looked like he was about to piss himself.
Not wasting a second, Grimalkin swooped in and grabbed the man's arm with the knife, and cranked it backwards, against the way it was supposed to fold, and dislocated the elbow.
A second man, who had been holding up the other customer, ran out of his aisle, also holding a knife. At the sight of Grimalkin, he dropped it on the ground, kicked it away from him, and fell to his knees with his hands behind his head.
The last man, who was standing guard at the door, peered around the corner, saw what had happened, and attempted to flee. But Grimalkin dashed to him and grabbed his ankle just as he cleared the doorway. He dragged him back in, as the man took desperate hold of the the door frame.
"No no! Please! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!"
With a grunt, Grimalkin suplexed him into the ground next to his leader. Then he frisked him while he laid groaning on his back, found a knife, and destroyed it.
Breathing became hard again, though he hadn't done much, for his enhanced abilities at least. He stood in the middle of the grocer, panting while his knees trembled.
"Yes, a customer has disarmed them. Three are injured." Said the owner of the store.
So much for being inconspicuous…
With a little whine, Grimalkin crawled back to where he smashed the milk bottle, finding a white puddle taking up most of the floor. He'd have to run soon, but it was such a waste…Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was animal tendencies, or even his own hunger clouding his mind, but he crouched and began to lap up the milk on the floor with his tongue.
An arm linked with his and pulled him away. "Oh Chat Noir, you shouldn't drink that. The floor is dirty…"
Grimalkin whined, and met the eyes of the stranger.
No, not a stranger. A tall man, wearing a gray and pink suit with a hat. Mr. Ramier. "Thank you for stopping those muggers, even though you're in no condition to do so."
Grimalkin wanted to hiss and pull away and hide, but the pigeon man had always been kind to him. Unless he was akumatized, and even then, it was a relief to be fighting him.
"Come along now, the police will be here any minute."
Grimalkin whined again and tried to pull away, with little effort.
"Mr. Kemper wants you to hide in the back room. No doubt they're looking for you!"
He…wanted him to hide? That was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Grimalkin followed Mr. Ramier to the back room that Mr. Kemper was gesturing to.
"Wait here, okay?" Then he almost closed the door, letting the light in a crack.
Sitting in the dark, Grimalkin pondered the circumstance. Alya, Hawkmoth, Chloe, and…and Nino…they were all trying to get the Miraculous from him. But Mr. Ramier wasn't. He was trying to hide him from the police. Who was the bad guy? Wasn't he? He was an akuma after all.
All this thinking gave him a headache. The haze from hunger and akumatization was thick on his brain, making it nearly impossible to think straight or logically. That's why he had his lady. She had the plans, the itinerary…he just followed her lead.
The door rang, and many voices entered.
"Thank you for coming so quickly!" Mr. Kemper called out.
"You said a civilian incapacitated these men? Where are they now?"
"Oh they left as soon as it was over. Didn't stick around for gratitude."
The man chuckled. "Another vigilante. Unbelievable."
"Are there a lot?"
"You have no idea. Ever since Ladybug and Chat Noir were captured, there's been people walking pickpockets down to the station daily. It's hard telling them to stop. Ah well. This guy did a number on them."
A EMT called over from one side of the room. "He'll be alright, just concussed."
Grimalkin waited for the police to clean up, listening as the EMTs took care of the injured robbers.
Then, when he was afraid his rumbling stomach would give him away, Mr. Kemper opened the door. "You can come out now. They've gone."
Skittish, Grimalkin slunk out of the store room and stood awkwardly beside the counter.
Mr. Ramier appeared with a basket. Milk, eggs, sausage links, all sorts of foods. Even a bottle of wine.
Grimalkin licked his lips.
"Thank you for saving us, Chat Noir!" Said Mr. Kemper. "I told Mr. Ramier, you know, 'he is my best customer!' Didn't feel the same without you coming in here every week!"
Grimalkin just slowly blinked.
"We take care of each other," he assured. "You take care of the robbers, I take care of you! All of this, on me! Ja?" He gestured to the basket.
Grimalkin's lip twitched a sort of half-smile before nodding meekly.
"That's a good boy! You're so hungry, right Mr. Noir? I know you're hurting…so please take care of yourself and your Lady Love? For me please?"
Grimalkin nodded again.
"Do you need help carrying this?" Mr. Ramier offered, seeing his arm trapped inside his coat.
Chat looked at the three bags of groceries and humbly nodded.
"Ah, here, don't want your ears to give you away." He plopped his hat on his head.
With a stilted nod of gratitude, Grimalkin took one of the bags on the counter and headed back out into the street.
Mr. Ramier walked beside him, street side, to help hide him.
"You know what they're saying about you on the news right?" The man finally asked.
Grimalkin glanced up at him, saying nothing.
"They said you and Ladybug murdered 27 people."
Was that right? Why did it feel like more?
"But I'm not afraid of you. I don't know if anyone who knows you really is. I know you're just trying to protect yourselves."
Grimalkin huffed, and turned the corner by the bakery.
"Oh, here?"
Grimalkin held a finger to his lips, demanding the man to stay silent.
"Oh of course, I won't tell a soul. But uh…how do you plan to get this all up there?"
Grimalkin looked up to the balcony, an idea forming in his head. He dropped his bag to the sidewalk, and then climbed up the rope to the top (which was a feat with only one arm.) Once at the top, he dislodged the grappling hook and lowered it to the ground, so Mr. Ramier could drape the handles on the hooks, before raising it up again.
Mr. Ramier gave him a wave and headed back down the street without a word.
He pulled the groceries up to the balcony, and then fell into the chair, breathing hard. His back ached.
"Kitty?" A sleepy voice spoke from the trap door.
Grimalkin flopped onto the floor and scooted over to her.
Lady Lacrima caught his face with her hands, petting him gently. "Where did you go? I woke up and you were gone!"
He whined slightly, blinking his kitten eyes up at her.
"Oh, you brought us food? Did anyone see you?"
He cooed.
"Mr. Ramier? I suppose that's not the worst person to catch you."
He brought his quarry over and helped her bring it inside and down to the kitchen.
"My my, what a wonderful spread you got us, kitty! Eggs, milk, ham, cheese…I think we could make some omelets with this. Does that sound yummy?"
His stomach answered for him.
She smiled in return, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Then wash up, and you can help me cook."
—
About 15 minutes later, they were huddled together on the chair on the balcony, a blanket on their laps and a shared plate between them. Lady Lacrima held it so he could eat.
The faintest bit of sunset remained, slowly disappearing over the horizon, casting the sky into lush pinks and purples.
"We can't continue like this." She decided.
He hummed at her, resting his head on top of hers.
"I can't allow you to be like this anymore. You…" her mind flashed back to the closet. To the deep breathing, the exhaustion, watching him collapse on the floor… "We're not getting any better. Hawkmoth never intended for us to stay transformed this long." She looked at her hand, the black material had turned red, and no amount of water would wash it clean. "I wonder…are we already dead? Is spite and wrath controlling our bodies like a puppeteer?"
Of course, Grimalkin didn't answer. The parts of him that held wisdom and conversation laid dormant. So she was forced to think this through alone.
A yawn pulled from her, as the bed below them called out to her. "I'm still tired," she confessed.
He took the empty plate from her hands and set it on the floor, then stood, holding his hand out for her. Together, they dropped back down into the room, and snuggled into the blankets.
"Kitty…I don't know what happens next…but I love you."
He purred and nuzzled his nose against her cheek before kissing her lips. I love you too, was what he said.
—
It was Tom who suggested going to the bakery.
"They wouldn't go there!" Alya protested, "Marinette would know that's the first place we'd look!"
"Well, did we?" He countered back. "I know my daughter. When she's feeling scared or hurt, she wants to be home. And she wants a hug from her mama and papa."
Gabriel sat nearby, wearing an old t-shirt while his arm rested in a sling. "I suppose that's what children should do. When they're scared, they want their parents."
"Then why didn't Adrien come here?" Alya snarked back.
Gabriel knew the real answer to that question, but instead stated, "One, Hawkmoth told them that we were all here, and two, he's following Marinette's lead."
"So, what do you suggest we do?" Asked Alya. "Ambush them there?"
"Nope." He looked at Tom and Sabine. "We're taking a different route this time."
—
The Gorilla drove Gabriel, Tom, Sabine, Alya, and Nino over to the bakery, while Chloe stayed at the Mansion with her father. And even for the plan, Alya and Nino were just there for back up.
The real MVPs were the parents. And even then, Gabriel was going to be quiet.
After Tom unlocked the gate, Gorilla stood guard at the door. Sabine went up the stairs first, keeping her steps light. When she found the apartment empty, she urged them all up. There were groceries on the counter, and a recently used pan on the stove.
With a swallow, Tom and Sabine pushed up the trapdoor to Marinette's room.
The room was dark, as the blinds were closed, but there was a large form on the bed.
As Tom opened the trap door all the way, it tapped against the floor. The form in the bed shifted and a sleepy pair of red eyes peered over the rail.
Sabine held her breath as Tom's hand squeezed her shoulder.
Grimalkin blinked a few times, as he realized what he was seeing. He sat up fully, and let the blanket fall off of him. Then he crawled over the mattress and crept down the stairs, his tail lashing. Not once did he bare his teeth, but he didn't appear welcoming either.
Sabine tried to put him at ease. "Hi Sweetie," she said softly.
Grimalkin's ears went back and his eyes dilated.
"Hmm…Kitty?" Lady Lacrima's voice spoke from the bed. She sat up, and immediately made eye contact with her mother.
There was a tense silence for only a moment as Sabine stared at her, tears gathering in her eyes. "My baby…" she choked out.
Lady Lacrima swallowed harshly, and looked to Grimalkin, who was watching her carefully.
She got out of bed, coming down the ladder to stand next to him. Then they just stared.
Tom took a step closer. "My beautiful little girl…won't you let me hug you?"
She hesitated, clenching and unclenching her fist. Finally, she asked, "you…couldn't do anything?"
Sabine let out a sob. "We did everything we could! You know the second we found out where you were, we would have gone in person to save you! Please believe me Marinette! We love you so much!"
Lady Lacrima could not find fault in her parents. What influence did bakers have?
But she spotted Gabriel, who was hiding behind them. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "And what about you?"
Gabriel opened his mouth, and then shut it with a trembling lip as Grimalkin snarled at him.
What a thin rope to tread.
"Honey…Mr. Agreste has also worked really hard to find you. He almost paid a ransom to get Adrien back, remember? He only didn't because Adrien asked him not to. Don't be mad at him…"
Grimalkin crept closer, staying on his knuckles, and each step halting, until he was right in front of Tom. Who was, despite his teddy-bear disposition, the biggest threat in the room.
Tom gave him a soft smile, and simply scooped him up in a hug, and held him in a cradle. "There there, just relax."
Tom felt the way he tensed, his breathing becoming erratic, and his pulse quickening. Like a cat that was about to bolt.
"Shh, I gotcha." He assured.
Gabriel stood by, and began to pet his hair. "It's alright, son. You're safe now."
Grimalkin melted. His eyelids grew heavy as a loud purr cut through the tension of the room.
Sabine watched the interaction fondly, before turning her eyes back to her daughter. Lady Lacrima still stood back, watching from the corner of the room. Sabine walked to her slowly, holding out her hands in a comforting way.
Lady Lacrima watched her approach, but didn't run. She didn't want to run.
Sabine's hand rested on her cheek, and swiped across the black lines.
"They're stains." Lady Lacrima explained. "They won't come off."
"Oh, I see."
Lady Lacrima swallowed and admitted out loud, because it felt too much like a sin not too, "we killed 34 people."
"Yeah," Sabine nodded. No berating, but no condoning. Just acknowledgement.
"I thought…it was supposed to make me feel better. Hurting those that hurt me. But…I just feel worse. I'm sorry, maman…"
Sabine kissed her cheek. "My precious baby girl…I am so so proud of you. You're brave, and smart, and kind and so creative!" Her voice was warm and soothing, in the way that a mother's was. "You're my hero, and I love you so much!"
Lady Lacrima exhaled with relief and slumped against her mother. "I'm so tired."
"I bet you are. We'll get you to a hospital, and then you can rest. No more secrets, no more hiding…just healing and love. Is that alright with you?"
Lady Lacrima looked back over to Grimalkin who appeared to be almost asleep in Tom's arms. "And him?"
"You'll be together. Through all of it. Right, Gabriel?"
Gabriel didn't even pause from stroking Adrien's head. "Of course. Every second of every day, you'll be together."
Wordlessly, she went to her kitty, touching his cheek gently. "I guess the jig is up, love."
He nuzzled his face against her hand, purring louder, and she couldn't help but smile broader. Then she went to his pocket and took out the Ladybug earrings.
"Here," she put them in her mom's hands.
Sabine nodded to her in reassurance, and put the earrings in.
In a pink flash, a little red sprite appeared, looking panicked. She met Sabine's gaze with confusion and fear. "Where's…?"
"Tikki." Lady Lacrima said softly.
Tikki whirled around to face her, a gasp ripping from the being violently. "Marinette!"
Lady Lacrima looked away, hugging herself. "I…I didn't want you to see me like this. But I know it's for my own good that you do."
"Oh Marinette!" Tikki wailed. "You're…you're hurt…and an akuma?"
She nodded.
"What…how long have I been dormant?"
Lady Lacrima gained another stripe under her eye before saying, "a little less than two months. We were captured, and she took our Miraculous…"
"And then she…hurt you?"
"Yeah."
"I—I…." Tikki tried to find the words, but ended up dissolving into sobs as she nuzzled her cheek. "I'm so so sorry Marinette…"
"It's not your fault, Tikki."
"If the earrings had fallen off or if you took them off without denouncing me, I could have been active and saved you!" Another thought occurred to her. "Where's Chat? Where's Plagg?"
"Plagg's still dormant. And Adrien's right over there." She gestured to Tom.
Tikki flitted over to him, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Everything's going to be okay now."
Grimalkin furrowed his brows at her, but didn't respond.
Tikki came back to Marinette.
"I know you've seen her, but you've never formally met. Tikki, this is my mother."
"A pleasure," Sabine smiled.
"Tikki is what allows me to turn into Ladybug. To put on the suit, all you have to do is say, 'Tikki, spots on.'"
"Tikki, spots on?"
In a whirl of pink, Sabine's clothes changed from her simple white Cheongsam, to a red and black robe, that tied at the waist like a ruqun. She wore black leggings and black flats that were visible under the tails of the robe. A silk mask tied securely around her face.
"You look lovely, darling." Tom complimented.
"Oh you!"
Lady Lacrima couldn't help but smile. "All you have to do is capture the akuma with the yo-yo, you do that by drawing your finger down the middle."
"Oh yes, I remember seeing you do it. Then I just fling it at them?"
"Yep, the yo-yo will catch and purify. Then you let them go."
"And how do I cast the cure?"
Lady Lacrima hesitated, her fingers curling into fists.
Gabriel came over a rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Her body is at the morgue. If the cure brings her back, she'll be in police custody. There's absolutely no way she's getting away."
She screwed up her lip, still thinking it through.
"It's for the best, Ladybug. No one will hurt you ever again, alright?"
She swallowed. "To cast cure without a Lucky Charm, all you do is toss the yo-yo up in the air and call 'Miraculous Ladybug' and it will activate. To detransform, say 'spots off'. Pretty simple."
Sabine patted her cheek. "Only because the akuma is being so understanding."
"Let's hold off on this for just a moment," suggested Gabriel. "Let's call an ambulance and have them here when their transformation drops."
Sabine and Tom agreed.
Gabriel took out his phone and headed back down into the apartment to make the call.
"I'm…I'm scared. Doesn't Paris hate us now?"
"No no, darling. They never stopped loving you."
"Even after this?" She gestured to her bloodstained suit.
"That's why the cure is a good idea. Yes, we're all upset that Sa—er…that woman will be alive again, but there's some people that got caught up in the violence that didn't deserve it. Police officers, blackmail victims…"
Lady Lacrima nodded in understanding, though she tightened her fists. "I did what I had to."
"And now everything is going to be okay. I promise…I can't promise it'll be okay right away, but it will someday. I swear."
Gabriel returned. "The police are outside. It seems that our car was spotted by the paparazzi. An ambulance is on the way."
Nerves built up in her. "Will they yell at me?"
"There will probably be shouting, but you don't listen to them."
"With any luck," said Gabriel. "You'll be asleep before you even get that far."
Lady Lacrima went back over to her partner, smiling at him as he continued to lazily purr. "We probably won't remember these last few days. And…I'd honestly rather forget, but…we must remember to thank Kelly and Jillian, the Cesaires, and Mr. Ramier. Promise that we'll remember to thank them?"
He chirped at her.
There was a clamber of footsteps before two EMTs peeked their heads into the room. "We have our stretchers down in the bakery, whenever you're ready."
Lady Lacrima cupped Grimalkin's face. "Ready, my love?"
He raised a claw to her neck, before nodding. Then he broke her collar with his claw and released her akuma before doing the same with himself.
Sabine caught the two rogue butterflies with one swipe, and released them to fly away. "Bye bye little butterflies." Then with a sigh, she tossed the yo-yo up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
The healing light exploded, rushing through the room, removing the suits from Adrien and Marinette and healing Gabriel's shoulder before disappearing out into Paris.
The ring that was in Grimalkin's pocket dropped on the floor, and Gabriel was quick to grab it and put it in his pocket.
Marinette remained standing, though she leaned heavily on her father for support.
Adrien's eyes were almost open, as the slow cello-like breathing returned. In the absence of the suit, his wounds immediately started bleeding again.
"Let's hurry," Gabriel urged, reaching to carry Marinette.
"I can walk," she said briskly, not taking her eyes off Adrien. Though the blood oozing down her back said otherwise.
In the apartment, she didn't even take notice of Alya and Nino before following her father down into the bakery.
An EMT rushed to her and tried to coax her over to a stretcher.
"No, I need to be with him!"
"He's alright now, Ladybug. You need to lay down."
"No! He needs me!" She shoved the man way from her, weakly.
Tom placed him on the stretcher as the EMTs automatically got to work. A mask was placed on his mouth. As they secured a brace around his neck. "Patient is pale and unresponsive. Will require a blood transfusion immediately."
"Adrien!" Marinette reached for his hand, before another EMT took hold of her's first. "Come on, Miss Ladybug, let's get you on a stretcher."
"No! I need to ride with him!"
"If you want to help him, you have to help yourself. Please."
A wave of dizziness took her as she swayed on her feet. The paramedic caught her and helped her lay down. "It's alright, Ladybug. You're both safe. Just rest now, okay?"
She didn't really have a choice anymore, did she?
Another mask was placed over her face as the bed started to move. Someone covered her with a blanket, affording her an ounce of privacy.
They rolled out of bakery, and into chaos of flashing lights and shouting.
"I'm right here, honey." Her mother said, taking her hand. "Adrien's in the other ambulance with your father. Just breathe. Everything's alright."
Alright.
Alright.