What was this? She thought, her eyes filling with tears. Why were those eyes, the ones that she knew so well, so far away. So different, so unreal, so wrong. This wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to be here, but he was hurdling toward her, eyes wild and arms outstretched. Adrien, was the one behind that mask, behind those eyes, behind those feelings. It had all been Adrien. Every little glance, little lingering touch, flirty words that echoed in her head when she couldn't sleep.
Her mind couldn't think about this, it wanted to know what had happened. Why London was in danger, what had ruined the one chance that she had. Why she was being thrown toward the ground, and why she couldn't form the words 'Tikki, spots on!' While he was watching. Was it because above all else, she was supposed to keep her identity top priority, or was it because she knew that after all this time, and everything that had happened, she would have to own up, to admit, and to be blamed.
"Marinette!" He screamed, and he sounded panicked, and scared, but her eyes were empty. Unsure of what to do, of how to feel. Her body was limp and she barely let her hand out, to just barely graze his own, before she slammed into the water beneath her, breathless and powerless. Suffocating, and yet it seemed like she had all the space in the world, endless, and hers for the taking, if only she closed her eyes, just for a moment, and let the darkness take her.
She was wrenched roughly from the expanse of water with a sharp gasp from the person holding her.
"Marinette!" He screamed again, she didn't open her eyes, wanting to go back. She didn't want to see him, to know who he was, she wasn't ready for that yet. She wished beyond anything that she hadn't seen him transform, that she could've just kept her mouth shut, held those feelings inside. She didn't want him to get hurt because of her ignorance, or because of his own stupidity, this situation would reflect badly, and it would never lead to something good, not now. They weren't ready.
Lips slanted across hers in a rushed and heated breath of air as it pumped into her lungs. She opened her eyes, and looked at his scrunched face, sopping and tight with water and worry. He hated water, so much, and he had saved her, because she knew that on her own she never would have come out of that water, not by herself.
"Chat?" A hushed whisper as she pulled away from those cold lips, her throat was scratchy her eyes were wet, and her heart hurt. His eyes, those green, were welling with tears of their own, and he breathed quickly before pulling her to him, shaking and tense. The area around them was ruined. Bits of debris and concrete practically flooded the streets, people could be heard screaming, but right now, her Ladybug senses were being put on a halt.
"A-Adrien..." Why did her chest hurt so much? Why was she holding back a sob? There were too many questions on her mind, and too few answers. Wrong, all of this was wrong. Yet she couldn't bring herself to move away from him, from the near-silent sobs that racked through him, from the thought that the boy holding her was the one person she had wished would do so, for what felt like the longest time.
"N-no, t-this..." A loud rumble shook the ground, and the sounds of buildings and homes collapsing was but a silent reminder in the back of their heads. This, right here was more important, he was more important, she was more important. With a flick of her lucky charm, it would all go back to normal, and everyone who had been harmed would be perfectly fine. Her head was aching, yet the twitching mess that came from her bag told her that she had other problems to deal with. With what little strength remained in her body, she shoved him away, and with a look of absolute contempt for herself, she shouted the words that would break that already broken look in his eyes further.
"Tikki!" Another explosion, that dull thrum. "Spots on!" No fancy moves, no confidence, just a numbness that clung to her with fervor.
She couldn't bring herself to look at the tears in his eyes. "My..." Hurt washed over him, and she could see it clear as day. "My lady?" disbelief was evident in his tone, and she could only close her eyes and hope, that by the end of this, she would never ever have to see that look ever again. The feeling crashed into her with a pain that of which she had never felt before, it was like being stabbed she imagined, and the feeling was far from pleasant. Clenching her teeth together, to keep her mouth shut, she could only hope that he would work with her to defeat this evil, one last time, before they would have to give their Miraculouses back.
"Chat, please," She whimpered, and she hated so much, how her voice sounded. So pitiful, needy, because she needed him to forget, to try to push it away, because it would make it easier on her.
Selfish.
He stood, shakily, and she saw, just barely, how he grabbed at his heart, clawing at the indestructible fabric that lay there. Her body, it felt light as she swung out her yo-yo, drawing towards a building that was far away. The sky, it looked so red, so bloody. She wanted to cry, but this feeling in her chest, it was just awful, it was eating her alive, and she wasn't too clear if that was a bad thing.
This whole place, all these people, they were suffering. And it was all her fault. She should've thought this through. Hawkmoth's Kwami Nooroo, surely had felt them leave Paris, and together no less. Hawkmoth had attacked here, because he knew that they would be vulnerable. A sentimonster raged in the far streets, and so it appeared he brought Mayura to join them as well. A black blur zoomed to her side and she almost gasped, she had thought that surely he would abandon her, too hurt to try and help a liar, a person who wasn't worthy of this Miraculous.
Their eyes met, and she wanted to look away. She wanted to be better for him. She wanted to be a better Ladybug, a better Marinette, but now he knew, and his judgment was weighing heavily on her. No matter what he thought, those eyes just looked awful right now, there was no boyish smile to accompany him. She didn't want to look at him and know that she wasn't good enough, because she knew that she wasn't, that somewhere, she could've been more supportive, more heroic, more kind, more...
Less of herself, she should've been less of herself.
Then this wouldn't have happened.
Then maybe this would be a happy reveal.
But her luck wasn't that good.
She wasn't that good.
It was all her fault.
"Nooroo!" The call of his master made his body ache. He held the pin in his small hands. He would stop this, because no matter the intentions his master had, he was hurting people intentionally. He couldn't condone that thing any longer. Hawkmoth, the wielder of the Butterfly Kwami wasn't meant to be evil, but his master's tainted heart had made him this way, his wish while noble, wasn't one that was worth all this pain.
The Kwami zipped away, as fast as he could, Ladybug was near, and he had to get to her, fast. The effects of abandoning his master, of disobeying his master, were beginning to take effect and he could feel the pain that radiated from his core. If Ladybug helped him, then she could turn this all back, and Nooroo could be free yet once again. It had felt like such a long time since he had been addressed with warmth, with a smile, with a blissfully light heart.
Ladybug he thought, he gave a quiet groan as he saw the zipping suits of black and red coming towards him, a small smile flickering on his face.
He could make it all go back, all this destruction, all this pain. Master Fu (AN YES BITCHES I BROUGHT HIM BACK FROM HIS ADORABLE OLD PEOPLE ROMANCE FOR THIS COME AT ME!) would know what to do, with the help of the snake Miraculous, he knew that Ladybug could put everything back, because the people of London now knew the fear that came with Hawkmoth, and he didn't want them to live that way the rest of their lives. it was an unsightly way to live. He would know.
He would no longer be under the influence of such a master, one who didn't want to treat him with kindness and love like the other Kwamis had with their masters.
"Ladybug..." He weakly called, and the energy seemed to be zapped from him entirely, and he began to fall, clutching to the butterfly miraculous tightly.
He could make out the vague calls of his name, from Ladybug and his master, but he just hoped that Chat Noir didn't see his master. He knew too well what would happen to that poor boy's heart should he see who was behind that mask. He begged the goddesses above that he could just give her the pin, and that everything would be alright, and those two could go back to normal lives before the end of the day.
"Nooroo, are you alright?" Ladybug called to him and he smiled, he held out the pin to her, and he felt his eyes flutter, he just needed her to put the pin on, she didn't even have to activate it, she just needed to share her life energy with him. With shaking fingers Ladybug took the pin from him, and silently he watched as she began to attach it to her neck. A clawed hand grabbed her, and although Nooroo couldn't make out the words, he knew that her partner didn't want to let it happen. He watched as Chat Noir began to furiously yell at her, yanking her by the arm so she was right in his face, and she yelled right back.
No, he thought solemnly. Don't yell, don't fight, please...
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Nooroo highly doubted that he would believe it, but right there in front of him was Chat Noir passionately kissing Ladybug, and she kissing right back. Such a sight may be the last that he saw, but he knew that looking at these two heroes, even without his existence they would win the war. The click of the pin on Ladybug's suit made him snap up from the amount of life he felt flooding into him. He and Tikki were both seeking power from Marinette now, and while he knew she could handle quite a bit, it still worried him to do this to her.
"U-use your m-miraculous l-ladybug..." It hurt to speak, but now was a matter of time, and whether he could actually do this. He needed to save this land, but he didn't know what it would mean for him, should he have to go back to his master.
He was passed over onto the warm leather of Chat Noir's suit, and as he cracked his eyes open he could only think that the color red had never looked so beautiful. As it flew about everything, clearing the debris and placing things where they belonged. People cried with joy as their city was once again restored to its' rightful glory. The only reason that she had been able to use her Miraculous Ladybug was because Hawkmoth didn't have his Miraculous right now, and thus the Akuma could no longer draw power from Nooroo, effectively labeling them as powerless once again. (AN: I know that's not how it works in the show, but this is my show, and I shall run it how I please, jk jk love you guys)
With a weak smile, he closed his eyes and sunk into the darkness, allowing himself to fall to the cries of joy.
"You did it." His voice had never sounded so sad to her, never so accepting of their fate. She wanted to cry, god she wanted to cry. To just run to him, say 'Spots off' and for once be the normal girl that she tried to fit into. But, it couldn't be, never would it be, not anymore. She couldn't play two sides to the same game anymore. She couldn't be Marinette and Ladybug. She was just this girl now, she didn't even know what to call herself anymore. She didn't know what to call him anymore. Chat Noir, or Adrien?
"My Lady..." A hand settled on her shoulder and she closed her eyes, taking a breath. The wind seemed so nice from up here, raking through her hair, pushing against her. It was almost as if it was telling her to get away from the edge of this building.
He didn't get to continue, for before them a portal appeared and through it walked their Master. Chat's hand slipped from her shoulder, and they turned, a solemn look in their eyes as they watched him step closer, his hand out and waiting. They knew the price, and they had to pay in full. First, Chat handed Nooroo to their master's awaiting hand, and she unclipped the pin with tears gathering in her eyes. She knew that someday she'd have to let go, she just never thought that it would be so soon.
"You know what must be done," Their master turned his head away and with it, she felt more shame fill her, embarrassment that they'd allowed it to go this far, and regret because never would they know what truly connected them in this world.
"You have two choices, your fate will be forever altered should you choose to follow them." She knew it, here it came, the hard part, the one she would forever regret no matter what path she chose.
"You can give me your miraculous, and return to your lives, knowing the other's identity, or," Standing next to him, Ladybug felt Chat's hand slip into her own, and he intertwined their fingers, making her choke on her sob as it threatened to rip from her. "you keep your superhero identity's, but you will not remember today." She sucked in a breath and tears began to fall, she hated this, she hated these rules. She finally knew what she wanted in this life, not with those undertones that always held her back, because now she knew, but it was all still so far out of her reach. She had a feeling that Adrien was feeling the same way.
"Your call my lady..." She looked up at him through swimming eyes and sniffed, but all he did was smile fondly at her, and he stroked her cheek, pulling her forward and into him. "Whatever you choose, I will always be by your side, I will always love you, mask or no." And with those words came a kiss and the call of a regretful 'Second Chance!' that sent them spiraling back into normalcy.
I know, I suck majorly. Just read it, the reason it took me forever to get out was that I hated it so much, but now we have to get back on track! Look forward to the next update! (DOn't hATe on MEeeeee)
-lovesnaruto7