Author's Note: I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive! Quick note, I didn't have a proofreader for this one, haha. Understandably since it's been more than two years. Also, uhhh... trigger warning for senseless violence? I swear I love these characters... And I changed my username!
oOo
Much like keeping an eye on weather forecasts, the residents of Paris had easy access to a refined network with regular reports on super villain activity. Even when the local baddies were inactive or lying dormant in their lairs, multiple channels still streamed programs dedicated to predicting their movements. Both esteemed scholars and award-winning scientists studied and analyzed the patterns of previous incidents to theorize future behaviors for each known villain. With several years under their belt, the most popular crews had become moderately accurate in estimating when, and sometimes where, a new attack might be expected.
This morning's prediction? A twelve percent chance of rain with a high possibility of Farfalla activity appearing sometime later in the afternoon. Umbrellas were not necessary, but citizens were advised to run their errands earlier in the day rather than after work.
With this information network at their fingertips, along with so many years of experience to refine their operations, police were always the first to jump into action. By mid-morning, several detours had been established for major roadways to ease traffic flow while groups of tourists were reminded throughout the day on emergency evacuation routes and routines.
It was shortly after three o'clock when the first shrill warning siren pierced the air and cell phones simultaneously chimed and vibrated with alerts.
Police were prompt to cordon off the traffic circle surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, as towering above the Paris skyline, a dark and angular figure had clearly been spotted stomping deliberately toward the famous landmark with intense, earth-shaking footsteps. Metallic, rigid limbs swung in mechanized arcs, the hissing and grinding of car-sized gears and pistons almost painful to the ears of the unlucky stragglers that panicked in the streets below. But luckily, like ants scurrying about its feet, the automaton completely ignored them. The glass screens and panels that made up the semblance of a robotic face were focused entirely on the monument as it forged ahead.
The gargantuan machine eventually slammed a heavy boot against the surface of the roundabout circling the famous attraction. Jagged shards of pavement speared upwards beneath its weight, while rubble as big as motorbikes tumbled out from its path. The other leg shifted, and the robot carried its body forward with clear intentions.
To those watching with the naked eye, before the large robotic head, what looked to be a tiny speck suddenly appeared in mid-air high above the rooftops of Paris. It wasted no time as it quickly shot through the sky in a purposeful arc toward the towering titan.
If the robot had any kind of visual sensors, it showed no signs of acknowledging the figure directly in its line of sight. Most likely, it regarded the speck as nothing more than another insect. And what could such an insignificant gnat do to stop a giant?
Watching through the magnified scope included in the range of tools available to her through the black cat's weapon, Marinette intently followed the slight form of her friend, his towering mass only diminished by the distance between them. There was no fear in his expression, just a fierce determination. Through whatever creative means, he'd managed to launch himself from Max's portal like a bullet from a gun, completely unconcerned about the hard pavement lying hundreds of feet below him.
The impact of Ivan's gloved fist against the robot's chest was like a boulder meeting cardboard. The polished, impenetrable-looking metal immediately crumpled in on itself. Rivets buzzed dangerously through the air as they ripped free from solid steel beams, and Ivan disappeared from sight when the metal chassis collapsed around him.
"Yes!" Marinette allowed herself one quick, excited whoop. It was hard to resist getting caught up in the adrenaline of the moment, even if she was miles away from the scene. On the deserted rooftop from where she observed, there was no one around to hear her anyway.
Through the telescopic lens of her baton, her eyes followed the robot's body as it lurched back at an awkward angle from the force of Ivan's blow. The leg that had been moving ahead suddenly slammed into the street behind it in an attempt to stabilize its balance. It might have been able to recover then, if not for Nino, who suddenly soared into view. Leaping along the robot's exterior with his super-powered strength and agility, Nino leapt high and activated his miraculous, the glowing hexagons forming an impenetrable defense around him. Below him, Ivan had suddenly climbed into view, and reeled back his fist before punching his teammate's own shield.
Marinette could swear she heard the piercing clang of metal upon impact. The robot's head jerked sharply to the side as Nino's shell-ter pinged off its face.
Pressing a small button on the panel of her baton, Marinette zoomed out so she could watch as the remainder of her friends officially arrived on the scene.
At a glance, it seemed as if the giant sentimonster had been sent to attack Paris alone. A massive, formidable foe that could simply squash them all like bugs. But they were a team of many, and the robot already appeared to be overwhelmed. Marinette was confident that their enemy didn't stand a chance. They still had to be cautious though. Max had quickly gathered that along with Foresight, a new akuma with unknown abilities was piloting the massive sentimonster like a mech right out of one of their video games.
Brief commands and information would occasionally emit from her communicator, but aside from the voices of her teammates and husband quickly relaying orders, nothing from the battle could reach her. Marinette had nothing to contribute but to watch and listen.
It had been exciting for all of a minute before the frustration grew beyond her normal levels of patience.
Marinette breathed out an exaggerated sigh and lowered her baton. Folding her arms beneath her chin, she stared forlornly out at the small dark form of the sentimonster over the rooftops from very, very, very far away. The clawed tips of her suited fingers drummed out a sharp rhythm atop the bricks of the low stone wall that she had chosen for her grassy gnoll; as if she were a sniper scoping out her target.
But she wasn't some cavalry waiting on the sidelines to take her shot and turn the tides of battle. She was just an observer with little to do but wait.
Marinette eventually turned and eased her back against the wall, fidgeting for a moment to settle herself as comfortably as she could atop the cold bricks. Her gaze slipped over dark rows of empty lights, strung up between thin wooden poles and criss-crossing over a wide area of wooden squares that marked a vacant dance floor. Slim metal chairs with matching tables and oversized umbrellas were neatly arranged off to the side, evenly spaced in front of a clean looking bar that extended across the edge of the roof on her right.
The local hangout was clearly deserted, but not due to the akuma alert. Places like this really only came alive once the sun had set and the fairy lights could provide enough illumination to set a pleasant mood. Marinette had her prime choice of any seat, but despite being so close, she didn't feel like moving from her current spot.
She might have fibbed a little, back in the safety of the Kwami Cave. Having taken time to rest in the infirmary, she honestly thought she'd at least recovered some energy after the harrowing events of that morning.
But launching out into the city, sprinting along the rooftops while searching for a safe place to settle in… Her exhaustion made an unexpected return. Almost as soon as she had finished reassuring her husband that she was fine and he had left to join the others, she'd felt her eyelids grow heavy and the idea of sleep tantalized her exhausted body. Marinette wanted to help, but she had to admit it might have been a good thing she was sitting out this fight. If anything, she'd have only been a hindrance.
Marinette lifted a hand to her forehead and shaded her eyes against the glare of the evening sun, her heavy eyelids drooping while she tried to pay attention to what info she could glean from snippets of exchanges over the communicator. Weariness was beginning to win, however, because despite her best efforts, their voices eventually faded into the background, and her arm dropped over her stomach. All the while, the distant clamor of battle was all but lost beneath the low warning sirens echoing over the city.
Marinette's vision darkened, their discussions turning into a soft drone, while pictures sprung to life in her head from the voices of her friends providing the narration. She could see her husband as if he were moving right beside her, striking at their colossal opponent impressively with his yo-yo. Watching while the younger version of him moved in unison with her own past self, finding a weak point in the sentimonster's shielding and slipping in through the newly made crack.
Just as Max's earlier scans had indicated, there were two akuma standing at the helm: Foresight… and another new villain given power by Farfalla to aid in her scheme. The unknown akuma made a sudden move–but not to attack. Young Adrien and Marinette could only watch, shocked, as the hole they'd come in through instantly closed up. The rest of their team began reporting that the mech appeared to be repairing itself—
Marinette's eyes snapped open at a sudden, unusual feeling in her stomach, and the images in her mind blinked out like an old television powering off. She had to quickly squint her eyelids against the afternoon glare as the darkness of her vision gave way to her actual surroundings.
The voices she'd been listening to were the real voices of her friends still giving one another updates and coordinating strategies throughout the fight. Even though Marinette had succumbed to exhaustion and momentarily drifted off, she'd stubbornly managed to remain focused on their words until something physical had awoken her.
The odd sensation rippled through her gut again, not a painful feeling just… new. It was soft, like a gentle sort of… fluttering…?
A swell of warmth moved through her as Marinette dropped her gaze, weaving her fingers together cautiously over her abdomen. Miraculous-created suits were nigh impossible to rip, but she still minded the sharp claws, not wanting to poke or harm the fragile life still growing within.
"Just you and me then, huh?" Marinette asked aloud, her voice quiet and groggy from shaking off the fog of an interrupted nap. Had it just been her imagination? Or was she really far enough along that she could actually feel the baby's movements? Previous instances when she believed she could feel her child had turned out to be… gas. Something that had eventually made its presence known in an embarrassing way and squashed all confidence in her maternal instincts early on.
Despite her doubt, this time felt different.
The sounds of battle broadcasting from her communicator faded into the background as she focused on the quiet miracle happening inside her body. Beneath the nervous rhythm of her heartbeat, there was that light flutter of motion again, almost like the whisper of a quiet voice. It was a painless pull that spoke to her with a bubbly, giggling tone. 'Here I am!' it almost seemed to laugh.
Marinette sat silently with her eyes closed, not moving. Just listening and feeling. After a time, she eventually took a deep breath and gingerly exhaled, a sense of peace almost settling over her. Pulling her hands apart, she snapped the communicator shut, and the voices of her teammates instantly fell silent.
If they needed to speak with her, they would contact her directly. Marinette couldn't help them anyway considering how iffy her condition had been. It seemed that all of the miraculous with all of their magical powers were not enough to prepare for the complex ordeals of expectant mothers.
The quiet became more prominent on her vacant rooftop, where sirens hardly reached, and the faraway akuma seemed like nothing more than the thundering of a distant storm. Marinette gently wove her hands over her abdomen again, mentally and physically reaching out for that faint sensation that brushed the fringe of her senses, holding on for as long as it might last to enjoy the moment and bask in her own maternal glow.
In the muted quiet of the afternoon, a faint noise eventually drew her attention up to the empty dance floor.
Only… When her heavy eyelids fluttered open, it wasn't so empty anymore.
The pale shape of a glowing portal swirled in mid-air, its foggy edge hovering a few inches from the wooden floor panels. Fierce cold seized through Marinette's body as she recognized the delicate looking boot stepping gently atop the wood surface. A heavy lump instantly squashed the warm fluttering as it dropped into the pit of her stomach.
Attached to the boot, a lone figure revealed herself as she pulled her body past the bright haze, one decorated in deep purples and similarly matching hues that were almost black in color. Too quickly for Marinette's liking, Lila's unobscured gaze eventually turned her way and narrowed coldly at her beneath the thin shroud of a white mask, one of its ends curving up in an elegant arch, dotted with black and purple scales in a sparkling pattern. Marinette's claws drew sparks, digging into the stone bricks as she lurched forward and crouched against the pavement like the feline that her suit drew inspiration from. Her legs coiled tightly beneath her like a spring ready to trigger and pounce.
Rather than moving closer as Marinette expected, Lila instead shifted a fraction to the side, and from between that space, a blurred figure unexpectedly shot out of the portal behind her, causing the short ribbons that framed Lila's mask to flutter briefly in its wake.
With an almost silent step, Foresight stopped on the roof right in front of Marinette. The akuma crouched in a similar fashion, mirroring Marinette's stance as if to mock her. Foresight's eyes were hidden beneath the black screen of her helmet, but she could easily read the arrogance of her visible smirk.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" Lila's voice oozed out in her usual tone of feigned sweetness. Her gloved hands brushed against her undershirt, its high collar fluttering gently like the mirrored wings of a butterfly over the pristine tuxedo as she idly adjusted it. "Looks like a lazy cat taking a nap while making others do all of her work."
Marinette's eyes flicked up to Lila as she took a dainty step forward, then back down to Foresight, who hadn't yet moved. Marinette remained frozen in response, positive that if she made any attempt, Foresight would most likely react. Over the years, she had quickly picked up on Lila's enjoyment of her own overblown theatrics–and becoming a villain hadn't lessened that habit in the slightest. If anything, her villainous tag-lines were almost as groan-inducing as Adrien's constant cat puns–but unlike her husband's jokes, Lila's jabs weren't the slightest bit endearing.
And Why… Why? Marinette glared fiercely at the akuma fixed before her. Why was Foresight here? Had she really been dreaming when her husband reported finding two akuma in the pilot seat of that giant sentimonster?
Marinette turned her attention back upon Lila when her most loathed nemesis, in and out of costume, impatiently cleared her throat. "Do I really have to ask if a cat has your tongue?"
Marinette's responding laugh was a little more forced-sounding than she intended, but she quickly managed to find her voice and hide the nervousness she actually felt. "My teammates are more than enough to handle you, so I'm not ashamed to admit you caught me in a bit of a cat nap."
"And why is that?" Lila's voice drawled, an unnerving gleam sparkling in the narrowing of her smug gaze. "Does the fleabag have another cold?" Marinette glared defiantly back at her, wrinkling her nose at the mocking, baby-like tone that Lila's voice took on. "How stupid are you to pretend to be a hero when you catch the flu?" she continued.
"It wasn't the flu!" Marinette shouted back, her claws grinding into the stone wall for balance as she swung her leg out. Foresight, obviously expecting it, caught her by the ankle and tugged–HARD. She yanked Marinette a short distance over the cement and suddenly had both hands on her leg. Marinette tried to strike out with her staff, but it veered wildly, completely missing as Foresight, using her inhuman strength, dragged her into the air, swung her body in a dangerous arc and attempted to slam her right back down against the roof.
Thankfully, Marinette managed to extend her staff before impact, jabbing Foresight's exposed jaw and knocking her backward while also propelling herself forward. Even though her shoulder slammed into the rooftop, she'd given herself enough leeway to duck and roll, taking away some of the shock as she somersaulted backwards with the agility of… well, a cat. Her quick reflexes landed herself on the opposite end of the roof, thankfully putting a much greater distance between her and her enemies.
Normally, Marinette would have had some kind of smart-ass remark ready to fire out, but this time she could barely find her voice. Their little stunt had already cost her too much, and the bright afternoon seemed to burn even hotter, its chill turning into an unbearable heat. Her chest heaved in time to her quick gasps, finding it much more difficult to catch her breath.
"So the rumors were true." Lila smirked, cocking her head to the side and flashing a smug smile. "The high-and-mighty Ladybug isn't feeling so hot. Or whatever idiotic name you call yourself wearing that putrid ring."
"Lady Noire," Marinette choked out, giving Lila a grin that was way more confident than she actually felt at the moment. "I'm pretty attached to it, considering my loving boyfriend came up with it."
To Marinette's delight, one of Lila's eyes visibly twitched in response, briefly cracking through her arrogant facade. A satisfying reaction in an otherwise bleak situation.
Alya had been one hundred percent on point in stating that they'd rival even Hollywood's greatest power couples, because every news outlet in Paris practically exploded when it came out that Ladybug and Chat Noir were officially dating.
Truthfully, neither had wanted to reveal anything about their relationship at the time, but circumstances happened to expose a partial-truth while fighting against a particularly irritating super villain who had the nerve to interrupt their honeymoon. Alya later remarked that they were practically dripping with romantically charged energy the entire fight, neither able to contain their relentless flirting.
Ultimately, once the villain was defeated, it was Kim who shouted for them to enjoy their 'romantic night' within range of an approaching news crew that he had been unaware of–most likely too distracted with the inappropriate gestures he was making with his miraculous banana.
Even though, in actuality, they were already married, they felt it best for the public not to be privy to those particular details, seeing as even villains like Lila couldn't avoid the tabloids, and knowing too much could put their identities at risk. Maybe it was just the fact that she didn't like hearing about Ladybug's happiness, but the news had only appeared to enrage Lila even more.
"I don't care who came up with it," Lila growled through grit teeth before dashing forward. "It won't matter when I destroy you once and for all!"
Marinette yelped out a panicked cry as Foresight, seemingly triggered by Lila's movement, darted for her as well. With the way things were going, she knew she was no match for the pair.
So when she pulled up her weapon to try and counter the akuma, Marinette simultaneously hit the call button. She didn't even know who she'd contacted, but at least the alert had gone out. Dodging and evading, rather than trying to attack, seemed to be the best option. With Lila and Foresight tag-teaming coordinated strikes, she hardly had any time to retaliate. Marinette quickly began to feel the toll of battle, her movements slowing and her limbs aching for a rest. On one particular attempt to duck beneath one of Lila's punches, she suddenly found herself slammed into the cement, reeling from Foresight's kick.
As she lay on the rooftop, momentarily dazed, Marinette was only vaguely aware of a frantic voice calling to her over her baton. But their concern would only be met with the sounds of her desperate struggle as her enemies quickly descended upon her.
"Cataclysm!" Marinette cried out, her hand shaking as she brandished the roiling darkness bubbling in her palm in front of her like a shield. Relief washed through her when Lila froze in her tracks before darting back a few wary steps, having enough smarts to put some distance between her and the destructive power of a cataclysm.
Her respite was short-lived, however, as Foresight didn't appear to have the same sense of self-preservation. The akuma simply darted forward and swung out at Marinette again. Marinette simultaneously locked on to her target, aiming for the watch plainly visible upon Foresight's wrist. She vaguely remembered her younger-self mentioning it as the source of the akuma.
But she was too slow, worn down. Her enemies had chipped away at what little strength she had left. Marinette's hand narrowly missed its mark, slipping past Foresight's watch by just a hair. Given an opportunity by Marinette's fumble, Foresight snapped up her wrist, forcefully dragging Marinette to her feet as the akuma danced around and sharply wrench her arm behind her back.
An animalistic growl escaped Marinette's throat, but not because she was in pain. Foresight, for all her intentions, prevented her own cataclysm from touching her. Marinette could hear and feel the destructive power of its magic sputtering right below her shoulders. During their struggle, Foresight's other hand had snagged the neck of her suit, holding her as one might hold the scruff of an animal. Try as Marinette might to wrench her arm away, the strain of the day's events had already sapped everything out of her.
"Excellent work," Lila cooed as she gave a slow, deliberate clap, a triumphant smile on her face. "Rather than a black cat, you're more like a helpless kitten."
"Lady Noire! Hang on!" With her attention no longer being drawn by the desperation of battle, Marinette's ears perked at the sound of her husband's voice emitting through the communicator, the emergency call from earlier still connected.
Lila let out a soft burst of laughter, then reached out for the baton. Much to Marinette's ire, she managed to wrench it from her grasp without much of a struggle.
"I'm not sorry to say that your little lady won't be able to hold on for much longer," Lila's sinister voice oozed out in response. "In fact, I don't think she'll be able to hold on at all."
"LILA!" Adrien's responding rage practically vibrated through the communicator. "If you so much as–"
Whatever threat Adrien had wanted to make, he never got to finish, as Lila suddenly turned and chucked the baton out over the rooftop. Marinette's weapon spun away with a high-pitched whirring, the sound growing faint and fading altogether when it quickly dipped out of sight below the building's edge.
"Excuse-moi." Lila nonchalantly picked a piece of imaginary fuzz from her suit. "I couldn't quite hear that, you'll have to speak up." She then turned to face Marinette, and her heart began to pound as cold fear seized her. Lila always had a knack for setting her up for desperate situations, whether in or out of the suit. Only this time, it wasn't just her own safety at risk… "Hold her," Lila simply added as she swung an arm back.
The second she realized what Lila was doing, Marinette drew in a sharp breath, her muscles steeled for impact as she wrenched her arm in a last ditch effort to try and break free from Foresight's grasp. All too quickly, Lila's foul expression broke out into a sinister, almost joyous grin as she balled her hand into a fist and rocked forward, striking Marinette square in the stomach.
Her suit had done its job, and Marinette hardly felt it, but Lila's punch was nothing compared to what came after. The force of her hit was enough to send Marinette's body jolting right into her own cataclysm.
The dark energy struck her in the back, and Marinette only had a split second to fear for the baby before pain exploded along her spine and quickly radiated out through the rest of her body. Marinette's limbs convulsed, her mouth opening in a silent scream, her system too shocked by what was happening to afford the oxygen to her lungs.
It might have only lasted a moment, but after what felt like an agonizing eternity, Marinette's body eventually fell limp. If Foresight hadn't been holding her up, she would have surely collapsed. Everything ached and burned. It was like a chunk of her had been ripped away, and the rest of her was left to deal with the aftershock.
With prodding from Nino, Adrien had once described to them the pain he'd felt when he had his own cataclysm turned against him, but now experiencing it for herself, she was certain that he'd downplayed how bad it had actually been. Every breath, every movement, every spasm from her stunned nerves… Just the slight touch of Foresight holding her up… Her limbs felt stiff and heavy, a thick weight pulling at her. All Marinette wanted to do then was sleep.
But she couldn't, because at that moment, Foresight jostled her to wakefulness, tossing her body forward like a ragdoll. Marinette hit the rooftop, gasping out a pained cry from the fresh wave of agony jolting through her limbs. She heard herself choke out a broken whimper, curling her body into as small of a ball as she could right there on the ground in front of her most hated enemy. She folded her arms over her abdomen protectively, silently apologizing to the innocent life within her womb that she wasn't strong enough to protect.
"Oh, this is delicious," Lila purred out with delight. Marinette managed to crack her eyelids open despite the pain. She grit her teeth in a silent snarl as she glared up at Lila, pouring all of her fury into her expression. Though she had no strength to act on her thoughts, she wanted nothing more than to rip Lila into a million shreds. "How pathetic you look right now," Lila scoffed.
She then turned toward the short brick wall where Marinette had been resting before the heinous pair had shown up, her footsteps slowly and deliberately taking her closer to the edge. "Foresight's visit has been extremely useful," she began without caring whether Marinette had the strength to even respond. "Her powers are quite the blessing, even if she isn't omnipotent with them." Lila turned, a hand pressed to her chest in a dainty stance while she gave a sinister smile. "But at least she's delivered on finding you when you are at your weakest. I'm a bit disappointed that we couldn't use Marinette's little parasite to drag you out, but this all but makes up for everything you've done to thwart me." At that, Lila lifted her hand to the sky, saying nothing more.
A moment passed, Marinette getting back some normal feeling in her limbs and air in her lungs, though the radiating pain didn't fade in the slightest. "What are you–" Marinette's hoarse words were interrupted by an unpleasant cough "–doing now?" she managed to rasp out.
"Patience," Lila chided, right as a flicker of movement in the sky caught Marinette's attention. "Even for a magical creature, it still takes time for an akuma to return."
The shape of a dark butterfly fluttered into range, eventually settling down delicately on top of Lila's extended finger. Marinette's heart jolted with uncertain fear as Lila turned and headed back toward her.
"You might be wondering what I'm thinking?" Lila didn't bother looking at her as she spoke, her attention instead focused on the fragile butterfly that pulsed with a sinister darkness. "With my akuma returned to me, there is now an innocent civilian trapped inside a raging sentimonster. Oh no, she'll need saving!" Lila pretended to look concerned, right before her expression morphed into a cruel smirk. "So I can't imagine any of them being able to come and rescue you."
Lila continued to loom nearer, all the while rambling on, as she obviously loved the sound of her own voice. "I've never been able to summon more than one without any help." Lila's deliberate steps closed the distance between them, and she bent over to stare Marinette in the eye. "But each victim can only be in sync with one akuma, right?" she asked sinisterly before suddenly twisting up and flattening her hand against Foresight's helmet, darkness bubbling beneath her palm as the butterfly disappeared inside. Instantly, Foresight doubled over, grasping her head and releasing a sharp scream.
Lila turned back to Marinette, smiling wickedly. "So what happens when you combine it with an akuma from a completely different holder?" Lila grasped the butterfly miraculous between two fingers and straightened it, all the while Foresight's form disappeared under a roiling mass of shadows.
Marinette watched on in absolute horror as the billowing darkness quickly dispersed, peeling away as if blown by a gust of wind and revealing the vaguely familiar figure. This new akuma was almost identical, but staring up at her, it quickly became apparent that something about her had changed. The simple stripes on her suit now raced across each limb in jagged bolts, all of them converging to create a pattern of lightning down her back. The screen of her jet black helmet was completely opaque, fully extended to the point that Marinette couldn't even see the person's face beneath. Foresight stood as still as a statue, her fists clenched in silent opposition.
"Well, well. I think you need a new name to go with your upgrade." Lila clicked her tongue, tilting her head one way as her fingers tapped idly against her chin. "How about I come up with something better? Yes, that sounds good." Lila then stomped a foot against the roof and swung her arm out to point directly at Marinette. "Sight Seer! Destroy her!"
Foresight, Sight Seer… Whatever the akuma answered to, remained still and unmoving. Though she didn't appear to immediately act on her orders, Marinette felt her nerves quake. There was an unspoken power in her silence, and Marinette's instincts screamed at her about the danger she was in, wracking her brain to come up with some kind of plan.
Marinette didn't even see her move. She'd blinked, and suddenly the akuma's helmet had turned down to face her.
Marinette yelped, claws scraping desperately over the roof as she tried to drag her own body to any kind of safety, but her aching muscles protested, and nothing seemed to be responding at the speed she needed to move. There was little hope that she could get away, but the small life in her abdomen gave her the will to move past the pain screaming through her body. As much as she hurt, as much damage that had been done… If she could just persevere until help arrived, then maybe the miraculous ladybug could undo the damage. All of this could be fixed…
"Aagh–" Marinette let out a strangled cry when Sight Seer's hand rammed into the back of her neck, grinding her cheek raw against the cement before picking her up from the ground like she was nothing. She tried to claw at the iron grip, but the akuma immediately tossed her through the air like a rag doll and Marinette tumbled head over heels. She attempted to tuck into a clumsy roll, but all too quickly crashed right into a group of metal chairs on the patio. The accompanying table made of heavy iron flipped when her body slammed against it, and Marinette's vision darkened as the patio furniture collapsed into a messy pile on top of her.
Coughing out a strained wheeze, she feebly tried to scrape aside the metal chairs and get to her feet, but her lame attempts failed as the weight of the furniture was too much, chair legs and intricate designs caught against one another, creating an intricate cage to trap her.
As she struggled to escape her predicament, Marinette glanced back at Sight Seer fearfully to see if she even had time to retaliate, but one moment the akuma was standing across the roof, and then the next…
The next… she simply vanished.
Tiny pebbles rattled along the cement where Sight Seer had been standing a heartbeat ago, and Marinette froze as she tried to comprehend what she'd just witnessed when the akuma simply blinked into existence right in front of her. There was no time to react as Sight Seer swung her fist and slammed into the side of Marinette's head.
The force of the blow knocked the table and chairs aside like they were made of toothpicks, sending Marinette flying again, her world spinning into a blurry mess before colliding with a solid mass of wood that splintered beneath the impact. Marinette felt and heard a dizzying 'crack!' ripple through her body, and she sluggishly thought it might have been the rooftop's bar. But her head filled with a sharp ringing, too loud for her to focus. As her body slipped down the fractured surface, a trickle of warm liquid dribbled over her lips. She instinctively licked them, bringing to her senses the sharp taste of copper.
Oh… Marinette thought airily to herself. I hope it doesn't stain… It was a nonsensical thought as her mind began slipping into darkness. It would have been so easy to just close her eyes…
But before she could rest, Sight Seer was there again, staring down at her, the jet black mask almost glaring at her sinisterly.
"Oh my!" Lila gave a delighted cry as she clapped her hands together, appearing to be entertained by the turn of events. "This one can instantly teleport! What an improvement!"
Without a word, Sight Seer reached down, and Marinette weakly raised her arms, but the akuma simply batted them aside and grabbed the front of her suit, laughing with sinister delight as she effortlessly picked Marinette up off the floor.
And then Sight Seer lifted Marinette above her head before hurling her back along the patio, her already battered and bruised body bouncing painfully and tumbling, before grinding to a stop near the edge of the roof. As she settled numbly against the cement, Marinette lay still. She had no strength left in her to move, let alone to fight back. She simply closed her eyes, trying to block out the sharp, throbbing pain in her ribs, her back… There was no simplicity to the extent of her injuries. Everything hurt.
Through the haze of pain, her ears twitched at the sound of deliberate footsteps ominously approaching.
Marinette's wits seemed to snap back to her as her mind screamed in a panic, Danger! Baby! Danger! But her body no longer responded. The best she could manage was to slowly roll onto her stomach, claws uselessly scraping against the cement before she clenched her fists at the frustration and futility of it all.
"No use trying to escape." Sight Seer stepped up behind her, the akuma's shadow looming menacingly.
Lila laughed, genuinely entertained by what her villainy had wrought. "Looks like you're out of luck."
Sight Seer reached down and effortlessly grabbed Marinette by the neck of her suit, picking her up by the scruff once more, and dragging her painfully to her feet. Marinette reached back to try and claw at her hand, but Sight Seer ignored her, her pathetic attempts doing nothing to dissuade the super powered super villain.
"Sight Seer," Lila sing-songed cheerily. "I've heard that cats always land on their feet." Marinette couldn't see her, but she could practically hear the malicious grin in Lila's tone. "Should we test it out?"
"No!" Marinette rasped out a desperate cry as Sight Seer effortlessly dragged her closer to the edge of the building. As Marinette's boots scraped the precarious lip of the roof and eventually hung out over the open air, she made the mistake of looking down, and down… and down… The ground seemed miles away. Even with a miraculous suit, Marinette doubted that it would be able to protect her and her baby from such a fall.
"Cataclysm!" Marinette cried out, the power bursting to life in her hand. But as she tried to reach for Sight Seer's wrist, the akuma shifted, and Marinette felt an object shoved against her palm. A useless scrap of wood, debris from their fight, crumbled into dust, just like Marinette's chance to turn everything in her favor. It was a worthless piece of garbage. An object that Sight Seer shouldn't have been carrying for any reason…
"Goodbye, Ladybug," Lila giggled out right before Sight Seer released her grip. Marinette's heart sputtered in the cold chill that washed through her body, suspended by a brief moment of weightlessness before plummeting over the edge.
oOo
Marinette wasn't used to working with such a large team, but she definitely didn't have any complaints about the future that would one day come to fruition.
Max used his power of voyage to transport everyone right to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, from which Marinette could plainly see an enormous robot stomping its way through Paris.
In their group of gathered friends, Alya and Nino were already off and sprinting along the ground below to help out any remaining citizens flee the area. Luka strummed at his lyre, observing the world quietly like he usually did, most likely deciding when would be the best time to set up a second chance. And, obviously Max, who was busy monitoring the situation in order to help formulate a plan. Alix remained in her burrow as the ever present last-resort since she already had her own hands full with the messy time-line business. Lastly, Adrien's future self eventually joined them after making sure her own future self was settled somewhere safe.
While she was distracted by the devastation left in the sentimonter's wake, Marinette hadn't noticed when two other heroes joined the roster until she'd felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned quickly, surprised to find them standing behind her: one towering giant of a man wielding what appeared to be the bull miraculous, and a much smaller woman with the black and yellow coloration of the bee.
Though the masks obscured their identities with miraculous magic, and no one had said anything about them, Marinette had a strong feeling that the bull wielder was none other than Ivan's future self. And the other… Well, she looked suspiciously like Queen Bee.
For a split second, Marinette feared that she might have been Chloe–until the woman politely introduced herself as Vesperia and quickly proceeded to gush over how adorable, 'mini-bug,' was. Which, after recent events in her life, was something that Chloe would have never, ever said in a million years.
"Quite the future we have to look forward to, milady," Adrien observed as he stood alongside her, the both of them watching the group devise a plan to catapult Ivan through one of Max's portals to strike at the sentimonster before it could reach the arc.
"We all do make an impressive team," Marinette hesitantly agreed, distracted briefly by the nervous pitter-pattering of her heart and the obvious flush of warmth rising to her cheeks. She still hadn't quite fully grasped the reality that Chat Noir was Adrien.
Adrien was the tireless goofball that armed himself with an arsenal of cat puns for every battle. Adrien had been the one taking hits for her and standing beside her against each akuma. Adrien had been the partner constantly flirting with her on all of their patrols. And Adrien…
Adrien had been the boy who confessed his love for her.
Keep it together, Marinette, she chastised herself, risking a small glance Adrien's way while she tried to cross her arms oh-so-nonchalantly. She ended up looking like she was hugging herself, feeling the heat in her face grow more as Adrien stared back at her with a confident smirk, a single eyebrow quirked beneath his mask.
"You know." He leaned closer, and Marinette flinched when she felt his breath brush against her exposed skin.
Too close, or just close enough? her own thoughts dared to ask.
"You're almost as red as your suit," Adrien finished.
"Stop that!" Marinette yelped.
Alya's sudden laughter from behind caused them both to jump, and Marinette spun around to find her and Nino standing nearby, back on the roof of the arc with them.
"Oh, oh man," Alya giggled as she pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "You two never change."
"Yeah, this is like their honeymoon all over again," Nino added.
"Honeymoon?" Adrien's response had an airy tone to it, as if he hadn't thought of that possibility despite knowing that she and his future self were already married and expecting a baby.
Marinette's heart skipped a beat, but she slapped her hands against her cheeks and shook her head. "Focus," she sternly said, more so for herself, but partly directing it at her partner. "We've still got an akuma to face, as well as a sentimonster. This very well could be our last chance to stop Foresight and finally return home to our own time," she explained.
"Return home?" Adrien repeated softly, his cat ears drooping. "And leave the future behind…" Marinette stood still as he reached up and cupped her face gently, peering back into her gaze. "What about us…?"
Marinette tilted her head and smiled sadly back at him, covering his hands with hers. "I'll always be with you, chaton. We just have to wait a bit longer." She closed her eyes, trying to hide from him the threat of tears that suddenly welled up. "And one day, this future will be ours too." She managed to get her words out without sounding too choked up.
Adrien's brow furrowed beneath his mask, but he mirrored her own somber smile as he pulled one of her hands to his lips, leaving a gentle kiss on the back of her glove. Despite the barrier of her suit, her skin tingled from the contact. "I'll wait forever for you, my lady."
The sound of Ivan's battle cry as he charged toward the edge of the roof snapped them both out of the world they had been lost together in. While they were busy lamenting over a future that they might forget, and one that neither wanted to lose, the other heroes were enacting their plan to take down the sentimonster.
Marinette watched, fascinated, as Ivan leapt off of the top of the massive monument without any sign of fear or hesitation, plummeting straight toward the ground where one of Max's portals swirled below against the pavement.
"Isn't this a bit risky?" Marinette voiced a little too late as Ivan disappeared through the swirling vortex of glowing light. She felt a gentle nudge against her shoulder as Adrien excitedly pointed at an area in the sky, right in the sentimonster's path, where Ivan had suddenly reappeared. "The bull's ability is to resist powers, not physical damage."
"It should be fine," Max began to explain as Ivan soared ever closer to his target. "Over the years we have discovered that the miraculous powers often react to our experiences and have grown with time. Overall, it is relatively safe."
"'Relatively?'" Marinette repeated, giving Max a stare that easily said she doubted that.
"Correct." Max cleared his throat, his uncertainty clear. "But on the off chance that you see Mylène, we'd appreciate it if you not mention this to her."
The shrill wrench of metal shrieked through the air, pulling Marinette's attention back to the sentimonster. Its chest plates had completely caved from the force of Ivan's impact.
"Does anyone else wish to join?" Max quickly asked as he called open a new portal on the roof.
"Woo hoo! All aboard the pain-train! Admission: one sentimonster!" Nino shouted as he barrelled through, closely followed by Alya and the others.
Adrien turned to look back at her, weaving their clasped fingers together before lifting her hand with his and giving it another soft kiss. Her heart fluttered, the thought passing through her mind that she looked forward to seeing more of his romantic gestures scattered throughout the whole of her day. Once that future could come to pass. "Together, milady?" he asked, though he already should have known the answer to that.
Marinette squeezed his hand in return, the regret of leaving this future tucked away in a corner of her mind. They were here, now. Together. She nodded confidently as she tugged him forward, the two of them rushing toward the portal in equal strides.
"Always," she answered, before jumping into the light with him right by her side.
oOo
Author's Note: WHEW, has it been a while! Long story short, my life is a wreck. I decided to put fanfics at the bottom of my list while I figured something out. I just didn't have the energy to write and enjoy other stuff in my free-time. But NOW–there are many factors still in play, but a little of it has to do with me finally finishing season five, and also with the movie coming out, my obsession for Miraculous Ladybug has come back FULL FORCE.
I had originally written out chapter 18 with enough to feel like I thought this would be the last chapter before the epilogue, but as I began working on this chapter again, I thought of new ideas to add. I also wanted the ending to be extra special and filled with DRAMA, SUSPENSE, ACTION, and of course, ROMANCE! It eventually got so long I had to split everything. So I guess that's good news! :D Yup, I'm pulling a Harry Potter/Twilight/etc. by splitting my last chapter into a two parter, lol.