Marinette woke up late, grateful that it was Saturday and she could avoid school for another couple days.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait very long for the sound of an akuma attack to ring from her phone.
Unluckily, the attack wasn't as close to her, so she ran out of the bakery and jumped on her bike, trying to get nearby in time to see if their theory was correct.
She stopped when she was near enough to hear the commotion, leaving her bike behind as she turned on her phone to watch any news coverage.
Everything seemed normal as she waited outside the stadium where the fight was taking place, the two heroes (well, only one of them was truly a hero) battling and defeating the akumatized villain with apparent ease.
They finally released the akuma, and when Ladybug called for her cure, Marinette used the cover of the miraculous ladybugs returning the various workers and onlookers to their places to slip inside and hide amongst the small crowd that gathered around.
As she was speaking, Ladybug locked gazes with her, and her eyes flashed with smug satisfaction.
Chat Noir also saw her, though he turned his focus back on Ladybug. "Good job, Bug."
She preened at his praise, growing even more pleased as he reached one arm out for a hug. Ladybug skipped over to him, wrapping both arms tightly around his middle. He smiled, turning to meet Marinette's eyes directly.
Then he took a step back, stumbling as he released Ladybug. "Ah, sorry–" His hand snagged her necklace as he moved to steady himself, breaking the chain as he ripped it from her neck.
"Hey–" Ladybug squeaked out, before everyone went silent as a black butterfly emerged from the end of the chain, flying gently up into the sky.
Something subtle shifted in the air.
Black bubbles fell over Ladybug's form, disappearing to reveal an irate woman – Lila, it had to be – dressed in a flowing purple and silver suit, a dark cane gripped tightly in her hands.
"No! You've ruined it!" She quickly swiped her cane at Chat Noir, who had frozen in shock. He recovered quickly, leaping up and back out of range.
The crowd began crying out as they scattered, fleeing the scene.
From where she stood braced against the flow of the crowd, Marinette yelled out, "Chat, the akuma!"
Chat Noir glanced her way briefly before using his baton to jump into the air, calling out for his power as he swiped at the fleeing butterfly.
At the same time, Lila's angry gaze fixed on Marinette. "This is all your fault! Why didn't it work on you?" Her voice came out in a screech as she jumped forward, running directly at her.
Marinette stumbled back, nearly tripping over someone running behind her as she did.
Chat Noir switched directions in midair, landing between her and Lila, who seemed to be wearing the butterfly miraculous. "Marinette, get out of here!" Chat yelled over his shoulder as he blocked Lila's cane.
Marinette heard the beeping of his miraculous, realizing he only had five minutes left before he transformed back. She began jogging away, keeping an eye on the fight as her anxiety rose.
If Lila really had been akumatized, then where was…
Chat's angry words echoed her own thoughts. "What did you do with Ladybug?"
Lila didn't respond to the question. "I had it perfect! You loved me! Everyone loved me! Why did you two have to mess everything up and get in my way?"
Marinette slowed down, coming to a stop as her breathing increased.
Ladybug… where was…
Pain began throbbing at her temples as she stared down at her hands, remaining frozen mere feet from the clash of holders to the side of her.
The barrier between herself and the truth had never felt so thin. Something screamed within her that she knew who could help Chat Noir.
Thoughts from the past few weeks began circling in her mind.
Why had she been the only one that knew something was off?
Why had she run to the bathroom during that akuma attack, ready to do… something?
Why had she felt so drawn to Chat Noir?
Why had she seemed the most at home on the rooftop beside him, staring down at the city?
Her city.
The flash of red and black appeared again, flowing over her hands in her mind.
As the pieces finally began slotting together, breaking through another layer of the glamor still in place, she finally understood.
It was her.
Marinette was Ladybug.
She became suddenly aware of the earrings in her ears, unnoticed before. Her hands came up to touch them, her eyes turning to the fight.
The only problem was… her memories were still gone.
She didn't know how to transform.
Chat Noir continued fighting Lila, his gaze slightly panicked as he saw her still standing there. "Marinette, what are you–"
"The phrase!" she yelled out, clenching her fists. "What's the transformation phrase?"
"What? NO! Not you!" Lila screeched, trying again to get past Chat's block to get at her.
Still confused, Chat yelled back, "Transforme-moi!"
Marinette called out the phrase.
Nothing happened.
Lila began to laugh as she fought against Chat Noir, sounding triumphant.
Marinette ignored her, concentrating.
She'd missed something. Was it not her then? Or was it…
From behind the thinning veil, Marinette thought she could hear a small voice.
You can do this Marinette!
Then it hit her.
A name. That's what she was missing.
A name she hadn't been familiar with, but one that she'd somehow known, all the same.
"Tikki, transforme-moi!"
A suit of red and black flowed along her body, covering her with the thin material and imbuing her with a strength she somehow knew she had sorely missed.
As Lila screamed again, Chat Noir did a double-take, his eyes widening as he saw her. "Ladybug?" The word came out as both a question and a plea.
A grin spread across her face as she took out the yo-yo on her hip.
She may not have her memories, but the body often remembers what the mind forgets.
Marinette let her muscle memory kick in as she ran into the fight.
With two miraculous holders on her, Lila changed tactics, trying to run away, but Marinette's – no, Ladybug's – yo-yo made it impossible. Lila was forced to keep using her cane to deflect the weapon and tried to use her mobility to escape being wrapped up in it, but there was only so much she could do while also defending against Chat Noir.
It took less than a minute for the butterfly-wearer to end up tied up with the yo-yo.
Chat reached down, taking the miraculous from her chest, leaving a seething Lila behind.
When his ring beeped again, he looked up at Marinette, his eyes bright. His gaze shot to the side, taking in the few onlookers watching the scene. "I'm about to transform back – wait for me?"
She nodded, watching him jog backwards for a moment, his eyes on hers, before he turned and ducked into the stadium, past the people gathering nearby.
Marinette turned back to Lila, who had gone still as she stared at the ground. She picked the girl up and swung up on top of the stadium, away from the prying eyes around them.
Chat Noir returned quickly, and after making sure that Lila was securely held, Marinette and Chat moved a short distance away.
He quickly drew close, his arms snaking around her. "We did it." He let out a laugh before he held her tighter, inhaling deeply. "It's you," he said softly, moving back to look in her eyes. "Marinette." Then he leaned down and kissed her. She could feel the smile on his lips as he moved them against hers.
She released him with a small laugh. "It's me, apparently," she agreed, a wry smile on her face. "I guess it makes sense now, why I was so sure something was wrong."
"That couldn't have been easy, but you still managed to figure it out on your own, without any memories." He kissed her nose playfully. A hopeful expression crossed his face. "Speaking of, do you think you were right about us being together before all of this?"
She flicked his bell. "I'd say the chances might have gone up, since I appear to be your partner." Marinette's smile turned calculating. "Perhaps we knew each other's identities."
"Only one way to find out."
Marinette called for her lucky charm, catching the simple bouncy ball in her hand. Luckily, watching news coverage gave her the knowledge of what to say, but just before she tossed the ball, Chat interrupted.
"Wait–" he said, his hand coming up to rest on her forearm, the corner of his mouth turning down. "What if… what if we regain our memories from before, but lose what's happened since? And we're wrong?"
Marinette offered him a sad smile. "I guess we'll have to deal with it when we get there." She leaned over one last time, capturing his mouth in one final kiss. "Just in case," she said when she released him, offering him a half smile.
She tossed up the ball. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
The cure fell over them, and it felt as though the world shifted, ever so slightly, back into place. Like a framed photo that was hung off-center, gently realigned.
Ladybug and Chat Noir watched one another, wide-eyed as their memories returned.
And none were taken away.
A tentative awe began to appear across Chat's face. "My lady… Marinette."
They hadn't known each other's identities.
Marinette let everything sink in.
She was Ladybug. She always had been.
And Chat Noir…
Chat's expression turned rueful, the sadness blanketing over him as it sunk in for him, as well. "I'm sorry. I know we weren't… aren't together. We can pretend this all didn't happen, if that's what you–"
Ladybug's mouth pressed against his, cutting off his words as her hand came up behind his head and her fingers threaded through his hair. He let out a soft noise against her mouth as she kissed him fiercely, his hand coming up to dive into her own hair.
No, they hadn't been together. But Ladybug had been fighting with her feelings for her partner for some time now, holding back because of her duties and her own insecurities that Chat's professions of love were meant for her hero side only.
When she broke off from him, Chat dragged in a ragged breath, the wonder back in his eyes as he brushed her cheek with his thumb. "My lady?" he breathed, the question clear. The last time they had really talked about their feelings, she had turned him down for her other crush, after all.
Ladybug brought her hand down from his hair to his neck. "Mon Chaton… you fell for me… as Marinette?"
The corner of his mouth lifted into a lopsided grin. "I'll always fall for you, Princess. Memories or no memories. You truly are Ladybug through and through, with or without the mask. In fact–" A thoughtful look crossed his face before he continued. "If I hadn't been so distracted by you, my lady, I probably would have fallen for Marinette well before now."
Ladybug tilted her head in confusion. "But, you don't know me very well as…" She trailed off as his grin began to turn sheepish. "Wait, do you know me? Under the mask?"
"I do," he said simply. "Can I show you, now? Who I am?"
Ladybug's own earrings beeped at her, and she glanced around him to make sure that Lila was still tied up.
It was another realization that fell into place – Lila was Chrysalis, the butterfly holder they'd been fighting over the past year, ever since Hawk Moth had disappeared.
"You need to take her, first. Before I transform back and my yo-yo disappears." Ladybug still had a couple minutes left, but she wanted to be careful.
Chat nodded, reluctantly turning back to approach Lila.
"Chat Noir?" Lila's voice sounded confused, almost frightened. "Oh my goodness, Chat, thank you so much for taking that jewel off of me. I don't know what happened; it's like… it's like it took over me, corrupting me somehow. But you saved me."
Chat Noir looked down at her for just a moment, his expression flat. "You're a liar, Lila. I don't believe you. You're going to the police."
Something sparked in her eyes. "Well, I don't need you to believe me."
Chat scowled as he hauled her up to her feet, holding her against his side as he looked back at Ladybug. "You have enough time to get down?" When she nodded, he used his belt tail to restrain Lila before leaping the two of them away and towards the police station.
As Chat moved across town, his thoughts finally strayed from Ladybug – Marinette! – back to the girl who had started all their recent trouble.
He slowed down, eyeing her as he tried to decide the most effective way to get information from her.
His anger from the previous night flared briefly, but he squashed it down, knowing that if he gave in to it, he'd not only not get what he wanted from her, he'd also just give her more ammunition.
Reluctantly, he chose to bait his line with flattery, instead, placing her down so she was sitting on the roof. "I don't understand something, Lila. Hawk Moth was never able to send out multiple akumas at once. You were akumatized, but you still managed to send out more for us to fight."
She smirked, clearly proud of herself. "Hawk Moth never reached his full potential, unlike myself. I discovered that as long as I was the other one akumatized, I could send out another."
Chat frowned down at her. "How did you get the miraculous from him? Who was he?"
Lila's smile evened out. "We made a deal. I would use the miraculous in exchange for him to have a say in the wish." Her gaze darkened. "If I had known the earrings were so close…" She sighed. "I won't reveal his identity to you. I don't need his help to get out of this, but he's a useful ally, regardless."
The rage slashed through him again, and this time he wrenched her back up roughly. "You realize if you hadn't been so terrible to Marinette, and hurt her–" he gripped her shirt tightly, fighting back the desire to do the same thing to her now, "–your glamor might have lasted longer."
Irritation flashed across her face. "She doesn't deserve to wear those earrings. I should be the one–"
"You're delusional, Lila," he interrupted. "It's no wonder you barely lasted a couple weeks as Ladybug. You did it all for yourself, and that's not what being a hero is about. Marinette showed what it means to be a hero, even without powers or memories of being one. Maybe you can take some notes from her while you're locked away."
The emotion flowed away from her, leaving her looking merely bored. "I won't be gone for long."
Chat huffed, gripping her tightly again as he took off, aiming again for his destination. "You won't get free that easy, Lila."
"We'll see."
Ladybug jumped down from the stadium roof just in time to detransform in a secluded area.
Tikki flew up to her face, crashing against her cheek. Marinette laughed as the Kwami hugged her tightly. "I knew you would figure it out! I couldn't get to you through the akuma's power."
"I think I heard you, near the end." Marinette held the little red being in her hands, smiling through the tears that formed in her eyes. "I've missed you so much, Tikki. I was going crazy without you."
Marinette reached into her purse, fishing out a small treat that Tikki snagged and began munching happily on as she spoke. "You made it through! I was worried about you though, especially when you were climbing buildings without me!"
Marinette laughed lightly. "I'm sorry I worried you." Her thoughts strayed back to her partner. "Are you ready, Tikki?"
When Tikki hummed in agreement, Marinette transformed again.
When she didn't find Chat Noir near the station, Ladybug swung through the city, a particular destination in mind.
Her hunch turned out to be correct as she touched down on the familiar rooftop, finding Chat sitting on the edge. She sat down beside him, letting her head rest on his shoulder as they took in the view, which was quite different in the light of day.
"I see you found our spot," Chat said lightly, staring out at the Eiffel Tower, "–all without your memories, too."
Said memories flashed in her mind, of evenings spent with her partner on that exact rooftop. "The peace I feel here was too ingrained, I suppose." She sat up straight to look over at him, affection in her gaze as she snagged his hand in hers. "It was better when you were there, kitty."
The look he gave her then was pure adoration.
She felt nearly giddy as she tugged him to her by his bell, kissing him soundly. He looked dazed when she finally released him.
"Well," she said, nudging his shoulder with hers. "You know who I am now. Who are you beneath those ears and all those cat puns?"
He grinned. "I may be less hiss-terical beneath this mask, but cat puns are ingrained upon my soul, not the suit."
Ladybug groaned, swatting him playfully.
His smile dimmed slightly, the first hint of nerves peeking through. Then he detransformed.
Adrien Agreste now sat beside her, a nervous smile in place.
Ladybug gawked at him for a moment. "...Adrien?"
"Hey, Ladybug," he said, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. "Nice to–"
He cut off as she yanked him to her and kissed him again, her hand gripping his shirt.
She kissed him until she couldn't hold back her laughter, and then he too began smiling against her mouth.
Finally he broke off with a laugh of his own, resting his forehead on hers. "What's so funny, Bug?"
Her smile lit up her whole face. "Do you remember last year, when I turned you down and told you there was someone else I liked?"
"Not my favorite memory, but yeah?"
"That other boy was you, Adrien."
His eyes widened as he gaped at her. "What– you, wait– Marinette? You had a crush on me?"
She turned slightly pink beneath her mask, though her smile remained. "Yes, the entire class knew. Everyone but you, apparently. But I let it fade when I started falling for my partner instead." She winked at him.
The shock in his expression transitioned back into joy, and he brought his hand up to her face, caressing her cheek just below the mask. "So, hold on, you're saying that you fell for me twice?"
"Three times, actually. Thanks to Lila's little stunt."
Adrien smiled brightly and kissed her again, and Ladybug thought she might never want him to stop. She dropped her transformation, wanting to feel his skin beneath her fingers.
"I love you, Marinette," Adrien said, the words escaping from him in a rush between kisses.
Marinette felt the happiness bursting from within her. "I love you too, Adrien."
A voice interrupted them with a groan. "Alright, don't you think that's enough of the lovey dovey stuff for now? Can't you two take it somewhere else closer to the ground, you're making me nervous being up here without us." Plagg dropped down on Adrien's knee, glaring at the two of them.
Adrien looked down at his Kwami. "Aw, look at that; you do care, Plagg."
Plagg flew up Adrien's shoulder, flopping over on top of it. "Whatever, just hurry up and get down or transform already, geeze."
Tikki giggled, flying out to rest on Marinette's shoulder. "Don't be such a worrywart, give them their moment."
"But they've had at least five moments already!"
Marinette couldn't help but laugh as she met Adrien's gaze again, his expression matching hers. "How about just one more, then," she said. "Would that be okay, Plagg?" She tilted her head to watch the Kwami grumble as he threw up a paw in the air in agreement.
Satisfied, Marinette leaned her head back on Adrien's shoulder, his own head moving to rest against hers as they held hands and took in their favorite view, for just another minute.
Then they transformed, knowing there would be plenty of time to enjoy more moments just like this.
Together.
A/N: And there we go! Hope you enjoyed this bit of departure from my usual series! I'd love to know your thoughts!
In addition to the wonderful Ladrien piece I just added on the cover by Raunchy_bird on instagram, I hope to eventually commission a moment from each side of the square, since I sort of hit all of them there on the rooftop overlooking the tower. Feel free to follow me on Instagram to catch them if I do!
When I finished this story, I hit a year since starting writing my first ml fic, and realized I went from taking 5 years to write 25,000 words for a Twilight fic I've yet to complete, to writing over 200,000 words in a year! Thank you to all of you for reading and all of your support! Your encouraging words have kept me on this writing journey, and I'm so excited to see where it goes.
Not sure what I'll work on next, maybe something new in my other series, or might take a look again at my MariClaw follow up to Dawning Light.
Feel free to check out more of my works if you'd like! I recently posted a one-shot called The Start of Something New, if you haven't already checked that one out!
Thanks all!