A/N: Oh wow, this took much longer than I originally anticipated haha! I want to start off with a big fat thank you to all of you who have commented and left kudos on this story! I didn't expect the lovely reception and originally assumed that since the topic is quite a niche, it would be as unpopular amongst my works like my ongoing horror fic (Connecting Everything, Connecting To Everywhere (which is understandable because the horror genre isn't everyone's cup of tea LMAO)). So once again, thank you! Every comment and kudos sincerely makes my day and motivates me to keep writing.
I did originally plan for this to remain as a two-shot since the oneshot plan didn't work out but…the second chapter was getting too long and it was reaching 20K words despite me not being halfway. SO I SPLIT IT UP AND NOW WE ARE GETTING A THREE-SHOT LMAO SORRY! I guess it means more for you guys to read hahaha!
I also wanted to address some of the questions a few commenters had (mainly on FFN). I have always intended for this story to focus on Adrien's journey and how he navigates his life rather than the mechanisms of the Miraculous power and some of the realism that comes when you're a mute hero. Most of the answers you're seeking have already been written in this chapter thankfully lol but overall, I just want to warn you that there may be plotholes or things that are glossed over because either I don't think they need to be expanded upon or I just straight up forgot LOLOL.
Writing stories is just an old hobby of mine that I like sharing online for my friends and fans to read :) At the end of the day, I'm a busy individual with a life outside the Internet and I'm doing all of this for free and it's why I'm always begging for comments and reviews like the greedy little bitch I am 3
Without further ado, please enjoy the final, lengthy chapter of さだめ! Have fun and please be mindful of the updated tags!
"Hands up I'll give you what you please
We'll face the singularity
This is the reason why we're here from nowhere"
2045 - MAN WITH A MISSION
~(x)~
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"I guess her familiarity with your cat-eared self finally makes sense and all, huh?" Plagg spoke after he was sick of the suffocating silence in the bedroom, his collection of exquisite cheese and sliced meat on the charcuterie board left surprisingly untouched. The kwami floated closer towards his wielder who was sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the windows and staring into space. "Kid…you're starting to worry me." The little God of destruction perched himself on one of Adrien's knees, peering up at him like a curious yet concerned-looking kitten. The boy would have found it quite adorable had he been in the right mindset.
But the flicker of the undying, rageful fire never left his greens.
'I'm fine.' He gestured and even offered a small smile to his companion. But even a blind man would have been able to tell that it was barely half-hearted. Plagg couldn't blame him regardless. What should have been a joyous and wonderful realisation for his host was attained in a rather cruel, heartbreaking manner. To find out that the person you loved more than life itself was forced to go through excruciating hardships because of another person who you deemed like family would turn anyone's mind into a blistering storm. Adrien was no exception to this (and how could he come back from this so easily? The little girl he grew up with who was a part of the better moments during his childhood turned out to be capable of something so cruel and so hurtful).
So Plagg tried to lift his boy out of the darkness again.
"Your little Lady and I would get along so well, you know." That earned him genuine intrigue on the teen's face and internally, Plagg pumped up a fist in the air. "I love how she pretended to believe what's been said about you in the press at first. What was it again…ah! That the reason that you don't talk is because you are actually a cat without the ring. The embarrassment I felt running through your body whenever she offered you a bowl of milk and some packages of catnip on her balcony was delicious." The way that Adrien tried to stifle his grin and look away was better than all the camembert in the world combined and that was usually an unbeatable feat for the gluttonous kwami.
'That's Ladybug's fault.' Adrien mouthed, thinking back to how during the beginning of their partnership, his Lady was absolutely terrible with handling the reporters and their flashing cameras. One of them at the time demanded to know why Chat Noir never spoke and the only thing his poor, silly Bug could think of on the spot was:
"E-E-Erm! Because he's a cat! A real cat! Yep! Hahahahah! Yes, yes— those furry little creatures with triangles for ears! An actual cat! He can only miaou and purr but because I'm his partner, only I can hear it! Eh? What am I? I-I'm not telling you. BYE!"
The internet exploded right after that, full of conspiracy theories and memes and all sorts of nonsense and because of that (in her words truly) disaster, Ladybug never spoke to any of the reporters ever again barring Alya who ran the Ladyblog (which also makes sense now because they're best friends as civilians). Even then, the most she would say to Alya was to either get to safety or inform her about how dangerous the Akuma of the day was and even scold her sometimes because she almost got herself killed trying to record everything.
On one hand, his partner's bizarre, made-up reasoning was an excellent way to help keep his civilian identity a secret and added an extra layer of safety for him. Though it was an open secret that Adrien Agreste was a non-verbal individual, he wasn't as well known in the country let alone in the industry because the few modelling jobs he took on from time to time were always within the Gabriel brand and they had very strict privacy rules thanks to Nathalie's management (because his father was still too busy to ever acknowledge him to actually give a damn that his son worked for his brand). Regardless of how well-known he is or not, he would have been heavily scrutinised by the public because there were only so many non-verbal Parisians who could potentially be Chat Noir. Ladybug's answer simply saved his civilian guise from any danger.
On the other hand, pretty much the whole world believed he was an actual cat and often treated him like one too (such as trying to lure him towards them with a can of tuna mid-battle, clicking their tongues or even waving a carton of milk whilst he's on patrol). Not to mention that there was a very huge chance that le Papillon was aware that Ladybug lied because if he was knowledgeable enough to flawlessly akumatise people whenever he wanted, he was definitely familiar with the fact that only humans can utilise the power of the miraculous. So Adrien was still at high risk of being found out by the enemy but there was only so much he could do (whilst running away to a deserted island and only coming to Paris whenever there was trouble was a tempting idea, he would miss everyone far too much and would probably perish from loneliness or Plagg's tantrums from the lack of cheese).
Ladybug did try to sheepishly make it up to him for causing the cat rumours by offering two dozen of assorted, delicious macarons and that was more than enough for him to forgive her ("C'est juste purr-pagande, hahah, non? Mon Chaton? Chaton? Chat Noir? Ireallyamsosorrypleaseforgiveme!"). Now that he's figured out she's Marinette under the mask, Adrien noted that the macarons and the many other treats she always brought for him during patrols or at their hangouts were handmade all along. His heart both melted and ached simultaneously, going through all of their past interactions in and out of the mask with a better understanding behind every single thing she said or did and a huge part of him wanted to slap himself for not figuring it out sooner because it was clearly so obvious all this time.
(He's her partner in the masks and one of her bestest friends outside of it too so he should have connected the dots sooner! As much as he loves her, even he could admit that she didn't even try to keep her identity a secret from him.)
She could have banned him from ever coming back to her balcony again as Chat Noir that fateful night in order to keep him from getting too familiar with her civilian guise and lessen his chances of figuring her out. Instead, she welcomed him with open arms (even if she initially was a little pissed at his recklessness and the loss of her plants) and always encouraged him to come back every single time without fail.
She could have also kept their partnership strictly professional when they first debuted as heroes because they had no obligation to form any sort of relationship as long as they got the job done. Despite that, she didn't hesitate to open up her walls and allow him to get to know her better and because of that, she ended up becoming one of his bestest friends ever (easing away the solitude he often felt in his household).
Ladybug put all of her time and effort into ensuring that he was always having a good time by her side regardless if she was wearing a mask or not and he never failed to internally question whether it was because of her natural, innate kindness or if there was more that lied within her heart.
During his darker, frustrated moments, Adrien originally wondered if his Lady's kindness towards him stemmed from pity because her willingly choosing to seek out his presence and be by his side felt way too good to be true (and he wouldn't even blame her if that was to be the case). He wondered if she ever thought of him as a liability and wished deep down inside that she had a partner who could actually talk and not cause the battles to be a hundred times more difficult because whether they both hated to admit it or not, his lack of a physical voice has caused too many close calls.
He didn't expect the answer she gave when he begrudgingly asked her about it after a lot of prodding from her end, the heroine just as capable of reading him and well aware that something was weighing on his mind.
.
"Oh? I'm a little hurt that you'd think I pity you. I thought we were better friends by now." Ladybug's glare softened when her partner gaped and nodded his head frantically, kitten eyes pleading for forgiveness and belt tail resting on her lap. After a few more seconds of scrutiny and making her Chaton squirm a little longer under her sharp gaze, the heroine smiled and combed her fingers through his messy fringe. "Silly boy. The only times I pity you is whenever an Akuma dumps you in la Seine. I've heard that there's brain-eating bacteria that still hasn't been named yet swimming freely in all of that dirty water."
Chat Noir looked downright horrified by the prospect, clutching his head in alarm only to immediately scowl when Ladybug burst out into laughter.
'You're chatting SHIT.' He mouthed, belt tail now smacking the metal behind him as if to express how irritated he was. He would have stood up in annoyance too but they were sitting on one of the beams of la Tour Eiffel (that was at least a good three hundred metres above the ground no less) and neither of them was still very comfortable with standing at such a dangerous height yet.
"Sorry~ it's actually just E. coli and some other nasty things. I'm sure you've already seen your fair share of people pissing in there too. Imagine all of that getting in your ears and nose and eyes after falling in there— oh wait! No need. You've been dunked in there at least fourteen times since we've started heroing." His unamused expression and feline ears plastering themselves against his hair only had his Lady giggle a little more until he headbutted her (softly enough to not hurt her, hard enough to send a message). "Oof! Okay, okay. Sorry. I'll stop now. Heheh…"
The next time she bats her lashes and asks him to buy her some bubble tea from their favourite shop, he is going to get her a durian-flavoured one as sweet, sweet revenge.
Ladybug hates, hates, HATES durian with a passion.
"Back to the conversation…" His heart halted and he was tempted to wave her off to signal that there was no need to continue. However, her small yet soft smile kept his hands in place, resting on his thighs as she looked up at the murky, cloudy skies. The forecast mentioned that it would rain and surprisingly, it was correct for once. "I don't pity you. Never have. You're the best partner I could have ever asked for, Chat Noir. Even if you do send me stupid jokes during Akuma battles and almost got me sliced in half by that guillotine-looking villain thingy once cos I was too busy laughing at whatever you sent me on my yoyo."
The feline hero quickly hunched up his shoulders and looked away guiltily, still very remorseful about that particular battle and if he could travel back in time to stop his stupid past self from sending that ridiculous joke, he would have. But hey— at least he learnt his lesson and only joked around if the Akuma wasn't armed with anything dangerous. He was also forced to wear that red clown nose his Lady gave him for a week as punishment for acting like a fool.
Alya was living her best life during that time, ensuring to capture as much footage of him as possible with that dreaded clown nose. Slamming that thing in the nearest bin after that week was over was probably one of the bestest feelings he had ever felt in his entire fourteen years of life.
"It was a little strange at first. I've never met anyone in my life who couldn't talk before you." His stomach felt uneasy once more but his heart had faith in his partner regardless. "It did get a little getting used to. Coming up with alternative ways to communicate whenever we're apart using our earpieces. Learning how to type faster on my yoyo in case my plans turn out to be more convoluted because I needed your input. Even having to keep my ears open constantly so that I can hear you coming— I don't know if I still suck at that or you're just messing with me and purposely sneaking around like the little menace you are, Chaton."
He pushed his tongue to the inside of one of his cheeks, trying not to smile and give away the fact that she was right. Nevertheless, Ladybug managed to catch it from the mischievous twinkle in his greens and only rolled her eyes.
"All of that is fun when I think about it. It's not a pain or a burden or whatever rubbish you're thinking." Her blues held a warmth that eased his soul and for a moment, she had him in a trance and he could only watch. "You…it's going to sound weird, I know. But hear me out. You're more talkative than most people I know. D-D-Does that make sense?" He could only cock his head to the side in confusion, causing her skin to flare up in that adorable (yet familiar) shade of red he liked seeing and she pressed a hand to her face.
What did she mean?
He shuffled closer and placed his hands on her knees, even bending down ever so slightly so that he could peer up at her with curiosity prominent in his eyes. Acting a little less like a boy and more like his namesake (though his late mother may have argued otherwise and claimed that it was such an 'Adrien' thing to do).
"I-I-If you keep looking at me like that it's gonna be harder to say what I wanna say!" Ladybug whined and pressed her other hand to his face, obstructing his vision and he probably would have quietly miaoued in surprise if he could. Instead, he could only gaze at her with his partial vision as he sat up properly, giving her a little more space (much to his dismay because she was so much more cuter up close) and pulling her hand off him. The curiosity was starting to eat him up from inside out and his Lady was taking her sweet time preparing herself to talk.
'Come on. Tell me, tell me, tell me!' Chat Noir's pleading eyes alone were enough to make Ladybug's complexion redden even further to the point where she was starting to blend in with her mask and suit. The heroine wished that there was a pillow nearby so that she could grab it and scream into its softness because there was only so much eagerness she could handle from her partner.
"Okay! Okay. It's mainly your face." His expression would have spelt out a big fat 'QUOI?' if it were possible. "See! That's what I mean. You're a very expressive person. If you're not mouthing things or texting or even using your hands, I can often tell what you're saying or thinking because of the faces you make. I-It's a little crazy if you think about how so many people out here never show anything on their face, if that makes sense." Chat Noir could only watch her with amazement, never realising himself about such an obvious fact that applied not only to him, but practically everyone he knew.
A pang struck his heart and his thoughts immediately meandered their way towards his closed-off father. He still hasn't seen the man in person for about four years now and barring the mental breakdown the senior had after Maman's disappearance, the only thing that Chat Noir could remember about the man's face was how emotionless it always was.
No one could ever tell what went through his father's head when he looked like that and it's why so many people found him absolutely intimidating to the point where they would find excuses to not be around when he was present. Many news outlets and journalists even nicknamed him the 'Ice King of Fashion' and never ceased their wild speculations on why his mother, who was like the sun, married him.
The hero suddenly realised that he had no recollection whatsoever of how his father's face looked before Maman fell extremely sick and ultimately disappeared. He could hardly remember a time when the man wore a true, genuine smile and his heart could only weep silently.
"It's not always so obvious. There are many times when you wear a fake smile that looks so genuine, I…I bought it in the beginning. And there are times when you have a really sad, distant look. Like you're waiting for something…but I don't know what." All the anguish left his body in the snap of a pair of fingers and he was now watching her with an intensity that made her mouth shut with a clack of her teeth. His heart was hammering itself against his ribcage and his mind was simultaneously laced with bugging familiarity and panic because she was reading him a little too well and that frankly scared him quite a bit.
Not even Nathalie can see past the quick smiles he would plaster on to hide his deeper, darker feelings and she's known him since he was born! There were even a handful of times when he was able to fool his dear Maman into thinking that he was okay and she was his mother for crying out loud.
And yet, Ladybug was able to slowly decipher him as if she knew the secret language that encrypted all of his unspoken feelings like a genius. Was it because of a potential magical link that enhanced the bond and partnership between them both to ensure that they were always on the same wavelength? Or was it because that's the kind of person she is and that her reading of his character was a result of hard work and observation?
Just who exactly is the girl behind the mask?
"A-And…there are times when you…you look at me like that. I don't know what you're thinking about at all. No one has ever looked at me like that."
.
'I love you. That's what I'm thinking about. How much I really, truly, wonderfully love you, Ladybug. That I fall deeper and harder every single day the more I get to know you.'
He wished he could whisper into her ear with utmost desperation and smooth his lips against her flesh but all it did was cloak his insides with a solemn curtain and keep his heart chained to the gloomy solitude that he'd never managed to shake off since his mother was gone. So instead, he leaned his forehead against hers with a sigh and closed his eyes, not needing to open them to know that she was most likely watching him with both intrigue and sadness on his behalf. A flicker of warmth waved its way through his body when Ladybug clasped his hands with hers and kept them between their laps.
"Just like everyone else, you are well within your rights to keep things about yourself a secret. Especially if they're painful things. It's up to you if you want to tell me about them or not, mon Chaton." When he opened his eyes and pulled away slightly, he wasn't surprised to see her look at him as if she knew what lay within the core of his shattered soul. It was that same nagging yet homely feeling of intimacy that tickled a particular section of his brain but no matter how hard he tried to think or piece everything together, it just wouldn't click.
Gently, he pressed his pointer finger at his partner's forehead and mouthed 'I don't know' to emphasise that right now, he was unaware of what was going on through her head too. Her features only softened and her blues were back on the view of the city.
"It's a secret." Her voice was so breathy it was almost a whisper. "Maybe you'll find out one day. Maybe you won't. You never know." She was being playfully vague and he could only pout, the mood losing its intensity and the heat between them both cooling down ever so slightly. "By the way, it's also not just the expressions."
She was facing him again but her eyes never lost their ambiguous fondness for him. Chat Noir wanted to linger and focus on the answers that her blues held but a part of him knew that now wasn't the right time.
His partner would only keep running away and the last thing he wanted was to piss her off and ruin their day thanks to his nosiness.
"You're always engaged in our conversations. You'd write down or even gesture your responses instead of just nodding or shaking your head which I know I would have done most of the time if I was in your position. That's one of the many things I lo— like— RESPECT about you— yeah, hahah." Her complexion was reddening once more and despite being confused by her reactions, Chat Noir just smiled encouragingly. "It makes me happy that you're enthusiastic enough to talk to me and you don't let anything get in the way of doing what you want to do. I'm only going to say this once so don't let it get to your head…you're a really cool person, Chat Noir."
Instead of grinning smugly like Ladybug expected him to do so, the feline hero could only watch her with awe and a light strawberry hue peeked over ever so narrowly from the edges of his mask around the cheeks.
No one close to him has ever called him 'cool' and all he could feel was a hundred thousand butterflies fluttering inside his chest.
She thought he was cool.
Cool!
"Chaton? Chat Noir? Hello? Did I break you— OOF!" Her partner proceeded to tackle her into a hug, his weight accidentally causing her to topple on her back with his body on top like an overeager cat. "O-Oh…as nice as this is, I'll make sure to compliment you in places that aren't as high up as here cos I'm kinda freaking out now hahahaha…"
He only held her tighter and kept his teary smile hidden in the crook of her neck as his partner nervously chattered away. Once again, he loves her so, so, so much.
.
For a second, Adrien thought that he might have solved the puzzling emotions that glittered within his Lady's eyes and that it was because he visited her every night as Chat Noir where they hung out and got to know each other better that she wore that peculiar look. A little 'Hahah! I'm right under your nose, silly Chaton! And you haven't figured it out yet~!'. However, he realised that she had been looking at him that way a long time before he met her civilian self as his heroic persona. When she thought he wasn't looking, he also spotted her glancing at him the same exact way when he was just Adrien at school. The softness of her blues would tenderly cradle his frame and it was as if she was piecing him back together bit by bit till he was whole again.
He was missing a crucial, important piece of information and the most frustrating part for him was that it also seemed very, very obvious.
But what could be just as obvious to him as Marinette and Ladybug being the same person all along?
.
'Marinette Dupain-Cheng…you sure are quite the enigma.' Adrien mused to himself and when his eyes fell on his smirking little companion, he had an inkling that Plagg held the answer to his questions. Scratch that— the greedy little cheese gremlin absolutely, one hundred percent knew exactly what he wanted to know.
Now the real question was how was he going to make the God of destruction spill—
"Whatever you're up to, I want absolutely no part of it." What the fuck. Did he suddenly form the telekinetic link without him realising and read his mind!? "Nah. I just know you so well that I pretty much know everything that goes on through that head of yours, kid."
Oh, boo.
'Well, why won't you help then!?' Adrien lightly glared but he was just as threatening as all the grumpy little kittens in the world who were told that it wasn't time for dinner even though they were hungry now.
And he was starving for answers.
"The day you figure it all out on your own is gonna be the funniest thing I've ever seen since the beginning of time and I better have front-row seats when it happens~!" Adrien knew for sure that Plagg would never pull that kind of behaviour with Marinette because if she were in his position instead of him, she would have definitely shoved the kwami in her mouth out of anger. As Ladybug, she once confessed to him that she accidentally did it to Tikki because as sweet as her little Goddess was, she was an absolute nightmare when it came to sweets and moderating her rabid sugar consumption.
Huh.
Maybe he should just shove Plagg in his mouth too—
"If you pull your girlfriend's stunt on me, kid, I will ensure that you will not be able to take a shit for the next three weeks. That's a promise." Looks like Adrien wasn't going to gain any sort of assistance from his unhelpful (and very gross) kwami at all regarding the secrets that the love of his life held away from him like a carrot on a stick.
Hold on.
Girlfriend?
GIRLFRIEND?
.
'HnnnnNnnn…I want to be her husband so badly…' Adrien was all pink bubbles and glittering hearts and he flopped onto his bed belly first, now properly introspecting on the fact that the love of his life is also one of his bestest friends from school and that the two most important girls in his life turned out to be one all along.
One exceptional, phenomenal, crazy, ridiculous, brilliant, wonderful, hotheaded, silly and amazing girl.
He knew he could be very oblivious and in denial at times (no thanks to being homeschooled for the majority of his life as well as being downright terrible when it comes to social cues) but he had been slowly accepting that he had been viewing Marinette under a romantic light for a very, very long time. The mental gymnastics and grief he put Plagg and his close friends through every time he denied their factual statements regarding what truly lied in his heart about Marinette warranted a box of Swiss chocolates at the very least as an apology because not only were they right, they were all also understatements when it came to how much he genuinely loved her.
What started off as a tentative yet burning need to get closer to her despite their rocky first impression on his first day of school bloomed into an insatiable desire to be in her presence at all times as if she were the oxygen he needed to breathe. Merde, it got to the point where he was equally as obsessed with Marinette as he was with Ladybug and the guilt and confusion he felt for loving two people at once made him see the errors of his ways whenever he internally screamed at the main character for being in the same situation as him in his favourite romance shows.
There were no words out there that had even been invented yet that could accurately describe the sheer luck that Adrien held for once with the two girls turning out to be one all this time which halved a good majority of his love-related dilemmas regarding her. Now, he can confidently give her his everything without a single ounce of guilt and once he reveals his secret identity, everything should be perfect!
Bzz! Bzz!
As soon as Adrien reached for his phone to check the notification, all traces of joy were wiped off clean and his muscles turned abnormally tense. His heartbeat elevated dangerously and his teeth were clenched to the point where they could possibly break.
He wanted to slam the phone into the wall with all of his strength and scream at it so that even the depths of hell could hear him.
"Hey…hey! You're crushing your phone! What's wrong— oh. Oh." The boy allowed Plagg to ease the device out of his trembling fingers and had he been a second too late, the phone would have been nothing more than crumpled-up glass and metal by now. "Do you want me to delete that message for you?" Chloé's name in the notification was more than enough for the host of destruction to see red and he felt his blood stream through his veins as if they were made of molten lava.
'Leave it.' Adrien turned his back on his companion and clutched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to take in deep breaths but his throat refused to loosen up and he was starting to struggle to get any air in. He had to calm down fast or else le Papillon would get a whiff of the hurricane that was his emotional turmoil and akumatise him. The villain only needs to be in his head for one second and that's it; his secret identity will be exposed along with Marinette's no thanks to his newly found knowledge and everyone they knew and loved would be in extreme danger.
"It's okay, Adrien. Breathe. I'll get rid of any butterflies that try to come near you. So don't bottle it all in." Plagg's soothing words were the last straw and just like that, tears streamed down the teen's face in an instant. The boy cursed himself for being so, so emotional and rathered he clung onto the burning white fury instead. He felt like he was still that helpless little ten-year-old who always cried and cried and cried. "I can block her on everything. You don't even need to see her name." Adrien only shook his head at his kwami's suggestion, roughly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and trying his best to keep the sniffles down.
While it would be so easy to just let Plagg do all of that, at the end of the day it would be like running away and he would end up facing Chloé sooner or later whether he likes it or not. He had to take action now otherwise he may not find the resolve again in the future and he'll only end up hating himself even more if that happened. With apprehension, Adrien picked the phone back up and took a few minutes to think about how he wanted to approach the situation. 'Fuck it.' He chose the route his heart screamed for him to follow and wrote exactly how he felt without even bothering to read what she'd messaged him. The teen refused to sugarcoat and soften things any longer for the blonde girl and he was determined to make a difference.
"Are you sure, kid? There's no going back once you send that to her. She'll make your civilian life a living hell." Adrien appreciated Plagg's concerns but this was something that he should have done a long time ago as soon as he started public school.
'The fact that she managed to get away with all the horrible things she's done against Marinette and everyone else whilst I was too busy feeling sorry for myself is already hellish enough.' Grazing his Adam's apple with the knuckles of one hand, the hero sent the message with the other and then immediately muted Chloé's contact so that he no longer received any notifications from her. Whatever she wanted to say to him after that, she should say it to his face the next day at school. He then reached for Nino's contact, pleased to see that his best friend was still online and started typing.
Adrien - Hey, I know this will sound really out of the blue but I need you to tell me everything that Chloé has done against you, Marinette and all of our friends.
Nino - …okok thas very sudden. are u sure?
Adrien - Please.
Nino - shes done a lot of fucked up shit mec are u sure u wanna hear all of that
Adrien - I should have known from the start. You're my best friend and recently finding out the extent of her bullying towards Marinette has made me realise how blind and ignorant I've been all along.
Nino - nah mec its not ur fault. u grew up with chloe n she's practically ur lil sister n everything thas why none of said anything
Adrien - I don't care. I need to know or else I'll explode from all of these feelings. Please.
Nino - i got ya mec. just prepare urself cos it aint pretty. i got lucky because nobody gave two fucks about me in school till u n alya came along. its marinette n juleka n some other girls who got the worst of it.
Adrien - Fuck…
Nino - i dont wanna see u get akumatised after i tell u all the shit shes done to marinette mec i know how much u really love her
Adrien - It's because I love her I need to know.
Nino - ur finally admitting it? ? ? fuck! ill come over to urs now actually i love u n all but le shitty-llon's butterflies will defo come after ur ass n ill have to fight em for u
Adrien - Okay. I'll send Nathalie a text so that when she wakes up in the morning, she'll know in advance that you're here and get breakfast made for you too.
Nino - she rocks! ! nice nice im omw theres no chance of me bumping into ur old man again right
Adrien - You only ever bumped into him when he was on an iPad screen doing Facetime with a client.
Nino - yh and tha was enough for me to get akumatised n look like the ugliest motherfucker around mec i was blowing BUBBLES lookin like somethin noël wud slab together with playdoh
Adrien - You won't bump into him this time.
Nino - im bringing burgers too we are eating our feelings away tonite
Adrien - You're the best.
Nino - ik :)
~(x)~
'Vocal cord dysfunction?' One barely fourteen-and-a-quarter-year-old Adrien blinked tiredly at the woman who smiled at him warmly, the boy still sat upright on the hospital bed and the sound of the monitor that checked his vitals was deaf to his ears. He could only cock his head ever so slightly to the side, still very much half asleep. The painkillers he was given were taking their sweet time to kick in and his throat continued to cling to the dull throbbing pain like a borderline-obsessed ex-lover who refused to let go. His right hand was also placed inside a cast, completely immobilised and it hurt just as much, if not more than his throat.
He still tried his best to be as polite as possible regardless (not to mention that his Maman's early teachings involved showing utmost respect to people who worked in any departments that saved lives).
"Inducible laryngeal obstruction, also known as vocal cord dysfunction. It is a throat disorder, Monsieur. Agreste." The kind lady shuffled closer, her name badge glimmering from the sunlight which revealed the words 'Docteur. Honda. "You were brought in here yesterday in the afternoon with symptoms of choking and noisy breathing. We suspected that it was asthma at first because the symptoms were very similar. A couple of inhalers and one nasal endoscopy later proved us all wrong and we've managed to find what has been causing the issue."
Roughly, Adrien started to recall what happened that night and his stomach plummeted anew all over again with the memory of piercing ice-blue eyes sinking their thorns into his knackered brain and the tears that followed soon after which only fanned the guilt within him.
(Yesterday, 13:05pm)
Adrien didn't even flinch when a high heel was flung against the wall behind him, missing his face by mere centimetres and he simply eyed the heaving girl before him with a coldness that was more characteristic of his distant father. The only way one could describe the look etched into Chloé's face was pure, pure resentment and the boy naturally sighed quietly at the scene before him.
Hundreds of thousands of euros worth of belongings such as clothes, makeup, jewellery and all sorts of accessories were strewn around in her bedroom as if a tornado had run its course through the area. A person who was lesser off would gawk at the mess and perhaps even cry at the sight of the damaged goods because it was all worth more than even ten percent of what they would ever make in their entire lifetime. Meanwhile, another person who was brought up with Chloé's lifestyle would simply shrug and get their daddy to replace everything with the flick of a dainty wrist.
Exotic designer-branded perfume seeped into the one-of-a-kind plush carpet exported from Morocco, assaulting Adrien's nose with the strong stench and he fought the urge to gag from the way it aggressively clawed into his windpipes. Clothes made from the finest material in the world were crumpled and torn, many of which haven't had the chance to even be worn yet but all that Adrien could think of were the poor seamstresses and dressmakers who were probably forced and exploited to make some of those articles in the first place.
All in all, it was just another reminder that to Chloé, anything and everything was replaceable and that she had the money and power to get what she wanted whenever she wanted (and that no matter how many times she destroys the things she's gifted, she'll continue to be rewarded over and over again).
Adrien wasn't surprised.
.
But he was still disappointed.
"You. What the hell do you mean by this?" This time, she threw her phone at him and he caught it with perfect ease, placing the device down on the nearest desk without even glancing at the screen. "What the hell do you mean that you'll break off our friendship if I don't apologise to that rat Dupain-Cheng and the rest of her measly little friends? HUH?" The blonde girl crawled off her bed and stormed towards him until they were no more than a foot apart. Adrien remained unmoving whilst Chloé's furious expression soon twisted into one that was a little more deranged and sadistic.
His nose flared at the sight of her beady blue eyes and her sinister little smile. Such a horrific expression did not suit her features in his opinion and it was obvious that she was trying to emulate as much of her despicable mother's behaviour as possible.
"Oh, I see. Adrichou, you poor thing. That little baker rat has infected you with a little sob story or two, hmm?" She tried to dust off the invisible dirt on his shoulders with her perfectly manicured hands only for him to smack them away without a beat. Both of their expressions darkened and if a stranger were to have walked in on them, they would mistaken the duo as twins. "Why do you even care anyway? You never did before." She started to walk around him with her arms folded like a lioness circling its prey.
Unfortunately for her, he was no longer the meek little child he used to be when he just smiled quietly and rarely let anyone know what truly went through his head. It was ironic in the most bizarre way possible because losing his voice only made him realise that there was just so much he wanted to say.
'You need to apologise.' He enounced every single syllable so clearly that it was as if you could hear the words loud and clear in your head. Chloé was left stunned momentarily by the sheer will that radiated from her childhood friend and she had to physically stop herself from taking a step back by slapping back on a scowl.
She didn't like this.
She didn't like this at all.
'Who the hell does he think he is?'
"Don't. Tell. Me. What. To. Do." She hissed through gritted teeth, her blues looking more dangerous than ever but all that did was fan the flames of fury within Adrien. "Those rats are beneath us! They should stay in their lane! Why should I have to apologise to filth like that!? Me, Chloé Bourgeois!?" God, he was genuinely repulsed to the point where he had to sink his nails into the palms of his hands to avoid physically lashing out and stooping to her level. The abhorrent stench of all the combined broken perfume bottles simply made the atmosphere a million times more suffocating. It not only clouded his chaotic thoughts but also continued to make it harder and harder and harder to breathe.
"They all deserved everything I did to them anyway! They're all losers who only want to see me drop my crown because they're clearly jealous of me! So do us all a favour, use that brain of yours for once, take back that utterly ridiculous message you sent me and get out of my sight before I get really mad!"
Adrien could only gape at her incredulously, unable to comprehend the mental lengths the girl would go through to justify all of the pain and suffering she'd inflicted upon others. Instantly, an image of a nine-year-old Marinette flashed in his head, her tiny hands clutching her bruising throat as she choked and gasped for a breath on the floor whilst her legs kicked at the ground and her tears drenched her splotchy red face.
He wanted to scream, he wanted to scream, he wanted to scream, he wanted to scream, he wanted to scream, HE WANTED TO SCREAM.
Instead, one second his nails were digging into his scalp and the next, he saw red and his fist was slammed into the nearest wall with so much force that it left behind a crater. Adrien's knuckles were shattered upon impact, unused to the supernatural powers he held thanks to being the wielder of destruction for so long but at that moment, he didn't feel a single fucking thing.
.
"W…What the Hell…? Adrien!? You're bleeding— holy shit— w-w-why did you do that!? You idiot— you hurt yourself—" Chloé's tentative worried chattering was immediately cut short when Adrien turned his head back ever so slightly and pierced her body with his green, green, bright green eyes of pure, raw hatred.
'YOU ALMOST KILLED HER.'
His teeth were clenched tight so hard they would have fractured had he been an ordinary person and he remained in his position with his broken, bleeding fist against the wall and his body notably heaving harder and harder and harder.
A pang of an undiluted, unimaginable wave of guilt shocked her straight to the core as that specific day many years ago ran through her head at full speed and the memories she tried her utmost best to bury deep within the confines of her heart sprung out without mercy. Adrien's rageful sentiments towards her were the key, her heart was Pandora's box and the horrifying memories of little Marinette's body trembling against the floor as if she was being electrocuted to death were all that Chloé could see.
She remembered the screams and yells of the teachers and students in the vicinity as she wiped her tiny hands against the sides of her pretty yellow dress of the leftover cinnamon that stubbornly clung to her sweaty palms.
She remembered the paramedics surrounding Marinette, pounding her back with their hands to dislodge the fluid and vomit out of her inflamed throat, her baby blues turning lifeless and her limbs becoming limp.
She remembered faint blobs of colour as her tears were pouring down her face and she barely made out the CPR that was being performed, her knees instantly turning to jelly and causing her to sink onto her knees upon the dirty, dirty floor.
She remembered the disgusting (and yet absolutely relieving) sound of Marinette suddenly coughing out wetly and proceeding to throw up what was left in her stomach with the assistance of all the professionals involved.
She remembered running away as fast as possible after getting a glimpse of those baby blues that she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life, crying internally over and over and over again.
"It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THIS! I DIDN'T MEAN TO, I SWEAR!"
Chloé came back to the present in a matter of seconds but no matter how hard she tried to keep it all in, the unforgiving guilt remained etched into her veins and her marrows and her screaming nerves. Had Adrien been in his right mindset, he would have recognised the foreign (and yet familiar) expression that refused to leave Chloé's face and realised that horrendous night affected her too till this day.
But he was far too lost in his poisonous anger.
And Chloé had no desire to spill what truly lay in her heart.
So just like always, she covered up those vulnerable feelings with comforting bitterness and resentment towards everyone and everything she believed to be beneath her.
"Hah. I see how it is. So I'm the bad guy, huh? You and your perfect new little goodie-two-shoes friends are all perfect little saints whilst I'm the bad guy?" Her body was trembling and she tried her best to bottle up the tears, digging her nails into her arms as she folded them only to get another glimpse of Adrien's greens and snap.
With a roar, Chloé ran towards a nearby desk and swept everything off the surface with her arms, causing more bottles of expensive perfume to smash into the carpet and intensify the nauseating scent of clashing fragrances in the air.
"BULLSHIT! YOU'RE ALL BULLSHIT!" Her hair was an absolute mess now and mascara-stained tears ran down her face without a beat. "I'm not the bad guy! I'm not in the wrong! I've never done anything wrong in my life!" Running on pure adrenaline now, she swerved back around to face Adrien who was now also facing her, his breathing more laboured than ever and his bloodied fist dripping onto the ground.
"Dupain-Cheng has caused way more Akumas than I ever have and you all know it!" She tried to argue but her childhood friend continued to eye her as if she was the scum of the Earth. Chloé could only aggressively wipe her never-ending tears away with the back of her hand, hating the fact that despite her argument being true, unlike her, Marinette always tried her best to apologise to the people she's wronged and thrived to do better.
"She was even a bitch to you on your first day of school and it was thanks to me that she left you alone…until you both miraculously became buddies the very next day. Hah." Yet again, her point held no merit because they both knew that she caused the misunderstanding to begin with by putting the gum on Marinette's seat, even if she did helpfully (or unhelpfully) drill into everyone's heads that Adrien was mute.
"I-I-I did so much for you! I was there for you when your Maman was gone! I was there for you when you cried about your Papa! I was there, I was there, I was fucking there for you when you needed someone the most! How could you do this to me after everything!" The nauseating, brutal sight of little Marinette's body appeared on the floor in front of her like a ghost and the sounds of wheezing and gasping filled her eardrums to the point where they felt like they were going to explode. "I AM NOT THE BAD GUY!" She cried one more time, tears blurring her vision till all she saw were splotches of colours and the choking sounds simply grew louder despite her covering her ears with shaking hands.
Except…
Her vision was no longer filled with black and blue and pink.
.
It was a much bigger figure with blond hair who was kicking his legs and wheezing and grasping his throat for air.
.
Oh no.
No, no, no, no.
Not again.
Not again!
NOT AGAIN!
.
Her name is Chloé Bourgeois, she is fourteen-years-old and she saved her childhood friend, Adrien Agreste's life.
(Present)
Adrien didn't know how to properly sort out the feelings that clawed through his insides as if they were thorny vines and he could only ponder on the terrifying memories that paraded through his mind shamelessly.
The way that he suddenly collapsed to the ground as the stress of the moment and the scent of those bloody perfumes practically sewed the insides of his throat shut and cut off his precious airways.
The way that Chloé sunk to her knees in horror and screamed out his name in panic, shaking his body and begging for him to stop.
The way that she yelled for her Papa and something along the lines of an ambulance, lifting his upper body so that she could smack his back (but to no avail).
The way her icy blue eyes turned into unseeing glass, her lips babbling out his name and Marinette's name like a mantra.
The way he suddenly found himself carried outside by one of the staff at the hotel and was promptly deposited onto the stretcher, inside the ambulance van and everything went black.
.
Merde.
.
What a shitshow.
"Would you like me to come back later, Monsieur. Agreste?" Docteur. Honda's gentle hand on his shoulder snapped Adrien back to reality and the boy quickly shook his head. He was never a fan of hospitals to begin with so the sooner he could leave, the better. "Alright. I'll carry on with telling you a little more about your diagnosis."
The doctor offered him an information leaflet full of diagrams in his free hand and then continued to speak.
"So vocal cord dysfunction, VCD for short, is when the vocal cords close when they should be open for breathing, creating a narrowing in the upper airway at the level of the throat. This diagram shows how your vocal cords should work in comparison to the one here where it's affected by the dysfunction itself. Luckily for you, Monsieur. Agreste, your airways weren't completely closed by the time you got here." Adrien couldn't even swallow his nerves properly, the throbbing in his throat a dull reminder of how close he was to asphyxiating to death. As inappropriate as the thought was, he would rather die heroically in his Lady's arms during the final battle against le Papillon or something like that than in Chloé's sweltering bedroom of all places.
That would have sucked!
"As you can see on this leaflet, there are quite a plethora of triggers for VCD but they all depend from person to person. They can range from strong scents such as smoke, aerosols and perfumes to acid reflux and even stress and anxiety." Ah. That made quite a lot of sense. All of that perfume that lingered in the bedroom along with his heightened emotions was the perfect concoction for a trip to the hospital. Adrien did feel a little bit embarassed and he could already hear the darker, meaner side of him jeer and mock him for the situation he landed himself in.
'Your first tantrum after so many years and it got you hospitalised! How fucking stupid is that!? Idiot!'
If such intense feelings were enough to warrant an attack like that again then how the hell was Adrien going to continue with his life?
Trying to stay composed and collected at all times to avoid getting akumatised was already so mentally draining and now he has to bottle up his emotions even further because of his useless vocal cords making his life harder than it needed to be?
He…
He can't do that!
He scanned the leaflet back and forth, brows furrowing as he couldn't find what he was looking for. He faced the doctor next.
'Is there a cure?' His face fell when she didn't give him an immediate answer and for a split second, all of the worst-case scenarios ran through his head in pure Marinette fashion. He could hear her already proclaiming that this was a disaster!
"Unfortunately there isn't a specific cure that could prevent this from happening again. Remember, this disorder occurs when triggered and causes your cords to tense up. They are muscular bands after all." Docteur. Honda then pointed to a page that Adrien missed after he frantically flipped through the leaflet. "There are plenty of ways to keep it under control however such as avoiding triggers, caring for your throat and steam inhalation." She then pointed to a paragraph segment and smiled wider.
'Speech and language therapy?' Adrien mouthed and then looked back at the doctor, confused greens pleading for her to continue, reminding the older woman of a tiny little kitten.
"The name is slightly misleading but it's a type of therapy that will observe your breathing patterns and assess your voice box. I believe this is something that's in your best interests. I…I have a slight theory, if you don't mind hearing me out." Suddenly, something warm and soothing flickered in his heart and Adrien could only keep listening. Docteur. Honda leaned back on her chair and delivered what he could best describe as a motherly smile.
"You've stopped talking since you were ten years old, correct?" It was a rather unpleasant way to portray it and Adrien would yell that it was more along the lines that he couldn't talk since he was ten if he could. He shrugged instead. "While it's written in your files that the grief from the loss of your mother is the cause, after you came in here wheezing so noisily, I realised that there's probably— no, definitely more to it than that." She leaned in a little closer and the warmth grew more and more potent within him. "Monsieur. Agreste. One of the severe symptoms of VCD is the inability to talk. I believe that the stress and emotions you felt on that day stressed out your vocal cords and caused you to have these continuous attacks over and over again over the course of these past few years, making it much harder for you to talk. And that it's only recently that they've become so bad."
He was burning and the doctor was the sun but he refused to even move.
"The wheezing sounds you were making weren't coming from your chest, they were coming from your throat. That was your voice, Monsieur. Agreste." Tears fell down his eyes without him realising and he could only stare at the pamphlet as she placed a gentle hand on his head. "With speech and language therapy and some breathing techniques, you should be able to talk again."
Ah.
Hope.
It was hope he was feeling all along.
So he cried and cried and cried.
~(x)~
"ADRIEN!" The first thing he heard was Nino's worried yet joyous voice only to be met with the sight of tangled-up bodies and limbs falling on the ground after squeezing through the door, composed of his best friend, Alya and…Marinette. "Ugh. I thought we agreed that I would see him first! Get off me!"
"We agreed on nothing! You just yelled that you're gonna see him first, ran through the hospital like a toddler and almost knocked over three nurses on the way! YOU GET OFF!" Marinette spat back, shoving Nino's face away with the flat of her palm whilst simultaneously trying to wriggle her way out of the heap of appendages.
"But I'm his best friend!"
"We are all his best friends!"
"Nuh-uh! I'm his number ONE best friend and you all know it— yeOWch! Alya-aaaaaa…help me…" Unfortunately for Nino, trying to imitate Marinette's jaw-droppingly bizarre yet extraordinarily flexible manoeuvres which successfully got her to squeeze out of the mess only granted him a pulled muscle or two. So he tried to get her back by grabbing onto her ankle, expecting her to flop onto the floor in pure Looney Tunes style so that he could dash towards his best friend. Instead, luck wasn't in his favour today and the deity of agility continued to bless his current (usually comically clumsy) enemy.
Marinette landed on her hands and knees in a manner that was so similar to Chat Noir, one would have suspected her to be behind the mask had there not been pictures and witnesses of the two interacting (causing mayhem)together. As if she was suddenly possessed by your typical evil, angry ghost girl from a supernatural horror film, Marinette slowly turned her body around and eyed the now nervous boy with a pair of beady blues that practically radiated with blood lust. Menacingly, she clasped the visor of his favourite red hat and spoke.
"Lahiffe, do that again one more time and I'll tell both Adrien and Alya why you refuse to dry your clothes outside during summer." Her threat received nothing but a horrified gargle of vowels from the petrified Nino, the boy hardly registering that Alya had successfully de-tangled herself away from him and was watching him with a fox-like intrigue whilst Adrien was trying everything to not vibrate with quiet laughter. Then, a smirk grew on the designer's face and she exaggeratedly rubbed her knees whilst standing up. "But you made me hurt my poor, poor knees~! Owwwwww. I think they should know after all."
"You tell them that and I'll tell them why you were really banned from flute classes when we were seven!" He warned, now up in Marinette's space.
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh, yes I would!"
As the bickering duo had their hands locked like they were semi-wrestling to the death and continued to argue childishly, Adrien stopped trying to hide his fond toothy grins and watched the two with pure, sweet endearment. Many people weren't aware that Marinette and Nino have known each other for almost their entire lives because whilst they attended the same schools, they never became more than just classmates until Alya and the blond himself made themselves home into their hearts. It was a really pleasant feeling to watch them banter and squabble like siblings, reminding both of the observing teens of their own family members.
While most certainly his childhood when his mother wasn't around was quite an isolating experience for Adrien, there were some highlights from time to time even with the kind of people involved. He always enjoyed watching Chloé and Félix argue over some of the most insignificant things (such as the latter pulling the umpteenth prank and sneaking bites of the girl's food just to rile her up or the former acting extra cute and sweet for praises from Tata Amelie just to get under his skin) and it made him feel more like they were a genuine, real family.
Félix was the oldest brother and he was the smartest.
Adrien was the middle brother and he was the shyest.
And Chloé was the youngest sister and she was the loudest.
Often the trio were referred to as triplets by the people around because of their golden hair, light eyes and how their parents were in the same circle. The three were often always together too and if you were to come across one of them at an event, you were guaranteed to come across the rest of the trio because they were never too far apart. To an outsider, they would simply chuckle to themselves with amusement and claim that the triplets were just playing house but to Adrien, it was just as real as having full-blooded siblings no matter what anyone said (after Félix and Chloé stopped picking on him of course but one could argue that even the meanspiritedness is all part of the sibling experience).
Though remembering those times mainly filled Adrien's heart with an aching bittersweetness after everything had resurfaced (causing him to confront Chloé about it all), he still appreciated the wonderful memories they made together and the warmth the two provided for his lonely, lonely little heart.
"I love that they're so absorbed into their millionth fight, they haven't realised that I made it to you first." Alya's merry voice only widened his smile and when she ran a hand through his hair affectionately like she always did, Adrien had to use what little strength he had left to stop himself from purring from her touch. There was nothing he could ever come up with to explain that to the intelligent yet dangerously inquisitive Alya so as much as it slightly physically pained him, he had to suppress his purrs at all costs (not to mention that the purrs would sound really odd with how strained his vocal cords are at the moment).
"How are you doing, Sunshine? You fine with us being here? Or should we give you some more time to rest?" Adrien's response was to pat on the visitor's chair next to his bed, beckoning for Alya to take a seat (and how could anyone say no to those huge, glittering, kitten-like eyes?). "Great~! I'm also guessing that it wasn't just this that primarily landed you in the hospital, hmm~?" The curious journalist within wasn't shy in making its presence known but Adrien didn't mind at all. Rather, he felt his face heat up a little from the mortification about how he shattered his knuckles to begin with. "It's like you punched a wall or somethin'."
His guilty face and averting greens said everything.
"...No way. Holy shit— really? You— you actually...seriously?" For his sake, Alya lowered her tone so that the other two didn't overhear and get into Adrien's space with all of that chaotic energy. Not to mention that he would keep his lips shut if a bigger fuss was made so she wanted all the details now. "Why?"
This time, he flickered his eyes towards Marinette and Nino, unable to feel the warmth from their bickering any more because suddenly they were young children in his eyes again and their tiny bodies were eclipsed by Chloé's looming, malicious shadow. Thankfully, Alya got the message loud and clear and she felt goosebumps rise on the surface of her skin from the intensity that radiated from the boy's eyes.
"I see. Nino has already told me that you guys talked when he slept over and that...it wasn't pretty. Even with the burgers he brought, heh…" Her twinkling hazel eyes were now forlorn and almost hidden by the glare on the lens of her glasses. "You do know that you're not responsible at all whatsoever for what Chloé has done to Marinette and the others, right? Even if you were her brother or whatever, it's not you who's supposed to parent her."
Logically, Adrien knew that and completely agreed. He even had an earful from one severely concerned Plagg (a rare feat nonetheless) not too long ago for getting so violent, breaking his knuckles and losing his senses to the point where he hardly recognised that his body was heaving for oxygen until he collapsed. Despite that, his heart refused to let go of the chains of guilt that pulled on every single limb to the point where he felt like he was going to be torn apart by excruciating forces.
Guilt for not being able to grasp just how hurtful Chloé has been and continued to be towards anyone she perceived as beyond her stature.
Guilt for not being able to guide her on the right path knowing fully well just how awful her situation was regarding her parents.
Guilt for not being there for her like she was when they were just children and threatening to throw away everything between them just like that regardless if it was the right thing to do or not.
"I've only ever been told some bits here and there about what happened between Marinette and Chloé. Even now I'm still in the dark about what really happened during those days…" Alya then glanced at Adrien's injured hand, her fingers trying their utmost best to crush the fabric of her faded green cargo trousers. "But judging by how you reacted...you of all people, to go this far— I mean. Eugh." She fiddled with the bridge of her glasses and sucked on her bottom lip unconsciously. "It must have been really fucked up. I sometimes get so angry at Chloé and it even got me akumatised once." She faced him now, meeting his steady gaze with her watery eyes. "But that was over something so stupid and so ridiculous. I think Marinette and Nino won't tell me anything properly because they don't want le Papillon to get to me again. They don't want me to do something I'd regret as an Akuma and hurt people. Cos they're so stupidly selfless like that."
Adrien placed his uninjured hand on Alya's shoulder, now sitting on the edge of his bed instead of lying in the covers. He offered what he hoped was a look that expressed encouragement and determination to the best of his abilities. He then faced Marinette and Nino and once more, his face softened.
'It's why we love them so much.' He mouthed so naturally that Alya could have sworn that his silent voice reached her heart and it suddenly started to beat to a beautiful sonnet that he composed on the piano. She also didn't miss the way his greens remained glued to her best friend, noting the resolve and clarity that twinkled within.
It looked like things were going to get even more fun and interesting from here onwards.
"Yes, you're right." She quickly took off her glasses to wipe away her wet eyes with the backs of her hands and cleared her throat, even lightly slapping her cheeks for good measure. "B-But yeah. Sorry for getting into that. You're in the hospital after almost dying and you're supposed to recover but here I am talking about shit that would stress you out, haha." Adrien shook his head with a never-ending smile and reached for his phone to type out his response.
'I'm glad you told me this. You're always the strong and cool one in the group and you're always looking out for us. We want to be able to look out for you too because that's what friends are for.' The pretty grin that Alya tried so hard to contain slipped out without a beat and she could only reread his words over and over again with exhilaration.
"I am pretty cool~" She ruffled his hair once more, his fringe now completely tousled and falling over his forehead in a manner that shot a strange wave of déjà vu through her entire system. As if he looked like someone else completely but she just couldn't put her finger on it no matter how hard she wracked through her brain. Internally shrugging off the strange sensation for now, she finally faced the rest of the quad and called them over.
"Hey, idiot one! Idiot two! Get your asses over here. We're gonna go through Adrien's diagnosis together." She didn't even bat an eye at the sight of them both pulling on each other's cheeks like five-year-olds, completely used to their behaviour. Adrien still found it really funny and could potentially watch them both bicker all day (as long as Marinette gave him all the attention he desired afterwards like the needy petit Chaton he is).
"Who are you calling an idiot!?" Marinette lightly shoved Nino away and made her way towards her best friend and the love of her life with a harrumph.
"W-Wait. Which one of us is number one?" All that Nino received was a tired but affectionate eye roll from his girlfriend but instead of being offended, his eyes lit up and he darted towards his best friend before Marinette could get another step in. "TELL ME I CAN HUG YOU! PLEASE!"
He was met with the blond eagerly bringing him in with his good arm, a pleased kitten smile plastered on his face as Nino let out a little whoop and embraced him back just as firmly. Before Adrien could savour the hug a little more, Nino instantly pulled back and blatantly gawked at the injured hand. Alya refused to let the joy leave the atmosphere.
"Because somebody had to be a little blabbermouth, Adrien punched a wall." She bleated, eyeing her boyfriend who comically lowered his cap and avoided her piercing gaze. Meanwhile, Adrien was a little preoccupied with the way Marinette tenderly grazed her fingertips against his cast and eyed him with those sad baby blues, clearly hurting on his behalf.
Oh, his Lady…
"See this is what happens when you watch too much anime." Nino suddenly quipped and then playfully glared at Adrien, now getting everyone's full attention. "You watch one too many overpowered teenage boys entering dungeons and punching through walls like nothing and boom. This is what happens. You silly boy." He paid no mind to Adrien's protesting gaze, relishing the way the blond started to go beet red as he specifically eyed Marinette pleadingly, as if to beg her not to listen to his best friend. "What next? You gonna beat up le Papillon too all by yourself with the power of friendship and a hundred anime wives with elf ears and big boobies? Oh, I can see the headlines already. 'The best friend of the coolest DJ in the world has finally kicked le Shitty-llon's ass and is now having a million babies with anyone who he sets his eyes on.'"
Adrien was so red he would have given Ladybug's iconic suit a run for its money with the vibrancy and brightness of the colour. The poor kitten even witnessed the love of his life terribly concealing a smile and looking away from him and the sight of Plagg's laughing eyes peeking at him from the darkness of his blanket only added fuel to the fire.
So instead of pulling on Nino's face brattily like Marinette was doing not too long ago like he really wanted to, Adrien did something way better and sent it to the group chat, causing everyone else's phones to ping with a notification.
.
Nino froze.
And Marinette smirked.
'Why does Nino refuse to dry his clothes outside?'
"Marinette. Don't. You. Dare." Unfortunately for Lahiffe, Marinette felt like being a little shit right there and then and cold sweat started to pool from his forehead at the sight of everyone else's evil little smirks. Once again, luck was not on his side today and all the deities out there wanted to see him suffer. "MARINETTE."
"It's cos once when he went to Morocco as a kid and hung his clothes over there, fire ants got to them and he didn't realise it till he wore them!"
"STOP!"
"And he got bitten all over his bum!"
"NooOOOoOOOoO!"
And Adrien's chest rumbled so hard from his quiet laughter, he ended up straining his vocal cords a little more and started wheezing again much to everyone's absolute horror and pure panic.
.
The scolding that Nino, Alya and Marinette received from not only the nurses but also Docteur. Honda herself was enough to make anyone want to disappear into a hole and cry.
~(x)~
Excusing herself from Adrien's ward under the pretence of needing to call her parents, Marinette let out a big sigh and walked aimlessly to the nearest seating area in a daze. Brushing her fringe back with one hand, her mind wandered back to the information they had all just learnt not too long ago.
And the hope that they all gained on behalf of their loveable, blond best friend.
"To think that this could have been sorted out years ago had the doctors actually taken him seriously instead of believing he was doing it on purpose...mon pauvre Chaton…" She hissed to herself, taking a seat on a nearby chair in the empty vicinity and internally cursing everyone who had wronged her beloved partner with all of her might. She was all quiet rage and seething fury right there and then.
"I don't think all the doctors he had were intentionally negligent or mean-spirited, Marinette," Tikki whispered from her usual place in her wielder's purse. "I'm sure at least most of them just wanted to help."
"I hope so, Tikki. I really, really hope so. As much as I appreciate and respect everyone who works in this field, there are some doctors out there who will wave off all your problems and symptoms and claim you're wasting their time until it's too late." Marinette recalled a specific doctor her family sometimes saw back when she was younger and her blood didn't hesitate to start boiling all over again from the memories of his dismissive actions and how he mistreated her mother.
During her irregular periods in the past, her Maman endured constant horrific pains and nausea that was so bad, it often caused her to throw up and even pass out from the agony. It was one of the many excruciating symptoms that she explained to the unenthusiastic doctor over and over again but each and every time without fail, he always claimed that she was just being dramatic and that being a woman meant having to endure the pain because that's simply what their bodies do.
One day, that doctor suddenly disappeared without a word and was replaced with someone a million times more competent and as it turned out, her Maman had severe cysts that had grown on both of her ovaries and they were potentially cancerous as well. Luck was on their side by a sheer thread during that time because the operation was successful and thankfully, there was no cancer in the body.
But because both of her ovaries were removed for her safety, her Maman was no longer able to conceive a child and her dream of raising a bigger family was shattered.
All of that could have been avoided if they had a better doctor to begin with but they earned a very low income when Marinette was young and the prejudice her parents faced for being an interracial couple at the time made them extremely timid and keep their heads down.
To think that her Chaton most likely was in a similar position as her mother too for so many years and instead of properly examining him regularly, everyone decided to pick apart his brain instead with their words and questions? Forcing him to believe that it was all in his head and that he wasn't working hard enough to get better on his own?
It infuriated Marinette.
It infuriated her to the core and she had to bite down on a knuckle hard enough to force herself to calm down in case le Papillon gets the slightest scent of her pungent rage.
Merde!
The worst part was that Adrien made it clear time and time again for all those years that he wanted to be able to talk again. That he hated, hated being mute and just wanted to be able to talk, laugh and cry with his loved ones so badly. Sure, even he admitted that there were probably some psychological aspects behind his inability to talk and made peace with it but no matter how hard he tried to dig (how hard everyone tried to dig), he just couldn't make it past the mental block that just wouldn't let him reach his voice again.
Turns out there was a physical block too all along.
And all it took was him almost dying for them to finally figure out the problem and hand him the treatments he's been wishing for a very, very long time.
"Marinette...please, focus on the present. Focus on the future. Your partner is going to get better." The little Goddess rubbed her hand against one of Marinette's quivering thighs and while the girl did nod, knowing that her companion was right, she still couldn't help the ugly, aggressive feelings that downright refused to be doused in water so easily. She just hated, hated how her loved ones were always getting fucked over by the system one way or another and even with the power of creation at her literal fingertips, Marinette was ultimately still too powerless to help them.
She refused to let Adrien see her like this and put a damper on his spirit because he had finally, finally found the answers he'd been looking for and she was ready to unleash Hell upon anyone who dared to steal even one star away from his joyful green eyes. Even if that person was her.
Especially if that person was her.
She thought back to as many of their interactions as she could possibly remember in and out of the mask and finally recognised some of the unconscious movements he often made when he didn't know she was watching.
Grazing his throat with his fingers. Pressing a fist between his collarbones. The sudden fits of coughs he would have when he's gone beyond his strength. The need to stay hydrated constantly. The aversion to strong scents.
The list went on and on and on and Marinette didn't even notice her teeth breaking through her skin until Tikki pulled her face towards her and the taste of bitter copper plagued her mouth, staining her lips red. She didn't process a single thing her kwami said to her, only beating herself up inside with how she missed all the signs of her partner (the love of her fucking life) going through something that should have been so obvious to her.
Sure, even she had never heard of vocal cord dysfunction either till now (and she didn't even know what periods were yet when her Maman had the operation) but still, she should have just known.
They were partners. They were two halves of a whole. They were in each others' lives in and out of the mask. They were so intertwined with one another that it made no sense to her whatsoever to have missed something like that!
SKKRRR.
Marinette was stomped down into her abyss of cannibalising thoughts and Ladybug took over, the girl immediately swerving around to the direction where the sudden noise came from (whilst Tikki swooped back into the purse without being seen), only to meet the blood-shot eyes of one dishevelled, exhausted-looking Chloé Bourgeois.
.
"What are you doing here?" Marinette was all iron defence and venomous wrath, the anger she held towards herself now directed towards the uncharacteristic-looking blonde who stood a few feet away from her. "Why are you here— you— you better not step one foot in his room after yesterday—"
"How is he?" Chloé went straight to the point, hardly reacting to the sheer hot white animosity that was emitted by Marinette. She was far too tired to even defend herself and never had she looked so, so small. "He didn't get worse because of me...right?"
Suddenly, in front of her was the nine-year-old Chloé and the ghost of a memory she had of the frightened pair of blue eyes was reality once again. The anger deflated from Marinette's body like a balloon, showcasing the true, raw exhaustion that dug itself into her broken heart too. She didn't even try to cling to her righteous ire, knowing deep down inside that verbally (and maybe physically) tearing the blonde apart wasn't going to do anyone a favour. No matter how badly she wanted to do so.
Giving Chloé a piece of her mind wasn't going to miraculously cure Adrien and discharge him from the hospital. Marinette also took a second to properly note the way the other girl looked, registering the old mascara tear stains down her usually flawless made-up face, the way stray hair stuck out of her unbrushed and unwashed blonde curls and the way her creased-up designer clothes stuck to her defeated frame.
"N-No...not at all." Marinette sat back down with another deep sigh and ran her fingers through her hair again. The awful stress and anxious sweating over the course of the last twenty-four hours or so has made her dark strands quite greasy and clump together but she was far too worn out to feel even remotely self-conscious about it. "He's okay. He'll get better soon."
She didn't expect tears to immediately spring to Chloé's eyes, snot running down her nose and lips wobbling like a baby in a manner that was just so not like her.
Marinette froze.
"But he's here because of me…" Chloé choked out, voice cracking mid-sentence as she gripped the ends of her shirt with all the strength she could muster. It was a tone unlike Marinette had ever heard from the bully and if she were to have met the girl for the first time right this very moment, she would have been fooled into thinking that she was just a sad, lonely little girl who needed a hug.
And she would have never guessed that she was the very same girl who has done many, many awful things to her, to her friends and countless other people.
She didn't know how to react.
"He hates me now…I know he hates me now. Who wouldn't? There's just nothing about me that's loveable and all I do is put people in hospitals!" She was practically blubbering now, one fist rubbing into an eye childishly and the other still crushing the fabric of her shirt with all of her might. Splotches of red and pink appeared on her golden skin from all the crying and all that Marinette could do was watch her with both helplessness and confusion.
Is this…
Is this the Chloé that Adrien grew up with?
The one she tried so hard to stuff inside a box within the deepest crevices of her heart so that she didn't break the image that everyone had of her powerful, brutal guise? The one Marinette managed to get a glimpse of all those years ago when they were just nine years old and she was fighting for her life (fighting to get a breath in)?
.
Marinette's lips parted but the words she wanted to say were constantly fought over between her heart and her mind. The more stubborn, angrier part of her wanted to get up and yell in Chloé's face, to tell her that she had no right coming up to her and crying her eyes out after everything she's done to her (after putting Adrien through that all of that stress to begin with). She hated, hated, hated how pitiful and small and babyish the blonde looked, she hated that she looked less like the antagonising figure that had always tormented her and more like a helpless little human being.
She wanted to scream at Chloé and tell her to get out of her sight and to leave them all alone forever oh so badly.
.
But the little child within Marinette couldn't help but naturally do what she always thought was the right thing to do.
Pat. Pat.
She didn't know what Chloé saw when she looked up from the sound of Marinette patting down a seat that was two chairs across the side of her own, beckoning the crying girl to sit down but it was enough for the blonde to quickly wipe her face and scurry towards the worn out, blue cushioned spot. The designer then reached for her purse for some pocket tissues and handed them towards her weeping companion. She looked away and let Chloé blow her nose thoroughly, giving her the decency of some privacy because even she knew how embarrassing it could be to look like such a wreck in front of someone else (especially if that someone was a person whom you weren't on good terms with).
A little more time went by between them, filled with nothing but awkward silence and the occasional sniffle or two on Chloé's end and it drove the heroine in disguise virtually insane from the suffocating tension. It was then that Marinette took a deep breath, followed her heart and continued to allow the non-judgemental, grudgeless little girl to guide her.
"Did he specifically say that?" Her voice was steady and calm and Marinette kept her eyes on the space in front of her, seemingly in a daze.
"W-What…?" Chloé scrubbed at her eyes a little more, the blues as red as her nose and her lashes clumped together with old, soggy mascara residue. Though there was an empty chair in between that put them both at a good distance from each other, when Marinette turned her head to face her, Chloé immediately felt like her soul was grasped by the raw intensity that radiated from the girl's baby blues and she was suddenly sinking. This time, instead of fighting the sensations as she did in the past every time those eyes lingered on her, she remained still and allowed herself to float.
"Did Adrien say that he hates you?" There was no hint of malice or hate from either her face or voice but Chloé still couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably on the spot. Just yesterday, she would have screamed at Marinette's face mercilessly and thrown some insults for daring to question such a thing; now she couldn't decide whether to begrudgingly answer or to run somewhere as far away as possible.
"No. But I know he does now." It was a lot harder to admit now that she was relatively calmer and the excruciating pain from almost losing him pierced her battered heart. "He only wanted me to…to apologise…to you and the others…and I almost got him killed because I refused to listen to him." Marinette couldn't help but furrow her brows at the quiet admission.
"You're assuming how he feels without getting the chance to talk to him about it. That's not fair on him." Marinette glanced back to the front, her hands now clasped between her legs and the exhaustion within her blues was more prominent than ever, almost looking grey from the cool lighting above. "I understand why you feel that way though. If I were in your shoes and he collapsed during one of our arguments, I'd probably feel the same too."
"But it happened with me. Not with you or anyone else. Just me." Tears were welling up within Chloé's eyes again and this time she didn't try to wipe them away. "He should hate me."
"No, it was just bad luck." Marinette faced the girl again and she almost smiled sadly. "He has an underlying condition. Too many things were happening at once and one thing led to another. It's not like you were purposely trying to hurt him like that."
"I would never!" Chloé shot up only to physically cringe from the echoes of her sharp, shrill voice bouncing off the walls in the empty vicinity and sit back down. "I would never. I was just…angry. I didn't mean for any of this…" As if her tone wasn't enough, her eyes were swimming with the double meaning in between her words and the dark-haired girl didn't fail to grasp it.
"Like I said, it was all just bad luck." Marinette began fiddling with the string of her purse, her wavering anxieties diluted by the courage she felt by having Tikki's presence by her side. "I…I think this is a conversation you should have with Adrien in the future. Once he's better and ready to see you again. I don't think he hates you at all but I think it would bring you both some peace if you talk. Like how you're talking with me."
"Hmm…" The indecisive hum was better than a "No" in Marinette's books so she considered it a win.
A couple more minutes of silence went by but it was the most time that the two have spent together without arguing or any other sort of trouble, ever. Conflicting thoughts and feelings still bubbled throughout Marinette's system and a significant part of her really wanted to leave and go back to her friends but the little girl in her modest yet pretty pink dress and well-worn red shoes was kicking her legs in contentment and didn't have the slightest intention to move out of her seat.
It was still so bizarre regardless.
She was under no obligation to stay by the side of the girl who had caused her so much pain and grief.
But she also felt like it would be so wrong to just leave Chloé like that all alone with no one but empty chairs as her sole company.
.
"...Why? Why did you stay and listen to me? You could go back to him any time you want. Just go." Chloé finally broke the silence and instead of facing Marinette, the blonde fiddled with the ends of her limp, golden strands absentmindedly. She absolutely hated to admit it but Marinette's heart ached at the forlorn sight. "I know you hate me too so I don't get why you're still here and giving me your cheap, ugly tissues."
This caused Marinette to raise a brow and skim through her thoughts at indescribable speeds, sighing quietly. She ignored the last comment for their sakes too.
"Hate is a…very strong word."
"Hate, dislike, whatever! Why are you still here with me, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloé's usual self was resurfacing back bit by bit and it eased the foreignness of the situation for Marinette. As much as she wanted to, she refused to snap back and stoop to her level otherwise the cycle of endless arguing was never going to cease and she was so, so tired of matching the blonde's energy every time she instigated a fight.
But then…
Something clicked.
.
"Because I think I want us to be…civil." The sudden newly found awareness didn't just shock Marinette, it also caused Chloé to gape with incredulity and suddenly determination was more prominent than ever in the designer's eyes. "For Adrien, I want us to be civil."
"...Why?"
"You're someone he genuinely loves and cares for. You're much more important to him than you realise. You're also a part of the little good he had during his childhood. I don't know what happened when you both fought yesterday but he's been really sad since then. If he really hated you, I don't think he would have looked so sad." The empty chair between them almost seemed non-existent and the colour blue was all that Chloé could see. "I'm not asking for us to be friends. I don't think we would ever be friends and I don't think I ever want to. But the very least we can do for him is to not fight. So that he's not always forced to be the middleman and get stressed out by our problems. If you talk to him in the future and he decides to forgive you, I'll…I'll support his decision."
It was only a few moments later that Chloé stood up ever so slowly from her seat with her wobbly legs, her gaze averting Marinette's blues which were filled with nothing but resolve and new beginnings.
.
A beat went past.
.
"...And you?" The blonde's voice was so quiet, it was barely a whisper and had the area not been empty, Marinette would have never caught it.
"Me?"
Chloé fiddled with her fingers for a couple more seconds, going as far as scraping off some old nail polish and curling a stray strand of gold behind her ear with unease. They were nine years old again and their surroundings suddenly changed to the old playground they used to spend their breaktimes at when they attended the same école primaire.
"That day, I didn't mean for all of that to happen. I swear it." The glittering remnants of Chloé's tears did nothing to soothe the raw scars that were left behind in Marinette's soul and for a second, she found herself struggling to breathe all over again and her throat was on fire. She clenched her fists.
"I know you didn't mean to go that far on that day. I always did." And Marinette's ice-cold, blistering anger took over. "But you meant to hurt me. You continued to hurt me after that. And you hurt my friends too." Her nails were digging into the skin of her flesh to the point where they broke the skin and she didn't even blink from the way Chloé almost flinched from her harsh, ruthless honesty.
If the blonde left her alone after that horrendous incident, there would have been a great chance that Marinette would have forgiven her years ago.
However, regardless of Chloé feeling guilty about her actions, she continued to harass Marinette and the others to the point where everyone felt so powerless and failed by the system that was supposed to protect them. Had it not been for Adrien and Alya enrolling to their school, Marinette would still be isolated from her peers and unjustly punished by the teachers for things she didn't do or were out of her control. She would have never gained back the confidence she lost over time and only the higher powers know how she would have functioned as Ladybug whilst dealing with such intense bullying at the same time.
Perhaps she would have never accepted the earrings to begin with and thus never met her irreplaceable, beloved partner.
And perhaps her Maman and Papa would have been left with a broken doll for a daughter who was finally, finally crushed into a bitter, emotionless being with no aspirations or hopes for the future.
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you." Marinette stood up next, her blues unwavering and sharp. "But I also don't want our past to get in between yours and Adrien's friendship. If you continue to hurt him or me or others after this, then I'll encourage him to stay away from you. If you choose to be civil instead and be the friend to Adrien like you once were then I'm…I'm fine with this. I would actually really like this."
Chloé continued to watch her silently.
"He has very few people in his life who genuinely cares for him. He deserves to have all the love that the world can offer him. I can't speak for anyone else who has suffered from your actions but I'm willing to start afresh and move on…because I believe you both need each other." Marinette only received silence in return but she wasn't blind to the tiny light of something that flickered within the blonde's eyes, as if a sheet of unforgiving ice had finally melted away to show the true warmth that had always been hiding within.
.
Without sparing another word, Chloé made her way out of the room and was out through the exit's door, leaving behind nothing but the echoes of her kitten heels against the cold hospital floor and the creaking wood of the swaying doors.
.
And a sudden yet familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around Marinette's shoulders from behind, engulfing her cold body with a comforting fire that soothed all her worries away and cradled her ricocheting heart.
Her vision was filled with nothing but pure, sunshine gold and his scent put her pounding heart at ease. Naturally, Marinette placed a tentative hand on Adrien's head as she looked over to her side, his face pressed against the curve of her shoulder and his casted hand clumsily leaning into her collarbones. He held her as if they were lovers for over a hundred thousand years and as if she was his life, blood and oxygen.
"Adrien…?" The utter need to call him by one of the treasured nicknames she's given to his alter-ego was so strong that she wanted to sink to her knees and cry. Her Chaton was here and she couldn't even call him that to ensure that his secret identity was safe. "Sorry. Did you…were you waiting for me for too long?" She suddenly felt too cautious and didn't know whether to ask if he saw that Chloé was with her or not. There was a chance that it could trigger some additional stress for him and having to hear him painfully gasp for air just once was enough to definitely haunt her dreams in the future.
The boy picked his head up to face her and then palmed the side of her cheek tenderly with his left hand. He stroked the sensitive skin with enough pressure to shoot warmth all the way to her bloodstream and rubbed circles underneath her eye with his thumb. His forehead was then pressed against hers and their noses were grazing one another.
He was only a breath away.
'Thank you.' He mouthed lovingly and when his lips lightly brushed hers with every syllable, Marinette felt her heart leap to her throat and attempt to escape her reddening body. A part of her understood that he was aware of what had just taken place and was probably there the entire time (most likely having gone after her because he always seemed to know when she was in trouble or in a pinch). However, her childish heart refused to be ignored and could only force her to focus on the brief seconds that their lips touched, causing her to look away whilst looking as red as her alter ego's namesake.
"I-I didn't do anything…" She mumbled, now feeling her ears burn up even more when she felt his hot breath hit the sensitive shell. Like the persistent kitten he is, Adrien gently tugged her face back towards his direction and instead of a smirk like she was expecting, the smile he wore was genuinely grateful and was filled to the brim with a softness that almost made her cry on the spot right there and then.
'I mean it.' He lightly headbutted her in a manner that was so Chat Noir, had she not known his identity from the start, this action would have clued her in. 'Thank you.'
'I love you.' She wanted to yell out with her entire heart and soul and press her lips against his tempting, delicious-looking pair into a bare, first proper kiss. But now was not the time or place to declare such an important sentiment.
"I'll accept your gratitude once you're finally discharged and we eat our hearts out at that shady burger place Nino loves so much." Marinette then grazed her fingertips across the surface of his cast, a mischievous smile growing on her lips. "And once you stop punching walls, of course."
His huffy face was so, so worth the second headbutt.
.
.
.
~(x)~
A/N: And that's a wrap for chapter two! Thank you all very much for making it this far! Things are now looking up for Adrien and the relationship between Marinette and Chloé seems to be going in the right direction, hmm~? Well…one micrometre at a time that is…
Just a little ramble from my end; it may not seem like it but I'm actually quite a huge fan of Chloé and enjoy her character in canon. I like her as the little antagonist she is and believe there's so much more to explore when it comes to her character (especially the vulnerabilities she prefers to hide). What I'm not a fan of is "redeeming" her, especially for the sake of redemption.
I like evil girls! I especially like evil girls who are very complex characters! That's not to say I don't want her having a "character" arc and I would love, LOVE to see more of her realising the consequences of her actions like we did in season five of the show. I'm really curious to see how she'll continue to go on with life after that and I hope she gets with Lila too they're such an interesting couple HEHEH.
Okay, ramble over! I hope you all enjoyed the story so far! There will be more Nathalie and Gabriel in the next one and it SHOULD be the final chapter. HOPEFULLY. Tags will be updated because the Akuma battles in the next/final chapter will be severely brutal.
Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter~ give me EVERYTHING~~~
Till then, see you!
