Chapter 14-The Better Man
Part of this chapter was inspired by the last chapter of another fanfiction that I'm extremely fond of. Link is below. All due credit to SortaArtsy.
"So how different are the people in your universe?"
Ladybug and the out of town Cat Noir were still sitting on the roof of the construction company's warehouse, still chatting about their respective partners and giving general advice on dealing with them. Over the course of the conversation, Ladybug had started to realize that her Adrien was far more romantic than she had ever given him credit for. Granted, part of that would have been obvious if she had known he was Cat Noir sooner, but talking with her partner's counterpart put a new perspective on her Cat Noir's attempts to woo her in the past. They had been silly at times, but sincere.
They had also discussed Ladybug's reasons for keeping her Adrien in the dark about his father. Cat Noir had guessed the reasons without too much trouble; he said that he and his Ladybug had discussed it before coming to this universe. But his understanding of her actions was another testament to how forgiving Adrien was.
Alya had even called while they were chatting. She had done so as Rena Rouge, probably after trying Marinette's regular phone. She'd held a finger to her lips to keep Cat Noir quiet as she spoke, he'd just grinned and kept his mouth shut. She told Alya that she was planning on having her counterpart stay the night with her, and that she'd love to introduce the two of them. Alya agreed enthusiastically, and said she'd be over after dark.
Cat Noir nodded his approval as he heard the confirmation, and relaxed as she put her yo-yo away and continued their conversation.
"Based on what you've told me," Cat Noir answered, "and what my counterpart has said, everybody is mostly the same. Some events happened a little differently here and there, and maybe people are a little more quirky or something, but that's about it. You and my Ladybug are pretty much exactly the same, from what I can tell. But I'll give you an example. You had a really hard time telling my counterpart how you felt about him, right?"
"He told you about that?" Ladybug winced, feeling embarrassed.
Cat Noir nodded. "He was trying to explain how things had gone differently for the two of you as a couple, compared to me and my Ladybug. And don't feel bad," he added, reading her discomfort. "He told us about that stupid stunt your Chloe pulled on you. That didn't happen in our universe, so my Marinette didn't have that problem. If she'd been hurt as badly as you were, I'm sure she'd have had the same trouble. Anybody would."
Ladybug didn't want to continue on this side subject, as she wasn't sure he was right that anyone would have had the same reaction she had, so she just said, "I guess you're right. We're mostly the same. It's kind of crazy how one difference can make such an impact on people."
Cat Noir nodded. "Now on the other hand, if you really want to tell who is different between universes, look at me and your Cat Noir."
Ladybug cocked her head to the side.
Cat Noir sighed. "As far as I can tell, we mostly went through the same thing, growing up alone and losing our mother. But your partner was able to push through it to enjoy life again, the way our mom would have wanted. Me?" Something very close to shame filled his voice, "Until I met your counterpart, my Ladybug, I was…completely useless."
Ladybug could feel the sadness on her face and in her heart in response to Cat Noir's pain. She started to reach out to him, but he held up a hand. "I'm not sad anymore; like I told you, my Ladybug pulled me out of it. And I've got plenty of other things to focus on. But your Adrien didn't need that to keep going. He was able to do that without any kind of flashy, dazzling spectacle to snap him out of being depressed."
"I don't know about that." Ladybug argued, remembering. "He was pretty infatuated with Ladybug from the start."
Cat Noir chuckled. "Yeah, but he told me about wanting to go to school and trying to move on, the way our mom wanted. And that was before he met you as Ladybug. Same situation, different reaction." There was no humor in his voice now. "It just proves he's the stronger of the two of us. The better man."
Ladybug smiled. "If you asked my Cat Noir, he'd just say he was worried that maybe he didn't love his mother as much as you did yours."
"That's not-"
"No, it isn't true." Ladybug agreed. "But if he believes that, and knowing him he just might, then that would just be his humility talking. The humility that I love about my Adrien, and that I'm sure my counterpart loves about you," she added pointedly. Cat Noir grinned sheepishly as she continued. "Besides, you didn't need my counterpart to be chosen to be a miraculous holder. That says a lot about the kind of person you are. And if my Adrien could get through his loss, then so could you. You did do it, you just needed the push. Who knows? Maybe he got the same kind of push in a different way."
Cat Noir nodded slowly, thinking it over. He was so deep in thought that he didn't immediately notice when someone else joined them.
As the taller Ladybug noticed her partner deep in thought, she turned her gaze toward the local Ladybug, a questioning look on her face. The guardian just shrugged, an innocent smile on her face.
The standing Ladybug's expression, however, shifted to a slight smirk, and she held a finger to her lips and winked at her counterpart. Creeping up behind her partner, taking care so as to avoid being noticed, she positioned herself directly in Cat Noir's blind spot.
The sitting Ladybug struggled to keep her expression blank as her counterpart took a large, quiet breath.
"MEOOOOW!"
Cat Noir was so startled by his partner's cry that he appeared to attempt to jump into the air and leap forward at the same time. The end result was that he crashed headlong into the side of a vent on the roof of the building, immediately pulling himself into something halfway between a crouch and a fighting stance with his staff pulled out and his expression tense. That tense expression faded quickly, however, as he took in the two girls on the rooftop, trying with all their might to hold in their laughter. As he pulled a face to show his dismay at his partner's joke, the battle over laughter was decided, with two of the three teens on the rooftop howling loudly enough to be heard across half the city.
"I'll get you for that one." Cat Noir challenged his partner playfully, shifting to a more normal posture and chuckling lightly himself.
"Dream on," the out of town Ladybug replied, beaming like a fool. Lowering herself to the rooftop, she asked. "So, what were you talking about? You looked so serious when I arrived."
"Just talking about what's different between our universes." The shorter Ladybug answered, before Cat Noir could. "And giving him advice on how not to be a dummy with you."
Cat Noir gave her a flat look. Her counterpart, on the other hand, said, "I did the same thing with your Cat Noir. He wanted to pick my brain when he was in our universe."
Cat Noir looked like he was about to argue, perhaps to point out that he had been offering her advice just as she had been offering him, then seemed to drop it. He probably knew he wouldn't be able to win two against one. But as he looked around as the last of the sun's light started to fade, Cat Noir seemed to notice something. "Speaking of, where is my counterpart? I thought you two were patrolling."
"We were," the taller Ladybug answered. "He was showing me around the city too, comparing some of the villains they've fought," she nodded her head to her counterpart, "and showing me the little things that have been different. But we finished up a while ago. I had to detour to avoid the other heroes on their team that were patrolling. Looked like a mouse and a bull."
"Polymouse and Minotaurox." the shorter Ladybug interjected.
"Well, I took the long way to get back here." the taller Ladybug explained. "I figured he'd beat me here."
The shorter girl grew uneasy at these words. Pulling out her yo-yo she flipped it to check a map of the city. She could see the insignia's of the mouse and ox miraculous, just as her counterpart had indicated. They were on the opposite side of the city, nowhere near them. But much closer was the black cat insignia. It was showing north of the park. That was right where…
Oh.
"I think I know where he is."
The softness of the Guardian's voice caught the attention of the two partners on the roof. She looked at both of them, and her expression caught their attention even more.
"I'm gonna' go talk to him. I'll send him back here afterward. Were you still planning on staying the night with him?"
"That was the plan." Cat Noir answered cautiously.
The shorter girl forced a smile onto her face as she looked at her counterpart. "I still want to have that sleep over with you. After I send my kitty-cat back here, come on over to," she hesitated and could feel her expression shifting to something puzzled, "to our house?"
The awkwardness of the half question helped lighten the mood and all three heroes looked more relaxed.
"No problem." the taller Ladybug agreed. "We'll get something to eat in the meantime."
The area around the statue was mostly deserted. The new monument was something of a tourist attraction in the city, and during the day, more than a few people liked to get pictures of the man that had helped stop the villain that had threatened the entire world. But darkness had settled on the city, and only one soul stood before the statue now.
I wonder what people would think if they knew the truth, thought the young man, looking up at his father's likeness.
Cat Noir hadn't intended to stop to see the statue, but it had been on his way back to meeting up with his counterpart, and the sight of his father's image had been jarring enough to draw his full attention.
He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there. He'd been there since before the sun went down, but had stayed until he could see stars. There had still been a few people out and about, taking pictures and doing other touristy things, but they had cleared out, possibly in part because of his presence.
He'd visited the statue before and was still impressed with its likeness. His father probably would be pleased with the resemblance and the honor the monument implied of him. But then again, Adrien hadn't known his father nearly as well as he'd thought, so perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps his father would have considered it gaudy.
Cat Noir didn't immediately react when he heard a familiar thumping sound behind him. But when he heard steps leading up to him, he found his voice.
"You were right about one thing, ya' know," he said, without turning.
The only response was the sound of crickets chirping.
"You told me that one of the reasons you kept me in the dark was because you knew that me being proud of my dad's sacrifice made it easier to deal with the pain of losing him. You couldn't have been more right." Cat Noir explained. "And losing that, losing that makes it much harder."
Silence.
"But the strangest part is that I didn't just lose my father. Now I've lost a standard, a goal."
Cat Noir finally turned his head to stare into two brilliant sapphires that glowed faintly, reflecting distant lights. Those eyes were filled to the brim with concern and compassion.
Cat Noir turned back to the statue, unable to continue looking at those eyes. "It's something every boy knows growing up. I think it's instinctive. You're supposed to look up to your father, supposed to try to be the kind of man he is, and one day, you're supposed to try and surpass him and be better than him."
The young woman didn't respond.
"I know it's stupid to feel that way, but now I've lost that goal in discovering all that he did." Cat Noir paused as a light breeze ruffled his hair. "Thing is, I understand why he did it," he confessed. "I know what it's like to feel like you'd give anything to have a wish granted with the miraculous, so I get why he could do that. I told Claw Noir that I'd thought about trying it sometimes, and I meant it. But I still can't understand going as far as he did."
She still didn't speak, she merely rested a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't know if I can forgive him for what he did." Cat Noir admitted. He turned to the girl he considered to be the greatest hero in the history of Paris. "Am I wrong for that?"
Ladybug hesitated, then finally spoke. "I don't know. What your father did was terrible; I don't think you even know the worst of it."
"I know enough." Cat Noir muttered through gritted teeth. His anger at his father still smoldered. He'd been able to keep it under control for most of the last day, but the sight of his father's statue had brought it to the surface. He understood why Marinette had let people think of his father as a hero; that had mostly been for Adrien's benefit. But now that he knew the truth, it might be best for everyone else to know too. What better way to start than by getting rid of this eyesore?
"Cata-"
Cat Noir cut himself off as Ladybug seized his right arm. He looked into her eyes; the concern and compassion had been replaced with resolve. She had been expecting him to do that, and she had been ready. Ladybug shook her head slightly. Obviously, she didn't think destroying the statue would do any good.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and lowered his hand, and Ladybug's fell with it.
"Do you want to tell people the truth about him?" Ladybug asked.
Cat Noir opened his eyes.
"The main reason I didn't tell anyone about him was because I was trying to keep you from finding out. That isn't an issue anymore, so…" she trailed off.
Cat Noir didn't answer. He didn't like the idea of keeping something like this quiet, now that he knew the truth. It felt like lying.
Cat Noir knew things would be unpleasant if the truth came out. He was confident his friends would stand by him, but he'd be a pariah to all of Paris. He might not have been behind any of the attacks his father had instigated, but Adrien understood what it meant to be guilty by association. So revealing the truth would make his life even harder than it had been recently. But on the other hand, the idea of keeping silent, of going along with the story that his father was a hero, was repugnant.
"I'm not sure." Cat Noir muttered. "Let me think on that one for a while, okay?"
Ladybug nodded. She probably understood his dilemma. As well as he understood Ladybug, Cat Noir realized she understood him just as well.
"What you were saying before, about not knowing the worst he did. You mean like akumatizing some future version of me into Cat Blanc?" Cat Noir asked the question pointedly, trying to distract himself.
Ladybug clearly understood what he was getting at; she must also have been expecting him to ask about it, and began explaining.
She told him about the beret she had left for him on his fifth name day, and at first Cat Noir was baffled as to where she was going with it.
"I'd signed the card with the beret from Marinette." Ladybug explained. "And I guess you must have seen me leave after I left it and made the obvious conclusion. I didn't know who you were back then, I just assumed that 'Adrien' finding out somehow led to Cat Noir finding out." She shook her head. "How did I miss that one?" she asked, more to herself than to him.
She went on to tell him about Bunnyx appearing and pulling her toward a future where everything had been destroyed. The city, the moon, even the ocean level had risen; with ashen statues being all that was left of the people of Paris.
"But the worst part was you." Ladybug's voice shook as she continued. "I don't know how long you were like that, but when I arrived, the pain in your eyes…I've never seen anyone in that kind of pain. And I never want to again."
"And what happened with my father in that future?" Cat Noir asked quietly.
"I don't know too many details, but he was caught in the same destruction as everyone else." Ladybug apologized. "I don't know exactly how he akumatized you, or even if he ever knew that he was akumatizing his own son," Ladybug finished. "I'd like to talk to Bunnyx, and see if we can find out more about what happened with all that."
She explained that Cat Blanc had revealed he'd known her identity and had tried to take her miraculous. Cat Blanc even revealed that they had been a couple in that timeline, but that hadn't prevented a fight. He'd been more powerful, but mentally off balance, so she had managed to break the bell on his costume to free him of the akuma. But the Cat Noir of that time had still called her Marinette, so she had realized that if she repaired the damage with her lucky charm, that could repair the world, but possibly set things up to fall apart again. So with the help of Bunnyx, she had gone back to try and correct what had led to that terrible future.
Cat Noir was quiet as he processed the information. He was surprised to find out that discovering Marinette was Ladybug could have led to something so terrible. She may not have been certain about how things had played out, but he suspected that one of their identities had been exposed. Either his father's or his own. He'd always been so certain that he wouldn't let himself be akumatized. But finding out that his father was Hawk Moth? That would probably do it.
And the way she described what had happened to the people of that timeline? That sounded awfully familiar to the nightmare he had recounted to her earlier in the day. He literally couldn't imagine a worse possible future.
"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" Cat Noir asked, after a couple of minutes.
Ladybug hesitated, seeming unsure of how to phrase her answer.
Cat Noir rushed to try to explain his question. "I'm not mad about you keeping this from me, for once. I can tell how upset you were by that experience. I just don't understand why you wouldn't tell me about it. It was the perfect argument for why we shouldn't know each other's identities."
"Oh that." Ladybug sighed in relief. "I just worried it wouldn't do any good. I didn't have proof of that escapade, unless Bunnyx backed me up on it. And I figured that you wouldn't believe me if I tried to tell you about it." She looked him up and down. "Be honest, would you have just accepted it if I'd told you about it?"
Cat Noir grinned sheepishly. "Well, maybe not."
Ladybug smirked at him.
"Does all that make you unsure about us?" Cat Noir inquired, realizing something frightening. "I mean, us being together led to something so terrible…"
"I can't say the thought didn't occur to me, but we probably don't have to worry about being akumatized anymore." Ladybug said slowly. "We'll know for sure once we test things. But I don't think our relationship will affect things either way. It was your father who akumatized you in that future. And we don't," her voice started to crack a little, "we don't have to worry about him anymore. So that future shouldn't be anything we need to worry about either." She shook her head and her voice became steadier. "But back to your original question; I think it's up to you whether or not to forgive him. Honestly, I don't know if I can forgive everything he did to you. And if you really hate him, then I think it's okay for you not to be able to forgive what he did."
That was the problem. Cat Noir didn't hate his father. In spite of all he had done, even learning that a version of his father had akumatized him, he still loved his father. He could still remember the years before his mother's death, when his father had been there for the both of them. That part of Gabriel Agreste lived on, if only in Adrien's memory. That was what made it so painful to know that his father had been Monarch.
"But you're the kindest person I know." Ladybug continued. "So, I think it's up to you to decide how you feel about him. And I know that you'll make the choice that's right for you. No matter how troubled you are."
"Troubled." Cat Noir whispered. Marinette wasn't the first Guardian to use that word to describe him in recent days. "He used that word, too."
"Who did?"
"Master Fu, our counterpart's Master Fu." Cat Noir answered. "When I asked to borrow the miraculous to come back here, he said I looked troubled. I told him about finding out about everything, and that I wasn't sure I could forgive my father for what he'd done." His insides squirmed, but he pressed on. "Or you and Plagg for that matter, for keeping things from me."
Ladybug started to say something, but Cat Noir stepped away, and held up his hands in a placating gesture. "No, no. We are past that. Completely forgiven, both you and Plagg." He took a deep breath. "But Master Fu said he thought the same thing that troubled my father was what troubled me too. Except that doesn't make sense. My father wasn't having trouble forgiving anyone."
"But he couldn't let go." Ladybug said softly.
Cat Noir looked at her.
"I think his real problem was that he couldn't let go of your mother, that he couldn't move on." Ladybug said, expanding her explanation. "And that's kind of the same thing you're having a hard time with. I don't think your father ever let go of your mother at all. His wish was partly to reunite with her, after all. And you're having trouble letting go of your anger at him."
Cat Noir was quiet at that. His partner's words made a lot of sense, as much as he didn't want to admit it.
"I guess I really am the same as my father." Cat Noir whispered, unsettled by the thought. "Well, that gives me something to work toward, at least."
Ladybug just looked at him curiously.
"If Master Fu was right, if you're right, and my problem is the same as my father's, not being able to move on from the past, then that's what I need to work on. When I'm able to make peace with what he did, that's when I'll reach my goal. That's when I'll be the better man." Cat Noir could hear the anger in his voice as he said it, but also the resolve.
Ladybug didn't respond at first. But she did have a kind smile on her face as she met his eyes. Then she said, "I think you have the right idea, but you're already the better man. And I'll prove it."
Cat Noir just blinked, surprised. "What are you talking about?"
Ladybug didn't answer, she was looking around for something. Cat Noir looked around too, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary; the area was deserted except for them.
"M'lady, there's nobody else here."
"That's what I was hoping for. Spots off."
A light passed over Ladybug until Marinette stood before him. Pulling out a macaroon, she handed it to a surprised looking Tikki.
"Marinette, what are you doing?" The kwami asked, as clearly as she could with her mouth full.
"Just this." Marinette smiled at Tikki.
At which point she did the last thing Cat Noir could have expected and pulled off her earrings.
His surprise just as strong as Tikki's, Cat Noir offered Marinette no resistance as she pulled his left hand out and placed the earrings in it.
"Marinette, what are you doing?" This time it was Cat Noir who asked the question.
"I just handed you my miraculous." Marinette answered lightly.
"I can see that." Cat Noir stated dryly. "Why exactly did you hand me your miraculous?"
"Because you now hold the same power your father held." Marinette informed him, her tone softening. "You have the miraculous of creation and destruction; the power to make a wish, and there's no one here who could stop you."
Cat Noir stared at her. Why on earth was she doing this? What kind of point was she trying to make?
"You could have anything." Marinette continued in that same soft tone. "You could have your dad back, your mom too, and even have me love you for forever."
"You know I'm not going to wish for that." Cat Noir retorted.
"I do not know that." Marinette corrected. "But I do believe it. You've had the chance to make a wish at least one other time that I can think of. But you didn't. Why not?"
"Because I didn't want to disappoint you." Cat Noir answered.
Marinette shook her head. "That's not it. I don't think you could ever disappoint me, kitty."
Cat Noir gave her a skeptical look. "I know for a fact that's not true-"
"Either way," Marinette interrupted him, "that's not the reason. Why didn't you make a wish before?"
"Because in order for me to get what I want, there would be a cost to pay." Cat Noir reminded her. "In order for me to bring my parents back, someone else would have to lose theirs."
"And?"
Cat Noir blinked in surprise. "And that's not something I could wish on someone. I know how much it hurts to lose people you love-"
"Exactly!" Marinette exclaimed, her voice loud enough to make Cat Noir jump. "When your father was trying to get the miraculous from me in our final fight, I told him about the price to pay, and he didn't care. As long as you and he were reunited with your mother, it didn't matter what else had to happen. Or who it had to happen to."
Cat Noir shuddered in response to those words.
"But you've chosen differently. Time and again. You could have gotten my miraculous before; we both know it. In fact, there was a time when we had to switch miraculous when you were holding both of ours. You even suggested making a wish, but chose not to."
"Only because you talked me out of it." Cat Noir mumbled.
"Regardless," Marinette pressed forward, "you had the power, and chose to use it the right way. And I believe that you'll make the right choice now, too. The choice your father never made. Remember heroes day?"
Cat Noir nodded; he'd had the same thought. "Yes."
"It's not like we never gave him the chance to be something better. But he chose to act selfishly. You, however, have chosen, time and again, to use the power you hold to make the world a better place." Marinette was positively beaming at him now. "And I have faith that you'll continue to do so."
Cat Noir looked at who was proving, once again, that she was the most amazing girl in the world. The way she looked back at him at that moment was staggering. As highly as he thought of her, both as Marinette and as Ladybug, she seemed to think the world of him too. That still seemed crazy to him sometimes, but he was starting to see that her reasons for believing in him weren't as silly as he'd once thought.
Perhaps it was time for him to start living up to her faith.
Wordlessly, he handed back her earrings.
As Marinette put her miraculous back on, Tikki hovered by her holder's head. Clearly, she didn't like the idea of Marinette making such a bold move, but seemed impressed that Marinette had been able to make that move based on her faith in her partner.
The two heroes stared at each other before realizing, at apparently the same time, that if some random person strolled by them at that moment, it would look very strange to see Cat Noir and Marinette Dupain-Cheng in front of Gabriel's statue like this.
"Let's call it a night." Marinette decided.
Before she could transform, Cat Noir stepped forward and bowed. "Would the lady like a ride home this evening?"
As Cat Noir stood up, Marinette seemed unsure.
"Nobody will notice." Cat Noir reassured her. "And even if they do, it won't look strange. Not this once."
Smiling somewhat guiltily, Marinette nodded. Cat Noir scooped her up in his arms, and with a quick "Hold on tight." they were off. He glanced back for a quick look at his father's statue, but beyond that, the young man did his best to start to leave his pain behind him.
This isn't the only idea I've had for Adrien to find a way to confront his emotions with his Father head one, but it's the simplest one.
Will Adrien be able to move on from his feelings toward his father? If he learns of his status as a senti-being, will that change those feelings? What will happen at a sleepover with two Marinettes? One way to find out. See you next time!
Please comment and Review.
~Sneak Preview~
She completely overlooked it, didn't she?
I guess you haven't told her yet?
Oh, your Cat Noir told me about them.
When Secrets Come Undone
