Chapter 1
Marinette and Adrien had been dating for 9 months. From the first umbrella to the most recent kiss, the pair had been dancing around each other in circles, and they still didn't know that they spent more time together than they ever imagined.
Currently, Paris's cutest couple were snuggled on Marinette's couch, sleepily playing a video game. Marinette Dupain Cheng's light pink polka dot controller slipped out of her hand, hitting the floor with a soft clatter as she curled up next to Adrien Agreste, who persevered in fiddling with a black, white and green controller. He looked down and smiled blearily at the snoozing girl.
At last, his red, polka- dot clad avatar ran out of hearts, and a bright purple GAME OVER sign flashed across the screen. Groaning, Adrien shifted, turning the game console off and resting his head on a nest of blueberry hair. Marinette stirred and he gave her a peck on the cheek. Smiling, she slumped over again and resumed snoring. Smiling to himself, he cradled her in his arms and drifted off.
–----
Chat Noir sat perched on top of the eiffel tower, gazing into the sunset when he heard a familiar metallic SCHOOOP and soft thud of someone landing next to him. Smiling to himself, Chat Noir then glanced up into the familiar blue eyes of Ladybug, who plopped down beside him with a grin.
"Good Evening, M'lady," Chat exclaimed, with a sweeping, theatrical bow. " Lovely as the setting sun per usual."
"Mon Chaton," Ladybug replied with a giggle and eye roll, " You seem to be fel-line bold today."
"Excellent, Bugaboo, now that you are here, everything is purr-fect."
Ladybug rolled her blue eyes with a smile, handing him an octagonal box. " You know I'll love you always kitty, even though some of your puns are beyond subpar."
Chat Noir's blood ran cold. "M'lady..what did you just say?"
Ladybug stared him dead in the eyes. "I love you, Chat Noir."
—----
Chapter 2
With a gasp, Adrien Agreste lurched up in cold sweat, his gaze flicking around Marinette's room.
"Adrien..?" Marinette murmured, " What time is it?"
Taking a deep breath, " 2 in the morning, Princess," he whispered, running his fingers through her dark hair. His ring glinted in the moonlight. "Go back to sleep, my love."
Marinette yawned loudly and began to snore against his chest. Adrien however, struggled to fall asleep. The dream of Ladybug's confession haunted him. After what seemed like an eternity, his eyelids began to grow heavy. Just after he had finally fallen into an uneasy slumber, a great BOOM shook the ground of Paris. Millions of lights flickered out.
As if tied together by a string, Marinette and Adrien bolted upright. Another explosion shook the city. A blood curdling shriek sounded from downstairs. Marinette's face turned white.
"My PARENTS." She sprinted down the stairs. Adrien ached to follow her, but the city needed Chat Noir and Ladybug to combat the threat.
"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien shouted. In a flash of green light, Chat Noir stood in his suit, it's color stolen from the night sky. Snatching his baton, he sprung from marinette's rooftop and into the night.
Chapter 3
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Downstairs, Marinette was horrified to see her mother weeping as she tried to pry her father's leg from under a large light fixture that had crashed from the ceiling.
Ducking into the bathroom, "Tikki, Spots on!" She called urgently, transforming into Ladybug. She rushed into the living room to help her mother. Her poor father's leg was badly broken and left bloody by shards of glass. With a grunt, she lifted the shattered chandelier off of him.
"Ladybug-!" her mother cried, but she had already swept her parents into her arms and flung her yoyo.
"We're under attack, Mo- Mrs.Dupain Cheng! I am taking you both to the hospital immediately!"
"Ladybug! My daughter and her boyfriend-" Sabine started,
"I already was able to get them to safety. We need to go NOW!" Pleaded Ladybug urgently.
Carrying her parents would have been impossible, but the combination of her miraculous powers and adrenaline enabled her to safely swing them to the hospital, where her father was loaded onto a stretcher groaning.
Sobbing, Sabine Dupain-Cheng clasped her hands together, "Ladybug, I cannot thank you enough for saving my family. We are forever in your debt. May I give you a hug?"
"Mom, of course-" Marinette started, but she was too late. Sabine took her hands gently.
"Honey, I'd be delighted to bring you into this world. I bet your mother is the proudest woman in the whole world." She glanced up at Ladybug. " I have a daughter probably around your age…" Sabine trailed off, embracing her and tears trickled down Marinette's face.
Wiping away tears, "Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," She sniffled, "I would be truly blessed to call you my mother."
With one last smile at her mother outside the hospital, Ladybug swung into the night.
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Chapter 4
That night, the city of love basked in an eerie purple light, blanketed by smoke. Fires broke out in the rubble snaking through the city and Chat Noir found himself trying to pry three children from the flaming ruins of their playroom.
"Hang on kids, Chat Noir is coming!" With a metallic clang of his staff, he successfully knocked away enough rubble to reach the kids, two boys and a girl. Chat Noir's breath stopped short.
They looked familiar. Two of the children had dark hair and green eyes, the oldest had long blonde hair in braids and blue eyes framed by dark lashes. She was carrying a small hamster cage in one hand and sheltering her younger brothers. He shook his head and within a second, he heard the same familiar SCHOOP from his dream. Ladybug had hurtled through the flaming rubble and landed next to him.
"Kitty-"
"M'lady!! There are three children in-"
"On it." The Duo sprang forward, but were met with a large gap between them and the kids.
"Louis! Hugo! You must save them first!" The blonde girl cried out, pushing her brothers forward.
"EMMA!" the boys yelled, clutching their sister.
"Hold on!" Chat Noir exclaimed, " We can take the three of you!"
" It's too risky! The building is on fire, the structure is too weak. Come back for me!" Emma called, covering her ashy face with a flowered bandana embroidered with ladybugs. "I won't move, just get my brothers to safety!"
Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at each other and bridged the gap, snatching the brothers before the building gave out further.
Bounding out of the building, the duo landed with the coughing boys.
"I'll get them to an ambulance kitty, they've already breathed in too much soot and ash. You get Emma." Ladybug coughed.
Chat Noir nodded and turned back to the building. He took a step forward, and
BAM.
"NO!"
Emma was gone. The building had exploded and firey rubble rained down everywhere. Chat Noir stared up in horror, refusing to believe that he was too late. Ladybug came racing towards him, "Chat, I heard the explosion, what..? Oh. No." Tears streamed down her face.
"I could have saved that kid!" Chat yelled, clutching his head.
"Kitty, it wasn't your fault." Ladybug murmured soothingly, "We won't let her sacrifice go to waste. Her brothers are safe, but Hawkmoth is still out there."
Chat Noir stood up, eyes puffy and angry, "M'lady, you are right. Let's go."
The two started off towards the eye of the storm.
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Chapter 5
Hawkmoth himself stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower, surveying the ruins of Paris with a cold satisfaction. A dozen miraculous rings glittered on his delicate fingers. Behind him, a metallic THUD sounded as Ladybug and Chat Noir landed at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Slowly, he turned around to face them. A cruel smile spread onto his face.
"Ah. The ever so exasperating Ladybug. And her irritating housecat." He spread his arms widely, brandishing the rings. "What do you think of my Paris? This could have all been avoided if you tiresome children would just give me your miraculous." He placed his hands atop his cane.
Chat Noir mocked his pose, sneering, "Why don't you fly away, bug boy. We've clawed you to pieces like a cat tree more times than I can count, and we'll do it again. You sure you wanna do this? Go crawl back to your little cocoon." He twirlled his staff and leaned on it, resting his blonde head on his clawed hands, his cheshire smile glinting in the moonlight.
"Hawkmoth, look what you've done to Paris." Ladybug voiced, stepping forward. "Countless lives lost. Homes destroyed. Families crushed. What good do you expect to come from all of this loss and pain?"
Hawkmoth snarled, "Pain? Little girl, you know nothing of pain. Neither do any of those simpletons down crawling on the streets like ants. None of you have suffered like me. Your narrow-mindedness will be your undoing. This is your last chance to live. Give me your miraculous!"
"Well, we tried to warn him M'lady," Chat Noir purred, "This bug has too much cat-titude and needs to be swiped out of the air."
"Well Kitty," Ladybug remarked starting forward, spinning her yoyo, "you sure are purr-suasive. Let's take him down, once and for all, Chaton."
"Me-ow you're talking!" Chat Noir crowed, and the duo closed in. Hawkmoth was powerful, but he seemed to be playing evasive. At last, with a blow from the staff to the stomach, Hawkmoth was on his back, tied up with Ladybug's yoyo and the heroes were panting hard.
"Hawkmoth, you are done. Your reign of terror is finished."
Hawkmoth growled and struggled against his bonds.
"Good work, Kitty."
"You as well, Bugaboo."
Suddenly, a bizarre sniffling noise started behind them. Was Hawkmoth… crying?
"I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. I just wanted the wish. Just one wish." he sobbed.
"What is he talking about?" Chat Noir wondered.
"I think I know." Ladybug knelt down next to the man.
"I just wanted my wife back. I wanted to make my son happy with his mother again. That's all I wanted. Emilie, Adrien needs you. I need you."
Chat Noir's blood all drained from his face. "My lady, get back-"
"Mr. Agreste?-OUCH" Ladybug fell back clutching her ear, just off balance enough for Hawkmoth to swiftly kick her in the stomach and over the edge of the tower, the glint of one of her red earrings in his fist.
Adrien Agreste's heart stopped. It all happened in slow motion. He lunged after a wingless ladybug, the wind whistling through his ears as she fell faster and faster. "What will you do without your owner? You're a stray now. All I need now is your miraculous, but I'll get that in due time. Try and catch her, I lost my love too." His father's bitter laughter echoed in his ears.
Ladybug hit the ground. Blood pooled around her. And Chat Noir screamed, a horrible sound that could be heard from any point in the city.
Chapter 6
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Alya and Nino were sheltered at Nino's house.
"I hope that Ladybug and Chat Noir are doing alright." Nino breathed, shaking his head and rubbing Alya's shoulder.
Alya didn't say anything. She had lost her miraculous to hawkmoth. She couldn't be there for Marinette. And she was petrified.
----
Chat Noir landed just after Ladybug had hit the ground with a sickening thud. Blood, more red than her suit pooled around her. Sobbing, screaming, Chat Noir gathered up his lady in his arms and brought her into the grass. There was no one around. The way she would have wanted it.
"Chat…?" she whispered
"Ladybug." he sobbed.
"I'm so sorry I made you wait this long. It's time."
"What.. what do you mean?" he rasped, tears flooding his face as he cradled her in his arms.
Ladybug's singular earring beeped softly. With a sound like a sweet wind chime, the past, present, and future of Adrien Agreste were annihilated. Ravaged and finished forever.
A scream. A Cacophony of sound. There are no words. The sound ripped from Chat Noir was devastating. The bloody, mangled body of Marinette Dupain Cheng rattled in his arms.
"Are you… that… that.. Disappointed?" She laughed, like a tinkle of a bell for the last time.
"NO. NO. NO. NO. NO NO NOOOO." Chat Noir sobbed, his hands on her cheeks, combing the blood from her summer blueberry hair. "PLAGG!... CLAWS…CLAWS IN."
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Chapter 7
She blinked slowly. There was no akuma. She couldn't fix this.
Through spotted vision and glassy eyes, Marinette Dupain Cheng gazed into the tear-stricken beautiful face of Adrien Agreste. The boy she had loved for 5 years. He was Chat Noir this whole time. She wanted to cry. But she was too far gone. And it would only make it worse for him. Instead she smiled. "I love you Chat Noir, I love you Adrien Agreste." She coughed blood onto Adrien's face, but he didnt wipe it off. He only sobbed harder. She took a shuddering breath "I would do anything to be able to spend more of my precious time with you. Thank you for giving me the love of a thousand lifetimes. Know that, I will always be with you."
Adrien cradled her body close to his chest, screaming, hyperventilating, and strangled sobbs. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening. I love you Marinette. I love you Ladybug. I love you. I love you. I love you." With each ' i love you', he kissed her on her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, and her lips.
With one final smile, one last look at the love of her life, " Mon, chaton, I love yo-". Ladybug couldn't even finish her last words. She had run out of luck. And Chat Noir's heart shattered into a billion pieces.
For hours, he cradled her body. His own, wracked with sobs. It began to rain, and this time, he had forgotten an umbrella. The pools of ladybug-red washed away. Her face was frozen in a gentle smile. He knew he himself would never smile again. When the ambulance came, he wouldn't let her body go, even when the cries of Sabine ripped through the streets of Paris.
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Chapter 8
Two Weeks Later
Paris was devastated, but Marinette had a beautiful funeral. Louis and Hugo came. They were now orphaned, and Adrien felt that taking them in was his duty as Chat Noir. One last act of love from Paris's Black Cat. In the days before the funeral, he had handed out the letters he found in her desk.
Dear Adrien.
Dear Mom and Dad
Dear Alya
Dear Cat Noir.
At the funeral, he was incapable of speaking to anyone, except the Dupain-Chengs. Nino couldn't get a word out of him. He sat in the front row and gazed at the beautiful drawing that Nathanial had drawn of her, wishing it could come to life, even for a moment. He had the last two letters in his pocket. He couldn't bear to read them.
Alya approached him in tears, attempting to confide in him. But he waved her off and left for the men's room. At the sink, he tried to quell some of the puffiness from his face with the cool water, but it only brought more tears to his face. Suddenly, a thought crept into his mind. Breaking his own vow to himself, Adrien's grief-stricken face stretched into a cruel grin. And he knew what he had to do. His father wanted to bring his mother back from death's grasp. He would trick him into telling him how. Then, he would do away with his father and do whatever it took to bring Marinette back.
"You look so much like your beautiful mother, Adrien."
That's what they always said. He glanced up in the mirror, and for a brief moment, his father's cold features stared back at him. Glancing down at his ring with new resolve, he left the men's room. Gabriel Agreste would finally know the pain that he had spoken of.
When his turn came, Adrien was followed by Louis and Hugo. Adrien smiled and carefully placed a huge bouquet of red roses on Marinette Dupain-Cheng's casket.
"Marinette, my love, we will see eachother again."