Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Disclaimer : All the characters are from the animated show "Miraculous ladybug: tales of ladybug and Chat noir".

____________________________________

A new month. A new day. Marinette just had the most amazing dream ever. There wasn't any homework given yesterday and no akuma attacks either. So she had a good night sleep and surprisingly she actually woke up on time too. She was fresh and headed straight downstairs. To her suprise, she didn't trip down the stairs nor did she spill any milk while having breakfast. She kissed her mother goodbye and went straight to school. It definitely seems like an amazing day today.

When she reached school, Alya was already standing outside. She walked over to her.

"Wow. You're early. For the first time in forever you're actually right on time for something." Her best friend said.

"I know. It feels like such an amazing day today." She replied.

Suddenly a car parked outside of the school and Adrien stepped out.

Alya notices him and quickly turns to Marinette "Speaking of amazing days, look who's here."

Marinette tilted her head and spotted the blond boy. "Say no more Alya! Today is the day!" She said enthusiastically.

"You for real?"

"Yes. There's no perfect day than today. And that is all the motivational boost I need to talk to him."

She said while slightly pushing Alya to her left. She starts walking over to Adrien and kept on telling herself that she got this. All she has to do is walk over to him and confess.

But when she approaches to him, she starts to blush a little. She kept on reminding herself that she can do this.

Adrien noticed her and said "Hello Marinette. Nice day today, isn't it?"

But before she could answer, Chloe came running to Adrien yelling "Adrikens!" She kissed his cheek without paying attention to his annoyed reaction towards her.

"Adrikens. Don't forget after school we're going shopping to pick out what we'll wear on our date tomorrow."

And at that point, Marinette's heart sank. W--what? She thought.

"Y....you... you're dat- dating?" She asked nervously.

Adrien was about to answer but Chloe quickly responded "Ofc we are!" There was an awkward silence.

Suddenly the bell rang and Marinette quickly ran inside. Alya followed her.

"Girl, slow down!" She screamed through the corridor.

When Marinette finally stopped running Alya asked what happened.

"I'm too late. He's dating Chloe."

"Did he tell you that?"

"No. Chloe did."

Alya shook her head. "Girl, do you even know what day it is?"

"The day I get all my dreams crushed?" She said in a sad tone.

"No girl... It's-" Before she could finish, Marinette opened the classroom door and a bucket of water fell on her head.

She was completely wet. And tripped over the remaining water causing her to fall down. Alya helped her up.

"Thanks Alya."

Then Alya furiously turned to the class. "What's the meaning of this?" She said.

Kim was standing right next to the door. "Sorry. I meant for it to fall on Chloe. I didn't expect you to come at this time Marinette. I'm sorry."

"Yeah just my luck that I somehow came to school early today." The poor girl said.

Chloe and Adrien entered the class. Chloe saw the empty bucket on the floor and Marinette's condition. She couldn't help but laugh at this point. Adrien didn't say a word. He wanted to scold Chloe but then again, it's Chloe! Marinette never felt more embarrassed in her life. Just when she thought that things were going her way, life takes an unexpected turn.

But being the positive happy person she is, she goes back to her seat quietly.

Alya followed. "You okay?"

"Totally... It was getting a little hot in here anyway. Haha!" She replied in her usual friendly tone. Alya smiled and patted on her head.

"You see? That's what I like about you. You don't let little things get to you." Alya said.

"Thanks Alya. It gets easier to let things go when I have a friend like you whose got my back." They both smiled and the conversation ended.

The teacher entered the class and the lecture started.

During lunch time the class was laughing like crazy. Alya and Marinette were curious. Alya asked Nino about it.

"You guys are not gonna like this." He said with his hand at the back of his head.

"We won't like it if you're keeping secrets from us either. Might as well spill the beans then." Marinette responded.

"Well... Remember when you got in the way of Kim's prank on Chloe? Someone recorded it. It has like ten thousand views already."

What?! Marinette was shocked.

"You mean I'm on the internet now!" She said in fear.

Alya grabbed Nino's shirt amd pulled him towards herself.

"Who did this?" She demanded.

"Dude... I mean Alya... I don't know. It was sent by an anonymous."

Alya let go of him.

Marinette asked "Please tell me you didn't see it?"

"What? Of course not. You're my friend and I wouldn't do that to a friend." He replied.

Marinette was satisfied with the answer but not with the fact that she's now a joke to everyone.

"What am I gonna do?" She asked in confusion.

Then banged her head at the lunch table they were sitting at. Alya patted her back to comfort her.

"I'm sorry Marinette. But you can't do anything about it. Maybe you could have if it was some other day. But it isn't."Nino said.

She lifted her head. "Why? What's so special about today?"

"I tried to tell you... It's April Fools day." Alya said calmly. Marinette blushed.

"This is a nightmare." She said while constantly banging her forehead on the table in front of her.

During the last class of the day, Miss Bustier (idk how to spell her name) told the class that she was going to take a supprise test. Great! Marinette's day just gets better and better, huh? But thankfully the test was very easy. So Marinette could have done it easily if it wasn't for Lila who kept bothering Marinette.

She'd keep asking for something. Let it be a pencil or a pen. And then she kept on asking for the answers. But Marinette ignored her.

"You gotta admit though... That video of you falling is pretty funny. You can thank me for making you famous later." Lila teased.

At this point, Marinette's turned around to face her. "You! You uploaded that video!" She shouted angrily.

The teacher heard her and said "Marinette, hand over your paper to me, now!"

"But why?" She asked.

"Because you are disturbing the class. That's why. You know you're not allowed to talk during your quiz."

"But Lila-" Lila raised her hand and said "Excuse me miss. But Marinette is cheating. She asked me to tell her the answer to a question."

"What!? No I didn't. You're the one who-"

She was cut off by the teacher. "Marinette Dupain Cheng! You should be ashamed of yourself. What sort of class representative cheats during a test?"

"But Miss... Lila's lying. I never cheated in any of my tests and-" the teacher snatched Marinette's test paper from her and said "That's enough. You are not taking this test anymore. I'm also lowering your grade."

Marinette couldn't believe what she's hearing. No one bothers to listen to her.

She got up from her chair and said "I don't want to be the class president anymore. If anyone wants, they can take this position."

And then she ran back home to think about what just happened. Her day was going so well. But then she found out that Adrien and Chloe are dating. Then got humiliated in public and then on the internet. And now, she lost a grade and the teacher's trust in her because of a liar!

How did it come to this!? Not long after, the school ended. Alya, Nino and Adrien wondered if Marinette is even going to come to school tomorrow or not. It was such a rough day for such a nice little girl.

Meanwhile, Chloe told Sabrina to do her homework but Sabrina said "Oh... I'm sorry Chloe but I can't. I have some important work to do first." And ran off.

Chapter Text

The next day, Marinette is no where in sight. Her friends are really worried about her. Nino turned to Alya.

"Where is she?" He asked.

Alya sighed. "I don't know. I tried calling her after school yesterday but she didn't pick up. I left a few voice messages and so far no response." She frowned.

Adrien was sitting next to Nino listening to the conversation.

"Poor Marinette. She had it really bad yesterday." He said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't show up for a whole week." Nino added.

"How can you say that?" Alya inquired.

"But he's right. She seemed very hurt. If Only I could have done something for her." Adrien said.

"Don't be so hard on yourself dude. There's nothing we could have done for her." Nino confronted while patting his shoulder.

Alya gasped. "Guys, look!" She pointed.

To everyone's suprise, Marinette just entered the class. She wasn't whining, nor did she appear sad. She was her cheerful clumsy self. She took her usual seat next to Alya. "Hey Alya." She said in her usual friendly tone. They were all shocked. Marinette made it seem like nothing happened yesterday.

ALYA'S POV: I can't believe she's actually here today. And in such a good mood too. But I guess it's good. Nice to know she didn't let yesterday hold her back. Maybe she just wants to forget about it and do better today. And as her best friend, I won't talk about what happened yesterday either.

"Hey girl!" She replied back. "Nice to know you're still you." She continued.

"Yup, I won't let yesterday hold me back from what I can really do." Marinette replied.

"You sure though? Yesterday was pretty harsh." Nino interfered.

Alya didn't like that comment. She gave him a stare and Nino knew exactly what it meant. It meant 'shut up'. Marinette giggled.

"So what? I thought a lot about it yesterday and finally came to the conclusion that I need to stand up for myself. From now on, I'm not going to let people walk over me."

Her friends cheered for her. "That's the spirit girl!" Alya said while giving Marinette a thumbs up.

Sabrina entered the class. She seemed a bit nervous today. She walked up to Marinette to see how she's doing. When she asked, Marinette ignored. She asked again but no response.

The third time she asked Alya said "Marinette, she called you're name the third time now."

"I know. But do I look like I care?" She said and then she turned to Sabrina "When someone ignores you that doesn't mean you have to keep repeating yourself Sabrina. It means I'm uninterested to talk to you. So get out of my face!"

Alya froze. Sabrina apologized then politely said "I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"Sorry. But I don't like talking to Chloe's little pet." Everyone gasped. No one believed what she just said. Sabrina didn't respond and went back to her seat.

But Marinette's friends were furious. "Girl that was harsh" Alya said.

"Yeah... She just wanted to check on you." Nino added.

"You didn't have to be so rude to her Mariette. You might have hurt her. You should apologize." Adrien advised.

"Not gonna happen." She replied with a grin.

The four of them started to argue when Chloe entered the class.

As soon as she spotted Marinette, she teased "Well well well... If it isn't Marinette Dupain Cheng. Ready for another bad day?"

"I don't know. Are you?" She said calmly. Alya face palmed herself.

"You're such a big baby. Only a five year old would go home in tears if they ever go through a bad day. Oh! And you apparently." She laughed.

"Well atleast I'm not a sad sloppy teenager who still plays with stuff teddy bears because that's the only friend I have. I mean seriously.... Are you in Highschool or Kindergarten." Marinette replied sharply.

Everyone oo-ed at Chloe. "How dare you say that about me!? Just you wait... My daddy will hear about this. I'll make sure he'll close your parents bakery for good."

Chloe replied while stomping her foot and pointing at Marinette.

"Awe. Can't little Miss daughter of Paris stand up for herself? Or do you always have to turn to your father every time you pick a fight that you can't handle. Guess you really are a baby, huh?" She teased back.

Chloe froze. She didn't know how to respond to that. Marinette just insulted her in front of the whole class.

She was having trouble figuring out a comeback when she finally spoke "You should know that-" Lila interrupted. "Forget it Chloe. She's not worth it. Marinette's just being a jerk."

"Atleast I'm an honest jerk. Unlike YOU" Marinette replied while pointing at Lila.

She gasped. "Are you calling me a liar?" She confronted.

"Anyone with an actual functioning brain would agree. Even Adrien knows it."

The entire class was in shock now. Adrien couldn't believe that Marinette just pointed him out like that.

"Dude. Is that true?" Nino asked Adrien.

"Go on Adrien. Tell them the truth." Marinette encouraged.

The entire class was staring at him. All their attention was diverted towards him.

At first the blond kid hesitated a little bit then replied "Um... Yeah. There were a few times where Lila wasn't completely honest with me." He said politely.

He didn't want to rat her out like that but he also didn't want to lie. That's just not him.

"Ha! See... I told you! And you know what? I don't think Lila left her old school because she got transferred. I think she left because everyone figured out her little game. She lies just to get everyone to like her. And when I figured it out, she tried to make me look bad. In fact, she was the one who uploaded that video of me too. She told me that during the test yesterday and lied that I was cheating from her!" She pointed out.

The entire class was staring at Lila now. They were all disappointed in her. One could easily see the hatred in their eyes.

Lila was a little intimated at first but then replied with confidence "No I didn't. Why would I even make that video? I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Oh please...I'm sick and tired of your lies. Everyone here knows you've been lying for so long now. So it's obvious you're doing it again."

Marinette said rolling her eyes. Lila felt ashamed. She's been exposed by the one she wanted to destroy socially. No one will ever believe her again. And no one would want to be her friend anymore. There's nothing she could do now. She's hurt. Her eyes were now watery.

"Oh great... Here comes the waterfalls now. Look if you're gonna do that, how about you do it someplace else. Like in a trash can cause that's where you belong!" Marinette said rudely.

She was going to far with this now. Alya told her to shut up. "The cat's out of the bag now (you can't have an MLB story without a cat pun). Stop making her feel worse than she needs to." she scolded.

"So you're still supporting a no good liar over your best friend now? I thought you were better than that. Guess I was wrong." Marinette said.

"Alright. You've made your point. Now stop" Chloe screamed.

"Or what? You're going to tell your daddy?" She said while mimicking Chloe's accent.

"Okay. That's enough!" The class shouted.

"Wow. There's a new idiot here every minute." She replied annoyingly.

It was Marinette against the whole class now. An argument started and broke as soon as the teacher entered the class inquiring about the noise everyone was making.

Chapter Text

The class all at once began to answer. All their voices and words jumbled up. Miss Bustier remained confused.

"Class please. One at a time. I can't understand when all of you talk at the same time." She said while asking everyone to remain seated.

Everyone seemed so excited to tell on Marinette but for some unknown reason, she was calm. Then the class took turns answering the question.

The teacher tried to sum it all up "So you're saying that Mariette is bullying Chloe and Lila?"

The class shouted yes all at once.

"She even called Sabrina 'Chloe's pet'." Kim added.

The teacher was shocked. She couldn't believe this. Or maybe she didn't want to believe it.

"I understand. But right now, I want to hear Marinette's part of the story too." She said while looking directly at her.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "You mean like you heard my side of the story from yesterday? I'll pass." The girl replied.

I guess it makes sense that she was mad at Chloe and Lila for everything they did to her. But did she really just say that to her teacher!? Her teacher of all people?

"What is that supposed to mean?" The teacher inquired.

"You know exactly what it means. You didn't bother to listen to me when Lila lied to you during the test. So, why should I waste my breath explaining myself when no one wants to listen to me?" She replied.

"Well, I'm listening now Marinette. And I'm very disappointed in you."

"What a coincidence! I'm disappointed in everyone too." She replied while looking at her nails.

Miss Bustier's POV : What has gotten into this girl? Since when has she become so rude? Does she even know about all the hurtful things she's saying? Or is all of this my fault? No. I know this girl. She's one of my brightest students. Perhaps I was a little hard on her yesterday.

"Girl is all this attitude you're giving us about what happened yesterday? We all apologized. Well... Most of us did anyway. Besides it was just a harmless prank. Like I said, it was April Fool's day. You can't be mad at us forever." Alya said interrupting the teacher's thoughts.

Marinette sighed. "Okay first of all, this isn't an 'attitude'. I'm sick and tired of people taking advantage of me just because I'm nice. I told you. From now on, I'm not going to let people take me for granted. And about the 'harmless prank' part, I'd like to see you getting laughed at on the internet and not worry about it. Why does it always have to be me?" She said in an aggressive tone.

"Well there's a difference between standing up for yourself and being a jerk!" Kim stated.

"Well this is the new me now. If you don't like it, then how about you go someplace else and cry about it." She said angrily.

"Marinette! I won't accept this behavior. Apologize to Kim." The teacher demanded.

"No thanks. I'll pass." She said while covering her mouth while yawning.

The teacher boiled. She isn't just disobeying her, but she's also disrespecting her in front of the whole class. And for a teacher, that is both hurtful and embarrassing.

"That's it! Principle's office young lady. Now!" She said while pointing at the door.

Marinette sighed. She got off from her seat and went out of the classroom without a word. And she was so quick at it that people would think she's glad that she got sent there.

"Honestly, what is wrong with that girl today. I've never seen her like this." She mumbled.

"I think it's all good. She had a bad day yesterday. And she never got along with Chloe nor Lila. She's probably just letting her stress out." The entire class gazed at Nino.

"Are you saying this kind of behavior is acceptable?" Rose asked.

"No. I'm just saying that she's probably upset but doesn't know how to ask for help since she always gives help and never asked for anything in return." He defended.

"Maybe." Juleka responded.

The entire class was now on to debate about this topic except for Sabrina. Adrien noticed her hiding behind a book she was reading.

"Hey, Sabrina. What do you think?" He asked.

She looked at him nervously. "I- I don't know anything". She quickly replied.

It seemed like she was hiding something but Adrien didn't push her. Having someone else upset is the last thing this classroom needs. The class was still arguing and getting louder and louder every second.

Miss Bustier clapped her hands and yelled "Class. Class. May I have your attention please?" They all stopped to hear what she has to say.

"We'll talk about this later. Right now, we should begin our lecture. Everyone please turn to page 58 and start reading." The class did as they were told.

During lunch time, Marinette was sitting alone. Alya felt pity for her friend and thought that some company would do her good.

"Hey girl, you doing okay there?" She asked politely as she sat down next to her.

"Yeah. I guess." Was her answer.

"As your best friend, I gotta know...what happened back there? " She inquired. But before she could answer, Alya saw Adrien approaching towards them.

"Oh! Hold that thought." Alya said while putting her index finger on Marinette's lips.

"Adrien is coming this way. You sure you can handle him this time? Without your usual stammering that is." She teased while winking at her.

"Oh please. That was the old Marinette. The new Marinette isn't afraid to speak her mind." She replied.

Yeah. We all observed that during class a few minutes ago.

"Hey Marinette." Said Adrien.

She stood up and walked over to him and crossed her arms. As if she's expecting him to ask for something.

"I was in class today." He started.

"So?" She replied while raising an eyebrow.

Alya was in disbelief. Saying that to your crush in that attitude isn't an easy thing to do. Especially if you're Marinette.

"Well I saw the whole drama that was created back then. And the way you lashed out. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked nicely.

"No. Anything else?" She asked annoyingly.

He froze. What can he say now? What should he say now? Normally he has an answer to everything but right now he's just trying to process what just happened.

Some time passed. There was an awkward silence between the two.

"I guess not." Marinette concluded.

"But I have a question to ask you." She added. "Are you and Chloe really dating?"

"No way. I tried to tell you that yesterday but I never got the chance. Why?" He said while scratching his neck from the back.

"Good." She said. As if she's not surprised by his answer. "You don't deserve love. I'm actually glad your mother died. And that your father is a stone cold jerk who doesn't love you. It's what you deserve."

Everyone was shocked. Adrien felt hurt and told her about it but she wasn't bothered at all. He apologized if he did something wrong which might be the reason why she's mad at him.

"What do you mean you're sorry?" She asked.

"Mariette our friendship means a lot to me. So, if I hurt you somehow and you're mad at me for that then I'm sorry."

Mariette laughed. "Our 'friendship'? It's dead Adrien. I can't believe you. I liked you more than a friend and you... You never noticed it. You never stood up for me. You were never there for me. Whereas I did everything in my power to help you. But I guess that wasn't good enough. Figured. What's the chance of a no good bakery girl with a famous fashion model. Zero I guess. I can't believe I fell for you" She said and then rolled her eyes.

"But Mariette I-"

"Where were you yesterday when Chloe laughed at me? Or when she lied about you two dating? Or when Lila lied? You of all people always knew her lies and never did anything to stop it. Where were you when Miss Bustier scolded me for no reason?" Her voice raised.

Adrien stood still. His heart sank. He was a standing statue. He wanted to say something but nothing could come out of his mouth.

Marinette angrily pushed him aside and yelled "Out of my way! I can't stand people who treat me this way!" And walked right out of school. (Again? Yup. They should really make rules about sneaking out of school like that if you ask me.)

Adrien was still shook. And hurt. He could feel the pain in her words attacking his heart. The fact that she said she's glad his mother died cut his heart the deepest. The thing he's most sensitive about.

Everyone saw and heard what happened and walked over to him.

Nino patted his back for comfort. "Oh cheer up dude. You know she didn't mean it." But that didn't work.

Even Chloe of all people came over to confront him. "Well... It definitely sounded like she meant it. I knew she was a no good doer right from the start."

Ofc her hatred for Mariette was still there. Alya sighed.

"Give it a rest Chloe." She said while face smacking herself.

"We all know Marinette isn't like this.... So why is she saying all these mean things?" She inquired.

"I know why." A voice came from the crowd that surrounded Adrien.

Everyone stepped aside to let that person come through. It was Sabrina. She was looking very nervous and anxious and also very guilty. She fixed her glasses and took a deep breath. Everyone's attention was diverted towards her.

Chapter Text

Sabrina felt as if the entire weight of the planet was placed on her shoulders now. Everyone was waiting for her to speak up. She gulped. Alya stood right next to her. She encouraged her to say what's on her mind and to reveal the truth. Sabrina took a deep breath one last time before she'd explain.

Sabrina's POV: I felt sorry for Marinette. And when she ran home like that, I knew she was definitely hurt. So, after school I made up a fake excuse to Chloe so I could go and check on her. When I entered her parents' bakery, her mother seemed very worried about her. She told me that Marinette came crying to her room some time ago. And she hasn't come out ever since. I went over to her room but stayed hidden because I didn't want her to think I was invading her privacy.

I saw her sitting beside her bed, with her face and arms on the bed and the rest of her on the floor. She said a few things but I couldn't hear them over her cries. And that's when I saw it. The akuma entered her bag. I was impressed to see her resist Hawkmoth for as long as she did. She stood up and held her head in her hands grunting as she walked across the room telling him no. But then she stopped at her dresser, looked at herself in the mirror and lost all her will in fighting Hawkmoth's control. A dark mist began to cover her and I.... I...

"You did what?" Alya asked.

"I ran." Sabrina said in a crying tone. "I should have done something. I should have helped her. But I was just to scared. I couldn't face her." She started crying.

"It's not your fault. Marinette made her choice." Chloe stated.

"So, Marinette's been akumatized. That would explain her recent behavior with everyone but... But why does she still look like herself?" Nino said while scratching his head in confusion.

"I don't know. But we have to warn Ladybug and Chat Noir." Alya said enthusiastically.

Marinette's POV (while getting akumatized): 'This was the worst day of my life. Not only was I humiliated but now everyone probably saw that video by now too. Miss Bustier scolded me for no reason and no one even dared to stand up for me. I'm such a loser. Such a failure. Adrien will never go out with me.' These were the only thoughts that kept coming up to me as I ran back home.

As soon as I entered the bakery, I felt even more embarrassed when my mom saw me crying like that. She probably thinks I'm weak. I told her that I wanted to be alone and went straight to my room. I threw myself to the ground while having my bed supporting my head and my arms that I was crying on.

I heard the door open a little from behind me. Probably mom checking on me but I didn't bother to look. There were so many things in my mind now. So many things I wanted to get off my chest but couldn't. Words couldn't come out of my mouth. I just sat there. Crying and crying. And that's when I heard it.

An akuma was approaching me. My efforts to get away from it was all in vain. It got into my purse. Thankfully, Tikki wasn't inside. She went to meet a friend of hers so I didn't have to worry about my secret getting exposed. Thank God for that.

And then I heard his voice. "Vexer, I am Hawkmoth. So, people hurt you? Well I'm giving you the ability to hurt them back anyway you desire. All I ask for in return are Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculous. Do we have a deal?" 

I knew this was bad. No matter how tempting it was, I had to fight his control.

I got up and told him no. But he didn't let me off that easily.

"No? Do you like being taken for granted? To be stepped on? To be lied to? Humiliated? Don't you want to stand up for yourself and teach them a lesson?"

I knew he was trying to manipulate me and I couldn't let that happen. I walked over to the side to think more clearly. I ended up standing in front of my dresser.

"Look at yourself." I looked up to see my reflection. "Look at how much pain they've caused you. How miserable you've become. How much longer will this continue?"

I hate to admit it but he was right. I looked awful. I looked tired, miserable and broken down.

"I can sense that you're interested in my offer."

Dammit! How did he find out? I didn't say I agreed to his terms but I was tempted to have some real power for a change. Power that I can use by my free will and not just for the greater good.

Soon, a purple black mist covered my entire body. And though I looked the same, I could feel powerful. And having that power felt so good!

Chapter Text

Everyone was confused. Sabrina could feel the pressure of a thousand words grasping her from every direction.

"How is that even possible?" They wondered.

"Then why does Mariette look the same? How come she didn't have a wardrobe change? Why didn't you tell us this before? Where is Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

The questions kept coming and coming until Alya yelled "That's enough!" Now, there was silence.

Adrien walked over to Sabrina and asked her politely "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I...I was afraid. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It's never too late." Rose said while patting Sabrina's back for comfort.

"Now that that's settled, why does Mariette look the same?" Nino asked.

"And what is she upto?"

"More importantly, where's Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Alya added.

"I can think of one person who can answer these questions: Mariette herself." Max said.

Everyone agreed and rushed out of school to search for Marinette.

I mean, if you want answers, ask the person who's planting the questions in your head in the first place, right? They all search for the akumatized girl. They checked the streets, the park, her favorite picnic spots, but no sign of the girl anywhere.

Heck, they even asked Luka if she was with him but he simply nodded no. They probably searched half of Paris by now and didn't even consider the most obvious place she could be...her home (i know. I know. They are idiots).

Marinette was in her room, reading a magazine and was lying upside down on her bed. The trap door in her room opened. Her mother, Sabine, was standing still.

"Marinette, dear, did you bunk school again? This is the third time this week." She said worriedly.

Her eyes, still locked on the magazine, "So what?" The girl replied.

"SO WHAT!?" Sabine's voiced raised.

"This attitude is unacceptable young lady. If you aren't downstairs in ten seconds, you're going to WISH you were at school right now." She warned.

Marinette mumbled "whatever" and kept reading her magazine.

She then peeked from the corner of her eye and spotted her mother counting "ten...nine...eight..."

Damn! She means business'. Marinette thought. It's not like Mariette to get into trouble with her mother. And she's not looking for that now either.

She sighed and got up from her bed, threw her magazine to the side, and dragged her feet downstairs. Sabine followed. Once downstairs, she turned around to face her mother behind her.

"There. I'm here. Can I go back to my room now?"

"Not until you do your chores." She replied while nodding no.

"But MOM!..."

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me."

"But mom..." Her voice turning into a whisper "...I did them yesterday."

"Yesterday, last week, last month, last year. I don't care when you did them. Do them now. Oh! And you can start with the dishes." She demanded.

Mariette rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen.

Akumatized or not, Marinette can't disobey her mother. Late night homework? Easy. Taking on akumatized victims? Don't make me laugh. But disobeying her mom? Let's not go there.

When she reached the sink, she hesitated. It's kinda hard to believe that only three people use all these dishes. But complaining about the task assigned to her isn't going to get it done. She has to do it.

She took a plate and begins to scrub off the tiny bits and pieces of food stuck to it. The glasses were probably the easiest to clean. The plates took a little longer. But the real challenge, were the pots and pans.

'Dammit!' She thought 'How am I supposed to clean this? It's like it doesn't want to get cleaned.' She began to scrub it vigorously then wondered

"Argh! How did this thing get these spots on in the first place!"

Tikki flew into her earings and suddenly, there stood ladybug, doing the dishes of all things on the world!

Marinette's/ Ladybug's POV: what the? Why am I doing the dishes? And as ladybug? Has my identity been revealed? No, that can't be. Hmmm. Maybe Chat can help.

She took out her yo-yo and swung out of the house. She jumped from building to building, rooftop to rooftop. But couldn't find him anywhere. Just her luck that he isn't picking up his phone either.

Suddenly, she heard someone call out "Ladybug! Ladybug!"

She turned around and saw Alya and Adrien rushing towards her. Oh-no! ADRIEN rushing towards her. 'Act cool Mariette. Remember he doesn't know you're Mariette. Or atleast, I hope he doesn't.'

"Oh. Hello there fellow highschool kids.... I mean I'm just guessing.... It's not like I know you or something." She greeted while scratching the back of her head 'Dammit.' she thought.

But it seemed like they didn't notice the awkward greeting or maybe they didn't care about it.

"Ladybug! Thank God you're here. We need your help. Our friend is akumatized!" Alya stated.

"What? Who?" Ladybug asked with concern.

"Marinette." Adrien replied.

Ladybug shook her head. "What? That's not possible."

"We didn't want to believe it either. But you have to save her!" Alya said.

"Where's Chat noir?" Ladybug asked. Adrien hesitated.

"He's probably busy or something...hehe." he said while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, if you see him, tell him to find me. I need to talk to him." She said and then turned to Alya.

"Don't worry. I'll find Marinette." She smiled back. Ladybug took out her yo-yo once more and swung away.

Chapter Text

Later that night, Adrien snuck out of the house as Chat Noir to meet up with Ladybug. Ladybug was on a rooftop lost in thought.

"I heard you're looking for me M'lady." He chuckled.

But to his suprise she didn't respond with an annoyed look nor did she debate about how much she hates being called that. She was just...sad. Chat knew something is definitely wrong with her so he remained quite and sat right next to her. She sighed.

"M'lady is something wrong?" He questioned.

"Chat Noir, do you think I can be akumatized?" She asked.

Chat stood still. He was expecting an explanation for her feeling so down right now or maybe even a formal greeting. But she just started with the BIG question. He wondered if he heard her right.

"what?" He mumbled.

"You heard me. Do you think I can be akumatized?" She asked again in a demanding tone.

"I- I don't know. I mean anyone can get akumatized. Even me..." He paused to look at his lady who seemed super bummed by those words.

"But you're Ladybug for crying out loud. You're brave, amazing and so cool. I mean if anyone could fight the akuma, it would be you." He said trying to ease her.

She sighed. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Where is all this coming from though?" He finally asked.

"I- someone told me that I haven't been myself lately. And that they fear that I might have been akumatized. I wonder if that's even possible. Can a Ladybug be akumatized?" She asked again.

"Honestly, I don't know that myself." He finally confessed.

"That's what I thought." She whispered.

"Well I'm sorry to raise your burden M'lady but a friend of mine has been akumatized. Her name's Mariette."

"How did you know about that?" She asked.

"Wait... You knew? Why didn't you tell me?" He teased.

"I haven't known that long. Her friends told me about it today. But how did you find out?" She inquired.

Chat chuckled nervously and replied "Oh. Um... Adrien. He told me."

"You talked to Adrien?"she asked eagerly.

"You'd be surprised how much we have in common." He winked.

"Don't make me laugh. You are nothing like Adrien Agreste." She chuckled mockingly.

"What makes you say that?"

"I know him." She said.

"Really? Well... How well do you-" She cut him off before he could finish.

"Stop. We're not here to talk about my personal life here, remember?" She cried.

"Right. Sorry Ladybug."

"Joking aside, do you think Marinette can be akumatized?" She asked worriedly.

"Well... I certainly hope not. She's an incredible girl. And I don't wanna hurt her. Guess your lucky charm would come in pretty handy." He smiled.

"I'm starting to think that Marinette's case has a connection to me or something. I don't remember anything. And worst of all, I haven't seen Tikki in a while either." She cried.

"Your kwami. How did you become Ladybug without Tikki?"

"I don't know. I don't even remember saying 'spots on.'" she said worriedly.

"Well...maybe you have a concussion or something. Don't worry. Your memory will come around eventually. And so will your kwami. I'm sure." Chat said patting on her back.

"That's it! If a de-transform back, I might see Tikki again." She said hopefully.

"But Chat Noir, I need a favor."

"Anything for you M'lady."

"I need you to keep an eye on Marinette. I don't know how long it will take me to get my memories back but in the mean time, make sure she stays out of trouble."

"You have my word." He said tilting his head down to pay respect to his lady.

"Thanks Kitty " she said and stood up. And the next thing you know, Ladybug is back at Marinette's house.

She stood on her balcony and entered her room from there.

"Spots off!" She cried.

As soon as she turned back to Marinette, the trap door in her room opened and Sabine was looking furiously at her daughter.

"Mariette Dupain Cheng! I thought I told you to do the dishes. Come downstairs and do them properly this time. Or else!" She screamed.

Marinette rushed downstairs to finish the dishes she left while she was busy looking for her partner as Ladybug. But sadly, Marinette doesn't remember that part.

Meanwhile Tikki comes out of the drawer in Marinette's room. She hid there after Ladybug de-transformed so she couldn't see the kwami, or rather, Hawkmoth doesn't.

'I hope this nightmare ends soon.' the kwami thought.

[AN: Okay, so let me explain, Marinette is akumatized. And whenever she says 'spots on' she becomes Ladybug. And as Ladybug, she isn't akumatized anymore. Just like when the akuma is released and its host has no idea what happened, same is the case with Mariette (or should I say Ladybug). But as soon as she de-transformes back, Mariette is akumatized again. And Tikki is trying her best to stay away from Marinette so Hawkmoth won't find out that Marinette is Ladybug. And when she is ladybug, the connection that Hawkmoth has with his prey breaks.]

Chapter Text

The next day, Adrien was getting ready for school.

"Plagg, I'm worried about her." He sounded concerned.

The kwami, still half asleep, rubbed his eyes and asked "Who? Ladybug or Marinette?"

"Both I guess."

Plagg yawned. "You're taking Marinette's akumatization way so seriously."

"Shouldn't I?"

"You should. But so far, you hadn't made any jokes nor any puns about it. You do that with every other akuma victim." He answered.

Adrien remained silent. "Whatever. She's just a friend." Adrien stated.

"What? And everyone else aren't?" He mocked.

"Look, can we talk about this later? I have to go to school and check on Marinette."

"You never 'checked on' any other victim. Why this one?"

"Cause Ladybug asked me too!" He picked up his bag and headed for school.

Before he could enter the class, he heard a high pitch scream, followed by some crying noises. He rushed into the class and saw Chloe crying at the back of the class because of (you guessed it) Mariette. Or should I say, Vexer. Everyone else was either to afraid to confront her, or haven't arrived to school yet (But mostly afraid).

Hawkmoth's POV: Excellent Vexer. I'm pleased. Keep going like this and Ladybug and Chat Noir are sure to come. Where are those pesky little insects anyway? And why did I lose my connection with you yesterday? No matter. They will come around eventually. Besides, the longer my akuma holds onto its victim, the more my effect is permanent.

Adrien ran over to Vexer and told her to stop but she didn't listen. He furiously snatched her arm and pulled her towards himself. But she didn't look surprised at all. Rather, she had a death glare in her eyes.

"Back off Adrien. Don't make me hurt you." She warned.

"Marinette, this has gone too far. You have to stop." He said while pulling her closer to himself.

"I said BACK OFF!" She screamed angrily.

The windows cracked and shattered across the room by her deep voice. Afraid of the sudden change of environment, Adrien let go of her arm. Everyone screamed at that loud sound of glass shattering. Marinette started laughing menacingly whereas Adrien watched in horror of just how dangerous his friend has become.

He doesn't want to but he has no choice, he must transform into Chat Noir and face her. He ran out of the class and into the boy's bathroom.

Plagg came out "Kid, you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Was his answer.

But he wasn't fine. He was pale white. Afraid of Mariette. Afraid of what she's capable of.

"We have to stop her before she does anymore damage. Hopefully, I can hold her off until Ladybug gets here. I hope she found the solution to her problem by now." He said.

"Um... Yeah... About that. There's something I need to tell you. Ladybug is-" Plagg was interrupted.

"Not now Plagg. There's no time. CLAWS OUT!"

Chapter Text

Chat Noir ran towards the classroom, this time he heard multiple screams while running through the hallway. He was expecting Chloe to be the one who's screaming but he was dead wrong.

When he entered the class, he saw everyone floating in mid air except for Mariette who was busy smiling at them. Obviously, she was the one doing that and she was enjoying herself. So much that she didn't even notice Chat Noir standing there...Gazing at the terror she was bringing.

He yelled "Stop!"

But Mariette (I mean, Vexer) ignored him. He threw his baton towards her but it stopped a foot away from her. Obviously, she was doing that too. But in doing so, she lost her control over everyone else who came crashing to the ground.

But Thank God, no one got hurt. Chat ordered them to leave and before he could say anything else, they all had left the room. Now he was alone with her.

"YOU!" Said Vexer. "You let them go. Now you shall pay!"

She used her telekinesis to lift up the benches and threw them at him. He dodged them while running for cover behind the teacher's desk.

"Marinette, stop!" He yelled.

Suddenly, the throwing stopped and the teacher's desk was now floating around too. He turned around to face her.

"Marinette... I know you don't want to do this." She laughed.

"I'm not Marinette anymore, Kitty Cat. I'm Vexer. And I will not stop until I get even with everyone who has wronged me."

"What did I ever do that you want to get even with me?"

"You were born." She uttered and threw the teacher's desk at him.

However, he jumped on it and then jumped towards Vexer, pinning her against the wall.

"Marinette please. I know you're still in there. You have to fight Hawkmoth's control." He said while still holding her arms in place.

"C-Chat Noir? P...Please...Save me. I can't stop myself." Marinette pleaded in her soft friendly tone.

Realizing how tight he's holding her (and that might hurt her) he let go and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What can I do to help?" He asked.

She threw him an elbow at his face and then punched him in his guts. Grunting from the pain, he takes a few steps back then looked at her in confusion.

"What can I do to help?" She mocked him. "I can't believe you fell for that. Haha. You're not a brave hero. You're just pathetic." She said with a grin.

"Ow. Since when can girls hit so hard? What powers did that mad man give you anyway?" He asked.

"Don't you dare call him that. Hawkmoth gave me everything. He gave me the ability to stand up for myself. To be better."

"I'm afraid you've been lied to. Getting akumatized and hurting people who hurt you doesn't make you better than them. It makes you weak."

"HOW DARE YOU! I will show you just what I'm capable of." She replied while throwing another bench at him which he dodged.

"Is that really everything you want? To hurt people?"

"No. Just the ones who wronged me. Who betrayed me. Who lied to me."

"What about your friends?"

"My friends hurt me. And now, I'm going to hurt them back. Starting with YOU! You let them get away on purpose." She said while tossing more things at him.

"Now be a man and fight back!" She screamed.

"This isn't you Marinette. I know what you really want is to forgive and forget. But no matter how hard you try, you can't forget the pain they've caused you. Let me help you." He said while reaching out his hand towards her.

Vexer saw Chat's eyes widened that proved that he does care. And that he actually wants to help her. But before she could even consider it, an outline of a butterfly appeared on her face and she grinned.

"Nice try kid. But Marinette is mine.... One of the advantages of having an akumatized victim for a few days is that they lose themselves and do everything I tell them to. I control her every action. Her every word." Chat could hear Hawkmoth speaking to him. Along with Vexer, echoing every word. Chat gulped. Hawkmoth was talking directly to him (well not directly to him but you get the idea) His friend is now a puppet for a physcopath.

"Let her GO!" He demanded.

"And I will. As soon as you surrender your miraculous to me. And Ladybug's too." Was the answer.

"Not gonna happen." Chat replied.

"Then this will be the end of you." The butterfly outline faded away and Marinette smirked.

"You heard the guy. I'm going to have to finish you little Kitty." She said while smirking.

"No, you won't. Because Ladybug will-"

"Ladybug, ladybug, ladybug.... That's all you ever talk about. But guess what? I've never heard her talking about you. And I don't see her trying to save you either. Get the hint? Or is that too much for your feeble mind to process?" She teased.

"No. Ladybug would never abandon me."

"Don't you see? We're the same. We both let the people we love, hurt us. But I can help you. Just give me your miraculous and we can-" she said while walking towards him and slowly making her way to grab his ring.

But he tightly gripped her hand midway with his other hand.

"No! You're just trying to trick me again but it won't work. I won't fall like you did. I won't betray her."

"SHE DOESN'T LOVE YOU!" She screamed and threw Chat Noir to the side.

He got smacked to a wall, and then fell down to the ground. Revealing a dent on the wall. He grunts and looked up.

"You have no proof." He said while slowly pulling his head up to face her.

She walked towards him. "Fine... Have it your way. But I'm gonna enjoy this." Vexer finished while cracking her knuckles.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, everyone is outside. They're getting more and more worried with every passing minute. Lila scoffed.

"It never took them this long to finish off an akumatization." She sounded more annoyed than terrified.

"Well, it's not 'them' this time... It's just 'him'." Max corrected.

"I wonder where Ladybug is right now anyway" Kim added.

"Yeah. It's not like her to show up so late." Alya thought.

"I'm sure she's on her way... There's no way she'd just abandoned us, right?" Nino said confidently which gradually turned into a question. Everyone hoped and prayed for their favorite superhero to show up. But she is nowhere in sight. The situation was getting worse. They heard loud bangs and other noises from inside the school.

Everyone was hoping it was Chat throwing Vexer around until the akuma leaves so he can cataclysm it. Everyone was making their own theories about what the situation is from the inside based on simple screams and flying bricks hitting the wall. But no one dared to look inside and confirm it.

They're scared, terrified in fact. Too terrified to even move. They're just arguing with each other about whatever the hell they think is happening in the school. Now came a loud noise of glass shattering. This made everyone tremble in fear. The teenagers were crying now. Miss Bustier cleared her throat trying to have the courage to speak again.

"Now now class, Chat Noir is inside fighting for us. Ladybug hasn't shown up yet. Which means we need to support him. Crying and screaming is just another way of admitting defeat. We can't let Hawkmoth win. Right?" She said with a shaky voice but the message was clear.

"Yeah well it's not our fault Ladybug isn't coming. What's up with her anyway? Is she busy with a hairdresser or what?" Chloe questioned impatiently.

"Not everyone has that time on their hands like you do Chloe." Kim teased.

"I'II have you know that 1-" Chloe was ready to peel his skin off for that comment if Alya hadn't interrupted her.

"Stop it, you guys! Miss Bustier is right. Since Ladybug isn't showing up, which I'm sure there's a logical explanation why, we have to be here for Chat. And be here for him when Vexer is defeated. When our Marinette will be back to normal again." She said.

"Cute speech. But you're practically asking us to die here for your little suicide mission." Lila commented.

Alya sighed. She knew it was pointless to have an argument with her. She wanted to smack her in the face for everything she's put poor Marinette through but another akumatization is not needed at the moment. She shook her head. Then said with a straight face,

"Marinette would have done the same for you." This shocked Lila.

Obviously, she wouldn't admit it but deep down she knew Alya was right. Marinette has always been there for them no matter what.

Nino faked a cough. "Back to the current situation... I'm willing to bet that Chat Noir is winning. She's probably even de-akumatized by now cause I don't hear any-" and at that moment, Chat Noir flew right through a wall, bumping his head on a bench. He looked awful. His hair was all messed up. His skin was occupied by cuts and bruised. If it wasn't for his mask, you could have seen a black eye too. Everyone's hopes for safety came crushing down (i blame gravity for that lol).

"Go" He whispered. "I'm keeping her distracted. Go get Ladybug and get out of here."

He said while getting up, his hand supporting his other arm. He probably needs to do that from the beating he just got. But before anyone could respond, they heard a laugh. They turned around and saw Vexer standing there

She was still inside the school but the giant hole in the wall between her and the school playground kept her just a few steps away from her prey. Her laugh was rather frightening... Not like Marinette's cute giggle. More like an 80-year-old having a stroke. (ok. Not a good example but you get the idea).

The butterfly outline was back. Hawkmoth's laughter was the only sound in the air right now. His, and Vexer's which was echoing his. Chat ordered everyone to leave and pulled out his baton from the back. The battle isn't over..... yet!

Chapter Text

Vexer seems glad that Chat took his baton out and gripping to it tightly.

"So, does this mean you're ready to fight me like a man? Or are you just teasing me and being a bad kitty? I dare you. Fight me!" She said with a grin.

"Marinette, please. I don't want to hurt you" His tone almost sounded like a warning.

"Wrong answer!" She replied.

The class finally understands that all the loud noises they heard from inside were actually of Chat Noir being tossed around. Or other things being tossed at him. Why? Because he was holding back. He didn't want to hurt her. And according to Vexer, he wasn't even trying.

Vexer placed her foot in front of herself which landed on the school ground. Yup, she's coming out. Out to fight This stroke fear in the hearts of the teenagers. Their only chance of survival depends on the hero who refuses to fight back. He refuses to even lay a finger on her.

"Great. We're dead" Kim said while trembling.

Alya stared at him. "Really Kim? At a time like this?" She nodded in disbelief.

Juleka overhead their little talk and replied "Well. What do you expect us to do? Chat isn't any good here."

She had a point. And let's face it, there isn't anything anyone can do here. Except run maybe. And that's what they did. The teens started screaming and running around. Vexer enjoyed it. And boy did she enjoy it.

Their screams were singing a melody to her. The melody of sweet pain and revenge for everything everyone's put her through. Vexer couldn't keep her laugh inside. She let it out. She was pleased. She continued walking towards Chat and stopped just a couple of feet away from him.

"Fight me!" She demanded once again. "Fight me now!"

"No! Do whatever you want with me. I can take the beating. But I won't fight you." He said gripping his baton even tighter.

He was expecting her to throw something at him so held his baton close to his chest in case he would need it to form a shield. Well, at least he's taking precautions.

"Hmmm... Maybe yOu can. But I doubt they can" She said cunningly. Then reached out her hand and a tree from nearby ripped out of the surface of the Earth. Its roots were torn out of their territory. She moved it around to find her target. After a few cycling around, the tree was right above Alya's head.

Fear stoke the young blogger. She couldn't move. She's having a hard time believing that her best friend is gonna squish her. Chat looked at her with horror written all over his face.

"If you don't, you can say goodbye to her" Vexer warned. Damn! She really wants Chat to fight. She's tired of playing with a little kitten now.

"Marinette please."Chat pleaded.

"Wrong answer!" She let the tree fall.

But thankfully Chat's legs were able to carry him to Alya before the tree did.

"CATACLYSM!" He yelled. The tree turned to dust upon his touch and Alya's life was saved.

A butterfly's outline appeared on Vexer's face.

"Well done." A mysterious voice was heard. Followed by a slow clap. If you'd listen carefully you could hear it. "Now that Chat Noir has used his cataclysm, taking his miraculous should be a piece of cake. You know what to do now."

"Yes, Hawkmoth" Was her reply. Then she reached out her hand and Chat came flying towards her. She Cupped her hand on his neck and started choking him. Then she used her free hand to reach for his ring.

Everyone was in shock. Chat was their last line of defense and his life was literally being choked out of him. When Vexer's hand finally reached his ring, she slowly began to slide it off his finger

"P-pl.. please." Was the only sound he could utter.

Vexer looked at him for a moment and smiled.

"Hawkmoth will be pleased." Then came back to take the ring off.

As soon as the ring was at the tip of his finger, a bright green and white light flashed. And it was blinding.

As soon as it was over, there stood Adrien who was being choked by Vexer. Everyone stared at him blankly.

"Huh!? Adrikens!" Chloe gasped.

"NO way" Lila exclaimed.

"A teen fashion model as a cheesy superhero? Are you kidding me? What the hell?" These questions were being whispered and discussed everywhere in the playground.

Except for Vexer. She just smiled. Holding the black piece of jewelry in her hands.

Hawkmoth gasped. When you're a villain, you don't expect your son to be the annoying hero responsible for ruining your plans literally every time.

"Let him go!" He ordered angrily. And she did. Hawkmoth was still processing what just happened.

"1-I Can't believe this. All this time I was trying to bring Emilie back. Our family back. And he-he just." Strangely enough, Natalie was standing behind him.

"Sir. I understand your frustration. But you know you can't continue being Hawkmoth. Not if it means your son getting hurt."

"Then I'll just tell him the truth and-"

"And what? Expect him to understand. You know he's the hero of Paris. How do you think he'll react to when he finds out his father is the villain?"

"-I'm doing all this for him."

"But he clearly doesn't want this. Please, sir. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be. You know what must be done." She said with great concern.

She might be Gabriel's assistant, but she's grown to care for Adrien.

"You're right. I'm sorry Emilie. I thought I could bring you back. But not at the cost of our son." Natalie put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He then calls for his akuma.

Back at the school ground, Vexer is laughing like a maniac.

"Who's gonna protect you now, Paris?" She teased.

And strangely enough, the akuma flew out of her bag and headed away.

Vexer shouted back at it "Nooo! Hawkmoth you can't do-" A purplish-black mist covered her. When it was over, the girl collapsed.

"What the- how did I get here?" Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. But were still confused about what just happened.

"Did- did we win?" Nino questioned.

"Not sure." Max answered. The girl on the ground turned around, "Not sure about what?" She questioned.

She then saw the sight of everyone looking at her horrifyingly. That made her uncomfortable. Then she felt something in her hand. She opened it and revealed the cat miraculous.

"What? Is Chat around?" She asked while looking around.

Alya walked over to her. "Marinette? Are you... Marinette?"

"Who else would it be?" She said.

Alya's eyes teared up with joy and she hugged her best friend tightly.

"Oh, Marinette! I was so worried! I thought I lost you forever! I can't believe you're back. " She cried in joy

"What do you mean?" She questioned blankly.

"Of course! You don't remember" She pulled herself away from Marinette. "Girl, you were akumatized."

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"Wel... EXcept for the school property, and Cha- I mean Adrien, I think everyone's alright here. You did manage to scare the hell out of us though" She said while fixing her glasses.

"School property? ADRIEN?" She asked.

"Well yeah! Look around. YoU went wild" Marinette looked around only to get horrified at the sight.

Then stopped to see Adrien's condition. It was very unsettling for her to be honest.

"-I can't believe 1"

"It's not your fault girl. You were possessed by Hawkmoth. Although I do wonder where Ladybug was this whole time."

Marinette stood up. "I know where she was." She frowned.

"How can you be so-" but before Miss Bustier could finish, Marinette yelled, "Spots on!" And transformed into Ladybug. Yup. Right in front of everyone. All their faces lit up and their mouths were opened wide. This day is full of surprises, huh?

"I hope this works." She mumbled.

Then she casted her lucky charm and got a... Mop? Wow. So helpful. Right?

"It's probably telling you to clean up your mess." Chloe teased.

"Maybe you're right." I mean- it's a mop. What else could it mean? She tossed it in the sky yelling "Miraculous ladybug!'"

The magic began to do its thing as everything was being restored back to its original condition. Ladybug turned around and saw Adrien getting up.

"Ladybug?" He uttered.

"Adrien" She ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

"'I'm sorry Adrien. I'm so so sorry" She started to sob.

Adrien was still confused.

He gently patted her on her back and asked

"Where's Marinette- I mean Vexer?" She sighed then looked up to face him.

"You're looking at her." She smiled softly at his stunned expression.

Chapter Text

A butterfly's outline appeared on Vexer's face. "Well done." A mysterious voice was heard. Followed by a slow clap. If you'd listen carefully you could hear it. "Now that Chat Noir has used his cataclysm, taking his miraculous should be a piece of cake. You know what to do now."

"Yes Hawkmoth" Was her reply. She reached out her hand and Chat came flying towards her. She cupped her hand on his neck and started choking him. Then she used her free hand to reach for his ring.

Everyone was in shock. Chat was their last line of defense and his life was literally being choked out of him. When Vexer's hand finally reached his ring, she slowly began to slide it off his finger. "P-pl.. please." Was the only sound he could utter. Vexer looked at him for a moment and smiled.

"Hawkmoth will be pleased" Then came back to take the ring off. As soon as the ring was at the tip of his finger, a bright green and white light flashed. And it was blinding

As soon as it was over, there stood Adrien who was being choked by Vexer. Everyone stared at him blankly.
"Huh!? Adrikens!" Chloe gasped.
"No way" Lila exclaimed.
"A teen fashion model as a cheesy superhero? Are you kidding me? What the hell?" These questions were being whispered and disCUssed everywhere in the playground Except for Vexer. She just smiled. Holding the black piece of victory in her hands.

Hawkmoth gasped. "Let him go!" He ordered angrily.

"No." She replied.

"No?" He questioned.

"Yup. 'm not gonna stop. Not now. When I'm so close" She said while tightening her grip.

"I told you to take his Miraculous. Not his life. Let him go.NOW" He said furiously.

"Easy there little butterfly. Since when did you care about anyone's life? You just wanted the ring. By ANY means necessary. That was your goal." She grinned.

"Did you forget who gave you these powers? I did. And i am taking them back. Come to me my akuma." He commanded. But to his surprise, nothing happened. The akuma was still there. Vexer was still there. And Adrien was still dying.

Nino couldn't take this anymore. He ran towards Vexer. Since she was clearly distracted by the voice in her head, it wasn't hard for him to push her to the side letting Adrien slip out of her bare cold hand and onto the hard ground. "Dude!" Nino fell. He put his ear on his chest. Thank God he's still alive. He rocked the blond kid's body. "Adrien... Wake up. We gotta get you out of here". The entire class took steady steps towards the two friends.

Meanwhile, Vexer got up. "You didn't seem to care what I was doing to the others. Why does Adrien suddenly matter to yo- oh! I see." She grinned. "It all makes sense now"

She tried to restrain herself but that was useless. She had to laugh it out.

"What is this? Why didn't my akuma obey me? Why is it still with her?" A million questions were in Hawkmoth's mind but they were interrupted by Vexer.

"I'm coming for you Hawkie. You'll be sorry you ever tried to take the akuma back. It's mine now." Her eyes gazed. Hawkmoth was at unease. This is perhaps the first time in history he's actually afraid. Not only does someone know his identity, that someone is also coming his way.

Vexer ran out of the school and disappeared into the narrow streets.

"This is bad!" Alya said pulling her hair.

"What-why? She's gone." Chloe stated.

"and... Th... that's the prob...lem." Everyone exchanged looks to find out who said that. It was Adrien. He's alive. He didn't pass out or anything. But he was too tired to answer when Nino was crying his name and begging him to stand up.

"Adrien- are you ok?" Rose was concerned.

"No. I'm not. She's gone. Up to God knows what. I have to find her and stop.." He tried to get up but couldn't gather up the energy to lift his body. He grunted and turned to his side. Taking support from the ground.

"Okay, so what's our next move?" Nino questioned while helping the blonde kid up.

"Not 'our'. Just mine"

"No way. You can't even get up on your own. what makes you think you can face her?"

Nino scolded. Adrien nodded no."It's my fight"

Miss Bustier joined the argument.

"Nino's right Adrien. Marinette's become too dangerous.If it wasn't for Nino, she would have killed you with her bare hands. Who's to say she wouldn't try to do that again?" She cried.

"But Miss... I'm Chat Noir. Stopping Marinette is my job. I was only holding back before because I was waiting for Ladybug to show up. But now, I know for sure she's not coming. So I won't back down now."

"Where is she anyway?" Kim asked.

"I don't know. But the last time I talked to her, she wasn't herself. She's dealing with her own problems right now. " He replied.

"But how are you even going to fight her? She took your

Miracul-"

"Actually, it's right here." Alya picked up the ring that was lying on the ground and gave it to its rightful owner.

"Wait... Why is the ring here? Wasn't she supposed to give it to Hawkmoth?" Chloe questioned.

"Hmm... Maybe he has other plans?" Alix suggested.

"But he was so focused on getting the miraculous-es. Why stop now?" Max asked.

"Something just doesn't make sense," Alya said.

I think I might have all the answers you're looking for" Cried a voice unfamiliar to them (well most of them anyway). They shook their heads and found Master Fu standing behind them. His face was completely pale. He looked scared, but also fearless. He was in tears but also angry. "My nightmare is coming to life." He said.

Chapter Text

ReplyForward

Chapter Text

Hawkmoth's eyes were getting too heavy. They started to close. No sound of struggle was leaving his mouth. His body wasn't fighting for breathing anymore. Vexer smiled. But then she felt discomfort. As if something was poking her back. She turned around and saw Natalie stabbing her with a knife (boy, that went dark. Idk, I didn't think the story would make it this far. And I have nothing planned lol. Just go with it.)

"Seriously?" Vexer sighed. She then threw Hawkmoth on Natalie. With Natalie pinned to the ground again, Vexerc looked down and saw blood dripping out of her. She held the knife and tried to remove it. But it was stuck. She then turned it at an angle, making the cut wider, she hissed in the pain. Her eyes shut close from the discomfort. Now, there was room for her to pull the knife out. She quickly took it out. Blood was leaving her body. The knife was bloody. Then she turned around and saw Natalie trying to escape the room with her boss's arm wrapped around her. She was supporting his weight.

Chapter Text

The heros, Vexer, Natalie and an unconscious Hawkmoth were back in the lair again.

"How did you find me?" Marinette asked.

"Simple. We just followed the trail of destruction you left behind." Rena Rouge replied. 

"And the big gorilla dude let us in here." Carapace smiled.

"Alright Vexer. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Chat Noir warned. 

Vexer smiled. "Four against one? Hardly seems fair. But I'll take it" She sassily replied. 

Chat Noir and Viperion ran towards her. Chat tried to smack his baton against her face whereas Viperion kicked her legs knocking her down. She grunted and hissed in pain. Viperion then noticed a stab wound on her lower back. Maybe using that as her weak spot won't be such a bad idea.

"You'll pay for that Luka!" She said angrily.

Carapace turned to the adults. "You two... Get out of here." Natalie nodded and went inside the elevator with her unconscious boss.

"No!" Vexer yelled. She tried to get up but her bloody back wound was making it very difficult for her. Things got worse for her when everyone else noticed the wound too. But she eventually got up and tried to run after Hawkmoth and her assistant. Using the wound as an advantage, Carapace threw his shield at her. She used her telekinesis to stop it mid-air while still running after them but Rena charged at her from behind and pinned her to the ground. The elevator door closed.

"You fools! You're letting Hawkmoth escape!" She said angrily.

"We'll worry about him later. What's important now, is that we get you back to normal." Rena answered still lying on her ex-best friend.

"You don't get it!" She cried.

"Don't listen to her. Everything that comes out her mouth is a lie." Viperion warned.

"Oh yeah? You guys wanna know a secret? I'm Ladybug. You're so called 'Hero of Paris'."

"Yup. We know." Carapace responded while getting his shield back.

"And do you know who Hawkmoth is?" She teased.

Everyone was concerned.

"Surely you'd know, Adrien." 

"What are you talking about?" Chat asked in confusion.

"Don't be so naive. You saw Natalie with Hawkmoth. What do you think your dad's assistant wants with Hawkmoth?" 

"She was probably under his control or something. Or maybe under your control."

"Or... did it occur to you that maybe Hawkmoth is your father!?"

"What?!" They all gasped.

"C'mon Adrien. It's your house. Your bodyguard is outside and Natalie was with Hawkmoth. You wanted to know why your father didn't have time for you? It's because he was too busy destroying Paris." She cried.

"No no no no no. This can't be." Chat grunted. He didn't want to believe this. 'She's lying. She has to be. It's just another one of her tricks. Unless... She really is telling the truth. But WhY WouLD hE? No- he must have his reasons. But, that's still no excuse to be the villain in everyone's lives. Espically mine. Doesn't he love me? No- Adrien don't let her get into your head.'  Chat grunted. He was debating with himself of all people.

"This doesn't make any sense!" He yelled.

Millions of thoughts flooded his mind. He tried to make sense of all those random words that popped up in his mind but he couldn't. He held his head in his hands trying to think clearly. But that didn't help. He was mad. Mad at his father for what he's been doing and the secrets he kept from him. But he was also hurt to find out that his father is the main villain of his story. The reason why Paris wasn't safe.

Vexer smirked. Viperion immediately realized that this was just another trick of hers.

"Chat Noir, don't listen to her!" He yelled. "She's just trying to get into your head." He finished.

But Chat was too lost in his own thoughts to hear him. Without realizing, an akuma entered his bell. And a mask appeared on his face. 

"What in the world?" Nino questioned.

Rena gasped. "You! You're doing this! Aren't you!?" She snapped at Vexer. Vexer smiled.

"How are you even doing that?" Viperion asked in confusion.

"Beats me. But I'm enjoying it!" She grinned.

Chat was still fighting the akuma. He sat down and shook his head.

"C'mon dude. You can do this. FIGHT it!" Carapace cheered.

Chat started grunting in pain. "Ahhh!" His screams were loud and growly.

Vexer smirked. "Aww, I think you're overestimating my pet here."

"Pet?" Rena repeated in disgust.

"Kitty.... Sick em'!" She ordered.

Soon enough, Chat got up on two legs and attacked Rena freeing Vexer from underneath her. Carapace threw his shield at him to distract the wild animal from hurting his girlfriend.

Chat grunted in pain and ran after Carapace to attack him. Vexer laughed manically. Viperion was genuinely scared. A chill ran down his spine.

Meanwhile, Chat was all over Carapace. "Dude. Chill. It's me, Nino! I'm your best friend." But Chat didn't listen and bit his arm. "Ow!".

"Nino!" Rena ran after him to free him from that... that... Beast!

Viperion had seen enough. "Second Chance!".

--------------------------------

The heros, Vexer, Natalie and an unconscious Hawkmoth were back in the lair again.

"How did you find me?" Marinette asked.

"Simple. We just followed the trail of destruction you left behind." Rena Rouge replied. 

"And the big gorilla dude let us in here." Carapace smiled.

"Alright Vexer. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Chat Noir warned. 

Vexer smiled. "Four against one? Hardly seems fair. But I'll take it" She sassily replied. 

Chat and Viperion ran after her again. Chat was about to smack her face with his baton and Viperion kicked her in her stomach causing her to step back and grunt in pain. She then attempted to kick both of them. Chat blocked her attack with his baton. Viperion remembered her stab wound so he quickly dodged her kick and came behind her to punch her at her weak spot.

"Ahhh! I'll KILL YOU FOR THAT!!" She cried.

She turned around so she was facing him and then used her powers to lift a little piece of ground on which Viperion was standing on. The ground started going up with him on it. He quickly jumped off before getting squished against the ground and the roof. He landed on the ground while rolling across the room. Annoyed by his fast reflexes, Vexer threw the piece of ground (that was already in the air) at him. Rena played her flute and used her ability to turn the ground into feathers before it hit him.

"Thanks." He appreciated while being completely covered in feathers.

"Don't mention it." She replied.

He then quickly diverted his attention towards Adrien. 

"Chat! Whatever she tells you, don't listen to her!" He warned while removing the feathers off of his face and shoulders.

"Don't worry. This cat isn't going to let her talk me out of a fight." He responded enthusiastically while being engaged in a hand to hand combat with Vexer.

Viperion rolled his eyes. "Just... keep her distracted for me" He said.

Chat turned around to face the rest of the team. "Well? You heard the man. Make it happen." He said in a hurry.

Carapace turned to the adults. "You two... Get out of here." Natalie nodded and went inside the elevator with her unconscious boss.

"No!" Vexer yelled. She threw Chat to the side and stated to ran after them only to be slowed down when Carapace threw his shield at her. She stopped it in mid-air. Rena came running towards her but Vexer threw her across the room with her telekinesis.

However, Vexer came crashing to the ground. The elevator door closed and her target was out of sight. She looked at her feet to see why she fell and realized that Chat's tail tied her feet making her trip over. (don't ask me how that happened. Idk either).

"Let go!" Vexer demanded.

"Not until you let the akuma go!" He responded. 

Vexer was mad now. Not only did these goody two shoes heros keep her from her prey, but they also tried to take away her powers. Soon enough, she held his tail and started swinging him around in circles.

"Whoa!" He was getting dizzier by the second. Carapace started running towards her so she threw Chat onto him, knocking both of them down.

She looked around. Three of her friends were on the ground. Unable to get up. To see them so weak and defenseless made her smile. Oh how she dreamed of the day where she'd be looking down at everyone! That day has finally come. She is invincible. No one can come between her and her desires. Hawkmoth's history. It's Marinette who they all fear now. This made her smile even more. The thought of being so powerful. Of being in control. It's every person's dream.

She was about to give out a whole speech about how amazing she is and all but suddenly felt pressure on her lips. She couldn't speak. Viperion sneaked up from behind and shut her mouth.

"There. Now you won't be able to trick anyone anymore." He whispered.

The heros got up and walked over to the gagged villain. She grunted and tried to speak but only a muffle could be heard. Chat Noir brought out his cataclysm-ed hand in front of them. He was about to reach for her purse when Vexer screeched and bit Viperion. "Ow!" He exclaimed. His grip on her loosened.

She kicked Viperion on his knee causing him to bend over. Carapace and Rena rushed towards her. She quickly got out of the way and let them bump into each other. They both grunted in pain. Viperion came after her again but she tossed an elbow to his jaw. Then she punched him in his stomach and then his face. He fell to the ground. She heard footsteps approaching her in a hurry.

Chat Noir was coming after her furiously. She stood there confidently without even moving a muscle. Then, when he was finally close to her, she turned to her side and reached for his arm. With one of his hand locked behind his back, Vexer took hold of his cataclysm-ed arm and made his hand come in contact with his chest. (sort of like when anti-ladybug cataclysm-ed him on 'heros day' as demonstrated by Volpina).

Chat turned to dust and disappeared into thin air. All that was left of him was his ring. Vexer picked it up and tried it on. The black kwami appeared.

"W-what's going on? Where's Adrien?" He asked while looking around.

"Oh... Don't worry about him. You're my kwami now." She replied with an evil grin. Oo. The things she could do with all her powers combined with the cat miraculous and the ladybug's earrings... She nearly screeched. But her thoughts were interrupted by Viperion. "I don't think so! Second Chance!"

--------------------------------

The heros, Vexer, Natalie and an unconscious Hawkmoth were back in the lair again.

"How did you find me?" Marinette asked.

"Simple. We just followed the trail of destruction you left behind." Rena Rouge replied. 

"And the big gorilla dude let us in here." Carapace smiled.

"Alright Vexer. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Chat Noir warned. 

Vexer smiled. "Four against one? Hardly seems fair. But I'll take it" She sassily replied.

Chat was about to run towards her, but Viperion stopped him. 

"Chat, maybe it's best if you just set this one out." He said while holding his shoulder.

"What? No!" Chat protested.

"Trust me on this. I know the things you don't. I've seen different results. And none of them ended well for you. So get somewhere safe. NOW!" He demanded. 

Chat nodded yes. Viperion's got a point. I mean how do you compete (or argue) with someone who's already seen the outcome of your decision? Simple. You don't. You blindly trust them because you have faith in them. 

You know they know what they're doing. Chat helped Natalie and Hawkmoth leave the liar as the elevator door closes behind him.

"No!" Vexer yelled.

Chapter Text

Vexer growled at Viperion. If it wasn't for him, she would have gotten her way with Chat.

"You will pay for that Luka!" She yelled.

She ran towards him. Carapace and Rena both tried to tackle her however, to everyone's surprise, they seemed to pass through her (So, she has the power of being transparent too i guess) . Carapace threw his shield at her but she immediately teleported out of the way and appeared in front of Viperion. 

Before he could even react, she grabbed his neck and lifted him from the ground. He struggled for oxygen. His legs wiggled about. As a reflexive response, his hands came towards his neck and tried to free himself from her strong grip.

She slowly started walking to the end of the room until Viperion was trapped between her and the wall against his back.

"M-ma-ma- Marinette..." He gasped for oxygen.

Carapace noticed a wound on Vexer's back and decided to aim for it. And it's a good thing he did. As Vexer grunted in pain, her grip loosened. Viperion removed her hand off himself and threw her a punch. She took a few steps back, still in pain. She covered her face from the attack she just got but then started giggling.

"Hehehehe... Is that the best you can do?" She stood up straight and lifted her head.

Her eyes, were now colored purple. Electricity sparked from across her whole body. She lifted her arm so that her hand was pointing towards a weak Viperion on the ground still struggling to normalize his breathing.

She lifted her index finger towards him while closing the other fingers into a fist. All the electricity was concentrated on the tip of her index finger. Realizing what's about to happen, Rena quickly jumped in time to push Viperion out of the way while also barely dodging the electric bolt thrown at their direction.

Vexer tried to throw another one however Carapace quickly came to protect his friends with his shield. The moment where the electricity stroke the shield, a powerful force was produced and light scattered the room. Blinding everyone.

When things started to settle, just a couple of seconds later, Vexer removed her arms that were blocking the intense light rays from getting into her eyes. She looked up in horror as the heros were no longer there.

"What the hell?" She wondered.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir and Natalie take Hawkmoth to an old abandoned building. Chat Noir was doing a perimeter check to make sure they weren't followed. Whereas Nathalie was sitting against a wall. Hawkmoth was lying down with his head on her lap. He began to regan his senses.

"Mari-" he tried to utter. Nathalie sushed him.

"No. Don't speak. You need to regain your strength. So, in case she comes back-"

"Oh she won't be coming here." Chat interrupted while casually walking towards them.

"How do you know?"

"We're hiding in a broken down abandoned building. She's not gonna come looking for us in a dump like this. Besides, my team can handle her easily. More easier since I'm out of the way."

"But wouldn't your team need you?"

"If Viperion says he wants me out of the way, then no. That guy's smart. He knows what he's doing."

Nathalie weakly smiled at him for his faith in his team. A second later, however, she frowned.

"What's wrong?" He inquired.

"Your partner... Ladybug...Is she always this late?"

Chat was taken aback by the question.

"No she...a... She's not coming."

"What? Why? She's Ladybug! How can you possibly de-evilize this monster without her!?" She cried worridily.

"HEY! Marinette's NOT a monster. Whatever she is now, it's because of him!" He furiously pointed at Hawkmoth who was still resting.

"No. Hawkmoth's been only doing all this to protect the ones he cares about. You don't know what his life is like. He's only trying to save his wife so that they could be a happy family again." She defended.

"Wow. This jerk is married? Guess there's still hope for me then." He joked.

"This isn't a joke! He's just trying to correct a mistake he's made in the past."

"While making new ones every day? By terrorizing the city?" He looked away from them in disgust.

"He just wants what's best for his son." She finally uttered. Chat's ear flickered at this and he turned his attention to her again. 

"If he really cares about his son, he should spend time with him. Make him feel loved... Because believe me, that's all I ever wanted from my father too." He said in a sad, cold tone.

Nathalie looked up to see the boy in black leather. His eyes were gloomy. And his face was expression less. He tossed his baton aside and sat down with his face tucked in his knees as he cuddled himself into a ball.

"I miss my mom so much." He said in a shaky voice before burying his face in what little space was left between him and his knees.

"I'm sorry." Nathalie uttered in a soft and low voice.

Chapter Text

Vexer was getting impatient. She looked around at her surroundings several time to make sure they're really gone. They were. On a quest to find them, she got out of the mansion and onto the roof. Standing tall, while still having a spark of purple in her eyes, she scanned the area. There was no sign of the pesky heroes anywhere. This made her growl. She isn't going to let them run away from a fight like that. And she's definitely not gonna let them hide for long. Determined to find them, she leaps off the roof and beings her search.

(Back at the abandoned building)
Chat Noir raised his head.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked blankly.

"For your loss. It must be hard for you to grow up without your mother."

"I didn't grow up without her. I just lost her... Last year." He sighed while resting his face on his knees.

Hawkmoth coughed violently and got off of his assistant's lap. He stood up straight but still used his cane for support. He was a little unstable at first, but he finally got up on his feet. Nathalie hurriedly got up. Her eyes were still focused on her boss whilst worried that he might collapse.

"What's taking your friends so long?" He asked Chat to change the subject. He heard their conversation and couldn't hear about Emilie anymore.

Already annoyed by his presence, Chat rolled his eyes.

"How am I supposed to know?" He got up again to face him.
"You tell me, how did you lose her? You had control over her the last time I fought her." He crossed his arms.

"It would appear that it was only temporary. I have never had an akumatized victim for so long. As time passes by, so does her power and her will to do as she pleases."

"What kind of powers did you give her anyway?"

"The power to hurt others who have wronged her."

"How does it work?"

"Well... That's upto her."

"What the hell does that even mean!?"

"Look, I gave her the powers to hurt others in any way she pleases. There isn't any particular power I gave her."

"Then I guess we need to know what we're up against. I've seen her use telekinesis and super strength."

"I'm afraid she can do more than that." Cried a voice from behind him.

Chat turned around and saw Viperion badly hurt. Rena and Carapace were still with him. Helping him walk over to Chat Noir. Though Chat was concerned about what happened earlier, he couldn't fight the urge not to point out the white oval shaped portal behind them. But before he could ask, a fourth person stepped out of it.

"Bunnix? What are you doing here?" Chat asked in confusion.

"Saving the future, obviously." She replied sharply. "Good thing I arrived just in time though. She would have squashed you guys like bugs on a windshield."

Suddenly the building started to shake followed by a loud thud sound from a distance. And then an ugly laughter. Rena peaked out of a broken window.

"Well... What is it?" Carapace asked.

"It's bad. Really bad. Mari- um... Vexer is on a rampage."

"She must be looking for us. Let's not keep her waiting." Chat suggested while performing some stretches.

"Hang on there mini cat. You can't go out to fight her like this." Bunnix stepped in front of the eager cat to block his way.

"Hey, people are in danger!" He protested.

"And so is the future. I need your help."

"Sorry Bunnix. But we have to take care of the present." Carapace argued.

"Why do you think I'm here in the first place? I've seen what happens. This is one fight you won't win. Even with Viperion on your side, you'll still lose. She's going to get each of you off guard and won't hesitate on finishing you if, or should i say when, given the chance."

"Is that-" Nathalie uttered pointing at stranger in front of her.

"I'm Bunnix. A time traveling miraculous wielder."

"Incredible." Hawkmoth added.

"Trust me. Come with me so we can save the future together." She offered her hand out for Chat Noir to grab. Since, obviously, he's the leader now.

Hearing her say 'This is one fight you won't win' made a frown on Chat's face. Obviously, he can't de-akumatize the akuma, but now he realized that he can't even save her. He can't save Marinette. He failed her.

"No" His soft whispered remained silent to the others. A tear dropped from his eye, found its way down his cheek and onto the solid ground beneath them. His sparkling watery eyes were the only thing lightening the gloomy mood he was in. His fists tightened. He tried to keep his cries and tears inside himself. However, while resisting that, he was shaking and trembling. Everyone knew what he was experiencing . It was heartbreak. His hopelessness swallowed his courage to speak up. Or even argue with Bunnix for that matter.

She took a step closer and hugged him. "It's not too late though. You can fix things. If you come with me." She asked again.

Well it's not like he had a choice now. This had to be done. He had to fix things. He wiped his eyes to remove any residue of his tears and looked up with courage once again.

"Alright then. Where to?"

"That's the mini cat i know. Come with me. All of you. Except for YOU." She pointed at Hawkmoth and Nathalie. "You guys caused enough trouble for the day." She turned to her side and opened up another portal.

"We just have one last stop to make before the big fight." She finished.

"Why?" Rena asked in confusion.

"One, to let your kwamis recharge their powers of course. And two, we're going to bring in an old friend." She replied with a smile on her face.

The heros exchanged looks at each other until they realized what (or should I say 'who') she meant. As soon as that confusion was out of the way, the heros stepped inside the portal with new found hope in saving Paris and their former friend.

Chapter Text

The glowy white portal opened up again. This time,they were at the Eiffel tower. Paris looked peaceful today. The birds were chirping. The sun's heat rays were blocked by big puffy light grey clouds. A chilly light wind was blowing. The sweet scent of daffodils and daisies were enhancing the calmness of the environment. Chloe went to see her mother in New York. Whereas Lila was sick and on complete bed rest for a whole week (insert happy fandom noises). So, there was a ninety nine percent chance that there were no akumas today. Thank God.

The teenagers couldn't help but admire the beauty in front of them. How could they not? They haven't felt this relax all day. Chat leaned in front of the tower and took a deep breathe before letting out a long sigh. The others closed their eyes and joined him in enjoying the beauty.

That is until Bunnix snapped her fingers in front of them and brought them back to reality. They turned to her with an annoyed face. She ruined their moment of peace for them.

"Mini heroes, focus! We have work to do. Remember?" She pointed out the reason to be here.

"Sorry. We just got lost there for a second." Adrien explained.

"So, what's the plan?" Luka asked.

"Ok, we're a week before the akumatized Marinette incident. You guys get your kwamis well rested. And I'll fetch Minibug. We'll meet here in half an hour. Oh, and if anyone sees you, it'll affect our present and future. So make sure you stay hidden and out of sight. Got that?" She asked in a demanding tone.

"Don't worry. You can count on us boss." Carapace yelled while saluting.

"What are you doing?" Rena whispered to him.

"I- i guess i got a little nervous" he finished with an awkward chuckle and shrugged his shoulders signaling he doesn't have a proper answer himself.

"Well... Good luck guys" Luka broke the awkward tension between the couple and ran the other direction to transform back and give sass a moment to breathe. The others quickly followed his actions in different directions.

While they went to play hide and seek around town, Bunnix de-transformed and headed to the Dupain Cheng bakery. As she pushed the door, the bell on top vibrated about it's position while producing a ringing sound. Tom and Sabine, busy by the amount of items they were baking and preparing, hardly noticed the young lady until she entered the store.

"Oh, hello there. Can I interest you in some macarons? They're fresh from the oven." Sabine greeted her while handing over a tray of good looking (and probably delicious) hot macarons.

"No thank you Ms. Dupain Cheng. I'm actually here to see Marinette. Is she in her room?"

"Oh, she didn't tell me she was having friends over today." She thought for a second.

"Oh, no. She isn't expecting me. I'm just here to ask her something that I couldn't on the phone."

"I see. Well, any friend of Marinette is always welcomed. Here, take this. My treat." Sabine offered a chocolate cupcake which Alix gladly accepted.

"You'll find her in her room." She instructed before leaving to help Tom set the next tray in the oven.

"Thank you." Alix smiled for her kind gesture of handing out a free food which she thought to give to Fluff later.

Meanwhile, Marinette was busy listening to her favorite podcast while trying to create a new design in her sketchbook. Tikki was at her side nibbing on a cookie. Marinette was taken aback as she heard the trapdoor fly open. She swiftly turned around to face the mysterious intruder. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was future Alix. It would have been the end of her if it was someone else. (Because Tikki was there. Ofc she can fly away or something but you know when you're enjoying a moment but you suddenly get interrupted and you just sit there frozen and are too scared to move? That's what it was like for them)

Alix casually stepped inside her room, closed the trapdoor and gave Fluff a reward for all his work. (Wait... Is fluff a girl or a boy? Though i think kwamis don't have genders. Or atleast, I've never noticed anyone referring to them besides by their names or species. I could be wrong though).

"You scared me." Marinette finally confessed.
"Not as much as I'm about to. The future is in trouble. You have to transform and come with me now Minibug." Alix replied.
"Wh- what happened?"
"You remember Chat Blanc?"
Marinette nodded no in response. "Just Chat Noir." She added.
Alix sighed. "Of course you don't. Hawkmoth's akumatization pulled a number on him. And there's no Ladybug to save the day. So I need you. Fast!"
"Wait- what do you mean there's no Ladybug? What happened to he- i mean me?" Her eyes widened.
"We don't have time for this." Alix said in annoyance and looked away. She found Fluff finished his snack.
"Perfect!" She excited yelled and transformed into Bunnix again. Then, she took Marinette's arm and practically pulled her towards herself and pushed into a portal she created. Tikki quickly followed her owner.

Both of them remained in shock when they found the other heroes already there. Bunnix stepped out of the portal again and insisted Marinette to transform.

As a result, her jaw dropped. Bunnix just exposed her in front of the others.

"Don't worry. Your 'Lucky Charm' will fix everything in the end. Including everyone's memories." She replied while trying not to get too much into detail.

'Wow. The future is probably in real trouble if she's pushing me this far.' Marinette thought to herself.

Without wasting any more time, she transformed into her superhero persona in front of everyone. Adrien watched in awe as she transformed and cursed himself for never noticing the similarities the two have in common. Their bluebell eyes, their blue hair, their facial features, their voice, everything. Realization of this stupidity hit him like a bullet. Who knew he could be so dumb? Marinette, now Ladybug, looked at him with concern.

"You okay? You seem disappointed." She asked.
Adrien didn't speak. He was too busy processing her words. What could he say anyway? 'No, I'm not okay. I just found out that I friend zoned the love of my life. I'm such an idiot. Such a disappointment.' and that's when he realized he hasn't answered the rest of the question. Great! Now she's gonna think he really is disappointed in her. His friends couldn't help but smirk and giggle at his reaction.

"Oh- no princess. I'm not disappointed at all. I'm glad it's you." He finally spoke.

Carapace smirked. Oh, how he would tease Adrien for his stupidity. He already started planning fake scenarios in his head. Whereas Rena smirked and turned to Marinette.

"Some reporter I am. I couldn't tell my best friend and my idol apart." She joked and face palmed herself. This comment made Ladybug giggle. Luka didn't say anything since he could tell she was already uncomfortable with the situation right now anyway. And it's not gonna get any better. But oh, how he wanted to praise his brave and beautiful crush. But this was not the time. Perhaps in the form of a song one day.

The moment didn't last long as Bunnix, literally the only adult there, ordered everyone to pay attention.

"Now listen up people. Most of us already know who the akumatized person is. When we arrive there, you will find out too (she looked at Mari). But remember, what all of you really have to do, is destroy the akumatized object, then Minibug will purify it. Talk as less as possible and try not to engage in a conversation with the enemy. The future is already troubled as it is. We don't need any more problems. The less Marinette knows what's happening, the better." She instructed.

Then she walked over to Ladybug and requested "Don't throw away your 'Lucky charm' to fix the damage until I say so. Got it?" She nodded a 'yes' in respond.

"Alright then. I'll stay back in case you fail. And guys-" she created a portal for the heroes to walk through. But none of them moved even a single inch. They waited for her to complete her sentence before they jumped into action. "-Don't fail." She finally finished. A bit worried about what's going to happen next, but still putting up a brave face, the masked teenagers entered the portal.

Chapter Text

As the heroes came out of the flashy white light, they were expecting to see the villain in front of them or maybe behind them but boy were they wrong. Because no one was in sight.

They were still on top of the Eiffel tower. But everything was completely different. The last time they were here, the scenery was beautiful. The weather was amazing. Now, it's the complete opposite. The sky wasn't it's usual bright blue, but instead, it was dark gray. No ray of sunlight could pass through the thick gloomy clouds that covered the entire city. Curiosity struck as they looked around.

The city was dark and abandoned. No sign of life anywhere. The only source of light in the city, were the blue and purple lightening running across the clouds above them. The parks were completely destroyed. The buildings were cracked, and roofless. Giant holes filled the roads. And the top few floors of the tall buildings were occupied by fires.

The heroes were in shock and horror. Bad thoughts were all up in their heads about what must have happened. Ladybug, still trying to process the current state of her beloved city's future, took a few steps forward and examined the area.

"This is worse than I could ever imagine." Carapace confessed.

The others nodded in agreement.

"But we'll fix it. We always do. All we have to do is find the person responsible for this, free the akuma, and use my lucky charm to fix everything. Simple as that." Ladybug tried to give them hope while forming her hand into a fist and sounding confident in the team. But deep down, she was scared as hell.

The others exchanged looks still hiding the secret about the akuma. The one secret that Marinette doesn't know. But why isn't anyone telling her?  They passed an awkward weak smile at her adorable enthusiasm and came forward. As they came closer, the tower began to lean in the same direction since it couldn't sustain their weight. Apparently, Vexer didn't even let the Eiffel tower stand on its ground. She had tempered with the national monument already. And as it toppled over, Ladybug used her yoyo to swing out of the way with Chat behind her as he used his extended baton and lifted himself to a safe distance. Whereas, the others ran and slid through while barely surviving the fall.

They turned around to see the Eiffel tower in pieces. Their beloved landmark was completely destroyed. With no other reason to stand around, they begin to walk around the city to find their enemy.

The more land they covered, more destruction was visible. A few cars were upside down and in quite an unnatural parking position. Others were pushed inside nearby buildings with their rear two wheels sticking out. A few lucky cars only had a cracks on their windshields and broken side mirrors lying on the ground. The heroes had to be quick on their feet and vigilant not to stumble on any of them. As they walked farther and farther, they reach the end of the street that connected to two other roads from either side.

A small faded light flickered. As they looked up, they spotted a dim red traffic light lighting up the street the best it could. It was perhaps the only thing somewhat working here. They looked around each street to their left and right. They don't know what exactly but they hoped it could have helped them in their investigation. A sign of life, movement, a sound, ANYTHING...

They hoped to see a sign but their search was all in vain. As the streets were clean and empty, not even the sound of wind howling. A light mist covered and blurred the view a little. They began to question if being here was even a good idea or not. Sure, they have a better view as compared to the one they had on the Eiffel tower. How, you might ask? They can see all the little details that weren't visible before. But was this really a plus point? Or should it be scary? Either way, it was scary.

But that didn't stop them from continuing their investigation. As in a telepathic agreement, though they never actually said a word, they all moved towards the street that connected from the right. Following the trail of destruction wasn't a bright idea since it was literally everywhere. If they did, they'd be moving around in circles. But the heroes weren't thinking about all that. (But i clearly am XD). They were just following their instincts. The more distance they covered, the more their legs tired. What felt as if they walked for weeks were actually just a few minutes. But the road didn't seem to end. No sign of anyone or anything suspicious except for the cracked walls and creaked roads.

While examining her surroundings more carefully, Ladybug noticed a dark figure. She wasn't sure what it was but something about it just seemed...odd. She put her hand just above her eyes to clear all distractions that were in her way and spotted a tiny black cloud circling at something. Now that was definitely suspicious and worth an investigation. She pointed to the others, not breaking the silence already present, and rushed to the direction of the cloud. She unclipped her yo-yo from her waist and used it to swing herself to buildings nearby that can lead her to her destination with a greater speed. Her teammates following quickly behind her. Gradually, they were gaining speed and their line of sight increased along with it.

When finally on top of a nearby building, she realized that the tiny cloud wasn't tiny. Though smaller than the others that were comparably lighter than it, it was enough to cover an old abandoned brown building. The cloud was moving at a steady pace but it wasn't that noticable. One quick glare from Chat and he automatically somewhat recognized it. It was the same one where he hid from Vexer with Hawkmoth and Nathalie!

But this time, it had more holes and looked even more pathetic than last time if it was even possible. Then realization struck. What if Vexer got there right after Bunnix picked him up? What if Vexer hurt the former villains? What if they're gone? Or forced into slaves? Or worse... Put through torture?

His thoughts became worse and worse. And it scared him. He shook his as if it would somehow force the thoughts out. Suddenly realizing his teammates watching, he brought himself out of his trance and nodded to symbolize that he's fine. One final look at the building and Ladybug broke the silence "Okay. Stay close. Remain vigilant. We don't know what to expect."

Though the others do have a few ideas on what to expect, they decided to remain silent. She'll find out for herself sooner or later. With one final breathe, they leaped off the building they were occupying and jumped in front of the entrance of the building. They squeezed their bodies through the narrow opening, trying to remain as silent as possible with their miraculous at ready. Truth be told, they don't REALLY know what's waiting for them. And that's what sends shiver down their spines and forces their neck hair to stand straight.

As they finish their investigation in the ground floor, nothing seemed to be there. Correction, no one seemed to be there but them. They checked all the doors that led them to another dead end as they opened to yet again another empty room. They continued their search while heading for the floor above them. As they still had a four storey building to scan. They tried to remain as silent as possible. Not even letting the sound of their own breathing to enter their ears. They all cursed under their breathe when they reached the creaked staircase while walking up.

This floor led them to a large room, with no doors or walls or sections whatsoever. But that didn't make them quit either. Instead, they started walking into the room more. Their footsteps remain faint. As they walked over to the center of the room, to examine the area carefully, they heard a whoosh coming from their back. The turned around. Only to be gazing into nothing except a wall. Was someone else there? Is someone following them?  Or did that sound just randomly ring in their heads? Probably. The sound, however, appeared again but this time from another direction. The heroes whirled around to meet it. No. It's not in their heads. Someone else was definitely there. Ladybug swung her yo-yo fast enough until it started to glow while her eyes still scanned the area. Though she couldn't spot where the sound came from, she could sense someone standing in the corner between the walls. "We know you're here. Show yourself!"

A sickening laugh was heard. Followed by a slow clap. "Well well well... Guess I am really demanding, aren't I?" A figure came out of the shadow and into the dim light that came from the outside through a broken window. Ladybug gasped at the person standing in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth flew open. He heart pounded at an enormous rate. Probably because she wasn't expecting to see that. Then again, there is no way to mentally prepare yourself into seeing your worst enemy right infront of you... Yourself!

Chapter Text

"You- Who are you!?" Ladybug pointed at the girl in front of her.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm you." The girl smirked.

"No- NO YOU CAN'T BE!"

"And why not? You sound surprised. What's wrong? Can't face yourself?"

"You're NOT ME!"

"Correction, I am you. Or, more accurately, you're me. You're from the past, right? Well then take a look at your future." Vexer spread out her arms teasingly for Ladybug to gaze in shock. Right before she fell to her knees. How is this possible? How could she fall this far? She was supposed to protect Paris. Not bring it down to ashes.

"Take a good look since this is where you're heading." She added with a demonic laugh.

Ladybug lifted her head to meet the girl again. Just to be sure if it really was her. No doubt, it was her deep blue hair portrayed by her self-proclaimed future. Except that, it wasn't in it's usual pigtails. They were a little longer in length and were flowing majestically in mid air. Her skin was a little paler than usual whereas her clothes were all black. With little drops of blood dripping from the side. Rena gasped at the sight of the flowing liquid.

"What did you do?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"I took care of everyone who hurt me. It was quite easy to do so when you nitwits were out of the way." She passed an evil smile.

It was clear that Vexer really wasn't Marinette anymore. Sure she might somewhat look like her. But she isn't her. The akuma has taken complete control over her body. Poisoned her actions. And corrupted her mind. The girl is now the embodiment of pure evil. She's beyond saving anymore and deserves is to be stopped!

Chat ran towards her with full strength and pinned her to the wall. She was actually slightly impressed. Why? She wasn't expecting that. She wasn't expecting them to make the first move. Maybe this fight would actually be worth her time. 

"You'll pay for everything you've done!" He hissed. His eyes symbolizing anger and hatred.

Unknowingly, his hand tightened his grip on her neck while his other hand kept her from falling. She gasped for air. Oh how the tables have turned. She smiled at him for a second. Before moving her hand to her side until it started glowing. A section of the wooden floor came flying towards him only to be blocked by Carapace's shield.

"You- you've gotten... better" she praised them through the little words she could force out. "But I'm still the b-best" she clapped her hands in their direction. A powerful force of air pushed through the room towards them and tossed them a few meters farther away from her. She fell to the ground at the sudden release. Then looked up again to see almost everyone coming to attack her.

She placed her hands on the ground and her eyes started to glow. And with that, the floor below her enemies melted a bit. With their feet now glued to the surface, she smirked and took out her right hand and gestured her index finger for Ladybug to come towards her. The floor dragged Ladybug across the room and towards Vexer while she (Ladybug) was still kneeling since she saw her future self. She was the only one who didn't attack because she was busy processing everything. Her gaze was lowered to the floor. Vexer passed a smile and used her finger to lift Ladybug's chin to meet her in the eyes.

"Aw, what's the matter? Don't tell me that the big tough Ladybug is scared?" She put up a fake pout.

Ladybug remained silent. Her eyes still widened in shock and fear of what she has become.

"H- how did I even-" she trailed off. She couldn't dare to finish her sentence. 

" 'How did I' what? Become this powerful? This strong? This monster?" She teased.

Ladybug's eyes widened. As much as she hates to admit it, Vexer's right. She has become a monster. A cold hearted freak.

"I'll tell you how." She leaned in closer to Ladybug and whispered in her ear:

"Because that's what I am. It's what I've always been. I know you feel it too. The urges to cross the line with new found power."

Ladybug replied in a fit of fury "NO! I don't!". Her screams were loud and full of rage and sorrow. Sure everyone has their demons but she can't fall. She can't be the villain. Can she?

Her cries were enough for Chat to translate into 'hurt and confusion'. Obviously, he didn't hear what Vexer said but it's obvious that she's messing with her. Probably trying to get into her head. Like she did to him back in the school. When she told him she's glad her mother died. Or when she tricked him to think she was fighting the akuma during their first fight in school . Those were all lies. All her methods of manipulating.

He struggled to break free but couldn't. The more he moved, the tighter the ground wrapped around his feet. "Ladybug! Don't listen to her! Whatever she said, she's lying!" He cried out. 

Viperion backed him up since he has the most knowledge of her powers. "He's right! She's trying to get into your head. But you're smarter than that. Don't let it get to you."

Ladybug shrug off all the negative thoughts that began to cloud her judgement. "You won't get to me without a fight." She answered confidently.

Vexer groaned from the inside. They're ruining her fun. She got up and slowly started to walk over to Vexer. "Well well well, you're smarter than I gave you credit for." She took another step closer. "Already know all my dirty secrets now do we? It's only fair that I know yours in return." She took another step and was only inches away from his face. She passed a smile and began to circle around him like a shark around its prey. Slowly and steadily, she examined him. While he tried to break free, she noted every little detail she could capture and store in her head. "Don't fight it Luka. I don't want to hurt you." She was in front of him again. He groaned as the ground pulled his arms to his back. His body was stiff. "Don't you want to find me? Hear me?" Vexer placed her hand on his face. "You know you want to." She in a sweet and soft voice. Of course he wanted to give it a try. What if Marinette really is in there? Perhaps if he listened closely, he could hear her song playing inside of Vexer. Somewhere deep inside. 

Before he could say anything though, a loud "Cataclysm" entered his ears. Chat Noir touched the ground beneath him and a section of the floor disintegrated to dust. He quickly moved out of the way before he fell to the ground floor and jumped on Vexer again. This time, he pinned her to the ground. Her arms and legs were stretched out. He held herd arms in place while his knees kept his weight on her thighs. Her legs were going numb. As she grunted in pain, she lost control on the floor and the others quickly joined Chat into keeping her from moving.

Ladybug was the last to arrive. She noticed that Vexer was kept at such a position such that her purse was the only thing that wasn't crowded by her friends. "For you m'lady." Chat brought his hand out as if he was presenting her with a gift. She nodded.

As Vexer still tried to free herself from their grasp, Ladybug tore the purse in half.

"No more evil doing for y- what the?"

Chapter Text

"There's no akuma." Ladybug showed the ripped purse to the others.

Vexer's demonic laugh interruppted the moment.

"Master Fu was right." Chat uttered and turned to Vexer who was still laughing. "She can't be saved anymore." His eyes contracted as he finished his sentence while staring at the monster.

"Fools!" She managed to say before she teleported out of their grasp and stood behind them. The heroes took no time to turn around and come at their fighting stance.

"Did you really think your Marinette still exists? Her annoying little voice was only in my head for the first two days. But everything ends. Your friend... Isn't here anymore. She hasn't been here for quite some time now." There was something off about her voice. Vexer usually sounded like Marinette. But this time, her voice was distorted and echoed. It was also heavy and deep. Perhaps this was the true voice of a rouge akuma. "You killed her!" Luka shouted in disgust.

Ladybug gasped at this new information. Vexer noticed the fear in her eyes and smirked.

"What's the matter? Bug caught your tongue?" She teased in her new voice. Ladybug stood frozen and speechless. Whereas the others were enraged. Once again, without a plan, the team attacked her. But this time they were more violent. As if their rage was controlling their actions and clouding their thoughts. They attacked with full force. Sounds of grunting, metals clashing and bodies falling were all in the air. It became too much for Ladybug to bare. She hesitated at the little blood that spilled from both sides. Her eyes grew wide as she slowly stepped back from the fight that was going. No one noticed her as their fight was already intensified. Soon she was out of the building and began running away from the scene.

She didn't know why she was running. All she knew was that she had to get away. From what? She didn't know. She couldn't stand the sight of what was happening there. The sounds were dying down but she didn't stop. Eventually, a little voice inside her, argued. Her friends need her. They can't do this without her. But her legs wouldn't stop. It was like they had a mind of their own. She was getting tired but her legs weren't giving in. She looked back from her shoulder, worried about her friends in there. As she watched the building shrinking in size as she was farther away. While her thoughts clouded her mind, she didn't realize what she was running to, or who. When she finally crashed into something taller than her, she felt her legs relieved from stress and pain. She fell on her knees and looked up as tears threatened to fall.

"Minibug, what happened?" There stood Bunnix who was all too concerned for poor Marinette. She kneeled down to meet her eyes. "Why are you running? Where are the others? Have you fixed things yet?"

"No!" Was all the superheroine could utter through her cries. "I'm not strong enough. I'm not." Her hands clenched at her knees as she spat those words out. Her self loathing held no bound. "I'm weak. I can't face myself. I can't save myself nor my friends. I'm worthless."

"What happened?" She asked while putting her hand on her shoulder. Ladybug gasped at the sudden warmth and soon fell on Bunnix to hug her. Her embrace was the only form of comfort she had. And she needed it.

A few minutes passed. Though for Bunnix it felt like hours. So she finally pulled Ladybug away but still held her arms in case she needed that comfort again.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind. 

"Don't tell me you saw Vexer's face." Though she already knew the answer, she hoped Ladybug would have said "no". But that didn't happen.

"Why didn't you tell me that-" Ladybug's eyes were teary again. She couldn't complete her sentence but Bunnix answered it anyway.

"I'm sorry. The truth is, I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd be hurt. I thought you could have fought her without seeing her face. The last time I checked, Vexer wore a mask to cover a scar she got on her face (courtesy of Chloe and Lila teaming up before Vexer 'ended their suffering') . I thought she'd still be wearing it. Guess I was wrong." She said in a sad and apologizing tone while slightly pulling her head to the side. She couldn't believe the stupid mistake that she had made. If only she knew better than that.

The girls took a second to blankly stare at each other. Waiting for one to come up with a plan. But instead of what they wanted to hear, a very loud cry was heard. It definitely sounded like her friends were in trouble. But she couldn't make up who it was exactly. Who needed her? Suddenly the ground started to shake a little.

A loud distorted laugh was heard.

So loud that Marinette had to cover her ears and shut her eyes completely. She prayed for it to stop and was relieved when it did but then she  heard something else.

C'mon Marinette. Didn't you hear? Your friends need you. Aren't you coming to their rescue? No? Well then... Guess I'll just have to play 'Doctor' myself.

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" She yelled back in response.

Bunnix passed a confused and questionable look before asking "Who are you talking to?"

"Vexer. Who else?"

"She's not even hear though."

"Y-you mean you didn't hear her just now?"

"All I heard was you yelling at the poor street."

"No- it's Vexer! She threatened my friends just now. How couldn't you hear?"

"Maybe because we're two miles away from her." She pointed out the obvious with a pinch of her wit.

"But- but how can I-"

Still confused as ever I see. And I always thought that Ladybug was the smart one. I'm YOUR future. And since we both exist in the same timeline thanks to your big bunny friend, we exist in each other's minds. We're connected Marinette.

"So, Bunnix can't hear you?"

Not unless she's stupid enough to get close to  me. Like your loser friends here. Speaking of, if you had to choose between any one of them to stay alive, who would it be?

Ladybug gasped. Her eyes shouted fear. Her skin went pale and her spine felt a chill while her neck hair stood up straight. "Minibug, what's wrong?"

"Vexer, she's threatening to-"

Tell her another word and I promise you'll be friendless.

"Don't you DARE PUT EVEN A FINGER ON THEM. YOU HEAR ME!?"

Loud and clear. But now, you're going to have to hear me. If you ever want to see them again, come back here, alone. I'm not done with you yet. Oh and a... The longer you keep me waiting, there's a less likely chance for them to live. Chop chop. They don't have all day. 

"Minibug?" Bunnix asked while snapping her fingers to grab Ladybug's attention.

"I have to go." She sad in a sad voice.

"What?"

Ladybug started to run into the direction of the building she first fled from. Bunnix, curious and worried about her sudden action, ran after her.

"Don't follow me!" Ladybug cried.

"What are you even thinking? Just a second ago you were running for your life. Then yelled for no reason and now you're running back to Vexer? What's going on?"

"I can't explain. I'll tell you once it's over."

"That's my line!" She hissed.

Ladybug grew tired of Bunnix's stubbornness and pulled out her yoyo. Bunnix cautiously still approached her. However, Ladybug swung her yoyo at her, knocking her face down on the street. She laid there for some time. As she slowly gathered the strength to stand up again, she felt a nosebleed but decided to ignore it. She was more focused on Ladybug who was now out of sight.

'Either that girl's really fast, or I was knocked out for a really long time.' she thought to herself.

Chapter Text

~~Recap~~

'Either that girl's really fast, or I was knocked out for a really long time.' she thought to herself.

~~Recap Over~~

Marinette rushed through the streets. Her footsteps were remarkably quiet though. The wind was blowing through her hair, her pigtails were being pushed by its strength. But she was un-bothered. She needed to head to the building again... FAST. Though she was doing her best, her mind wasn't accepting it. She constantly cursed herself and believed she's taking too long. 'Faster Marinette! Your friends need you. Faster. Faster. Faster' she kept echoing these words to herself until she finally started seeing the top of the building peeking out from the other buildings that surrounded it. It was finally in sight. The fact that she's gotten closer to the building gave her the motivation to pick up a faster pace if that was even possible. Only this time, her legs weren't growing tired. She almost felt proud of herself for coming back this fast. Though she still cursed herself for leaving in the first place.

When she finally reached there, she took a few breaths. She bent down a little and placed her hand on the building until her breathing was stabilized again. When that happened, she closed her eyes shut and took one last breath. She was trying to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to witness. Who knows what Vexer has done to her friends in her absence? Before she could start imagining all the possibilities that might or might not have happened, Vexer interrupted her again.

C'mon Marinette. What are you waiting for? They don't have all day you know.

And as much as she hates to admit it, Vexer was right. Without any resistance or the slightest hesitance, Ladybug entered the building. The ground floor was completely empty as before. She went up the stairs following Vexer's guidance. You're getting warmer.

Damn how Marinette hated that! That deep dark disorted voice constantly kept echoing until she was finally standing face to face with Vexer. The villain's posture leaned against the narrow wall while blocking Ladybug's view of the inside room. "Gotta hand it to you. I didn't think you'd show up that easily." Vexer taunted her with a slow clap. "You didn't even bother to come up with a plan, did you?"

"Where are they?" Marinette asked only loud enough for them to hear.

"Who? You have to be more specific than that sweetheart."

"Where are my friends?" She repeated but her tone was louder this time.

"Oh, your friends. We were just having a chit chat. They seemed really nice. Are you sure they're your friends?"

"VEXER, WHERE ARE THEY!?" This time, blood boiled through her veins. Her tone was demanding. No longer was she afraid of Vexer's existence. She only hated it. More than anyone else she has ever hated.

"Ooh judging by your tone, you mean business. I like that." She winked. Ladybug clenched her fists tighter and her eyes narrowed at the ugly reflection in front of her. She gritted her teeth while giving a death glare.

"Save your energy. You're going to need it. Your friends are right here." Vexer tilted to the side to give Ladybug a better view of what was behind her. She reached out her arm in the direction of the room as if she was showcasing some new invention. All of them were severely injured... But one most of all.

"C-chat!" She cried out. She put her hand on her mouth in order to restrain herself from speaking in her cracked voice. She took a few slow steps as her eyes widened in horror. Vexer simply smirked and let her enter the room. The other heroes were gathered around the unconscious victim. Though the others had marks, bruises, unkept hair and torn clothes, their appearance wasn't even half as ugly as Chat Noir's was. Ladybug took her steady steps closer to him, still gazing in horror. Though Rena and Carapace were still there, Luka had already transformed. He looked up to see his Melody (idk. I was reading a fanfic on wattpad where Luka kept calling Marinette 'Melody' and I thought it was really cute. Great story by the way. I believe it's called 'Heartstring'. If you're looking for Adrienette and Lukanette fanfic, I highly suggest you to read that. Wait-I think I'm going off topic. Sorry. Back to the story...).

He looked up to see his Melody. "I'm sorry. Even as Viperion I couldn't" he trailed off. Not wanting to upset her more. His miraculous was in his hand and he clenched it tighter. Mad at himself for not being good enough to save him EVEN WITH THE POWER TO BRING BACK TIME. Carapace put his arm on his to comfort him. And to explain to him that it's not his fault. "You did everything you could. But right now, Sass is exhausted and you can't transform. It's dangerous for you to be here. You need to leave." He tried to convince.

In the meantime, Rena stepped away from Chat and gave Marinette room to see him. "Chat Noir" she called his name once again in a shaky voice. She took his injured head in her hands and tilted it to have a better view of his face. Blood was oozing out from his nose and ear. His mask was a little torn from the sides. His face was bruised and so was the rest of his body. His baton was across the room, with blood dripping off from one of it's end.

"Chat Noir, please wake up." She said in teary eyes. "I need you" her voice was almost a whisper.

"L-lad- Ladybug?" His eyes were twitching and his breath was shaky.

"I promise I will fix this."

"I know... you wi-will my...M'lady. Y-you always do." He smiled weakly.

"Don't go Chat. Please! I can't do this without you." His smile paused. He lifted his weak hand from the ground and placed it on her cheek. Using his thumb, he wiped off the tear trailing down her face.

"Yes you c... can. I l- love y... you Marinette." His voiced turned into a mere whisper at the last part. His eyeballs rolled to the back and his hand trailed off her face and got slammed to the ground. "CHAT NOIR!" She cried in response. She placed her head on his chest and began crying. Suddenly, she felt a bright light flash on her closed eyes.

Chapter Text

~~Recap~~

"CHAT NOIR!" She cried in response. She placed her head on his chest and began crying. Suddenly, she felt a bright light flash on her closed eyes.

~~Recap Over~~

As she opened her eyes, she became speechless. Instead of Chat Noir, laid a blonde kid about her age. His body was wounded. His scars would take forever to heal and his blood kept flooding out of him. For a moment, even her tears stopped. Confusion and realization struck her when she finally discovered who was under the mask. Who was there to make cringe cat puns and awful jokes? Who was there for her during every battle? Who was the one who kept making sacrifices for her? Who always picked her up when she was down? Protected her? Cared for her? Loved her? Well it was none other than her crush, Adrien Agreste himself. 

"A... Adrien." Her voice cracked. Her eyes became teary and her skin turned pale. Her brain kept playing all these random flashbacks of the time they both spent together:

"I've never had friends. It's all quite new to me." (She recalled him handing out his umbrella when the new school year started. When she first picked up the title of Ladybug. When her life changed forever).

"What about Ladybug? Aren't you supposed to be a duo?" She teased the cat.

"She's busy with something tonight so... you get to be my Ladybug." He responded.

"You're our everyday Ladybug." Adrien com plimented her and passed on his heart warming smile.

"You- you've had your heart broken too?" The cat inquired with concern as he sat on the railing of her balcony.

"Yup." Was all that she could say in disappointed.

The next thing she remembered was being carried away in his arms.

"I've been walking all over London looking for these for you." She recalled him saying while she blushed in embarrassment as she held onto (well... You remember).

"But Lila is-" she was cut off.

"A liar" Adrien finished.

"Hey Marinette. Wanna dance?" He took her hand and led her to the dancefloor as they danced at Chloe's party...

She recalled the pain she went through when Chat Noir quitted.

"The last thing I want is to hurt someone. Least of all, you." He ran away after giving up his miraculous to her while ignoring her desperate calls for him to come back.

"You've got something Marinette." He praised her not so long ago.

"M'lady a french girl we know- Marinette- is missing in Shanghai." The Chat called her worriedly and went to find her in the unknown city.

Ladybug wiped off her tears as she recalled all these memories of them simultaneously. No words could express her pain, her grieve, her sorrow, her heartbreak.

"Marinette..." Rena finally tried to comfort her but then trailed off as she did not know what to say. She wrapped herself around the young baker's arm to show her support.

"It was him. It was Adrien all along and I couldn't see it." She whispered through her shaky breaths and teary voice.

"All of this time, I could have told him. We could have been more than friends. He loved me. My crush loved me but I rejected him. I was too blind to see through that mask." Her tone was down and she sounded disappointed in herself for never having the courage to speak to him. To tell him her true feelings for him.

She was already wiping off the blood from his face. His one hand still on the ground while the other was doing a terrible job in hiding his chest wound. She grabbed his hand and whispered "Adrien" one last time before she bent down to kiss his forehead.

Vexer made her trademark demonic laugh again. But this time, it was focused on hurting her emotionally more if possible.

"Look at yourself. With all the power you had, you could have been a queen. Yet you chose to play the role of a defenseless little princess just waiting for a prince to come and rescue you." Vexer hissed at Ladybug's pain.

Ladybug listened to all those insults but remained silent. However, she snapped when Vexer concluded with "And now look at you? There's no prince left to save you. How pathetic!"

"NO! The only one pathetic here is you. Taking over Paris is one thing. You could have hurt me, tortured me, or even killed me... yet you chose to go after Chat. You killed my friend and THAT'S NOT OKAY!" She spat coldly.

In a fit of fury, she removed Adrien's ring off of his finger. This only put the others in a state of shock and fear.

"Woah- Marinette, what are you doing?" Carapace asked with wide opened eyes.

She didn't reply but put the ring on  ring finger instead. Plagg appeared and seemed pretty energetic. Probably because Adrien never got a chance to use his Cataclysm so Plagg still had a lot of potential strength in him.

"Marinette wait. What you're doing is-" Luka tried to talk but was cut-off by Alya.

"Girl, if you're doing what I think you're doing then stop. You know how dangerous merging miraculouses are. Espically if one of them is a power of creation and the other is destruction. We don't know what might happen to you."

But Marinette ignored all their concerns and was only focused on Vexer's smirk.

"I have no choice. Vexer's too powerful. With this, I could hopefully match hers."

Vexer laughed in amusement. "Oh I would love to see you try."

Marinette, determined to bring Vexer down once and for all, brought both her hands to either side while calling "Tikki, Plagg..." Then brought both her hands together and finally ordered "...Unify!"

A bright light surrounded her while blinding everyone else. When it finally cleared, Ladybug was in a new suit. Her mask resembled to Chat Noir's from the bottom half. A bright green lining trailed from her neck to her shoulders to her arms. Her hands and feet were gloved by black leather that appeared to enhance her fingernails to some extent. A loose black leather belt hanged around her waist with a cat's paw print at the center of it. A small shaft was secured between her and the belt. Small cat ears also appeared on her now loose silver messy hair (shoulder length). The rest was her iconic Ladybug suit. As she opened her eyes when the transformation was complete, one eye was her usual blue while the other was green. As she let a satisfying smile on her face, small sharp fangs resembled to that of a cat.

"The real fight is just getting started." She concluded with determination.