Chapter Text
She knew this would have happened sooner or later. There was no question of 'if', or 'maybe'. It was always a 'when'. Months and months of fighting, of unspoken tension, sleepless nights of worrying, and anger and fury. Secrets, betrayal, broken trust. It was a wonder how they held on as long as they did.
But now it was over and done with. Nothing could turn back the past. Nothing to change and nothing to continue. Because they were cut off. Broken. And there was no fixing it.
Click. Beep.
"Hello, this is Damian." Oh, kwami, his voice sounded so much like him, but it didn't. It wasn't the voice she knew, not the one she had grown used to over the past year and a half. Her throat constricted and breathing became a conscious action. In. Out. Come on, Marinette.
"I've taken all my things from your apartment and moved them back over to mine." Damian said, mechanical over the answering machine.
In. Out.
"If you find anything left, please contact Pennyworth. He will take it off of your hands."
In out. In out. In out.
A slight hesitance, a heavy sigh.
In out, in out in outinoutinoutinout—
The click of the receiver rang across the room. Silence. Peaceful, empty silence. A silence that made echoes of past memories bounce all over the furniture and the walls and her mind. The silence that makes a person feel hollow and numb but sensitive to every single tremor and rattle in the building until it becomes too much and all she wanted to do was scream—
The dial tone asked if she wanted to save the message.
Her fingers found their way onto the tiny blue buttons, automatically filling in the code. She didn't know what she was doing. She shouldn't have done that. It was a stupid idea. Stop typing. You're not supposed to be—
"Voice message saved." A soft push of a button, then a cheerful beep echoed from the machine, the only sound in the apartment. "Would you like to listen to all saved messages?"
Beep.
"Hello, mon couer." Damian's voice filled filled the room again, warm and soft, as if he had never left. She curled up on the couch — perfect for two people — and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I wanted to call to remind you to go eat dinner soon. Work got held up again, and I know you would spend all your time designing and creating clothes if I didn't remind you to eat."
His chuckled filled her heart, pulling the cracks together by gossamer threads, hanging on for a moment. For a second, color was brought back to her cheeks, and the edges of her lips threatened to tip into a soft smile. Her grip grew tighter on her legs, burying her face in a sweater she had stolen from his dresser the last time she visited him.
If she covered herself in it, she could still smell the applewood and fresh incense that Damian always smelled like after he worked out. He would come out of the manor's training room, which she never was shown, damp and fresh from a shower, wearing that sweater, come down beside the fireplace where she laid curled up against her sketchbook and they would curl up together, existing as one force. It didn't matter if they were mad at each other or if they were having a fight. It was the one thing she could count on them still having.
That day, the day he wore the sweater in Marinette's hands, was the last time the did that.
"I have to go now. I love you, Marinette." The receiver clicked again. The threads snapped the moment he said her name, and stifled sobs filled the apartment. Everything was fine, it was supposed to be fine. She chose this.
Beep. "Hey habibti, it's Damian. It's midnight here in Gotham, and I know you're probably not awake to hear this, but..." Click. Beep.
It was the right decision. It had to be.
"Hi, ya amar. How is Paris? Have you settled in well..." Click. Beep.
Right?
"I miss you."
Click. Beep.
"I cherish you so much."
Click. Beep.
"I'll be back soon, ya hayati."
Click. Beep.
"I love you, Marinette."
iloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyou.
And, at that very moment, it hit her. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was never going to get over Damian Wayne. In her lifetime, she would only experience that burning love and passion for him and him only. No warm cuddles in safe arms while a crappy film played on TV. No lame game nights with their friends and family, playful competitions on who loved the other more. No swooping feelings of giddiness and freefalling from adoration.
None of that. He was it for her. He was her one true love. Her dark knight in the glaring world. The one to protect her from all storms and tribulations thrown their way.
And she chose to break it off. She chose to let go of that flickering candle and let the wind snuff the flame. Let the world pile up on her shoulders without ever trusting the person who promised to stand side by side her to lighten her load, if not carry it for her. Giving herself up time and time again to everyone except him.
The worst part was that deep down, she knew she'd do it all over again. Because that's what needed to be done. It was the path that she was thrust upon the moment the Miraculi came barging into her life and making it the center of her universe. She couldn't be just Marinette anymore. She couldn't have her life, her dream job, her family, and her friends. Her love.
All because she chose to keep trudging on her destined path.
And that's what hurt her the most.
She didn't notice as her black studs created a large crack in the center, joining all the minuscule fractures lining the edges of the earrings as she screamed into the darkness. All she could think about was DamianDamianDamianDamian.
They backed him into a corner, the wounds littering their bodies plenty, but they had him in their hands. Years spent hiding away their emotions, living in fear of becoming a — a monster that hurt their friends and family. Decades of not knowing what it was like to cry out to the world. And it was over.
Everything was coming to an end for her.
"Hawkmoth," Marinette — no, Ladybug declared. "You're finished. We've won. Give up your miraculous peacefully, and this can all be over. For you, for us, and for Paris."
The butterfly user said nothing as he glared up at the spotted heroine, the binds keeping him kneeling before her. Nothing but loathing and manic hunger for the power lying in her earrings. His soul aura flared up, so twisted and shriveled from years of terrorism and single-minded drive to steal the Cat and Bug miraculous
Her heart was heavy with the burden of what she needed to do next.
She took a deep breath. "As Grand Guardian of the Celestial Miraculous Box, I hereby declare—"
A cold mirthless laugh spat in her face, cutting off her words. It rang in her ears, grating against the ears of everyone present in the room.
"Do you think you can catch me that easily?"
"What do you mean?" Her blood ran like ice, but her face remained stone cold. She wouldn't give him the upper hand, not when they were this close. "We have you restrained and defenseless. You have no backup coming, no magic to save you know. Hawkmoth, it is over."
He gave one laugh. Then another. Then another and another and another until he was out of breath, his grin stretched out to his ears, teeth bared wide. His eyes were clearer than a summer day, clarity and radical enlightenment bleeding from his purple irises.
"Sweet, sweet Ladybug. How naive, how immature, how green you are. Do you really think that this would be the end for me? When I have nothing on the line? You're delusional."
She raised an eyebrow, eyes blank and shaded, an opposite from his own bright ones. "Not any more than you are, Hawkmoth."
"Ah, but that's the difference between us." He said, placating and sweet. Patronizing. "In many ways, you and I are the same. We want to make our worlds better for everyone around us. We know what it is like to sacrifice ourselves, every drop of blood running in our veins so that we can see the smile on our loved ones. Even when every single one of those people turn their back on us, we'd still give and give until we have nothing to give."
The rush of blood in her ears almost drowned out his words, and she sank into
"My delusions are achievable. My delusions are things I have accepted as wishes I could never achieve. Something out of reach, until I could make them real." He closed his eyes, a chilling calm filling the air. "I am so close, and I have nothing to lose. But you, Ladybug, have everything to lose. The question is, are you willing to?"
"I miss you—" "—Hello, mon couer—" "—hey habibti, it's—" "—ya amar—" "—ya hayati—" "—I love you, Marinette—" iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou imissyouimissyouimissyou imsorryimsorryIMSORRY—
"I already did." She clenched her fist, resisting the urge to drive it straight into his nose.
His eyes fluttered open, victory dripping from his lashes. "I don't think you have."
An explosion resounded above their heads, and the roof split open. Masked figures descended down from the opening, bright and dark colors alike, majestic and regal as they landed in front of them. They were all different ages, old and young, while others looked timeless. Majority of them were adults, but a scattered handful of teenagers stood by their mentors, weapons out.
The only person Ladybug saw was Robin, who stood proud beside Batman, not as a sidekick, but as an equal. Dressed in his muted grey and red suit, the black spiky mask on his face complementing the wind-swept jet-black hair she loved running her hands through. But she couldn't see those emerald green eyes she loved so much, the eyes she would dive through eternity in hell for.
Another laugh came from the villain tied in front of her, diverting her attention away from the heroes that arrived moments earlier. "Right on schedule. Welcome, Justice League! What brings you to my humble abode?"
"Be quiet!" She tightened her yoyo around her, and he hissed at the sudden constriction.
Superman's voice boomed at her actions. "Ladybug, stand down, or we will be forced to subdue you."
"Don't speak to her like that." Chat Noir, who had not spoken up since they had entered Hawkmoth's lair, stepped up to block Ladybug's figure from the League's direct view. "This does not concern you, nor any of the Justice League."
The other Miraculi users, barring Chat Noir, her, and Hawkmoth murmured amongst themselves. Why was the Justice League here again, and what did they want with them? They caught their bad guy, and they were going to serve the punishment for it. Matters of Paris had to be left in the hands of the Court of the Miraculi. No other force could intervene, and none would stand a chance. They thought they'd proven that. That the Justice League would have gotten the message a few months back, when they fought — and won — against them. The only way to beat the Miraculi was with the Miraculi, and nothing, not even a creation born of the Miraculous of Creation would change that.
The Justice League, on the other hand, remained stoic, tightly pursed lips and tensed shoulders, one step away from jumping into another all-out war that decimated half of the French countryside surrounding Paris. Not that most of them would remember that.
It was a battle of mass destruction and threatened the decimation of Paris, along with half of the European seaboard. The Justice League had sent their best players to take the Paris situation by force, but they underestimated the strength and powers at play in the City of Love.
Marinette's body ached even at the thought, and she fought the impulse to graze her left shoulder, where months ago, it was nothing but a bleeding stump in the face of Wonder Woman, the only one in the entire Justice League who stood a chance of having a fair fight with Marinette.
And she didn't escape unscathed either. Her earrings were enough evidence of that.
Robin took a step forward towards Ladybug, a hand resting on the katana on his side. Without a word, all the Miraculi users fanned out in front of their leader, shielding her from the view of the League members and Robin. She didn't know if they did that on purpose, but she was grateful for them.
"Leave this city, now." Chat Noir growled at Robin, who stood rigid in front of Chat Noir, the total opposite.
The cat-themed hero was fluid, ever-changing, chaos in the form of a godling. He did not stay in the same spot, always in motion, unpredictable and spontaneous. He curled his menace and fury around all of their enemies, springing in for the last hit. If it were anyone else, he would only aim to damage.
But for the League? After what they had done to his team? To Paris? To his Lady? He aimed to kill this time.
Robin, on the other hand, was the perfect soldier — nay, the perfect weapon. Perfect posture, weapon on his side to use when the situation requires it. Steadfast in his morals, and stubborn to a fault. He will see through his orders as long as he believes in the cause, and there would be nothing in heaven or hell that could stop him. Born and raised to kill but chose the path of light in the City of Crime.
He would give up everything for the mission, and that so happened to be against what the Miraculi stood for. The mission would jeopardize the whole world, but the Justice League did not know that — or rather, they ignored the warnings of the Court. He thought the League knew better, and they thought they knew better.
How wrong they were.
Ladybug's eyes met Robin's hidden ones and steeled her resolve. She raised her voice again like she did before Hawkmoth interrupted her the first time. Magic coursed in her veins, her body lifted into the air and glowed from the tips of her toes to the ends of her blue pigtails. It was power, pure power. Power granted by the universe, used to restore balance. Restore the normality of Paris before the Miraculi were introduced. Restore the lives of every Parisian who lived in fear of an akuma possessing them.
Everyone, except her. Because while everyone else got to give up their Miraculi and live their normal lives, Marinette was doomed to continue as the Guardian, cutting the Miraculous — and consequently, herself — from the world, meant to come out only in times of great imbalance and crisis. She couldn't bring anything normal into her world. She had to give up her career, her friends, her family.
Damian. She had to give up the hero she fell in love with. The boy she ate ice cream and celebrated hidden dates on rooftops, stealing kisses in timeless minutes, stretched a sunrise into a sunset in a blink of an eye and hands held together.
"As Grand Guardian of the Celestial Miraculous Box, I hereby declare Gabriel—"
Everything passed so fast in one split second. Maybe it was the magic pulsing through her body, but everything slowed down into one silent moment. A green and white light fizzled in the corner of the room, aimed right at the heroes beyond the reach of the Court of the Miraculi. She knew what that substance was, by instinct or by omniscience, she didn't know.
White and green kryptonite, deadly to all life and Kryptonians. It would kill every single one of the Justice League members, and they weren't coming back from that. No Miraculous cure would bring them back because it was a weapon created by man, released by man, and did not involve the Miraculous at all.
And, standing in front of all the Justice League heroes was Damian Wayne.
"No—"
Her body moved faster than the speed of light, faster than the speed of the kryptonite ray. She didn't know what was happening, but her body did. Left foot, right foot, yoyo thrown in the air, leap. Like the countless times she jumped off the Eiffel Tower in freefall. She flew.
In the back of her mind, she could sense the presence of the Butterfly miraculous disappearing from the room as she had let go of him from his binds. He was free again, but she couldn’t feel anything. Or, rather, she felt everything.
One moment, everything was fine. The next, the burning sensation of a thousand suns bit into her back. It was like the Miraculous suit did not exist, the searing pain of destruction and death and decay hit her at full force. The creation thrumming in her bones oozed out to create a protective layer against the destruction, but it was too late.
She didn't have much, if any creation left as the earrings leaked them from their cracks. Every single time she had called the Miraculous Cure after Wonder Woman damaged them in that battle eons ago, she felt the excess creation spilling into her body, destroying the body systems keeping her alive. The Miraculous Cure demanded compensation in return, and it chose her lifeforce to take. For every death, a chip of Marinette crumbled, until she was a fragile tree in the face of a hurricane.
She knew this was going to be the end for her. There was no escaping it. There wasn't a redo. There were no takebacks. If there were, Viperion had not seen it. This was how the timeline was supposed to flow. Otherwise, Bunnix would have warned her before this, would have brought the Marinette of the Past into this timeline to fix it, to erase it.
This was it. This was her last stand.
And she didn't think it was a bad way to go out.
So many things to regret, but she didn't. She regretted nothing.
Her eyes met Robin's wide ones, and she could imagine his pupils grow in surprise, just like they always did, and her heart panged at the thought.
But she couldn't continue the thought. Her legs buckled from under her, strength leaving her in gasping pants, and she crumpled to the floor.
"MY LADY!
Ah, it was spotty. Hah. Chat would love that pun. Spotty.
Gold came into view and green eyes pierced hers. Clear, grassy green. Sparkling like jade and honeydew. Like fresh mint and dewy leaves.
But not her favorite pair of green eyes. Not the deep, forest green eyes that swept her from the darkness. The pair of green eyes that brightened her day the moment she saw them. The ones that never lied to her. That always told her everything and more. That he loved her and he cherished her. That she was his habibti and he was her whole being.
No. The one holding her was Chat, her little kitty. Her best friend and brother. Her partner through it all, before and after they revealed their identities. She trusted Chat with her identity, but she couldn't even bring herself to tell Damian what happened in Paris. Chat could be there for her — he was there for her.
Damian wasn't. She let Damian go, and he let go of her. She tried letting go of Chat, but he never stopped holding her hand. And that's what mattered now. That's who she needed to focus on.
She stretched her arm up to her brother's cheek, cradling it softly. "Don't cry, Chaton. Please don't cry."
Her eyes traveled to the fading light at her fingertips, the red and black falling away to ashen grey, and she knew she was on a timer. Two minutes? Four, tops.
Chat's voice broke her out of her thoughts, breaking her heart instead.
"No, you can't go. You stupid bug! You shouldn't have saved them, you should have kept out of the way." Marinette could feel the eyes of the Justice League boring holes into the duo on the floor, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Her priority was Adrien, and Adrien alone.
"One of their lives saved today could save millions tomorrow." Her words grew softer with each word, each syllable becoming harder to spit out. But what was a little more harm to herself if it meant Adrien having that little bit more comfort?
Rain dripped on her face, and it took a second for her to realize that it was tears coming down from Adrien's face. "But you're the only one who can save Paris! Please, don't leave me!"
"The earrings will still be here, but you have to hurry. I don't know how many times you can use Lucky Charm until it starts wearing you down too. Your destructive soul—" Her words dissolved into coughs, and a speck of red splattered onto his cheek, and she wiped it away before he could realize it. "Your destructive soul should balance it out for a while, but you have to be— you have to be careful."
His lips split in a lopsided grin, not meeting the murky fog that covered his eyes. "Bug, why— why are you talking like that? You'll— you're gonna help me, right? You'll be there to fix it with me. We'll fix the miraculous like we planned, and we'll be back to being the Cat and the Bug. You know this. Remember?"
She chuckled, blood spilling down the side of her lips and a searing pain crushing her chest. "I'm sorry, Chaton. You really should learn to know when I'm lying to you."
"Stop talking, just stop."
She carried on anyways. "You have all that you need in the Grimoire, Just promise me you'll finish this fight, once and for all. Save Paris for me, partner."
She raised her fist up to his chest, lightly pounding his heart. "Promise me that you'll seal away the miraculi and finally end this cycle of chaos."
"Not without you, Bug." He gripped her tighter, wrapping her fist with his hand and cradling it to his chest. "Not without you."
"I'm sorry I have to leave you alone now, Chaton. But nothing can be done. Not anymore." It was harder to breathe now, her chest feeling like lead and each breath feeling like a gulp of liquid fire. "Take up the Bug mantle, and take Plagg to Viperion. He's the most compatible soul in Paris right now that we can trust."
She had to hurry it up, she only had a little bit more time left. The transformation reached down past her elbow, creeping up her forearm at double speed. "Take up your duty as guardian of the Miraculi. Trust your instincts. Keep making your puns. I know you'll be able to make the right call."
She yanked the cracked black studs off her ears, ending her transformation in a blinding pink light, and she was back to being Marinette. Dying and pathetic Marinette. Her complexion was like ash, her pale lips quivering from exertion, chest shuddering at the effort to breath. Gashes and bruises littered her form, some from the fight, and others from the shutdown of her body. Splotches of blood clots and black spots painted her body, telling a tale of silent suffering.
It was painful. It was so painful.
Her hands trembled as she placed the jewelry in Chat's hand, still warm from the residual magic, and she let go. It felt so good to just feel something other than numbness. All that grief and sadness and anger — and she let it go into relief and silence.
"Little kitty on the roof, all alone without his lady." She murmured, the haunting melody broken and twisted into a sweet lullaby, like she was singing him to sleep. "Little kitty on the roof, saying someone come and save me."
She heard a gasp from behind them, but she couldn't see who it was. No, she couldn't see anything anymore. The only thing in sight was the familiar black miasma that surrounded Adrien and the fading pink from her own aura.
"You, please." He gasped, his voice breaking off. "Please — please save me."
"Cus it's us against the world." Against everything, even as she was dying, she smiled at him. She didn't want him to see her sad. Because she wasn't. She was okay with dying.
She just hoped everyone else was okay with that too.
"Cus it's — it's us a-against the world."
"I believe in you, Kitty." She could feel her body failing, her heartbeat slowing down to a pace so slow that it almost felt dead. Closing her eyes, she sighed, easing her breath to a turtle's pace. She said all that she needed to, and everything would be okay.
"No, Bug, no! Keep your eyes open, please!" But it felt so good to keep them closed. It felt so good to let go.
"Marinette!"
Was that... Damian? He sounded so far away. He wasn't supposed to find out like this either. She planned on telling him... did she ever plan on telling him?
"—habibti, no, you can't go like this—"
Ah, it seems like she didn't. She never thought there would be a time she would need to reveal being Ladybug to him. Because once Hawkmoth was defeated, there would be no need for Ladybug. She could just be Marinette, his Marinette.
"—ya amar, I'm so sorry, please—"
Maybe that would be her one regret. Not being able to experience a lifetime with Damian.
"—mon couer, I missed you every single day, we still have so much, please don't go—"
Warmth bloomed at her ice-cold cheek, spreading down to her chest. So familiar, so warm, so safe. It was safe to let go.
"—Marinette, I love you, don't go—"
Thank you, Damian.