27: Giving up

"Hey. Wait." You called to the leaving group. Some turned back, hopeful glints in their eyes. "Call Chat and Ladybug over here. I want to give them something."

You were giving up. You weren't really motivated anymore. It all just felt... Pointless. You didn't like your normal life, but you'd take it over being stuck in that room with that plant. You had a feeling the plant was causing you to do this, but ignored it, just wanting to go home.

"Right." They nodded. You heard retreating footsteps as you sighed, dropping your head. You heart a patter of footsteps approach you, and looked up.

"...Y-You said you were hungry, right...?" The boy asked. Nathaniel held out a brown bag, a single see-through part. It was from Marinette's bakery. It had [Snack] in it. "Y-You told me you liked these..."

A single, "Oh," left through your parted lips. You glanced up at him. "I'm sort of tied up, so unless you're going to feed me, then I don't think I'll be able to eat it."

"Oh, uhm, right, sorry..." He mumbled, retracting his arm. You stared at the brown bag.

You were so ...!

"you feed me...?" You asked, your eyes still trained on the bag. You revised your words, eyes widening as you stared at his surprised expression. You both stared at each other, clearly panicked. "U-Uhm, I mean..."

"I... I guess..." He mumbled. He got out a [Snack] and put it into your mouth. You clasped your teeth over it eagerly, but before you could bite it, he left it dangling out your mouth. You couldn't bite; it'd fall!

"Mm... Mmm?? Mmmm?!" You cried through closed lips. He looked confused, before panickedly holding onto the [Snack]. You bit down, separating the part in your mouth from the part in his hand. You chewed the food, happy to finally be eating.

"Ah, sorry...!" He said, his voice high with uncertainty. You smiled reassuringly, still chewing.

You continued to eat, him being somewhat bashful about feeding you.

"Uh, Nathaniel? What are you doing?" Chat asked, causing Nathaniel to yell, jump back and drop a half-eaten [Snack] onto the floor. Chat was at the doorway, carrying Ladybug, who looked extremely tired and unresponsive.

You finished chewing, and whined, "...My snack..."

"S-Sorry, Y/N..." Nathaniel sighed, picking up the snack. "I'll go throw this away and leave you alone..."

Nathaniel walked off, and you called after him, "Thanks, Nathaniel!"

You felt revitalized. Powerful. What, did food cancel out the effects of the gas? You shifted through your restrains, causing Chat to stumble back. 

"It's fine, it's fine. Hey, Ladybug, catch." You smirked, throwing her a glowing ball of a foggy substance. It was a white whisp. It wasn't an actual ball; you manipulated it to be shaped and react that way. It landed into her chest, causing her to gasp deeply, as if she'd just been drowning. The dark whisp returned to you.

"Y-Y/N, you..." Ladybug stammered, Chat letting her stand on her own two feet but still holding her shoulders, scared she might fall again. Her skin was no longer the deathly pale it had been, and her tired, hopeless expression was replaced by one of surprise.

"That's right~ I give up." You sighed, holding up your arms. "I feel sorry for all the people I took the whisps of. Just take my Akuma."

"Y/N... you're really giving up...?" Chat gaped, eyes wide. You nodded.

"...The fog. It just... got rid of it all. My resolve. My connection to Hawkmoth. My blindness to the people I was hurting. Heck, it got rid of my powers, too. I mean, if I leave for a while, it'll probably stop affecting me and I'll be back to normal, but... Whatever. I don't care. Just take it." You said, taking off the plaster on your wrist. You ripped your sheet in half, the Akuma escaping. It fluttered away, the color hidden by the blue mist, leaving only a slight silhouette to be seen. A part of you was sad to see it go. It fluttered toward Ladybug, and she caught it, no words needed.

She let the purified version of the butterfly go, and since she had used no lucky charm, the damage was restored without it. The magic spread from her yoyo, brightening up the room.

"Bye, bye, little butterfly..." She whispered as the butterfly disappeared.

But... There was one problem. You stared at your pitch-black, mist-radiating skin.

"Hey, Ladybug... Am I still meant to have my powers?"