6. Evillustrator Part Two

Ladybug inhaled sharply. Sitting cross legged on her bed, she curled into the most inconspicuous corner and rested her yo-yo on her thighs.

“Marinette!” she heard her mother call out. “Do you want me to make you some extra snacks for your patrol tonight?”

“No Mama! It’s fine!” she yelled back in response. The first lie of the evening. True her parents had known about her secret identity for years (it was hard not to know considering the fact that, well, gunshot wounds were pretty tricky to hide) but she still didn’t quite think they’d support her half-baked idea.

This wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to try.

Her eyes glanced to her phone and, noting the time, she took another breath to steady her nerves. Chat should be starting his evening patrol around now, and he was fully expecting to visit Marinette afterwards. Unfortunately, there was someone else she had to spend time with first.

I can handle this. I am a mature adult. I am Ladybug and I- I am so screwed. Oh god I’m SO screwed.

What had she been THINKING?! Agreeing to go on a date with her akumatised friend? She’d spent ages afterwards half-hyperventilating, half desperately scrambling for any scrap of a decent plan she could think of.

Once again, she found herself on a new layer of thin ice, similar to the one she’d faced with Chat the night after Valentine’s day all those months ago. Only this time, she didn’t want the ice to crack, she didn’t want to endure the fallout from it should this plan fail…

It seemed that every time she thought the lines blurred between herself, Ladybug, Chat and whoever he was behind the mask, something came along to tip the balance further off- to smudge said line with a damp cloth.

Even though they'd been partners for years, even though they loved each other dearly (in very different ways, she thought with a slight pang) there had always been a barrier between them. Ladybug and Chat. When they’d been younger the idea of Chat, twenty-year-old, gorgeous, ADULT Chat Noir, knowing her in all her awkward, sixteen-year-old glory had been horrifying. Chat himself, had always wanted to keep their relationship a mix between friendly and professional. As they grew, her maturity caught up with his and, especially after defeating Hawk Moth, their dynamic changed.

They became friends. Really good friends.

Even without the threat of Hawk Moth looming over their heads, both of them were afraid of taking that friendship further, of what revealing their identities could mean.

It was the great unspoken thing, the elephant trailing behind them whenever they patrolled together, reminding them of their cowardice. It was stupid, it was irrational, but it was their routine. It was theirs. And Marinette was messing with that routine every time she saw Chat as herself, every time she had to cover her blushing face during a patrol as memories of their romantic encounters awoke, unbidden in her mind’s eye.

Then there was the slowly creeping guilt. The guilt which grew every time she kissed Chat, every time he smiled at her whilst unaware that she was his partner of four years, every time she said nothing when she could have told the truth.

Marinette hated liars, yet she was lying to the person she loved the most.

Her only solace was the fact that he was withholding his identity too. Still, he wasn’t outright lying about it either. He wasn’t all but tricking her into a relationship. Marinette, on the other hand, was beginning to suspect that she was guilty of that particular crime.

And yet here she was, knowing that she was practically offering her secret identity to him on a silver platter if things went wrong tonight. Here she was, risking it all.

Ladybug groaned, falling backwards against the pillows and stewing in the mess she’d made of her life and emotions. However, she decided that she couldn’t stew for long, and sat up with a huff.

She was restless, agitated, and deliberately holding herself back.

Trying to rid her imagination of the look on Chat’s face if he discovered just who exactly he’d been kissing all these months, she ran her hand over her braid and sighed a third and final time.

Besides, how exactly was she supposed to confess, anyway?

“Hi Chat, how are you?”

“Hey LB, what’s up?”

“Oh, not much. Hey! Did you know you had your tongue in my mouth last night, Hot Stuff?”

“What?”

“What.”

Yeah. Probably not.

Not wanting to drag herself through more anxiety, Ladybug swallowed the lump of panic forming in her throat and opened her yo-yo to call Chat. After a few moments of ringing, which seemed to stretch on for an eternity, her partner’s friendly face appeared on the receiver- slightly shaky due to him walking. Paris’ skyline glowed behind him, the light of the setting sun highlighting his hair with streaks of honey and gold and Ladybug had to fight not to drool.

“Hey LB, everything ok?” he greeted, cheerful and totally oblivious to the bomb she was about to drop.

“Hey Chat, I have a big favour to ask you,” she replied, her tone serious as she shifted her weight. Now that she’d gotten over the worst part (the anticipation), the plan began to fall from her lips more easily, and the command in her voice took hold, her Ladybug confidence slipping on as easily as her favourite jacket.

It was tantamount to how well they knew each other by now that Chat instantly picked up on her tone, and immediately came to a halt. He frowned into the camera, nodding once. “Ok, what’s going on?”

Ladybug gave herself a fraction of a second to remember the lines she’d rehearsed, and decided to look directly into the small camera as opposed to the monitor. Even when she wasn’t truly face-to-face with him, it was still easier to avoid his gaze. “I’m out of town today- on a day trip. Not too far, which is why I didn’t think I’d need to tell you. I’m a couple of hours away but-” she giggled nervously- “you know me! Seems like I always tempt fate.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Little Lady,” Chat grinned, and her heart flipped the way it always did when he called her that. “So, how’d you tempt fate this time? Or what happened to make you think you tempted fate?”

“Well,” Ladybug quirked her lips, shrugged her shoulders, “you know how the occasional akuma still pops up from time to time?”

The grin dropped from Chat’s face, and he brought a hand up to his face. “LB,” he said, his tone low, “Please tell me there isn’t an akuma around whilst you’re a couple of hours away?”

“Ok I won’t tell you,” Ladybug chuckled again, albeit much more sheepishly this time. “I also won’t tell you that this particular akuma made a date with someone I know, and she told me about it, and that’s how I found out.”

“WHAT?!”

Ladybug winced, rushing to cover the receiver and praying that her parents hadn’t heard that. Or, if they did, they thought she was just watching TV or something. Hoo boy, he freaked out at that and he doesn’t even know that I’m the one dating the akuma yet.

Before she was able to explain further, Chat scratched his head, looking so baffled that Ladybug had to bite her cheek to stop herself from laughing. Admittedly it wasn’t supposed to be a funny scenario, and the consequences from it going wrong were disastrous, but it was also so absurd that she couldn’t help the wave of amusement flooding her if she tried. “Ok, I get that girls go for bad boys sometimes, but that’s really taking the cake. Honestly, whoever decided it was a good idea to date an akuma needs to re-evaluate their taste in partners.”

“Hey! Don’t be rude!” Ladybug snapped, unable to stop herself being offended. After all, he was unintentionally insulting both of them. But he’d eat his words soon enough. She was able to cover her slip-up with a hurried explanation, one full of half-truths. “The girl was kind of scared, and it’s because the akuma is a friend of hers and asked her on a date. She was worried that, if she said no, the akuma would go crazy. I think the reason he got akumatised in the first place was because of his feelings for her. He’s apparently promised that he’s not bad and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He only wants to use his ‘cool new powers’ to take her on a date and it would’ve been fine if she’d said no, but she didn’t want to risk it just in case.”

“I can’t decide if that’s sweet or creepy,” Chat grimaced, wrinkling his nose, and Ladybug had to laugh again at that. It was far too endearing not to. “So, what do you want me to do about it? I can’t really stop the akuma without you here.”

“No, but you can totally stall until I get there to cleanse it, and also make sure the girl doesn’t get hurt,” she replied. “The girl told me she thinks the akuma might be in his tablet. His powers are kind of art-based. He can create what he draws. If you can get the item away from the akuma, he’ll be powerless.”

“Uh-huh, can do! But I guess making sure the girl is safe is first priority, right?” Chat asked, tilting his head quizzically.

Ladybug shifted, feeling little pinpricks of annoyance shoot through her. Logically, she knew she was powerless as Marinette, logically she knew that Chat would need to be there to protect her in case things went south (at least until she could sneak away to transform). Emotionally, however, she couldn’t help but feel insulted.

How on earth she, a superhero of nearly four years, had willingly placed herself in the role of damsel in distress, she’d never know. That being said, this was a perfect opportunity to show Chat how capable she was as Marinette. Not through strength, but through strategy.

“Right,” she replied through gritted teeth. “The girl’s supposed to meet the akuma for their date in two hours by the Notre Dame. She said she’d arrive early though so you can discuss a game plan.”

Chat’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Well I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed with this girl’s guts! But I need a little bit more information about her. A name, a visual description, just so I know to spot her. Pun not intended.”

“That makes a change,” Ladybug grinned, using their banter to hide her rising panic. This was it. The moment of truth. Swallowing, she flicked through her yo-yo for the right application. “I’m sending you a photo of her now.”

Her heart was a drum, beating almost painfully against her ribs, as she pressed a shaking finger to her yo-yo and sent a photo of her civilian self to her partner and sort-of boyfriend.

She couldn’t see his face (the photo covered her screen) but Chat’s resounding yelp and the metallic clang which followed gave Ladybug all the evidence she needed to know how he reacted.

“S-sorry!” Chat’s voice was faint, and there were some shuffling noises in the background. Safely out of view of Chat Noir’s view, Ladybug grabbed a cushion and buried her face into it half between heaven and hell. “I errr- I tripped and dropped my baton. So…that’s- that’s her?”

Ladybug was shivering. Maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through her, the anticipation, but sitting up and opening her mouth to reply felt about as easy as moving an active volcano with nothing but a wooden spoon to aid her.

“Uh-huh, that’s her. Her name is Marinette.” And then a wicked idea came to her mind. It was cheeky, and a bit silly, but how many times had he tormented her with cat puns at inappropriate times (both as Marinette and Ladybug)? It was only fair. It was payback.

Smirking, she brought the yo-yo close to her lips and giggled. “Cute, isn’t she?”

The squeaky spluttering she got in response was worth withstanding inopportune cat puns for the next year at least.

Chat Noir was not happy.

The night was in full swing. His patrol was over. By all accounts it should have been a happy time, a time to visit the girl he loved, cuddle her, kiss her, listen to her stories and dote on her the way she deserved.

Sometimes he wondered if he had some kind of chaotic god, deliberately pulling at the strings of his carefully made plans until they unravelled like a cheap suit. Then he remembered. He had exactly that. Plagg.

Half hidden in shadows, Chat leaned against a tree overlooking the Notre Dame. He glanced upwards, staring up at the lights, lost in thought as his eyes skimmed over the old stone cathedral. Ladybug had given him the lowdown on Marinette’s situation, but his stomach twisted itself into knots nonetheless, especially when he thought of their conversation the night before. Clenching and unclenching his fists, Chat tried to contain the restlessness prickling his skin like a thousand tiny needles. It was a restlessness which would not heal itself. Only Marinette could save him from it.

He worried.

What if something had happened with the guy who’d asked her out? He was the akuma wasn’t he? What if she’d turned him down and he’d been akumatised and was now not taking no for an answer?

“The girl was kind of scared, and it’s because the akuma is a friend of hers and asked her on a date. She was worried that, if she said no, the akuma would go crazy...”

A low growl escaped his throat before he could help himself. Something dark and surprisingly primal rose up his chest, a level of protectiveness he didn’t know he possessed. It wasn’t jealousy. No. Instead, the slow burning anger spreading through his veins like poison, was very much directed at the akuma.

“The girl was kind of scared…”

“She was worried that, if she said no, the akuma would go crazy...”

How dare he? The akuma- how dare he make her feel that way? Especially someone as wonderful, sweet and downright kick-ass as Marinette.

Chat was going to make damn sure she remained safe, that she wasn’t scared. Not around him. Never around him.

“That can’t be my Kitty looking so glum, can it?”

Chat’s head turned at the sound of her voice, and his eyes widened. All at once, the rage boiling in his blood tempered, to be replaced with an entirely different heat.

His jaw dropped.

Marinette was standing a few feet away from him, smiling shyly, her fingers coiled around the spaghetti strap of her small handbag. Her figure was framed in a halo of streetlight, which highlighted the snug black dress she wore and the softness of her lightly curled hair. For some strange reason, the sight of her still wearing the green ribbons filled him with relief so palpable that all the breath left his body in one fell swoop.

All he could think was he was very glad he was hidden by the shadow of the tree, and that his mask did a good job of hiding his cheek bones. He felt like he’d just been shoved head first into an oven.

The length of time he’d spent gaping at her must have been longer than he’d realised, as Marinette began to shift awkwardly, glancing at her feet. “No heels,” she chuckled, but her voice was high and squeaky. Over the six months Chat (or rather Adrien) had come to know her, he recognised her voice tended to get that way whenever she was excited or nervous. “For a quick getaway in case I need it! See? I came prepared.”

That was good, Chat thought, because he certainly hadn’t been.

When Marinette began to frown, the light crinkles on her forehead conveying just the slightest hint of worry, Chat managed to kick himself out of his reverie. Shaking his head, he walked over to her, staring directly into her eyes (he couldn’t stare at her in that dress, he didn’t want to be that guy, especially considering she was technically in a perilous situation at that moment in time) and reached for one of her hands.

“You certainly did Princess,” he uttered as his lips brushed against her knuckles. How he found it in himself to speak, he had no idea. “And your knight is here to help you in your quest.”

Marinette giggled, reaching up to boop his nose, obviously unaware of the effect her appearance was having on him. “My knight, is a scoundrel and a flirt, and totally distracting me from my quest.”

Chat’s smile dropped as he recalled exactly why they were there, why she was dressed as if she was going on a date. “Mari,” he said, all traces of humour gone. “This guy, the akuma, is he the one who asked you out?”

Marinette raised her eyes, taken aback by the question, but nodded nonetheless. “Yeah he is. He’s a friend from my school days. But don’t worry! He’s not creepy or anything. He’s… it’s complicated. I think he’s going through some stuff. I- I just want to make sure he’s ok, you know? And I haven’t exactly handled this situation well. I need to make up for that.”

Chat swallowed, his heart almost breaking at how kind she was being. She had every right to be angry and yet here she was feeling sorry for a guy who’d put her on the spot in such an awful way. Granted he was an akuma at the time, and even akuma outside of the control of Hawk Moth were known to act wildly out of character. It was the nature of the beast.

Still, Chat couldn’t help but be concerned on her behalf.

“And you’re sure you’ll be ok?” Chat asked, squeezing the hand he still held. “I trust your judgement, but I could just take him out the second I see him. I’d rather risk that than risk your safety any day.”

“I’m not scared if that’s what you’re asking,” Marinette replied hotly, gazing up at him with a fierce determination that brought a smile to his face. It seemed like passionate, fierce women had a knack for finding him in life. “He’d never hurt me either, so I’d like to take the path of least resistance.”

After a moment of intense eye contact, Chat nodded solemnly, trying to pretend like her smoky eye make-up wasn’t doing things to him PRIORITIES AGRESTE! “Ok. If that’s what you want, I trust you. You’ve known him for a long time after all. But a lot can go wrong with an akuma attack. I’m game for a pacifist route but we have to be smart about it. So-” he clapped his hands- “Ladybug mentioned you had a theory about the akuma’s whereabouts…”

They talked for a while, discussing their game plan in detail, both of them acutely aware of time passing. Eventually, however, the began to air grow thick with tension, and a nearby clock chimed. The hour was nearly upon them. The date, almost here.

“I should go to the meeting spot,” Marinette said reluctantly, for in between their moments of intense strategizing, there had been a few shared puns and enough giggles to make her forget what they were there for- if only for a moment. Her heart flipped painfully when she turned her head to the side, when she caught Chat staring at her.

For a moment, just a moment, she’d forgotten that it wasn’t him she was out on a date with.

But there wasn’t time to think about that. There was time to muse on the painful realities of her half relationship with the masked man she’d secretly loved for the past four years. Miraculous or not, she was still Ladybug, even though she was incognito.

She had a job to do.

“Marinette wait!” Chat called out to her from back under his shadowed tree. She paused, turning around to face him. Marinette couldn’t make out his expression very well in the dim light, but the way he reached up and scratched the back of his head struck a chord in her brain. Memories flooded her, just out of her reach, a familiarity she couldn’t quite place before he dropped his arm and looked at her with earnest, faintly glowing eyes. “You… you look beautiful.”

The feeling that ran through her body at his words was indescribable; not quite a fluttering, not a tickling, nor a burning, but somehow a combination of all three which left her feeling bubbly and breathless.

“Th-thank you,” she replied stumbling slightly as she walked backwards. “I’m gonna- akuma- you know- kick butt and all! Totally. Fun stuff. Ha. Beautiful I-” she turned and hurried away, not looking back as embarrassment burned her cheeks.

It was a good thing she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts (beautiful, beautiful, he thinks I’m BEAUTIFUL!), as the sight of the sheer, lacy back of her dress had Chat fumbling to stabilise himself against the trunk of the tree.

He missed.

Once he’d righted himself, he leapt, climbing onto the roof of the Notre Dame and hiding amongst the statues as he watched Marinette waiting for the akuma below, a myriad of emotions swirling inside him.

As he waited, he wished. As he wished, so too did he fear. And as his fears grew, so did his frustrations.

His claws dug into the stone statue, bitterness souring his tongue. This wouldn’t have happened if he’d just been honest with her from the start. If he’d confessed his love to her as Adrien, things could’ve been so different. Maybe this Nathanael person might have still asked Marinette on a date, but Marinette would have been freer to give a clear answer and maybe Nathanael could’ve been let down more gently as a result- meaning no akuma. It must’ve been hard, he thought, for Marinette to be in a situation where she couldn’t exactly say she was seeing someone, but couldn’t not say it either. He was to blame for that. He was a coward through and through, so deep into his cowardice that he could no longer see a way out without hurting someone he cared for so deeply.

But, he thought as he watched Nathanael arrive by boat of all things, he wanted what he was watching so badly. He wanted to date Marinette for real. He wanted to take her out on moonlit boat rides, like Nathanael was currently doing. Following their path along the river, Chat watched as they talked in hushed tones. Granted he knew she was trying to lull him into a false sense of security, but she looked so at ease that a part of him broke.

He could’ve had that. He could’ve had what he was watching… maybe. If he hadn’t been so afraid before. Now a part of him doubted he would ever be able to be with her the way he so desperately wanted to be. He wondered if he was doomed to forever watch her from the shadows, never allowed to join her in the light.

And then a voice prodded his mind. A sharp but sweet voice, one he’d known for many years, reminding him of the mission at hand. Taking a shuddering breath, he placed his emotions in a little drawer at the back of his heart and vowed to revisit it once this was over and done with. But he was probably fooling himself.

He ran and ran, on all fours so he could close the gap between himself and the boat. Running alongside the river’s edge, he leapt. Gabbing hold of the edge of the railings at the stern, he hauled himself over, crouching low. He froze, waiting for a reaction. Nothing.

Chat crawled forwards, keeping himself out of sight. The pair of them, the akuma and Marinette, were sitting on a bench on a raised platform. A large steering wheel stood halfway between himself and the pair. It appeared the akuma was steering it using magic. Using quick logic, Chat was able to figure out that if he distracted the akuma enough, the boat might veer off course and hit the river bank.

His eyes scanned for some quick exit routes, places to land with Marinette in his arms should he need to, whilst he waited for the signal.

“Can you make it play music? I’m super curious as to what it can do!” Marinette was saying, and Chat smirked. His girl was the sweetest, most Oscar-worthy actress of all time, and he was going to kiss her senseless the moment she was back home safely.

Then the akuma chuckled, the sound practically slapping the smile off of Chat’s face. “It sure can, any requests? I may not be a Nino but I’m sure I can find something you like?”

“Can I try?” Marinette asked, her voice bright and perky, and Chat couldn’t help but notice the genuine feel in her tone. He bit his lip to stop himself laughing. How cute. She was a designer, of course she’d love to get a hold of a magic device which made all your drawings become real. He’d have to tease her about that later.

Poking his head above the surface of the platform, Chat watched as the akuma fidgeted nervously. “Well…umm… maybe I guess? But you have to be careful with it ok? And I can’t let go of it or the boat will steer out of control. You can try but umm, that means we’ll have to touch…hands…”

Chat’s ears flattened against his head and he fought off a snarl. Honestly the number of U-turns his emotions had taken in the past couple of hours was enough to give him whiplash.

“Of course!” Marinette cried, beaming as she reached out towards the pen. This was it. Chat raised himself, the smallest amount, as Marinette caught his eyes. He was ready.

Nathanael scooted closer to Marinette, the gap between them shortening. Their knees were touching. His fingers reached for Marinette’s, pen in hand, and Chat did his best to ignore it all, to block it all out, he really did. It was starting to feel like the worst kind of torture.

It’s pretend. It’s fake. And she’s not your girlfriend anyway. You have no right to feel this way, and you should be FOCUSING, his mind chided him, yelled and cussed him out but his heart refused to listen.

Marinette’s fingers came to a rest, half holding Nathanael’s hand and half-gripping the stylus. The second her hand was on his, the boat jolted, similarly to the way a stomach lurches or a heart rises when the person you like touches you. Chat knew exactly what caused it.

The pen clattered to the floor.

“Shoot, ah- sorry Mari let me get that.” Nathanael was ducking down; the pen was just out of Chat’s reach. He could jump up and get it, he could-

Nathanael’s eyes locked onto his own.

“YOU!” he gasped, ducking down and snatching the pen right as Chat made an attempt to leap for it.

Marinette jumped to her feet, and Nathanael held out an arm to cover her.

Chat didn’t have time to think, as Nathanael began to draw on his tablet. Calling for Marinette to stay back, he turned back to Chat with narrowed eyes. “Couldn’t you let us finish our date at least? It’s not like I was hurting anyone.”

Chat didn’t trust himself to speak. Instead he dodged the ropes which appeared at Nathanael’s command, rolling out of the way as they attempted to restrain him. In doing so, however, he missed the attack from above. Far too late, he realised the ropes weren’t attempting to restrain him. They were forcing him towards the front of the boat, where the deck was the widest.

“CHAT! HEADS UP!” Marinette’s yell of horror alerted him, and he looked up just as a large, see-through box crashed down around him, trapping him like a zoo animal.

He was stuck.

Using his baton, he hit against the glass. Over and over again, he tried to get it to break. Yet, even with all his super-strength, it remained intact. He was panicking. Marinette was out there, she was running to him, but he couldn’t hear what she was yelling as she came towards him, pushing against the glass. She was trying to free him, and that only made him fear for her more.

Cataclysm, a part of his mind whispered, but he couldn’t. He’d only used his special attack once in anger, and it had destroyed a whole monument. There had been civilians nearby. People had gotten hurt. Luckily, Ladybug was able to fix it, but she wasn’t here now.

He needed to calm himself down. He needed to get out. He needed to save Marinette.

Nathanael was behind her and Chat smacked his hand against the glass, his eyes meeting Marinette’s, begging her to turn around, to run away. How had things gone so wrong so quickly?

From inside his glass prison, he couldn’t hear anything, only the constant throbbing of his wild heart, only the blood roaring in his ears and the breath hissing through his teeth. Nathanael was speaking, but he didn’t look angry. Instead, he looked dejected, almost… heartbroken?

Chat didn’t care. He didn’t care at all. All he could think of was that he was trapped and there was an akuma that could harm Marinette. He couldn’t protect her. He couldn’t protect her.

Marinette said something, stepping towards Nath, and Chat slammed on the glass a few times, screaming at her not to get any closer to the akuma. She held out her hand. A peace offering.

Nathanael frowned and, for a split second, the world froze. Chat waited, held his breath, his fingers splayed against the glass as if willing it to cease existing. If Marinette got hurt, he’d never forgive himself.

And then Nathanael shifted forwards, leaping away from the boat and disappearing into the night.

Without a captain, without someone controlling it, the boat lurched as it veered off course and Chat was thrown against the side of the glass. Marinette turned back towards him, she was running to get him. Chat couldn’t stop her, couldn’t warn her.

The boat slammed into the river bank. Even through the glass, Chat could hear the horrendous sound of the metal groaning and bending and twisting as the floor shuddered violently beneath them. And Marinette was still running, but she was tripping over herself as the floor became unstable, the magic holding it together fading fast.

The boat began to quake harder than ever, and Marinette fell, hitting the side of Chat’s glass prison, her head smacking against the corner. She stumbled blindly, clutching her head, her eyes scrunched in pain.

“MARINETTE!” Chat screamed as the boat began to dip below the surface, trying to warn her. But she didn’t see the edge of the railings until it was too late, until the boat lurched a final, horrendous time.

The last thing Chat saw was the flash of her green hair ribbons as she fell over the side of the boat, disappearing into the depths of the ice-cold river below.