36. Finale(2)

“…Very well,” she answered, much to Chat’s surprise. He expected her shadow form to melt away right then and there, but she threw him off again by turning her back and gliding away.

“Hey!”

“Lower your voice, you snarling beast,” she shot at him, turning to eye him. “If you wish to speak to me, you need only follow.”

She continued on her way, disappearing once she reached a door.

The door that led to his father’s old office.

Chat Noir swallowed, glancing over at Ladybug.

“It might be a trap,” he mumbled, because the walls probably had ears now.

Ladybug nodded her agreement, her eyes tight.

“I don’t like how willing she is to talk. Something’s up.”

“What do we do?”

Ladybug closed her eyes and folded her arms, frowning as she appeared to mull it over.

“We still need to stop her…and it isn’t like we’re defenseless,” she reasoned, opening her eyes to give Chat a firm look. “We follow…but stay on your guard.”

“Got it.”

Chat needed a moment before they entered the old office. So many memories threatened to creep up and overwhelm him, and so he took a deep breath, easing it out before he reached a clawed hand forward…and pulled open the door.

Aside from the soft glow from the lights above--likely another illusion, since Chat doubted that electricity was actually still running to this place--the office was just as he remembered it, the day Nathalie ordered everything essential to be packed up and taken away. He remembered standing there for the longest time, watching the movers leave behind things deemed inconsequential—his father’s books, the desk where he worked, old awards…and pictures. That whole day he still stood there, staring at the double doors, as if his father would waltz right in at any moment and throw a fit over his personal effects being disturbed…

But Gabriel Agreste was not here.

There was a stranger here instead, and though it had been a long time since Adrien had called this place home, seeing her here still made him feel violated, like she was tainting sacred ground.

As he stood in the doorway glaring at her back, it was Ladybug who entered and spoke, for she had always been so much bolder than him:

“Desiree.”

The woman standing before the bookshelf turned, and it was jarring not to see her surrounded by shadows.

Instead, she looked the way a proper Miraculous user ought to look—her supersuit reminded Chat of a wizard’s robe, with a high collar, square shoulders, and billowing folds surrounding her long legs, completely black, save for the collar and her sleeves, which were a steel gray. She even had a scepter to complete the look…but as Chat squinted, he realized it didn’t fit with her outfit.

In fact, if the butterfly brooch attached just under her collar was familiar for a reason, it looked more like…

Shade’s face was hidden by a steel gray mask, the points at the ends coming down over her cheeks, like a snake’s fangs. Her dark eyes, normally so full of passion, were now cold—they narrowed at them as he and Ladybug stopped in the center of the room.

“Shade, if you please,” Shade spoke in that same soft, hissing voice her illusions were prone to. “You don’t see me being disrespectful and calling you ‘Marinette’, do you?”

Ladybug did not so much as flinch, as if she was determined not to show weakness now. Chat was proud of her.

“Why are you here of all places?” Chat wanted to know, fighting the nonsensical urge to chase her away from his father’s old books. Even if none of these things had been used in years, it still rubbed him the wrong way to have their enemy touch anything that used to belong to his father.

Shade’s gaze switched to him, and he felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine.

“…I suppose I’ll tell you, since it would be inaccurate to say that it’s none of your business.” Shade shifted her grip on something, and Chat, after squinting, realized that it looked like a book of some sort. “Tell me, Chat Noir…were you aware that your father knew of your superhero double-life?”

Chat stared at her.

“…What?” He said, because surely, he must have misheard her. There was no way that his father knew what he was up to. Sure, Adrien had occasionally gotten into trouble for not being where he was supposed to be in his youth, but his father had never known the actual reason for those random disappearances…

But oh, wouldn’t it have been ironic? Hawk Moth getting upset at Chat Noir for not attending his fencing lessons and saving Paris instead…

“Don’t bother trying to trick us, Shade,” Ladybug cut in on Chat’s behalf, taking a defensive stance in front of him. “We know your specialty is lying.”

Shade smirked coldly.

“Oh, but I am not lying, Ladybug,” she said, and with her free hand, she lifted the book she had previously been cradling close to her chest. “See for yourself.”

She threw the book so that it fell open at their feet. Cautiously, because he still sensed a trap, Chat leaned over, squinting at the book in the low light of the office.

“‘Tuesday, March 7th, 8:15 P.M.—G. A. leaves his mansion, unaccompanied and unobserved from within the mansion. Assumed heading to secret hideout.’…What is this?” Chat asked sharply, lifting his gaze to glare at Shade. She slipped her hand under her chin and smirked at him, as if he was a mildly interesting television program.

“Keep reading—it gets better.”

Ladybug snatched up the journal, and Chat rose to read alongside her, his eyes flying rapidly across the page.

‘8:25 P.M.—An akuma appears to assault Paris. Name: ‘Ringleader.’ Gimmick: Snubbed circus performer turned Dark Side. Ability: Turning people into trick-turning animals.’

‘8:27 P.M.—C.N. spotted leaving the mansion by roof; presumably escaped through a window.’

C.N....

Chat’s eyes froze on the initials, the back of his neck tingling, because he knew all too well what they meant…

Beside him, Ladybug gave a sharp gasp.

“This is…this is your father’s journal, isn’t it?”

“Very good, Ladybug. Gold star,” Shade said mockingly, and Chat’s head snapped up to stare at her, his mouth open, because surely this couldn’t mean what he thought it meant, surely he was mistaken—

“Where—where did you find this?” He croaked, his throat suddenly, inexplicably dry. Shade regarded him coldly, folding her arms around that strange scepter she still gripped.

“It belonged to my father, idiot. Where did you think I found it?”

She turned, unraveling her arms to smack the scepter into her free palm as she strolled in front of the bookshelves, so casual, as if they were merely discussing whether to go out or dine in for lunch.

“There is another version here, of course, but it’s useless—the truly important information was inked out of existence by Gabriel Agreste, but it doesn’t matter. That was merely a copy of my father’s notes, the journal he gave Hawk Moth as a show of good faith, when he named his terms.”

Shade paused, near the windows, her head tilted slightly to the side, as if she was contemplating something.

“For the longest time, I wondered why Hawk Moth would bother to trouble himself. My father was no big-name reporter—he possessed a keen eye, but what he lacked,” she laughed harshly, “was a lucky break. To his credit, he waited until he had enough substantial evidence before he came to Gabriel Agreste, but it was still so very foolish to reveal himself—it put him at the mercy of a dangerous supervillain. So I constantly wondered: why did he do it? And why would Gabriel Agreste, with all his influence and power, actually agree…?”

Shade turned on her heel, and now, her eyes were not so lifeless; rage bubbled just beyond, a fury building higher the lower her voice became.

“It took me much longer than it should have to understand, but I believe I have the answer now, despite the both of them being unable to tell us: for all their differences, your father and my father shared one single similarity: they dearly loved—and would therefore do anything for—their children.”

It felt like all the air in the room had suddenly disappeared, for all the good breathing was doing for Chat Noir right now. He wanted to cover his ears, to screw his eyes shut and turn away, run, for what he was hearing could not be true, Shade had to be lying, there was no way that all of this, all of this was—

“You’re mentioned in the journal, Chat Noir. Which means that my father had figured out your secret as well. Gabriel Agreste didn’t pay for my father’s silence to protect himself. He was protecting you.”

—his fault.

All his fault.

There was warmth on his cheeks. Chat opened his eyes to find that Ladybug was gripping his face, her expression fierce.

“Don’t you dare!” She snarled at him, anxiety and anger warring in her eyes. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this! None of this is your fault!”

“Oh, but isn’t it, though?” Came Shade’s voice from behind Chat, coldly amused. “Who’s to say that Gabriel Agreste didn’t become Hawk Moth for the good of his son as well?”

“Shut up!” Ladybug spat, side-stepping Chat to glare at Shade. “I’m sick of you! Taking all of this out on Chat Noir—it’s not like he murdered your father!! Maybe he should’ve minded his own business!!”

Chat turned in time to see Shade’s smirk vanish. The tension in the room amped up a few notches as she and Ladybug had a staring contest, neither of them appearing to back down for a long minute…and then…

“…You know,” Shade began, tilting her head to the side in that unnatural, frightening way, “the funny thing is…I agree.” She slowly turned to stare out the window again, where chaos still reigned, even though they were isolated from it inside. “If my father had left well enough alone…maybe he’d still be alive.”

Chat watched, his fingers flexing, as Shade lifted the scepter, stroking the sphere on top.

“He was a foolish man, you see. He’d been beaten down too many times by the world, and my mother had had enough of him and his ‘idle dreaming’, because it didn't help to put food on the table. On the verge of divorce, he came to Paris, looking for a scoop of the superhero action to report on, and quickly grew frustrated when his reports were continuously turned away. The discovery of Hawk Moth’s secret was nothing more than dumb luck, and he intended to use it to his full advantage…but his heart bled a little too freely, you see. He saw the damage Hawk Moth caused, and came to the same conclusion as others did—in exchange for his silence, he was made an accomplice.”

Chat noticed the way Shade’s grip on the scepter tightened.

“…I was too young to see my father slumped over the desk in that damn hotel room, alone and refusing to wake up no matter what I did. He was courteous enough to leave behind a suicide note…but it was little comfort. And oh, as soon as the vultures you call reporters here discovered that doctored set of notes here…”

There was a sudden explosion of darkness from Shade; Chat cried out in surprise, shielding Ladybug, but the dark beams just passed by them, harmless. Like they were the result of a tantrum rather than meaning actual harm. Chat glanced over his shoulder to find Shade glaring at the pair of them, her chest heaving, her eyes wide and livid behind her mask.

“They blamed him,” she spat, casting shadows off her tongue as well, as if her anger was making her lose control of her powers. “‘What a terrible person’, they said, choosing money over decency, as if it would be so easy to betray the most powerful man in Paris. They rejoiced in his death just as much as they rejoiced in Hawk Moth’s death, all too happy to have him share in the blame, to accuse him of being human.”

Suddenly, she slammed the scepter into the bookshelf beside her with such force that it shook ominously. The sphere atop the scepter remained undamaged, and no books cascaded to the floor, but the show of force was still worrying enough that Chat kept his guard in front of Ladybug, warily watching as Shade gripped the scepter tightly once again.

“Paris and the Agrestes ruined my father’s life. I have waited years to put this plan into the motion, the minute I stole the Butterfly Miraculous. Now I will stop at nothing to ruin Paris…”

Her gaze flicked up, focusing only Chat—no, Adrien—with cold fury.

“…and the Agrestes,” she finished.

Chat felt Ladybug’s hands grip his wrists. He looked down at her, and she was looking up at him, gesturing with her eyes for him to move aside. The look on her face wasn’t scary, but still firm enough that he felt himself obey automatically, though he looked on with apprehension as she took a few more steps forward, her shoulders squared as she faced Shade. Chat didn’t need to see her face to know how determined she must look as she said,

“…I’m sorry, Desiree. I’m sorry that you lost your father that way, and I’m sorry Paris was so callous about it. I won’t make excuses for our behavior, because I know you probably won’t want to hear them. But I can’t—I can’t let you do this. This won’t make you happy, Desiree. Even if you achieve your revenge…you won’t be happy. You’ll just be hollow.”

Shade sucked her teeth.

“What a heroic thing to say. It almost makes me sick. Tell me, Marinette—what do you know of what would make me happy?”

“Amanda,” Ladybug said quietly, and Chat was startled to see Shade flinch. “You can’t tell me she didn’t mean anything to you. I saw how you two were together. Is all of this really worth it? Would you be happy to know that she was hurt during your rampage through the city?”

Shade looked away, but her grip on the scepter grew tighter still.

“…I told Amanda to leave,” she said in a low voice that suggested the barest hint of vulnerability. “I told her it wasn’t safe. She's been under my influence all this time, whether she knows it or not, so there is no way she wouldn't heed me. She can’t still be here. She can’t be.”

“Desiree—”

Ladybug took a step forward, probably believing that she might be getting through to Shade, but she was mistaken—Shade jumped back with a furious hiss, as if it offended her for Ladybug to stray so close.

“I’ve already decided,” she hissed, glaring fiercely. “I won’t be swayed. Paris will pay, and if you interfere, then it’s on your own heads. In fact—” she bared her teeth at Chat, “feel free to pursue me. It’ll only mean me killing two birds with one stone.”

“Desiree!” Ladybug cried, but the name fell on deaf ears as Shade shattered the window behind her, leaping out and up. Chat and Ladybug ran to the destroyed window in time to see her leap over the wall, disappearing from sight. Chat swore, clearing broken glass from the sill before he jumped up onto it.

“We have to go after her,” he growled, the muscles in his legs bunching, ready to spring—

“Chat, wait.”

A hand on his shoulder stayed him, and he turned to look at Ladybug, who was regarding him in concern again.

“Are you okay?”

Déjà vu.

For a moment, Chat allowed himself to search his feelings. The shock of discovering that both his father and some stranger had ferreted out his secret…the tumultuous confusion that came with hearing the assumption that his father had been paying to protect his identity…the ever-present anger that Gabriel Agreste had even left him in this mess with absolutely no explanation other than his nonsensical dying words…and just…sadness. So much aching sadness…

Chat Noir took a deep breath…and shook his head.

“No,” he answered, blinking back the emotions that pushed at his eyes. “No, I’m not okay. But we’ll deal with that later—we can’t let Shade get away.”

Ladybug bit her lip, looking like she wanted to protest…but after a second, she seemed to realize the greater priority in this moment, for she sighed and nodded, climbing up onto the sill with him and sending out her yo-yo.

“You’re right…let’s go, then.”

“We’ll talk later,” Chat promised, the irony of the situation causing a wry grin to spread across his face. Ladybug caught his look and returned the gesture helplessly. After all, a superhero’s work never seemed to be done, did it?

“Later,” she agreed.

Her breath was ragged, muscles straining, crying out for relief. Her transformation wouldn’t wear off anytime soon, but she was still feeling the strain.

But Ladybug refused to falter. She couldn’t afford to. Not when they were here, so close, on Shade’s trail, on the verge of finally stopping her madness, once and for all—

“Jump!”

She heeded the warning, and was saved the trouble of falling down into an alley—her eyes were glued to Shade’s back, and so she hadn’t noticed that she was about to run out of building. Good thing she had a second pair of eyes around.

“Thanks, Chat,” she called to him, smiling as he sent her a wink.

“No problem, My Lady…you wanna try a Lucky Charm here?”

“Only if we run out of options…you can’t run forever, Shade!” Ladybug cried after their target, who was a whole rooftop ahead of them, surprisingly agile in that cumbersome robe she was wearing. As if she had to concede to Ladybug’s point, she suddenly stopped, whipping around to face them with a wicked grin.

“You’re right,” she agreed, and Ladybug’s stomach suddenly plunged as she watched Shade twist the ring on her finger. “How about instead of just a game of Tag, we make it more interesting?”

“Don’t—!” Ladybug tried to protest, but it was too late—throwing out her arms, Shade summoned several different copies of herself, each of them shadow clones. For a second, this confused Ladybug. After all, it was too easy to tell which Shade was the real one like this—

But then the original Shade immersed herself in shadow as well, and she and the four clones spun around them so quickly that Ladybug quickly lost track of the real one, groaning in despair when the five shadows darted off in different directions. Chat cursed under his breath, his head snapping this way and that in an attempt to keep track of all of them.

“Shit…should we split up and try and take them down individually?”

A terrifyingly vivid image of Chat Noir being strangled to death by a giant snake invaded Ladybug’s vision, and she swiftly shook her head.

“No.”

“Then…” Chat glanced over at her questioningly. “Lucky Charm time?”

Ladybug took a breath. This would only make her transformation wear out faster…but if they got something that would actually help them in this situation…

Realizing that she didn’t have much of a choice, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo into the air.

“Lucky Charm!”

‘Please be something good, please be something good, please—”

Her prayers to the powers that be were answered—from out of the charm popped a red and black-spotted flashlight.

“Yes!” Ladybug cried, lifting it in celebration.

“Hope it doesn’t need batteries,” Chat grumbled, but he appeared relieved as soon as Ladybug flicked the switch, and the flashlight turned on without any trouble.

“Awesome,” Ladybug cheered before turning to glare at the fleeing visions of Shade. “We’re gonna have to get close enough to be able to tell, though…”

“Leave it to me,” Chat assured her, squeezing her shoulder before he took off after the nearest vision, vaulting over rooftops with his pole. Ladybug followed him, staying close as he pursued their enemy. He dropped down and made a ridiculous yowling noise when he landed in front of the Shade vision, who grew startled and hissed at him, and Ladybug’s heart jumped into her throat. Surely an illusion couldn’t be that convincingly human, right…?

“Hey, Shade!” She cried, dropping down behind her. Shade whirled around in time for Ladybug to flash the light directly in her face—

She shrieked…and then vanished.

“Damn it!” Ladybug growled.

“Don’t give up!” Chat called as he started running again, already chasing after a new target. “We still have four more to go!”

“Well who’s to say she won’t just keep trying the same trick over and over again?” Ladybug asked as she took to the air beside him. Chat’s response was interrupted by the beeping of his Miraculous, followed by hers not a second later. They both glanced at each other’s Miraculous, and then at each other’s faces.

“…Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it,” Chat decided grimly, and Ladybug silently vowed to move as fast as she could while following him. They were always on a time limit, but today, it was more crucial than ever that they beat the clock.

Every clone of Shade they faced off against grew fiercer than the last. The second time, it was not so easy to sneak up on it: as if it sensed that they were there, it whirled on them and morphed into that giant snake form Ladybug hated, hissing and snapping at them so that they had to be constantly on the move in order for it not to catch them. It somehow got the drop on Ladybug, landing its full weight on her and nearly crushing her before Chat body-slammed into it. However, this illusion took a lot longer to dissolve than the others, so Ladybug had to toss her flashlight to Chat to break free from under it.

The third was worse—it melted into the shadows on the roof of the building, so that Ladybug and Chat Noir had to remain back to back so they wouldn’t be snuck up on. It was too close a call—Ladybug only just noticed it flying out of the shadows, fangs exposed, ready to attack her at the last minute. It got a full flash of light in the face, and was no more, but Ladybug’s heart continued to race as they moved on to their next target, spurred on by the second chirp of her Miraculous.

The fourth picked up a new trick—any time they tried to get near enough to get it with the flashlight, it screamed that same blood-curling scream the akumas used to use when Chat Noir and Ladybug had gotten too aggressive with one of the akumatized victims. The scream was disorienting, and it took Ladybug and Chat Noir several tries to actually subdue that clone, and at that point, they had lost track of the fifth one, who must be Shade. As they swung around the neighborhood, searching for her, dread settled within Ladybug.

No…they couldn’t lose her again. If they did, what would happen to Paris? To its people?

If they failed here…would France even survive it…?

“There!”

Ladybug’s head snapped to where Chat Noir’s clawed hand pointed, and sure enough, there she was, fleeing across a nearby roof…heading straight for City Hall. Ladybug angled her body towards Shade, not even pausing in her swing as she readied her flashlight, speeding ahead of Chat. If she could just blind Shade long enough, they’d be able to take her down and maybe wrestle her free of both Miraculous—

“HEY SHADE!”

Shade turned, and Ladybug flashed her directly in the eyes. Shade cried out, stumbling—

Her foot caught the lip of the roof. Ladybug watched, her eyes widening, as Shade pitched backward over the edge—

No.

Not again.

“NO!!!” Ladybug cried; unthinkingly, she released her hold on her yo-yo, disregarding everything that was not one singular thought: ‘Save Desiree.’

She snatched Shade’s wrist just as her body made contact with the roof. Her weight combined with Shade’s threatened to drag her forward after Shade; she seized the lip of the roof with her free hand, but her grip on Shade slipped to the point where she was only holding her fingers, the ring Shade wore coming loose—

“No!” Ladybug shouted again when her grip on Shade was lost; she lashed out with her free hand, catching her again, even as they both dangled dangerously off the roof. Ladybug’s eyes squeezed shut with the effort of holding them both in place even as she slowly felt herself being dragged down as well, praying with all her might that Chat would reach them in time—

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Ladybug opened her eyes to retort, but was distracted by a silver mask and a purple supersuit—

She was looking at Hawk Moth.

No…wait…not Hawk Moth, but…

Shade’s ring was in Ladybug’s hand, so therefore, that transformation had come undone, but she had somehow forgotten that, in order for the akumas to be active, that the Butterfly had to be active as well.

The Butterfly glared up at her now, wiggling in her grasp, as if she wanted to kill them both.

“Let go of me, idiot!” She snapped, thrashing in Ladybug’s grip. “If you don’t, we’ll both fall to our deaths!”

“No!” Ladybug ground out, even as she felt her abdomen slide over the edge; her hips would soon follow suit, and then they would both fall… “I won’t let go!”

“Don’t be stupid!” The Butterfly mocked her, glaring up at her. “You’re about to be rid of your villain for good! Fitting, isn’t it? That I would die just like Hawk Moth? So what’s stopping you from just leaving me to my fate? Some hero you are!”

“You’re wrong!” Ladybug bothered to correct her, even if now was not the time for talking; it was like she couldn’t help it. “I don’t want to win this way! That’s not what being a hero’s about, and neither my suit, nor letting the villain die makes me a hero!”

“That’s right.”

There was a strong grip around her, and a hand joined hers, closing over Shade’s wrist. Both startled and relieved, Ladybug looked over to find Chat Noir with her, his eyes focused as he worked on slowly pulling them back up onto the roof, gritting his teeth a little.

“It’s not the suits that make us heroes,” he grunted as he pulled. “It’s our compassion—even for our enemies—that make us heroes.” He caught her gaze and managed a grin. “Right, My Lady?”

He had come so far. Ladybug could have cried, could have kissed him, could have done both…but sadly, they both had more important things to worry about.

“Right,” she agreed. And, together, once Ladybug gained her balance back, they dragged the Butterfly back over the edge, and onto the roof. As Ladybug panted from adrenaline and exertion, Chat pulled out both her Lucky Charm flashlight and her yo-yo, the two items she’d abandoned after launching herself through the air to save Desiree. Ladybug accepted the yo-yo back and quickly circled it around the Butterfly, ensuring that she wouldn’t be fleeing anywhere else…not that she was trying to. Huh…weird…

When Ladybug moved back to admire her work, she noticed the Butterfly staring at her, her expression…uncomprehending.

“…Why?” She whispered, her eyes dull once again as she stared at Ladybug, as if her fury was the only thing keeping her alive. “Why couldn’t you just let me die…?”

“…” It was ridiculous that Ladybug almost wanted to apologize in this moment. Once upon a time, Desiree was her friend, and even now, it still hurt to see her looking so miserable…

But those days were over now. It no longer mattered what Desiree wanted.

All Ladybug could do…was her job.

She leaned over, keeping Desiree’s gaze for one long moment…and then she pulled the Butterfly Miraculous from her chest. Instantly, the transformation broke…and Desiree was herself again. What was left of her, in any case.

“This isn’t yours,” she said quietly. Somehow, Desiree managed to pull her lips into a smile, though it was obvious her heart wasn’t in it.

“I always knew you’d do great things.” Her smile grew sad. “I told you so.”

“She was always great,” Chat cut in, resting a hand on Ladybug’s shoulder. “You’re not telling her anything new.” Ladybug turned to him, and he handed over her flashlight, smiling. “Ready to put the world back the way it was?”

The city had grown quiet, the cries of akuma absent. The swarm that had been blocking the sun was dissipating, as if the akumas were reluctant to go. Determined to speed their progress along, Ladybug tossed the flashlight up into the air.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

The magical ladybugs careened around the city, fixing any and all damage caused by the akumas in the last twenty-four hours. Ladybug watched their progress for a while, a huge sense of relief washing over her before another noise caught her attention—babble. People were beginning to gather outside of City Hall, emerging from cars, nearby buildings and City Hall itself, watching the progress of the ladybugs as they healed Paris. Once they replaced the top of the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug was satisfied. Chat grinned in response to her smile, moving to the edge of the roof and extending his pole.

“Ready to be adored by your fans for saving the day once again?” He joked, climbing onto the pole and extending a hand for Ladybug to take. She snorted at him, glancing over her shoulder at a despondent Desiree before she turned back to him, placing the Butterfly Miraculous in his outstretched hand. (The Snake Miraculous she held onto for now, because she wasn’t quite sure what to do with it…she would ask Master Fu another time.)

“Make sure to hold onto it this time,” she said dryly, and Chat Noir cringed.

“I’ll do my best.”

Slinging Desiree over her shoulder, Ladybug held tight to Chat Noir as he slipped an arm around her.

“Going down,” he joked, and his pole lowered them to the ground, their feet making contact with the pavement just as the police arrived.

“Here,” Ladybug said, unwinding her yo-yo from Desiree and turning her over, into their custody. “You all can finally rest easy—the Butterfly’s finally been caught.”

“That butterfly’s a bit bigger than the ones you’re used to saying goodbye to, though,” Chat muttered in her ear, and Ladybug playfully elbowed him in the gut with a smirk and an indulgent roll of her eyes.

As she watched the police put Desiree in the back of one of the police vehicles, there was a sharp gasp somewhere nearby. Ladybug turned, and her heart sank as she recognized Amanda, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes welled with tears. Glancing back at the car, Ladybug noticed Desiree stare at Amanda for a long moment…before she turned away, her curtain of dark hair hiding her face from view.

Oh…why couldn’t Desiree have lived her life trying to make herself happy instead of being consumed by revenge? Her story could have turned out so differently…

“Whoo-hoo! I knew you could do it, Lady Luck!”

Distracted from this particular tragedy, Ladybug turned, smiling in relief once she spotted Vixen and Emerald Shell touching down near them, Vixen barreling past the police barricade that was being set up around them to keep the citizens from getting too close. She headed right for Ladybug, pulling her into a crushing hug that Ladybug returned two-fold.

“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Ladybug sighed, pulling back to grin at her best friend. Vixen made a face, scratching the side of her head.

“I’ll admit, things got a little hectic for a while, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Shush,” she added to Emerald Shell, who was passing by and giving her a paticular look that Ladybug didn’t understand. Whatever the issue was, he seemed to let it drop, shrugging as he pulled Chat Noir in for a hug of his own.

“Good to see you in one piece, dude.”

“Same.” Ladybug watched as Chat seemed to remember something; he stepped back, holding out his hand. “So…this is for you.”

“Whoa,” Shell muttered, carefully handling the Butterfly Miraculous as if it were a precious treasure. “So this is the thing that’s been causing us so much trouble?”

There was an abrupt flash, and quite suddenly, a kwami that Ladybug had never seen before appeared…but it could only be the kwami of the Butterfly Miraculous. Nooroo.

“I’m…so sorry…” the tiny creature apologized, looking more haggard than any kwami Ladybug had ever seen before; pity washed through her at the sight of its exhaustion. “I didn’t mean…I never meant…”

“Whoa, dude, shhh,” Shell hushed it, looking concerned as he carefully stroked the head of the pitiable creature. “I wasn’t blaming you directly—I know you probably wouldn’t have had anything to do with all this if you had a choice. Just…rest for now, okay? It won’t be for a long while, but I guarantee that the next time you get a Chosen, it’ll be the gentlest person imaginable. Okay?”

Ladybug felt her heart ache at the way Nooroo closed its eyes, as if relieved that it was being allowed to do something as simple as sleep.

“…Thank you…”

Nooroo sparkled with a violet light…and then faded away into nothing. Ladybug looked away, unable to help how responsible she felt. If only she had made sure to get the Butterfly Miraculous back to Master Fu the first time…

“…There’s another Miraculous you have to look after too, Shell…”

Ladybug’s head snapped up in time to watch Chat Noir reach for his ring, as if he meant to remove it.

“No!” She cried, moving around Vixen to jump in between Emerald Shell and Chat Noir. “Chat, you can’t—”

“I promised, Ladybug,” Chat reminded her with a sad smile. “You were there at the press conference, remember?”

Ladybug opened her mouth to argue—because he couldn’t quit, not after everything they had been through! Who cared what Paris thought?! She wanted to keep her partner!

“All right,” Shell said behind her, and Ladybug whipped around to give him a look of betrayal. He refused to look at her, however, and instead, reached over her head—damn both of their heights!—to take Chat Noir…by the shoulder. “Let’s figure out where you stand, then.”

Chat blinked, clearly uncomprehending.

“Huh?”

“Come on,” Shell urged, tugging Chat after him, towards the police barricade. They allowed them through and Shell led Chat up the stairs of the City Hall. Ladybug made to follow them, to stop this, but Vixen grabbed her.

“Hold up,” she bade Ladybug when she shot her a look that accused her, too, of being a traitor. She frowned after them as Shell waved for quiet. “Trust my boy for a second…”

“Citizens of Paris!” Shell called to the crowd as Ladybug stood there, grinding her teeth while shackled to Vixen, “the time has come to decide! A while ago, Chat Noir made you a promise—that if he could not prove to be the hero you needed, he would surrender his Miraculous. Well, now we’re here: the villain’s been defeated, and almost all of you have either seen with your own eyes, or heard through the grapevine, what Chat Noir has done for this city!”

Shell paused, looking over the crowd.

“Who here will stand with him?”

Ladybug watched, not breathing, as the crowd stirred, the citizens muttering amongst themselves. Chat lowered his gaze to the ground, and Ladybug ached, wishing to fill that empty space next to him, even though it wasn’t her place. But this wasn’t fair! If no one would defend him, then—!

“I will.”

Chat’s head snapped up at the same time Ladybug gasped, and she clutched at Vixen’s arm when one very tall, broad figure strode forward, and though his back was to Ladybug, he was instantly recognizable—

Ivan.

Ladybug was quite sure that he should’ve been off on his honeymoon by now…but she was so, so glad he was here instead.

Emerald Shell grinned.

“You will?”

“Sure,” Ivan confirmed, and he climbed the stairs easily, clapping a large hand on Chat Noir’s shoulder. “I know how hard he’s been working. He deserves to stay.”

Chat gave Ivan a look so grateful that it seemed to make the gentle giant blush; he cleared his throat, his smile a bit embarrassed.

“Me, too,” said another voice, and this time it was Myléne, stepping forward. “I…kind of owe you an apology. So the least I can do to start is to stand with you now.”

That seemed to be enough to encourage the others to step forward, first one by one, and then in groups, and then in droves. Ladybug grinned through her tears, watching as the citizens of Paris finally accepted Chat Noir again, her relief so strong it threatened to swallow her whole. Sure, there were some that remained stubborn—Alix in particular turned her back and folded her arms, but Ladybug could see from here that she looked a little uncomfortable, as if her heart wasn’t in this rejection of Chat’s redemption. But still, it was easy to forget the others in light of so many that willingly went to him, Camille eagerly hugging him in joy when she was close enough. Pavone kept his distance, which Ladybug was glad for—she was still very irritated with him—but all the love and support surrounding her boyfriend was overwhelming, and she cried for him.

Vixen rubbed at her wet cheeks, giving her that indulgent, mothering look she was so adept at.

“Oh, hun,” she laughed in a “you’re hopeless” fashion. “If I had a euro for every tear you’ve shed over that boy…”

“These are happy tears,” Ladybug insisted, quickly drying her face before anyone saw. Vixen grinned and shrugged.

“If you say so. Now you can go over there.”

Not needing another prompt, Ladybug swung her way over, dropping into the circle that surrounded Chat Noir.

“Ladybug!” Chat crowed, so pleased to see her, as if it had been years. He slipped his arms around her, grinning so wide that it sort of looked like it hurt. “They like me, they really like me!”

Ladybug giggled, her hands resting on his shoulders. Her Miraculous chirped, signaling that she—and probably Chat—should really get somewhere safe to de-transform, but at the moment, she didn’t care. They had time. And they had each other.

“They may like you, chaton,” she said, lowering her voice, for these words were for Chat’s ears only. “But I love you.”

Chat’s gaze softened, as did his grin.

“And I, you, My Lady.”

He leaned in, closing the distance between them for a kiss so sweet that Ladybug found herself tearing up again, and pulling him closer. Finally, the nightmare was over, and they were free to do…well, whatever they wanted.

The crowd cheered, someone yelled something about their ship finally sailing, and Vixen could be distinctly heard, crying, “Get a room!”

Ladybug ignored her, as well as the rest of the crowd, as if they weren’t even there.

All that mattered to her right now was Chat Noir, this kiss, and the feeling of being totally, completely, and deliriously happy.