Chapter Text
Hawkmoth raises his cane with a dramatic flourish, bringing monsters and fear down on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Ladybug's already used her lucky charm. She can hear her timer, distantly, beeping down until everything ends.
Advertisements and billboards for the Gabriel brand surround the battle in some cynical version of irony, mocking Ladybug with the man she once idolized.
Chat Noir keeps looking at her, full of faith, trusting that she can think up some kind of plan. But she has no plan. She has nothing at all but a useless lucky charm and the undying trust of her partner that she hasn't earned in the slightest, least of all in this moment, standing up against their greatest enemy with nothing but the knowledge that shes a useless, unprepared moron who somehow thought that she could fix anything.
Blasts of energy erupt around them, shattering concrete and forcing the heroes into movement.
Ladybug is completely, uncharacteristically unfocused. Her attention skids over the blasts, to her lucky charm, to the timer beeping in her ears, to her partner behind her, to the villain in front of them, to Chat Noir tackling her to the ground—
A shockwave from the akuma whizzes past them, scraping against Chat Noir's suit in a way that makes Ladybug wince. Leather pulls away from ripped skin until Chat Noir's Miraculous finally fails.
Sharp, green light traces Chat Noir's body, leaving Adrien Agreste, bloodied, in its wake.
Time stops. So does Ladybug's heart. She wraps her arms around her partner and pulls him against her chest, panic bubbling over into tears.
Adrien, grimacing in pain, lifts a hand to Ladybug's cheek.
"It's okay," he breathes. "You're Ladybug."
The akuma closes in. Ladybug pulls Adrien closer to her chest in some desperate attempt to protect him. Her breath hitches, eyes trained on the villain approaching them, trying urgently to find anything at all, some way to protect her partner, let alone the people of Paris.
The akuma heaves a massive weapon over its head, swinging it down upon the both of them. Ladybug flinches, burying her head into Adrien's hair. She's grateful, at least, that they'll die together.
She tenses for a hit that doesn't come. Instead, she sees a flash of blue and white and hears ticking clocks chasing her into—
Marinette shoots up in her bed, gasping, reaching desperately for Tikki or her yo-yo or anything at all.
"Adrien?!" she gasps. "Tikki, where are you?"
She rips her blankets off, searching for her kwami, lifting pillows and stuffed animals before vaulting down her bunk bed's ladder to search the rest of her room. She shoves papers and notebooks and yarn off her desk and moves furniture searching for her missing friend.
Marinette stand in the center of her room, spinning in a circle, her eyes sweeping over the carnage she's created, trying to find Tikki among the wreckage.
"Tikki, spots on!" She calls, hoping to see Tikki float out of whatever corner she's hiding in into her earrings.
The familiar feeling of Ladybug's super suit covering Marinette fails to appear. Panic rises in her chest, her heartbeat swelling to meet it. Her hands, shaking, lift up to meet her ears.
Her miraculous is gone.
She whips around, eyes glancing around her desk. The Miracle Box is similarly missing.
Marinette's heart beats in her throat. Her chest constricts, breath quickening. She paces around her room in a circle, dodging knocked over furniture and scattered paper.
Okay. Okay, this is fine. This is fine! I can fix this! I've just lost every Miraculous, and the Miracle Box, the thing Master Fu trusted me with to protect. No biggie!
She falls to her knees, tears bubbling over. Her mind races, unable to find purchase in any logic beyond the overwhelming emotion in her throat and the weight in her stomach.
"Marinette!" Her mom's voice calls from downstairs. "You're going to be late for school!"
She is so screwed.