Chapter Text
It happened without warning. There was no build-up, no bad feelings, absolutely nothing to tip them off. It was just a random Akuma who was vanishing people Hawkmoth knew where (well, kind of - he was the one who gave the blasted Akuma its powers), but there was no urgency.
Just cocky surety because Ladybug always got them back.
And then.
And then, there was a smirk, a flicker of fear that raced down Chat's spine, and a beam of light grazing just past him, a millimeter from his fingertips, so short in length yet so far away-
Ladybug.
The Akuma cackled.
"NO!" Chat shouted. The scream ripped from his throat like his heart from his chest, and the last thing he saw was Ladybug's dissolving face, her eyes wide and panicked.
She was gone.
Fury rose up, mingling with the faint cry of desperation, and he leaped at the garishly dressed monstrosity in his path, beating and pillaging at it with more ferocity than he could recall feeling in years.
They'd grown complacent, he realized belatedly, as minutes later, he sat next to the knocked-out victim, his crushed pen in his hand and a black butterfly fluttering feebly in his grasp. He ached with the intensity of keeping the desire to crush the butterfly at bay, if only because it had torn Ladybug away, but– but he had no idea what would happen. Ladybug wouldn't be able to purify it. (And how could she? She wasn't even here–)
He drew in a shuddering breath.
They had grown complacent because, for the last few months, they hadn't been challenged. They'd been hit. ‘Hit’ was never permanent, never real . They'd seen Hawkmoth and they'd thought that they could handle him because they were chosen.
Now look at them.
His ring beeped once, twice, and he shuddered again but forced himself up, looking at his surroundings in blurry fear.
Alya - always there, always filming - looked at him in horror, her phone still streaming but her eyes uncomprehending.
Because Ladybug wasn't here and she hadn't fixed it. The Akuma was defeated, but the battle was lost. (The war…)
Chat's lower lip trembled. He extended his baton and jumped away, tears streaming down his face, a hollow pit in his stomach.
Adrien's transformation fell away the second he entered his room, and it hit him, at that very moment, that he had been panicking far too much as Chat. It was weird, but as soon as the leather fell away, the worry receded a little bit. Not all - never all - but it wasn't as all-consuming as he'd felt right next to Ladybug, watching her fade.
He swallowed.
"Plagg?" He asked, and the small black god floated up, his face set in an expression Adrien had never seen on him, not really. Pain. "Plagg!" He yelped in confusion.
The Kwami zoomed forward and jumped in his pocket, shivering uncontrollably.
"Plagg, what's wrong?"
The creature peeked out, eyes wide and destructive. Adrien would know, he'd seen that expression in the mirror enough times. "Tikki," He whispered hoarsely. "She's gone."
His tiny hands clutched at the edge of Adrien's pocket, and then he zoomed out again, this time to the bed, ducking under the pillow.
Adrien's brow furrowed, and he tried to calm his heartbeat even as he remembered Tikki was Ladybug's Kwami. "But," He said. "Ladybug's been hit by Akumas before, right? She'll be fine this time, too. We'll be fine. Right?"
Plagg looked up and glared. "You don't get it!" He shouted his tiny voice practically a roar. "Tikki and I have a connection too profound for you humans to understand and she's gone!"
Adrien's breath caught.
Plagg didn't seem to care. "She's gone, and I can't feel her! There's more than a wall separating us because she's not even in this world anymore!"
Adrien felt tears well up, Plagg's emotions too powerful to reject.
Plagg flinched and ducked under the pillow again, and despite the fact that the devastation was all too real (TikkigonemeantLadybuggone), the tears stopped, and Adrien realized with a sinking heart that part of it was Plagg influencing him ever since Ladybug had been torn away.
"Tikki is my other half,” Plagg repeated, voice muffled. “We keep each other in check. And without creation, destruction -" He broke off, but Adrien didn't need any more clarification.
"What about the Akuma?" He asked, pointing to where he'd hastily placed it under a glass, and it perched on the desk so unlike a real butterfly in that single unflinching movement.
Plagg was silent for a few seconds. "Tikki's creation and purification," He said, tone nearly dead. "I'm destruction. I can't purify the thing."
"And we can't destroy it, either," Adrien said slowly, understanding far too late. "Because it needs to be purified and Ladybug's cure cast to bring everyone back."
Plagg laughed without humor. "If Hawkmoth had only needed me, this would've been the best option for him," He mumbled. "Tikki's the only one…" He sniffed.
Adrien couldn't help it. He jumped forward and pushed the pillow to the other side of the bed, gathering his best friend (because Plagg was his best friend, just like Ladybug and Nino, and he deserved everything Adrien could give him because he'd always, always been there) in his arms.
Tiny paws curled around Adrien's fingers, and the small body began to shake, wracked with sobs.
Adrien held back his own and hoped he provided some measure of comfort.
It took a long time for Plagg to even remotely calm down, and Adrien spent the rest of the day sprawled in his bed, curled around his Kwami, his door locked.
Nathalie knocked once but didn’t bother him more than that after he grunted some sort of reply that he didn’t even remember. It seemed like the entire household could feel the negativity rolling off of Plagg in waves and didn't dare come near. At some point, Adrien thought he heard his Father's dulcet tones as he yelled about something or the other, but he couldn't hear the words and couldn't bring himself to spend the energy to investigate.
In fact, when he next woke, it was 3 a.m. in the morning and Plagg was still fast asleep.
Adrien went through the motions of getting ready for school, still wondering if it was worth it.
But although his father had possibly allowed his actions yesterday, he had no doubt that the lenience would not be repeated.
So he forced himself awake, let Plagg sleep, snuggled in the covers, and powered up his computer, blearily and automatically going to the news sites.
His sleepiness vanished.
Has Paris's luck finally run out?
Ladybug's Disappearance and What it Means for Paris
Thirty Seven Disappearances Reported;
Heroes Nowhere To Be Seen
He swallowed and turned to the Ladyblog.
Except. Except there was no news article, no journalistic coverage - nothing except a deleted post with two hundred-something comments under it.
Adrien shut down the computer.
He couldn't– he couldn't do it. He couldn't face the chaos that was taking on Paris despite the ironic truth that Plagg was, in fact, the Kwami of Chaos.
He couldn't look at the world and know that he had failed because it was his job. Protecting Ladybug was his job, like it was her's to wipe the slate clean. Compared to her, his responsibility wasn't all that huge - he had to protect one person while she had to protect the world - but he had failed in even this. He had failed and what could he do about it?
Nothing.
He swallowed and bit back the tears clinging to his eyelids.
How many had been lost to the Akuma because he'd been fooling around? The headline had said thirty seven but what if there'd been more who hadn't been counted yet? People who wouldn't be seen until too late?
(It was already too late.)
There was a short, tired yawn from the bed, and Plagg rose up, slightly swaying but otherwise much more put together than he had been the previous day. "Kid," He said. "Cheese.”
Adrien didn't protest, stretching as he walked to the small refrigerator in the corner of his room and got out a wheel of camembert.
It was a testament to the fact that Plagg was not, in fact, okay, that he only nibbled at the side, not regaling it with odes of his admittedly creepy love.
Adrien missed it, though he'd never say it.
Instead, he just sighed and they remained silent as Adrien stuffed his things in his bag and finally took his phone off of the charging port, powering it on.
226 messages.
7 missed calls.
Adrien blinked. Okay, what?
He shook his head - the disappearances. Of course. He hadn't returned to school, so they must have tried calling him. But since he'd been busy with Plagg…
He pursed his lips, swiped past the calls, and pulled open the messages.
The first forty or so were from Chloe, her rambling and sickly sweet nicknames making him sick enough that he couldn't focus on the messages themselves, so he went on to Nino, who had sent around ten - and most of the missed calls.
Ni-NO
Wild Akuma dude Chat Noir defeated it but Ladybug was hit
Alya was filming the whole thing and she says she saw Chat almost
destroy
the Akuma
it was crazy
Ladybug hasn't come back and they're not here Adrien.
Alya is freaking out I really need you here because Mari isn't here either and
Dude?
Hey, are you alive?
Where are you?
Adrien?
Please reply
Voice Call
No Answer
Voice Call
No Answer
Voice Call
No Answer
adrien seriously please tell me you werent hit
…
Adrien grimaced. Nino was going to freak.
He didn't read the rest of the messages, mostly because he was pretty sure they'd be the same and partly because he was starting to feel sick again.
He turned back and realized that Plagg had stopped eating and was staring at Adrien with wide eyes.
Adrien attempted a smile. It didn't work.
Then, there was a knocking on the door, and a crisp voice called. "Adrien, it is time for school."
Jarred from the companionable silence of the past few hours, Adrien inhaled deeply. "Coming," He called back, scooped up Plagg and his bag, the former much more gently than the latter, and flung open the door.
Nathalie didn't say anything else, just watching him blankly as he headed off to Gorilla and the car, not even bothering to eat breakfast.
The ride to the school ended in - what a surprise - absolute silence and Adrien left the vehicle feeling worse than the morning. Still, he trudged inside, pursing his lips at the whispers and conversations that were echoing in the halls.
And then someone leaped at him, grabbing him in a desperate hug.
Adrien couldn't help the automatic flinch, but Nino (and he relaxed once he figured that out) didn't seem to notice. He just pulled back and glared. "Dude!" He exclaimed. "We thought you'd been zapped, too!"
Adrien's eyes lowered . "Sorry," He mumbled. "Yesterday…"
Nino grimaced, but it was Alya who answered. "It was a shitshow," She said, and her voice was dark. No one berated her for her language.
Adrien nodded. "Yeah," He muttered. "It was."
Alya crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Where were you?" She asked, voice icy.
Adrien frowned. "... What?"
“Babe,” Nino said slowly, making Alya grit her teeth and go silent. Then the boy turned to Adrien, and his stomach fell because Nino’s eyes were far, far sadder than they had right to be. Sadder than him, possibly, and that was saying something because- “Adrien, Marinette’s gone.”
“What,” Adrien said blankly, his mind coming to a halt.
Alya growled deep in her throat, but she wasn’t doing it to Adrien anymore, which was a good thing because it was terrifying. “She never came back from the Akuma attack. Her parents haven’t seen her either-” She swallowed, and suddenly, the furor faded away to leave behind a broken, weeping girl. “She’s gone,” Alya whispered.
“No,” Adrien said, hands curling into fists. “It- it can’t be!” It couldn’t be. He and Ladybug had been on the villain since the beginning. Marinette couldn’t have been hit. She couldn’t!
(He couldn’t lose both Marinette and Ladybug in the same go, not when he’d already failed them so much, so many times–)
Nino’s expression softened further, and he pulled Adrien into a hug again, and this time, the realization of what had happened crashed upon the teenager ten-fold, great, resounding gasps pulling through his body, but his mind unable to grasp the simple understanding that he had failed. Again and again and again–
He had failed Paris. He had failed its occupants. He had failed the people he hadn’t saved. He had failed Marinette.
And most of all, he’d failed his Ladybug.
Chat Noir had failed, and Adrien was reaping the consequences.
Nino’s grasp tightened, and he let Adrien cry. It was only the bell that signaled the start of their first lesson that jerked the three of them out of the bubble and towards the class, though Adrien had no doubt he looked like a mess.
Alya, taking pity on his I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry even if she didn’t understand what that was about, had pulled out her makeup kit and offered it to him, but his hands were shaking, and he didn’t even have the slightest doubt that he would make an even bigger mess.
They entered the class a few minutes late, but Mlle. Bustier took one look at them and waved them to their seats, eyes silently sympathetic.
Adrien was about to slip into his when he realized that Lila was still sitting there, next to his designated position, eyes vicious and laughing even as her mouth pulled into a small, sad pout.
It was sickening, and Adrien couldn’t even raise his head to look up and commiserate with Marinette because she wasn’t there.
His heart broke. He shook his head, then, and walked resolutely past the seat all the way back to Marinette’s.
The class stared, apparently horrified at such a radical decision.
Adrien couldn’t bring himself to care.
He did, however, spare one glance forward, and saw Lila narrow her eyes, glaring at him with a face that spelled trouble.
He still couldn't bring himself to care.
He placed his bag down on the second seat and took the first one, eyes down on the board, not even looking at their teacher. And though, after a few seconds of silence, Mlle. Bustier cleared her throat and started talking. Adrien couldn’t focus, his thoughts revolving around Marinette and Ladybug.
Fortunately, none of the rest of the class had disappeared, so at least there was that. But if Marinette had been hit before he and Ladybug had arrived at the scene, did that mean that there were more people- more victims than the ones they knew of? Than the ones the media was reporting? Than he had assumed there were?
And if there were, how the hell was he supposed to fix it?
After all, it wasn’t like anyone else could fix it. Ladybug was gone, and Master Fu… well, he was gone, too. Ladybug had been the new Guardian, and she was the one who knew everyone’s identities, other than Chloe, who they didn’t go to anymore. And even if he had known, what was the point? He had none of the Miraculous! Nothing to power up the temporary heroes with, and Kwami help him, he definitely needed them.
He was alone. He was alone, and Plagg was too emotionally devastated to help, and there was a bone-deep chill in his hands that wouldn’t leave.
He spent the rest of the school time, till lunch, wallowing in the same level of cyclical despair that he’d experienced when Plagg had broken down and he’d still been Chat Noir.
Then lunch came and Alya and Nino were at his side in an instant, dragging him out.
He frowned and they slowed down only when they got to the entrance of the school building. “What’s wrong?” He asked. “Where are we going?”
Nino glanced back. “You didn’t notice how they were looking at you?” He asked.
Adrien tilted his head. “Because I didn’t sit next to Lila?”
Alya grimaced. “Let’s just say when you and Marinette didn’t come back yesterday, Marinette being hit by the Akuma wasn’t the first thing everyone thought.”
“Then what…?”
Alya huffed a sardonic laugh. “God,” She muttered. “It took Marinette being fucking kidnapped by an akuma Ladybug hasn’t fixed yet for me to see that Lila hates her.”
Adrien’s eyes widened. “You finally noticed,” He said flatly.
The girl winced. “Far too late,” She agreed. “Though I still have no idea why. But I’m planning on trying to figure out what’s going on.”
Nino shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry, dude,” He offered. “I know you were one of the only ones to trust and help Mari.”
Adrien stopped walking right at the edge of the schoolyard. “What happened yesterday?” He asked. “What did Lila say?”
Alya and Nino exchanged glances. “That Marinette had ‘poisoned’ you against Lila,” The former answered, quotation marks gestured and all.
“And once you came back and didn’t sit next to Lila…” Nino trailed off.
Alya scowled. “Marinette was hit by an akuma and all they can think of are Lila’s problems! Marinette’s gone , and so is Ladybug, and- and-”
To Adrien’s horror, she burst into tears.
Nino automatically pulled her into a hug, patting her soothingly and whispering stuff that Adrien couldn’t hear.
But Adrien wasn’t focussing on that, anyway. “You were there when Ladybug was taken,” He remembered. “And you deleted your livestream from the blog.”
Alya sniffed and withdrew from Nino’s grasp. “Had to,” She mumbled. “It was…” She shook her head. “No one has seen Chat since then, and the Ladybug cure hasn’t been enacted - how the hell are we supposed to fix this?” Her lips trembled.
Nino looked similarly troubled.
Adrien… well. He didn’t have an answer, either. “I don’t know,” He whispered. “I just… don’t know.”
Nino swallowed. “Yeah,” He murmured, then pointed his hand somewhere to the side. “We also wanted to go to Mari’s place,” He told Adrien, abruptly changing the subject. “See if Mrs. Cheng and Mr. Dupain need anything.”
Adrien nodded instantly, the idea taking root quite easily. “Okay,” He said. “Let’s go.”
They walked the rest of the way without speaking, making it fortunate that the bakery was only a few minutes away. When they reached it, however, there was a ‘Closed’ sign on the door.
Alya’s shoulders fell, but she resolutely knocked.
No one replied.
“Doorbell?” Nino asked, and at the other two’s nods, he pressed it, hearing the soft melodic signifier of their arrival echo through the house.
After a few seconds, they heard faint footsteps over the sound of Parisian traffic, and the door pulled open a crack. “I’m sorry, we’re closed for-”
Sabine Cheng stuttered to a halt, recognizing them. But it wasn’t just her - Adrien and Nino and Alya stood silent, slightly horrified, because her face was gaunt, her eyes had dark circles under them, and her cheeks were slightly wet, no doubt from crying. Her lips trembled. “Alya, Nino, Adrien,” She said in a choked voice. “What can I do for you?” She opened the door more fully.
Alya didn’t hesitate to rush to the older woman and fling her arms around her. “I’m so sorry!” She said, her voice muffled. “Marinette-”
Sabine’s hands tightened around Alya, and she breathed a small, sad laugh. “Please, come in.”
They did, following awkwardly all the way up to the first floor where they lived.
The lounge was slightly messy and unkempt, but with the current situation, that was more than understandable. In fact, what was more startling was Tom sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the wall.
Adrien exchanged a panicked look with Nino, but Sabine just sighed sadly. “It’s… hard,” She admitted. “We’ve gotten so- so used to Ladybug saving the day and fixing everything that we never- never even imagined-” She sniffed.
Alya swallowed. “Mrs. Cheng…”
Sabine shook her head. “I’m sorry. It must be difficult on you children as well. Did- did any of you…?” See Marinette?
No, Adrien wanted to say, and the shame of that statement, even though no one here even knew he was Chat, coursed through him with frightening intensity. He shook his head.
Nino and Alya did the same. “She always goes to hide when an Akuma hits,” Alya admitted. “She never- she’s never in the front. I don’t even know how she could’ve gotten hit.”
‘Hides’? But… didn’t Marinette always protect others first? Like the time with the Evillustrator? She’d shown more bravery than anyone else Adrien had had the pleasure to work with - not counting his Lady.
Sabine’s shoulders drooped. “I see,” She murmured and turned away. As she spoke then, her voice was thicker, and Adrien had a feeling she was trying to hide her tears from them. “Would you like something to eat?”
“... No,” Nino answered for them. “We just- uh, we just wanted to see how you were doing.”
Marinette’s mother hurried to the fridge anyway. “Nonsense,” She said. “It’s your lunch break, right? I’ll whip up something quickly. You can go sit with Tom or- or in Marinette’s room.”
Alya looked at the two boys, and they nodded, understanding almost instinctively this was a way for Sabine to cope, get her mind off of the situation for at least a little while. Then they looked as one towards the still blank and unresponsive Tom and decided Marinette’s room might be a better destination for now. Plus, Adrien had a feeling Alya needed to see the room.
They headed upstairs, footsteps as heavy as their hearts, and though Nino hesitated at the front before twisting the knob and opening the room, they entered.
And then they stopped.
Adrien was not expecting the sudden wrenching pain as memories assaulted him. He’d only recently started coming over, really, ever since he’d realized Lila’s presence was taking a toll on the girl - ever since he’d started to doubt his own actions - and before that, he’d only ever come for the competition practice they’d set up (the one where he’d been so utterly decimated it was still funny). And yet, he could picture Marinette sprawled on the chaise, sketching something as he did his own work, sitting in companionable silence. He could picture the wind gently flowing in from the window and Marinette’s hair fluttering, just as beautifully blue as his Lady’s, her eyes glinting as she focussed on her work, just as incredibly confident and strong as his Lady’s-
His breath caught. What?
He felt Plagg shifting in his pocket and then phasing out, but through the drowning sensation in his mind, he didn’t even seem to notice because it couldn’t be, could it? Was this the reason no one had seen Marinette get hit?
He spared no thought for Nino and Alya, who were entrenched in their own memories of Marinette and lurched forward, searching for something, anything to prove him wrong, to show that no, he hadn’t failed his Lady twice over, on multiple occasions, that he hadn’t recognized her when he’d promised he would-
And then Plagg zoomed to the right, and Adrien’s eyes fell on a box sitting on the table in the corner of the room, partially covered by a cloth, the drawer under it half open as if Marinette had been in a hurry and had left it that way (and then she’d never gotten the chance to close it).
The miracle box.
He was about to rush to it, about to fling it open and prove to himself he wasn’t seeing things, when the door behind them creaked open, and he stilled, remembering that, no, he wasn’t alone. That Nino and Alya were with him and Sabine too, now. He swallowed, fixed his expression into something that he hoped wasn’t desperation, and turned back.
Thankfully, it seemed as if the other three hadn’t noticed or paid heed to his confusing reactions, if only because they were stuck on their own.
Instead, Sabine placed a platter of sandwiches before them and settled down slowly on Marinette’s chaise, watching them eat with longing in her eyes.
Adrien found it difficult to swallow the food.
Still, he did his best, and before he knew it, they were walking back to the school, Plagg back in Adrien’s pocket and the miracle box (pleasebethemiracleboxpleasedon’t-) still in Marinette’s room.
The second half of school was no better than the first, though Adrien had the good sense (given to him no doubt by Alya and Nino’s warnings) to stay the hell away from everyone who wasn’t Alya or Nino. Lila especially seemed murderous, though that didn’t particularly affect Adrien at all, considering the villains he faced on a near-daily basis.
Speaking of… He frowned. The Akuma he’d defeated was still fluttering about in the jar at home, still tainted. It couldn’t be purified until Ladybug did the deed, so did that mean Hawkmoth couldn’t make any more Akumas?
God, he wished it was so.
But until he had proof…
He shook his head and returned home to cold stares courtesy of Nathalie and a lonely dinner that was even harder to digest than the sandwiches had been.
And after that was done, after night had fallen and he was alone in his room again with only Plagg for company, Adrien pulled off his blanket, stopped pretending he was sleeping, and guiltily roused Plagg from yet another bout of exhausted sleep. At “Claws on!” the Kwami zoomed in without protest, which, to be honest, really terrified Adrien.
But he had a goal. To save Ladybug and, in turn, save Paris, he had to get to Marinette’s and find out what was going on.
The night was silent as he parkour’d his way through, effortlessly bringing back the very glaring part that was missing - Ladybug’s giggles as she swung past, just out of Chat’s reach, always a little cleverer. Ladybug, in a teasing mood, might say a lot cleverer (and Chat would always agree).
Chat ignored his mind, ignored the double amount of heaviness in his chest, and kept running, the wind tearing away at him more harshly than he’d ever experienced before. Than he’d ever noticed before.
Before it could make much of a difference, Marinette’s home crept up, the lights in almost every room off, just one curtained window bleeding a faint yellow. Her parents, Adrien thought. He hoped they felt better. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing them like he had in the afternoon - almost broken (because of him).
Shaking his head, he gave the lights a wide berth and landed silently on the roof, where the lock slid open without much effort. He jumped inside and headed to the partially covered table he’d seen, grabbed what was (probablyhopefullyhadtobe) the miracle box, and climbed back out, collapsing on the roof as the energy left his legs.
He breathed in deeply and placed the box in front of him, legs crossed as he sat on the ground. It took a few minutes for him to muster up the courage to open the box, if only because he was half wanting this to be true and half hoping it was not. The idea that he had failed his Lady twice… and yet the idea that Marinette was Ladybug…
He opened the box.
For a moment, all he saw was jewelry. And yeah, they looked exactly like some of the miraculous he’d seen before - the fox necklace, the snake ouroboros bracelet, the bee hair comb - but that didn’t mean-
Except it did because the air began to shimmer, the jewelry glowed, and small creatures flew out of their respective miraculous, staring wide-eyed at Adrien.
“Chat Noir,” Wayzz said, the first to speak up. “... Why do you have the miracle box?” He frowned. “I do not mean to be rude; it is just that Ladybug is the guardian, and we were not told she had informed you.”
Adrien swallowed. “No, no, I- I understand.” His shoulders drooped.
The mouse Kwami, whose name Adrien vaguely recalled to be Mullo from when Marinette had wielded her- and oh, wasn’t that confusing? But it also made sense because that was why Multimouse never wanted to-
Regardless, Mullo looked at him worriedly. “What happened to Ma- to Ladybug?”
Adrien grimaced his suspicions - which he’d known to be true the moment he’d seen the miracle box but hadn’t wanted to face, not really - confirmed. “Marinette… she was hit by an Akuma.”
“You finally revealed your identities!” Trixx squealed.
Sass narrowed his eyes. “Marinette or Ladybug?”
Adrien looked down. “Ladybug.”
Wayzz inhaled sharply. “That’s why you’re not fixing it with Tikki.”
He nodded.
“Well,” Fluff piped up. “I’d love to help!”
Adrien hadn’t even asked, but the sudden idea that yes, he could go back in time and fix it all was so enticing, he didn’t even notice as his transformation fell away and Plagg floated up, still utterly exhausted - enough for the kwamis to notice.
“Plagg!” Quite a few of them gasped.
Plagg didn’t seem to pay them any mind, looking directly at Fluff. “Tikki’s gone,” He told her. “I can’t feel her.”
“No!” The Pig-themed Kwami said. “That’s impossible! Tikki- Tikki can’t-”
“Is she…?” Sass asked.
Plagg looked pained. “I don’t know,” He whispered. “I just… can’t feel her anymore.” He began to sway and shake and Adrien immediately pulled him down to settle in his lap, hoping that this might provide a modicum of comfort. “She’s not here.”
Wayzz turned to the dog-themed Kwami, prompting the creature to nod. “I will search,” He promised in a small, squeaky voice, and before Adrien could ask, flew back into the necklace.
Sass frowned even more. “The Akuma that hit Ladybug?”
“The butterfly is in a jar,” Adrien replied.
Longg, the dragon Kwami, floated closer. “That might be the best place for it,” She agreed. “For now. No other Kwami holds the power of purification; much is the shame.”
Fluff seemed to be frowning as she floated to Plagg and Sass. “But why can’t I go and save Tikki before she was ever… hit by the Akuma?” She demanded. “I have time travel. My holders have time travel.”
Adrien tried not to show he was desperately curious as well.
Sass sighed, “Fluff…” He began, then trailed off.
Plagg shifted. “Tikki and I are the oldest Kwami,” He said from Adrien’s lap. “She is creation and order. I’m destruction. Chaos. We were here long before all of you… we are each other’s soulmates.”
Adrien’s eyes widened. He had known Tikki and Plagg meant something to each other, but to this extent…?
Wayzz nodded. “And because they’re the original Kwamis, they have a bond that connects them to each other. A bond that, if broken, creates a fixed point in existence that cannot be changed by the power of any other Kwami.”
“Because there is no Kwami powerful enough to affect them when they’ve gone beyond the protection of the bond they have together,” Sass finished. “An Akuma should not have had the power to do so, but…”
“You know the saying stronger together?” Plagg asked bitterly. “It’s wrong. We were made to be weaker together because we balance each other out. And because we’re weaker together, we don’t destroy the world as we know it.”
“But you’re weak right now!” Adrien burst out. “If you’re supposed to be stronger without Tikki-”
“Not me,” He corrected. “My powers.”
Adrien paled.
Fluff gasped. “That’s why I can’t go save Marinette,” She concluded. “My powers won’t work.”
“Not in that exact moment,” Wayzz agreed, and then, pre-empting her next question, added, “And if you choose to change something before that, it will not matter because it has already become a fixed point in reality, and reality will bend over itself to make sure it happens… no matter the cost.”
Fluff flinched.
Adrien’s hands tightened into fists. “Then what are we supposed to do?” He asked faintly. “We don’t know where Marinette and Tikki are, or if they’re- they’re-”
“They’re alive!” A small voice yelped, and the dog Kwami zoomed out of his necklace. “I can faintly sense their existence from the multiverse.”
Everything came to a screeching halt. “... Multiverse?”
Plagg perked up, something close to a sparkle finding life in his small eyes. “She’s okay?”
The Kwami nodded eagerly. “She’s safe,” He agreed. “Her powers smell stronger, like yours, but she is with Marinette, and they are alive.”
Wayzz breathed a sigh of relief. “That is a relief,” He said.
“But how do we get her back?” Adrien asked urgently. “We have to.” And not just for Paris… they needed to get her back because- because-
The Kwami did not look at him. “We must hope we find a way,” Sass said slowly.
Adrien frowned. What?
“We cannot hurry this,” Longg added. “It would be disastrous if done incorrectly.”
What would be disastrous?!
But Adrien didn’t ask because Plagg’s small hands curled around his clothes and tugged. “Find him,” He ordered, his voice dark and cold.
The Kwamis flinched, and before Adrien could question them about who, exactly, they sought to find, they jumped back into their Miraculous and the lid swung shut, leaving behind a calm night and the tapping of feet as someone walked up the-
Adrien swore. “Plagg, claws on!”
It was not a second too late because the opening to Marinette’s room was pushed open, and her father looked out, eyes still half unseeing, even as they fixed upon Chat at the edge of the roof.
“Chat Noir?” He asked hollowly.
Adrien hesitated. “... Yes,” He agreed. “Mr. Dupain.”
The large man stalled for a second, then followed the superhero out and sat down near the edge of the roof, staring at the dark, starry skyline. “You knew Marinette,” He whispered. “Did you see her… get hit?”
He hadn’t, yet he had, and-
And he couldn’t lie. “Yes,” He whispered. “I couldn’t save her.”
Tom’s shoulders began to shake, but there was no sound of crying. Still, as he spoke a few moments later, his voice was choked. “Did you- did the Akuma…?” He broke off. “Was she in pain?”
And Adrien broke because he hadn’t even thought about what Marinette’s parents might have been feeling. He hadn’t even imagined that- that they might not know she was alive, might not believe she was alive because he might have trusted in Ladybug, but no one else knew she was her.
For his Ladybug would never die because she was too strong because he would always protect-
But he hadn’t. He hadn’t protected her.
Tears slipped from his eyes as well and he looked the opposite way, vision blurring. “No,” He told Tom. “She wasn’t.” Then he took in a deep breath and got up, still not looking at the man. “I’ll save her,” He promised. “I’ll save them all.” Then he jumped off the roof and away, the miracle box in one hand and his baton in the other, hoping he wouldn’t crash into the side of a building.