Edited.

Marinette's P.O.V

"Hey, Mari, did you see the Ladyblog?" Alya asked me excitedly. "Ladybug and Chat Noir had a huge fight yesterday!"

A lance of pain shot through my entire body. Chat. "Really? What happened?"

Alya gaped. "Don't tell me you missed that! That was the scoop of the century! I could play it for you if you want."

"Oh, Alya, some other time, please. I really have to copy these notes," I said, and she nodded, rummaging through the pile of books in front of her.

"Alright, it's good to see that everyone is early today," Miss Bustier said, and turned to the blackboard. I rested my chin on the table and sighed.

I wasn't in the mood to write.

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"Hey, Nino! Adrien!" Alya called, dragging me close behind her. She shoved me right up to Adrien, and I turned beetroot-red.

"Uh, A-Adrien," I stammered. He stared at his open locker, his gaze trained on nothing in particular. He seemed...troubled. "Adrien, is everything okay?"

He looked up at me slowly, and then nodded his head even slower. "Yes."

"Are you sure, dude?" Nino asked, nudging Adrien with his shoulder. "You've been looking pretty spaced out today."

"Yeah," Alya agreed. "You've been looking into empty space all day, and you've been pretty quiet."

"Is everything alright, Adrien?" I asked. I saw his hand tighten around his textbook, and then relax.

"I'm totally fine."

"Are...are you sure-"

He spun around to face me. "I said I'm fine! Stop. Bothering. Me. The three of you, stop!" He glared at me.

I cringed back. Nino and Alya inhaled sharply. His eyes widened, and then he squeezed them shut. "Sorry, Marinette. Sorry, guys. I just...I'm not feeling too well. I...I have to go."

I watched as he slowly walked away. Everything he did was slow now. A lance of pain, worse than the first, shot through me.

First Chat, now Adrien?

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Adrien's P.O.V

I slowly crept up the stairs, Plagg peeking out of my jacket pocket. The deafening sound of my father's snoring was music to my ears; he slept like the dead.

I slowly inched up the stairs, sighing quietly in triumph when I reached the top. Now all I had to do was get inside my room-

My heart dropped to the floor as I tripped on the top stair. I tumbled, landing in a heap at the bottom of the flight of stairs, and very aware of the footsteps that were getting closer and closer to me.

"F-Father," I whimpered.

And so it begins, the voice cackled.

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☡☡WARNING☡☡
Abuse starts here. I'll put another A/N when it's over.
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The routine was as normal; I was dragged to the bathroom, thrown against the wall, and whipped mercilessly with the buckle of his belt until my back bled.

Only this time, the voice was stronger, bringing out the anger bottled up inside me.

"Go ahead!" I screamed at him. "Hit me! No wonder Mom left you!"

As soon as I said it I regretted it. My father looked ready to kill, but the voice laughed once again.

Isn't that what you want? To be erased from existence? This is the easiest, albeit most painful, way out.

"What did you say!?"

Go on. Say it again. Let your fate be sealed.

I kept my mouth shut, my fearful gaze focussed on my father's enraged one.

Go on. Do it. Don't you want all of this to stop?

I inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled again.

"This is the reason Mom left you," I hissed.

I was terrified. Not because his face contorted or because his entire body shook as if he would kill me right then and there.

No.

I was terrified because he turned away, and walked out of the bathroom, silent, his footsteps the complete opposite of the drunken stumble I was used to. For that one moment I saw him as how I used to; Gabriel Agreste, renowned fashion designer, the cool, calm and collected man I looked up to.

For that one moment, I saw my father.

And then he returned, a broken bottle in his right hand, his expression the calmest I had ever seen him. So foreign. Not the monster I had grown too accustomed to.

"Turn around. Face the wall," he ordered softly. I was too terrified of this being, this person that was so different from the roaring, horrible demon I knew, so I knew it would be foolish not to obey.

I waited for whatever was to come. My bare back waited for pain, but it did not come. There was silence behind me.

"Sometimes...I look at you...and I see her."

I stiffened. My father's voice, lucid and soft. Not the drunken slur that it normally was. What was going on?

"Sometimes...you even sound like her."

I began to turn around, and then shrieked as broken glass dug into my skin. My scream faded into a bout of furious choking sobs, my eyes wide, my mind scrambled, my body met with pain more excruciating than anything it had ever felt.

"Sometimes...I wish...that she was here...instead of you," he said. "Because I know...that as long as you're here...I won't stop doing this. I won't stop hurting you."

I screamed again as the glass was pulled out, and then jammed back into my back. I cried and writhed, begging in sobs as he kicked me to the floor.

I couldn't move after that. I couldn't move at all. All I could do was scream and cry as he cut my back open with a broken bottle.

"All of this...everything...it's all because of YOU!!"

Because of me.

Why is it because of me?

I realized it as I lay there, wailing as I was mutilated by a bottle. I realized it immediately as I asked myself that question.

It was because of me. Everything was.

It was because I was stupid that day. It was because I confessed to Ladybug. It was because I was an idiot. It was because I got scared to be pitied. It was because I was useless. It was because I almost drowned in a basin. It was because I spoke to Marinette. It was because I came back to Ladybug. It was because I couldn't protect her. It was because I shouted at Nino and Alya and Marinette. It was because I was stupid.

It was because of me. All of it.

"Trust is something that takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair. Don't forget that, and you'll know who to put your trust in. Okay, Adrien?"

I didn't need those words. I was the untrustworthy one. I was the one who told Ladybug I hated her, when she was the one who was supposed to hate me.

I deserved everything.

The rejection. The abuse. The voice in my head. The slap. The pity. The demon. The pain. The hopelessness.

I deserved it all.

-----------------------
End of Abuse.
-----------------------
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I lay on the floor, unable to move. Knowing the that slightest flinch would set my back on fire.

The voice was silent now.

"Adrien?"

I shifted my gaze. Plagg hovered above me, looking bored.

"Plagg...I need...s-some alo-ne...time right...no-ow..."

"Hey. Sit up."

I stared at him. "I...I can't-"

"Are you an idiot?" He suddenly said, and I cringed. His words were so hostile, but his tone was the complete opposite, almost soothing.

"Wh-what?"

He sighed. "I really hate it when you do this. It annoys me to pieces."

I stared at him. He hovered above me, his face blank. "What d-do you me-an?" I asked softly.

"You're acting so pathetic, Adrien. Really. I'm being honest here. Don't you realize what you're doing? What happened to the Adrien that used to give me Camembert on Sunday nights?"

I suddenly remembered those times. Sundays were not approved of by Plagg because the next day would be a school day, so I gave him extra Camembert on Sundays.

I recalled a time when the Camembert was all finished, and I was sick. Instead of sending someone out to get it, I had gone myself, which worsened my condition, and I certainly paid for it when I got home to Father.

But the worst part was that because of my sickness, I had sneezed all over the cheese and gotten mucus all over it and Plagg.

Ever since that day Plagg had rejected my peace offerings; saying it was gross and would always be.

"H-hey, y-you stopped that, n-not m-e," I struggled to speak, and he suddenly glared at me so hard that I cringed.

"You really are dumb," was all he said, but those words struck me like lances, making me feel even worse. He saw my expression and sighed. "I...I mean, you just...you're just so oblivious to everything, Adrien. Couldn't you see what I was doing?"

I shook my head. He sighed again, and his next words brought tears to my eyes. I felt my body rack with sobs.

"I didn't make you stop because you sneezed all over it. I made you stop because you were beaten...because of me."

I didn't make you stop because you sneezed all over it. I made you stop because you were beaten...because of me.

Those words played over and over in my head, and in an instant, I realized what he had been doing all this time. Forcing me to go see Ladybug, always asking me if I was sure I wanted to stay away, stopping me from giving him his Sunday specials...

It wasn't just because I was a superhero, or because I was sneeze-y that day.

It was because Plagg cared about my well-being. He didn't want what was happening to me to happen.

As the tears kept streaming down my face, I felt the voice recoil and hide itself in the furthest recesses of my brain. It didn't like the elated feeling I had. It wanted sadness.

I had found its weakness.

"Plagg," I said, suddenly feeling strong.

"Yeah?" He answered. He was looking away, a nonchalant look on his face, but I knew he was listening intently to what I was saying.

Because he cared.

The voice hissed in anger, and I grinned.

"C-Claws Out."

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Marinette's P.O.V

I opened the door and stepped out into the balcony, where Chat stood, looking out at the city below.

"There's such a beautiful view up here," he said, and I nodded.

He looked over at me and his eyes widened. "Princess, have you been crying?" He asked, and I shook my head, mentally cursing my blood-red eyes.

I had cried all the way home from the akuma battle, and even more in my room. My hand still stung from slapping Chat, and I could make out the pink hand-print on his left cheek. I felt terrible, but I couldn't possibly apologize. Not as Marinette. I had to apologize as Ladybug.

"I...I'm fine," I lied, and forced a smile. He patted my cheek and his face closed off.

"Did you...see the fight?"

I winced, and he sighed. "I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for what happened," I said, and he shook his head.

"No. I'm the one who should feel remorse. I told Ladybug I hated her when I really didn't. I knew it, she knew it, and it-" he cut off as his voice broke. "It...it's all my fault. It's...my fault..."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'm an idiot."

"No you aren't," I blurted out angrily. "You are not, Chat. If you think that you are then let me change your mind. You are a superhero, first of all. The superhero of Paris!"

"Ladybug is. I'm her sidekick."

I glared at him. "I'm not done talking," I said, shutting him up. "Secondly, you are kind and funny. You cheer Ladybug up, you cheer me up. She talks so much about you."

"She does?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Yes. She does," I answered. "Thirdly, you can crack jokes in the worst situations. You're strong, and always happy, and use corny puns all the time-"

"Hey, my puns are purr-fect," he said. He was smiling now, and so was I.

"What I mean to say is," I took a deep breath. "You're an amazing person, Chat. I don't think Ladybug meant to hurt you the way she did, and I know she wouldn't. Because you are wonderful, and...and purr-fect." I rolled my eyes at the pun.

He smiled - not a lopsided grin or a smirk, but a genuine smile, the infectious one that always made me smile back, which was what I did.  The smile slowly slid off his face, and he began to look at me with wonder.

I was so happy that I was able to make him happy. I just hoped it was enough to make him better; to make him come out of whatever depressive place he had fallen into.

It made me elated to see him happy.

And then it all flew out the window when he took a step closer to me.

"Marinette..." He said, surprising me. He only called me by my name if he was serious. And he looked dead serious now.

"Yeah?"

"I...I think..."

He trailed off, and I stared at him. "You think what?"

His face was conflicted; like he was trying to decide something really hard. And then, like he had found the answer, he looked up at me with a determined expression.

"I love you, Marinette."

And then he kissed me.

My eyes widened, and I stood there, dumbfounded, my thoughts filled with how Chat's lips were so soft...and then the realization that this was my first kiss.

The kiss that was supposed to be with...

My mind screamed a single word at me. Adrien! Adrien! Adrien! I realized what was happening, and the odd blissful feeling was replaced with horror.

"S-stop!!"

In a burst of adrenaline and anger, I shoved him away from me and-something that I knew I would regret wholly-slapped him hard across the face.

He recoiled, the faded pink hand-print on his cheek turning red. I saw his eyes glisten, and I gasped.

"Ch-Chat, I...I'm so sorry," I said, my eyes clouding with tears.

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Adrien's P.O.V

The stinging pain on my cheek was nothing compared to the guilt I felt.

Because I hadn't meant it. I didn't love Marinette. I loved Ladybug and always would, but...I...

You want to be loved. But don't you get it? You aren't worth loving.

I closed my eyes and looked away from Marinette. I couldn't face her.

And then I had to, because she burst into tears. She sunk to the floor, sobbing and shaking hard. I knelt beside her.

"Marinette, I'm so-"

"It..." she stifled a sob. "It w-was m-meant for someone e-else..."

The guilt I had felt before was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. I had stolen her first kiss. What was meant for someone else. Someone better.

Someone that wasn't me.

I couldn't apologize anymore. What I had done was horrible. She sat there, sobbing bitterly, and that was when it dawned on me.

That was when I finally realized that no one wanted me around.

Nobody.

Nobody. Nobody at all. Everywhere you go, you bring sorrow. To Ladybug, to your friends, to Marinette. You just cannot stop screwing up, can you?

I closed my eyes again, letting its words play over in my head. I realized that the voice was right. It had been all along. But I was just too stubborn to listen.

I stood up.

"I'm so sorry."

I turned away, aware of how she was looking at me. "Ch-Chat?" She asked.

"I'm fine," I deadpanned. "I...I have to go."

"N-no," she said, grabbing my hand. "I...I want you to stay. Please."

I wanted to hiss, but I controlled myself. I hated this. She rejected me-meaningful confession or not-and yet wanted me to stay. It made my skin crawl.

"Please just let me go."

"No. Chat. I...I want to tell you who it was meant for."

At that, my eyes widened; I didn't want to know who she wanted to share her first kiss with. That person was lucky, but what was my business?

"I..don't have to know that, Marinette."

"It...the person is...is...is Adrien Agreste."

I froze.

It couldn't be.

It couldn't.

"I'm n-not sure, but I think I recall you saying you knew him, and..."

She was crazy. She wanted to share it with me? The epitome and embodiment of all things pathetic and useless?

I couldn't help snorting.

She glared at me, getting to her feet. "What's funny about that?" She asked huffily, and I chuckled.

"Marinette, you-" I cut off as my chuckle turned into full-fledged laughter. "You...like Adrien Agreste?"

She turned beetroot red, which made the whole situation even more hilarious. "What's funny about it!?" She demanded, and I sighed, wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes.

"You...you like that guy?" I asked, not talking to her. "That pathetic, worthless human trash? You like him?"

She shoved me again, her face contorted in fury. Her next words shook me.

"You...you don't talk about Adrien like that! You think so mightily of yourself, Chat!! Adrien isn't human trash, he's human gold! A-and he's more of an amazing person than you could ever b-be!"

Her eyes shone with fury, and I stared at her. I realized what the words I had said sounded like, but I didn't care. It was me, anyway. But...I didn't know it would have such an effect on Marinette.

It dawned on me then.

She...didn't just like me. She...she...

"Marinette-" I made my way to her, but she pushed me away. Hard.

"D-don't come near me," she said harshly, glaring daggers at me. "Just...just go."

I felt guilty all over again. "Please, just hear me ou-"

"NO! You're mister High-And-Mighty, aren't you!?" She shouted, and pointed at the roof opposite the balcony. "Go. Go now."

"Marine-"

"GO!!"

I recoiled, and stared at her for a moment, seeing her red eyes. Seeing the pain and horror in them.

And I knew I had screwed up again.

I pulled out my staff and leapt to the other roof. I heard her crying as I went further, but I knew that the tears streaming down my face were deeper. Were based on something far worse.

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I didn't stop until I got to the Eiffel Tower. I looked down at the busy town far, far below.

Don't talk about Adrien like that! You think so mightily of yourself, Chat!! Adrien isn't human trash, he's human gold! And he's more of an amazing person than you could ever be!

She loved me.

Marinette loved me.

Everything flashed through my eyes then; Ladybug slapping me, the hurt looks on my friends' faces. My father's beatings, Marinette's words. The tears kept streaming down my face, sobs escaping from my throat.

You're not fine, Chat! I know you aren't! I know you! I know that this isn't you, and I want to help you!

You're acting so pathetic, Adrien. Really. I'm being honest here. Don't you realize what you're doing? What happened to the Adrien that used to give me Camembert on Sunday nights?

Sometimes...I wish...that she was here...instead of you, because I know...that as long as you're here...I won't stop doing this. I won't stop hurting you.

Don't talk about Adrien like that! You think so mightily of yourself, Chat!!

Sometimes...I look at you...and I see her.

You're just so oblivious to everything, Adrien. Couldn't you see what I was doing?

Adrien isn't human trash, he's human gold!

Sometimes...you even sound like her.

I didn't make you stop because you sneezed all over it. I made you stop because you were beaten...because of me.

And he's more of an amazing person than you could ever be!

Is everything alright, Adrien?

All of this...everything...it's all because of YOU!!

I squeezed my eyes shut, grabbing my head to rid myself of those thoughts. All of those thoughts. The words of the people who cared about me, and from the person I cared about. And from the monster that ruined me.

Those words...the words of anger, I could take. Because those were true. But the words of kindness. The words of love...

I couldn't...they were too much.

This is the end, Adrien.

I nodded. The voice was not mocking; it was just stating a fact.

"Yes. It is."

Finally you realize that this is the only way to escape all of it. The only way to be free.

I...want to be free.

Then do it. Do it. You'll go to a better place. You'll be free. You won't get hurt. You won't be ruined. You'll be free.

I nodded again, slowly tilting myself forward. I felt so weightless. So light. Like I was nothing...

"CHAT!!!"

I heard the scream at the same time I felt a string wrap around my waist. And then, so softly and swiftly, without even realizing it, I spoke.

"Cataclysm."

I cut through the string easily, and felt myself get weightless again. The burden that I had placed on everyone's shoulders-Marinette's, Ladybug's, Nino's, Alya's, Plagg's, my father's-would finally be lifted.

It would finally end.

I should have realized that this was where it would all end. Where everything would. This was it. This was what was at the end. The beatings. The pain. The hurt. The façade. The hurtful words. The loving words. The memory of her, the one who used to console me. I would meet her soon. My mother.

Because this was the end.

Do it.

I closed my eyes, welcoming the peace that came with it. Knowing it would all be fine when I hit the ground.

Do it.

I took my last breath, closed my senses off, and accepted the cold, deep darkness as it wrapped around me.

This was it.

This was at the end of it all.

Die.

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Word Count: 3734. Longest chapter so far, and probably the longest you'll get out of this book.

I...don't have anything to say, except that this isn't the end. It isn't, I promise.

Until the next chapter, and I'm sorry, my fellow banana parents.