Chat Noir's POV

I choke on my spit and stumble backwards, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Oh, are you upset that I actually hate you?" She teases, smirking and crossing her arms.

I struggle to stand up and hold my arm. I sharply inhale as my glass heart stabs me every time I move. I wipe the blood dripping down from my broken nose. My eye is swollen shut and dark purple. My hair is matted with blood from the cut on my skull slicing down half of my head. My shins are banged and bruised up. The only reason I'm still moving is because of the adrenaline.

"CHAT NOIR!" I hear someone scream.

I whip my head around, terrified that another civilian will be sent to the shadow realm. My vision is blurry from being slammed on the ground so badly that I can't even recognize who it is. All I know is that I have to get to them as soon as I can to save them.

I extend my baton and fly towards the civilian before Shadow Princess can reach them. I sweep the civilian up in my arms and jump away to the top of a building. We hide behind an electrical box so Shadow Princess can't see us.

"Adrien...?" I hear the civilian whisper.

I can barely keep my vision focused. "A-Alya...?"

I collapse into her arms. She gasps and holds me in her lap.

"Adrien, oh my god!" Alya screams, terrified. "H-How can I help?!"

"I'm fine!" I snap, struggling to stand up, but I don't have enough energy and fall back down again.

"Y-You're bleeding..." she whispers. "I..."

I shake my head and use my baton as a walking stick to stand up. "I'm fine."

I start making my way off the building to return to Marinette.

"Adrien..."

I look back at her. "Please, Alya, don't refer to my real name in public. Someone could hear and then-"

Alya shakes her head and runs to me, hugging me tightly. Her tears fly everywhere. She digs her head into my chest. I'm shocked at first, but then wrap my arms back around her too.

"It finally clicked," she mumbles with her face buried in my shoulder.

"What did?"

"That you're Chat Noir. I was in denial for a really long time. A part of me kept telling me it wasn't true. No way could my own classmate be Chat Noir," she explains through sobs. "But you really are him. And you're willing to sacrifice your health to save Paris."

"Well, yeah, duh. It's kinda my job," I reply.

"You're not listening to me!" She cries. "You're the Chat Noir. The picture perfect model is the same guy who wears tight leather and makes cat puns. You're a model in the day time, and by the night you protect Paris."

Tears start to form in my eyes.

Alya squeezes me tight. "You're a hero, Adrien. I know it's hard that Marinette is an akuma, but just know, she loves you. She really, truly does."

I bite my lip to stop it from quivering.

"Your father is cruel, and Marinette's saying this awful stuff when she's akumatized, but you still, miraculously, keep fighting."

She looks up at me with tear filled eyes and smiles.

"So thank you, Chat Noir. Thank you."

I collapse on the cement roof in tears, holding myself. Alya squats down and holds me tight.

Even though Marinette is causing destruction on the opposite side of town, I can't help but feel at peace. Alya and I hug each other tight. The sun beams down on us in the hot afternoon weather and I slowly start to cry.

"She told me she hated me," I whisper with my voice cracking.

Alya's eyes open wide. "W-What?"

I shake my head and shut my eyes tight. Tears come falling down my cheeks. My shoulders start to shake.

"She called me a bitch. She said that I deserved this. She said that this was all my fault!" I sob.

Alya holds me tight as I break down in tears in her arms.

"No matter how many times I apologize and try to make it better, she hates me even more! I'm trying everything, Alya, everything!" I shout, shutting my eyes tight and tears flying everywhere.

Alya nods.

"She's treating me just like my father! I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!"

Alya let's me cry.

"I CAN'T LOSE SOMEONE ELSE I LOVE!"

She takes a deep breath. "You really miss your mom, huh?"

I squeeze her tight as we hug.

"Yeah, I miss her a lot."

"You're afraid of losing Marinette too?" she quietly asks.

"If I lose her..." I whisper. "...I'll have no one left."

We sit quietly, letting my tears fall down my cheeks. I quietly sob and Alya rubs my back.

After awhile though, Alya quietly gasps.

"What?" I ask her.

Suddenly Alya freezes. "Chat Noir-."

I stay quiet and listen, surprised at her sudden change of mood.

"Run."

I pull away from our hug and look into her terrified eyes. "H-Huh?"

"Run." She commands through her teeth. "Now."

I break our touch and sprint away, pulling out my baton and looking behind me. An akuma. Flying straight towards me.

"Meet me at Marinette's place!" I shout, trying to hide my fear, front-flipping off the tall building and extending my stick out, flinging me towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. "We need to get something from her house and give it to you!"

I soar through the sky, afraid to look back. According to Ladybug, I have been akumatized. Once. It was in an alternate universe. All she told me was that I was completely destructive and emotionless. She cried telling me this, but she needed to get it off her chest. There's only so many secrets you can hold at once.

I reach the Dupain-Cheng bakery and look frantically around me. No akuma. I run inside the bakery and lock the door, then wait for Alya to arrive. I have a plan, and it's the only one I have left.

It has to work if we want to save Marinette.

Shadow Princess's POV

"Is he akumatized yet?" I whine to Hawkmoth through our telepathic communication.

"No. I just barely missed him," Hawkmoth growls. "Is he anywhere near you?"

I look around at my surroundings and smile, amused. I'm floating in the air surrounded by nothing. There's a crater in the ground the size of a football field. Fire hydrants are broken and spilling out water high into the sky. Cars are left abandoned on the street. Signs are missing from the sidewalks. Complete buildings have vanished form their lots. Almost everything has been sent to the shadow realm.

"Nah. Chat Noir ain't here," I respond to Hawkmoth.

"Make him, then!" Hawkmoth shouts through the telepathic communication.

I roll my eyes and put my hands on my hips. "Alright, alright, old man!"

The purple butterfly outline disappears. I need to get Chat Noir on the scene, but how?

An idea hits me and my face lights up. I pump my fist and a black flame engulfs my hand. A large boom echoes through the air as I shoot the flame towards the sky. The black flame, now resting in the sky, grows as big as the moon. I smile wickedly.

"Shadow Princess!" Hawkmoth shouts, the purple butterfly outline returning infront of my face. "What are you doing?! That flame could send us all to the shadow realm!"

I innocently giggle and do a flip in the air. "Calm down, Hawkie. You did say I can use all of my power, after all. This is just a distraction to get my kitten on the scene!"

I fly towards the top of the Eiffel Tower and perch on the very tip.

"Chat Noir! Come to the city square and hand me your miraculous, or else I will destroy the whole city of Paris with you along with it!" I shout with my voice echoing throughout the streets.

After a minute or two of waiting, a familiar voice calls to me. I look down and instantly smile.

"Hello kitty~!" I sing, sliding down the iron tower.

Chat Noir glares at me. I skip up to him and smirk, tilting my head.

"Ew. You're looking kinda gross, not gonna lie," I remark. "You're hair is all matted, your suit is all cut up, and your swollen eye looks like an Animal Crossing villager who got stung by wasps."

"Thanks for the compliment," Chat grumbles. "Just let me give you miraculous. I can't bare to see you like this any longer."

I frown. "No more playing?"

"Do you want the ring?"

"Fine, fine! Just give me it!"

Chat Noir snatches his hand back right as I reach for his ring.

"Only on one condition," he mumbles, with his voice cracking from hopelessness.

"Make it snappy," I command.

Chat Noir takes a step back and nervously plays with his ring on his finger. His eyes are red from crying. His cat ears are pressed flat against his head. He looks absolutely pitiful. Hopeless. Lost.

"Hawkmoth cannot see my identity," he mumbles.

"Deal. Now, gimme!"

Chat Noir takes a deep breath and looks around, then his eyes rest on mine.

"Please, Marinette, I know you're in there. Please, you can fight it..." he whispers, tears forming again. "You don't have to forgive me. Just please, just keep fighting."

"I'm not Marinette anymore!" I shout, stomping my foot on the ground. "Now one last chance, alley cat! Give me your miraculous!"

He inhales sharply, and exhales slowly. He shuts his eyes tight and slowly slips the black ring off of his finger. A bright green light flashes and I cover my eyes. Adrien stands infront of me, with his eyes still shut.

"Adrien?" I whisper, feeling warmth fill my chest. "N-Never mind. Just give me the miraculous!"

Adrien hesitantly reaches over with the ring in his hand. He holds it tight in his fist, and drops it into my hands. I hold it with two fingers and hold it up to the sun. Light reflects off of it.

"Thanks, kitty," I reply, with a smirk.

I evilly smile and clench the ring in my hands, tight.

But to my surprise, the ring disappears with a cloud of smoke. I gasp and look up, and Chat Noir stands where Adrien just was, almost like he never de-transformed in the first place.

An illusion.

Chat Noir's POV

"CATACLYSM!"

My plan worked perfectly. Alya and I went to Marinette's house and found the miracle box, unlocked it, and got the fox miraculous out. Alya slipped it over her neck and we went to fight. She created an illusion of me taking off my miraculous and handing it to Shadow Princess, making her lower her guard, thinking she won.

I reach over and touch Shadow Princess's akumatized earring, and it instantaneously turns into ash.

Only, half an akuma struggles to fly out, but fails and falls to the ground. I open my eyes in pure horror. Half of an akuma? Has this ever happened before?

Shadow Princess collapses to the ground. I run to her and fall to my knees, holding her in my arms.

"What's wrong with her?!" Rena Rouge calls out, running towards me.

"I-I don't know!" I shout. "I know that she's akumatized in her earrings, but when I destroyed it, only half of a butterfly flew out!"

"Hawkmoth must have akumatized both earrings!"

My eyes open wide. "You're right!"

I reach over for her second earring, but she slaps my hand and jumps out of my arms. She quickly forms black fire in her hand and shoots it towards me. I jump and dodge the attack, but Rena Rouge isn't so lucky.

"RENA!" I scream, letting go of Shadow Princess and looking back at the spot where Rena Rouge once stood.

I whip my head back at Shadow Princess and glare with tears flying though the air.

"WHY?!" I scream, my voice filled with pain. "Why are you doing this?! Would it be easier if I just gave up?!"

She looks at me, shocked.

"I-I don't know if I can do this alone! Just look at the city!" I scream, throwing my hands in the air.

She stares at me.

"Just kill me already, Marinette! I already have a glass heart, you might as well just finish me off!"

"I'm still here,"

I freeze.

I look at her with wide open eyes, taking in shaky breaths. The sound of her voice is like a melody.

"W-What?" I mumble, reaching out for her.

Shadow Princess's eyes slowly turn from bright pink to her lovely blue. Tears form and start to fall down her cheeks.

"I'm still here," she mumbles through her sobs. "Don't give up on me! Please!"

"M-Marinette?" I stutter.

Her sharp pink eyes return and jumps up and backs away from me. "N-No, I'm Shadow Princess. I only obey Hawkmoth! You are nothing to me!"

I freeze in realization. Rena Rouge was right. She's akumatized in both earrings. Her personality is switching from normal Marinette to akumatized Marinette. She's unstable. I need to save her fast.

"I'm more powerful than you, pesky cat!" Shadow Princess shouts, trying to sound strong. "S-So you better stay away!"

I roll my eyes and smile. "Oh, shut up. You've never been a good liar."

I quickly reach over and snatch her earring out of her ear and throw it on the ground, shattering it instantly. The second half of the akuma flutters out, and the two halves merge together in a bright light, flying away. A dark wall of energy fills Shadow Princess and Marinette quickly replaces her.

She looks up at me with bright blue eyes. "W-What happened?"

Just the look of her bright innocent eyes makes me want to cry.

"No time!" I shout, pulling her up. "Transform into Ladybug and cure the akuma!"

She nods. One bright transformation and 'bye bye little butterfly' later, everything is back to normal. My wounds are healed, Rena Rouge returns along with everything else in the shadow realm, and the city is back to normal. The city fills with cheers throughout the streets.

I look back at Ladybug and smile. "I'm so glad you're back! I was so worried and I-"

She leans forward and kisses me. I'm shocked, but then close my eyes and place my hand on her cheek. Civilians cheer around us.

"I'm sorry, kitty," she whispers.

"No, I'm sorry! I caused all of this and I-"

"You're forgiven," Ladybug giggles, and kisses me again.

Fan art: pajamas.lazzy on instagram! 💕

Yayyyy heart-warming chapter!

Nothing could go wrong now! No, no way! No way could the next chapter include the very first paragraph of the story! Not possible!

ps: marinette does not know chat noir's identity. you forget everything when you're cured from your akuma. just wanted to make that clear ;)

Upvote the chapter if you want your heart to be broken ☺️