Chapter Text
“My lady, please, keep your eyes open,” Chat sobbed as he cradled Ladybug in his arms. Her eyelids fluttered open weakly as she lifted a hand to his cheek.
“I’m sorry, kitten,” she said, a single tear rolling down her face. “I couldn’t win this one. I guess my luck had to run out someday.” With this, her head rolled to the side, her transformation breaking with a rush of pink light. Chat was left to stare down at Marinette’s body, finally connecting all the dots he’d left unchecked.
“Chat Noir,” a tiny voice peeped, and his eyes were drawn to the small red creature that sat on her chest. The kwami’s bluebell eyes gazed mournfully at him and a lump formed in his throat. “There’s not much time. You can’t let Hawkmoth get her miraculous.”
With shaking fingers, Chat brushed back Marinette’s hair and gently removed her earrings. He hold them in his palm and spent a few moments looking at them before he got an idea. It was a risk, but having lost Ladybug - Marinette - he was willing to try almost anything.
“If I have the miraculous stones of Creation and Destruction,” he began slowly, his focus shifting to the kwami in front of him. “Then I’ll become really strong. Can I save her?”
Tikki nodded gravely. “Yes, but you must be careful. Too often have heroes worn them with good intentions, only to doom the lives of many.” Having received his answer, Chat Noir fumbled with the earrings for a moment, wondering how he could wear them with no piercings. Feeling for his fake kitty ears, he shrugged and poked the earrings through the leather, ignoring how Tikki winced slightly at his actions.
Immediately, he felt his chest swell and light filled his vision. When it faded, he looked down to see red spiralling up his arms, contrasting with the black leather. A quick glance around him confirmed that the red kwami was gone.
Laying Marinette on the ground, he stood with a final regretful glance at her. He turned to glare at the akuma, who thus far had simply stood by and watched.
“Hawkmoth!” he shouted, fists clenched by his side. “I know you can hear me and I want you to know, that I will stop you. But first, with the power of these Miraculous Stones, I will save Marinette. I will stop this from ever happening.”
As soon as the words escaped from his mouth, Chat felt a rush of energy and suddenly he was falling. All around him was dark, apart from a tiny prick of light in the distance. As his body fell closer towards it, he reached out a red clad hand towards it, allowing the light to wash over his body.
The first thing he was aware of was the beeping of the alarm on his phone. Opening his eyes, he found himself back in his room. Hesitating slightly, he reached for his phone, switching off the alarm and checking the date.
It was the day he tried to attend school for the first time.
“Holy hell,” he muttered to himself, as he rubbed the empty space on his finger. “I actually did it."