Chapter Text
Marinette ran confidently along the apex of a rooftop. Years of experience with the Ladybug Miraculous rid her of unbalanced strides and hesitation. At least, that was how she felt while transformed.
Without the mask, Marinette was still her clumsy self. More often than not, she felt debilitatingly tired and unmotivated to do the hobbies she used to love. It was difficult to feel passionate when she wasn't fighting in adrenaline-fueled Akuma battles. Despite her lack of motivation, Marinette looked forward to meeting with Chat Noir for their nightly patrol. The anticipation of the patrol had fueled her enough to complete her homework earlier that evening.
She was in her last semester of lycée, and the increased frequency of Akuma attacks made keeping up with her schoolwork challenging. It seemed Hawkmoth had grown more desperate, just as Marinette had grown more jaded over the years.
The prospect that she and Chat Noir would likely be unable to defeat Hawkmoth before she graduated made Marinette’s heart sink. She had dreamed of pursuing a career in fashion design but that dream would be impossible with the spontaneous threat of Akuma attacks. Marinette could hardly get away with her absences in school, she figured a work setting would be far less lenient.
There was no one in the world with whom Marinette could share both aspects of herself. Tiki struggled to grasp how she felt as she viewed Marinette’s struggle from an immortal perspective. Marinette’s failing on a Physics test meant little to the personified deity of luck.
Her parents had noticed her lack of enthusiasm for a while now, but with Marinette unable to explain her situation, there was little they could do to help her. The same went for her friends. The one person Marinette felt she could truly confide in, even vaguely so, was Chat Noir since he could relate to her experience.
Having saved one another's lives more times than she could count, they were as close as they could be while still not knowing each other's names. That Marinette wasn't allowed to know Chat Noir's civilian identity until after Hawkmoth was defeated was a strategy she resented the former grand guardian for. However, she was too cowardly to break the rule even after Master Fu passed the guardianship over to her.
Whipping her arm back, Marinette launched her yo-yo into the air. Feeling the wire pull taut, Marinette began to scale the Eiffel Tower. Feeling the chilled metal through the soles of her feet grounded her as she pushed to go faster. Puffing breaths of air, Marinette’s toned muscles strained as she yanked herself skyward. She couldn’t explain the urge to push herself to move faster. Perhaps the lingering anxiety from the latest Akuma battle compelled Marinette to race.
Reaching the platform where they usually meet for patrol, Marinette stood hunched over with labored breathing. Examining the platform, Marinette did not see Chat Noir. Closing her eyes and gaining control over her breathing, Marinette forced herself to rationalize away the sudden wave of anxiety.
In a position where she had to trust her instincts, Marinette battled which thoughts were helpful, and which led her to spiral out of control. Reaching a state of equilibrium, Marinette opened her eyes and grasped her yo-yo. She intended to send a message to Chat Noir when she noticed something catch the light in the distance.
Scoffing Marinette returned her yo-yo to its place on her hip before walking toward the object, assuming it was litter that had somehow made its way to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
As Marinette walked closer, she squinted to see the object in greater detail. The reflective surface of the object no longer resembled shiny plastic but metallic jewelry. Moving with a sudden sense of urgency, Marinette nearly tripped. Her hands trembled as she reached for the two broaches.
It has to be a prank.
The realization slammed into Marinette. She clung to the objects hard enough to feel the edges press into the palms of her hands. She reasoned it had to be a prank because the missing peacock and butterfly miraculous wouldn’t have been laid in the open for her to find. It couldn't be that easy. Not after the years she spent fighting for the miraculous that were laid on the ground .
It had to be a prank done by a group of Parisian citizens who had lost faith in her and Chat Noir’s ability to defeat Hawkmoth. Or maybe Hawkmoth had planted the fake miraculous as a diversion.
Marinette passed the miraculous into one hand as she checked her yo-yo for news of recent Akuma attacks. She found no recent activity had been reported.
Marinette wondered who else could’ve done such a thing. Perhaps Lila, who was vindictive against Ladybug. Lila had also been in a position where she could've seen the peacock and butterfly miraculous enough to recreate fakes. But even Marinette, whose opinion of Lila couldn’t stoop any lower, found it hard to believe that Lila could’ve accessed the highest platform of the Eiffel Tower where civilians were not permitted. And with no direct advantage to herself, Marinette didn’t think Lila would bother going to such lengths.
Whoever was responsible for the prank, Marinette was unamused.
Feeling her simmering frustration boil over, Marinette stood and reeled her arm back. She would throw the fakes far enough that they would be out of sight. And the next time she’d see the real peacock and butterfly miraculous, would be when she pried them from Myura and Hawkmoth chests.
Before she could let the ‘miraculous’ soar she heard a peep of a sound that made her hesitate. Looking over her shoulder, Marinette fought against her rising hope as she saw two sets of eyes staring back at her.
“Please don’t do that.” The peacock miraculous spoke. Marinette knew from the other kwami her name was Duusu.
Marinette’s heart pounded, she struggled to process Duusu's presence. The consequences of Marinette unknowingly falling victim to a brainwashing Akuma would be disastrous. But Marinette’s hope persisted, despite her caution.
“It would be such a shame for us to have come all this way only to be lost again,” Duusu said.
Marinette reached out, wanting to feel if Duusu and Nooroo were solid or only figments of her imagination. Nooroo flinched and Marinette reeled back with an automatic apology.
“It’s alright,” Duusuu said, blocking Nooroo, who had withdrawn from Marinette.
“Nooroo moved on instinct, they mean no offense,”
Marinette stared at the point along her knuckles where Dussuu touched her. She decided to believe the miraculous was real. Marinette's hope had soared so high she didn’t think she could survive the fall.
Belatedly, Marinette realized why Nooroo flinched from her hand and what that reaction meant for how Hawkmoth must’ve treated them.
Marinette felt rage pulsing in her skull and the mix of emotions was making her feel lightheaded. The urge to suppress her feelings was overwhelming before she remembered that she didn’t have to worry about the possibility of being Akumatized anymore. relaxing her muscles, Marinett was surprised to feel that she was crying.
Marinette felt relief, then sorrow. Because Duusuu’s reaction to her wasn’t normal either. Duusuu had been too reassuring, too eager to please. It was like she had been accustomed to walking on eggshells. Marinette would know, she was the same way when she was bullied in her early years of school.
Duusuu flew back from her hand and floated side-by-side to Nooroo who had been drawn closer, presumably by Marinette’s tears.
“I’m sorry for everything you two went through and I’m so glad you're here,” Marinette said.
The earnestness with which she spoke was almost as refreshing as her tears. It seemed like she was always withholding aspects of the truth these days. Duusuu smiled and Nooroo stared at Marinette with their unnaturally large eyes. Marinette sat on the cold metal of the platform, not having remembered sitting down. She cried her eyes dry as she grappled with revelations.
As she processed her emotions, Marinette was reminded of when she found the ladybug earrings in her bedroom for the first time. It was jarring how a few seconds and a single dissection made by the former guardian of the miraculous had changed her life so juristically.
As Marinette’s uneven breath began to even and her posture straightened, she looked up to the Kwami where they waited quietly for her to process.
“How did your miraculous get here?” Marinette asked, needing to know before she could spread the news for all of Paris to celebrate.
Marinette was filled with anticipation for how everyone would react. The Kwamis, her parents, friends, Chat Noir , everyone would be relieved to know that Hawkmoth was no longer a threat.
“I apologize, but we have been bound to secrecy. We are unable to reveal any information about our previous holder.” Duusuu said.
“What,” Marinette said, her voice cracking. “That’s not how I was told the parameters for what information the kwamis could share works,”
Franic, Marinette tried to remember what she’d learned from Tiki, the former guardian, and the grimoire about Kawmi and their ability to reveal information. It was true that Kwami could be commanded by their holders to withhold information, but those restrictions would be broken the moment the holder lost contact with the miraculous.
Duusuu and Nooroo shared a knowing look and Marinette realized they were not bound by miraculous magic to keep the secret. They didn’t want to tell her how their miraculous had ended up on the platform of the Eiffel Tower for her to find out of their own volition.
“Ok,” Marinette said, struggling to comprehend why they would want to hide the information from her. As much as she wanted to know how the Butterfly and Peacock miraculous ended up on the platform for her to find, she would force Duusuu and Nooroo to tell her.
Marinette vowed never to deprive the kwami of their free will when she became the guardian of the miraculous. The only command she’d ever given the kwami was to ignore every other command she could give them in the future, should her resolve waver.
“Keep your secrets, I trust the both of you,” Marinette said as she stood on unsteady legs.
"If you would allow us to return to the miracle box, we would greatly appreciate it,” Nooroo said, speaking for the first time and sounding nervous.
“Yes of course,” Marinette said. With her perceived permission, Nooroo and Duusuu retreated to their respective miraculous. Marinette figured the action was out of caution on the Kwamis' part so Marinette wouldn't have the chance to change her mind.
Marinette shuttered to think of how they’d been treated to behave so cautiously. Marinette figured that if she were the one in their position and had been deprived of her free will for years, she’d behave similarly. That seemed like what Hawkmoth was good at depriving people of their free will. It was a tactic he employed to Akumatized people who knew better than to trust him but fell victim to the process anyway.
Marinette felt hate like she’d never felt for anyone else curdle in her blood. To know that Hawkmoth and Murya might never be brought to justice left a bad taste in Marinette’s mouth.
She wondered how Hawkmoth and Myura could live with themselves, knowing what they’d done to millions of innocent people. Marinette grappled with the fact that she might be unable to provide the public with the closure they deserved.
Marinette decided that she would focus on the positives for the time being. She was relieved to know that Muyra and Hawkmoth would never be able to use the peacock and butterfly miraculous to terrorize again as she placed the miraculous into the portal that connected her yo-yo to the miracle box. The Kwami on the other end would no doubt be surprised by Nooroo and Duusuu’s sudden appearance.
Marinette smiled, imagining how they’d celebrate. She only hoped they’d be discrete enough not to alert her parents while she was away.
Marinette walked to the precipice of the platform, a breeze catching in the red ribbons of her pigtails. Looking at the city below, she felt a sense of peace, knowing that Paris would once again be known as the city of light and love instead of the city where a deranged supervillain attacked its civilians with evil butterflies.
Breathing in the chilled night air, Marinette waited. For a moment, she allowed herself to be the only one to know such peace.
Eventually, Marinette reached for her trusty yo-yo to inform Chat Noir of the good news. Her faint smile morphed into a grin as she anticipated how he’d react. Marinette called his baton to no answer.
Marinette figured he must be sick or busy as he hadn't transformed to leave her a message to let her know he wouldn't make it to patrol. She’d regrettably done the same to him on multiple occasions.
It felt wrong to tell Chat Noir that the peacock and butterfly miraculous had been safely returned to the miracle box in what was essentially a text message. Marinette had always assumed they’d be together when they finally beat Hawkmoth once and for all. She imagined that after a lengthy, grandiose battle they would emerge victorious standing side-by-side atop a pile of rubble or something equally dramatic.
In Marinette’s most vivid dreams, she could even see news helicopters circling above them as they revealed the good news to Paris- that Hawkmoth and Muyra were no longer a threat to anyone. In hindsight, such a vision felt narcissistic. Ultimately, it didn’t matter how Hawkmoth went down as long as he was defeated as long as he was defeated in the end.
Marinette sent a quick message to Chat Noir, stating that the missing miraculous were in her possession and that she was safe. She asked Chat Noir to respond so they could meet and she could explain things in future detail.
Marinette waited a few more minutes, to see if Chat Noir would respond, or better yet, appear behind her quietly enough to scare her as he had done multiple times before. She could survive a plausible heart attack if it meant she was able to see him.
Growing antsy, Marinette checked her yo-yo for messages, only to notice the time. It was nearing midnight, and still without word from Chat Noir.
Marinette hated to leave, it felt so wrong for her to go back home without being able to celebrate with Chat Noir, but the chances that he’d show up that night were slim to none.
Marinette sent one more message, stating that she’d transform regularly throughout the night to check for messages before closing her yo-yo and shooting off for the roundabout way back to her house. In all her eagerness to see the Kwami, Marinette would not jeopardize the miraculous by compromising her identity.
Marinette zipped back to her house with a silly grin on her face the entire time, looking forward to sharing her civilian identity with Chat Noir. She imagined going to the movies and getting smoothies with the partner she'd fought with for years. If she tried hard enough, she could make out Chat Noir's face without the mask as he freely expressed his emotions without the fear of being akumatized.