Claws in

Chapter 18

He slowly turned around with his eyes closed.
"Chat..." marinette whispered.
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
He stood in shock, not moving. He was staring at...
Her.
The girl who he told himself over and over that she was just a friend when he knew she wasn't. The girl who he waited all day for. The girl who made him feel better. The girl he would do anything for. The girl who he was madly in love with.
"Marinette."
Her eyes flickered open. She stared at chat. A smile slowly spread across her face.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this." She said with her voice cracking.
"Your marinette.. your my princess.." He said still trying to process what was happening.
She smiled then gritted her teeth at the pain.
He ran over to her. His ring flashing.
"Chat your ring!" She said looking down at it.
"It doesn't matter anymore m'lady..."
Marinette looked back up at him.
He let himself detransform.
He opened his eyes and saw marinettes facial expression change.
"It's just me mari...adrien"
Marinette stared at him. Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth but said nothing.
"I know...i'd be disappointed too..." He said trailing off.
Mari held his face with one hand. Tears welled in her eyes.
"I've been rejecting the boy i was in love with all this time." She quietly said.
Adrien stood there, speachless. She...loves..me
A feeling of relief hit him. It was like a weight on his chest had been lifted.
A wave of pain washed over marinettes body once again and she closed her eyes tightly, gripping her side.
"It's okay...everything is going to be okay!" Adrien said holding mari.
Marinettes eyes started to close.
Adrien shook her.
"No mari! Stay awake!"
"Adrien..." Marinette said looking up at him.
They both gazed into each others eyes and didn't look away. They were mesmerized by each other.
Her eyes had a mysterious sparkle to them. His were soft and full of life.
Mari pulled adrien in and kissed him.
He held her tightly, not wanting to let go. She held him back.
Then she slowly started going limp, and falling back. Adrien held her head up.
"Marinette.." He said as his eyes filled with tears.
She smiled at him.
She could still smile at him even when she felt like dying.
"I love you kitty. I will always love you."
Her eyes were filled with love and her smile started fading.
"Marinette!" Adrien said trying to get her to wake up.
The rising and falling of her chest slowed. She let out her last breath. Her body went still and her eyes fluttered closed. Thunder cracked in the sky above them.
"MARINETTE!" Adrien screamed.
He shook her but she didn't wake up. He held her tightly.
"Marinette please!" He howled painfully.
All he could do was cry. Because he was so in love with her and she was gone. There was nothing he could do about it. All the memories flashed in his eyes.  From night time patrol, to visiting marinette on her balcony, to him kissing marinette. Now he was sitting in the pouring rain holding her lifeless body and wailing for her to come back.
He held the side of her face with one hand.
"When i wake up i think of nothing else but you. It will always be you. You will forever be the first thing i think of when i wake up and the last thing i think of before i go to sleep. There is not a single thing i hate about you. There is not a single thing i regret. I would do it all over again just to be with you, m'lady.
...It was only after countless nights of being with you, i knew i was in love with you, and when i realized it.. i was to late..." He said sobbing
"I will love you forever and ever."
Tears streamed down his cheeks. The rain poured down harder.
Plagg and tikki flew up to adrien and hugged him.
Adrien got up and turned around. He couldn't look at her.
"It should of been me." He said putting his face in his hands.
"You did everything you could" Tikki said sitting on adriens shoulder.
On the other side of his shoulder sat plagg.
He was thinking about how he could of saved nooroo. If only he had known.
Adrien thought of how he could of stopped this.
His father.
His father caused all of this, everything.
"I should of known hawkmoth was my own father!" He said thinking of all the times his father rejected spending time with him. He clenched his fists.
"No! I should of known nooroo was with us the whole time!" Plagg said taking the blame.
"No plagg, none of us knew nooroo was with adriens dad. He was being forcefully controlled by him!" Tikki said.
"I was so blind to see it. He was always "busy" and was always gone." Adrien said thinking of his father.
He looked back up at the dark sky. He felt so weak.
"I will love you forever and ever" His own words rang in his head. He turned back around to marinette and knelt by her side.
"Nothing lasts forever. I know that. I just wished you could of stayed a little bit longer." He said placing his hand on hers. He took her hand and kissed it. Just like how he did with ladybug.
He waited for her to react. For her to push his nose away and reject him, but the world was silent.
Their ladybug was gone.
He broke down into another heavy cry.
"It should of been me..."
"IT SHOULD OF BEEN ME" He wailed into the sky.