Emotional Support [Complete]

S2 E38: Announcement

The air was still in the cold under level of the Agreste mansion as the Miraculous Tales of Sapphire Feather and Hawk Moth were told. By the end, the narrators of the story were in tears of both grief and shame, afraid to look up at their audience's expressions. However, they were forced to when broken sobs rang through the room in a melancholy echo. Hand in hand, Ladybug and Cat Noir stood heads bowed with blurred visions of their shoes. The family remained silent for several moments, unable to break the sound of anguish.

Everything made sense to Cat Noir now. Why his mother was always so ill, and why his father refused to explain the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that she'd been here all this time. Cat Noir wasn't even certain how he felt anymore. The anger seemed to bleed out of him, but sadness weighed heavily on his chest and every inch of his body trembled with anxiety. No word could describe his mental state and he could think of none to say either, so he just looked down and cried.

Ladybug looked up at the villains of the story and decided to redefine the word entirely. What was a villain? Someone dastardly and sinister?  A heartless person with no morals? Somebody with the insistent urge to harm the innocent without reason? If that was truly the case, then the people in front of her were not villains at all. In fact, they were just as much victims as the civilians they've akumatized, succumbed to the weakness of negative emotions. Grief and longing are not excuses for criminal behavior, but it also does not make a person evil.

The red-clad hero, with a determined look on her face, rid the tears in her eyes and said, "Spots off."

Everyone raised their heads towards her, earning reactions of perplexity and shock. Tikki, though confused on her sudden choice to detransform, trusted Marinette completely and settled on her shoulder with total confidence in her decisions.

"W-What are you doing?" Cat Noir asked with widened eyes. "What about the safety precaution?"

Marinette smiled as if she hadn't just been crying harshly. "Why would we need to protect ourselves from our family?"

Both adults were surprised at the girl's words, and even more so as she went to hug Gabriel. "I forgive you. Dad."

Gabriel bit his lip to stop its trembling and quickly returned the embrace. It was a great comfort to hold her again and to hear those words pass her lips. His voice reduced to a shaky whisper as he said, "Oh, thank God."

(because I love screwing with y'all ⬇)

Nathalie sobbed in relief and stood awkwardly watching the two embrace until she was pulled into their arms.

Cat Noir's eyes only shifted between her and his parents indecisively. He questioned what was going through Marinette's mind right now, because he didn't have a clue what was going through his. "M-Marinette?"

The pigtailed girl looked at his conflicted eyes with hers of true resolve, and held out her hand. "Join us."

The blond stood frozen in turmoil as three sets of eyes implored him break down his last line of defense. He wavered between forgiveness and condemnation for a split second, although it felt like an eternity. At last, he'd come to a decision and released his transformation in a hushed whisper. Plagg stayed back and curiously watched him join their family hug, sobbing hysterically.