The Lucky and the Unlucky

Chapter 24

Now if I write this chapter good enough to make you guys sad I have succeed as a writer

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Everything was a daze, all the sounds around her were muffled. She remembered kneeling next to his body, taking him in her arms. She recalled yelling at Gabriel Agreste to stay away as he backed away, terrified of his own actions.

Marinette desperately searched for any sign of life, in his pulse, his breathing, his response to her pleading for him to wake up, but the cut in his chest was too deep.

Tikki waking up to find Plagg tcrying silent tears as Nooroo watched the ground, his eyes full of guilt.

The cane had disappeared when the heroine had snatched the miraculous, but the pool of blood was still visible as it grew, making Adrien's skin pale.

Tears rolled off her cheeks, burning her cuts, but she couldn't feel it. She called his name, again and again, but his stillness left her more broken and beaten than any killer could make her.

She suddenly got up and frenetically searched for her fallen earring an the clasp which Hawkmoth had removed earlier. She shakily put it on and without even greeting her Kwami she called up her transformation.

The lucky charm had disappeared when she had detransformed, but hopefully, if she called up another one it would bring everything back to normal, with Chat laughing and joking around.

She let go of Adrien and frantically looked for her other earring. As she found it she placed in it's place with shaking hands and transformed.

She called on her power, but in her hand appeared a familiar lucky charm. It was like the bracelet that Adrien had made for her on her birthday, just red with black dots, just like all her lucky charms. She tossed it up in the air but as she looked around, she realized that nothing had changed.

She called the lucky charm again and again as the same bracelet appeared, and as she threw it up in the air, again, nothing changed.

Soon the news helicopters disappeared, maybe out of respect or possibly out of pity for the heroes of Paris. But quickly they were replaced with the emergency services.

Marinette had refused to let go of Adrien until she had been dragged into the hospital after the helicopter ride. Around her thousands of people, fans and photographers waited for her, but she barely noticed.

The only thing that brought her a thread of happiness was witnessing Gabriel Agreste being dragged by the police force into the helicopter and the butterfly miraculous, still clenched in her fist, even as the doctors tented to her cuts and bruises.

When her parents had arrived, the worry and sorrow on their faces broke her already fragmented heart, but something inside of her commanded her not to speak, and she didn't fight it.

Days went by and as soon as they were permitted, Alya and Nino came to visit. Their red eyes and tired movements reminded her that they had no idea that Nino's best friend was the one who had died on the tower, it must have hit them all at once, but again Marinette couldn't talk.

After a few weeks she was free to leave the hospital, but she was forced to exit early in the morning to avoid as many unwanted photographers as they could, Tom and Sabine shielding her as much as possible from the world that had already hurt their daughter so.

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"Hey Marinette" Alya's voice pierced the silence of the blue haired girl's room as she laid on her bed staring at the ceiling. "Are you ready?" asked the brunette, she was wearing a dark grey suit and her hair was tied up in a bun.

Marinette slowly got up without saying a word, she was still in her usual pjs, Alya was sure that she hadn't changed in a while.

She smiled weakly and accompanied her best friend to the bathroom, turned on the shower and helped her in. The hot water hit the still open cut on her cheek as Marinette recoiled in pain, the doctors had warned her to take care of it with medications and serums that they had prescribed, threatening that if she didn't follow their advice a scar would remain on her cheek for ever. But she had barely been able to get out of bed, healing was the last of her worries.

Plus why did she get to walk away with barely any scratches while Adrien hadn't been able to walk away at all. She deserved an ugly scar on her face, she deserved so much worse for not saving him.

After exiting the shower and drying her hair, Alya seated the girl in front of the mirror, which the bluenette still refused to look at. "I know i told you many times but it's not your fault Marinette" said Alya, as if reading her thought as she combed the girl's hair. At this point she was used to her not answering, but she knew that she was listening.

"I actually have a surprise for you" she said softly and took a small bag out of her purse. "Yesterday the police investigated the mansion and they asked Nino to come see a few things to help with the trial again Hawkm- I mean Gabriel and Nino found this".

She opened her friend's hand and took out the all too familiar lucky charm, Marinette almost backed away in fear, remembering the last moments on the tower.

"Marinette you can chose what to do with it, but Adrien wants you to have it" the girl turned around to face Alya as she reached for something else in her bag. she fished out a piece of paper that she handed to her best friend while she smiled weakly "Don't worry, I didn't read it".

The bluenette took it in he shaking hands and unfolded it. In front of her was Adrien's familiar messy handwriting

Marinette, I know you're afraid, and so am I, even if my ego refuses to admit it. I hope you never have to see this, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, it will always be us against the world M'Lady, my Princess, my Lucky Charm.

She crumpled the letter in her hands, tears stinging her eyes, and knelt to the floor. Alya kneeled down next to her worried "Marinette is everything okay?" and to her suprise she was answered with laughter. "No Alya" she said in a rough, angry voice "If everything was okay he would still be alive" she yelled. The brunette looked away guiltily "I'm sorry Marinette" she sighed "for everything that has happened to you and Adrien because of him".

Silence filled the room for a couple of seconds, clear tension in the air, before Marinette hugged her best friend, sobs escaping her as she caressed her hair and rocked her lightly, silent tears escaping her.

"I wish i had died instead of him" she whispered in between wails