In Front of my Eyes : A Miraculous Story

31

Nathalie

I knew something had been off when we arrived at the Eiffel tower. A new feeling coated the air and I knew it couldn't have been good. But I pushed it aside, because this was the day he had been waiting for.

The thought stayed prevalent in my mind, though. Fighting against them was fine. Endangering Paris because I knew there wouldn't be any permanent damage, less then fine but I still did it. The thought of ending to young kids lives to get a miraculous... well that was crossing a boundary for me.

I did as I was told, though. I sat a ledge down and waited for my part. If the superheroes got away, I would be akumatized and it would be up to me to finish the job. Honestly, I didn't know if I could do, but Gabriel needed this. He needed his wife back. He needed to do this for Adrien.

But I wasn't dumb. I would recognize the sound of a detransform and the utterly familiar sound of a voice saying 'hello father'.

That's when everything came crumbling down. I thought Gabriel had become the most important person in my life, but hearing that voice, I realized how wrong I was.

I waited for a few more seconds, and when the conversation hit a point of no return, I knew I had to strike. I ran up the set up stairs as quickly as I could, praying that I made it in time. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to the little boy.

But by the time I had arrived up there, Gabriel was face down on the floor, and both Adrien and one of the girls in his glass stood side by side, their eyes closed tightly.

Seeing the fear and sadness coating his face was the worst sight I had ever beheld. This was partially my doing. I had allowed his father to take his obsession this far, and even though I hadn't know that Adrien was Chat Noir, I knew the blame still rested on my shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Adrien." I said sadly.

•

Adrien

I thought my father being Hawkmoth was the absolute worst thing that could ever happen, but seeing Nathalie appear in front of him made it infinitely worse.

I had trusted her more than I trusted him, but knowing that she had known this whole time broke my heart in a way I couldn't describe.

"You knew?" I muttered.

"Adrien.."

"It's a yes or no question, Nathalie." I spat.

After a short silence, she nodded her head sadly, genuine shame resonating in her eyes.

I couldn't stand it any longer. I wanted to crawl away and hide for days on end, shaking today out of my mind. But the thought of having to go back to my house made me feel sick. Where would I go now?

"What'd you do to him?" Marinette asked Nathalie, tearing my mind away from my current dilemma.

"This wasn't me." She answered, truth coating her words.

Marinette and I exchanged a quick look, confusion on both of our faces.

"Actually, that was us." A small voice peeped up.

Tikki and Plagg flew up from who knows where and landed right in front of us. They both looked a little bit guilty, but for what I couldn't say.

"I was going to destroy him, Adrien!" Plagg cried. "It was the only thing I could do, but I was scared of what my power would do by itself. When Marinette detransformed, Tikki was able to create a layer of protection around my destruction, containing it all to him."

"So, is he.." I couldn't finish the sentence.

"No." Tikki answered, and against myself I felt a bit relieved. "We destroyed the surge of power heading towards you guys, and the recoil knocked him out. He's alive, Adrien, but now we have to decide what to do."

Everyone looked at me, Marinette included.

No way they were pinning this all on me. Yes, he was my father, but I wasn't the only one hurt by his actions. All of Paris had been affected by his choices, and it wasn't fair of me to choose his punishment.

"I can't answer that." I said honestly. "Both him and Nathalie have done awful things. I think the most reasonable thing to do is hold a trial and allow the people to vote on it. I want more than anything for all of this to go away, but I know that justice needs to be served."

Nathalie said nothing, but nodded her head in a silent agreement.

Marinette held my hand tightly, a single action conveying a million words. It was all she could give at the moment, but I didn't mind. I knew what had to happen next, and even though it wasn't going to be easy, I knew it would be right.

Because that's what being a superhero is. It's bearing it so others don't have to. So I held Marinette close to my side and let out a small breath.

Here goes nothing.