Back to Back 2

Appreciation

Just as Hawk Moth's fingers were about to reach Ladybug's earrings, she was suddenly knocked to the side.

Thinking it was Argos who hit her, she turned to snarl at him. But instead, she found Chat Noir standing there. Then she directed the snarl over to Ladybug once she realized that she had been tricked.

Ladybug responded with a shrug. "I promised that I wouldn't fight back. But I never promised that someone else wouldn't."

Full of anger, Chat Noir took a step toward Hawk Moth. "How could you do this?" he demanded of her. "To Marinette? To me? We trusted you, and you go and deceive us like this?" Then he turned to Argos. "And of course you had to be involved. I should have known. You're just as self-centered as you've always been. Is this really how you repay Marinette for everything she's done for you?"

The questions were not answered. Instead, everyone stopped and looked over at Ladybug as her earrings gave their final warning.

Needing to take advantage of the new situation, Hawk Moth quickly jumped up to her feet and shouted out orders. "Felix, you get her earrings. I'll hold off Adrien." Then she went on the attack.

Chat Noir had to defend himself, leaving Ladybug exposed. But she didn't engage in a fight. She simply looked at Argos as her transformation wore off. After catching Tikki in her hand, Marinette instantly grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from her purse and gave it to the kwami, keeping her gaze on Argos the entire time.

With Chat Noir and Hawk Moth busy battling each other, Argos slowly approached Marinette. He stopped in front of her, and the two just stared at each other for a minute before he spoke. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I need to take your Miraculous."

"No, you don't," she insisted gently. "You don't have to do any of this."

"Amelie won't stop until she gets both of your Miraculouses, and if I don't help her, she'll wish me away from existence." He paused to shake his head in despair. "This was all my fault, Marinette. I'm so sorry I failed you."

"You've never failed me, Felix. I understand that sometimes we have to do desperate things, but it's not too late. You can still stop this. And you know that Adrien and I will never let anyone wish you away."

Once again, he didn't know what to do. He knew that he wanted to stop Amelie, but the fear of losing his life was holding him back. "Marinette, I..."

"What are you waiting for?" Hawk Moth screamed over to him. "Take her earrings before she transforms again!"

Argos grimaced at the command, but kept his gaze on Marinette.

She tilted her head. "Tikki's almost ready," she whispered. "Just another minute, and then I'm going to transform to help Adrien."

With still no clear decision, he nodded and started to raise his hands. They very slowly moved up toward her ears. Almost halfway there, he stopped as a part of him was fighting against the other part. But a moment later, his hands kept moving. When they reached her earrings, he stopped again.

Marinette was staring into his eyes and wouldn't let up.

Trapped in her gaze, Argos couldn't bring himself to continue. Why had Ladybug run out of time and detransformed? Why did it have to be Marinette there in front of him?

Marinette.

The moment he laid eyes on the real her, he fell in love. She was just too beautiful to resist it.

But there was more than that.

Marinette accepted him. She knew that he was a sentimonster, and she didn't even care. She treated him as if he were a normal person.