Me and You - Adrienette/Ladynoir/Ladrien/Marichat

Chapter Sixteen: All For Ladybug

"I spared your akuma's life, Hawkmoth. Now, tell me how to bring Ladybug back." Chat Noir absentmindedly taps his foot on the ground, getting irritated by Timebreaker's calm demeanour as she skates around him.

He looks down at his ring: one paw down, he only has four minutes until he transforms back into Adrien but he cannot risk losing Timebreaker (and he wants to relish the moments he has left before Plagg comes out of his ring and berates him for even hearing out Hawkmoth).

Timebreaker shakes her finger in his face as she skates past his front, "It's not about what you will do – but what I will do."

"So, I have to rely on you now?" He raises an eyebrow, thinking about it for a second. Maybe he should have cataclysmed Timebreaker while he had the chance.

Ladybug would never trust Hawkmoth's plans. She would find a different way; she'd never stoop this low.

But Ladybug's not here. It's his turn to be the 'Ladybug' and make the decisions until he can bring her back.

Trusting Hawkmoth might be his only way.

Another paw vanishes, bringing Chat Noir back to reality. "Quickly, quickly, tell me the plan!"

Timebreaker abruptly stops in her tracks in front of him but keeps a solid distance between the both of them, the events of a few minutes ago still fresh at the forefront of her mind. "We're going to go back to the day of Copycat and you're going to stop him from being akumatised b-"

Chat Noir chuckles. "And what's in it for you, Hawkmoth? Our Miraculous?"

"Like I said, Chat Noir," Hawkmoth's voice booms through Timebreaker, "I understand how you're feeling. And, lucky for both of us, my akuma has the very powers that can give us both the one thing we want. With this, I won't need your Miraculous."

Chat Noir's mind flashes back to Copycat de-transforming him. Hawkmoth knows who he is under the mask. He could have walked up to his door and taken the Miraculous while he was in his vulnerable civilian form all this time Ladybug has been in a coma - not to toot his own horn but everyone in Paris practically knows who he is thanks to his famous father! Instead, Hawkmoth just followed his normal routine of sending out akumatised persons to do his bidding. Maybe he truly doesn't need the Miraculous?

But, wait - what is it that Hawkmoth wants? Or, potentially, who?

Is he really going to trust Hawkmoth? For all Chat Noir knows, Hawkmoth could bring back to life a villain greater than him!

What would Ladybug do?

"So, do we have a deal?" Timebreaker eyes him.

Chat Noir sighs.

It is worth a try and, once he gets Ladybug back, she can deal with the fallout like she always does whenever he makes a stupid mistake.

Another paw flashes on his ring and Chat Noir makes his decision.

"Deal. Get moving!"

He's about to run off but Timebreaker interrupts, "but, Chat Noir, I need to get enough power to go that far back in time," a smirk forms on her face, "So..."

Chat Noir huffs. "Go," he tells her immediately – too quickly.

He knows he's desperate but the very fact that he would let Timebreaker go on a spree in Paris, putting the Parisians he swore to protect in danger, all for Ladybug, what kind of hero does that make him?

All for Ladybug.

This is what everything is for; she is why he fights.

For Marinette; for Ladybug; for his best friend; for his lady; for his other half; for the girl he loves more than anyone and anything in the whole entire universe. The whole universe. The universe he could be allowing Hawkmoth to destroy. But it doesn't matter to him now because he thinks - no, he's absolutely certain - that as long as Marinette is beside him, as long as his Lady remembers him, she'll fix everything.

And perhaps Hawkmoth is right; perhaps they could both get what they truly want and all of this fighting could stop.

Another beep of his ring sends Chat Noir launching off towards his house and once he is there, he locks himself in his room, de-transforms, and slides down the door.

In an instant, the tears flow out of him and he is sitting on the floor shaking vigorously. He hasn't cried this much since his mother left him. And, at the time, he thought he would never stop. But Marinette, she was there to sneak baked goods through his window, tell him jokes that made him cry from laughter instead of sadness, and to wipe away all his tears.

Even if Hawkmoth wins and Plagg is taken from him - even if it his memory begins to fade - he couldn't possibly imagine a world without his best friend and partner.

Plagg sits at Adrien's feet, looking up at him. He wants to tell him to stop Timebreaker from causing havoc and to not trust Hawkmoth but he can't seem to find it in himself to be cross at his holder.

All of a sudden, the shaking stops mid-way and Plagg fears that Adrien has tired himself out, collapsing. However, to his surprise, Adrien lifts himself to his feet and walks to his window.

Plagg follows him, calling out his name. "Adrien, what are you doing?"

"I need to see Marinette, Plagg," Adrien pleads, looking out the window as if he is willing to jump without Plagg to give him powers, "even if she can't remember me - I need to see her; I need to know that she's okay, especially with Timebreaker on the loose."

Plagg widens his eyes, even though he expected Adrien would at some point ask to see Marinette as soon as he revealed her secret identity. However, he's not sure Master Fu would like to see his holder after he sent Timebreaker to harm the people of Paris...

Nevertheless, when was the last time Plagg actually listened to Master Fu?

Plagg huffs and flies to Adrien's face, wiping the tears that stain his cheeks forcing him to look presentable - he's going to see the love of his life, secret identity revealed, for the time after all!

Once sorted, Plagg nods his head at his holder and gives him a mischievous look. "Say the words."

Adrien's going to finally visit Marinette (now knowing that she's Ladybug!)...but will she remember him?

Find out next week ;)

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