Summary:
AU for the "Ladybug" episode.
What if Marinette took the once in the lifetime opportunity to take Hawkmoth's Miraculous when it was presented to her, instead of wasting her time catching Adrien?
Cats can land on their feet, after all.
Work Text:
"Release him!" Marinette commanded, one hand holding tight to her yoyo that held Mayura captive, the other hand poised above Mayura's Peacock Miraculous, ready to make a move.
In one of two directions.
If need be, she could obviously take Mayura's Miraculous, and remove her from the fight.
But that was only one road she could take.
The other was a gamble; but an important one.
Hawkmoth clearly cared deeply for Mayura.
He held one-half of his heart's desire within his grasp; all he would have to do, as he had said, was wait for five minutes, and he would have the Ring of the Black Cat in his hands.
Hawkmoth was cunning, and had patience; he had battled them indirectly for months now, ever locked in a stalemate; but the question was, when confronted with his prize and his partner held captive, just how patient was he under pressure? Would he go for his prize, and have untold destruction at his fingertips and lose a valuable ally? Or would he maintain the status quo, and sacrifice his chance at the Ring if it meant he could keep his partner in play?
"Release her!" Hawkmoth snarled, tightening his grip on Chat Noir's wrist, just out of range of the Cataclysm held captive in her partner's palm. Chat Noir's eyes, already wide in fear, widened further, looking frantic.
One part of Marinette's mind idly noticed that Chat Noir's left hand was completely free, yet he made no move to try to escape or attack with his claws, letting it hang limp at his side.
Was he hurt, or was he simply frozen in fear?
"Don't mind me." Mayura said casually, and Marinette could practically imagine the smirk decorating Mayura's face. Clearly, Mayura had no problem waiting captive for five minutes. Mayura was willing to play the long game, but was Hawkmoth?
Chat Noir growled lowly at Mayura's goading, and burst out, "Don't listen to him!"
Marinette narrowed her eyes, once again remembering Chat Noir's baton hurtling towards her head at full speed, fast and hard enough to break someone's skull open.
He had attacked her twice today, and been mesmerized by his own living fantasy version of herself, even when confronted by her ire; and now he had the gall to call her gullible? She wanted to growl at the slight, but kept her composure.
The second path was becoming more unlikely as the seconds whiled by, but if she could just give it a minute more⏤
There!
Apparently, Hawkmoth thought she put more stock in Chat Noir's words than she really did.
Hawkmoth's body twisted, and with his full strength, he threw Chat Noir bodily off of the Arc de Triomphe.
Marinette smiled a grim, hidden smile, and tossed the captive Mayura over her own shoulder at a calculated distance, retracted her yoyo's length, and charged forward to meet Hawkmoth head-on as he rushed to catch his partner.
Time slowed down.
The distance between the two of them closed; Hawkmoth, the taller man, was looming over her, glaring at her as he passed a hairsbreadth away, and, as his eyes moved away from her own, and switched to track Mayura's ungraceful arc through the air, clearly intent on sacrificing his chance at Marinette's earrings, more concerned with rescuing his partner and keeping the status quo⏤
