Ladybug Blues

His Wish

"I need to make a wish," he stated, his voice firm despite the tremble in his hands. "To bring Marinette back."

The deity let out a lengthy laugh, the sound echoing through the room. "Ah, so simple, so pure," Gimmi mused, floating closer to Adrien. "But as I'm sure you know, young hero, wishes are never quite that straightforward."

"What do you mean?" Adrien mumbled, one hand clutching the other. "I've done everything I could to get here, to get her back."

Gimmi's smile was sad. "Indeed, you have. But wishes, especially those that involve life and death, come with a price." The being hovered closer, their form shifting slightly. "What is it you truly wish for, Adrien Agreste?"

"Marinette. I wish to bring Marinette back," Adrien said, his voice shaking with determination. "I'll pay whatever price you ask, just let her live again. Let me get to her in time, please."

Gimmi's expression grew serious, the room's pink tinge fading to a stark white. "Very well," the deity said, their voice echoing through the room. "Your wish is to reset the day of her death, so you may save her. But remember, Adrien Agreste, the butterfly effect is a powerful force. Changing one thing may change everything."

Adrien's smile quickly turned sour as his expression changed from grateful to agonized. He clutched his wrist, looking down to see his hand turning to a fine dust. "What's happening?" He stuttered, eyes wide with fear.

"To make a wish is to destroy and rebuild the current reality. Your life, as you know it, will cease to exist," Gimmi continued, their eyes never leaving Adrien's. "In its place, a new reality will form, shaped by the choice you've made."

Adrien felt his knees buckle, he held back sobs as he crumbled to the floor.

"You'd think this would be quicker, huh?" Plagg quipped, trying to ease the tension. Tikki hovered closer, her eyes filled with a mix of pity and fear.

Adrien could hold it in no longer, a cry of agony escaping his throat in a guttural growl. His body felt like it was tearing apart from the inside out, the very essence of his being slipping through his fingertips like sand. He looked down at his hand again, now nothing but a skeletal structure of dust and bone.

"It's worth it," he whispered to himself, his voice shaking. "It's all worth it."

***********

Adrien stood at his locker, a tear-stained letter clutched in his hands. A single finger lifted to his cheek, dragging over the wetness under his eyes as he regained awareness. It was morning, and the hallways of Collège Françoise Dupont buzzed with the energy of a regular school day. His heart thundered in his chest as the reality of Gimmi's warning set in. The corridor was a blur of faces and voices, all of them unchanged, as if the last few moments in Marinette's room had never occurred.

He quickly scanned the locker room for any sign of Marinette, and sprinting into action when she was nowhere in sight. He had to save her this time. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, pushing away the pain of his recent ordeal. His heart hammered in his chest like a drummer playing for his life.

Pouncing over rooftops and in between alleys, Chat Noir did his best to swallow the lump in his throat until he could see her, his Lady, the love of his life, Marinette, stepping up to the edge of the bridge. Chat Noir ignored the way his legs burned, the way they begged for a moment of rest. He wouldn't rest until Marinette was safe in his arms again.

He was closer this time, so much closer. He would catch her, drag her to the shore and kiss every ounce of hope from his own body into hers, anything to make her stay.