Duty to protect

Drowning

Thalia and Bruce couldn't speak when they saw her.

Her stark white suit was now splattered with red spots of blood, her gloves dyed red.

Thalia wanted to be proud. Her father would have been outright gleeful at Marinette's current actions. She knew she could fight but she also knew she hated to kill. She made a good shield because she was good at protecting rather than attacking. That's what made her... Her.

Neither could tell what the cat was thinking, they couldn't tell why or who she killed, whether happy with her childlike grin like before or sad and alone. Her face was void of emotions, more empty than Bruce has ever been as she stared across Paris.

"It's almost funny..." She began, not taking her eyes off the Eiffel tower.

The two 'parents' took that as her talking to them.

"It takes me becoming who my mother wanted me to be... And being the one thing Father was convinced I was but hated... To actually get them to worry. Isn't that hilarious?" A small giggle came from her, her shoulders shaking up and down as if she actually found it funny.

"Marinette..."

"I think I'm better off alone. If I get arrested then I deserve it don't I Father? Yet if I run or isolate myself then I'm weak. Correct, Mother?"

"We don't want any of that for you..." Bruce said quietly, cautiously taking a step closer to her.

"Who are you to tell me what my life is? Do you actually care about me? Or is it your so-called justice that means you have to help the oh so pitiful girl?" She said it so joyfully but with a bite no one had heard from the usually submissive girl.

"Of course I care, I-"

"Lies!" She declared, lashing out towards him, tearing out a chunk of the building they were on and throwing it in his general direction, barely missing him but near crushing Jason on the street.

"Please, if you would just hear us-" Bruce was cut off when a cataclysm was hurled at his head, he barely ducked in time to just hear the building crumble behind him.

"...stop it... Stop it.... Stop it! STOP IT! LIES! It's... All lies. You never cared. You thought I was beyond help... I was never human to either of you..."

"What can we do to show you otherwise?" Thalia asked through nervous teeth.

Marinette has never seen her nervous... It was refreshing. Bruce too almost had an expression.

It gave her a strange sense of pleasure... That had a sense of guilt and fear trailing behind it.

Before she would have hated anyone looking at her like that... Someone to be feared.

"You aren't scared are you mother?"

It felt like she was watching and listening to her body through another lense.

Marinette felt like a spectator... She couldn't bring herself to do anything about it. She'd resigned to being a puppet a long time ago and now she didn't even have to think.

It was as if she were in a bubble watching through her eyes. Just floating, tiredly waiting to see if it was possible to save her now...

She wondered if Luka would be that scared of her. That thought terrified her more than anything

Would Damien take a step back in fear?

Would Cass ready her stance, putting up her mask, carefully concealing her concern?

Her partner... Adrien... Would her best friend give up on her too?

She watched as her claws threw another glowing ball of destruction at her parents, sending blocks of buildings to dust.