Only Human: A Miraculous LadyBug Fanfiction

Chapter 1

Two days. Fifty six hours, more specifically. That's how long it had been since Marinette slept. She'd managed a nap for about 15 minutes last night before her alarm went off for school, but that was it. She'd been fighting akumas all weekend, with the help of Chat Noir of course. She hoped that he was doing alright.

Tikki was sound asleep on Marinette's desk, right where she'd fallen asleep two hours ago. She promised Marinette that she'd stay awake and help her finish her homework, but Tikki was more than exhausted and couldn't be blamed for passing out. Marinette wished she could do the same, but it was time to get ready for school, and despite the odds, all her homework was finished.

Steam filled the bathroom as hot water poured from the tub faucet. Marinette didn't dare look in the mirror. She knew she didn't want to see the monster pretending to be her reflection. Thankfully it was fogged up from the steam. The hot water hit Marinette like a ton of bricks, and as the water washed away some of the exhaustion, it also washed away enough dried blood to give the water in the bottom of the shower a red tinge. Marinette was covered in scrapes and bruises from head to toe. Watching the blood wash off of her skin triggered something deep in her core. It started at first as just a feeling of unease but only moments later, Marinette was hugging her knees and sobbing in the bottom of the shower.

Guilt swept through her like a hurricane. She cried for all of the people victimized by Hawkmoth, turned into bait against their will. She cried for Chat, who loved her more than anything yet constantly suffered at her hands. Most of all, she cried for herself, and how unworthy she felt. Being LadyBug was an honor and a privilege, but she just couldn't handle it any more. Slowly and methodically, she brought her hands to her right ear and began unfastening the earring attached to it. It came off easily, and she held it in her palm, looking at the object that brought her so much joy and so much pain. If she took the other one off, she'd never see Chat or Tikki again, but honestly, they were better off with a different LadyBug.

Marinette decided that she was no longer what was best for Paris, and with shaking fingers, she removed the other earring. Tikki, asleep in the other room, did not even notice herself disappear from existence. Looking at the pair of earrings in her hand brought Marinette to tears all over again, and once she managed to stand up and wash herself, she stepped out of the shower and dried off.

Finally ready to face her reflection, she wiped the steam off of the bathroom mirror to reveal something out of a horror movie. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but they were also black from sleep deprivation. Bruises and cuts littered every part of her body save her face. She was hardly the her she knew. The fog soon returned to stick to the mirror's surface, which was just fine with Marinette. She combed her hair and went back to her bedroom, taking the earrings with her.

There was no Tikki on the desk when she got back. Only a kwami sized puddle of drool, which she wiped up with a tissue. She stared at the tissue for a minute, wishing things didn't have to be the way they were. A faint glow drew her attention, and she realised that it was her phone ringing. The lit screen showed the contact picture for Alya. Marinette answered the call and put the phone to her face.

"Hello?" She said groggily.

"You just woke up, didn't you? Had a late night ditching all of us? I haven't heard from you in a couple days, are you okay, girl? Just wondering if you're going to come to school today." Marinette had wanted to come to the movies with everyone, but as usual, her duties as LadyBug got in the way.

"Yes, I'll be at school today. Sorry I flaked again. I uh, had to babysit last minute. Nadja, um, her cousin was in the hospital and-"

"It doesn't matter what happened. I'm worried about you. You've seemed really stressed these last few weeks and you know that no matter what I'm here for you. You can tell me anything." Marinette wished that were true, but today she would return her miraculous to Master Fu and her life would be hers once again. She loved being LadyBug, but it had taken its toll, and right now just being a normal baker's daughter sounded like a dream come true.