Holding On

Chapter 8

There were a lot of mysteries in Marinette's life. The identity of the villain in front of her, for instance. If she would, one day, have a hamster and three kids with Adrien. If she would become a world-renowned fashion designer. However, there were two things she knew for sure;

She was Ladybug and she definitely had her earrings on.

So how the hell was the superheroine standing next to Chat Noir if she was tied to this damn chair?

The girl was absolutely identical to herself. Same hair, same height, same build. Finally, it wasn't that hard to figure out the truth; Alya was here with the fox miraculous (but how the hell had she figured out where it was?), creating an illusion. But she couldn't help but wonder, did Chat know it wasn't his real lady?

"Chat Noir, Ladybug," Hawkmoth practically purred. "I see you've gotten my message."

His eyes were only on Ladybug, searching for a flaw, something that would reveal the truth. But Alya's illusion was perfect and after a few seconds, he seemed to accept the truth, although he didn't seem happy about it. Marinette clearly couldn't be Ladybug. He was back to square one on her identity.

How disappointing.

Behind the duo, another superhero stood tall, watching the scene in front of him, but Hawk Moth couldn't care less about Carapace. So what if they had a little more protection on their side? He had Volpina and Mayura, both on top of their game. Ladybug and Chat Noir were exhausted. There was no way he was gonna lose this fight. No way.

"You've gone too far this time, Hawkmoth," Chat Noir said and Marinette could almost feel her blood freezing in her veins.

There was something about his voice, so deep and raw, so unlike him and his joyful nature. And suddenly, she realized what was that glow in his eyes. Why he seemed somehow taller and older. The way he was standing, legs far apart, jaw tight, his whole body trembling with what she first thought was fear, but now knew was fury. Her partner wasn't angry or scared. No.

He was enraged.

She didn't have any doubts anymore. The small voice in the back of her head, whispering doubts in her mind for weeks now had been right. Sure, Chat Noir and her had gotten closer nowadays in her civilian form. But she had wondered why. Why did he care so much about little Marinette? Of course, a part of her figured out the truth a while ago, but she buried it deep inside of her. Didn't want to think about what it meant. About the possibility of Chat Blanc. So, she pretended. Convinced herself she didn't know. And she believed herself. But she couldn't do it anymore, couldn't deny the truth any longer.

Chat Noir knew she was the real Ladybug.

He knew his partner, his best friend, had been abducted by their worst enemy. And obviously, he had come to her defence and seemed ready to burn down the world to save her. She hadn't expected anything less of him. Marinette trusted him with her life.

But instead of filling her with fear, the realization that he knew who she truly was under the mask filled her with something she hadn't expected. Hope and... love.

Beside Chat Noir, the illusion seemed to tremble with the same rage as him. Maybe it reflected some of Alya's feelings.

"Give us your miraculous," she said. "And no one will get hurt."

She almost jumped at that. She would never say something like that! It sounded so... threatening. So unlike her. But after glancing around, she had to admit; it was the right thing to say. There was something different about this confrontation. And Hawkmoth must have sensed it, too. Because the heroes weren't here to play nice anymore. They weren't gonna ask anymore. They were gonna win, no matter what.