Falling for Two

Chapter 30: Solidarity

Y/N had finally reached the Eiffel Tower, where Ladybug asked to meet. She sat against the cold metal, catching her breath.

"Y/N! Are you hurt? Whats the problem?" Ladybug said while swooping in. The superhero quickly inspected Y/N for any wounds. Her hand rested on Y/N's shoulder after confirming that all was well. Physically, at least.

"Hold on," Y/N said, clutching her chest. "I just ran a marathon... in the cold.. at night.. to get here... Give me a minute."

Ladybug made a small attempt at a smile, but her eyes began to scan the area. Y/N finally stretched out an arm and Ladybug quickly helped her to her feet.

"That tiger miraculous could've been pretty useful right about now." Y/N said, only half joking. Ladybug chuckled and shook her head.

"You did pretty good getting here on your own." Ladybug replied.

"Hardly!" Y/N breathed out exhaustingly. Her hands trembled as she held onto the ring. It forced her to drop the small talk.

"There's this guy, my friend Adrien," Y/N began to say, "He's been akumatized for some odd reason. I was with him right before it happened."

"N-No.." Ladybug spoke softly. Y/N raised a brow at Ladybug's broken tone.

"I mean, no! Not another akumatized citizen, whohappenstobeareallygreatguythatdoesntdeservetobeevilizedbyHawkMoth. We must save him!" Ladybug said quickly.

Y/N tilted her head, trying to rehear each word carefully in her mind. Ladybug grabbed her arm and began to pull, but Y/N resisted.

"No, wait! There's more... Cat Noir... It's a major problem." Y/N said, holding out the miraculous to show Ladybug.

"Why do you have this?!" Ladybug asked, quickly grabbing the ring. Her eyes darted back and forth from Y/N to the ring.

"I can't explain why. If I do, his identity will be revealed to you. You know I can't let that happen." Y/N responded.

"Do you know who Cat Noir is?" Ladybug asked, finally setting her eyes on Y/N's scared (e/c) ones.

"I-I don't. His kwami found me before he took off the ring. Said I had to, uh, retrieve it from a secret location..? Anyways! Cat Noir had to leave Paris and trusted me to give you the ring. Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger." Y/N lied horribly. Her voice trembled, but she kept a straight face.

Ladybug nodded, unsure if she believed Y/N's story. She looked at the ring once more before closing a fist around it. Her eyes closed and lips pursed together as she pondered an extremely difficult thought.

"Y/N, this is the miraculous of the Cat, which grants the power of destruction. You'll use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to me... Can I trust you?" Ladybug asked, holding out the ring to Y/N.

Her eyes were wider than the moon. Disbelief was written across her face. Ladybug shuffled uncomfortably, clearly not wanting to give up the miraculous, but also knowing it was her only chance to save Adrien.

"What an interesting Christmas present Ladybug." Y/N replied, the only words that could be mustered up at the moment. Ladybug pursed her lips, clearly perturbed by the situation.

"You can trust me." Y/N said finally, taking the miraculous from Ladybug's hand. She slipped on the ring and watched as a tiny black cat appeared.

"Ad- Y/N! This is not what I expected." Plagg said while scratching his head.

"No time for chitchat, small cat," Y/N said, "Plagg, claws out!"

***

Hawk Moth remained silent. Every attempt at speaking failed miserably. It was as if every single word in his dictionary was erased right off the pages.