That Day

10 - No more evildoing to you...

Gabriel lay in a twisted position. Three kwamis were flying over his body: Tikki, Plagg and a violet kwami that Marinette hadn't known yet. Tikki immediately flew to Marinette and cuddled up to her cheek. The new kwami appeared at the other cheek. The girl guessed this little creature must be related to the Butterfly miraculous.

"Thank you." Nooroo whispered.

"You're welcome. But you should thank Adrien. I haven't done anything. He fixed it. I think... I'm not sure... I really don't understand what happened here."

"Gabriel combined miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir. And then he made a wish that Adrien's mom would come back."

"Well, I've figured out it by myself." Marinette replied. "But... why did it happen that happened? I mean... Adrien was to be a price..."

Tikki giggled. In the current situation it was very inappropriate. Marinette looked at her in disapproval, frowning.

"Oh, Marinette. Don't you get it?" Tikki asked.

"Explain, please." Adrien joined in the conversation, embracing Marinette in the waist.

Meanwhile his mother knelt next to his father's body. She touched Gabriel's face uncertainly, as if she expected him to wake up and get up. But Gabriel didn't move, and Emilie burst into tears.

"Your father asked for bringing your mother back, Adrien." Tikki explained. "He accidentally chose himself as the price of his wish. If he asked for return of his beloved person, he would probably lose another person he loved the most, that means you. But he unintentionally placed you as the point of reference, as the centre of the balance."

"Oh..." it was everything that Adrien could say as a comment.

"So, you'll still miss one of your parents." Marinette suddenly understood. "But... Why? Why did he mistake so much?"

"Do you blame him?" Adrien asked glancing at her. Marinette smiled with that half-smile that he had called too cute some time ago. Now it was perfectly cute.

"I'm not sure yet." She answered back. "I want to understand."

"I don't know all the answers." Tikki said. "I can only guess... I suppose he was suggested by the talk with you before he made a wish. Maybe he still remembered how he had tried to convince you to make a wish insted and just slipped out the same wish you would literally say? We'll never know..."

"I don't understand anything of what you're saying." Adrien's mom whispered, getting up.

"We'll explain you everything, mom. One thing at the time." Adrien promised.

"But maybe not here, OK?" Marinette suggested shyly.

Adrien hugged her closer and smiled.

"Before we go. Mom, I'd like to introduce someone to you."

"Adrien, no! It's not a good time for that..." Marinette muttered, reluctantly letting him guide herself to his mother.

"Mom, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my girlfriend. And this is... my mom." He whispered solemnly, looking at his mother with happy eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Marinette." Emilie shook Marinette's hand. "I'm very happy that my son has found someone who he cares about and who cares about him."

Marinette smiled embarrassed. How to explain Emilie Agreste that half an hour ago, she had had no idea that she was someone special to her son? Or rather, she didn't have the certainty...

"You'll pay for that!" Marinette whispered to Adrien after a while, as they headed for the exit.

"I assumed that if we're going to have a serious talk with my mom, that would be better to introduce my girlfriend to her." Adrien answered with Cat Noir's grin.

"I don't remember when we've decided that I'm your girlfriend."

"We had no time for this. I was busy with dying."

"But you haven't died."

"You're disappointed?"

"I'll leave this stupid question without an answer."

"I love you, Marinette." He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "You're adorable when you're irritating. You're irritating very Ladybug-like."

"Because you're irritating me very Cat-Noir-like." She replied, but it was obvious she melted after what he had just said.

"Get used to it. This Cat is a part of me."

"Yeah, I know that." She sighed.

"You'll get used to it. You have the whole future for that."

"The whole future? You're going to take my whole future?"

"No, Marinette. I'm going to give you mine." He smiled and kissed her.

And this time he knew it wasn't their last kiss. And he knew that now, when he had found this wonderful girl, when he discovered his feelings for her, he would never let her go.

Suddenly their kiss was interrupted by Tikki:

"Marinette, miraculous!"

The girl immediately turned back and took the earrings and the ring from the floor.

"Nooroo is also coming with us." Tikki reminded her, but Marinette hesitated.

"I'll do it." Emilie Agreste said. She approached her husband's body and took a butterfly brooch.

"No more evildoing to you..." Marinette whispered a part of the spell she used to catch Hawkmoth's akumas with.

And then they left the Hawkmoth's lair. For ever.