* Ladybug's nightmare when Sandboy hits her is not her losing her powers, its something else [you'll see ;)]
* I put the day and times so you know if it's the same day when I'm talking about other characters. (I know this doesn't make sense but .....)
*Y/nn means your nickname
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"Thy fate is the common fate of all; Into each life some rain must fall." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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8:00 am Monday -
Adrien was worried. No wait, that was an understatement. He was utterly anxious and distressed. He hadn't slept for days although his body begged him to rest, and his mindset was all over the place, the endless thoughts he had at night about her didn't help. No amount of makeup could be close to covering the dark circles under his eyes. Adrien was somehow (by some miracle) on top of all his schoolwork, modelling, fencing, Chinese and piano lessons but the usual warmth in his eyes was nothing but empty voids.
~~~
"Plagg," Adrien called out to his little friend while packing his school bag and making his way out the door, not before addressing his father's cold glare. "Do you know what's wrong with Ladybug? I mean she was pretty out of it when Sandboy attacked then disappeared for a while and I just -"
"Woah, calm down buddy. I'm sure she's fine. I mean the two of you plus the others defeated all the villains on Heroes Day. She's fine." Plagg replies back to Adrien, expecting nothing less of the behaviour he's been having. The kid never seemed to stop worrying about the bug even after the countless rejections he's been getting from her lately.
"She looked so terrified though. I saw it in her eyes. I just can't believe she thinks that one day everyone will hate her because she let Paris down. She's Ladybug, nobody could." Adrien sighs and runs a hand through his blonde locks. It cut deep when he saw the look on her face, and even deeper at the fact that she thought poorly of herself. You couldn't blame him though; he loves her with all his heart to the point where he would do anything for her.
During Sandboy:
Dodging the multiple attacks from Sandboy, Cat Noir looks to his partner who was calling out her superpower.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yells, which distracts her enough for Sandboy to hit her with a blast.
"Nooo! My Lady" Cat Noir glares at the villain, attacking him full on to the point Sandboy decides to cause mayhem somewhere else, despite Hawkmoth's pleas.
Cat Noir glides across the rooftops to find her hugging her knees as she buries her face into her hands, surrounded by a crowd all yelling at her. His heart completely drops at what they say to her; "Your not worthy of this" "Why aren't you good enough" "Hurry up and defeat the villain" "She's not ladybug, she's a loser" "Who even chose you for this job, they made a mistake"
'Is this her nightmare, letting everyone down?' He thinks to himself, pushing past the hundreds of people screaming insults. He knelt down next to her and gently touched her arm. Ladybug flinches.
"Go Away" Before Cat Noir tries to get a word in she screams again. "GO, I can handle this. Find the Akuma."
He leaves, his eyes searching her tear-streaked face one more time before jumping into the night.
Shaking the rampant thoughts out of his head he thanks Natalie and his bodyguard, stepping out of the limousine. He heads to where his best friend was waiting for him, greeting him.
"Not gonna lie dude, you look bad" Nino exclaims, punching his friend's shoulder jokingly.
"Haha, Thanks a lot dude" Adrien replies, faking his excitement, hoping to keep Nino off of his back as to why he was so out of it today
[][][][][]
8:07 am Monday -
Marinette woke up to the sound of her own heartbeat escalating. Thump. Thump. Thump. She had sweat dripping off her body and her raven hair was plastered to her forehead. She sighs. It was just a nightmare. Tikki hovers over her, a concerned expression taking over her features.
"Marinette, are you ok?" Tikki asks gently. She knew about the nightmares but it didn't put her mind at ease knowing her owner was constantly screaming out in the middle of the night.
"No" Marinette mumbles quietly. It was the worst one of them all.
Ladybug was standing on the Eiffel tower watching as the whole of Paris burned down in flames. She turned to her side to see her trusted partner, Cat Noir clutching his arm in pain. He had a look of disappointment and had tears running down his cheeks.
"How could you do this?" He mumbles, but realisation strikes him and he yells the next time. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS. It's your fault"
"I know but I can fix it. Please Cat" She replies to him. She hated seeing him this way.
"NO. You can't." He turns around and walks away, never to return again.
"Tikki, I can't do this" Marinette says after what felt like an eternity.
"What do you mean. You're an amazing Ladybug, I mean Hero's day." Tikki is left flabbergasted at what her owner just said.
"I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE TIKKI! Being Ladybug. There's too much pressure. I hate lying to my parents, Alya, Nino, Adrien and Luka. I hate how teachers give me detention because I'm late even though I'm out saving Paris. I JUST HATE IT." Marinette screams but feels the weight on her shoulder drop dead to the floor. She locks eyes on to Tikki's unreadable expression.
"Okay then. I get it, Marinette. I know it's a lot of pressure. You can return your miraculous to Master Fu and he can handle things." Tikki says solemnly. She would miss her very much but knew that she couldn't force her to keep the ladybug earrings. It was her choice. "But you should tell Cat Noir. He deserves to know"
"I can't Tikki. It would hurt too much seeing his face, knowing that I let him down. But please tell Master Fu to tell him I'm sorry." The bluenette looks down. She knew it would hurt him just as much as it hurt her, but she couldn't face him after the way she broke down during Sandboy. Tikki disagrees with the girl but nods nonetheless.
"Thanks, Tikki" Marinette smiles at her softly. "I'm going to miss you a lot"
"Me too Marinette, me too"
[][][][][]
4:45 pm Monday -
After escaping your mom's chain of pressing questions you climb up the stairs to your new room, which had boxes yet to be cleaned out. The apartment your mother bought was pretty small as it was just the two of you. Your room was a cleared out attic that had windows and a balcony.
It was your first day in a new school not to mention a new country and already your backpack was full of homework to complete. Groaning you flop onto your bed before catching sight of a box on your bedside table.
"What's this? You mumble to yourself, reaching towards it. The box was black that had red intricate designs written across it, and it was shaped into an octagon.
This better not be some kind of bomb or device to kill me.
"Hey mom, Did you get me a black box thing with red stuff on it." You say to your mother, still unsure of what it could be. You hear a faint 'no' coming from her which didn't put your mind at ease.
Okay so this magic box thing is in my room, I have no idea how though and mom doesn't know about it. I don't want to open it for all we know it could be some sort of trap. Yeah right, Y/n, a trap. Shut up, it could be.
Hesitantly, you open the clutch before throwing the hexagon case across the room and onto the floor. Breathing a sigh of relief that it was definitely not a bomb, you walk over to it before covering your eyes at the sudden flash of pink light.
I don't want to look. I don't want to look. I don't want to look.
You slowly drop your arms from your face, locking eyes with a red bug thing. A scream erupts from your mouth.
What the heck is that, an alien of some sort???????
"ARGHHHH OMG OMG Oh My-" The thing covers your mouth and starts talking. You stare with wide eyes at the bug (that you learnt had a name which was Tikki) attempting to calm you down.
"Calm down Y/n, calm down. It's ok I won't hurt you" Tikki says with a smile. You nod still creeped out at the fact that a giant bug (that can fly came out of that hexagon box) and said your name. You give her the thumbs up to keep going because you didn't know how to react.
"Ok so I'm Tikki and I'm a Kwami. I don't know how to put this but basically, I make you a superhero." The red Kwami says, trying to find the words.
"Wait like Ladybug and Cat Noir?" You ask her and she replies with a small nod, her antennas shaking to the gesture.
"You're the new Ladybug," Tikki says, giggling at the awestruck expression making its way onto your face.
"Oh My Gosh. I'm Ladybug. I'M LADYBUG. WOW. Wait what happened to the other Ladybug."
"She told me she was too overwhelmed." Tikki looks to the ground, a frown on her face. You could tell the previous Ladybug meant a lot to her. "Anyways let me tell you about the things you need to know"
"This is so COOL!" You screech and jump into the air.
"Y/n! Why are you yelling" Your mother calls from downstairs.
"Oh mom, you'll never believe it. I'm gonna be the next-" You turn towards Tikki noticing her change of mood. She shakes her head violently and mouths 'you can't tell her' "uh I'm gonna be the next Usain Bolt because I heard carrots help you see in the dark?"
"Uh Okay, but I'm not sure about the 'carrots can make you run faster' jig-"
"Hahaha. Well, we're all not geniuses here" You say sarcastically.
You face Tikki who was uncontrollably laughing.
"Usain Bolt, seriously," The Kwami says, still trying to suppress her giggles.
"Shut up" You chuckle, nudging her a bit.
[][][][][]
"Be back by 9:00 missy" Your mom yells from the door, giving you a playful yet serious look in the eye.
"Got it, ma'am" You smile, saluting at her before walking away. Your mother asked you to go buy some groceries from the local grocery store across the street, much to your displeasure, but then again it would be a great way for you to become familiar with the streets.
"Oh and don't forget this, I heard it was going to rain" Your mother smirks, handing you your multi-coloured umbrella.
"Thanks, mom, later." Kissing her cheek you wave goodbye before walking along the streets of Paris, and what do you know it started to rain.
"Hey so Tikki do you want anything from the grocery store, I mean do you eat?" You ask your little bug friend who was hiding in your coat pocket.
"Yes! I love sweet things. Cookies and Macarons are my favourite" Tikki replies peeking her head out of your pocket, her mouth-watering at the mentions of sweets.
"Ok Tikki, but control that sweet tooth of yours, don't want you to get a toothache now would we?" You giggle at Tikki's adorableness. She was just too cute.
[][][][][]
"Thank you so much, Have a good day" You reply to the cashier, grabbing your bags from the counter.
"You too" He smiles before handling the next customer.
"So Tikki, how old are you, exactly?" You ask her, stepping under the coverage of your umbrella. The rain pleated against it creating a rhythm that calmed your senses.
"Super old. I've watched over every single Ladybug to this day" She replied in her usually squeaky voice, a proud look crossing her face.
Wow. That is old. I bet she's seen amazing Ladybugs. How am I supposed to beat that?
"Tikki, why did I get chosen. I mean there are a lot of people living in Paris not to mention the fact that I am new" You ask, looking down at your sneakers, kicking the rain on the pavement. You didn't understand how someone could've possibly picked you. You weren't really a saint, even if you tried.
"Y/n, don't underestimate yourself. You were chosen because you have a good heart, that wants to do the right thing. You're a strong-willed, courageous person who always strives to do her best. You were chosen for a reason" Tikki smiles at you encouragingly. If she believed in you, maybe you could believe in yourself too.
"Thanks, Tikki. I needed that" You hug her cheek, grateful for her support. It meant the world to you that someone out there thought you were worthy of being Ladybug.
"No problem Y/nn. I'll always be here for you." Tikki giggles. She had a feeling that you would be an amazing Ladybug. She knew about your father's death and it made her proud that you could still be strong for him.
~~~
The two of you walked in silence the rest of the way home, stopping to sightsee every now and again. There was something about walking in the rain that warmed your heart. 'The rain holds everything together,'' your dad once said.
Little Y/n ran to the window pressing her face against the glass.
"Look daddy, it's raining" She exclaimed intrigued by the tiny droplets of rain decorating the window sill.
"Yes sweetheart, it's beautiful isn't it," Her dad says, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Come on daddy, let's go jump in the puddles" The little girl doesn't wait for an answer, pulling her father who was chuckling at his daughter's behaviour.
"Whoo-hoo, look daddy I'm dancing in the rain" She twirled in the rain, leapt and jumped all while looking up at the sky painted lavender. She grabs her father's hands and they spin together until their heads throb and they're too dizzy to see straight.
"You know angel, without the rain, none of these trees could grow, not even 'greeney'" He points to his daughters favourite tree amidst the other tall luscious shrubs.
"Wow, even greeney," The little girl asks looking at the tree in the middle, its leaves a little greener than the rest. He nods and smiles.
"The rain nourishes life and refills the rivers and lakes for animals. It balances everything out."
The daughter and father sit in each other's company, their clothes damp and their hair stuck to their foreheads.
"The rain holds everything together. It always will and nothing will change that"
You feel a tear escape your eye at the memory. Your dad loved the rain and you were lucky that he shared that moment with you.
"Y/n are you okay your crying," Tikki asks, concerned for her new owner.
You laugh. "I'm fine Tikki, just remembered a time in my life when dad was with me, that's all"
The red creature smiles at you, not speaking. She understood you well even with only knowing each other for a day.
I'm so lucky to have her.
Your thoughts were interrupted when you physically collided with something wet.
Someone.
"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and I-" You grocery bags were sprawled on the ground. You kneel down to pick them up before knocking heads with the person you bumped into. They mumble a small 'ouch' and you feel your heart skip a beat.
Him. It can't be, can it?.
You lock eyes with a pair of gorgeous green eyes.
Adrien.
"Adrien. I'm so sorry. I guess I was thinking too hard and then I-" He chuckles softly at your rambling. You noticed that his clothes were soaked all the way through defining his sculpted body. Stop looking Y/n! His golden hair was wet, plastered against his forehead and his eyes were tired looking.
"It's no problem at all. To be fair I was also thinking hard" He replies after his laughter died down. His laughter was hollow though. Empty. He continues "So what are you up?"
"Oh um my mom asked me to go out and restock the fridge, yeah, but I could ask you the same question. I mean you're out about with no umbrella and soaking wet" You tease him slightly, giggling at his flushed face.
"I just needed to think you know" He sighs and looks down to his orange converse.
"Well if you want, you can talk to me" You say.
"Yeah that would be nice Y/n" He smiles warmly. He was one of those people who smiled with their eyes. It made you feel fuzzy and the fact that he remembered your name made your heart beat escalate.
The two of you walked side by side under the umbrella, stopping at a bench that had a roof over it. You and Adrien sit down in silence for the first few minutes before he breaks it.
"Do you sometimes feel like you put your whole life on the line for someone but get nothing in return." You nod, he continues.
"I have this friend and she worries me. I want her to open up but I don't know how. It just hurts you know" You're suddenly overcome with jealousy at the mention of someone else.
Stop, there's no reason to be jealous. Why are you jealous? You're not even dating. He's a model for god's sake.
......
He really cares about her. That's sweet, I guess.
You decide to talk. "She will come to you. Trust me, sometimes people just need a little time on their own to think things through"
"You make it sound easy" Adrien laughs, throwing his head back, and the fuzzy feeling warms your heart again. "So you're gonna tell me about the backstory of your umbrella" He says after his laughter dies down.
You smile sadly. "It's rainbow because it reminds me of my dad. He umm passed away not too long ago." His eyes widen and his mouth parts as if you say 'sorry' but you talk before he has the chance. "He was always one of those people who cherished everything. Always laughing and smiling about things even when he made a mistake. That's one of the reasons why I love him so much" You feel a tear escape your eye and Adrien gently brushes it off with his thumb.
"He would be so proud of you, Y/n. I know it." He says gingerly, looking straight into your eyes.
"Thank you Adrien" You smile at him.
~~~
The two of you sat, basking in each other's company while watching the rain fall.
The rain holds everything together. It always will and nothing will change that.
........
Ok so this was totally not long at all. *awkward laugh*
I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter even if it is confusing with the times. And I was going to write something about you transforming for the first time but the chapter slowly grew. Don't worry it will be in the next chapter (fingers crossed).
Anyways, Thank you so much for checking out this book, even reading this. It means the world to me that someone out there smiled because of it.
Until next time.
destin_entrelace
<3