Venom: A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction

Marinette-Chapter 5

Three nights later, Marinette sat in her bedroom, watching the lights of Paris twinkling outside. She had replayed her conversation with Chat over and over and over again in her head, wondering if she had done the right thing by not telling him.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Tikki asked impatiently. They had been talking about it non-stop and her kwami couldn't let it go. "You know you can trust Chat Noir with your life, he saved you more than once."

Shaking her head, Marinette slipped into her pajamas and curled up under the blankets on her bed. It was hard to explain even to herself why she hadn't trusted her partner with her identity for all this time. Her original excuse had been that it was too dangerous. But time and time again, Chat Noir had proven himself trustworthy, even bringing down a whole building to save her. No, it definitely wasn't that she didn't trust him.

"You're afraid that if he knew who you really are, he'd treat you differently," Tikki said shrewdly, settling herself down in the cozy space next to Marinette's head on the pillow. "What I don't understand is why."

Marinette could hardly explain it to herself. Part of her feared that if Chat Noir knew that she was clumsy, awkward, unlucky Marinette, he wouldn't see her the same way anymore. She liked the confidence being Ladybug gave her. Being known only as her alter ego, even by Chat Noir, gave her a freedom and confidence she didn't feel as plain old Marinette.

"You're still the same person, with or without the mask," Tikki said sleepily, they had been together so long, it was as though Tikki could read Marinette's mind. "Why do you hide that part of you so much? Marinette is Ladybug, there's no difference whether you wear the mask or not. You're amazing either way."

Smiling sheepishly, Marinette ran her fingers through her hair. She hardly dared to believe her kwami's words, but it felt good to hear all the same.

"Thanks, Tikki."

Marinette closed her eyes, drifting slowly in and out of dreams before settling into a deep sleep. Her mind took her back to that horrible day nearly three years ago when Hawk Moth had made the entire city of Paris his army. Her heart raced as she was backed into a corner of a dim cathedral, Hawk Moth bearing down on her. She didn't feel brave in that moment. She felt trapped.

Suddenly, the door burst inward on its hinges and Chat Noir leaped into the room. The force of the doors flying open had extinguished the candles and the only thing Marinette could make out in the darkness was Chat's glowing green eyes.

"Let me let you in on a little secret," he snarled. "Cats are very protective of what belongs to them. And when you hurt those things, well..."

He chuckled darkly, the sound sending a chill up Marinette's spine. "It doesn't end well."

With that, he lunged, knocking Hawk Moth backward into the wall and holding him from attacking for a few moments.

"Run, m'lady!" Chat bellowed. She didn't need telling twice, sprinting for the door. She felt rather than saw Chat Noir pause behind her and raise his hands to the brick wall of the cathedral. In an instant, the whole thing collapsed inward as his cataclysm power took hold, burying Hawk Moth alive. A single akuma rising from the rubble as it fell...

The rumble of bricks filled her ears until Marinette sat bolt upright in bed, realizing that the noise wasn't just part of the dream. Throwing the covers off her legs, Marinette dashed to her window to see a darkness so complete it blotted out all light in the city, radiating outward from the Eiffel Tower.

"What is that?" she murmured, staring for a moment longer. As though in answer, the darkness exploded with hundreds of small black butterflies, their wings glowing with jagged purple stripes.

"Hawk Moth!" she gasped. "How?"

Without giving herself any more time to consider it, she shrieked, "Tikki! Spots on!"

As soon as the transformation was complete, Marinette dove from her window, swinging herself to the nearest rooftop and then continuing toward the danger.

"Glad you could make it," Chat Noir chuckled as he caught up with her on the roof of the Louvre. "This will be just like old times."

Marinette rolled her eyes as the huge glass pyramid in the middle of the Louvre plaza shattered. "Does that look like old times to you? Hawk Moth only showed himself once before and we both almost died. Why is this happening now?"

"I don't know," Chat shrugged, his face uncharacteristically serious. "Come on, let's go see if we can get him to let the cat out of the bag."

Marinette didn't even bother dignifying his joke with a comment as they leaped toward the Eiffel Tower. But as they drew closer, the storm of dark butterflies vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Okay, I know we've seen some pretty weird things over the years," Chat began slowly. "But that..."

"Was way weirder than usual," Marinette finished his sentence for him. "What do you think that was about?"

Chat just shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine, m'lady. But we have to be on our guard from now on. Hawk Moth is back and if what happened last time was any indication, we're in for a fight."

Marinette nodded, swallowing hard. "We should search for clues here at the Eiffel Tower. We have to start somewhere."

Chat nodded, leaping down into the Louvre plaza as Marinette followed his lead. They crossed to the Eiffel Tower, but there was no sign that the phantom storm had ever been there.

"Why did it smash the Louvre Pyramid but nothing else?" Marinette asked, staring around at the eerily silent square. The whole situation made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was very wrong.

Chat's shrewd gaze landed on her and he lifted a shoulder. "I don't know. But since it was the only thing that was destroyed, I bet we'll find a clue to what's going on there."

Nodding, Marinette pulled out her yo-yo again. "Let's go check it out."