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He's still shielding her. He's standing between her and Chat Blanc, arm flung in front of her defensively. Adrien is shaking like a leaf, but he's not backing down. For once, his kindness and concern for her is the last thing that Marinette wants. She wants him to run.

The words never leave her throat. Chat Blanc's eyes flick over to Adrien, and rage like she's never seen before twists his expression into something ugly. "You," Chat Blanc spits like acid. He takes a step forward and the street cracks beneath his feet, concrete splintering as rot radiates from him in waves. "How dare you pretend to protect her."

The air turns heavy. Marinette has always loved the rain, but the drizzle isn't refreshing anymore. It's muggy and oppressive and she wants to be far, far away from this place.

"Marinette, run—" Adrien starts, and is cut off.

"Keep her name out of your mouth!" Chat Blanc lunges, claws sharp, and Adrien tackles Marinette to the ground at the last second. They go skidding across the wet concrete, umbrella flying from her grasp, and although Marinette feels scraped and cut, she can't feel the pain. She can't feel anything except dread.

Adrien has barely gotten to his knees, still huddled protectively on top of her, when Chat Blanc is upon them again. He grabs Adrien by the neck, hauling him off and wringing out a choked, wet-sounding gasp that makes Marinette's stomach bottom out.

"You're pathetic," Chat Blanc hisses, holding Adrien off of the ground with ease. While Adrien kicks and squirms, clawing at the hand around his neck, Chat Blanc stands as firm as a statue and just as unyielding. His arm doesn't tremble. He simply narrows his eyes and squeezes harder. Adrien gurgles around a slick noise as blood oozes between Chat Blanc's claws, but Marinette is the one who screams.

"Stop it!" She throws herself forward, grabbing Chat Blanc's arm. He doesn't even stagger underneath her added weight. "Please, Chat! I—" Marinette grapples for anything she can say to make him stop. "If you love me, you'll let him go! Please!"

He stares at her for a moment, but his grip loosens. Adrien is still wheezing for every breath, but he's not dead, and Marinette considers that progress. She tries not to think about how strong Chat is. Tries not to think about how easily he could twist his wrist and snap Adrien's neck, or let his power turn Adrien to ash in a moment.

Marinette tries (and fails) not to think about how she's not transformed. She's not Ladybug, and she has no Lucky Charm. If Adrien dies, she won't be able to reverse it.

"Why?" Chat Blanc says, his expression accusing. "That was something I never understood. Why do you love him? Why did you turn me down for him? What does he have that I don't? I'm—" He's shaking now. Not with exertion, though. Marinette can't tell if it's rage or sorrow. She prays for the latter. "I'm everything that he never could be."

Marinette swallows. Doesn't let herself stare at Adrien. Hopes he's unconscious so that he didn't have to hear that. "I— I'm..." She lets her grip loosen and turn soft. "Please, kitty?" Marinette whispers. "Set Adrien down. We can talk once you let him go. That's what you want, isn't it? To talk?"

Chat Blanc considers it. He sends one last nasty glare at Adrien, then drops him unceremoniously. His knees buckle when his feet hit the ground and Marinette catches Adrien just before he can collapse. Carefully, Marinette lowers them to the ground, her arms around him for support. Adrien's hands immediately fly to his throat, trying to stem the bleeding. Marinette takes off her jacket with fumbling hands to press it over Adrien's neck. She doesn't let herself look too closely. If she does, she'll vomit.

"You make me sick." Chat Blanc wrinkles his nose in distaste, looking at Adrien like he's something rather unpleasant baking on a hot sidewalk. "All of those lessons never taught you anything, did they? Certainly never taught you to pay attention. You missed Ladybug, you overestimated yourself, and you certainly never noticed anything unusual about your father, did you?"

Distraught, Adrien leans against Marinette heavily for support as he looks up at Chat Blanc with tears in his eyes. "I don't know what you're—"

"Talking about? Of course you don't." Chat Blanc grins with far too many teeth. "You don't know a damn thing. It's a miracle that you ever won her heart, on either side of your mask."

Adrien pales. His mouth opens, but no words come out. He can't think of anything to say.

This time, it's Marinette who puts an arm in front of him defensively. "Leave Adrien out of this, Chat," her voice firm. "This is about you and me, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Chat Blanc cocks his head at her, looking every bit a predator. "Has it ever been about me where you're concerned, my lady?" He ignores Marinette's sharp intake of breath and continues. "Was it about me when you told Alya your secret identity? Was it about me when you brought Rena Furtive onto the team full-time behind my back? When you started making special exceptions for the identity rule, for Carapace and Rena? When you reduced me from your partner to your sidekick, and then to just another Holder? I can't even blame you." His expression crumbles. "I really am useless, aren't I?"

The worst part is that he doesn't even sound angry. Chat Blanc speaks like these are old frustrations. Too far removed for him to still feel any heat over.

And maybe they are. The last time Marinette saw him, he'd been alone long enough for the world to flood. How long had Bunnix left him alone this time?

"You didn't get akumatized because of our relationship, did you?" Marinette whispers with horrifying certainty.

Chat Blanc bursts out laughing. "My lady..." He coos, mocking. "How could I possibly be akumatized over something that we never had?" He throws his hands up in the air, laughing with delight. "I thought I was over you! You'd been pushing me away for so long, and I can take a hint! I thought that I could be happy scraping by on what was left of our friendship until you eventually decided to replace me, but the final nail in the coffin was learning that you were in love with Adrien Agreste. I had already figured you out not long after I learned about Rena Furtive. Who else could Ladybug be except for Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" He taunts. "And your crush on Adrien was the last indignity. I could have accepted anyone else. I'd already accepted that I was losing your friendship and your trust! I was already at rock bottom, and then you kicked me even lower!" He points an accusing finger at Adrien, the air crackling with his Cataclysm. "This was the person who captured your heart! This spineless worm! I couldn't take it anymore. You have no idea how humiliating it is to learn that I never even had a chance, because you fell in love with daddy's perfect little robot, just like every other girl in Paris! You're so much more shallow and vapid than I could have ever imagined, Marinette. You don't understand. He's nothing! If you peel back his skin, there will be nothing there, Marinette! No dreams, no hopes, no passion! He's everything that I've always wanted to cut out of myself! Like a tumor," Chat Blanc snarls, and Marinette draws Adrien tighter against her. "He can't even figure out that our own father is Hawk Moth!"

There's a blinding flash of white and the air burns. Marinette braces herself for Chat Blanc's Cataclysm, for the pain followed by nothingness, but it doesn't come. She's shaking, clutching Adrien against her desperately. The only sound is his muffled sobs. It takes Marinette several seconds to coax herself into opening her eyes.

Bunnix stands in front of them, wavering on her feet but very much awake. Another portal has been opened. Marinette knows that she shouldn't look, but her eyes are drawn to it unbidden.

This time, there is no moon. The sky is empty. There's no city, either. All she can see is the ocean, as blue and frigid as Chat Blanc's eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Minibug," Bunnix says, distraught. "I'll go back and make sure that he never comes here. This shouldn't have happened."

Adrien's grip tightens around her. "So... This won't have happened?" He asks. "We won't remember?"

Marinette knows that she ought to be more surprised. And she'll probably freak out later, if she remembers to. Adrien is Chat Noir. Her best friend. Her partner. The love of her life. It should be surprising.

It isn't. It feels like something she should have known. Something she has always known.

"Your father is Hawk Moth," Marinette whispers. "Your father akumatized you."

She can picture it so clearly. She can imagine Adrien losing Kagami's friendship after their breakup, being unable to be honest with Chloé, learning that Alya and Nino were superheroes who were allowed to know each other's identity... And then learning that Ladybug was Marinette. Losing his last friendship because of everything she'd hidden from him. Everything she'd done behind his back.

She can imagine Adrien going to his father for comfort. The last person he'd ever turn to, under better circumstances. Pouring his heart out, saying everything, opening up for once... And getting akumatized for his trouble.

Marinette feels numb. She's not even angry with Gabriel, not at the moment. She feels a cold sort of certainty that she's going to kill him.

"Yes." Bunnix nods, and she at least looks apologetic. "I'm sorry, but this isn't the right time."

"Then when is?" Marinette snaps, and there's that anger she was missing. Adrien is trembling in her arms, holding her like he never wants to let go, and she's so furious and appalled and so hurt on his behalf that it makes her head spin. The injustice of it all. "How many times does this need to happen to him? What do I have to do to get it right? To make all of this turn out okay?"

Bunnix shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Marinette," she says again. Then she steps through her portal and everything goes white.

The last thing that Marinette feels is Adrien's hand entwined with hers. She squeezes hard enough to hurt. As if, maybe, if she pushes their bodies together tight enough, this knowledge can cross timelines.