#dusky draws

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Tim had known that that this could happen.

Marinette had gone over all of her contingencies with him, and giving up her position as Guardian of the Miraculous had been the last worst case scenario for every plan she had. It usually was, whenever they went up against a competent villain who was set on stealing them.

He still wasn’t quite prepared for it to actually happen.

Marinette had fallen unconscious after passing the box on, and Tim had quickly taken the rogue magic user down while they recovered from the shock of having lost their chance at ultimate power.

Tim still had the Ladybug Miraculous; not his usual, but after Marinette had been hit with a curse to stop her from using it someone had had to take over. He tossed out the cure, wishing that it would help Marinette but knowing it wouldn’t, and then he dropped his transformation to wait for her to wake.

It didn’t take long for her to stir, though the look of absolute confusion on her face hit him like a physical blow. She didn’t remember him. He’d known she wouldn’t, but somehow he'd still hoped that she would look at him and some part of her would have known how much she loved him. There was no spark of recognition as he reached out to cup her face, even though the muscle memory to lean into his touch remained.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly.

"Who...who are you?" Marinette asked, and for a moment the grief overwhelmed him. Marinette was alive, she was right here in front of him, but the woman he loved was gone. It wasn’t just him she would have forgotten, it would be everything that had made her who she was.

Marinette was still watching him with wide eyes, her confusion giving way to concern as he lost the battle to hold back tears. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, Marinette," Tim answered, a smile fighting its way onto his face. Even without her memories, Marinette was still unfalteringly kind. He reached for her left hand, running a finger over her engagement ring. "I'm Tim. I'm your finance."

"I don't remember you," Marinette said, looking guiltily at the ring. He'd had her ring engraved, so he could have proven that he'd given it to her, but there wasn't a trace of disbelief in her face. It made him wonder if maybe, just maybe, Marinette wasn't quite entirely lost to him after all.

"That's okay," Tim said. "I'll remind you as often as you need me to."

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And here's the art/mini comic I drew to go with it!