#Mayura

[runawaycatwalker]

Part 32. Her Consideration (Midnight Rendezvous, Part B)

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Description below the cut

Ladybug sits on her chaise lounge cross-legged and with head in her hands.  Chat Noir moves to sit down beside her.

Ladybug: Can I think about this first?

Chat Noir: Of course.  You can take all the time you need.  But, since I'm here, I can lend an ear and give you my opinions.

Ladybug: I assume that you'd prefer that I find out your identity?

Chat Noir: I support whichever option you pick—even neither.  Just not both.

Ladybug: If I pick the Catwalker option, it'd be bad if Mayura ever decides to reveal you.  But I'm not so sure she would—she could have told me who you are when we talked, but she deliberately didn't.

Chat Noir: Maybe she's happy to keep my identity to herself if she thinks it gives her the advantage?

Ladybug: Maybe...

Ladybug lays back on the chaise lounge, raising her hands up towards the ceiling, while Chat sits beside her.

Ladybug: And if I picked you instead...?  I still wouldn't know how to deal with Catwalker.

Chat Noir: You might not have to.  Just let him have another chance and see what he does.

Ladybug: And if he does something terrible?  I couldn't forgive myself if he used his Cataclysm on someone else.

Chat Noir: What do you mean 'someone else'?

Ladybug: I'm pretty sure he killed his mom to stop her from finding out his identity.

Chat Noir holds up his hands in deeply disturbed protest, while Ladybug points a finger up at him.

Chat Noir: No.  That's... No.  That never happened.

Ladybug: He was alone with his mom, so you can't be sure he didn't lie to you about what he really did.

Chat Noir: He's not hiding things from me.  I'd definitely know if he was.  He has a... tell when he lies.  Not anything that anyone else could spot, but to me?  It’s extremely obvious.  And completely foolproof.

Ladybug: So if I pick Catwalker's 'truth', you'll tell me how to notice his 'tell' too?

Chat Noir: Not directly, but...

Ladybug sits up as Chat points towards her with a smile.

Chat Noir: You'd get on his wavelength, understand how he really thinks.  You'd know what lengths he would—and wouldn't—go to.  It'd be abundantly clear why I trust him despite his failings.  It'd almost be like it was before—it'd feel right again, but without any doubts.  And it would mean him knowing that he can open up his heart to you.

Ladybug: Just because he could let me know him, it doesn't mean he wants that.

Chat Noir: Everyone wants to be known—that includes him too.  And he'd be so forthcoming if he knew he didn't have to lie about everything anymore.

Ladybug rubs the back of her neck as she raises a contradictory finger.  Chat rubs his arm and looks evasive.

Ladybug: He'd tell me everything?  Because I know he hasn't told me the full truth about Adrien and doesn't want to...

Chat Noir: Ah.  That's... a bit of a touchy subject.  I know everything, but... I can’t talk about the Adrien situation without permission.

Ladybug: Catwalker's gagging you?

Chat Noir looks towards Ladybug, holding up a hand to halt her line of thinking.

Chat Noir: No!  I have Catwalker's consent to tell you anything I want about him.  This is something else.  A promise I made to someone.

Ladybug: And this 'someone' is...?

Chat Noir: I can't tell you right now.  But you definitely trust them.  I'm trying to get their permission to divulge the details to you, but... they have other priorities.  You shouldn't make knowing about Adrien the deciding factor for choosing Catwalker.

Ladybug squeezes her pillow in exasperation.  Chat Noir leans backwards in contemplation.

Ladybug: I hate this.  I hate that no matter what, there's still going to be secrets.

Chat Noir: I know.  I hate it too.  Whenever you kept me in the dark, I always felt the urge to break something, it was so frustrating.  But now that I'm on the other side, I think it's safe to say that keeping all the secrets feels just as horrible.  I desperately want to scream the truth from the rooftops, but I have to bite my tongue.  It's only because I know that you'd have wanted me to keep these secrets that I've been able to hold back.

Ladybug holds out her hands in front of her as Chat watches.

Ladybug: You make it sound like lying is harder than telling the truth.

Chat Noir: Isn't it?

Ladybug: No!  I've had to lie so much, I make up excuses without even thinking anymore!  To say nothing of all the things I'm too much of a coward to admit to anyone I care about!

Chat Noir: You're not a coward.  You're one of the bravest people I know.

Ladybug: You wouldn't think that if you knew what I've kept from you.

Chat Noir: Try me.  Not that you have to divulge everything.  But I'm happier when you let me in.  It's better than being left in the dark without even knowing the reason why.

Ladybug: You would know, wouldn't you...?

A closeup of Ladybug clenching her hands, with Chat Noir placing his hand on hers.

Ladybug: Chat, I never told you this, but... we have shared identities before.

Chat Noir: I’m guessing this was during Oblivio since I don’t remember?

Ladybug: No.  Well, maybe then too, but that's not what I'm talking about.  There have been at least two other times where we ended up finding out who the other person was.  Both times, it was so disastrous that time travel was necessary to fix it.

Chat Noir: What happened?

Ladybug: One I don’t really know.  The other… I wish I didn’t.

Chat Noir: Please tell me.

Flashback to “Chat Blanc,” after water covers all of Paris and the moon is destroyed.  Chat Blanc fights himself as he raises a Mega Cataclysm to the sky.  The destroyed form of Ladybug holds out her hand in front of her.

Ladybug (voiceover): You... you got akumatized after learning my identity.  And at the point in the timeline when I arrived…?  Chat...  There was no one left.

Cut back to Chat Noir, lost in the darkness of this revelation.

Ladybug: Chat?  Please say something.

Chat Noir: I can't tell you my identity.  If me being akumatized means I... I kill everyone...?  No one can ever learn who I am...

Ladybug embraces Chat Noir, holding him tight.

Ladybug: No!  You have it wrong, Chat!  I assumed that the problem was us sharing our identities.  That knowing too much made one of us get akumatized.  But there's another explanation.

Cut to the image of Chat Noir and Ladybug fist-bumping as civilians, wearing ‘I ♥ LB’ and ‘I ♥ CN’ t-shirts and splashes of their hero costumes.  Unbeknownst to them, Mayura is behind them, watching.

Ladybug (voiceover): In Chat Blanc's world, we must have become close as civilians.  But Mayura was watching.  She would have noticed when we acted too much like we do as Ladybug and Chat Noir.  That's what must have led to Hawkmoth ambushing you.  They targeted you while you were vulnerable, only for it all to backfire.  This time it's different.

Cut back to Ladybug holding Chat Noir’s face in her hands as tears continue to stream down his face.

Ladybug: Mayura did ambush you ...and you got away.  I can't imagine what you sacrificed to get away.  But me learning your identity can’t lead to total destruction.  Not anymore.  You already escaped that fate.  There's nothing stopping me from learning who you really are now, Chat.  So I know what I choose: It's you.

A closeup of Chat Noir’s apprehensively yearning face, Ladybug reflected in his eyes.

Chat Noir: But what about Catwalker?  You still don’t trust him.

Ladybug: This is more important.  You are more important.  You've already given me something about Catwalker I didn't have before: Your certainty.  That will have to be enough.  You always trusted me without knowing why.  Now it's my turn to trust you.  Because you need this more than I do.  To let your heart be fully known to the one person you've always wanted to share it with.  I've seen what happens when you have no one.  And maybe this way you'll still be able to have me.  I want you to feel safe knowing that I’ll always be looking out for you, no matter what side of the mask you’re on.  So please, Chat: Who are you?

Below is the same image as above, only without text:

[dragonpullse]

[drtwit]

*emerges from the trash can* you are most likely tired of seeing my user pop up on your notifications...

But here are some meme fresh out of the oven

At one point, I'm just gonna make a meme-based summary of the story just to see how crazy it all sounds without context.

[bigfatbreak]

The Charity Ball part one / part two / part three / part four

[nigmothart]

[zoe-oneesama]

Incentive to give up Magical Cosmic Power: 0

Episode 53 Part 37 First < Previous > Next Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 5 Ep 41, Ep 42, Ep 43, Ep 44 Ep 45, Ep 46, Ep 47, Ep 48, Intermission, Ep 49, Ep 50, Ep 51, Ep 52

Bonus:

(the problem with drawing myself into these as a cameo is that I NO LONGER LOOK LIKE THAT)

Ko-fi

[alexandriaellisart]

the miraculous of desire

[despicablebird]

Fanart for @bigfatbreak ‘s Dad villain AU 🙏

[sillysiluriforme]

When Nahima sees Caprikid, she is gonna have a fucking mental Breakdown

Man fuck caprikid hide her from mayura !!!

[eldritch-ace]

I too think he deserves a kwagatama

[art-the-f-up]

hear me out... what if...

(I'm tired but I'll provide more context in a reblog later)

[eightofpents]

This is why she always stands behind him.

[al-gay-tor]

Miraculous if it was peak

[rwsdarw]

gross old people

[bigfatbreak]

The Charity Ball part one / part two / part three / (you are here!)

bonus! rehauled Mayura~

I wanted. something. more dynamic to draw when she was getting thrown around-

[digitalwitchmayura]

https://x.com/koha_milkdoll/status/1898692276966330836/