Forever Mine

A/N: Geez, I don't even want to know how long it's been since my last update on this story over on fanfiction.net! But I know it's been over a year! Again! Sheesh! I know that I just started sharing this story here on Wattpad last month, but still! 

However, working with my partner on my other Miraculous story on the same site for the past several months, along with how Season 5 has been taking me on a totally crazy roller coaster ride of the feels, I thought it was finally time to add more.

Just a quick heads-up in case some people might have forgotten: this story diverges from the beginning of Season 3. So I like to think that the first two or three episodes of the show had already happened. Everything after that, nope, they didn't happen. Well, maybe some of them might, but not in the way you might think.

This is my first time writing an original Akuma villain, so I hope I did good. Things eventually will start to get intense. Curious? Well, let's get on with Chapter 3 and find out what I mean! Roll it!

Chapter 3

A Desperate Decision

It had already been a few months; four months, two weeks and five days if one of them were counting the days, since Ladybug and Cat Noir got together. How the time flies when you're hopelessly in love. Especially with your best friend and most trusted partner.

It was starting to become a little harder for them to keep their relationship a secret from the public eye with all of the lingering glances and touches. But in the end, it was worth it when they would have those special times after patrol to have some more personal time together, which was spent either with a romantic candlelight picnic or with stolen, searing kisses.

It was also getting harder for them to hide their euphoria when as civilians, even if they didn't know it. Alya was still pretty convinced that there was a new mysterious man in her bestie's life, and she would often hog Marinette about who he was, making the poor French-Chinese girl both flustered and annoyed as she tried to get the observative but nosy reporter off her back. And as much as Adrien was glad that Nino wouldn't press him to tell more about his mysterious secret girlfriend, he still felt sorry for Marinette as she tried to politely tell her best friend to butt out of her love life.

He was happy that Marinette might have someone special, and he had to admit, he was starting to get a little curious himself about who supposedly the new man in her life is; he would like to meet him one day and see if he is worthy of having the heart of one of his best and closest friends. But he respected her decision to keep most of the details to herself, and there was only so much he could do to stop Alya from pestering her further.

Nino wasn't very much help either, because he didn't want to get on his girlfriend's bad side for stopping her from getting a juicy tidbit of gossip. The last time he did that, she didn't give him any sort of affection for a week. Afterwards, when she forgave him, Nino kissed her like a man starved. Adrien could at least see that Marinette was very grateful for his attempts of diverting Alya, even if later, she would try again.

Luckily for the secret couple, despite Alya's almost constant and persistent nosiness, things still appeared to be pretty much the same. Life went on even better for both secret lovers, and it quickly went into a comfortable and wonderful routine. Before or after their patrol, when there were no akumatized villains or the occasional public emergency, they would find a quiet spot on a secluded rooftop, away from the public eye; and share a batch of sweet, tasty-looking pastries that Ladybug would often bring for them to share.

Cat Noir would even sometimes bring some little scented candles while Ladybug would bring some real food to share for a dinner for two, creating a brief romantic atmosphere for them. The red and black spotted heroine noticed that poor Cat often came to patrol hungry, and that really ticked her off knowing that her boyfriend often came to patrol hungry. It took a lot of goading to get him to share details without revealing identities.

Judging from what kind of info she could pry out of him without actually prying, he actually came from a very privileged family, which had a fearsome reputation. Due to their family's fame, he had to uphold a so-called "perfect" image in everything, especially appearance. Unfortunately, looking "perfect" all the time had its disadvantages, especially since the parents; well, father in this case since he had said that his mother had passed away some years ago, had no idea that their son is also a superhero fighting against super villains at least five times a month. So she was more than happy to feed him more satisfying meals and watch him eat them and any sweet snacks with gusto. It was one such nice night during their little date night before their usual patrol that everything would change.

***************

Cat Noir had put out a few vanilla and lavender scented candles around the area, along with a small bouquet of red roses for Ladybug. She took the flowers from him with a smile, lightly kissing the corner of his lips before putting the flowers aside and getting the food ready. This time, she had brought some Chinese dumplings and noodles, with a thermos of warm herbal tea to share. They were leftovers from her dinner the other night, reheated, while the tea had been brewing for an hour.

As the two superheroes ate and drank in comfortable silence, Ladybug resting her head against Cat Noir's shoulder, their thoughts went off to thinking about how they got to their current position. They both had certainly been through a lot in the past four years. They were then only inexperienced, rash teenagers that had such a big responsibility thrown onto their shoulders.

Now, they were nearing adulthood, almost done with high school, with their graduation coming up in only another month, and they had reached a new level in their abilities. They still haven't figured out how to never detransform again, as well as using their powers more than once when Tikki and Plagg had mentioned that they should be able to any day, when their powers would evolve. But they just supposed that they wouldn't reach that level until they reach actual adulthood, which would be in another three years when they both turned twenty-one.

"I still hope that this isn't a dream." Cat Noir said, holding Ladybug close to him.

The red and black-spotted heroine giggled. "You've been saying that since we got together, Chaton." She said. "You're not dreaming. This is definitely real."

Cat chuckled. "I know." He replied. "But I guess... there's always this feeling of doubt in the back of my head. Like all of this is just an amazing dream, and that one day, I'll wake up and learn that none of this was ever real."

Ladybug lightly bit her lip. She understood the feeling, and she really felt for her catty boyfriend. He had been the one who was in love with her for much longer, and she only kept turning him down because of her being so hung up on Adrien. If she was being honest, by the time she figured out that she had fallen for him, the superheroine was afraid that he had already moved on from her because of her constant rejections. But after learning that she hadn't lost him, she wasn't going to let him go ever again. Not one more day would go by that he would feel lonely because of her. She still doesn't know a lot of details about his personal life, but she did know that she doesn't have power over that aspect of his life to really do anything about that. At least not yet.

She gently took his hand, looking up at him. "Don't worry, Cat." She said to him. "This isn't a dream. This is definitely reality. But I get what you mean. I sometimes feel the same way, like this is all in my head that will vanish the moment I blink. For a while, before I confessed to you, I thought that I was too late, and that you moved on."

Cat Noir gently rubbed the top of her head with his thumb. "I'll be honest with you, My Lady." He said. "For a little while, I was somewhat seriously considering asking out this one girl I know if you still didn't want me. She is a really good friend to me, and I always felt somewhat of a soft spot for her, ever since I met her. In fact, she reminds me of you a lot. She's creative, smart, brave, kind and very pretty. However, I wasn't ever really sure how I felt about her, since she is a little shy, especially around me; although not so much anymore. But now that I have your love, I don't have to feel so torn anymore. I'm whole now."

Ladybug blinked, surprised at this little fact. "And your friend?" She cautiously asked, feeling a strange mixture of jealousy, relief and curiosity.

"She might be seeing someone else right now, but she doesn't feel ready to talk about it with our little group of friends." Cat continued. "Her best friend keeps hounding her for who he is, and there's only so much that the rest of us can do to stop it. But overall, if she's happy, then I'm happy. I guess it all worked out in the end."

Ladybug giggled. "Oh, I know what that's like." She replied. "My friend keeps asking me who my mystery boyfriend is, and it's really getting on my nerves. It's moments like this that I wish I could just transform and bring you over to her so that she can stop bugging me."

Cat raised a smug brow. "Was that a pun, Bugaboo?" He asked.

Ladybug just rolled her eyes. "Off-topic, Cat." She reminded him before continuing. "The point is, it's coming up to the point that I would wish that I really do know who you are. What it's like going out on real dates, showing that we are together. But I know that we can't yet. Not until Hawk Moth is defeated."

Cat Noir smiled at her gently before interlocking their fingers together and lifting up their conjoined hands to place a loving light kiss on the back of Ladybug's hand. "I know, My Lady." He said. "I want that too. But we both know it's not yet our time."

There was a heavy pause in the air between them as they both recalled the possible consequences of Hawk Moth finding out their identities because he used the other as a trap if he ever knew that they were in love. But then, the weight was lifted when Cat gave his spotted sweetheart a loving grin.

"But it's nice to know that we do want the same things in the future." He added, making Ladybug giggle as she looked up at him from a more comfortable angle, slightly moving her body away from his.

"If you don't know that by now, then..." She started to say, but then trailed off as she once again fell into the emerald depths of her boyfriend's cat-like eyes. She wasn't sure who started to lean in first, but she certainly wasn't complaining as their faces slowly got closer and closer, her eyes fluttering closed, her lips beginning to-

ROOOOAAAAAR!

The moment was ruined when the heroes suddenly heard an unearthly roar of rage. "You have GOT to be kidding me." Ladybug muttered.

"No argument there." Cat Noir added bitterly.

They quickly put their little picnic away, leaving behind no trace of anyone having a rooftop date, and then headed towards the sounds of something causing mass destruction and people running for their lives. The closer they got to the general vicinity, they started to notice something.

"What is that?" Ladybug asked, looking down to the streets below and seeing that there was something lightly coating across it.

Cat Noir took some careful sniffs in the air before immediately recoiling back. "Water." He muttered with disdain. "And it smells like it came from the Seine. Yuck. The river seriously needs some purification."

"Are you gonna be alright?" Ladybug asked her catty secret boyfriend.

"I'll be fine." Cat Noir assured her. "But I am not looking forward to most likely getting walloped by whatever Akuma is causing this. They must have water powers, and it will be tricky to swim for long periods without air."

"You don't have any aqua power-up?" Ladybug asked.

"I used the last one during our last battle with Syren a couple of weeks ago." Cat Noir explained. "And I haven't gotten any new ones from Master Fu yet."

"I don't have any more aqua power-ups either." Ladybug said. "Master Fu is out of one of the ingredients he needs for the potion, and he is still waiting on that order for more."

"Great." Cat Noir grumbled.

Finally, they saw where the source of trouble was. In the middle of the flooded street was someone that looked more like a humanoid sea monster. Her skin, and even her hair, were purple or lavender scales, her clothes were made out of kelp and seaweed, the white lab coat flattering around her figure being the one piece of actual clothing on her, and her hands and bare feet had claws on her digits and webbing in between them. Her sharp acid green eyes took on a reptilian appearance, and in her hands was a harpoon made out of sharp, colorful coral.

"Ladybug! Cat Noir!" The being screeched, waving her harpoon in the air. "Give me your Miraculouses, or I'll send all of Paris to the bottom of the Seine! Then everyone will see that we need to spend extra effort in keeping our river clean!"

"Eh, not that we don't agree with you, the water is filthy," Cat Noir piped in, making his and Ladybug's presence known to the Akuma, "but maybe there are better ways to inform people on conservation?"

"Ladybug and Cat Noir!" The Akuma hissed when she saw the two heroes. "It's nice that someone was actually listening to me for once! The only other one who did was Hawk Moth! Maybe once I give your Miraculouses to him, he will help do something to stop our river's pollution!"

She pointed her harpoon at them, and an icy stream of water came bursting out of the Seine, towards the heroes. They both dodged her attempt, both of them landing on different roofs.

"Hawk Moth won't keep his promise!" Ladybug tried to convince her to listen to them. "Once you give him what he wants, he'll take away what he gave you."

"Silence!" The Akuma barked, aiming her harpoon at Ladybug. The tower of water then was aimed at her, but Ladybug dodged it.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir extended his baton to become a staff, and he charged forward. The Akuma then saw him coming towards her, and she retracted the tower of water to meet him with her harpoon. They both swung, stabbed and blocked attempts in a fierce duel.

The black cat superhero was scanning the profile of the supervillain, wondering where the object her Akuma could be in. Finally, he spotted a little pin on the remains of her lab coat. It was a pretty thing, silvery and encrusted with a pearl in the center. The pearl itself was black. That had to be it.

Cat Noir made a reach for it the next time the two of them were in a stalemate, but the Akuma quickly pushed him back. "Looks like you're smarter than you look, kitty cat." She taunted him. "But that alone won't help you against me, the Lady of the Seine!"

She aimed her harpoon at him, sending a blast of water from the Seine towards him. Cat Noir managed to leap out of the way and onto a lamppost before heading back up to the roofs. There, he met up with Ladybug again.

"My Lady, I saw a pin on her lab coat." He reported.

"I bet the Akuma's in that." Ladybug theorized.

"My thoughts exactly." Cat agreed. "The only problem is how do we get close enough."

Ladybug then heard something quietly roaring, like the sounds of water crashing onto the shore at the beach. She peered to the side and saw what was making the noise.

"Um, I think we might have another problem." She said nervously.

"Now what?" Cat Noir wondered as he joined his secret girlfriend to look down below. His green cat eyes then widened. "Oh, great." He muttered.

They saw the Lady of the Seine waving her harpoon on the ground, which was starting to get the street flooded as the waters of the Seine river rose. They were rising so much that even the manhole covers on the street were lifted up by all of the water and floating away.

"I guess the more she uses her powers, the more the Seine overfloods." Ladybug said. "If we can't stop her, the whole city will soon be washed away."

"We need to get everyone to high ground." Cat Noir said. "That way, no one gets caught in the crossfire."

"You seem to be able to keep her on her toes." Ladybug said. "Mind buying me a little time?"

"I'll try my very best, My Lady." Cat Noir replied with a smile. He snuck a quick kiss to Ladybug's cheek before heading back down.

"Hey, Miss Scaly!" He taunted the Akuma, getting her attention. "How about a rematch?"

"Aren't cats afraid of water?" The villainess said with a cocky smirk, getting her harpoon out.

"Not this cat." Cat Noir answered with a coy smirk, hoping that she didn't catch his bluff. In all honesty, he really hoped that she wouldn't try to dunk him into the Seine to prove his "statement".

***************

As the two of them clashed, Ladybug began to help civilians reach higher ground. Following her example, more and more people started to do the same until everyone on the entire block had evacuated the streets. As the news of the Akuma spread, more civilians got to higher ground.

Once she was sure that all of the people were safe, Ladybug hurried back over to her partner, who seemed to now begin to struggle in his intense duel with the Lady of the Seine. By now, the freezing water had reached up to their calves.

She threw her yo-yo over at the villain and it tied itself around the harpoon. The Lady of the Seine growled when she saw the red and black-spotted weapon and just swung her coral harpoon downward, sending Ladybug flying into her partner.

"Not quick enough, bug!" She taunted the heroes as they got back up to their feet.

The two heroes shook themselves off and got into a battle stance. Ladybug then tossed up her yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" She exclaimed, calling on her superpower.

A swarm of red and pink ladybugs spiraled up into the air from her yo-yo. When they collided together, with a flash of light, a red and black-spotted glow stick, non-glowing for the moment, appeared and landed in Ladybug's grasp.

"A glow stick?" Ladybug asked aloud.

"Watch out!" Cat Noir suddenly pushed Ladybug out of the way as the Lady of the Seine blasted a funnel of water at them. Then the black cat hero got out his staff, extended it and swung it at her, knocking her into the lobby of the nearby Bourgeois hotel.

"We got to keep her in one spot!" He said as Ladybug picked up her Lucky Charm glow stick. By now, the water had reached up to their knees, making it harder for them to move. "Get her out of the street and away from the river!"

Just then, Ladybug heard a beep from her earrings. Her timer had started. "We better hurry." She said to him, to which he responded with a nod.

Due to the flooding water, the doors of the hotel were stuck wide open. As the Akuma got back up on her feet, Cat Noir had an idea on how to get her stuck in one place.

"Cataclysm!" He exclaimed, calling on his own superpower. Black specks of destructive power danced around his right hand where his ring was, and he punched the floor underneath him, Ladybug and the Akumatized victim.

Giant cracks quickly spread like spiderwebs along the tiled floor until finally, it caved in, and all three of them went falling down deep into the basement of the hotel, the water pouring in along with them somewhat softening their fall. However, due to the water pouring in, one of the doors to the basement burst open and all three of them slid inside the room.

Ladybug sat up and spat some water, not liking the grime she could taste from the Seine. "Next time, give me a warning, kitty-cat." She asked dryly.

Cat Noir squirted some water out of his own mouth, shaking his wet mop of golden hair. "Duly noted, My Lady." He added in the same sarcastic tone.

However, they then heard the Akumatized villain cackle wickedly. She then grabbed her harpoon and held it in her hand. "Do you really think that you can stop me from down here?" She taunted. "You have only sealed your fates!"

The Lady of the Seine waved her coral harpoon around in her hand, and a small but powerful wave crashed into the room, knocking the heroes against the far wall of the room. That wave also knocked Ladybug's glow stick out of her hand, lost to the darkening depths of the water that was flooding more bucketfuls into the room by the second.

"Let's see you two wriggle your way out of this sticky situation!" The villainess proclaimed haughtily before heading out of the room and then slamming the door behind her. She then sent the water to block the door with tons of debris before commanding it to raise her back up to the surface level.

***************

Cat Noir immediately began trying to push the door down while Ladybug searched for her Lucky Charm. Her earrings let out a second warning, while she heard her partner's ring beep out the start of its own countdown. However, the water was only rising, and since she hadn't used the glow stick yet, she couldn't see it in the murky water. To make matters worse, due to the flooding, the lights went out, leaving her blinded in the dark.

But her partner could see in the dark, due to his night vision. "Can you find my Lucky Charm?" She asked him. "I gotta see if there's a way out of here."

"Um, how can you find a way out of here if you can't even-" Cat Noir was suddenly cut off by a yelp and a splash. He turned to see that his lady love had lost her footing and was sitting in waist-deep, filthy and icy water.

"-See where you're going?" He finished weakly as he went over to Ladybug and helped her up by the hand.

"Point taken." Ladybug replied, slightly shivering to the cold water surrounding her and her catty boyfriend.

They both looked around and felt the water around them rising even faster. "That sea monster lady wastes no time in using her powers." Cat Noir muttered under his breath. "If she keeps this up, all of Paris will be underwater."

"And we're running out of time!" Ladybug exclaimed, looking down at the water around them. Now it had reached their chests, so that they had to start swimming to keep themselves afloat.

Cat Noir heard his ring give out its second warning just as he heard Ladybug's earrings chirp out its third. "Literally." He added as he looked around for any possible exit.

It felt like seconds were rushing by faster than normal to the rising water, which had now forced the heroes up to the ceiling to remain above the surface. Ladybug had tried the vents, but they were screwed shut. Cat Noir had tried once more to break down the door, but nothing.

For the first time since becoming superheroes, Ladybug was actually fearful for her life and for Cat Noir's as he floated back over to her. She felt her body getting colder as the icy water seemed to penetrate through her suit. She looked over at her partner, who wasn't looking too well either. Their Miraculouses chimed out their warnings again, with her on her fourth and him on his third. It really seemed there was no escape for them this time. Well, if these were to be her last moments, then she'll spend them with him.

She clumsily took his hand within the chilling darkness, its constant warmth giving her comfort and strength. "I, Ladybug, take you, Cat Noir..."

"What are you doing?" Cat Noir asked, cutting her off.

Ladybug only stared at him, right in the eyes, putting as much meaning as she could into her words. "Marrying you in our last moments together."

Even though she couldn't see his face, she could still tell that his jaw was dropped and that his eyes went wide. "...What?" He asked, his whisper seeming to be louder than the water that was rising past their chests, even though they were near the ceiling.

Normally, if she was caught doing something that appeared really stupid, whether as her true identity or in her spots, Ladybug would want to die of embarrassment. But she and the man she loved were on a literal time limit, and pushing aside the impending and nerve-wracking fact that she could soon figure out who he really is in their last moments, she didn't want to have lived her life without doing one more thing. The thing that she wanted ever since she realized that she loved this infuriating but handsome, funny and all-around amazing man in black latex and cat ears and that she would never ever let him go again. Even if it could only be for a moment before all was lost, she wanted to live the reality of being married to the love of her life.

"This could be it, Kitty." She said, not wanting to let her voice quaver despite the desperate tears and the freezing waters around her.

"We'll get out of this, My Lady, I promise." Cat Noir tried to assure her.

"And what if we don't?" She asked, making him stop and listen. "We only have seconds left. I can almost feel Tikki barely holding my costume together. I wanted our love to last, and if this is it, I want to know if this is what you would have wanted, too. Because I would give up my own life to have this kind of love with you, regardless of any situation."

Two seconds felt like two hours as she waited for both his reply and for her earrings to give out completely. Then, she felt him take her hand in his. Even in the darkness, she could see his eyes glowing in the dark, radiating pure love. A look only meant for her.

"As you wish, my love." He whispered.

Without so much a second thought, Ladybug continued to proceed with her vow despite the bitter cold of the water, which now reached up to their chins. "I, Ladybug... take you, Cat Noir... as my husband... to have and to hold... from this moment forward... for better, for worse... for richer, for poorer... in sickness and in health... to love and to cherish." She deliberately left out the last part, because she wouldn't dare to think that even death could keep them apart.

Cat Noir then took his turn. "I, Cat Noir... take you, Ladybug... as my wife... to have and to hold... from this moment forward... for better, for worse... for richer, for poorer... in sickness and in health... to love and to cherish."

As they were exchanging vows, neither had noticed that their Miraculouses were beginning to softly glow instead of ringing out their last warnings. They were too caught up in the moment as they stared into each other's eyes, sharing the same synergy, and together, they said the last part of their vows in unison; which was different than any other vow.

"Together shall we be, henceforth until the end of eternity."

With that, the two star-crossed lovers took one last breath and then shared a searing last kiss of passion and love right as the icy water of the overflowing Seine enveloped them completely in the darkness. All was eerily silent in the room as the two heroes slowly parted lips and waited for when they would eventually let go of their last breath.

But then, suddenly, in the inky blackness, a soft pink light began to glow. Ladybug and Cat Noir turned their eyes in its direction and saw the Lucky Charm glow stick stuck under one of the crates. Due to the weight, it had slightly cracked the inside, allowing the stick to glow.

Ladybug quickly swam down towards it, with Cat Noir right behind her. He managed to push the crate off as best as he could while Ladybug grabbed the glow stick. She then bent it in half, allowing the glow to come at full shine. She then swam to the vent and saw that it was almost all the way loose. One more hard pull, and it would pop free.

Together, the two heroes went to the vent and pulled with all their might despite their desperate need for air. The vent shaft burst open, and the following flow forced the two superheroes out of the room and into the ventilation system. They immediately locked hands so that they could stay together and not get separated. Their lungs were begging for air, but they held on for as long as they could.

Finally, thanks to the glow stick in Ladybug's other hand, they could see the night sky above them, and they made a break for it. Never had one relished in gulps of fresh air than Ladybug and Cat Noir at that moment when they broke the surface.

Gasping and coughing, they wearily guided each other to the nearest hidden rooftop, climbed up on it, and collapsed onto their backs, their hands never parting. Suddenly feeling very fatigued and exhausted, they shut their eyes as Ladybug's earrings finally gave out their final warning.

In a flash of pink light, Cat Noir quickly shut his eyes before he could be tempted to look over at his Lady's true identity. As much as he wanted to know who she really is, he valued her trust and love more. Not a word was uttered, not even the exhausted groans of her Kwami. All he could hear was Ladybug's greedy gasps of air as they slowly grew quieter as she regained her breath, along with his.

Seconds ticked by, and soon, the black cat hero could only hear the quiet breathing of his lady love as her hand grew lax in his grip. He could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness, but he couldn't care less at the moment. All he could think about was a moment to breathe and recompose himself. Once he heard the sounds of his ring beeping out their last warning, his whole body went limp as the familiar flashes of green lightning flashed behind his eyelids.

He didn't even hear his Kwami moaning out in exaggerated exhaustion and hunger the second that he was released from the Miraculous. His mind just slipped into the darkness of sleep so easily. But his hand never once let go of his love's own hand.

A/N: Well... how did I do? With the Akuma villain, the fight so far, and the crazy decision these two lovey-dovey idiots just made? Please let me know what you think in the reviews. Hopefully, I can update this story more often instead of doing it once a year. I just keep getting more and more ideas that are just itching to get posted, and with me first finishing two years of college so far, and now working full-time in a place where I'm busy pretty much all the time and the Internet there stinks, it's being almost impossible to write much of anything. Well, I'm trying to figure out a solution.

Well, I hoped y'all enjoyed this long-overdue chapter! Please leave a comment about your thoughts, and remember to stay healthy! Also, check out my other Miraculous story on fanfiction.net that I'm working on currently, along with my collaboration partner. Doubt I will bring it over here, though. 

Got to fly! ;)